The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

Fwoooosh!

A wave of intense cold burst from my sword, freezing the entire corridor. The forty-nine knot charms on my wrist had long since burned away. There wasn’t a bracelet left to look for, as not even ash remained. The gauntlet on my wrist had been shredded by attacks, exposing my white bone.

It doesn’t matter anyway...

This wasn’t the time to worry about Purson’s followers or chasing traces of the Demon King created by the circuit.

If only they would show up now.

It would’ve been great if they spontaneously appeared and turned this into a chaotic three-way battle, but there were no signs of them.

Thud!

The assassins raised large shields and blocked the magic. The power of the cold wind had pushed them back considerably, but at least it bought me time. If used on the front lines, this magic could probably freeze and shatter an entire squad of conscripted slaves or Skeleton Soldiers. Before, I couldn’t have even imagined wielding such power, but there was no time to revel in it now.

The masked humans were blocking the attacks and slowly closing the gap.

Who are they?

They seemed just as bewildered by me. I could hear them grinding their teeth and muttering amongst each other.

”Huh?”

”He can still cast magic like this... What is he, really?”

”When we get back, I’m going to kill the entire intelligence division.”

”Damn it. Shouldn’t we have asked for help from The Order?”

”Shut the hell up already.”

However, there was nothing to be proud of. Even if I held out, there was no solution, and holding out was impossible in the first place.

The circuit Isaac had etched into my bones was completely overheated, and I could feel the Lurium within rapidly depleting from overuse. Even if it could regenerate naturally, I was using far more than it could replenish right now.

I wanted to break through the corridor and escape somehow, but the chances were slim. Now that all six masked figures had gathered, trying to finish things would only mean dying a little faster. It would be better to wait for an opening in their reckless offense and land a precise counterattack.

I heard an assessment of me from the other side.

”Keep pushing. That bastard’s almost done. His attacks are way weaker and slower than before.”

I’ll take at least one of you down with me.

These people had killed Chandler, Christina, the butler, the maid, and Hailey.

Why did I say I would protect her sister? Would she have been safer staying with Lime? What about Chandler and Christina? If I hadn’t come to Grassmere, would they have survived? Maybe they could’ve lived another day.

Is it my fault... again?

Clatter.

I moved inside my half-destroyed armor. I had no secret techniques or a hidden ultimate move. All I could do was keep moving until I completely broke down. Even if I died, I’d make sure to land one more blow.

Blaze.

I activated the already tattered circuit once more.

Fwooom!

Flames surged around the sword just like before.

[Warning! Health has dropped below 15%!]

My health plummeted rapidly. I already knew this would be the end.

Crackle.

Two of my ribs burned out under the strain, but it didn’t matter. Even if I died here, I’d remember them and meet them again. I recalled the faces of everyone who had died, over and over. I mixed the strongest Wind Blast I could cast with my sword and unleashed it at the nearest enemy.

Suddenly, I heard something shift behind me.

Rumble!

What?

Boom!

In the moment that my enemy faltered, I quickly turned to look behind. At the farthest end, I noticed a small opening, barely a meter wide, where Isaac’s coffin lay.

A secret passage?

I thought this was truly the end, but as if to mock me, a section of the stone wall had slid aside. There was no way to tell why it had opened now of all times, but I had no time to think.

Maybe I had discovered another secret hidden within Isaac’s tomb. Even if I died, learning one more thing might help with revenge.

Whoosh!

I leaped through the narrow entrance without a second thought.

Just as I took my first step inside, thick mist surged up near the entrance and slipped into my armor. It swept through my bones, examining me.

Hissss...

The mist that had suddenly rushed in slowly began to fade.

What was that?

I felt that this place had given me permission.

”What the hell is that now?” one of the humans said.

”He went into the mist! After him!” another exclaimed.

”I thought we had him cornered! What? Now it’s a secret passage? What an annoyingly dramatic Skeleton bastard...”

I could hear the masked figures muttering outside, but there was something off about their voices.

It’s far...

Even though I had only taken a few steps, their voices already sounded distant. It wasn’t that they were too quiet or hard to understand; it was like something had thoroughly separated me from them, like an invisible but impenetrable barrier between us. It felt so thin, I thought I could reach out and touch it. Yet, it was impossibly solid, something that could never be crossed.

”My legs... why are they twisting on their own?”

”The wall’s pulling me in! Be careful!”

Fwoooosh!

I felt a burst of flame aimed at them from somewhere. However, not even a trace of heat or breeze reached me.

”Uwaaaaah!”

”My eyes! I can’t see!”

”This barrier is insanely powerful. Don’t move! Reverse out of here! You idiots, I told you we should’ve reported this!”

Their frantic shouting faded away behind me.

A barrier!

Maybe it was a barrier Isaac had created long ago. After all, he was a grand sorcerer who once ruled the Southern Empire centuries ago. If it were his, there was no need to even speak of its power.

I considered counterattacking the struggling masked enemies, but I didn’t want to act rashly in an unfamiliar place.

I decided to keep moving inward. Though the entrance had looked narrow from the outside, the space inside was strangely vast.

The further I walked, the more spacious and unfamiliar it became. Looking around, I felt like I had stepped into an entirely different realm. It was dark, but a faint light illuminated the area, enough for me to see.

First, I need to assess the situation.

Isaac had been a high priest for Malphas. That man possessed me and engraved Lurium circuits into my bones, twice. Every time I used magic, the mark of Demon King Malphas appeared. That mark had made the followers of Purson hunt me down for defiling their altar.

If using power alone could desecrate another Demon King’s altar...

Then what about this place, Malphas’ own altar? Maybe that mark was the key that opened the barrier just now.

I needed to survive long enough to understand this place. If Isaac had hidden away a legacy, I might be able to use it again and again through regressions. Of course, it was all just a theory, and I couldn’t afford to relax yet.

Who knows when the people outside will figure out how to break the barrier?

Whatever I do... I need to hurry.

I walked much farther inside. The incredibly long and wide passage stretched out with no end in sight.

What’s that?

After walking for quite some time, massive raven statues loomed overhead from various points ahead, staring down at me as if they might tear off even non-existent flesh. Some ravens had their wings spread wide, while others had their heads lowered with folded wings.

”...”

As I quietly observed the statues, I soon noticed a strange light. The pitch-black statues emitted a faint glow, allowing me to see in the corridor, despite it being sealed off from all sides, as though moonlight were somehow shining in.

Shhhhh.

I raised my sword and scraped one of the statues. When I saw the decadently glowing metal at the tip of my blade, I knew.

Black gold.

I had only heard of it in stories. This was my first time seeing it with my own eyes, and it was twenty times more beautiful than gold. It was rarely traded, and thus it had no set price.

It turns to ash if exposed to sunlight... that’s right...

Black gold was the ultimate metal of somber luxury. Dozens of ravens had been sculpted from it, lined up in neat rows. Their decadent beauty captivated me, and I couldn’t help but stop and stare in silence.

A Demon King who loved jewels and gold—there was no doubt about it now. This was Malphas’ altar. When I finally reached the end of the corridor after walking for a long time, my vision became even brighter.

Hissss...

From the black darkness, a white-hot liquid flowed along the circuit engraved into a jet-black stone gate. All the light reflecting off the black gold originated here. In this space where everything else was still, only the translucent white liquid shimmered vividly.

Sometimes the white hue shifted to green, then red, then blue.

I absentmindedly stepped a few paces toward the stone gate. The translucent fluid, like molten gems, flowed left and right. I had never seen beauty like this before.

As I stared blankly at the flowing liquid gem, a pattern in the movement began to emerge.

Words?

I couldn’t understand it at all. It wasn’t in the continental tongue or any eastern dialect. It was a completely foreign language.

After standing there for a long while, I finally came to my senses, made up my mind, and moved.

I had to open it. If the decoration on the door was this grand, there must be something unimaginably valuable behind it. Maybe there was a way to turn this entire situation around.

I stiffened with tension.

Where am I supposed to touch?

The massive arch-shaped door had no handle, groove, or slot that looked like it could move.

Clack.

I tried pushing it, but the stone door didn’t budge.

Clack! Clack!

I pushed left, pulled, pushed right, but nothing happened. The massive door didn’t even flinch.

Clang!

I hesitated and then struck it with my sword, but there was still no reaction. Not even the blade, charged with sword aura, could leave a scratch. There was clearly a powerful barrier surrounding it.

”...”

I cooled the Lurium circuit for a moment and touched the entire gate with magic, but again, there was no response.

What am I supposed to do?

If there had been even the slightest reaction, I might have kept trying, but there was none. I didn’t even feel like experimenting further. Breaking the barrier was, of course, impossible. With my level of knowledge, I couldn’t even begin to grasp its structure.

So, I left the stone door alone and looked around. If this door didn’t open, there had to be another exit. Even if a powerful barrier was surrounding it, I couldn’t stay here forever. To the right of the door was a long, narrow corridor, but the end of it was blocked.

Detection.

Even when I used my skill, nothing came up. No matter how long I checked, the result was the same. Either there was no other door, or the path was hidden on a level beyond my ability to detect.

Is this some kind of joke?

I stood in front of the stone gate, glowing with written light, and tried several more times to open it. Nothing worked.

”Damn it...” I grumbled.

Even when I repeatedly cast spells, the door didn’t respond. So, I lay down in front of it and quietly recovered my stamina.

Whether I wanted to try opening the stone gate or fight my way back outside, I needed strength. Part of me hoped the pendant might give me an answer.

[Time until next activation: 29:53...]

Just one more day, and the pendant’s cooldown would expire.

This time, for sure...

Everyone in the castle had already been killed. This time, I would follow the pendant’s words without hesitation. I was experiencing firsthand how horrific the consequences of ignoring it could be.

***

A little more than a day passed.

[Would you like to execute Bone Restoration?]

Vrmmmm...

The ribs that had burned out glowed faintly and regenerated. Using the skill, I finally healed the last of my injuries.

I fully restored my skeleton. The Lurium circuit was no longer overloaded, and the reserves were nearly full again.

Fwoosh!

Even now, the stone gate didn’t react at all.

Should I just force my way through?

I recalled the enemies’ conversation near the entrance.

”Don’t worry too much. He’s a rat in a trap.”

”Any backup yet?”

”We’ve called for it. Let’s wait.”

”Are you sure it’s okay not to report this?”

”If he finds out, we’re screwed. He’ll flay us alive.”

They had guarded the entrance in fear of someone.

Who were they talking about?

Even from behind the barrier, the snatches of conversation I heard made me uneasy. However, all of that would end soon, because the pendant would give me the answer.

[Time until next activation: 00:00:10...]

Nine... eight... seven...

As soon as the timer hit zero—