Chapter 256
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 256
Chapter Title: Drink Up
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The monsters that primarily appeared on the seventh floor were undead, but unlike the ones they'd seen on the lower levels, every single one was a high-level beast.
Long-reinforced zombies that had become incomparably more agile than before—zombie berserkers.
And even their evolved forms: walker ghouls and the advanced version of banshees, called bansides.
They couldn't be properly killed with ordinary physical force, and even slicing them with aura left parts of their bodies twitching horrifically.
But...
Kwaaaang-!!
In front of Eleanor, who unleashed her golden holy power like aura, all of it was futile.
"Tch. I didn't expect the seventh floor to be this easy..."
"Well... as you can see, that's one of the reasons I chose the Rocky Wind Plains instead of this place."
Holy power was an absolute counter to undead.
No matter how tough the seventh floor was, the difficulty dropped exponentially with even one high priest on your side.
Of course, Aiden and Maya had done their part too.
There were non-undead monsters mixed in among the hordes, after all.
But compared to the Rocky Wind Plains they'd cleared before, this was like night and day.
"Still, where we're headed next won't be easy, so stay sharp."
"Got it."
"Understood."
They walked on for a while, watching Eleanor's exploits.
Eventually, they reached a building that resembled a church—perhaps from some forgotten order—with a massive coffin planted squarely in the center.
As if it had sensed their approach, the coffin's lid slid open on its own, spewing ominous black mist.
Soon, glowing red eyes pierced through the fog, and something emerged.
"Death Knight. A Knight of Death."
A knight in full plate armor, rusted and riddled with holes.
Its deathly aura filled the space in an instant.
"That's some intense death aura..."
"You need top-tier mental fortitude just to stand it."
This thing, returned from the grave, was a monster among monsters—strong enough to hold its own against an ogre one-on-one.
But was it truly a match for an ogre? Not quite.
Unlike an ogre, which had no counters thanks to its sheer physical prowess, the Death Knight had a clear weakness.
What else? Holy power, naturally.
[Holy Magic Activated]
Without a word, Eleanor's holy spell activated, summoning a golden hammer that crashed down on the Death Knight just as it emerged and assumed position.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
The church building shook with the impact, and when the dust settled...
"Tch. Boss is still a boss, huh."
Through the lingering mist, the knight's glowing eyes still burned fiercely.
It slowly stepped out from the dust.
Its armor was cracked a bit more than before.
Clearly, it hadn't taken much damage.
No matter how disadvantaged against holy power, a legend was still a legend. True to its name, the Death Knight spewed black aura and cleaved through the holy might.
"Eleanor, switch to support. Leave the finishing to Aiden and Maya."
"Got it."
Holy spells took time to cast, and without massive damage, it was better to pull back.
Instead, she cast her usual buffs on Aiden and Maya.
Jun did the same, enchanting their weapons with fire magic.
Another undead weakness: fire attributes.
"Be careful. Each attack hits like a truck, but it'll maneuver slyly to draw you in. Don't clash blades too often—its aura seeps into you."
"We'll be cautious."
"Understood."
They'd heard this briefing multiple times before arriving.
At least, unlike the Rocky Wind Plains, they didn't have to worry about rear guards distracting from the fight.
That was thanks to Eleanor's dominance on the way here.
The standoff began. But perhaps scarred by the holy power, the Death Knight lunged first.
Aimed at the annoying priest, it halted as Aiden blocked its path.
Then, from a blind spot, Maya's dagger flew in.
Sensing the strike at its armor joints, it blasted death aura in a shockwave to deflect it, then leaped at Aiden.
Windstorm Fury
Aura Sword of Death Aura
Kwagagagak-!
Aiden's aura, now far redder than before, clashed against the Death Knight's death aura blade.
The Death Knight was pushed back.
Unlike the ogre that relied on brute strength, in a battle of mana against mana, Aiden held his own.
But the Death Knight was seasoned. Even as it yielded ground bit by bit, it blasted aura freely at every opening, escaping Aiden's pressure.
"...Hard to believe it's a dead guy."
Had it realized the mana gap?
It absorbed the overflowing death aura from the field, while Aiden had no such luxury.
Worse, the field effect made it hard to build pure mana here, so a prolonged fight favored the enemy.
'If we slack even a little, we'll lose ground. Not easy after all.'
But Aiden knew better than anyone he wasn't alone.
Shadow Web
Shadow Web: Burst
Black threads from the deflected dagger ensnare and explode!
Black threads shimmered from the dagger the Death Knight had batted away, binding it in an instant.
Simultaneously, thunderous explosions rocked its body.
GoOOOOO-!
The nether mana was lethal to a being of dead souls, drawing a pained groan.
Then, a blood-red fireball hurtled toward it.
Jun's fingertip unleashed Volcanic Buster.
Volcanic Buster
The fireball detonated spectacularly right in its face.
Unable to withstand the chain of blasts, it flew backward.
And above its head loomed Aiden, who had closed in with Charge.
Mountain Breaker Sword
A single, mountain-shattering strike!
One heavy downward slash.
This unseen technique was one Aiden had devised himself recently.
According to him, it was inspired by a vision of a figure from his duel with Tolton.
Shwaaaaak!
The Death Knight braced to block.
But defending against the barrage with aura each time had weakened its power considerably.
Aiden's momentum, meanwhile, burned fiercer than ever.
The moment their blades met, the Death Knight crumpled like a mountain crumbling.
It slammed into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud.
When it emerged from the crater, half its upper body was gone.
"Still kicking because it's undead, huh."
Jun's quip at the sight, but it was all for naught.
Its momentum broken, the fight ended soon after, leaving only a massive magic stone as it dissolved into particles.
"Hoo... Even with the matchup advantage, that wasn't easy."
Aiden's words drew a headshake from Jun.
Truth be told, a Death Knight wasn't something you dismantled this easily.
Without a priest, it would poison foes with death aura and sustain itself endlessly with Life Drain, boasting zombie-like survivability.
Yet the party's mood was upbeat.
Compared to the Tolton fight, this was tangible progress.
Matchup played the biggest role, but clearing the seventh floor on their own had boosted confidence too.
"Now, let's open this... Ah, here it is."
"Eww, a mushroom growing on a corpse for real."
Right beside the Death Knight's coffin. Opening another revealed a decayed corpse in a pristine white dress.
A pure white mushroom bloomed atop its skull.
Shaped like tangled fingers, Maya grimaced instantly.
"You can really eat this thing?"
"I told you. You saw those other mercenaries earlier. They were here for this too."
Indeed, as Jun said, mercenaries prowled the field entrance, likely hunting the same simha initial mushroom.
"Eugh..."
"Don't worry. I'll brew it so you won't even remember what it looked like raw."
"When do we do it?"
"Right now's best."
The Death Knight's aura had cleared the area of lesser undead anyway. As long as they watched for people, no real threats.
Jun quickly cleared the space with magic and prepped for potion brewing.
"Problem is, the recipe's pretty tricky..."
His offhand mutter snapped Maya's head toward him.
"So, I came fully prepared. Ahem."
It wasn't a lie.
Simha initial mushrooms were rare, and this one was top-grade.
Even with his Potion Brewing skill, one ingredient didn't make a panacea.
Not a chance.
Naturally, higher difficulty meant needing higher skill proficiency.
'But I never leveled this skill that far.'
He'd picked it early-game to fund shortages, not for endgame use.
To compensate, he opened his dimensional bracelet and pulled out various materials.
"These are...?"
"All pre-processed. Honestly, prepping them myself would take forever at my level."
So, he bridged the skill gap with master-crafted material kits.
The simha initial went into the cauldron, then reagents, simmered and refined endlessly.
Every bit of essence extracted and condensed, carefully bottled.
"Here, drink up. Maya."
"..."
Bubbling foam and eerie purple liquid. Maya hesitated long, then chugged it.
"Urk... blech."
The taste was utterly vile.
"How's it feel? Coming on yet?"
"Dunno, but old folks would love this stuff."
"Hm. Definitely potent."
Nether mana suited Maya perfectly.
Her trait of storing mana in her head made most elixirs risky, but not nether mana.
Thanks to the Vassai clan's nether-focused secrets, her body was optimized for it.
After a day's rest, as they geared up to move...
"Huh...?"
Jun was rolling up his sleeves to cook for the first time in ages, since she'd whined about the awful potion.
"What's up?"
"Wh-what is this?"
Maya stared at her hands in shock, then whipped her gaze to Jun.
"Oh, effects kicking in properly now?"
"M-mana doubled! Nearly!"
"Told ya. It's that good."
Of course, single-use only, and lower grades halved the effect.
That's why they'd pushed to the Death Knight for top-grade materials.
Anyone who knew its value would call Jun a lifelong benefactor.
"Whoa..."
First time for this, judging by her wide eyes.
Could she take a stone ogre or Tolton with Soul Swarm now?
"What you just ate can't respawn even after field reset. One-and-done. Super rare."
"For real... Thanks, Leader."
She looked ready to hug him, so Jun slyly probed.
"So, no need for cooking then?"
"A man draws his blade, he chops the radish too, right?"
Deal failed, sadly.
Later, in the carriage.
"Leader."
"Captain."
Maya and Eleanor called Jun in low voices.
The vibe was off, so he played it cool as he boarded.
"What's going on?"
"We're being tailed."
"For hours now."
"Didn't trip my detection spells, so high-grade stealth, probably."
Anyone watching them that long wasn't friendly.
"Any aggressive moves?"
"Nah. Just perving from afar."
"Thought it was paranoia at first, but like Maya said, they've followed since the church."
"Hmm. Already making moves, huh?"
The eastern war hawks.
They'd started taking interest in Jun and his crew.