Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Skeleton Knight (1)
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“It's a bit late timing-wise, but does that mean the difficulty itself has gone up?”
“Something like that.”
Regin nodded at Greg's question.
“I mentioned last time that the timing was ambiguous. Because other people are already looking for it.”
“Right. So we said we needed to hurry... but we've fallen even further behind while we were out on the surface.”
“According to the books I've read, the Saint's Sword should have been discovered by now.”
“Even that was written down?”
He could say it with confidence.
*The books in the library mentioned it too.*
“The Saint's Sword is an item that chooses its own master, but it's not as legendary as you might think.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
“You know how these kinds of items usually judge the user's talent? Like only the chosen one by fate can wield it.”
“Yeah. That's why I thought the Saint's Sword picks its master itself.”
It was the same on Earth—legends like that created preconceptions.
It felt like whoever ended up with the item had to be fully qualified.
*Excalibur and swords like that. Only the worthy can pull them out.*
Common cliché movie scenes flashed through Regin's mind.
The protagonist drawing the sword, then everyone around shocked, calling him the chosen one.
“The Saint's Sword is a little different. It's an item that can't maintain its form without an owner.”
“...No way.”
Maybe because he was a skilled blacksmith himself, Greg seemed to grasp the structure right away.
“It was made from ore that stores mana?”
“Exactly.”
“...So once that's all used up, it could disappear.”
“Well, it'll reveal itself before then. It needs an owner to supply mana.”
“Interesting. I thought it was a weapon with its own ego, but it was just special ore?”
“That's the gist of it.”
It was convenient to think of it as ore with survival instincts.
It required mana to sustain itself and instinctively chose an owner to get it.
“But the fact that it still hasn't chosen an owner...”
“Does that mean it might have vanished?”
“No.”
It was a sword made by an ancient being.
Meticulously designed, it could even change form based on the user's mana.
And it was a sword with a clear desire for existence.
No way it'd disappear just because it lacked an owner for a few years.
“It found a suitable environment and settled there.”
“A suitable environment?”
“The 6th Floor lacks mana. No monsters with mana, no such trees or environment...”
“The 7th Floor!”
“Yes. The 7th Floor is different. And there's a place that can fulfill the Saint's Sword's lack of mana.”
“...The Blood Sanctuary.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“According to the books' theories, it's not impossible.”
“...”
Only then did Greg let out a hollow laugh and nod.
“No wonder it's called the Blood Sanctuary.”
“...Because it's the Blood Sanctuary?”
“Yeah. You've gotten better at jokes now!”
“...”
He hadn't meant to joke about the name, but the meaning wasn't all that different.
“The interior of the Blood Sanctuary is too tough for our party alone. We could challenge it with another party, but...”
“Then it would be hard to claim ownership of the sword.”
“That's why we're planning to head straight to the 8th Floor if possible.”
The most important place in this expedition was the 8th Floor.
As he'd told the two in advance, Regin planned to farm as much as possible there before leaving.
* * *
“Do you remember what I said?”
“Of course.”
The next day, after finishing preparations as planned and stepping out, Meriang appeared from the opposite trench.
“Wait 27 days and then come out.”
“...Four days have passed, so now it's 23 days.”
“Oh.”
Meriang rolled her eyes as if quickly calculating, then nodded.
“Right. 23 days.”
“...I don't trust you on this.”
“No, I get it now for sure. Wait 23 days and come out.”
“Correct. If you come out before then...”
“...I know it's dangerous.”
Her expression was a bit more serious than when he'd first seen her in the kingdom.
Meriang continued, looking at Regin.
“I heard from Chimihi. The reason it's dangerous to go out right now.”
“Good. I was wondering how to explain it.”
“Worried I'd get hurt?”
“To be honest... yeah. Who wouldn't be shaken knowing someone's out for your life?”
“...”
Regin was used to DAT and had prepared mentally from day one.
Even with that preparation, his heart raced in life-or-death moments.
Meriang, who'd lived her whole life as the heir's daughter and been showered with love, would naturally take it harder.
“I felt that way at first. But yesterday, when I went to wash up, Seria told me.”
“What did she say?”
He perked up his ears, thinking Seria was good at comforting people.
“She said her parents are dead. One died in the Tower, the other was murdered by someone.”
“...”
“So as long as your whole family is still alive, that means there's still a chance.”
...He hadn't expected such a blunt statement.
Still, it seemed Seria's words had helped Meriang a bit.
“Almost dying just means you survived somehow, right? Now we think carefully and move forward.”
She was starting to steel her resolve, even making some plans.
“That's a relief.”
Regin chuckled and continued.
“At least you won't miss out on the orichalcum.”
“Jeez. Anyway, see you in 23 days. And Regin.”
“Yes.”
“You be careful too. Chimihi said the higher floors are even more dangerous. Take care of yourself... I'll prepare the orichalcum properly... so come pick it up.”
“Got it.”
Regin had no intention of letting his guard down either.
Meriang had a point.
Surviving no matter what was the priority.
“Let's meet again alive.”
Regin headed to the far end of the 5th Floor with the two party members who followed.
*Four days to the 6th Floor.*
Not a bad pace.
Even with Meriang joining briefly, nothing had deviated from the plan.
“Let's head up right away.”
The scenery of the 6th Floor they ascended to was no different from last time.
Skeleton bone fragments scattered here and there, ruined castle grounds filling their view.
“It's strange.”
But one thing stood out as different.
“...No signs of people.”
“Yeah. There should normally be hunters around here.”
No matter how far they walked, no one was visible in the entrance area of the 6th Floor.
It was a pretty popular hunting ground, yet no presence could be felt nearby.
On top of that, the skeletons were the same.
The familiar clattering of bones wasn't heard.
“I've experienced this a few times.”
Seria continued after scanning the surroundings and confirming no people.
“It looks like that guy's shown up.”
Regin and Greg nodded simultaneously.
“The Skeleton Knight. Everyone must have gone to hunt it.”
The leader of the many skeletons on the 6th Floor, the field boss, had appeared.
“This is our chance. Let's hurry.”
It was one of the best pieces of news for Regin's party.
When the Skeleton Knight raid happened, the path all the way to the end of the 6th Floor cleared up.
* * *
*The chances are high it appeared near the end of the 6th Floor.*
Regin and the two didn't hesitate, charging ahead and clearing the path.
They didn't slow down.
No skeletons appeared along the way.
*The Skeleton Knight has a somewhat fixed spawn location... but no set appearance time or conditions.*
Yet when it did appear, explorers on the 6th Floor knew right away.
The surrounding skeletons all started flocking there.
That drew other parties chasing skeletons and the Skeleton Knight too.
Prey gathered in one spot, and the field boss's drop items were plentiful.
“What do we do?”
At Seria's question, Regin pondered briefly before answering.
“Let's check the situation first. See if the current 6th Floor forces can take it down.”
“You think the hunt might fail?”
“There's always variables.”
“Hmm. True, at this point, lower-floor explorers haven't arrived yet.”
“Yeah. It's just parties made up of those who've been on the 6th Floor...”
Regin and his party had come up too fast.
So the other parties that entered via portal with them probably hadn't reached here yet.
Meaning those fighting the Skeleton Knight now had been here a while.
“Tired parties, injured ones... or in the worst case, barely any members left.”
“That could be.”
“And... lately, the 6th Floor isn't frequented by the strong ones.”
To Regin, that was the biggest concern.
“We'll have to go see their status before deciding.”
The skeletons flocking to one side cleared the path, which was good news.
But for the raiders, it meant higher difficulty.
*Honestly, it's no different from a monster wave.*
He could only hope the 6th Floor parties could handle it.
If they couldn't for some reason...
*...The path to the 7th Floor would become the skeletons' domain.*
They ran like that for a while.
It felt like hours, but after using even the saved Wind Path Scrolls to move fast.
They stopped abruptly—
“It's iffy.”
Regin gave a wry smile as he looked ahead.
Enormous mana, and the piercing clatter of skeleton bones.
“...Healer! Treat the injured first!”
“Damn it! If the front can't hold, we can't attack properly either! Defend properly!”
Desperate human voices shouting for survival joined in.
Hearing that, the three prepared for battle without needing to say who first.
They hadn't been wiped out, but they were slowly being pushed back by the Skeleton Knight and its soldiers—it was obvious.
“We should help too.”
Of course, he had no intention of helping for free this time either.
*In situations like this...*
The one who takes the last bite wins big.
* * *
“...Damn it!”
At the center of the battle.
Gladiator Elsilva, who had rushed in first the moment the Skeleton Knight appeared, spat out his rage.
“With that level of skill, how do they plan to take down a knight!”
Elsilva was the leader of a fairly well-known party on the 6th Floor.
He'd assembled the most skilled people possible, and as leader, he was confident in his own abilities.
But there was something he hadn't considered.
*...I thought I'd score big for once. But the other party members who gathered are ridiculously low-level!*
He knew the Skeleton Knight wasn't easy.
But failures in taking it down were rare.
It was usually multiple parties teaming up.
...That's what he thought, at least.
*I failed to realize that's outdated now.*
Elsilva painfully realized his mistake.
Explorers' levels kept rising, and more weren't satisfied with the 6th Floor.
The strong kept climbing higher.
Unlike before, real powerhouses on the 6th Floor had dwindled.
Clang!!
Blocking the Skeleton Knight's sword, Elsilva gritted his teeth.
Over 2 meters tall, clad in black armor, glaring down at Elsilva.
Elsilva mustered all his presence and shouted.
“Don't fall back!!”
Years of conquering the Tower as a gladiator had honed his instincts.
He knew falling back here would lead to nothing good.
*...While I can still block its attacks. If someone could just land a critical hit!*
A proper strike might turn the tide!
It was the moment Elsilva desperately hoped for support.
“Fireball.”
A high-tier spell at the end of tier 2.
It flew quickly, grazing past Elsilva.
Boom—!!
The Skeleton Knight's upper body shook with the explosion.
“Good, a few more like that...”
“Fireball.”
Just as he thought they could keep going like this. Another Fireball flew by.
Boom—!
With another explosion, Elsilva saw a glimmer of hope.
“Fireball.”
After the third Fireball came without pause, Elsilva unwittingly cheered.
His instincts screamed not to miss this chance as he yelled.
“Now...!! Everyone, charge!!”