Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Undying Legion (5)
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Whoooosh!
A fierce blizzard engulfed the entire area.
At first, it was somewhat bearable, but the temperature kept dropping.
Blood felt like it was freezing solid, movements growing sluggish.
Fingers and toes swelled up thick.
‘One silver lining.’
It wasn’t just us—the enemies’ speed had slowed too.
Blizzard didn’t discriminate between friend or foe.
“Skeleton Lord!”
Lee Seon-ah rushed over to me mid-battle.
Her face held a complicated, subtle expression.
“It seems impossible. I thought we could at least take down a few liches…… I’m sorry. I might not be able to keep my promise to ensure your safety.”
Her once pristine outfit was now in tatters.
She looked like she had barely any mana left.
Above all, her face showed extreme fatigue.
As expected, eleven liches……
Even rankers would struggle with that level of difficulty, huh?
“It’s frustrating. I thought an A-rank dungeon would be easy……”
That’s when she muttered.
“Boss, you okay?”
Kang Ji-hoo arrived, leading his team members to Lee Seon-ah’s side.
Her brow furrowed as she scanned them.
She’d spotted Kang Yu-jeong’s severed left arm.
“Kang Yu-jeong? What the hell happened……”
“Urk, it was my carelessness…… an accident……”
Kang Yu-jeong replied through a pained expression.
The freezing environment seemed to intensify the pain.
“Are you alright? You need treatment right away……”
“More than my situation, our current state comes first, Team Leader…… Hngh.”
“……You’re right.”
Lee Seon-ah bit her lip.
She was a ranker, but first and foremost, the leader of this group.
It couldn’t sit well with her that her team members were injured.
And besides.
Whether they could even survive and escape was still up in the air.
A heavy sense of responsibility weighed on her shoulders.
“For now.”
Lee Seon-ah gripped her sword.
“We need to escape this Blizzard field first. The good news is that the Blizzard skill consumes a ton of mana. One of the eleven liches has probably entered combat incapacity from this alone.”
Combat incapacity.
Meaning their mana was fully depleted, leaving them unable to fight.
“Vice Team Leader?”
“Yes.”
“Take responsibility for two team members and lead them out. I’ll take the Skeleton Lord and cover the rear. Get out of this zone as fast as possible.”
Lee Seon-ah placed her left hand on my waist and nodded toward it.
Meaning, mind if I?
‘That makes sense.’
I nodded.
A ranker like her would be faster than me, still B-rank.
Stubborn pride could get us frozen solid if we lagged.
‘Can’t do anything about the subordinates.’
The summoned minions and surrounding skeletons were out of luck.
Only way was to revive them later when mana was full.
Not enough time to flee together.
Grab!
She wrapped her left arm around my waist.
Then kicked off the ground.
Lee Seon-ah’s strength was incredible.
The weight of an adult male?
Like carrying a plastic bag swinging after grocery shopping at the mart—effortless.
Pababat!
She dashed, hopping from Dullahan’s neck to Death Knight’s helmet, her speed insane.
“You alright, Lord?”
“Yeah, aside from a bit of dizziness.”
Even as we flew, I pondered.
This crisis.
How to escape it?
Every dungeon has a solution, they say.
Was there some method?
“Black Sword. Mind if I ask something?”
“What is it, Lord?”
“Those skeletons earlier. The lich summoned them, right?”
She nodded at my question.
“Yes. One of the liches used it when its HP hit half. No idea why they’d waste mana on such a pointless skill…… But it showed in the status message, so it’s certain.”
“Hmm.”
Pointless, huh……
Fair point.
It was actually benefiting us.
“Honestly, even while fighting, I thought it was weird.”
Lee Seon-ah continued.
“Even a thousand skeletons wouldn’t help them much…… Why bother spending mana to revive dead soldiers?”
Spot on.
That’s why I had the hunch.
“A gimmick…… maybe?”
“Huh?”
Lee Seon-ah tilted her head.
“Doesn’t it smell like one? In a high-rank dungeon like this, why would the boss use a pointless skill right there?”
I could feel the surrounding temperature rising.
Her incredible speed had brought us to the edge of the Blizzard field already.
“I’m a necromancer. More precisely, Skeleton Lord—the being that reigns over all skeletons in the system.”
“……”
“But they pulled out skeletons right in front of me……”
- Necromancer.
- Trials are set to match one’s level, as they should be. Your potential is truly immense.
Words the lich had said while cursing me.
A nuance like it was appraising me.
‘If so.’
Then the solution must lie with me.
“Oh?”
Lee Seon-ah blinked.
“So, what you’re saying, Lord…… is the dungeon using those skeletons to hint at how to clear it?”
“Anything else makes no sense.”
“Whether it does or not, it’s the only option we can hope for right now.”
She agreed.
She had to.
Couldn’t solo eleven liches one by one.
Mana running low, no good escape routes.
No other way now.
“Alright.”
Lee Seon-ah nodded.
“Drain half their HP. Let’s give it a shot.”
Swipe!
Black Sword turned toward the liches’ direction.
Before long.
No blizzard ahead.
Just a drizzly rain.
“However.”
Lee Seon-ah said.
“Yes.”
“We go alone. Facing liches is overwhelming enough—even covering everything is impossible.”
Meaning leave the team behind.
I nodded too.
“Yes, that’s what I was going to say.”
Guerrilla tactics are for small numbers, after all.
* * *
We sped toward the liches’ location.
Cradled in Lee Seon-ah’s arms, but no stray thoughts.
Mind full of survival and combat.
Just those two words.
Lee Seon-ah seemed the same, staring ahead with a serious expression.
“Lord, how much mana left?”
“Enough for one full cycle on five minions!”
“Good. You and me both—from now on, squeeze out every drop of mana.”
“Yes.”
No holding back from here.
No saving for later.
Just clash with full power!
Swipe!
I squeezed out my remaining 50 mana.
At the same time, from Bone 1 to Bone 5.
All combat-type bones summoned.
“Milord!”
“This time it’s aerial, eh, Master.”
Taeyang-i and Eldrin floated in the air.
Bone 1, Bone 4, Bone 5 too.
Rushed toward the lich below, its red eyes glowing just meters away.
[‘Bone 5’ uses skill, ‘Air Shield’ (Lv.Max).]
[‘Bone 5’ uses skill, ‘Haste’ (Lv.4).]
I received shield and buffs too.
Then leaped downward.
“I’m going too, Lord!”
Lee Seon-ah tossed me down and regripped her sword.
Poured all her mana into it.
Pajijijik!
Dark currents flowed along the black blade!
Black Sword Flying Art.
Wide-Area Technique.
Third Form.
True Thunderclap.
Kwarurung!
She summoned thunder once more.
Explosive power blasted toward the liches.
The downside of Black Sword Flying Art?
Weak against single targets in one-on-one.
“But no worries, Lord! I still have my trump card!”
The sword moved.
“Milord, let’s combo!”
The spear moved too.
Though far short of the original Sun Spear’s power.
Whooo! Whooo!
The spearplay’s momentum was tremendous.
Desert spear arts, evoking yellow sands and withering plants.
The aura only an absolute ruler of a world could possess!
- Kieeeek!
The lich screeched, eyes blazing.
Unknown magic repelled Taeyang-i, bound Eldrin’s feet.
But their resolve didn’t break.
They pressed even harder.
Thud! Thud!
Bone 4 charged with shield up, ignoring pain.
Bone 1 swung his blade, unwilling to lose to Lee Seon-ah’s sword strikes.
And Bone 5 diligently providing buffs and shields from behind.
“As expected, Lord’s potential is amazing. Handling skeletons like these.”
Kwaaang!
Lee Seon-ah’s sword struck a lich’s neck.
“So honestly, I feel bad. Dragging a promising talent into this dangerous dungeon……!”
By now, her body had flanked the lich’s rear.
Kwaang! Kwaang!
Sword strikes continued relentlessly.
Speed like light.
“That’s why I won’t give up hope till the end! I’ll fight to survive somehow!”
Black Sword Flying Art.
Wide-Area Technique.
Fourth Form.
Heaven Extinguishing.
“Cough!”
Black blood poured from Lee Seon-ah’s mouth.
“Black Sword?”
I was shocked.
Using Pure Heart Technique, I instantly grasped her skill’s meaning.
Innate Vital Energy.
The pure energy one’s born with.
Far stronger and purer than normal mana, but costs lifespan each use.
Her trump card……
Was that Heaven Extinguishing technique?
“You okay?”
“Yeah, sorta. It drops my rank every time, so I avoid it…… But what’s a rank worth if you don’t survive?”
“……Black Sword.”
Ah.
What’s it feel like for a ranker to sacrifice her position?
Like me, a B-rank hunter dropping to C?
Actually, that’d be lucky.
She’d definitely sacrificed part of her life.
Kururung!
The sky turned pitch black.
Like her moniker, Black Sword.
In the world, sword rain falls.
“Lord.”
“Yes, Black Sword.”
“Can’t take them all out, but as promised, I can drain half their HP.”
Kwagagang!
Countless black needles surged toward the eleven liches and exploded.
[Lich’s HP is halved!]
[Lich uses skill, ‘Undead Revival’ (S-Grade).]
[Lich’s HP is halved!]
[Lich uses skill, ‘Undead Revival’ (S-Grade).]
[Lich’s HP is halved!]
[Lich uses skill, ‘Undead Revival’ (S-Grade).]
…….
“Prediction……”
Hit the mark.
As expected, the lich’s energy began blanketing the wasteland.
Targets: corpses of soldiers felled by the undying legion.
Fudududuk!
One by one.
Pale white bones began rising.
Creak! Creak!
Around nine thousand soldiers simultaneously grabbing weapons and standing—a spectacle beyond words.
I opened my mouth.
“No need to apologize to me, Black Sword.”
Creak!
Skeletons aimed weapons at the liches.
“Coming to this dungeon was entirely my choice. Watch. No matter what trials they throw…… I’ll overcome them all and grow stronger.”
At the same time, a new message appeared in my view.
[Hidden condition achieved!]
[Hidden condition dedicated to ‘Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer’!]
Perfect.
Fulfillment for awakening.
The news I’d been waiting for.