Skeleton Dungeon Strategy (1)
The moment we stepped into the dungeon, all that greeted us was darkness.
“...It’s way too dark in here...”
On the way here, I had spent a whopping five silver at a general store to buy a glowing artifact. …Damn it. After buying that holy potion for four silver just a moment ago, I only had enough left for one skewer of meat.
I have to make my money back here.
When I lit up the artifact, all I could see was an endless corridor stretching before us.
“Hey… keep moving forward.”
“W-what are you poking me with—fine, I get it!”
Clatter.
As we continued down the passage, a rattling sound echoed from somewhere ahead.
That must be the sound of skeletons moving…
The only monsters in this dungeon were countless skeletons. There were occasionally ones with bows or magic, but because this place was completely isolated, it was a low-level dungeon filled only with unarmed skeletons.
…The problem was that even among low-levels, I was at the bottom.
Sure enough, a group of skeletons appeared in front of us.
“Aaaah! Those are skeletons!”
“What the hell are those things!”
What else would they be… skeletons.
“Hey. Luden. Charge in.”
“What…? Ah! Stop poking me!”
When I jabbed him in the back with a random branch I’d picked up nearby, Luden grumbled but raised his greatsword and charged forward.
—Boom!
Every time Luden swung his greatsword, the skeletons shattered helplessly. As expected from a mid-to-upper rank dealer, his power was on another level.
“Hey, Liana.”
“…Y-yes?!”
Why did she startle so easily? Anyway, I had brought Liana for a reason.
“…You can use basic strengthening magic and healing, right? Cast them on Luden.”
Alchemy majors like Liana often needed to directly enchant weapons or armor, so they learned simple reinforcement or defensive spells for that purpose.
“…Understood. [Defense Enhancement]”
A magic circle floated around Liana’s hand, and white particles poured out from it, showering Luden.
After some time, Luden finished clearing out all the skeletons and came back to me, breathing heavily.
“Hah… hah… huff… I took care of them. What the hell are these things?”
“Skeletons.”
“…That’s not what I was asking! I’m asking why they’re even here!”
What a hot-tempered guy. He still hadn’t shaken off his bully habits. Oh well.
“While I was reading in the library, I found out about a place like this. …I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and came here. According to what was written, this is a necromancer’s laboratory.”
I gave a vague excuse about having read it in the library. Both Liana and Luden looked at me with suspicion, but apparently decided it was pointless to argue and turned away.
“…If this is a necromancer’s lab, isn’t it dangerous?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
…It wasn’t dangerous. At least not in the game. But to ease Luden and Liana’s worries, I deliberately exaggerated my abilities.
“…Alright.”
Luden seemed to accept it for now. In his mind, I probably came across as some incredibly skilled expert.
We continued deeper into the dungeon.
. . .
“Damn it, how many more of these things are there!”
Clatter.
…This was already our fifth encounter with a skeleton group. Of course there were traps scattered everywhere, but since I knew the map patterns and trap locations by heart, we could explore safely.
There’s a trap here too.
I lightly tapped the floor with my toe, and arrows shot out from the wall. I quickly pulled Liana, who was standing in their path, to safety.
“Th-thank you…”
“Strengthening magic.”
“Hey, at least acknowledge the thanks before ordering me around! [Attack Enhancement], [Defense Enhancement]!”
Liana grumbled as she cast the reinforcement spells on Luden.
…Has her skill improved a bit?
When I checked Liana’s status window, I noticed her mana stat had gone up slightly.
Luden finished taking down all the skeletons. Thanks to his [Strong Bones] trait, he didn’t have any noticeable injuries.
“…Huff… Hey, Log… how much farther do we have to go?”
“Stop complaining and keep moving forward. We’re almost there. Take the left path.”
A fork in the road appeared ahead. The right path was trapped.
“…Was that in the book too?”
I lightly ignored Liana’s question and continued forward.
“Ugh… seriously! Stop ignoring me!”
After walking for a while longer, we discovered a large cavern about the size of the academy training grounds.
“This space is enormous. And there’s nothing in it?”
“…Just wait.”
I walked to the far end of the cavern and began examining the walls.
There should be a spot somewhere that looks different… Ah. Found it.
One section of the wall looked noticeably less worn than the rest. I pressed on it.
Creak.
The wall rotated like a revolving door, revealing a hidden secret door behind it.
“Let’s go in.”
I opened the door and stepped inside.
“…I’m coming too!”
. . .
Inside was a laboratory filled with various experimental tools and grimoires.
“…What is this place…?”
“It’s the laboratory of a necromancer who used to be here. The experiments caused the entire dungeon to be overrun with skeletons.”
I had no interest in reading the grimoires on the table. They were obviously about necromancy.
As I looked around the room, I spotted a chest.
The shield and rings should be in here… where was the key again?
I had no idea why a necromancer would have a tank-exclusive shield. Maybe intruders left it behind?
What was strange was how clean the laboratory looked. Almost as if someone had been using it until recently.
I rummaged through the experimental tools and bookshelves until I found the key.
Is this it…?
Just as I was about to open the chest with the key I found—
Groooan.
An ominous sound rang out. I turned toward its source.
“Lo… Log! The door! There’s something outside the door!”
What the hell is that…? A death knight…?
Beyond the door stood a death knight clad head to toe in armor. It was a monster that should never appear in this dungeon. And that wasn’t all.
Behind the death knight was a skeleton wearing a robe.
An eldritch… Why is a high-level monster like that here?
In the original game, this was supposed to be a simple dungeon where you broke through traps and skeleton waves, used the key to open the chest, and claimed your reward.
Just hearing that voice sent chills down my spine. It seemed to be the owner of this dungeon.
Is this the necromancer who was originally the master of this place…? Why is a monster that didn’t even appear in the game…?
Questions flooded my mind, but I didn’t have time to stand there dazed.
…In the game, eldritch usually appeared around level 40 to mid-40s. With Luden receiving support from Liana, it wasn’t an impossible opponent.
But that death knight is the problem…
The death knight summoned by an eldritch was usually proportional to the eldritch’s level. So roughly level 40 as well.
The only option is for me to take the shield from that chest and fight…
My constitution stat was a little above the average academy student. Even if I used Goliath’s Shield, I couldn’t expect any dramatic changes.
It’s do or die!
“Stop right there. If you don’t stop, I’ll destroy all these documents.”
I gathered all the documents on the table and shouted at the eldritch. The death knight that had been charging to kill us froze for a moment.
It worked.
I had just thrown it out there thinking that something hidden so deeply for research must be important, but it had quite the effect.
The eldritch glared at us with terrifying eyes.
“Lo… Log… Are you sure we’ll be okay…?”
“Hey… that’s an eldritch… It’s insanely dangerous…!”
They were being noisy beside me. I already knew that.
“…If you let us leave this place, I won’t touch these documents and we’ll leave quietly.”
…Negotiation failed.
I hurriedly opened the chest and grabbed Goliath’s Shield.
But what is this…?
Inside the chest, besides Goliath’s Shield and a mana ring, there was also a spear engraved with an antique pattern.
—I picked up both the shield and the spear.
This should be manageable.
I checked the stats that had risen thanks to Goliath’s Shield.
…What was this spear? Was it just a good spear? It felt familiar… I was sure I had seen this spear somewhere, but since I had only seen it as an image in the game, I couldn’t recall it clearly.
The death knight charged at us. It swung the sword in its hand with great force.
—Clang!
I blocked the blow with my shield and thrust the spear into the gap in the death knight’s armor. Thanks to my increased stats, my body moved lightly.
A dull thud sounded, and the death knight’s movements slowed slightly. It seemed furious at the unexpected strike.
I defended against its wildly swinging sword with my shield.
“Hey! Luden. I’ll handle this one—you charge the eldritch!”
Hearing my words, Luden charged at the eldritch. Behind me, Liana stood frozen, seemingly overwhelmed by the sudden situation.
I shouted at her.
“And Liana! Cast strengthening magic on me and Luden!”
“Y-yes! [Agility Enhancement], [Attack Enhancement]!”
When Liana cast her spells, I felt my body become even lighter. Riding that momentum, I swung the spear powerfully.
Boom!
The death knight staggered heavily from my strike. My attack landed better than I expected.
…And then I remembered why.
…This is the spear that guy was using.
Unlike Goliath’s Shield, which converted constitution into stat boosts, this spear increased damage in proportion to constitution. It was the spear carried by the leading demon during the demon raid event.
I didn’t recognize it because I only saw the in-game image.
It was a spear that had a chance to drop when you defeated that demon, but I had never obtained it before.
I’d seen people post proof screenshots in the community sometimes…
Since I had never gotten it myself, it had completely slipped my mind. The fact that the spear the demon carried during the second-year demon raid was here, and that an eldritch that originally didn’t appear was here too.
…The demons and the necromancer are connected.
I didn’t know the reason, but it seemed the necromancer had ties to the demons. Whether it was hidden backstory from the original plot or the story had changed because I possessed this game, I wasn’t sure.
I pushed the complicated thoughts aside and stared at the death knight before me.
You’re dead, you bastard.