The Mountain God's Resurrection
After finishing the book on Tairen, Elsid quietly closed it. Everyone who had read its contents fell into silence.
"Well, damn. So that chimera we took down earlier was the necromancer's handiwork too. Even dead, he's still causing trouble. What a bastard."
Robin was the first to break the silence, spitting the words out with a look of contempt.
"Yes, really. How could someone commit such unforgivable acts even after death..."
Arke nodded in agreement with Robin, her expression on the verge of tears as if mourning the sacrificed animals.
"The friend's tomb must be behind one of the two doors we haven't entered yet."
Rain spoke with a touch of sentiment, gazing at the green door they had all come through together.
"If you're that curious, why not just go check?"
Elsid replied to Rain and started walking toward the green door. The group left the chamber where they had fought the minotaur centaur and returned to the three doors. This time, they chose the yellow door in the center among the two they had yet to enter.
"Huh?"
"That's...?"
"Looks like we hit the jackpot."
As they stepped inside, they saw it.
"So this is Tairen's tomb..."
Before Elsid, who muttered the words, stood the remains. Though time had discolored them, the massive tiger bones still held their shape, radiating an undeniable presence. The fangs attached to the skull remained sharp enough to draw blood on contact. It looked less like a tomb and more like a museum exhibit, a work of art on display. According to the book, Tairen had been killed by a stab to the heart, so naturally there were no wounds or marks on the bones.
While everyone stood lost in quiet admiration, the ground began to tremble.
"This is..."
"It seems..."
"Hey, hey, cut the jokes. Not again."
Rain and the other two, sensing what the tremor meant, dropped into combat stances. Elsid also silently drew his swords, one in each hand. But this vibration was not the usual sign of zombies appearing. Well, zombies were appearing—but not ordinary ones.
A murky, dark energy began to seep from Tairen's bones. Rotten flesh, reeking of decay, started clinging to the skull, ribs, and tailbone, forming muscle and hide. The process was so alien that no one dared rush in recklessly.
"Grrraaah!"
A cry escaped Tairen's mouth. The once-skeletal tiger now stood as a zombie, its body covered in thick, rotting gray flesh and glowing with eerie yellow eyes.
Strong.
Looking at Tairen, Elsid felt a tension he had not experienced since entering the dungeon—his body even trembled for the first time. This creature ranked among the three strongest beings he had ever faced in his life. Yet Elsid smiled. Strength in an opponent was no reason to retreat.
"Let's fight, Mountain God."
Elsid beckoned provocatively at the foe before him.
"Krrraaah!"
The zombie tiger roared and charged. Its cry sounded less like a proud battle roar and more like a sorrowful wail. Before Elsid could even meet the charge, Tairen was already upon him with terrifying speed. The tiger swung its massive forepaw. Elsid swung his sword in return, but—
Claaang!
His blade struck the flesh-covered paw, yet the impact rang like steel on steel.
"What the hell?"
It was not aura enveloping the body. That meant the body itself was like steel—perhaps a trait from when Tairen was alive still lingered.
Tang! Taeng!
Arrows loosed by Robin from behind struck Tairen, only to bounce off harmlessly. In the next instant, Tairen swung its clawed paw again. Elsid threw himself sideways to dodge. The missed strike slammed into the ground, leaving a crater as if a giant hammer had struck.
"Watch out! Dodge!"
While evading and searching for an opening, Elsid heard Robin's voice from behind. Turning his head, he saw blue aura swirling around an arrow nocked on Robin's bow.
"Try this on for size, zombie tiger!"
Elsid recognized the technique.
"Whirlwind Aura—Spinning Arrow!"
It was Robin's aura technique, consuming a massive amount of aura and usable only once a day, yet possessing overwhelming piercing and destructive power.
Fwoooosh.
Elsid quickly stepped aside to clear the arrow's path. The projectile screamed toward Tairen.
Kakakakak!
Thuuuud!
The arrow spun at incredible speed upon impact, grinding away at Tairen's steel-like hide until it finally pierced through and embedded itself in the tiger's body. It was the first solid hit they had landed.
"Damn it. I used an aura technique and this is all I get?"
Robin spat a curse, disappointed by the result. He had every right to be. He could no longer use aura techniques, and ordinary attacks were blocked by the steel hide. At this rate, how would they ever bring Tairen down... or could they even do it at all?
Before he could finish the thought, the situation changed again.
"Krrraaah!"
Tairen suddenly flashed its yellow eyes and threw its head back in a roar. The murky black energy surrounding its body peeled away in patches and seeped into the ground nearby. In that moment—
"Gyagyagak!"
Zombies, the same ones they had grown sick of seeing in this dungeon, appeared once more with their hideous cries.
"Son of a—! Why now of all times... Hey, we'll handle the zombies somehow. 'Monster Swordsman,' you take Tairen!"
"Got it!"
Robin's order came in an instant. It was a reasonable call, so Elsid had no reason to refuse. He dashed forward and swung his sword at high speed. He already knew his target: the spot where Robin's arrow had struck earlier. Unlike the rest of the body, black, rotten blood oozed from the wound, making it easy to find.
Thud!
Elsid drove the hilt of his arming sword into the embedded arrow, forcing it deeper.
"Krrrng!"
Whether from pain or rage, Tairen howled and lunged with its fangs instead of its paw. Even as a zombie, it closed the distance with frightening speed. But Elsid did not dodge. He stood his ground, waiting for the charge, then—
Thud!
Using the tiger's own momentum, he drove his blade straight into its yellow eye.
"Krrraaaah!"
This was the method Elsid had arrived at after careful thought. If he wanted to land a decisive blow, this was the only way left. It was simple yet difficult: aim for anywhere that was not the hide. Living creatures instinctively protected their vulnerable spots first, so targeting them was hard—but if it worked, they could win this fight. Of course, to test that theory, he had to sacrifice one wooden sword to the eye. From now on, until the battle ended, he would have to fight with only one arming sword.
The tiger's remaining eye glared at him. Elsid met the gaze, gripping his sword with both hands. But he should not have done so.
Wham!
Something invisible struck him from a blind spot. The tail? He realized too late that Tairen's tail had hit him. He had reflexively raised his sword to blunt the impact, but he still took the blow. His left arm would be useless for several minutes.
"Tch. So this is what being called a mountain god means..."
He had never expected an attack from the tail he had not been watching. Even as a zombie, it proved some intelligence remained.
"Krrrng!"
The cry almost sounded like mockery.
"Hey, you okay?"
Robin approached, apparently having finished off the zombies while Elsid fought Tairen alone.
"Need a hand?"
"Thanks, but with your aura spent, what can you do?"
Elsid asked in return. Robin grinned and pointed his thumb behind him.
"Whoa, you've got the wrong idea. I'm not the one helping—you should look over there."
There, Elsid saw a sight he had never witnessed before.
"O Lord of all things in heaven, we know the holiness of Your name. Descend upon this place and grant us..."
Arke, the priestess, knelt in prayer. A brilliant golden light gathered around her body.
"That's...?"
"Time to turn the tables," Robin said with a sly smile.