Attack Preparation!!!
Rerto Karen charged forward, shouting at us.
"Be careful! That guy's using an immortal power. We don't even know what it is yet!"
Red Sickle clasped his hands together and twisted his palms, summoning a sharp chakram from within.
"I'll draw its attention first. Once we confirm its abilities, you take over."
Wind Step
With a sharp whoosh, he darted inside, swiftly dodging the black smoke Parahum spewed.
Boom boom boom...!!!
Red Sickle slipped his wrists into the chakram's rings and swung his arms like a windmill, the circular blades spinning wildly to bat away the smoke Parahum hurled.
It was one of his signature moves, the Muryu Technique.
Skreeee...!
Krunch!
The black smoke bounced off the chakram, rippling as it hit the floor, where it sizzled and melted the stone.
-[Damage] HP
Gulp— Rerto spotted smoke pooling at his feet, from which a bizarre black hand burst forth—like a corpse's arm thrashing desperately to escape water, only to shudder and crumble.
"W-what the hell is that?"
It was a terror beyond anything he'd known. To him, monsters in the game were just fodder for player growth and challenge, but this left an inexplicable chill.
"Death Thoughts."
He whipped around at my voice.
"The citizens of the Obela Kingdom used in Parahum's immortality research."
"Citizens...?"
"Remember Red Sickle saying the Obelans treat raiding Parahum's Tomb as their great feat? That's why Obela fell from kingdom to ruined city—because of that undead king."
I gazed at Parahum swinging his scepter with its jagged, half-rotted teeth.
"How do you think he tamed the desert dragon hunted by Desert King Meyas as his familiar? Because back when Obela was a kingdom, he was high enough to access the king's hunts."
Prophet Parahum. Astrologer and prime minister who divined a nation's future, the king's closest confidant.
"Not the king, but the prime minister? Then... why does he have the king's scepter?"
Rerto grimaced.
"That's tied to Obela's downfall. He killed even Meyas, who hunted dragons, and stole his scepter."
"I don't give a damn about pointless continental history. In a dungeon, players just need to remember monsters are there to be killed."
Tat tat tat—!!!
Rerto Karen rushed toward Parahum.
"Indeed..."
I murmured softly, watching his back.
"Is that so?"
Then it happened.
A tiny ember flickered onto my shoulder.
How's it look?
As you said. There's one path leading inside the third coffin. Probably connected to the tomb where Parahum slept. I wanted to scout to the coffin hall, but... a barrier blocked it.
That's enough.
I nodded at Black Eye's response.
"You're in a hurry, Rerto. But I don't think you're so blinded by the quest item scepter that you'd charge Parahum without a thought."
Boom—!
Crash!
Kaboom—!!
Rerto's sword strikes echoed through the hall.
I sneered at him.
There must be another reason. You're rushing just like Parahum.
Parahum's Tomb lay beyond the great desert, on scorching hot ground. The oasis before it—our only respite—vanished like a mirage on non-specific dates.
And only Obelans know exactly when it appears. Without raising Obela affinity, it's impossible to know.
That's why reaching the tomb was no easy feat. Cross the desert, and the heat constantly drained stamina. Standing in the middle? Suicide.
That explained Rerto's desperate hunt the moment Parahum appeared.
Los Clan's rescue team must have reached the tomb. The oasis is probably gone by now. They're just waiting for Rerto to clear and emerge.
I smiled coldly.
Would he speedrun for his waiting clanmates? No—he'd have sent them to safety in Obela.
So why station them at the entrance?
Simple.
To catch me, without a doubt.
Same goal inside the dungeon, but outside? Different story.
He hadn't deviated from expectations.
"But if that haste leads to your death... that's got nothing to do with my promise."
I turned.
"Phlia."
Whoosh—!!!
At my call, she slid into view amid a whirlwind.
"You've got a job. Hope those boots were worth giving you."
"Geez, you give 'em without reason one minute..."
She grumbled tsundere-style.
Phlia (NPC) wants to show you her abilities.
Affinity may change.
But despite her words, she seemed eager to prove herself alongside Red Sickle.
"Behind Parahum, there's a small side path. His coffin’s inside. To kill him, we need something from it."
"Bring it?"
"No."
I shook my head; she watched expectantly.
"I'll go in."
"Why? Don't trust me?"
Her eyes showed disappointment.
"Opposite. You're so good, I'm giving you the harder job."
"Huh?"
"That giant Parahum is fake. An illusion from his magic. Attacking it all day won't hurt him."
"...That thing's an illusion?"
Phlia stared incredulously at the roaring beast that could collapse the cave.
"Remember: to hunt Parahum, destroy his heart, the Death Flame. Amid the chaos of his sudden appearance, don't you feel unquenchable fire from that body?"
"..."
She finally nodded.
Unexpected he'd attack me with an illusion... but if he's that intent on killing me, he'll follow when I move.
"Phlia. Draw its attention. Keep it from chasing me into the path. Rerto's barriers and Red Sickle's Five Color Ring Lv20 can't fully block its death fog forever."
"Be the bait, huh."
She smirked.
"No problem."
"Of course. As Nox's descendant, called Shadow of the Night, you can't get caught by a mere illusion."
Her eyes widened.
"How...?"
"If we pull this off, Nox's relic, the Hilt of Longing, might end up in your hands."
Phlia couldn't hide her shock—more anticipation than surprise.
"Well, as Night Auction House leader, you'd know where it is. Not easy, but possible."
"Spare me baseless confidence."
"We'll see. Master Nox's secret arts, and infiltrating the Iron Kingdom's vault isn't impossible."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Your call. But our deal—giving you the duchy—still stands. Nox's arts are part of it. Wait and see."
Phlia (NPC) is surprised by your confidence.
Phlia (NPC) is curious about you.
Phlia (NPC)'s reputation toward you has shifted from neutral to slightly favorable.
When we met at the auction, she analyzed my abilities more than seeing me as an ally.
But as planned, her affinity was shifting amid the dungeon raid.
"So, I'm counting on you."
I patted her shoulder lightly and moved on.
Laughter's excessive.
"...What?"
Not much.
Black Eye muttered softly as I raced down the third coffin's secret passage.
To grow influence, raise affinity, obviously. Giving your heart works, but behave wisely. Accidents happen unbidden.
"...Spouting nonsense."
I chuckled wryly at him.
Screech—
My legs halted.
Vmmm...
At the path's end loomed a massive magic circle guarding a coffin—jade-green and weathered, surrounded by statues: knights kneeling in worship, monstrous figures, all intricately lifelike.
That's it.
Black Eye eyed the vivid flame fragment glowing in the glass case atop the coffin.
"Black Eye."
I called to him.
"Been stuffy so far, right?"
He turned, puzzled.
But instead of answering, I reached unhesitatingly for the seal.
"Insolent fools approaching the king's heart."
A colossal voice boomed through the tomb; the magic circle flared red.
Ashes from the burned circle wafted onto the statues.
Thud—
Astonishingly, the statues turned their heads toward us in unison, eyes blackening with the same death thoughts as Parahum's fog.
Rumble!!
Boom—!!
The kneeling statues rose, unleashing a fierce gale inside the tomb.
I see.
Whoosh—!!
Black Eye's flame form erupted into a blazing giant.
"Rampage all you want."
He clasped his hands; a massive blue greatsword materialized.
As desired.
He charged the statues, sword flashing.
Kabooooom—!!
Blue flames surged from him, overwhelming the statues.
Rumble...!!
The dungeon shook violently under his fury.