LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 38
“I came to save this child.”
“A woman…? To save her?”
“What is she talking about?”
The three elite-level adventurers were already quite fatigued due to the long battle with the Vampire and her army of slaves.
They had resupplied upon entering the dungeon, but they were only able to bring the essentials, not expecting another major fight to ensue.
On the other hand, the Libertus side was in almost pristine condition, and moreover, that weakling was well-prepared with knowledge about their enemies.
This difference could at least narrow their power gap by half a stage to a full stage.
“Damn. Something feels off.”
“Ha. Even if that’s truly another Dungeon Lord, she can’t be anywhere near as strong as that Vampire.”
– It’s doable.
However, they still did not think they would lose.
Even if they were weary, there were three elite adventurers present, who could easily exert higher-level strength.
Thanks to this background, they recognized the battle but found their response time to be delayed by almost half a beat.
And so this moment of hesitation would soon turn their thoughts completely upside down.
Whoosh – !
“Shit…!”
As I noticed the adventurers’ expressions contorting at my words, the figure of Libertus was engulfed in shadows and vanished.
“Behind…!”
As her figure vanished right before their eyes, those who reacted were Alexis, the Magic Swordsman, and a few warriors.
Summoning an arming sword in one hand and a flame sword of similar length in the other, they swiftly turned to check behind their ally mages and archers, demonstrating a veteran adventurer’s proper response.
It was merely that Rita’s movement was not logical in this situation.
“… Is that not her?!”
Libertus reappeared right behind Alexis.
In other words, she was right in front of him. If Alexis had reacted quickly to Libertus’s shadow magic and not turned around.
“「Shadow Bind」.”
When Libertus’s foot touched the ground, her shadow instantly blended with the cave’s shadow, capturing Alexis’s legs.
An elite adventurer’s resistance could quickly break free from that bind, but the problem was what came next.
There was a threat falling from above that allowed no room for even a brief pause.
– Clatter!
Whoooosh!
What appeared from the darkness merged with Libertus’s shadow was a massive axe. The one wielding it was Ax, the black Dungeon Lord’s bodyguard.
Now sporting a decent set of leather armor, the gigantic skeleton descended from above Rita, chopping down with the axe like a guillotine.
“Ugh?!”
Hearing that ominous sound, Alexis twisted his body with all his might. However, even despite the short distance, the magical binding left him with no time to react.
Suddenly facing an ambush from the front from a warrior, just as Alexis hurriedly raised his sword to slow down the incoming blow.
Crash!!
A short sword, that looked infinitely small compared to the axe, intervened.
Charged full of magical power.
“A Skeleton? Was the Necromancer from this side…?!”
“Protect Alexis!”
“Damn it. What is going on?! Is there really a Dungeon Lord on both sides?!”
Lin Xue, filled with power and determination, managed to deflect the unexpectedly strong blow from the skeleton with her sword.
As she revealed the identity of the enemy, the warriors drew out their clubs, and some mages began to concentrate.
“「Shadow Assault」.”
However, before the magic could properly activate, Libertus spoke as she keenly observed Lin Xue and Jinkyung.
As if prepared.
Swish – !!
“「Flame」… Ugh?!”
“That woman, no, that monster is attacking!”
From the previously empty ground, invisible blades suddenly sprang forth.
This was the cave.
Thanks to that, shadows were abundant for Rita to utilize.
As the shadows attacked the mages, they had no choice but to cancel the power they had been summoning and quickly dodge.
And as the mages, unable to complete their spells, shouted out, the elite-level warriors began to rush in with clubs raised.
Rita turned her head as if the warriors meant nothing to her.
“Come at me.”
– Crack!
– Cling.
Three more silhouettes had already fallen before her.
“Additional Skeletons! She truly is a Necromancer!”
“Still, beings like this…!”
Clang! Crack!
“What the?!”
At first, the warriors, intent on ignoring them, tried to rush forward but soon had to abandon their carelessness and adopt a cautious approach.
One with a shield and another with a staff had seen Lin Xue and Jinkyung quickly shoot arrows and spells to defend themselves.
No matter how rushed they were, the skeleton had blocked the elite-level attacks. Naturally, it made sense to think it had some ability or item supporting it.
In reality, there was an unseen assist from Libertus, but they had no idea.
『Name – Ax』
『Attributes – Health 35, Dexterity 12, Durability 21, Magic 4, Resistance 13』
– Grrr…
“Damn it. Why is this thing so big…? It really is a skeleton, right?”
Meanwhile, Alexis was facing off against the skeleton, which, though large, had the appearance of only a skeleton, yet he couldn’t shake the sense of cold sweat trickling down his back. The previous ambush had been that dangerous, bringing an instinctive reaction from him.
Moreover, the ominous dark magic swirled above the behemoth.
“「I command」. 「To be sturdy」. And 「to be precise」. 「Resist」. My warrior.”
– Gwaaaah!!
『Attributes – Health 38, Dexterity 23, Durability 33, Magic 5, Resistance 24』
A commanding buff delivered on top of Ax, who was still lacking despite being close to elite-level.
The capabilities that Ax lacked were instantly filled, and his melee combat capability sufficiently rose to hold his ground against elite-level warriors.
That buff transmitted clearly for them to see was undeniable. After all, the healer’s greatest ability in RPG games is often to have a wide field of view.
“「Unholy power…!」”
As soon as Libertus applied a buff to her soldier, one person immediately took notice and called out.
A priest.
If you had enough money, these were the ones you had to recruit for any battle.
Clang!
“Yikes?!”
“Keep going! I will hold them off…!”
And simultaneously, they were the first target to be targeted by the monsters.
Because of this fact, she couldn’t carry out the actions she wanted immediately. The moment she opened her mouth, an attack was thrust at her, and before she could react, a guarding warrior managed to raise his shield in time.
Swoosh.
Beside the priest, a broad but powerful-looking longsword emerged from the shadow, even if not sharp.
Wielding it was a figure far smaller than the giant from earlier, yet the aura emanating from their body was that of a mighty warrior.
Clang! Clash! Bang!
“What’s with this strength…! Hurry! Priest!!”
“Y-yes! 「Power to repel the unholy…!」”
Boom!!
“Yikes!”
– Kaha…
As the priest began to chant her spell, she stared at the black magic steam spewing from the clash of sword and shield, the light of her azure eyes growing ominously.
The warrior facing her was trembling with fear.
Why did the seemingly ordinary skeleton appear so terrifying?!
“「Give us an address!」, yikes!”
Bang!!
What was happening behind them remained unknown, but the warriors now could not move.
Taking their eyes off the scary skeleton felt like death was near.
“「Sturdy」. 「Be precise」.”
『Attributes – Health 27, Dexterity 32, Durability 23, Magic 26, Resistance 22』
『Attributes – Health 37, Dexterity 42, Durability 23, Magic 26, Resistance 22』
Hearing the direct “commands” from their master, their movements became even more powerful, precise, and forceful, enhancing their actions in striking down the shield.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Then, when Evangelion swept her blade energetically while holding onto her shield, the warrior’s eyes widened as the shield flew away, glancing at the approaching sword.
“Damn it, here…?!”
“「Flapping of the Hummingbird Wings」!”
Bam! Crack! Bang!
“He survived…?!”
“Move!!”
The warrior did not die.
Lin Xue’s rapid-fire shooting diverted Evangelion’s sword successfully.
However, she frowned at the result. Although she had succeeded in deflecting Evangelion’s sword, none of her follow-up attacks had connected.
All seven rapid shots were either blocked or dodged by the skeleton.
“What kind of calmness and agility is that…?!”
The skeleton didn’t move hastily at all.
It calmly positioned its sword to deflect or block her attack, and in the end, it even spun around to slice away the incoming magic before placing it near its own feet, allowing the final arrow to barely whiz past.
– Clang.
Right after that, Evangelion stood still, scanning her surroundings.
Instead of focusing on Lin Xue, she seemed to observe the entire battlefield.
Her quietly intimidating presence was overwhelming.
“What is she doing…?!”
Frustrated, Lin Xue glared resentfully at the priest still not using spells.
The hastily loosed arrows had gained no advantage and merely redirected the skeleton’s attention to her, while the priest she was supposed to protect had been unable to find time to chant a spell.
Crash! Bang! Boom!!
– Rumble…!!
“What the hell is that…!!”
“Help me…!!”
Amidst the frenzy, Lin Xue reached the peak of her magic and stamina, playing with two other warriors while mercilessly targeting the priest’s protective shield.
Her divine barrier was repeatedly broken and restored, showing that she had no room to think about anything else.
Lin Xue’s combat capacity was originally close to elite-level, but now, in this state of madness, she could fight or overwhelm three mid-tier adventurers one-on-one.
Thus, it was natural for elite adventurers to not keep up.
– Snap!
As Lin Xue toyed with the priest and two warriors, Evangelion, who had retreated to observe that scene and Lin Xue, felt her eyes ignite with determination.
‘She’s coming…!’
Amidst the skeleton with an ordinary appearance yet monstrous capabilities, Lin Xue’s wariness was unavoidable.
“Fall…!”
– Thwack!
Clang!
Lips biting in frustration, Lin Xue struggled to shake off the enemy, but the skeleton was faster than her exhausted self.
With its inherent abilities, she barely managed to deflect the attacks through her bow and short sword, yet it looked precariously unstable.
This cave was never a place where she could thrive.
When outside, she had to shoot from a distance, and in tight spaces, she had to be in a thoroughly protected environment during her shooting mode, as a ‘Swordswoman.’
“Alexis!!”
“Handle that yourself! This place is no game either!”
“Damn it!”
Bang!!
– Rumble…
Despite calling upon Alexis, the one with the strongest close combat abilities was still entangled with Ax.
Knowing well that he was lacking in skill, Ax was using the method of inserting his body in between Alexis’s sword attacks and deflecting magic with his axe due to his master’s durability and resistance enhancements.
After observing countless times how that axe carved deep into the cave’s ground and walls, Alexis could hardly turn his back away from it.
Bang!! Bang!!! Bang!!!!
Pushing all remaining magical power supplied by his master into enhancing his health, Ax rushed at such an overwhelming speed and charge that did not align with his massive size.
One hand held a great axe, while the other gripped a surprisingly small short sword.
The pressure was such that if he miscalculated, his forehead could split apart or his heart could be pierced.
Clang! Crash!
“What the hell?! Those arms!!”
Surely there were plenty of openings to the skeleton. However, it was pointless, no matter how much they aimed for those weak spots.
Half of their well-thought-out strikes became entangled in the overly solid joints, while the rest were warded off by the left arm’s short sword that moved seemingly independently yet maintaining a connection to the dark magic.
The enormous skeleton moved most of its actions freely, while Rita lent some of her defensive capabilities, requiring a high degree of concentration for control.
But Alexis had no way of knowing such intricacies.
– Light, come forth…!
Meanwhile, noticing that the source of the simultaneously summoned skeletons was ‘shadow’, Jinkyung attempted to draw light into the dark cave.
He wanted to halt the enemy’s additional support and stabilize the situation.
“「Silence」. Quick to notice, aren’t you?”
However, that attempt was thwarted just before it could take place.
Thanks to the simple curse from Libertus, who was well aware of her abilities due to a slip of the tongue from a knight nearby.
– Clang.
– Crack.
Thud!
“Ah…”
Additionally, assaulted by a synchronized group attack from the three skeletons beside her.
Although she was an elite adventurer with considerable physical capabilities, as stated earlier, they were already quite fatigued and couldn’t manage it since their main abilities had been sealed.
Usually, companions like the priest or other warriors, who would have ensured her safety, were being clobbered by werewolves and unable to regain their composure.
“Isn’t anyone going to help?!”
“Damn. Shit…! I’m done for!”
“Stop complaining! Who would come to a place like this…!”
Thus, Alexis was being chased by Ax, while priests and two warriors were played with by Lin Xue, Lin Xue got entangled with Evangelion, and lastly, Jinkyung was subdued by Rita.
“Why is this skeleton so strong…?!”
“It’s wielding a spear…! Crazy – !!”
From within the shadows of the cave, silhouettes continued to emerge, each wielding weapons and joining together to drain the remaining four adventurers.
In total, excluding those next to Rita, there were twelve.
The adventurers were all above elite-level, but they were each skeletons wielding the strength and skills of real mid-tier adventurers thanks to the growth of Libertus’s core abilities and the elite training Evangelion provided.
“「I command」.”
And atop that, Rita’s overarching command was in play.
“Take care of your bodies, my children. If you get hurt, I’ll surely heal you, but it will make me quite sad.”
– Clang!
– Snap!
Upon hearing the words of their beloved master, the skeletons’ movements became even more aggressive, intense, and nimble.
“Stop!! Don’t come! Don’t come…!”
“Help…! Aaaah!!”
Wham!!
Eventually, it didn’t take long before silence enveloped the cave.