Chapter 49: The Necromancer (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: The Necromancer (3)
Let’s take a moment to carefully re-examine what that necromancer’s true intentions were.
As a 4th-floor adventurer, he must have been incredibly fascinated by the news of Back Attack’s resurrection.
And he must have resolved to harvest the soul of that badass Exit Boss said to be in the 3.5th-floor Ossuary.
Just as a gun needs a bullet to fire, necromancy needs a soul to function.
And absorbing a superior soul is a key resource for a necromancer’s own growth.
The soul in that Ossuary wasn't just any adventurer; it was the strongest warrior on the 3rd floor and an Exit Boss handpicked by the Labyrinth Master. To a 4th-floor necromancer, it would have looked like the most valuable prize imaginable.
‘I can’t afford to waste too much time.’
That’s what Antonelli must have thought.
Because other necromancers would start gathering one by one.
The current situation was like a highly coveted magic item appearing at an auction house. Except this was an auction with no rules, where finders were keepers.
It was also true that this was an experiment conducted without the Adventurer's Guild's permission.
He hadn't consulted with any university or temple either.
Isn't that obvious?
When you're short on time, who would bother with such a pain-in-the-ass administrative process?
Necromancy specialists are a dime a dozen among plunderers. In fact, there are more of them. Why? Because approaching novice parties by scaring them with undead and then pretending to help is a classic, effective tactic.
Would those plunderers bother with getting permission from the Adventurer's Guild or conducting preliminary research?
By the time you get permission, it's already too late.
That Dokkebi on the 3.5th floor.
Gildal.
This was the only chance to take his soul.
He had to have it.
And for that, he had to resort to some slightly rougher methods.
For example, using a party of 2nd-floor adventurers full of fantasies about the 3rd floor. If a problem arose on the 3.5th floor, it would be fine to use them as human shields and expend them on the way out.
All that mattered was harvesting the soul.
What if this unverified soul-harvesting experiment resulted in a major disaster on the 3rd floor?
That didn't matter either.
Again, all that mattered was harvesting the soul.
Why?
‘Because Antonelli could just retreat to the 4th floor and escape.’
His original party was probably waiting for him on the 4th floor.
They would congratulate him on becoming all-powerful from the soul harvest, and together they would leisurely clear the 4th floor.
So predictable.
How do I know all this so well?
Well.
To be honest, it's because I've pulled similar stunts countless times in the game.
When I first discovered the Ossuary in the game, I was so excited I wasn't in my right mind.
Anyone could see that the soul sleeping in the Ossuary was a perfect fit for a necromancy expert.
I once spent a huge amount of time researching a long-term plan to defeat the Labyrinth Master with a necromancer build, using the Ossuary as a growth resource.
In the process, I played in a similar fashion.
I, too, had gone to claim the Ossuary in-game, skipping any permission or consultation with official bodies.
It's identical, right down to leaving my main party on the lower floor and creating a new party of meat shields to use up because monster waves kept spawning during the harvesting experiment.
‘I've done it all, pal.’
I aimed my wand at Antonelli.
“What should I use to kill you?”
That was the only dilemma. To avoid any future trouble, it was best to finish him in one go.
The problem was that I didn't have the auxiliary hourglass that grants 2 Action Points.
I had to end this within the 4 AP of the basic hourglass.
Was it possible?
What was the most powerful magic combination I could create with 4 AP?
1. Consecutive Cumulonimbus summons and Lightning Shock.
It was a powerful area-of-effect spell, but difficult to control. We could all end up getting electrocuted by mistake.
2. A four-shot Dust Explosion.
In terms of single-target destructive power, it was the strongest spell I currently had.
The problem was that Antonelli and I were standing too close.
The concept of Dust Explosion was to inject coal dust into the target's clothes or body, creating an environment similar to dust floating in a sealed mine shaft, and then igniting it all at once.
Therefore, the explosion's radius wasn't that large. When I blew up Sally, I was only about two meters away, and all I felt was a blast of hot air.
But…
‘This guy is way too close.’
I could reach out and touch him.
It was difficult to use Dust Explosion at this range.
“Then I guess that leaves Lightning Shock and Superconduction.”
Both were spells contained in the treasure-grade wand Isilof had given me as a mission reward.
And neither would likely deal enough damage to kill Antonelli, even if cast four times in a row.
But it didn't matter if I couldn't kill him.
‘I just need to disarm him.’
Electrocution is one of the best status effects for making an enemy drop their weapon.
Of course, with the significant level difference, it would be hard to electrocute him with Lightning Shock. Unless he was in a ‘wet’ state.
However.
“Superconduction.”
A range of a mere 1.5 meters.
One of the few countermeasures a mage has for dealing with an enemy right next to them.
Its damage and range were lower than Lightning Shock, but its chance of causing electrocution was much higher.
Still, the probability wasn't 100%, and it decreased with the level gap.
[Your turn. Time remaining: 50 seconds]
[Action Points: ■■■□]
“Superconduction.”
If I slammed four of those into him, he was bound to get electrocuted. With four stacks, what was the probability of it not triggering? Maybe 0.1%?
No matter what kind of crazy, unfair bullshit the Labyrinth threw at me, there was no way this wouldn't trigger.
“Superconduction.”
[Your turn. Time remaining: 40 seconds]
[Action Points: ■□□□]
Thick bolts of lightning erupted from the tip of my wand, raining down on Antonelli.
Since it was a Tier 1 combat spell, its cooldown was 5 seconds, just like Lightning Shock.
“Yernil.”
Can't forget this. It's a way to consistently chip in some extra damage, however small.
“This guy—shoot the wrist holding the wand.”
Then, the final incantation.
“Superconduction.”
[All Action Points have been consumed.]
[Ending turn.]
[The hourglass has been flipped. Cooldown: 60 seconds]
*
CRACK! KRA-KOOM!
A burst of brilliant blue electricity erupted.
Thankfully, I wasn't a victim of that 0.1% of unfair bullshit.
“Ugh…!”
The blood vessels in Antonelli’s eyes burst as he was trying to summon his skeleton armor and wear it like a coat.
His body went rigid, like a wet towel left outside in the dead of winter, and he staggered violently.
Clang!
I quickly snatched the magic wand as it fell to the floor. An arrow was already embedded in Antonelli’s wrist.
“Keuk.”
As expected of his high level, his recovery was fast.
Antonelli, who had half-collapsed, was already starting to pull himself together.
His left hand reached for a spare wand on his belt.
The spare wand itself was right next to his right hand, but that hand was shattered by Yernil’s arrow, rendering it useless.
And his left hand…
CRUNCH!
Back Attack leaped forward in an instant and crushed it with his dagger.
“Aaargh!”
Aimus rushed over to restrain Antonelli, and Birtanen and Jikal joined in a moment later.
And as for me…
Rip!
I tore open the buttons on the completely subdued man’s coat and checked his inner pocket first.
It had to be in there.
If he was planning to conduct such an uncertain necromancy experiment, he must have anticipated the possibility of a serious disaster striking the 3rd floor.
And he would have prepared a means of escape.
For example…
“Found it.”
I snatched a scroll from him.
“Hah…”
Antonelli’s face fell in despair.
“The scroll… how did you know about that too…”
“It’s obvious.”
I showed him the scroll I’d taken from his pocket.
“What’s that?”
Yernil trotted over to my side.
[Stair Scroll]
▶ Allows you to teleport to the ‘stairs’ leading to the Labyrinth’s lower floor.
“You remember, right? We found one of these when we fought the goblin shaman together.”
“We did?”
She doesn't remember.
Right.
It's fine.
That's average for a Labyrinth beginner, Yernil.
“Stair Scrolls aren't typically used by adventurers to find the stairs, but as an ‘escape route’.”
I explained it to her, as she wasn't familiar with the scroll.
“Antonelli was planning to escape to the 4th floor if an emergency like a monster wave occurred here. His original companions were probably waiting for him there.”
Antonelli hung his head in resignation.
No matter the level difference, even he wouldn't have been confident enough to take on seven people by himself.
His plan must have been to summon his skeleton armor to buy a precious few seconds, then tear the scroll and bolt.
But he hadn't expected Superconduction.
“Never heard of a spell like that.”
He’d done his homework, as expected of a 4th-floor mage. The fact that he could rattle on about Hijikata was probably information he’d gathered while researching the Ossuary.
And at the same time, he must have kept tabs on me, the one who first succeeded in the Ossuary resurrection project, right?
Is that why he was so relaxed when I caught him with the note at point-blank range?
Did he figure he could endure the electrocution from Lightning Shock with his mental fortitude, and assume I wouldn't be able to use Dust Explosion or Cumulonimbus because of the area of effect?
He's definitely a 4th-floor mage, alright. He's got a good head on his shoulders. Just like when he was lying earlier.
“…”
Antonelli swallowed hard.
“Spare me.”
He began his final plea.
“I… I admit I was trying to harvest a soul through an illegal experiment. But… no accident has happened yet, right? I haven't hurt anyone. It's the same this time. I'm not a plunderer…”
I glanced at Emma.
What did the God of Fair Contracts and Transactions think?
“When you signed the Adventurer's Guild contract, it was written right there…” she said.
“Experiments within the Labyrinth that have the potential to cause a serious crisis for an entire floor are forbidden in principle. Anyone who attempts to conduct an illegal experiment, even if it is unsuccessful, may be executed by other adventurers.”
“…”
“Huuuh.”
Birtanen let out a deep sigh.
“I’m truly… truly sorry, Antonelli.”
He raised his axe.
“Wait a moment.”
I stopped Birtanen.
Can't kill him yet. There's still information to be had.
“Antonelli.”
I crouched in front of him and pressed him.
“Are there any other necromancers in this Labyrinth right now?”
When I played like Antonelli in the game, I scouted out all the other necromancers beforehand.
Who else had entered the Labyrinth and might compete with me for the Ossuary.
What their parties' combat strengths were. I found and analyzed as much as my information network would allow.
It increased my chances of winning the competition for the Ossuary.
“I-I don't know…”
What?
You didn't even do that?
I take back what I said about him doing his homework. You're seriously lacking for a 4th-floor mage.
I'm disappointed, Antonelli.
*
Thud!
Birtanen chopped off Antonelli’s head.
If we had followed him to the 3.5th floor, it could have been truly dangerous.
Since Antonelli wasn't a plunderer, he probably wouldn't have intentionally killed Birtanen's party.
But he would have used them as arrow fodder, grabbed the Ossuary, and bolted.
He would have used that Stair Scroll to get down to the 4th floor and rejoin his own party.
“…”
Birtanen became extremely dejected.
As a 2nd-floor adventurer, he was now painfully aware of his limits, the moment he stepped onto the 3rd floor.
To be honest…
‘I never would have imagined.’
It was true that Antonelli was overwhelmingly powerful compared to them. When he had suddenly approached with his sweet offer to team up, Birtanen had suspected he might have an ulterior motive.
That's why he had done a more thorough reference check on Antonelli's previous party. He’d even investigated his reputation through other adventurers.
He was an excellent man.
A mage who had even received a plaque for his contributions.
Birtanen had thought he could be trusted.
Even after coming here, when Antonelli spun his tale about being in a party with Hijikata long ago, he had believed it was true.
“I understand why you defended Antonelli, Birtanen,” I said.
“He was part of your party. Even I was almost fooled for a moment. From your perspective, it must have looked like an outsider was being overly suspicious and interrogating your party member. You naturally would have felt it was your duty as the party leader to protect him.”
“…And you.”
Birtanen, feeling utterly small, asked, “How could you have guessed all this and pursued it so relentlessly?”
“…”
“The more I watch you, the more I see you're no ordinary person. The 3rd floor must be too easy for you. Am I wrong?”
“…”
I picked up the wand Antonelli had dropped and tucked it into my belt.
“Go back to the 2nd floor, Birtanen. The three of you will need better magic equipment to adventure on the 3rd floor,” I said.
“This place is too difficult for your party right now.”
“…”
Birtanen slowly nodded, exchanging glances with Jikal and Emma.
“Next time we meet in town, I'll be sure to repay you for today. Thank you, Caleb.”
Birtanen's party passed back through the gate and returned to the 2nd-floor stairs.
In just one month.
Caleb, whom they had first encountered as a slave on the 1st floor, had surpassed Birtanen's party in a single month.
*
“I can’t believe an adventurer of his caliber would attempt something like this. It’s unbelievable.”
For Aimus, who had spent his entire life scraping by on the 1st floor, the only bad adventurers he knew were plunderers, so this type of person seemed to be a shock.
“Honestly, I was a little worried if it was okay to interrogate and press him so relentlessly, but that was impressive, hyung-nim.”
Back Attack seemed moved.
And…
“Huhu.”
Yernil crossed her arms and quietly watched Back Attack.
“Heheheh.”
She kept giggling to herself.
“What's with you?” I asked while rummaging through Antonelli’s corpse for anything useful.
“Caleb. Did you know that I was getting ready to fight from the moment you started suspecting that necromancer?”
“You were?”
“Yes! It’s true! Because I believed you were right! In this entire party, only I! All by myself! I was the only one who had an arrow nocked and ready!”
No wonder she looked so triumphant when she asked what the scroll was earlier.
“That’s why when the fight started, I was the fastest one to attack after you! I shot the arrow that hit his wrist!”
No, that's because I told you to, Yernil.
“Oh?”
Something useful turned up on Antonelli’s body.
As expected of a 4th-floor mage. He's in a different league.