LIGHTNOVELONLINE C5
Chapter 5: The 8th Prince absorbs abilities
The skeleton stared at the hole in the forehead of Kapira.
Kapira, who had been the dungeon’s master until just a moment ago, had collapsed on the floor.
He wasn’t moving, and he wasn’t breathing either.
Instead, only red blood was flowing from the hole in his face.
It was certain now.
Kapira had died instantly.
But why?
The skeleton stared at the item in its hand.
An unknown item. Could this be what killed Kapira?
It was clear. It was definitely the flames that shot out from this item that killed Kapira.
“……”
The skeleton realized something new.
This was not an ordinary item; it was a weapon.
And that weapon had now become its own.
It was a sad thing that Kapira had died, but there was no sense of guilt for the monster.
From another perspective, wasn’t it just understanding the function of a new weapon?
Moreover, Kapira had died instantly from this weapon.
Then, where did such a powerful weapon come from?
One thing was certain: this item was not from this world.
The skeleton looked up at the ceiling of the dungeon.
Although the dark stone was visible first, it could vaguely feel it.
A divine weapon.
Yes, this was a weapon given by the gods.
Then, what kind of god did the skeleton think it was?
It was probably the one that summoned them to this place.
It was definitely the weapon granted by that being.
The skeleton finished all its calculations.
Then, it naturally inserted the weapon near its ribs.
If this truly was a divine weapon, it meant that whoever possessed it would soon hold power.
The skeleton looked around.
It could feel the fear from the other monsters around it after what had just happened.
“……”
The skeleton simply stared at them in silence.
Now that it looked, the species were quite diverse.
Orcs, goblins, mimics, and even undead. There were various kinds of monsters living in the same dungeon.
After confirming this, the skeleton made a decision.
A god.
Or, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t a god.
No matter who that being was, the skeleton swore absolute loyalty.
The skeleton began to move.
What it would do as proof of absolute loyalty had already been decided.
[An unexpected event has occurred.]
[‘Skeleton’ has killed the dungeon master ‘Kapira’.]
[The dungeon master no longer exists.]
[‘Skeleton’ is automatically appointed as the new dungeon master.]
【Dungeon Master: Skeleton (F)】
[Dungeon master ‘Skeleton’ offers ‘Kapira’s corpse’ as a sacrifice to the Master.]
[Absorbing one of the abilities of the deceased ‘Kapira’ at random.]
[Absorbed trait: ‘Irresistible Charm (B)’]
“Let’s take a short break and continue the lesson, Your Highness.”
In the 8th Prince’s palace, the lessons were in full swing.
Even though he was the 8th Prince, there was still royal blood running through him.
Naturally, the 8th Prince received a special education that only princes could have, and so, Kain Chronos was taking lessons alone.
Having been given a short break, Kain called out to his maid.
“Lynette, could you bring me some water?”
Lynette was the maid assigned to the 8th Prince.
She immediately responded to Kain’s command.
“Yes, yes! I will bring it right away!”
As she answered, Lynette inadvertently took a deep breath.
Her voice had risen an octave higher than usual.
Normally, Kain’s voice would have sounded casual, but today, it seemed to stir something deep within her chest.
The figure of the prince, leaning by the window, caught her attention.
‘Wow, was His Highness always like this?’
The sunlight streaming through his white hair glittered like silver. Moreover, his golden eyes, the royal emblem, shone more clearly than ever.
‘Something’s strange….’
Lynette tilted her head in confusion.
She had seen him every day. Just earlier, before the lesson, he looked just the same as usual.
But now, everything seems different.
His noble nose, the graceful curve of his lips, even the fingers carelessly resting on the windowsill all appeared so beautiful.
Lynette felt her hands shaking as she poured the water.
The 8th Prince had always been known as the talentless prince, quietly going about his days.
He was an insignificant presence, and there had been no competition among his siblings due to his harmlessness.
Because of this, among the maids, the 8th Prince had always been like an invisible person.
Lynette tried her best to suppress her fluttering emotions as she handed the water to Kain.
“Here’s the water.”
“Thank you.”
Even with the brief response, her heart raced. As their hands accidentally brushed while she handed him the cup, an odd sensation passed between them.
Lynette quickly lowered her head.
She couldn’t hide the redness in her face.
She suddenly felt a strong desire to be with the prince.
‘Since when…?’
Lynette was confused by this unfamiliar feeling.
Physically, nothing had changed, but everything about him felt so new to her.
It was as if the moonlight, long hidden behind cloudy skies, had suddenly emerged from behind the clouds.
As Lynette struggled between reason and emotion, suppressing her desires, Kain remained unfazed.
‘Ah, I really want to play the game already.’
Kain, who wanted to take out his smartphone and play, was lost in thought.
In the northern city of Kverndel in the Exion Empire,
The 7th Prince, Jade, led his forces out of the city gates.
They arrived at a snowy plain, a little distance from the city.
“Your Majesty, over there!”
At that moment, Derrick, Jade’s escort knight, pointed to one side.
Even amidst the blizzard, the shape of a cave was clearly visible.
Its entrance was wide open, like the mouth of a beast.
It seemed as though it was waiting for prey to enter.
“It really is a dungeon.”
Jade stroked his chin with his gloved hand.
Just a few hours ago, this place had been nothing but a regular field, but now, a dungeon had appeared.
“Your Majesty, the dungeon looks more ominous than expected. It might be best to request additional support. Since this dungeon was newly generated, we don’t know what dangers may be lurking inside…”
Derrick’s face was full of concern.
Dungeon raids were always dangerous.
Even though it was the prince’s command, and despite the 7th Prince’s exceptional abilities, rushing in without caution would be reckless.
Wasn’t this a dungeon that had just appeared?
Entering a dungeon that hadn’t been investigated beforehand made Derrick uneasy.
And Derrick’s role was to protect the 7th Prince’s safety.
If anything happened to the prince, he would certainly be reprimanded.
However, Jade shook his head.
“No, our forces should be enough.”
He commanded a large number of soldiers.
Including his escort knight Derrick, their force was not small.
More importantly, there had been no records of dangerous dungeons appearing around Kverndel since the founding of the Exion Empire.
Because of this, the emperor likely entrusted the dungeon expedition to him.
Jade closed his eyes and fell deep in thought.
If they proceeded carefully, then as Derrick had said, it would be best to request reinforcements.
But Jade greedily desired to explore the dungeon.
“My older brother, Prince Raiel, mentioned that he recently discovered an ancient dungeon.”
Crown Prince Raiel.
His faction had found an ancient dungeon, and news of the rare and valuable items discovered there had even reached the ears of the 7th Prince.
“He also said the Magic Tower had made a request.”
How amazing must this item be for it to even have been requested by the Magic Tower?
Jade was envious of the crown prince.
Unlike himself, the seventh prince, the one close to the emperor was none other than Raiel.
He had not only power but also wealth, making him the older brother who seemed to have it all.
Because of that, Jade also hoped that such luck would come to him.
Even if he couldn’t become the emperor, he wanted to surpass his other brothers with rare artifacts and wealth.
It was something he had vaguely hoped for, and just then, like fate, an unknown dungeon appeared in front of him.
Moreover, since the dungeon was just created, it was overwhelmingly likely that the inside remained unchanged.
If even one artifact were to appear from there, it would be a tremendous success.
‘Well, if we’re going through all this hardship, there should at least be some kind of reward.’
Jade took a few more steps forward.
“The traces of mana are barely detectable.”
In reality, there was no feeling of danger from the dungeon entrance at all.
In fact, it was strangely quiet for a dungeon.
A smile formed on his face.
“Let’s head straight in.”
“But Your Highness, at least some preparation—”
Derrick’s attempt to stop him went unheard.
In Jade’s eyes, the flame of desire was already burning.
“If we don’t go in first, it’s obvious that someone else will snatch it.”
“Still…”
“I’ll lead the way. It doesn’t look too dangerous, so gather ten elite soldiers to follow me.”
Jade was firm.
Since the seventh prince had given an order, Derrick had no choice but to obey.
As a bodyguard, the only thing he could do was bring the most capable soldiers.
Jade steadied his trembling hand and drew the sword at his waist.
‘This is an opportunity given to me by the heavens!’
He had come to this remote corner at the command of Crown Prince Raiel.
And it was all for that useless youngest brother, Kain.
But now, things were different.
This was his opportunity.
“Everyone, follow me!”
Jade raised his sword high and entered the dungeon.
Derrick and ten soldiers followed him.
They officially stepped into the dungeon.
A cold wind blew inside the dark dungeon.
‘It doesn’t look like much.’
A momentary look of disappointment appeared on Jade’s face.
Normally, the higher the dungeon’s rank, the more magnificent it is. But here, it was just dark, and there was nothing else.
As expected, it was difficult to expect good rewards from such a dungeon.
“Tsk.”
What a waste.
The longer they stayed, the more they would lose. The only way to save time was to quickly clear it and leave.
“Derrick. Let’s finish this and get out.”
The way to destroy the dungeon was simple.
They just needed to destroy the core at the end of the dungeon.
“I will follow Your Highness’s orders!”
Unlike Jade, whose expression was sour, Derrick’s face was bright.
There had been no sign of danger in the dungeon so far.
Since it had been so quiet, there were probably no monsters.
‘Or maybe they don’t even know we’ve entered.’
Even if it was the latter, it didn’t matter.
Not knowing the intruder’s presence meant that the dungeon’s owner was probably absent.
Derrick was thinking of quickly clearing the dungeon and safely escorting the seventh prince.
Until they encountered the monsters up ahead.
Clatter— clatter—
The sound of bones echoed from the front.
It was a skeleton.
Jade furrowed his brows at the appearance of an F-class monster.
“Ha, this really is a pathetic place. Get rid of it.”
At the prince’s command, Derrick bowed his head.
“I’ll proceed with the main force’s plan.”
Derrick slowly began to walk forward. He also took his time drawing his sword.
He didn’t bother to use any aura.
After all, it was just a skeleton. Using aura against a skeleton would be a disgrace to a knight.
In the darkness, the skeleton stood still.
Its face, which was just bones, showed no emotion.
‘Fool.’
A smile spread across Derrick’s face.
What could a skeleton possibly mean in front of him?
Just as he was about to swing his sword—
Bang—
A blinding flash and a deafening sound erupted from the skeleton’s hand.
Derrick’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Ah, no…what is this…?”
In the blink of an eye, the situation changed.
It felt like time itself had stopped but the pain from his chest made him realize that it was all real.
Derrick quickly checked his body.
Something had pierced his heart. Blood was pouring out from the wound.
It hurt. It was agonizing.
The cold seeped into him from his fingertips to his toes, and he dropped his sword.
His legs weakened, and he knelt on the ground.
“Cough!”
Blood spilled from his mouth.
Derrick realized.
This was no ordinary skeleton.
Its true identity was most likely…
“Your Highness…”
It was an undead lich that used magic.
Despite coughing up blood, Derrick desperately squeezed out his voice.
“R-run… It’s a lich—”
But before Derrick could finish his sentence, flashes of light appeared again.
Bang—
Bang—
Bang—
Bang—
With each deafening sound, the dungeon turned into chaos.