Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Materials
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“Wise One, danger…!”
I brushed off Sharon’s warning with one ear and stepped forward.
It was commendable that she was trying to protect me, but that thing was the bone that would form the backbone of my company.
I had to harvest it no matter what.
“It’s fine. It’s a guy who died once anyway.”
“But, Wise One…!”
Sharon made a face like she couldn’t believe my nonchalant reply.
In the meantime, the bone dragon finished assembling its body and stretched once more to loosen up.
Cracking sounds echoed from every joint.
The red light in its empty eye sockets turned toward us.
[Kr———!]
Its second roar. The dragon’s massive jaw opened wide.
At the same time, mana began to condense from within its mouth.
The dragon’s signature attack: its breath.
“Breath! Dodge!”
Sharon shouted, but I had no intention of dodging.
There was a surer method than dodging.
I slammed my staff into the ground.
Rumble rumble rumble—!
The temple floor was torn up entirely.
The slab weighing dozens of tons formed a massive shield at my command.
Kwaaaaa—!
The bone dragon’s black breath slammed straight into the barrier.
But it failed to pierce the barrier and spread sideways instead.
Sizzle. Only part of the barrier’s surface was corroded.
Its momentum was perfectly blocked.
“…!”
I heard Sharon gulp.
Once the breath stopped, I turned the barrier back to sand and scattered it.
With my view cleared, I saw the bone dragon looking flustered that its attack had been blocked.
“All right, my turn.”
I snapped my fingers.
A slightly larger projectile than usual shot out.
Pew!
The sound of air tearing.
The projectile flew toward the bone dragon’s massive skull.
It belatedly tried to flap its wings and dodge, but there was no way it could.
Crack crack crunch!
The sound of bones shattering.
Even the dragon bones tempered by thousands of years and mana were defenseless against my magic.
The projectile pierced right through the center of its forehead.
[———!]
The bone dragon let out a silent scream.
It was like the cries of hundreds, thousands of lingering spirits.
A shockwave rippled through the surroundings once more.
It lost its balance, staggered, and slammed its massive body to the floor.
Boom—!
The temple shook violently again.
I hurriedly raised a barrier to block the debris falling from above.
The thing had collapsed helplessly from a single blow.
But this wasn’t the end.
Black smoke rose from the wound on the bone dragon’s forehead where the hole had been punched.
The injury regenerated in an instant.
It flailed about, got back up, and flapped its wings in panic.
It looked like it had been scared.
Whoosh flap flap—!
Its enormous wings shattered the temple’s pillars and walls as it whipped up wind.
In a flash, it rose into the air and shot up through the hole in the collapsed ceiling.
“A skeleton with nothing but bones, and it flies off just fine….”
I stood there dumbfounded, like a dog that had chased a chicken and lost it, staring at the sky.
It showed no sign of coming back down.
The bone dragon merely circled at a distance beyond my attack range, glaring down at us.
“…It ran away.”
Sharon said in a hollow voice.
I clicked my tongue.
“What a coward.”
Apparently, being undead didn’t mean it lacked intelligence.
It had realized it had no chance in a head-on fight and switched to a strategy of holing up in a safe spot.
“This could go on forever….”
I pondered for a moment.
Hitting it while it kept flying around would be tricky.
I needed a more reliable method.
“Gotta pull some aggro.”
I activated Mirage.
Particles of sand on the floor began refracting light, creating a massive illusion.
In an instant, another bone dragon identical to it appeared beside me.
“Will this work?”
The real bone dragon in the sky seemed flustered by the sudden appearance of a friend, slowing down to peer intently below.
I controlled the illusion dragon.
The illusion dragon started shaking its massive bony rear up and down toward the sky.
Wiggle wiggle.
For good measure, its tail began swaying side to side too.
The perfect seductive dance.
[…?]
The real bone dragon hovering in the sky froze for a moment.
Soon, it was filled with confusion.
The illusion’s seduction grew even more blatant.
It thrust its rear out, stood its tail straight up vertically, then slammed it down to the floor, repeating the motion.
Thud, thud, thud.
Not coming down? Even like this?
[Krr———-!]
Finally, what little reason the bone dragon had left snapped.
Whether from rage or excitement, I couldn’t tell.
With a massive roar, it dove straight toward the illusion without hesitation.
“Gotcha.”
I didn’t miss the opportunity.
The very moment it was fixated on the illusion while descending.
I spread both hands wide.
Sand gathered above my hands and compressed into the form of two massive circles.
Enormously sharpened chakrams.
“Slice.”
At my gesture, the circular sand blades spun and flew forth.
Schwick—!
The bone dragon’s enormous wings were cleanly severed.
Its massive body plummeted to the floor.
Kwa kwakwa boom—!
With a far louder crash than before, a huge crack formed in the temple floor.
But I didn’t let my guard down.
Sure enough, black energy flowed from the central altar, enveloping the dragon’s body.
The severed wings reattached in an instant.
“Does it not die easily because it died once already?”
“Maybe.”
I drew upon Insight Eye once more.
The web-like mana flows I had seen upon first entering the temple.
Thousands of black threads spewing from beneath the central altar.
Those threads connected to every bone of the bone dragon floating in the air, infusing it with life force.
“Sandworm.”
I nodded toward the altar.
“Eat whatever’s under that altar.”
[The Sandworm requests that omakase be added to the tribute list.]
“Just do the job first.”
Rumble rumble rumble—!
No sooner had I given the order than the temple floor split open, and a massive sand worm’s maw surged up.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Sandworm swallowed the solid marble altar whole.
Crunch crunch, crackle crunch.
Along with the sound of rock crumbling, I felt the sensation of something hidden beneath the altar being destroyed.
A sinister object condensed with ominous mana, shaped like a pitch-black heart.
[K——r-?]
The moment it was destroyed, the bone dragon’s movements halted.
The red light blazing in its eye sockets rapidly dimmed.
Rustle rustle.
The bones, stripped of life force, collapsed powerlessly.
A moment later, the enormous dragon form had vanished without a trace.
Just like at the beginning, only a massive pile of bones remained in its place.
The battle was over.
I approached the huge pile of bones.
Despite the fight, they were in perfect condition without a single scratch.
I picked up one bone, a satisfied smile on my face.
“All right, now to take this with me.”
But I soon realized the problem.
“This isn’t registering as an item?”
Only certain things could be taken out of the tower to the outside.
Items that showed a status window, or things stored in a bag to count as possessions.
But the bones before me were far too enormous to fit in my bag.
“What to do with this?”
No way I’d leave such precious materials behind, right?
If I’d known, I would’ve gotten a subspace bag or something.
It was too expensive, so I hadn’t.
I’d have to make one when I got back this time.
Then, a thought flashed through my mind.
“Wait, don’t I have the best bag already?”
I despaired for a moment but soon lifted my head.
“Hey, Sandworm.”
I looked at the massive summon standing blankly beside me.
“Can you store all of this in your stomach? So I can take it out and use it later.”
[The Sandworm is confident it can, of course.]
The Sandworm opened its enormous maw.
It began sucking up the mountain of bones piled on the floor.
The bones vanished into its belly in an instant.
[The Sandworm adds that it will take some time to digest.]
“What? Don’t digest it!”
I freaked out and sternly warned it.
As long as it didn’t digest them, I could use it as a warehouse like this from now on.
“Hmm….”
Having gathered all the spoils, I looked around the now-empty temple.
With the bone dragon’s phylactery gone, the energy that had permeated the place had vanished like a lie.
Now it was just an old ruin.
But I thought it was a waste to just leave it like this.
“Wouldn’t it help if I built my temple here?”
A focal point to gather my faith.
A holy site where followers could offer prayers.
There couldn’t be a better location.
“Perfect.”
I firmed my resolve.
Then I extended my staff. At my gesture, the ground moved.
Collapsed pillars rose again, and the hole-filled ceiling was filled in.
The central altar the Sandworm had destroyed began regenerating in an instant.
Cleaner and more pristine than before.
At the temple’s highest point, I massively engraved my symbol, the hourglass of sand.
This place was now my temple.
And where there was a temple, there had to be priests.
I turned to look beside me.
“Wow….”
Sharon was gasping in admiration.
I approached her and said,
“What do you think? Pretty good, right?”
“…The Wise One’s miracles are hard to get used to, no matter how many times I see them.”
Sharon barely managed to reply in a voice filled with awe.
“This will be our temple from now on.”
“A temple…”
“I’m leaving it in your hands.”
“Huh?”
Sharon’s eyes went wide at my words.
A look like she hadn’t expected it at all.
“But I’m not qualified to manage such a sacred place…”
“I say you are, and that’s that.”
I cut off her words firmly.
There was no one else to manage it if not her anyway.
“It’s not hard.”
I reassured her and continued.
“Just let people come here to pray, and… have them donate a bit. Offerings and such. Run it like that for now. I’ll make some proper doctrines later and give them to you.”
Sharon bowed her head as if resolved.
“…If it is the Wise One’s will, though I am lacking, I will do my utmost.”
“Good. Then, finally.”
I focused power at the tip of my left index finger.
A handful of golden holy sand rose up.
I lightly sprinkled it over the entire temple.
Rustle.
Wherever the golden dust touched, the temple began emitting an even brighter light.
I’d done it just in case, and it actually worked.
I didn’t know exactly what effect my blessing had on the building.
But at least it marked the territory clearly.
All preparations were complete.
I nodded in satisfaction.
Now it was really time to leave.
“Then I’ll be off. Gather lots of offerings, yeah? Items are better than money!”
No sooner had I finished speaking than a familiar system message appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations on clearing the 39th Floor EXTREME difficulty.]
[First Clear Bonus applied!]
[Ranking 1st Bonus applied!]
Rumble rumble boom!
And right after that.
Having exited the tower, I realized something had gone terribly wrong.
“…We’re screwed.”
The guy that should have been coiled around my finger like a ring had been summoned back to the main hall in its original size.