A Confession in the Catacombs
Here I come! Sorry I'm late.
Hilde apologized the moment she stepped inside.
Is something the matter?
Well… We caught so many zombies that we ended up with the Blessing and Alliance Quest.
Hilde had entered Thor’s temple and been greeted by blessings far beyond her imagination.
We heard rumors that you wiped out the monsters. The god will be pleased!
Yes, thank you.
This is the grace His Holiness has bestowed upon me.
The deputy received Thor’s blessing and her stats rose.
She also received a new skill called Holy Guard.
After finishing her preparations she prepared to leave when the deputy continued.
If you grow even stronger you might hear the legends spreading through the city…
What kind of legends?
It’s related to the catacombs but I can’t tell you yet. However, my child, I sense a dark aura from you… Are you perhaps traveling with a black magician?
Leaving behind the suspicious interrogation they returned to the plaza.
Fafnir listened in silence then sighed.
I suppose it’s time I told you.
Yes?
I’m sorry I hid my class. Actually I’m a necromancer. Level 31.
Up until now I’d only used Burn End and Control so no one realized I was a necromancer.
But now that I’d created the elite skeletons it was impossible to hide it anymore.
Wow, you really are a necromancer?
Surprisingly when Hilde heard that she didn’t scold Fafnir at all.
Instead her eyes widened in pure amazement.
But how are you such a good fighter? I don’t think I could beat you in PVP.
Well…
Isn’t your level only 31? Then you’re just using weak-point attacks, right?
Hilde at level 45 could take two hits to take down a zombie.
Killing one zombie per attack like Fafnir did was an incredible feat far beyond what most people could manage.
Are you perhaps a martial artist? Or a pro gamer? What kind of game do you play?
Well… There is a game called Dragon World.
Dragon World?
Hilde tilted her head.
I wonder if such a game existed…
Fafnir shrugged.
That game doesn’t exist in the world of the novel.
Anyway, have you finished your preparations?
Yes.
Then shall we head out to hunt?
Are there more zombies?
I’d grown used to zombies through blindfolded hunting but hunting them itself was starting to feel tedious.
Luckily for Hilde Fafnir shook his head slightly.
No, this time it’s different monsters.
To get there one more thing needed to be done.
***
Entered the Catacombs Underground Floor 1.
Entered a dungeon of the same attribute: darkness.
Attack power and defense increased by 2%.
The Catacombs Underground Floor 1.
Five members entered a tightly sealed underground cemetery.
Let’s go in.
Yes.
In front was the knight followed by a mage and an archer.
If not for the monk and the necromancer it would have been the perfect combination.
Hilde-nim please come this way. I will protect you.
Ah yes…
The knight user who had been pestering Hilde looked toward Fafnir.
Stay right behind me. Don’t do anything unnecessary.
A rude attitude completely opposite to his usual one toward Hilde!
Well then Hilde-nim, let’s go.
Sigh, it’s a shame it’s a healer and not a necromancer…
The mage added.
Cheer up.
Still the archer’s attitude was more proper than the others.
Left alone Fafnir thought.
Indeed the treatment for non-mainstream classes is harsh.
Before entering the catacombs Fafnir had tried to recruit party members.
But that task turned out to be surprisingly difficult.
-Necro del-monk? Who will hunt with me?
-Then who will heal? No tank no heal.
-Will the monk come separately? If you come alone I’ll give you a bus ticket.
The tragedy of a despised class!
Just as they were considering going together.
These three suddenly proposed the idea first.
-I wanted to hunt together with the other two… but since there’s a party we can clear it faster.
The goal was to gather dungeon-clearing data.
Once I cleared it once and confirmed the process I could solo it.
-The boss pattern and traps need checking so I’ll cut it early if necessary.
If I hadn’t cleared it I would have given up immediately.
-Until then I’ll go along with them.
Fafnir decided that and followed behind.
Once inside the dungeon the real fight began.
Clang!
Clatter!
-Hungry Skeleton
-Insane Skeleton
Just like an underground dungeon special skeletons with buffs appeared from the entrance.
Everyone start dealing damage!
Fire Arrow!
Double Shot!
The knight user played perfectly.
Or more accurately the battle was painfully slow.
While blocking attacks with his shield the others dealt damage and waited for HP to deplete.
…Honestly this is annoying.
This was clearly a higher-level hunting ground but growth was over twice as slow as when hunting zombies.
Hilde noticed and looked visibly uncomfortable.
And that was not the end of it.
The moment Fafnir tried to breathe the other two interfered.
Stay behind me! Where are you going! Behind! Behind!
From the moment I took out the skeletal mage who cast curses from range.
Don’t move, ah damn!
Why is the necromancer out front! If that’s how you’re going to do it then don’t do it!
Ah, the necromancer isn’t really doing it like that…
Even when I pulled aggro to save the knight user or when I assassinated the elite zombies or cut down the self-destructing monsters the knight user kept shouting.
Non-mainstream classes really do have their reasons.
Sigh…
The mage’s sigh echoed.
If they had just cursed openly I wouldn’t have minded but butting in like this only made it worse.
-Hilde: Sorry.
-Hilde: It’s all because of me…
Hilde sent a whisper.
-Fafnir: No.
-Fafnir: It’s thanks to you that I’m here.
-Hilde: I’ll introduce you to my friends later.
-Hilde: I made a mistake with the starting input so I got separated but they’re all good people so I’m sure Fafnir-nim will like them too.
Did Hilde have friends?
Not in the original novel.
I’ll have to check later.
Right now the most important thing was to catch at least one more.
Fafnir resumed hunting but the snide remarks from the knight and mage users never stopped.
Eventually it happened.
Fireball!
In the middle where I had pulled the aggro of the elite skeleton the mage fired and the fireball exploded between us.
Kyah!
Using my control I took minimal damage.
But 1-Ho was not so lucky.
He took the explosion head-on and disintegrated with the monster!
-1-Ho’s HP has reached zero.
-1-Ho has been re-summoned.
What are you doing?
Dealing with elites? Lack of experience points, you don’t know?
Stay still I told you and you keep crawling out…
The mage and knight users answered as if they were one.
This time Fafnir couldn’t hold back.
Attacking allies like this?
That makes you not a good person but a fool.
I’ll just stop then. I’m leaving.
Kekeke that’s fine.
The knight and mage raised both hands in welcome.
Did you know that if you desert midway you won’t get any share?
Well played bus-man.
Even before that I didn’t like this non-mainstream class from head to toe.
They were overjoyed that I left on my own.
…Then I’ll leave too.
No, why is Hilde-nim…
We’ll just leave those weirdos and hunt together.
Unable to watch the mockery Hilde also left.
The knight user tried to catch him but failed.
-Vane: Cheek… Tough luck.
-Vane: That guy has a bit of a grudge fetish… I’m sorry but not really a substitute.
-Fafnir: No… well…
-Vane: Let’s hunt together later. Not really a substitute but I’ll provide the loot.
The archer user Vane sent Fafnir a whisper.
A loyal user who silently shot arrows while the other two argued.
This person’s accuracy was pretty good too.
Is it a rule that good skill means good personality?
-Fafnir: Understood.
-Vane: I’m busy so I’ll head back. Contact me later.
He seemed distracted looking after the other two.
Fafnir found an empty corner and took a breather there.
Are you alright, Fafnir-nim? The skeleton…
A short while later.
Hilde followed and asked with concern.
There’s no problem. They’re not permanently dead and not a major force anyway.
Elite skeletons didn’t die like normal ones.
With a little currency they could be revived immediately.
What do we do now? Should we head back?
There’s no need to.
Fafnir shook his head.
We’re already quite deep and the remaining monsters can be handled by the other three.
Then…
I’ll follow the other three.
The original purpose of the party was to gather boss information.
Even if I couldn’t take them down.
At least I needed to see who the boss was and how he moved.
Then I’ll go with you too.
You’re reliable.
Hilde said as if she had been waiting.
At that moment.
-Dark mana has become unstable.
-Monsters are becoming stronger.
-Same attribute.
-Attack power and defense increased by 1%.
Eh?
Um.
A new notification appeared before the two of them.
Fafnir’s expression instantly hardened.
This feels off.
Something is happening.
***
After Fafnir and Hilde left the warrior party continued exploring the dungeon.
But soon they hit a wall.
Even with two of them gone the core problem remained.
Wait, why are their stats like this!
Ugh! I’m, I’m going to die!
After the dark mana became unstable the remaining monsters’ specs skyrocketed.
If the previous attacks were like a middle-schooler’s punch these were now adult men’s full-power punches!
First let’s retreat. Something’s wrong.
Vane suggested.
The answer was simple.
Are you crazy? The boss is right in front of us and if we run it’s all for nothing!
But…
Enough, let’s charge in.
…Understood.
Vane’s head drooped completely.
Going deeper now was suicide but there was no choice.
The warrior Michelin Tire was his real-life boss.
From the start Vane had no choice.
The boss monster of the Catacombs Floor 1 welcomed the party with open arms.
Grrrrr!
The huge troll zombie roared.
Aaaah!
Save me! Save me! Damn it! Do something! Stop! Stop! Stop!
The warrior user caught in its hand screamed.
What a mess.
Near the boss room hallway.
Fafnir looked at the party members being hunted and gave his honest opinion.
A troll.
A powerful monster on a completely different level from orcs or human zombies.
Even though it was a zombie its regeneration was gone but being a strong monster in the first place the fight didn’t even stand a chance.
Shouldn’t we help?
After the warrior user was reduced to meat.
Hilde watching the mage user flee alone asked.
If we do that they’ll probably cause another XP steal incident.
Thinking back to their actions that possibility was very real.
-Vane lured them in and got caught and killed.
Still Vane had succeeded in sniping the troublesome mage and archer first.
Then he successfully acted as bait.
But the power gap was too huge.
Still something doesn’t sit right.
Objectively their equipment wasn’t bad.
Especially since Vane was a pretty good archer so they shouldn’t have been this overwhelmed.
The problem was the monsters’ power had increased far beyond what it was before.
About 1.2 times but the difference was clearly noticeable.
But why?
There’s no smoke without fire.
As Fafnir was thinking a voice came from behind him.
It’s over.
Fafnir turned.
The next instant multiple arrows were stuck in the mage user’s back.
The mage user’s scream cut off as he fled to the last moment.
After the collapsed mage disappeared a few coins and items remained.
We should head back too.
Hilde said.
But instead of answering Fafnir’s eyes sparkled.
-The pattern has been roughly analyzed… and his HP is already quite low.
If it was full HP I couldn’t have done it.
But fighting the three of them his HP had decreased by a lot.
Just a tiny bit.
Like water that stops boiling before it reaches 99 degrees.
…What’s left is my DPS…
While lost in thought Fafnir gave no answer.
When no reply came Hilde slowly reached out and placed her hand on Fafnir’s shoulder.
At that moment.
…Hilde-nim.
Yes?
Fafnir muttered softly.
Let’s catch that guy.
But those words were a huge bomb.