The Sleeping Witch of the Dungeon
I set aside the flower that looked special at a glance, something clearly out of the ordinary. First up for inspection were the items Valter had carried.
◈ A necklace crafted by an ancient saint. It contains some of the spells the saint used in life.
◈ Guardian Barrier: Creates a sturdy defensive shield using holy energy.
The necklace's chain was frayed from when I'd ripped it off Valter's neck by force. As expected, the Saint's Necklace performed exactly as I'd anticipated—a skill that generated a sturdy barrier. But all I could do was tilt my head.
How sturdy was it, exactly? It had been sliced clean through by my Slash skill so effortlessly that gauging its true power was tricky. Still, it had carried Valter all the way to hero status alongside his other two items, so it had to be pretty damn good.
I quickly checked the rest of the skills.
◈ A bracelet crafted by an ancient saint. It contains some of the spells the saint used in life.
◈ Waves of Light: Fires off multiple blasts of holy energy.
◈ A sword crafted by an ancient saint. It contains some of the spells the saint used in life.
◈ Light Slash: Launches a slashing attack infused with holy energy.
After checking the Saint's Bracelet and Judgment Sword, I nodded in satisfaction. These looked useful. Thinking back to Valter's relentless barrage of attacks, they seemed plenty valuable. I was already wielding the Drake Soul Sword effectively, so no need to swap weapons, but having extras never hurt.
Were these a set? Every one had "Saint" prefixed to the name. Sometimes that unlocked special bonuses. On a whim, I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist, then equipped the sword and necklace.
“……”
Nothing happened.
Figures. Set items looked great on paper but were often more trouble than they were worth. I'd gotten my hopes up, though. Maybe I needed more pieces? Necklace, bracelet, sword—that was the usual trio, with armor or rings to complete the set. There was a chance...
I couldn't shake the lingering regret. The bracelet was good for ranged attacks, but the other two were redundant for now. I'd hunt for more items later when I had time. For now, I turned my attention from the loot.
“One more to go.”
The victory feast wasn't over yet.
Please select your reward.
The message had been hovering in front of me. As soon as I thought about picking a reward, a new prompt appeared with a list.
Please select one reward from the list.
◈ +20 Levels
◈ Random Skill Level +3
◈ Special Random Item Chest x1
◈ Special Random Skill x1
Looking at the list, I clicked my jaw in disappointment.
“Clack.”
Pick just one? Might as well give me everything. They were all tempting enough that choosing felt like a waste. A straight +20 levels was broken, and the others weren't slouches either.
But why was everything but levels random? Even the skill level-up was RNG. Too much uncertainty for a rational skeleton like me who craved stability. Randomness made me uneasy.
Still, what could I do? I couldn't resist a gamble.
I tossed the +20 levels aside. I'd level up fast enough hunting Wanderers anyway.
My current level was 60. Killing Valter had shot me up five levels in one go. At this rate, hitting 80 wouldn't be hard.
The random skill +3 didn't appeal much either. Great if it hit re:bone, but the odds were slim.
Same for the item chest. The treasure vault in the Shadow Underground Dungeon beneath the tower was packed with unopened goodies. No way I'd waste this on more loot.
Process of elimination left the last one.
Confirm selection of reward: 'Special Random Skill'?
I nodded vigorously as the confirmation popped up.
“Of course!”
Distributing reward.
A burst of brilliant light exploded before my eyes, and I watched with eager anticipation. What skill would I get?
Greed
Dopamine surged for the first time in ages as Greed stirred hungrily. I wasn't asking for much—just something on par with Slash would do!
As the light faded, I hurriedly checked my skill window.
Jackpot?!
「Eye of Desire lv. 2」 「Greed lv. 3」 「Slash lv. 100」
「re:bone lv. 4」 「Dodge lv. 2」 「Spinning Slash lv. 1」
「Scream lv. 1」 「Massacre Charge lv. 3」 「Bone Toss lv. 1」
「Wall Climb lv. 1」 「Overlord lv. 1」 「Familiar Summon lv. 1」
I blinked in confusion at the new skill. Familiar Summon? Totally different from my usual lineup.
Familiars, right? The kind wizards use to call their personal summons. Solid skill, sure. But...
“...I'm not that type.”
My skills and build screamed warrior. Ruined Knight, remember? Summoning felt off-concept.
Despite the unease, I checked the details first.
Familiar Summon lv. 1
Allows contracting a specific entity as your familiar. Once designated, the familiar can be summoned anywhere without spatial limits.
Current slots available: 1
Yep, standard familiar stuff. Needed a contract, so not just anyone qualified. One shot at it—had to choose wisely. I'd ask Gular later. Brains were his department.
That wrapped up the rewards. One hero down, and I'd scored big: saint set items and a new familiar skill. Generous haul. Heroes were like golden goblins. Valter might've been a low-tier one, but I'd downgrade the threat level for now.
Time to clean up the battle's aftermath. I glanced wistfully at the gaping hole whistling with wind, then turned and left the boss room.
“...That fucker Valter.”
One step out, and the curses flowed. The dungeon interior was wrecked. Not a single trap intact, floors and walls scarred everywhere.
My house...
Swallowing tears of rage, I trudged underground.
“Boss is back~?”
The skeleton knights lit up as I entered their room.
“Did the king triumph?”
They'd guessed the outcome, but I confirmed it loud and clear.
“A mere hero? Nothing!”
Clack!
Their joyful laughter echoed, and the dungeon crew finally relaxed with sighs of relief.
“Thought the place was collapsing!”
“Knew you'd win!”
Gnomes and lizardmen erupted in celebration. Slaying a hero meant one thing.
“Congrats. Might get recognized as a new Lord now.”
Gular's words dripped with genuine praise. I tilted my head.
“What's in it for me?”
Tax breaks? Perks?
“More humans incoming.”
Not sounding great. I sweated internally.
“Isn't that a ghost flower?”
Ketilen, the lizardman elder, approached me mid-freakout over future busyness.
“You know what this is?”
“Yes. Key ingredient in our tribe's traditional healing salve.”
He pointed at the flower in my hand—Soul Fragment.
“I have the other materials ready.”
Ketilen was a shaman, equivalent to a human mage. Seemed handy with potions too.
But a sudden doubt hit me. Wasn't this an alchemist's job?
“...Why're you looking at me like that?”
Gular bristled, guilty conscience kicking in.
“Nothing.”
Even I had limits to my shamelessness. Gular was already overworked. I turned to Emilia, sleeping soundly amid the chaos.
“Shall I make the salve?”
“Yeah. Get started.”
Time to wake the witch of the sleeping dungeon.