Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Necredin the Tomb King (1)
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The only known information about the Undead Dungeon came from the outer keep.
That was why Alicia had made every possible preparation for conquering the inner keep.
“With no intel, this could be far tougher than yesterday. Common sense says the inner keep is always harder than the outer.”
That made sense on paper.
But the Undead Dungeon was an anomaly, divided into three distinct zones.
The inner keep had no real boss to speak of. At most, elite monsters or trash mobs would pop out.
And unlike yesterday, we now had Kaizel's elite troops joining us.
The takeover ended so smoothly it was almost anticlimactic.
“This is almost embarrassing after all our preparations.”
With the inner keep secured in a flash,
the path to the final zone finally opened.
The decisive battle was set for tomorrow.
We began final preparations for the last fight.
A short while later, Alicia gathered us after finishing discussions with the soldiers.
“Judging by the layout, the next area is the finale. Let me share the final strategy.”
The plan wasn't much different from today.
Push Kaizel's unit to the front and overwhelm the boss with sheer numbers.
A brutally simple and reliable approach.
“Kaizel's squad just scouted ahead. Looks like we won't get blocked at the entrance like day one.”
“Is that so?”
That was genuinely surprising.
‘I figured they'd stonewall us for sure.’
Maybe the raid would wrap up easier than expected.
Yesterday's unease might've just been paranoia.
“I've called in extra support troops just in case. So we can respond to anything immediately.”
But a nagging doubt lingered in the corner of my mind.
Tomorrow's foe was this dungeon's final boss: Necredin the Tomb King.
The undead sovereign—a lich—was the first boss in the original story to unleash the mob summon pattern.
The moment battle starts, it calls forth an undead legion and retreats to the backline.
You couldn't deal proper damage to the main body until all summoned mobs were cleared.
The problem? It doesn't stop summoning until phase 2 kicks in.
And it doesn't just sit idle either.
Buffing its undead minions or sniping from range—pure nightmare fuel of patterns.
Normally, players learn to handle summons from Necredin.
That experience preps them for the far trickier summon patterns of Marias.
Necredin as rehearsal, Marias as the real test.
But now the order was flipped.
We'd already beaten Marias.
Even weakened, it was like taking the final exam first, then circling back for practice.
At least Alicia and Mine now knew Marias's patterns somewhat, so they wouldn't panic at basic mob summons.
Preparations were complete.
“We march at dawn tomorrow. Any objections?”
No one opposed Alicia's declaration.
Her plan looked flawless on the surface, after all.
That night.
I couldn't sleep and got up.
To shake off the lingering anxiety, I headed to the temple and entered the Haribal Dungeon.
For a final check, just in case.
『Tomorrow's the big finale, right? You sure you're okay skipping rest?』
Rene asked idly while petting a sheep's wool.
“Better safe than sorry. Loosening up now puts my mind at ease.”
『What, here I thought you came to see me.』
Rene puffed her cheeks, but sadly, she wasn't the reason today.
I pointed to the Jester card she held up.
“Summon Marias.”
A familiar shadow crept up behind me.
[Stampede begins.]
Final rehearsal for Necredin.
No better practice partner than Marias.
The issue: this dungeon's Marias was a heavily nerfed version compared to the original.
Marias swept her hand, summoning the four puppet monsters I'd faced countless times.
Slash!
A casual sword swing sent sword winds that felled all four like falling leaves.
I clicked my tongue as a flustered Marias tried to cast Thousand Knives in a panic.
“Tch.”
Too easy.
‘Pointless practicing against these pushovers.’
What I needed now: monsters at least on par with the undead Necredin would summon.
That's when it hit.
『Huh? Wait, can't you do that?』
“What?”
『This is your dungeon. You're the master. Everything inside bends to your will, right?』
‘To my will?’
Hold on. Then...
I closed my eyes and wished hard.
‘Vanish.’
Marias dissolved into smoke before my eyes.
Once more.
‘Appear.’
The smoke reformed, and Marias reemerged.
‘Good. Then...’
This time, I added specifics.
‘Summon monsters tough enough to challenge me.’
No sooner had the thought formed than the reappeared Marias swept her hand through the air.
And something unexpected happened.
“Uh...?”
Four Barhatans materialized at once.
Marias's puppet summons had been swapped for Barhatans.
[Stampede begins.]
How was this possible?
『Told you. You're the dungeon master. Swapping mob types and tweaking difficulty? Piece of cake.』
Even this?
Kuuoooh──!!
The simultaneous roars of four Barhatans shook the entire temple.
『How's that? Perfect practice dummies, yeah?』
Practice?
“...Definitely.”
She was right.
Sure, a single Barhatan was manageable now.
But four at once, plus Marias's support? Even I'd have my hands full.
‘Yeah. This is the level of practice I need.’
I regripped my sword.
Behind me, I felt Marias draw her daggers with a sinister chuckle.
Four shadows charged from all sides.
No room to dodge.
Only barrel forward.
And so, the practice continued until dawn.
⁎⁎⁎
The next morning, the march began.
“Hold formation! Straight into the dungeon!”
But the instant Kaizel stepped inside.
Crackle!
“...What?”
The dungeon's magic repelled him at the entrance.
Thud!
“Urk!”
Kaizel tumbled back, staring at Alicia in bewilderment.
Alicia was just as shocked.
“Yesterday we could enter freely, right?”
“Yes. But why suddenly...”
Soldiers approached the entrance one after another, baffled, but met the same fate.
The magic barrier blocked their entry.
‘Like day one?’
The difference: back then, our group of six was inside; now, the dungeon was empty.
Alicia's brow furrowed.
“Is the raid itself impossible now?”
That's when Mine stepped forward cautiously.
“Please wait a moment. Maybe...”
Under everyone's gaze, she reached into the entrance's darkness.
Swish.
Her arm slipped inside without resistance.
“Huh? It... went in?”
Smack!
Alicia smacked Mine's back.
“Hyah?!”
“Speak first, then act! What if you got trapped inside?”
“S-Sorry!”
‘The soldiers are blocked, but Mine got through.’
Something clicked.
I crossed the soldiers and approached the entrance.
Thrust my hand inside without hesitation.
No resistance, as expected.
Confirming free passage, I turned to Alicia and Aren.
“Try it yourselves. Should work.”
“What?”
As predicted, both entered without issue.
“What in the world...?”
“Seems only academy students can enter.”
Academy students.
In other words, playable characters.
But since Pasha, Marg, and I could enter too, it looked like any academy student worked, playable or not.
Alicia said,
“The dungeon's toying with us.”
Her voice was low and grave.
“It let us through easily yesterday to lower our guard, then ties down our key forces today. This is...”
“Yes. A trap.”
A blatant trap to screw us over.
“Your Highness, we should withdraw for now.”
“Why?”
“The criteria's too vague. We can't prove only academy students can enter. Better call the instructors to test—”
Alicia scoffed at Kaizel's words.
“You know those hypocrites won't come.”
“Well...”
“We can't exclude capable entrants just because it's risky. Dungeon raids always are.”
She glanced at me and added,
“But most importantly, it's up to them. What do you think?”
“Actually, perfect.”
I answered without hesitation.
“The soldiers are strong, sure. But only against regular mobs.”
“Go on.”
“More numbers don't help against a boss. They just get in the way. Could wipe to an AoE or block our movement.”
The dungeon—or whoever designed this—might be laughing at screwing us.
I saw it differently.
I scanned Alicia, Mine, and Aren in turn.
Buffer, healer, sub-DPS, and main DPS.
Ideal lineup?
“Think of it this way: just the four of us elites.”
Aren flinched at "four."
I'd never planned to bring her to the boss fight from the start.
She was meant for backline gimmicks, like day one.
But now? No reason not to use every card.
“No need to worry. I told you: even three of us had solid odds. And that includes Aren.”
At my words, a satisfied smile finally broke across Alicia's tense face.
“Kuheheh...! Hear that, Kaizel?”
“But Your Highness! What if—!”
“If my sword says it's fine, it is. And you know I've already bet everything on my junior.”
Then Aren approached hesitantly.
“...You sure it's okay if I go?”
Complex emotions flickered in her eyes.
“Success means all eyes on me. I might steal the spotlight you deserve.”
“Who cares.”
“...Huh?”
“You said you have to do this. Not as the child of prophecy, but as Swordmaster Aren Bright, to slay the Evil God. This is part of that.”
Aren's wavering eyes steadied.
“I need you.”
With those final words, she asked no more.
Just gripped Sun Shine tight and nodded with resolute determination.
Alicia turned to Kaizel and issued the order.
“We're heading in to raid now. You wait here until we return victorious. That's an order.”
At her firm tone, Kaizel knelt without further protest.
“Then, let's raise the curtain on the stage.”
With the declaration, Alicia plunged into the darkness without hesitation.
Mine and Aren followed.
As I entered last.
Boom!
The entrance sealed shut.
⁎⁎⁎
Stepping into the new space, a suffocating silence enveloped us.
Before us stretched a vast hall.
A small door loomed far ahead.
A long red carpet ran from entrance to door, flanked by dozens of skeletons armed with swords and spears.
Just like the original.
Yet totally different.
Normally, mobs would swarm the instant you entered, blocking the path to the boss room.
But now, the space brimmed only with eerie stillness.
“Definitely a trap.”
“Yeah, seems so.”
“Well, dungeons are traps for humanity anyway, so nothing new.”
We followed the red path to the boss room door.
This area doubled as the pre-boss waiting room. Prep here, then enter.
Open the door, and the fight with final boss Necredin starts immediately.
“Final gear and Shard check.”
“Better stock antidote herbs just in case.”
For some reason, though, Mine's face had shadowed since we arrived.
She kept glancing around restlessly.
“What's wrong?”
“Dunno. Just... feels...”
“Ominous?”
“No... sad. My chest feels tight, and my heart...”
‘Sad?’
That's when it happened.
Shattering the silence, an eerie yet hauntingly beautiful song echoed from beyond the door.
“Ah...! That voice...?”
Mine muttered blankly, then gripped the doorknob like entranced.
“Wait!”
Ignoring Alicia's shout, Mine had already half-opened the door.
[Unique Ability - Action Rewind 0 / 3]
[※Unique Ability usable only in boss fights.]
The door swung open, revealing a throne straight ahead.
A faint figure sat upon it.
“Is that the boss?”
Necredin the Tomb King.
But for some reason, its form differed from the original.
‘...A woman?’
Originally, Necredin was a skeletal lich—male skeleton at that.
Rene's words from yesterday flashed in my mind.
‘Your dungeon bends to your desires?’
The Evil God's dungeon had no "master."
But there was an equivalent.
Called the "Overseer."
Marias of the beast dungeon.
Elevber of the puppet dungeon.
Naturally, the Undead Dungeon had its overseer too.
If it could control the dungeon like I did Haribal...
‘...Shit.’
[Welcome, intruders... and...]
A stranger's voice echoed from the throne.
[my beloved child, Mine.]
But unfamiliar to me didn't mean to everyone.
Yesterday, I'd swapped Marias's puppets for Barhatans.
If a dungeon master could overlay mob forms like that...
‘That's why no wraiths.’
It hadn't removed them.
It had gathered them all.
Incredible disbelief leaked from beside me.
“Arisha... Sister...?”
The dungeon master had reshaped Necredin.
Scraped every wraith-type soul in the dungeon, forging one mighty being.
Into a ‘banshee.’
Of all things, in the form of the nun who once sacrificed her life to save Mine.
The very same.