The Coffin of the Ancient Lich

"Ngh..."

Curled up in my arms, Regina let out a faint, ragged whimper. Even to the most generous eye, she looked awful.

I had thought she was doing a little better after our talk, but maybe that had just been my own wishful thinking. I had only stepped away for a brief moment to clear out those Death Knights, after all.

"Please don't... don't leave me..." she pleaded, voice trembling.

"Don't worry. I'm never going to leave you, Regina," I replied softly, smoothing down her hair. "I only stepped out for a moment to deal with the Death Knights. It would've been dangerous if they ambushed us while we were resting."

"R-Really...? You're not abandoning me, right? If... if even you leave me, Sian, I... I'll truly break..."

Muttering in distress, she clung to me like a frightened child seeking shelter from the cold. Anyone looking at her could tell she was at her absolute limit.

Perhaps I had taken the weight of nine hundred and ninety-nine regressions far too lightly. Regina had been forced to repeat the seven years between the ages of ten and seventeen nearly a thousand times. Knowing every single cycle would end in her gruesome death, bound by 'destiny,' forced to plaster on a hollow smile just to survive.

There was no way I could push her away. She was a girl broken because of the game's design, because of this world. How could I ever abandon her?

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone."

"N-No, Sian...! It's... it's because I'm lacking. It's because my head isn't right, so... so it's not something you should apologize for...!"

"I'm sorry. You must have been so lonely."

I held her close, wrapping her in my warmth until her frantic trembling finally began to subside. It took an entire hour before she felt safe enough to slowly pull back from my embrace.

"Do you think you can stand now?" I asked gently.

"Ah, yes... H-How long was I asleep...?"

"Hmm... There aren't any clocks down here, so I can't say for sure, but it's probably evening by now. Quite a bit of time has passed." I murmured, slowly pushing myself up to my feet. "Regina, are your injuries feeling all right?"

"Um, yes... My constitution is frail, but... my body heals rather quickly..."

"Then let's head out to take down the boss. The exam's probably already over, and everyone will start worrying if we don't return soon."

"Y-Yes, understood...!"

Having regressed nine hundred and ninety-nine times, Regina's swordsmanship and magical prowess were undoubtedly among the greatest in this world. The sole issue was her physical vessel. In a fragile body that fell short even of an average first-year cadet, she couldn't unleash her true strength without tearing herself apart.

"Um, the name of this dungeon... you said it was the 'Ancient Lich's Tomb,' right...?"

"Yeah. To be precise, this double dungeon we're in is the Ancient Lich's Catacomb. The corridor on the upper floor was likely just the entrance."

"Th-Then... isn't an Ancient Lich going to appear...? Ah, I-I'm not doubting your strength at all, Sian, but... an Ancient Lich is..."

"Yeah, you're right. Normally, an Ancient Lich would be impossible for just the two of us to subjugate."

Had Regina been in peak physical condition, even an Ancient Lich would have posed no threat to her. But to Regina Strelitzia, who had lived entirely at the whims of despair and preordained destiny, physical conditioning and training had seemed entirely pointless. Consequently, her body was severely frail, plagued by terrible endurance.

"Then... shouldn't we look for... another way...?"

"Don't worry about that."

Normally, an Ancient Lich was a monster around Level 80 to 90. Yet the rated level of this hidden dungeon was merely 55. For an Ancient Lich to reside here, the level cap was suspiciously low.

The reason was simple: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the boss slumbering in this tomb was an inferior counterfeit, sitting at Level 55 at best.

"The Ancient Lich in this dungeon isn't a proper one."

"Not... a proper one...?"

"Yeah. For starters, it barely has any command over its Death Knights, right?"

"Ah...!"

Death Knights were supposed to be the elite guards defending the inner sanctum. For elite guards to wander aimlessly throughout the corridors meant something was fundamentally broken with the dungeon's master. It was like imperial knights abandoning their posts at the throne room to stroll mindlessly through the palace grounds.

That was why the boss here in the game couldn't deploy the overwhelming undead legions characteristic of true Ancient Liches. Even its Life Vessel, the very phylactery that defined a lich, amounted to just a single container.

"So you don't need to be so frightened. With your skills, Regina, taking it down will be more than manageable."

Even though my weapon was merely a blunt training sword, the difference between a training blade and live steel meant little to someone capable of coating their weapon in refined mana. While it fell short of the pure Aura wielded by Swordmasters, a practice sword clad in dense mana possessed cutting power every bit as lethal as real steel.

Muttering reassuring words, I took the lead and stepped forward into the gloom.

If memory served, the layout of the Ancient Lich's Catacomb was surprisingly straightforward. While the side passages were tangled like a maze, the central pathway leading to the boss chamber ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was clearly illuminated by purple torches.

We advanced steadily toward the heart of the dungeon.

No unexpected hazards crossed our path. The highest-tier monsters spawning here were Death Knights, and wandering lone knights were no match for us.

"The traps... are all disarmed...?"

"It's been centuries since this place was constructed. The mechanisms holding the traps together rotted away ages ago."

I stopped before a colossal pair of doors.

Unlike the moss-grown, dust-choked stone walls, this massive wooden gate was remarkably well-preserved, resembling the grand gates of an ancient fortress. When I pushed forward with a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fraction of my strength, the heavy wood groaned on rusted hinges and slowly swung open.

"Ready?"

"Yes...! I'm... quite used to fighting, after all..."

Receiving Regina's nod of affirmation, I threw my weight into the doors and shoved them fully aside.

Rumbleeee...

With a deep, grinding roar, the boss chamber unveiled itself. At the exact same moment, a translucent blue notification surfaced before my eyes.

Dismissing the prompt with a flick of my wrist, I surveyed the sprawling chamber.

It was the very same boss room I had gazed upon countless times through a computer screen. Eerie purple braziers flared to life in sequence, casting flickering violet shadows across the stone. Pillars of bleached bone rose toward a high, vaulted ceiling embedded with softly luminescent violet crystals, and far across the hall stood an elevated altar.

Overwhelmed by the oppressive, cathedral-like atmosphere, Regina pressed herself tightly against my side.

"Uu..."

"Scared?"

"Ah, u-um... yes... I've never set foot in this place before..."

Precisely because she was a regressor who had lived through nine hundred and ninety-nine cycles, this grotesque bone temple terrified her. Or rather, to be exact, what truly frightened her was an unfamiliar future—a place she had never experienced in any of her past lives.

Her fingers tightened desperately around mine. While this uncharted dungeon was terrifying, my presence beside her anchored her fraying heart far more than the dread could shake it.

Noticing her distress, I gently rubbed the back of her small hand with my thumb and murmured reassurance.

"Don't worry, Regina. Remember when I promised to change your fate? I'm going to prove those words right here, right now."

"Ah...?"

A faint blush dusted her pale cheeks, her shoulders trembling slightly under the gentle touch. Offering her a warm smile, I released her hand and rested my palm on the hilt of my sword.

"Get ready. It's waking up."

"Y-Yes!"

Shring—

The crisp ring of an unsheathed blade echoed through the hall, and the distant altar began to shudder. Bones belonging to humans, elves, dwarves, and demons cracked and splintered as the altar fractured from within.

An oppressive wave of stagnant mana weighed heavily on the chamber. Crash! A skeletal hand burst through the crumbling bone altar, clawing at the empty air.

"Regina."

"Yes...!"

"I'm really sorry to ask this, but could you push yourself one more time?"

That thing was an inferior, degraded Ancient Lich. Incapable of commanding an army, devoid of true ancient mana, possessing only a single Life Vessel. A hidden tutorial boss designed purely for players to practice the mechanics before facing a real Ancient Lich late in the game.

"O-Of course! Naturally...!"

"Good. That's all I need."

System prompts cascaded across my vision as skeletal fingers clawed their way out of the flagstones across the hall.

Rising from the shattered altar, the Ancient Lich fixed its hollow, blazing eye sockets upon the intruders trespassing in its tomb. Its jaw began to clack rhythmically.

Clack—cl-clack—clack—clatter—clack—

A bone-chilling rattle drenched in viscous, murky mana reverberated through the hall. In response, thirty Death Knights hauled themselves from the floorboards, standing in formation.

Rotten shields stripped of their once-glorious crests. Notched blades that had long lost their keen edge. Rusted pauldrons worn down to dull iron.

Warriors who had once taken up arms to defend humanity now raised their corroded swords against two young girls, worn down by hundreds of years of death and servitude. Their empty, smoldering eye sockets locked onto us in silent malice.

"S-Sian...? Didn't you say it couldn't summon an army...?"

"This is practically nothing."

A true Ancient Lich could wage a solo war with thousands of undead legions at its beck and call. Compared to that nightmare, thirty knights was practically adorable.

Keeping my thoughts to myself, I watched the lich calmly. It wasn't time to make our move just yet.

Snap—

The battle commenced the instant the lich snapped its skeletal fingers. Moving in rigid ranks, the Death Knights surged forward, their rusted blades dripping with putrid mana.

"Khhh—grrraaaahhhh—!"

With an incomprehensible, hollow screech, geometric patterns flared into existence around Alectus. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dozens of overlapping, colossal magic circles unfurled above the bone temple like towering stained glass.

The marching phalanx of knights advanced like a crushing black tide sweeping through the hall. Standing before that surging wave of death, Regina wordlessly drew upon her power. A brilliant, crimson mana flared outward from her body, forcefully repelling the murky miasma in the air.

"Wait, Regina. Not yet."

"Eh...? But..."

"Hold on. Not just yet."

Skreeeech—!

The instant my warning left my lips, the interlocking magic circles began to grind against one another like interlocking gears, emitting a shrill, piercing shriek. Thick, suffocating mana crushed down upon the sanctuary as Alectus threw its skeletal arms to the sky, letting out a grotesque, rattling laugh.

"Ooooorrrrggghhh—!!!!!!"

"Get ready."

My voice cut through the lich's arcane roar. The Death Knights closed the distance, lowering their blade tips into a unified charge. Smiling faintly, I slid my arm around Regina's slender waist.

"Ah...?!"

"You might feel a little dizzy for a second."

Beneath the leather of my glove, my Stigma flared to life. The moment a strange sensation of weightlessness washed over us, reality warped—and in the blink of an eye, Regina and I were standing directly atop Alectus's altar.

Gathering dark, inky mana into my blade, I roared at the top of my lungs:

"Now!"

In that exact heartbeat, Regina's massive greatsword erupted into a blaze of brilliant crimson. Pure, razor-sharp Aura surged across the steel like liquid fire.

"Ghh—wha—?!"

A screech of raw, incomprehensible shock tore from Alectus's skeletal throat. Before the ancient undead could even comprehend the spatial jump, Regina brought down her blood-red blade with devastating, peerless grace.

BOOOM!

A muffled detonation rumbled from deep underground.

Instructor Elin and Yelena froze in their tracks almost simultaneously.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes. It sounded like an explosion from underground... right around here..."

Yelena's grip on her sword tightened, her expression hardening in an instant.

The battle-honed instincts she had forged fighting monsters in the brutal North screamed that this tremor was directly linked to Sian. There was zero hesitation in her heart. She was no longer the helpless child who could only watch in terror as her mother was savaged before her eyes.

"I'm going over there!"

There was no time to think twice. Channeling mana into her legs, Yelena kicked off the forest floor and bounded forward like a silver gale.