Dungeon Cleared

The moment Muriel and Rebecca lunged forward, the Lich reacted without missing a beat.

—Insolent... insignificant worms... Do not dare hope... for a merciful death...

With a slow, sweeping gesture of its skeletal hand, the burial mounds across the vast graveyard heaved ominously. Earth burst outward as dozens upon dozens of shambling undead, screeching specters, and wailing banshees clawed their way toward the surface.

"Hmm..."

Individually, none of them were particularly difficult to handle, but sheer numbers were another matter entirely.

"Hey, Weller. Can you do something about that mob? You don't have to worry about the specters and banshees—just wipe out the undead with physical bodies."

"If it's just that much... I might be able to sweep them away once or twice."

"That's plenty. I'm counting on you."

"Fine."

I took a swig from my flask, watching Weller begin to trace a geometric magic circle in the empty air. There was really nothing left for me to do. Since the Lich was capable of human speech, I might have tried shaking its composure through conversation, but even after racking my brain over the game's setting guides, nothing plausible came to mind. Guess I'd just cheer passionately from the sidelines.

"Uh, umm..."

Sitting cross-legged on the dirt, I caught sight of Lira fidgeting restlessly nearby.

"What's wrong? Need to pee? We're not in that much of a rush, so go find a spot in the back."

"I-It is nothing of the sort!"

She flushed bright red and glared at me. I merely shrugged.

"Then what's the matter?"

"...It is just that, standing by idly while the others fight... pricks my conscience, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to speak."

"Your conscience? What are you talking about all of a sudden... Ah, now that you mention it, that's true. You really haven't had much of a chance to show your stuff in any of our battles so far."

"Yes..."

"Still, you had to protect Weller and Vivian, so it couldn't be helped. Muriel and Rebecca can fight with complete peace of mind precisely because you're guarding the rear."

"I am well aware of that, but..."

Her words and posture were composed, yet her eyes—locked dead onto the Lich—were brimming with a boiling battle lust that looked ready to burst forth at any second. Catching on to her mood, I narrowed my eyes.

"Wait a minute. Conscience, my foot—are you just itching for a fight?"

"......"

"Good grief, knights really are all muscle between the ears."

"Ahem...! I will not deny it."

"Hmm, you want to fight that badly? Hey, Weller. What do you think?"

I glanced sideways at Weller. Still channeling mana into the floating circle, she snapped irritably without looking over.

"Shut up and don't distract me. I leave it to your judgment, so do whatever you want."

"You heard her. Well, Lira, you probably won't get the glorious duel you're dreaming of, but go blow off some steam."

"Pardon? But then..."

"Don't worry. I'll leave our security to this one."

Smack!

I brought my palm down hard on Cacciola's rear as she cowered in the corner alongside Vivian, producing a remarkably crisp slap. Mmm, nice and firm.

"Eeeeek?! Wh-Where do you think you're hitting?!"

"Cacciola. Time to earn your keep, don't you think?"

"Wh-What...?! You don't honestly expect me to fight those things?!"

"Naturally. Come on, up you go."

"I-I can't...! How am I supposed to fight something so terrifying?!"

"Cacciola. You shouldn't be afraid of those things. What you ought to fear is your future if you walk out of here without having accomplished a single thing."

"...? What is that supposed to..."

When I met her gaze with dead, emotionless eyes, her shoulders shuddered violently.

"Don't get it? What I mean by that."

"Th-That's completely foul! You despicable bastard! How can a person be so cruel?!"

"What are you talking about? I haven't even said anything yet."

"Ugh...! Fine! I'll fight, all right?! I just have to fight!"

"Should've done that from the start."

Gritting her teeth, she drew her daggers, tears welling up in her large eyes.

"...Are ghosts really that scary to you?"

"Yes! They're terrifying! Terrifying, damn it! Do you have any idea what it feels like to see the people who haunt my nightmares every single day?!"

"Hmm..."

Was her trauma making her see her slaughtered family from the Belar County? That wasn't written anywhere in the game's lore bible. Then again, her psychological state was never detailed all that thoroughly to begin with.

"Still, what does that have to do with me? Instead of blabbering about things I never asked, swing your blade."

"You absolute son of a bitch...!"

"Oho. Mind your tongue when speaking to your Master."

"Who the hell is my Master?!"

"I am, obviously. Who else? I'm the one who's going to help you get your revenge, aren't I? Didn't you swear to give me everything if only you could have your vengeance?"

"Ugh...! How on earth did I get saddled with a scumbag like this...!"

Gnashing her teeth, she slashed her dagger at an approaching specter.

Shhhk!

—Kieeeaaagh...!

Her hands trembled so badly that her strike was wildly off-center, but seeing her manage to dispatch it anyway, it seemed there was no need to worry.

"See? Stop worrying and go wild out there, Lira."

"...I don't know how anyone could watch that and not worry..."

Wearing an intensely uneasy expression, Lira offered a strained smile.

"Trust me, it's fine. Ah, there's your opening."

"Pardon?"

Bzzzzzzzt!!

Accompanied by a bone-chilling crackle, a blinding brilliance engulfed the entire graveyard. The radiance did not stop with a single discharge; it chained outward, arcing violently from one undead to the next in rapid succession. Searing smoke billowed from shattered bones and incinerated flesh, quickly filling the mausoleum grounds with a suffocating, putrid stench.

"Pheeew..."

Weller exhaled a puff of blue, mana-saturated breath and casually flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"Urrgh..."

"Krrr..."

She hadn't managed to wipe out every single one, but with dozens of undead fried to a crisp and spasming helplessly on the scorched ground, there was clearly no risk of them mounting an attack.

"Moving in."

"Right! We can't let a chance like this slip away!"

Muriel melted into the shadows the second she spotted an opening, while Rebecca kicked off the earth like a charging beast.

"Aren't you going? Miss this chance, and that's it."

"Kuh...!"

Trembling in conflict, Lira ultimately failed to suppress the warrior's blood surging within her and clamped her hand around the hilt of her sword.

"Forgive my presumption, then—I shall join the fray!"

"Nothing to be presumptuous about."

Boom!

Watching Lira's back recede in a blur of dust, I landed another sharp slap on Cacciola's backside.

Smack!

"Eeeek?!"

"Still got that nice bounce. Guard us properly, got it?"

"I'm already doing it without you telling me! And stop hitting my butt, you pervert!"

"......"

I really couldn't get used to Cacciola's petulant, whiny tone. There was such a massive gulf between this and the ruthless avenger I knew from the game... What on earth did she go through in the original story to make her turn out like that?

"Hup!"

"Hahaha! Die, Lich!"

"By the blade of the Stanasila Knights! I shall strike down the king of the profane!"

The three women swarmed the Lich, gleefully carving into its withered bones with their aura unleashed at full blast.

"Never thought I'd actually feel bad for a Lich..."

—Grrroooaaar...! Impudent... lowly worms...!

"Ah, Phase Two already?"

Slaaash! Kra-kra-krak!

—Gaaaahhh...!

"...Looks like it got skipped."

—A curse of eternity...! Shall be upon you...! And so shall I... once more rise upon the surface...!

"Oho, Phase Three."

Ch-ch-chak! Slice! Sh-sh-shk!

—Aaaah, no...! For I to fall so vainly...! This cannot be... this cannot...

"...Skipped again. And dead."

I knew there was a gap between game mechanics and reality, and I had anticipated the trio's offensive firepower would be formidable, but this was overkill by any standard.

Rumble, rumble! Shwooooo...!

With the Lich slain, the darkness that formed the dungeon converged toward its remains as though being absorbed, gradually melting away into nothingness.

"Is it over?"

"Yeah. That wraps up the dungeon clear."

"...That was far less impressive than I expected. Almost anticlimactic. To think a legendary entity like a Lich would end like this..."

Seeing Weller looking thoroughly underwhelmed, I gave a shrug.

"I told you, didn't I? It'd be quick and easy."

"You certainly did say that, but still..."

As she spoke, the space where the darkness vanished contracted, and the surrounding topography began to shift. Weller's eyes gleamed.

"Oho. Now this is quite a spectacle. Primitive though it may be, there's a distinct magical logic at work here."

"Glad you enjoyed that at least."

When the transformation settled, we found ourselves standing before a massive graveyard within a cavern.

"Ah... Orabeoni. What is this?"

"A graveyard. Where those who died long ago were laid to rest."

"Was that Lich buried here as well?"

"Most likely."

"......"

As I stroked Vivian's hair while she stared with a complicated expression, Muriel, Rebecca, and Lira sheathed their weapons and walked over.

"Lord Alzen. Is everything concluded?"

"Yeah. Dungeon clear. Good work, everyone."

"Not at all. It was hardly taxing. It became even easier once Sir Lira joined in."

"Is that so? How about you, Lira? Satisfied?"

"Uh, umm... It feels... a bit... underwhelming."

Looking at her awkward, rustic smile, a laugh slipped out of me.

"Well, that's how it goes. Things in this world rarely play out the way you expect."

"Indeed. I never imagined cutting down a Lich would feel so hollow..."

"That's just because of this dungeon's peculiarities. If you ever run into another Lich, don't drop your guard."

"Ahaha. You tease, Lord Alzen. As if I would ever run into another Lich! Monsters like that only appear in legends."

Man, she sure knows how to plant a death flag with style.

"Ah, Lord Alzen. This was left behind upon the Lich's demise."

"Hmm? Oh, right. You made sure to grab it. Well done."

My face brightened as I took what Muriel offered: three rings, set with purple, red, and black gemstones respectively. It was the Unique-grade relic set—the Absolute Ring Set. This was what I had ventured all the way here to claim.

"At least now I won't suffer some pointless, sudden death."

Without a status window or inspect screen, I couldn't verify the exact numbers, but the set's mechanics were simple enough that I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠remembered them clearly.

That was the gist of it.

System-guaranteed taunt, evasion, and counterattack... The effects looked amazing on paper, but truth be told, they were practically useless past the early game. Not only were the effects strictly limited to the very first exchange when combat initiated, but as a set, they hogged a staggering three accessory slots.

Sure, one might consider using them to weather the opening attack and then hot-swapping gear, but managing three separate accessory slots in the middle of active combat was no walk in the park. And compared to that hassle, the payoff was hardly worth it.

A counterattack delivering double the damage of the incoming strike? You could dish out vastly more damage just by equipping superior relic accessories that boosted raw stats or granted unique skills. Even against boss monsters, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the maximum power of their opening strike was rarely that devastating; doubling that wouldn't even shave off a single health bar.

Well, that was assuming mid-to-late game bosses, of course. Against glass cannons capable of dishing out attacks far stronger than their own health pools, there was nothing better. Which was precisely why players nicknamed it the "Civilian Slaughter Rings"—enough said.

"...Well, now that this world is reality, things might be different."

"What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are you muttering to yourself for?"

"Nothing, never mind."

In any case, it was the perfect relic set for me. An artifact with just the right utility to prevent sudden, untimely death. With my defensive shortcomings shored up to some degree, I shouldn't get greedy; my focus should be on supporting the protagonist.

...The real problem, of course, was that I hadn't the foggiest idea how to actually go about doing that.