## Chapter 43 – Dungeon
“A dungeon was recently discovered, and based on information from the church, we believe the necromancer who raised the skeletons is likely inside.”
Necromancer.
The term referred to antisocial, mentally ill wizards with bizarre and morbid paraphilias involving corpses.
These cruel human trash would willingly desecrate graves to find bodies and were true serial killers capable of murder whenever necessary.
Saying it like this, they didn’t seem much different from adventurers (and indeed, some adventurers engaged in robbery or simply enjoyed their time), but unlike adventurers, these guys could wield magic beyond the level of miracles, capable of ‘reviving corpses.’
As the saying goes, a fine line separates the virtuous from the petty… that was the only difference between adventurers and them. Anyway, they were that kind of scum. Unpleasant, horrifying, and dangerous bastards.
“So, you’re saying a necromancer raised these skeletons?”
“It seems highly probable. While it’s not uncommon for zombies with remaining flesh to revive due to lingering evil magic, it’s not very convincing that skeletons with only bones would rise in such a way. It’s reasonable to assume someone took artificial measures.”
So, it seemed a necromancer was indeed hiding inside this dungeon.
The fact that zombies appearing was a natural phenomenon while skeletons weren’t was a bit curious, but whatever. This dungeon was filled not only with monsters, undead, and adventurers.
“Necromancers… are they, like, super strong?”
“It depends on their rank, doesn’t it? Even wizards have rookies.”
But I had my doubts.
The necromancers I’d heard rumors about were cruel, heinous criminals. But look at these bones scattered around. I couldn’t feel any malicious energy, let alone any evil intent, from these broken, pathetic things.
I could believe they were skeletons prepared by a kind-hearted science teacher for a surprise lesson.
Above all, I could confidently declare them ‘shit.’
These skeletons were truly worthless. I didn’t understand why they were made, and the necromancer who proudly created such trash didn’t seem very impressive. Unless there was some kind of conspiracy.
“I heard you get a big reward for beheading a necromancer and submitting it to the church…”
“That’s true. If they’re wanted, the reward increases significantly, but our church offers a basic reward of 10 silver.”
“10 silver!”
However, the strangely high reward made me uneasy and I couldn’t get my hopes up.
Like the kobold incident, there had to be a purpose behind their actions. And there’s nothing more dangerous than a criminal acting with a clear purpose. Criminals’ obsessions are beyond imagination.
“Judging by the level of the skeletons… no, hasty judgment is dangerous. Anyway, we need to investigate further… shall we go deeper?”
Elise, who had raised the suspicion of a necromancer’s presence, asked.
We were in the same party, but Elise also had a separate mission from the church. She seemed to be asking because she couldn’t force her party members into her mission. Truly a considerate nun.
“I don’t mind. Now that we’re here, I think we should explore a bit more.”
“Same here. Let’s explore a bit more.”
Meria and the deep-voiced Copson said. I agreed. A few pewter cups and old trinkets weren’t enough to satisfy me. Even if it wasn’t for the investigation, we needed to explore the dungeon a bit more. Mainly in a monetary sense.
“Then let’s go, Sister Elise.”
Elise nodded. We passed the self-made bone pile. I wondered if those guys would rise again and attack us from behind, but even if they did, it wouldn’t be a big deal, and it seemed impossible for them to rise again after being so broken.
Skeleton smog (the phenomenon of skeleton bones moving like crazy) didn’t feel very realistic, even considering fantasy.
“Hey, there’s another skeleton over there.”
The fourth basement floor seemed to be full of skeletons; we saw them every time we turned a corner. We easily smashed them all, collected the loot, and moved forward. Bone powder flew everywhere. It probably wasn’t good for respiratory health.
“It’s getting boring.”
Meria, imitating Copson, said as she cut a skeleton’s waist with a roundhouse kick. I was bored too. Carrying so many things was starting to weigh me down. I already had six rusty rings on my fingers. What am I, Non-gae?
“Another one.”
Copson strode forward, put down his lantern, and threw punches, spinning his fist like a windmill. He seemed to be planning to play around a bit before landing three solid hits.
The battle was carried out in a relaxed atmosphere. We were starting to lose any sense of tension. The skeletons standing tall and walking slowly weren’t threatening at all. They weren’t even good as guards.
But as things go,
things happen when you truly let your guard down.
—WHOOSH!
A strange sound reached my ears as I was tearing off a skeleton’s head with my bare hands. Since the only things we could hear in this dungeon were our shouts and the sound of bones breaking, the sound stood out like a cluster of light protruding from the darkness.
“Whoosh?”
What’s that sound? It sounds like a flame…
“Dodge!”
Copson shouted sharply. Realizing something was wrong from his shout, I threw myself to the ground without hesitation. It’s always best to dodge first. You can judge and question after you’ve dodged.
—Whoosh!
I realized something was flying towards me, but it was a bit too late.
It was a purple fireball. I twisted my falling body as much as possible to minimize the damage.
“Ugh!”
The purple fireball grazed my shoulder by a hair’s breadth. Magic? I was about to scream. The burning pain…
“Huh?”
But there was no pain. It sounded like the fireball had exploded, but there was no heat or pain. I thought it had grazed my shoulder, but it seemed I had completely avoided it.
My agility must have increased a bit.
“What is it? M-Meria, shield! And retreat to the corner!”
I shouted. Since a projectile had been fired, we had to retreat around the corner. This terrain was disadvantageous against projectiles. Meria jumped in front of the group and raised her shield.
I tried to get up while rolling.
That’s when it happened.
“Uh, uh?”
This.
“Oh my fucking god! What is this!”
—GUSH!
In an instant, bricks fell out of the dungeon wall, and black water began to gush out from the gap. The surrounding bricks were also randomly falling out due to the water pressure. Water was bursting out from that side too, and the floor began to flood.
“Fuck, water! What is this water!”
I almost fainted from the insane situation.
This was seriously fucked. We had to get out quickly.
At this rate, the dungeon would soon be filled with black water. Even if I was going to die, I refused to die drowning in such an absurd way…!
“You bastards! Dodge!”
I shouted, half-panicked. We had to go upstairs first. But the water was faster. The wall completely collapsed, and the water rushed in like a flood. The dungeon was completely submerged in black water.
—Glug.
“Shit, shiiiiiit…”
My vision went dark. I couldn’t breathe. Water entered my mouth and nose.
“It’s a curse magic! Copson, hold on to Katt! Meria, defend the front with your shield!”
Elise, who was somehow standing in the water, started shouting something. The sound echoed, and I couldn’t understand what she was saying. Then Copson appeared in the corner of my vision and grabbed my body.
This guy… he’s a better swimmer than I thought.
—With unwavering resolve, resist the temptations of the wicked…
“Cure!”
Then a light flashed.
The light was so brilliant and beautiful, like the light of creation. I reached out to the light. The light was warm and cozy. Like returning to my mother’s embrace…
In that warmth, I sensed death.
Is this death?
But seeing how warm it was, death seemed pretty good.
I had a life full of regrets.
What awaits me after death, heaven or hell? Maybe reincarnation, and I might be reborn as an animal instead of a person.
Personally, I want to go to heaven or be reincarnated as a person again. I killed some people after coming to this world, but it was unavoidable and even a good thing. So, I might get extra points and get what I want. Surely, the Great King Yama would praise me for completely destroying that damn bastard.
…
Of course, there was also the possibility that only nothingness existed.
In the face of approaching death, that was somehow too frightening.
“Are you awake!”
“Huh? Yes?”
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my mother’s face. Strangely, my mother had dyed her hair red and was unbelievably beautiful, but on second glance, it wasn’t my mother.
That’s right. I had been reincarnated. My new mother was a red-haired beauty. But why did I feel like I knew her face?
“…You’re awake.”
It was Elise.
“Gasp!”
Surprised, I sat up and looked around.
There was no black water anywhere. The walls hadn’t collapsed and still looked incredibly sturdy. The only water was the saliva and tears flowing from my eyes and chin.
Was it all an illusion? No. It couldn’t be. There’s no way such a realistic illusion could exist.
What the hell is going on?
“W-What the hell was that! What the fuck, water suddenly flooded!”
“Calm down. It’s a curse magic. It seems you had a hallucination. I see a skeleton mage in front. I’ve dispelled the curse, so rest assured.”
What? A curse?
Was that purple fireball earlier a curse magic?
Wow, fuck!
Goddamn it!
I was so flustered that I could only curse.
What kind of magic is that!
“Hoo… Thank you!”
I shook my head vigorously and stood up. The battle was in full swing, so I had to lend a hand quickly. Meria was standing in front of me with her shield raised, and Copson was cutting down the skeletons approaching from behind.
“You’ve come to your senses! Barbarian!”
“There’s a skeleton mage in front!”
Another purple fireball flew towards us. It was curse magic. I tried to roll on the ground to dodge, but this time Meria used her shield to deflect it. The fireball disappeared as it hit the shield.
“It seems okay to block it with a shield!”
I saw a skeleton mage holding a staff over there.
He was hiding behind, throwing spells while using the endless stream of skeletons as cover! I trembled with anger at his cowardice!
A mage!
A hateful mage!
Mages were all like that!
And that damn mage had just cast that terrifying curse magic on me!
“I won’t forgive anyone who tears at my heart!”
I roared.
