The Trap of the Black Stockings
"You're saying you make monsters merge?"
"To be precise, it's about making them form a pair. You could call it a 'battle buddy' system, but it's more like fusing two different entities into one."
Pale Rider. A combination of a 3-star Skeleton and a 3-star Corpse Horse. I was dumbfounded by Shaitan's explanation that while a 4-star fusion was impossible, it could achieve performance levels around 3.5 stars.
"Then is it possible for us, too?"
"Yes. ...However, if one side dies, the other will also perish shortly after."
Shaitan, who had briefly descended to the first basement floor, pointed to the four Pale Riders collapsed on the floor. When the rider, whose spine had been ripped out by Harsus and me, died, the Corpse Horse beneath it withered away into nothing but bones within moments.
Two becoming one. It wasn't a method of completely blending the two, but a magical process of simply binding them into a single entity.
"If we were to operate them, we'd have to raise a dedicated unit to ride on Warwolves and Unicorns."
"Once the setting is established, they can never be separated. If they... if they move more than 200 meters apart, the power of both drops drastically."
"That's a bit problematic."
No matter how much they were 'battle buddies,' it was difficult to keep them attached 24 hours a day. Since our legion's troop composition relied on changing combinations and responding flexibly depending on the situation, operating a permanently fixed unit was something that needed more thought.
"Power always comes with a price. It doesn't seem like they'll be used much in this battle anyway, so let's think about it later. Are you all hurt anywhere?"
"Master, you took all the attacks in the front."
Ryun looked at me with a tearful face, staring at the red scratch on my side. No blood was flowing, but there was a long mark on my waist as if it had been scraped hard by fingernails. It was a trace left by the Pale Rider's scythe, and thanks to my greatest shield—my belly fat—I had endured it safely.
"For me, this isn't even an injury. ...Though Harsus is a bit of a different story."
Harsus, who was draped in the Pale Rider's black, tattered robe, had not only pulled his hood over his head to hide it but had also swapped his original helmet for a different one. 'I guess I finally understand how cruel a steamed-bun head can be.' The exposed cross-section of the cut was quite sickening. I covered Harsus’s lid with double and triple layers for the sake of my future adventurer subordinates. Fortunately, Harsus fully understood the need to hide his head.
"These are attacks powerful enough to slice through a Ghoul Knight's helmet and head. Fortunately, there aren't many of them, but their attack power is incredible. That's why I have to stand at the vanguard."
The number of Pale Riders I had spotted was 13. Since we had crushed four of them, there were only nine left. And among them, there was an entity that looked like a leader.
"Ryun, do you remember? The one wearing that pointed helmet."
"The one who was shouting to retreat?"
"...Huh?"
For a moment, I didn't understand what Ryun meant. The Pale Riders had simply charged once, and after four of them were smashed, they immediately turned their mounts around. I hadn't heard any shouting or commands.
"Are you... by any chance?"
"Yes. I can hear them. Even now."
Ryun twitched her ears, perking them up. It seemed Ryun could now hear not only the monsters in our dungeon but even the conversations of enemy monsters that were completely inaudible to my ears.
"High Elf hearing is quite good. Is it thanks to the ears?"
"Ugh, if you touch them now..."
Because I had touched them so much, even a slight press was enough to make the scent of peaches seep out. Ryun's ears had effectively become a switch, and I was the one who had made them that way.
"Ryun, can you hear them again?"
"Yes. I can hear them echoing, but... if you keep touching them, I can't concentrate and I can't hear anything."
I quickly let go. Eila, the adventurers, and I all held our breath, keeping silent so Ryun could concentrate.
"......I hear it. They say they're looking for a detour, and if they can't find one, they'll attack again in 30 minutes. If they still can't break through, they say they'll charge with a follow-up team in six hours. The enemy leader's name is... Fulgas?"
"It must be Furcas. He is the master of the 50th rank dungeon."
Shaitan corrected the auditory information Ryun had picked up. And I was slightly overwhelmed by the thought of what kind of disaster would have occurred if I hadn't blocked them in the front.
"Damn it, we're about to get beaten even while holding them off. The rank difference with Gremory is only 6, so why is it like this? Furcas's unit must have had its combat power reduced a bit after entering under Halpas's legion, right?"
"Excluding the times you were active, Master, even during the Gremory incident, it was effectively..."
"Yeah. We won by a stroke of luck."
Thanks to winning the 'second round' in bed, Gremory had become an ally, but I had no intention of having a second round in bed with Halpas, who had been confirmed to be a male crow. I didn't intend to throw Andras at him, either.
"First, let's stop the guys coming in 30 minutes. Shaitan, how is the progress on magic stone acquisition?"
"...I apologize. We have cleared the Skeleton Dungeon twice and the Slime Dungeon once. The Andras Dungeon is currently in progress."
"It's still going to take time. Then there's no choice."
I decided to use my last resort.
"Gather everyone on the first floor!"
Operation: Chicken instead of Pheasant.
"We will finish all preparations before the 30 minutes are up!"
Following my instructions, all my subordinates began to move in real-time. To buy time.
<Kumchuku's Dungeon, 1st Basement Floor, near the portal entrance.>
"Establish a temporary camp within 10 minutes. After the camp is set up, we will advance toward the enemy lines."
The ambitious plan to find a detour ended in vain. Furcas had clearly grasped the structure of the dungeon and realized that if they couldn't break through the adventurer unit, they couldn't move to the next floor.
'I need to take out insurance. Something is strange.'
The dungeon's structure was slightly different from the rumors, but not significantly so. The maze twisted and turned to make intruders waste time, and the final straight corridor was definitely the structure of the Andras Dungeon. However, the enemies greeting them were not Andras's subordinates. Nor were they the Andras species whose heads had turned into Halpas's head due to Halpas's curse.
"Could it be a legion?"
Furcas's heart sank at the thought. Perhaps Andras's forces had joined under some legion. 'If they didn't just form an alliance with Gremory, but merged into a single legion with her?' It was highly likely that the enemy didn't end with Andras. 63rd rank Andras, 56th rank Gremory. There was a possibility that another dungeon master—or multiple—had joined forces. The underlings might have gathered in small groups, or a high-ranking entity might have pulled both forces into their own legion, just as Halpas had done.
'Could it be Phenex?'
Perhaps the 37th rank Phenex, who was sharpening his blade to kill Halpas, had been pulling the strings. Furcas's mind began to race, and he had to make thorough preparations for the situation that might arise later.
'I just have to hope that things end quickly on Amy's side.'
Unlike this side, where they were being pressed from above, the 58th rank Amy had staged a mutiny against Gremory. Halpas had spared no support, even giving his own executives to Amy.
While Furcas was deep in thought, the Pale Riders were busy building a camp in the Andras Dungeon while mounted on their horses.
"Master, the camp construction is fin—"
Thwack!
The adjutant was struck in the chest with the back of a blade. Furcas pointed his scythe at the adjutant's neck and threatened him.
"Your master is Lord Halpas. My master is also Lord Halpas. What did you say?"
"...Excuse me. Leader."
"Good."
Furcas withdrew his scythe and turned his mount. Once they got out of the maze and passed through the long corridor, the adventurers would be there.
"This time, I will stand at the vanguard. I will catch the Orc, and you will sever the Ghoul's neck. The rest of you, slaughter the humans. Once you've caught them all... you may eat their vitality."
"""Ooooooh!!!"""
The exhausted Pale Riders began to cheer at Furcas's permission. Since joining the legion, they had barely eaten the vitality of any living creature, and they had only been getting by on the low-grade vitality of Goblins or Slimes. Excluding those who had already died and been sent to the registry of the Affinity Summon, each of them could easily eat five people and still have room for dessert, and humans were the ultimate delicacy for Pale Riders.
"Advance."
Furcas was the first to spur the Corpse Horse's belly and charge out. As he raced through the straight corridor, spreading the aura of death, a massive black scythe over 2 meters long formed in his hand.
Clop, clop!
The eight Pale Riders following Furcas made a loud clattering sound with their horses' hooves. All of them were smaller than Furcas but carried massive scythes, possessing enough strength to slice a Ghoul Knight's head off like an apple.
Whoosh—!!
Furcas took a charging stance, spreading the aura of death to the front to seize the initiative. Although it lacked the breakthrough power of a cavalry lance, if he swung his scythe using the momentum of the Corpse Horse's charge, the cutting power would be extraordinary.
Kreeeeech!!
The Corpse Horses, having swiftly traversed the straight route, smoothly turned the path to the right. As they sped past the clearing littered with the traces of battle, a blonde female knight and a High Elf were guarding the exit corridor on the opposite side of the clearing.
'Pitiful things.'
They had left the two women behind and run away. Furcas kicked the Corpse Horse's belly, increasing his speed even more. He intended to kill them by trampling them with his horse, without even needing to slice their heads off with his scythe.
"Try shooting me, if you can!"
As soon as Furcas shouted, the High Elf raised her bow. Furcas felt a surge of deathly aura for a moment, but he dismissed it, seeing the High Elf looking so weak. Even if he died, Halpas could resurrect him, so he had nothing to fear.
Twang!!
The sound of the bow firing echoed through the chamber as if something had exploded. Furcas tilted his scythe, swinging it toward the trajectory of the invisible wind arrow. Slash! The High Elf's wind arrow was split in half and lost its power. The High Elf's face twisted in frustration as her attack failed completely, and Furcas quickly retracted his scythe to take a stance.
'Should I slice the bow along with her?'
He would slice it at the same angle he had used to split the arrow. Furcas gripped his scythe tightly. He could reach the High Elf if he ran just a little further. And the moment he lifted his foot slightly to increase the Corpse Horse's speed:
"Noooow—!!"
Along with the female knight's thunderous shout, something poured down from the ceiling. Furcas instinctively swung his scythe at the things pouring toward him.
Splash!
With the sound of splashing water, Furcas cut through something slippery. Something slippery.
"Slime?"
To be precise, it was slime mucus. The mucus began to pour from the ceiling like a torrential downpour, and the Pale Riders, thinking the mucus falling from the ceiling was an enemy attack, pulled on their reins.
Hee-hee-hee-hee!!
The Corpse Horses reared up on their hind legs. They were extremely flustered that the surprise attack from the ceiling was merely slime mucus, but a strange sensation felt from the floor made the Corpse Horses panic.
"W-what is this?!"
"This."
Why was it? The High Elf's words pierced the ears of the Pale Riders, who were no better than dead wraiths. It was a clear, resonant voice, but underneath it lay mockery toward Furcas. The High Elf slightly lifted her skirt, pointing to the black garment beneath it.
"This is called a stocking, and it's custom-made."
The High Elf pointed to the floor. In an instant, red flames soared from the ceiling. As Furcas looked up at the ceiling, slightly larger slimes were peeking their heads out from holes scattered across it.
"They're tough against blades because they're durable, but since they're clothing, they burn easily, and they have a serious weakness."
Squish.
The High Elf lightly smeared the slime mucus that had splashed on the floor onto her stocking. As she rubbed it with her thumb, the black part melted away, revealing her white skin underneath.
"If they touch slime mucus like this, they get holes. ...That's right."
The blonde female knight said, lifting her head with a triumphant face. Furcas couldn't understand what she meant, but looking at his surroundings, he realized what the knight meant.
"How does it feel to run on stockings? Hehehe."
Crackle! Crackle-crack!
Along with the High Elf's mocking laughter, the bodies of Furcas and the Pale Riders began to sink as if they had fallen into a quagmire.
"You should have kept running."
The black stockings that had been hiding the pits began to melt and burn in the slime mucus.