The Basilisk's Trap

Tension crackled through the ranks as Captain Ainz bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Whatever happens, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do not look that monster in the eyes! One glance and the curse of petrification will take you!"

The true terror of a basilisk was not merely its colossal bulk, but the special ability it carried—petrification. Like the Medusa of myth, meeting its gaze would turn flesh to stone, leaving the victim helpless as the next attack reduced them to minced meat. The moment your eyes locked with its own, it was already over.

—Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!

The enormous serpent-beast roared and lunged in a single explosive charge. Distance vanished in a heartbeat; that cavernous maw was suddenly right on top of them.

"Incoming!!"

The basilisk's head-first strike came crashing down. Everyone had been braced for it, so they managed to dodge—but the sheer force still sent a chill through every spine. Even in a chamber vast enough for the creature's bulk to move freely, it reached the far wall in an instant and simply demolished the entire face of stone. Without pausing, the beast began weaving across the floor in sinuous arcs, measuring the next opening. I wasted no time activating my skill.

"I shall become the dragon that swallows the world."

Horns erupted from my brow as my right hand transformed. Crimson mana surged up from my heart, sharpening every sense to a razor's edge. The wave of power that flooded the chamber made the entire knight order—and even the basilisk itself—falter for a split second. I was not about to waste that opening.

"With movements like light, I shall crush the enemy."

A scarlet tail of mana formed behind me as I rocketed toward the creature's jaw—only for pure instinct to scream a warning through my skull. I trusted the crisis-sense that came with Dragon Blood, so even though the opening looked perfect, I aborted the attack and pulled back at once.

"Elizabeth!"

"O wind, become a wall that bars the foe."

Using the barrier of wind that bloomed before me, I banked the Ruinous Charge mid-air and peeled away from the kill zone.

—Kyaaaaah!!!

A burst of mana exploded behind me. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I glanced back and felt my chest loosen with relief. A sinister violet liquid was gushing from the basilisk's maw. The moment the fluid hit the ground it hissed viciously, melting the stone floor on contact. I had not expected it to spit acid; the sight made me grimace.

That bastard deliberately left me an opening.

True to its serpentine nature, the creature's attack patterns were as underhanded as they came.

After the basilisk and I traded that first exchange, the knight order's assault began in earnest—starting with a cascade of buff skills.

Dozens of alerts cascaded across my vision as the buffs layered one atop another. It felt exactly like the time I had stuffed myself full of consumables before fighting the hellhounds. While the party stacked every positive effect they could, Angela and the handful of other debuffer specialists turned their skills on the basilisk itself.

Sensing the tide turning against it, the creature coiled its body and lunged once more. I had already read the attack, and as raid leader I snapped out the order at once.

"Front line, forward!"

Enri reacted fastest. She stepped up with her shield raised, and the rest of the tank line immediately understood their role, forming up beside her and lifting their own shields high. A chorus of activation chants rang out, and in moments an iron wall of defense stood complete.

KRA-KRA-KRAAASH!!

"Ghk!"

"Khh!!"

The basilisk spun its long, massive body like a living flail, sweeping the ground—but the buffed tank line held firm and refused to break.

"Ranged attack!"

The moment the tanks locked the beast in place, the waiting casters unleashed everything they had.

BOOM!!

BA-BOOM!!

BA-BA-BOOM!!

—Kyaaaaaaaaaah!!!

Fire, water, wind, and earth—elemental barrages tore through the air and slammed into the creature's hide. Even a storm of mid-tier skills was never going to drop a large-class monster like a basilisk in one go. That did not mean it was unhurt or unshaken, however. As the skill barrage ended and the beast reeled, unable to regain its bearings, I gave the next command.

"Knight order—charge!!"

This time I meant to finish it for good. I activated Ruinous Charge again and rocketed straight at the monster.

"White ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dragon Knights, follow Young Master Taylor!"

"For Winchester!!"

"Waaaaah!!"

"Die!!"

—Ssshit?!

The knights kicked off the ground and poured into the gaps between the serpent's coils. Buffed skills of every color punched into its body, ripping through the hard scales.

—Kyaaaargh!!

Agony forced the basilisk into a defensive coil. Deep inside its enormous maw I felt mana gathering at terrifying speed.

"I won't fall for that twice."

Instead of retreating, I leapt straight in front of its head—right where it would want to spit its venom—and met its eyes head-on. The creature smirked as if mocking me and flung its throat wide open, ready to unload the acid. Exactly the situation I had wanted.

"You got careless."

Sorry, but a mid-tier monster's curse doesn't work on me.

—Ding!

The curse-resistance skill I had earned by overcoming the corrupted crystal's curse with holy water shone true. Familiar alert chimes rang as crimson energy boiled along the length of Gungnir in my grip.

"The dragon's roar shakes the heavens."

KRA-RARARARA!!!

Against the armored exterior the skill might have been blunted—but I had fired it straight into the soft, unprotected interior. With the throat wide open, the scarlet storm detonated inside the creature's mouth. The massive surge of crimson mana tore down its gullet and ripped through its body from within. Flesh was gouged, organs shredded; the basilisk could not even scream its death cry. Its enormous frame convulsed, then crashed to the floor with a heavy thud, head slamming into the stone.

"Waaaaah!!!"

"We took down a basilisk without a single casualty!!"

"We did it!!"

The knights erupted in cheers at the successful subjugation of a mid-tier monster that had appeared out of nowhere. Large-class mid-tier beasts like a basilisk almost never fell without heavy losses. Captain Ainz's expression remained as stoic as ever, yet the way he quietly clenched a fist told me he was more than satisfied inside.

I released Dragon Blood, and the girls rushed over first, wiping the sticky blood from my body.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Young Master! You're all right, aren't you?!"

"Honestly, why would you charge in alone like that?!"

I was still listening to their mixture of worry and scolding when the knights approached—their faces completely different from when we had first met.

"Lord Taylor, that was truly magnificent work."

At some point Ainz's speech had shifted to full honorifics.

Ha. So now he's ready to acknowledge me as the real successor?

He had stopped calling me "Acting Duke" with that reluctant tone and was using my name instead—clearly a declaration that he would serve me as the future duke. The sudden flip in his attitude was a little funny, but in a world that worshipped talent and raw ability above all else, it was hardly surprising.

We were still savoring the victory and preparing to resume the search for the duke when I momentarily forgot about the "king" of this place—the one who must have been watching our triumph with a mocking smile. This was no ordinary dungeon. And a dungeon reshapes itself according to its master's will.

Everyone tensed at the sudden shift in the dungeon, scanning their surroundings—when the floor beneath my feet simply vanished.

"What the—?!"

"Young Master!!"

"Lord Taylor!!"

There was no time to react. I tried to drive Gungnir into the wall and hang on, but the dungeon refused to allow it—spitting a lizardman out of the stone itself.

Thwuck!

"Damn it?!"

The spear punched clean through the monster's body. Instantly killed, the lizardman and I plummeted together into the darkness below.

"Young Master──!!!"

"Keh-keh-keh. Finished, you say? No, no. This is only the beginning."

The master of the dungeon, who had been watching every moment unfold, rose from his chair for the first time in a very long while. He would have preferred to drag things out longer, to corner them properly—but that was no longer possible. The unforeseen arrival of the Child of Prophecy in the north had forced his hand. He had seized the opportunity in haste and thus had been unable to make fuller ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠preparations. A genuine regret.

Even so, he felt no real worry. This place was his kingdom, after all.

"Time to welcome my guests."

The Duke of Winchester, exhausted from an entire day of fighting monsters, and the Child of Prophecy, fresh from battle with a mid-tier beast. The fruit had ripened perfectly. It was time to harvest.