Chapter 195
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195
Clack-clack—.
A horde of skeletons, their bones rattling rhythmically, surrounded us.
Chloe stared at them, her steps faltering as she backed away.
“What’s going on?”
“What do you think? Something’s gone wrong.”
I let out a dry chuckle and looked up at the skeletal army.
They were nothing but gaunt skeletons that looked like they would crumble at the slightest touch, clutching rusted iron swords and rotting wooden shields.
Honestly, dealing with them wasn't the issue. If I left it to Elena, she could wipe them out in the blink of an eye, just like before.
The real problem was that a variable had been introduced into the dungeon’s spawning pattern.
‘If things had gone as expected, sixty-four monsters stronger than the Living Armor should have appeared next.’
Facing a skeleton army again meant we were back at square one.
So, why had we been reset?
The only variables were that we had slept in the middle of the crawl, or that a specific amount of time had passed. From this, I could surmise that if we failed to clear all the rooms within a set time limit, the dungeon would reset to the beginning.
‘But is it even possible to clear all twelve rooms in a single day?’
I glanced toward Elena.
Even with Elena—the pinnacle of divine power users—negating the dungeon’s debuff, we had barely managed to clear six rooms. Considering that, clearing all twelve in one day was physically impossible.
This level of difficulty didn't make sense, even for a high-level dungeon.
Sensing something was off, I reached into my pocket. The guiding stones I had been carefully holding onto since yesterday were gone.
‘Just as I thought.’
It seemed the guiding stones were just a gimmick—something to add a little false credibility to the dungeon's supposed pattern. In other words, yesterday's method was wrong. Relying on that pattern would never lead us to the end.
“For now… should we clear them out?”
I stopped Elena just as she began to roll up her sleeves.
“Wait, hold on.”
One wrong move here, and we might have to wait another full day. If that happened, the weekend would pass, and we’d miss our weekday classes. I could probably recover the attendance points by submitting a field trip report, but regardless, I had no desire to be stuck in a dungeon for days on end.
I fell into thought, watching the skeletons slowly tighten their encirclement.
‘The stele definitely said to console the fallen souls.’
Consoling souls surely didn't mean smashing everything in our path. It seemed we needed a different method to conquer this place.
After a moment, I turned to Elena.
“Elena, can you perform a Rite of Souls?”
“Here?”
“Yes. I believe that’s the key to clearing this dungeon.”
Philip, standing guard beside me, asked, “Is the exorcism Lady Elena performed different from a Rite of Souls?”
“Very different.”
Beating something into submission to drive it away is worlds apart from soothing it so it can pass on peacefully. If an exorcism is like spraying pesticide to kill bugs, a Rite of Souls is like cleaning the house so the bugs don't appear in the first place.
They both eliminate evil spirits, but the rite is a more fundamental solution. It takes more effort than a simple exorcism, but it might be the faster way in the long run.
“Alright, but I didn’t bring any proper ceremonial tools. Could I borrow some?”
“I don’t have anything like that either.”
Who carries ritual tools in their back pocket?
“Let me see your subspace pouch. There might be something I can use as a substitute.”
“…Fine.”
Though I wasn't thrilled about it, I handed the pouch to Elena. It wasn't like I had anything strange in there.
While Elena rummaged through the pouch, Philip gripped his sword, watching the approaching skeletons. “S-Sir Roen, should we take them out?”
“No, stay put.”
We couldn't start a fight before the rite had even begun. But we couldn't just let them hack at us, either.
I took action to prevent a brawl.
Crackle—.
As I stomped my foot, blue lightning sparked from the tip of my shoe, and the ground began to churn.
Rumble—.
An earthen wall rose from beneath our feet. The wall formed a perfect circle around us, blocking the skeleton army’s advance.
Scrape—.
From beyond the barrier, we could hear the skeletons scratching at the stone with their ancient swords. But they lacked the physical strength or magical output to break through.
With this, we were safe.
“Phew.”
Philip and Chloe collapsed to the ground, finally letting out sighs of relief.
I glanced at Elena, who was still digging through the subspace pouch, then tapped the earthen wall with the back of my hand.
‘Can’t see a thing.’
It was good that we were protected, but it felt too claustrophobic. I created a small, window-like slit in the wall to monitor the outside. Once my alchemy level was higher, I’d probably be able to transmute earth and sand into something like glass.
After a short wait, Elena found what she needed and handed the pouch back to me.
“Found them. These will work.”
In her hands were simple food items and various household tools I had packed. She crouched down and arranged items like jewels, cloth, food, and a pair of scissors on the ground.
Watching her, I spoke. “Hoh, so what’s important isn’t the object itself, but the concept it represents?”
“That’s right. Modern ceremonial tools are just standardized for convenience. The objects themselves don’t hold the power.”
The ritual tools designated by the Church were merely standardized to help the Rite of Souls spread and to make it easier to teach. The tools themselves were empty vessels.
Elena looked at the items she had placed in each cardinal direction and explained.
“The jewel represents wealth. Normally, we’d use a holy coin. This cloth is a substitute for ceremonial robes. The beef jerky replaces the wine and bread. And the scissors… they represent the ceremonial sword.”
“Hmm.”
So they symbolized the essentials of human life: wealth, clothing, food, and protection.
“Evil spirits were once human, too. These ritual tools are substitutes for the things they once ate, drank, and used. We burn these along with them to console their souls.”
After her explanation, Elena quietly closed her eyes and clasped her hands. A prayer began to flow from her lips.
“O Lu, light of all things. Hear my prayer and save these poor souls bound by an ancient curse…”
As Elena’s clear voice filled the chamber, a bright flame appeared, consuming the items on the makeshift altar.
Fwoosh—.
A white flame roared to life. This flame soon transformed into a wave of light that rippled outward in all directions.
Simultaneously…
“…”
The frantic scraping from outside the wall stopped abruptly.
The skeletons had frozen in place. I peered through the slit in the wall. They were dropping their spears and shields, their bodies collapsing where they stood.
Crumble—.
The dark magic that had animated their bones and forced them to move was dispelled by the Rite of Souls. Deprived of their power source, the skeletons fell into heaps.
Shwaaa—.
Then, a pure white flame began to incinerate them. As the purifying fire touched them, the black magic circles infused into each bone dissolved into particles and vanished.
Freed from their lingering attachments and the ancient curse, motes of light drifted up toward the ceiling. The thick fog dissipated, and the ominous aura vanished with it.
Believing the situation resolved, I brought down the earthen wall.
Heaps of bones were piled high. Yesterday, those bones had dissolved into mana and melted into the ground, but now they remained intact. Also, unlike yesterday, no guiding stone appeared, no matter how long we waited.
I bent down and touched one of the bones. It was an ordinary skeleton, devoid of mana. This meant they would no longer be resurrected by the dungeon’s magic. They were finally at rest.
“…”
Elena finished her prayer and stood up. Although she had succeeded, her expression was dark. She looked almost angry. Perhaps she had caught a glimpse of the buried souls' memories during the rite.
Meanwhile, Chloe looked at the piles of bones and asked in a trembling voice, “They won’t move again, will they?”
“They won’t.”
The magic was gone. There was no chance they would rise again.
Just as we finished the rite and were surveying the room…
Fwoom—.
The stele in the center of the room emitted a brilliant light, pointing toward the door we needed to take. Instead of the guiding stones that had misled us, a light now illuminated the true path.
We followed the guidance and passed through the door.
We arrived in the next room. The stele there also shone brightly, pointing to the next door. The room after that was the same. We walked silently along the path of light, moving deeper.
Seeing how smoothly we were progressing, Philip cautiously asked, “Sir Roen, is it cleared now?”
“Not yet. Don’t let your guard down.”
Elena’s Rite of Souls may have bypassed the gimmicks, but the final boss remained.
‘The Dungeon Keeper.’
It was likely the master who designed this place, or a guardian protecting it. Perhaps the king of the ancient tribe—the one who had thousands buried alive with him—was the Keeper.
After following the light for some time, we stopped before a specific door. It was a space distinctly different from the identical rooms we had passed through. A massive door, covered in strange murals, blocked our path.
I approached the door and studied the mural.
It depicted thousands of people prostrated on the ground before a single being sitting on a high throne, wearing a crown. When the crowned being shouted, the people scattered to find something for him. The king eventually obtained a certain stone, but he soon became enraged and tormented his people.
Afterward, the king died of old age, and his people were buried alive with him. The dead king then became a king of skeletons.
Although the drawings were crude, the meaning was clear.
Ciel, who was standing beside me, spoke up. “This mural is surely…”
“Yes, your guess is correct.”
It was the record of the tribe that created this dungeon. It matched the history I knew.
“…”
Elena stared silently at the mural, biting her lip.
In any case, the room beyond this door was the Dungeon Keeper’s chamber.
I turned to the group. “Is everyone ready?”
They nodded silently. I pushed the door open.
Rumble—.
With a heavy groan, the massive stone door slid open. Stagnant air flowed out from within. At the same time, I felt a familiar, suffocating energy on my skin.
It was an incredibly dense demonic energy.
“…”
Sensing the malice, Elena clenched her fists and reinforced the divine barrier surrounding us.
Deep darkness lay beyond the door.
Flash—.
Two red eyes glinted within that gloom.
I cast a Light spell to illuminate the room. Beyond the faint glow of my magic, a black robe billowed. And within that robe sat a pure white skeleton.
Seeing it, Chloe cried out.
“A… a Lich!”
A Lich—a high-ranking undead mage who, fearing death, transferred their soul into an artifact to attain immortality. It was a boss-level monster that usually only appeared in the late stages of a journey. They were powerful beings on par with a Death Knight or a Bone Dragon.
‘This won’t be easy.’
Originally, the Dungeon Keeper of this Chrono Dungeon was a Dullahan—a headless ghost knight. But on rare occasions, the Keeper could manifest as a Lich, a much higher-tier being. As luck would have it, that was exactly what we were facing.
However, the rewards for clearing it would be far greater.
Just as the party tensed up…
Step—.
Elena took a step forward, her voice steady.
“It’s alright. Everyone, please step back. I… will take care of it.”