NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25
A shadow fell across Charlotte’s face as she closed her eyes.
The soul bond with Balmunk was severed. That could only mean one thing.
“He’s completely dead.”
“Kirik? Who are you talking about?”
“Balmunk.”
Even as a ghoul, Balmunk was the body of a hero. Naturally, he was a top-tier specimen. A single blow was enough to slay a ghoul capable of wiping out an entire hunting party.
Given that the opponent was an awakened sword hero, some expectations were in order, but the looming sense of crisis sent shivers down their spines.
“Uh, aren’t we in big trouble…?”
Isabella trembled like a aspen leaf, her desolate expression almost pleading for sympathy. If it had appealed to a lesser foe, they might have spared her, but unfortunately, the hunting party was not one to be swayed by pity.
“We need to come up with a new plan.”
Originally, they had intended to bury the undead in the ground and launch guerilla tactics from both the front and back of the hunting party. The dungeon was vast, and with traps set throughout, it seemed feasible to create disturbances.
That was a grand delusion. The hero’s hunting party had long since detected the existence of the undead. Moreover, they breezed through the dungeon, regarding those mere traps as just pebbles in their path.
Even a makeshift strategy would fall flat against the hero’s unimaginable power.
“…Everyone needs to go down to the 10th floor.”
Dispersing their forces across the levels would result in them being picked off one by one. The current location was the 8th floor, and they had to prepare defenses based on the enemy’s movements.
If they leveraged the advantageous position of playing defense over offense, they might have a fighting chance. But even that required at least some level of fighting capability.
“We’re no match for them.”
The hero’s might felt incomprehensibly overwhelming from the soul bond with Balmunk. The three of them looked at each other seriously; there was no way they could confront the hero.
“The only option is to make the 10th floor our base and stop them in the narrow passageway.”
For situations like this, there was a last bastion on the 10th floor. With thick walls preventing any flanking maneuvers, they could potentially buy some time by barricading themselves in the narrow passage.
They could only hold out until the boss returned.
‘If he comes back, I won’t even have the face to see him.’
Allowing an invasion to the 10th floor would lead to the worst-case scenario. It would endanger the dungeon core in the boss room, meaning the boss would ultimately have to step in.
Charlotte was aware of this, but there was simply no other option.
It was undoubtedly shameful to fail her duties as a subordinate. Yet, for the boss and the dungeon, this plan was the only way forward.
The price of her incompetence would have to be put aside for the moment.
“Isabella, if we go down, evacuate the worker insects to the subordinate room. Take the vampire swarm with you too.”
“Got it, four.”
They would just be mere moths to a flame anyway. Used as disposable tools, they might buy some minimal time, but Charlotte was human, not a monster. Despite it all, she felt a speck of humanity left in her.
“Let’s go.”
We need to get down to the 10th floor and prepare defenses as quickly as possible. Just as that thought crossed her mind—
Boom!
A tremendous noise from above suddenly echoed, and the ceiling collapsed.
Debris from the ceiling came crashing down, shrouding the area in a cloud of dust. It was nearly impossible to open their eyes due to the swirling dust.
Ptooey!
The three of them spat out the feeling of foreign substances in their mouths. Through the dust storm, a silhouette emerged.
Even in darkness, there was no way they wouldn’t recognize the brilliant light.
It wasn’t that the floor and ceiling’s durability had weakened at each level. No dwarf craftsman could have imagined the power of an awakened holy sword.
Once the dust cleared, Wilhelm stood there, aiming his holy sword.
“Kieeek!”
As soon as he was spotted, Balutak charged in. The instinct of the insect recognized a clear enemy, though it lacked the innate sense to detect the disparity in power.
─!
Without any movement, Wilhelm suddenly vanished.
Before a new form was even revealed, the attack commenced.
A bright arc of light sliced through the air, and only then did Wilhelm reveal himself.
Just as they thought it was but an instant, Balutak’s chest was pierced by the holy sword.
Gulp. Dark green blood spilled from the wound.
Balutak was clueless, not even realizing he had received a fatal injury. He simply tilted his head in confusion.
With the pain catching up, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Cough, keugh! Ki, rik… Kieeeek…”
“How dare a mere bug bare its fangs at someone?”
As Balutak staggered, preparing to fall, Wilhelm didn’t let go.
With one hand gripping Balutak’s neck, he effortlessly lifted him up. That was true superhuman strength. Balutak swung in the air, his legs dangling.
Two legs dangled helplessly.
Creak!
With one stroke, Balutak’s upper body was cleanly severed.
Bright green blood splattered everywhere, and Balutak’s upper and lower halves fell apart. The cut was so neat it looked like a straight line.
“Kirik…”
“Tough one, huh.”
Wilhelm clicked his tongue at the sight of the still-breathing Balutak.
Swoosh! His frowning brows flicked blood from the holy sword.
“Y-You…!”
At Isabella’s gesture, sharp dark green blood rose up menacingly.
However, just before the blood magic reached its target, Wilhelm suddenly vanished.
By the time he regained consciousness, he was already gripping Isabella’s throat. Curved fingers sank into her delicate neck, blood trickling down.
When did that happen? That was Isabella’s last thought.
Boom!
Wilhelm threw her aside like a toy without hesitation.
Isabella crashed into the wall and was knocked out, her eyes rolling back.
“Has the casting finished?”
In response, dozens of murky arrows rained down from the back.
But that was it. Pathetically, they all bounced off the holy armor.
Charlotte’s dark magic could never pierce a hero’s armor. Even a scratch would have been considered an achievement.
Before long, Wilhelm loomed over Charlotte, clutching her neck.
Gasping for air, Charlotte let out a whimper. The look in Wilhelm’s eyes was as cold as ice.
“Looks like you’re a necromancer after all. I didn’t expect you to be human. A witch, perhaps?”
As if ordering a response, his grip loosened.
Charlotte took a shallow breath and chuckled softly.
“You seem quite angry. I take it my gift was to your liking?”
“…You.”
“Reuniting with a friend must bring you mixed feelings. It’s my little gift for you─”
Before she could finish, Charlotte’s body was suddenly lifted into the air.
Boom! Despite crashing to the ground, Charlotte didn’t lose her smile.
Wilhelm gritted his teeth.
“Don’t think it’ll be easy to kill you. I will make it as painful as possible. A hundred times worse than Balmonk.”
“I look forward to it. What do you mean?”
Suddenly struck by excruciating pain, Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut.
Her dazed gaze fell upon the severed stump where her right arm used to be.
“Just like this.”
“…Seems you’re enjoying yourself. Do savor the moment.”
Even after losing her right arm, Charlotte didn’t care and continued to smirk.
Despite her nonchalant behavior, her vision was fading, making it hard to keep her eyes open.
Alongside her blurred hearing, footsteps began to converge.
“Captain, what is this?”
“I’ve taken care of everything.”
“Is that woman a necromancer? How dare she insult Sir Balmonk…”
“Yeah. You won’t be able to kill her easily.”
“Did you manage all this alone? It looks like these are the upper ranks of the Seven Lairs.”
“Both this brat and that woman are just weaklings. Compared to the Phantom Affair, it’s a total bore. I could’ve handled it all by myself.”
“Pfft.”
A laugh escaped without her realizing it.
Despite the knights’ glares, Charlotte smiled mischievously.
“You’re foolish. You think you know everything, but you don’t know half.”
“What do you mean?”
“The new Seven Lairs, yes, but you missed one. The origin of this realm is a single boss entity.”
The knights’ faces tightened, which meant the boss was comparable to other Seven Lairs.
“The Solar Hero. You are correct in your thinking. We may be part of the Seven Lairs, but we are all nothing. However, this place is both the boss and the dungeon; the dungeon is the boss.”
“…Your boss will soon die by my hand.”
“No. You won’t even lay a finger on it. You’ll die helplessly, just like Balmonk.”
Thud!
Charlotte’s shoulder was pierced by a holy sword, stained with thick blood.
Charlotte merely frowned, not letting out a sound.
However, blood flowed freely from the stump of her severed arm and shoulder.
Charlotte breathed heavily. Her eyes trembled as if they might close at any moment.
“You seem to be good at enduring pain. Let’s see how well you can endure this.”
Clank, clank.
It was at that moment when the sound of metal echoed from beyond the darkness.
The knights, previously focused on Charlotte, turned their gaze toward the sound’s source.
Wilhelm swallowed hard as he looked there one last time.
The boss of the new Seven Lairs was the Irregular Death Knight.
“This is your grave.”
Charlotte, who had already confirmed its identity, smirked.
“The one has arrived.”
There stood the Death Knight with glowing blue eyes, ominously tall.
“Well then, see you later.”
“Make sure to say hi to Roseha.”
“Yes.”
After watching Drabule jump through the portal, I turned my body around.
I felt genuinely happy to be back in my dark and dreary cave—maybe because it felt like home.
Of course, to the Undead, darkness is as cozy as a bed. But still.
“Hoo….”
I exhaled a sigh like a cold breeze and moved my weary body.
Even if I don’t accumulate physical fatigue as an Undead, my heart still feels heavy with exhaustion.
To be honest, meeting Roseha was tougher than dealing with Calandas.
At least Calandas didn’t grope me in a flirtatious manner.
“By the way, it’s really quiet.”
It seemed like the others were not on the 10th floor.
I really wanted to see Charlotte right away.
Right now, in my hands was a very unsettling-looking black book—a grimoire that could be described as a collection of necromancy.
With this, maybe I could break that signature expressionless face.
Because of that expectation, my steps were surprisingly light as I ascended the stairs.
‘In two days, reinforcements from the 9th Legion will arrive at the castle.’
Once they come, let any hero or whatever come and try. They can handle it just fine without me.
On top of that, the Necronomicon was right in my hands. Things were going much smoother than I thought.
Thud.
With a short noise, the ceiling shook.
I instinctively jerked my neck, and my gaze shot upwards.
“…What is it?”
It must be either the 9th floor or the 8th floor.
It was clear there was some commotion going on above.
Could it be that Balutak is throwing a tantrum again? At first, I thought it might be good.
Thud!
With the ceiling shaking and a loud bang echoing, an uneasy feeling crept up my spine.
Thud, thud. The continuous booming made it hard to discern if the sound came from the ceiling or my own heart.
It had to be the former. As an Undead, I didn’t have a heart to beat.
I swallowed my tension and slowly climbed the stairs.
Thud!
No one was on the 9th floor, but small debris was falling down.
The source was definitely the 8th floor. What in the world was happening up there?
Unfavorable premonitions are never wrong.
An invasion by the hunting party. If not, then an attack by Calandas?
Although I thought about just sneaking back into the boss room, that would only postpone the crisis.
Tap, tap.
I rubbed my temples and steadied my mind.
Whatever was happening up there, I’d just have to deal with it.
Once the upper floors are breached, it wouldn’t take long for them to reach the boss room.
Whether the opponent was a hunting party or the forces of Calandas, they were definitely coming for me.
I slowly made my way to the 8th floor.
Ironically, as I got closer, the noise began to die down. It seemed the situation was coming to a close.
Instead of the commotion that had echoed through the corridors, I heard groans. But that voice sounded familiar.
The groan of Balutak, along with a faint voice that was Charlotte’s.
Upon witnessing all of this, my steps involuntarily halted.
Dark green and red blood flowed everywhere. Balutak lay slumped, his upper body severed. Isabella was knocked out, slumped against the wall. Charlotte was covered in blood, her right arm missing, surrounded by dozens of paladins.
Charlotte’s weary gaze met mine.
Her eyes widened as her lips curled into a grin.
“This is your grave. The great one has arrived.”
What the hell?
Just as I tried to back away, it was already too late.
Simultaneously, the paladins turned their heads. Naturally, the attention of more than twenty paladins was focused on me.
However, most of them flinched, while the few remained with dilated pupils.
“That guy is the boss of the Seven Lairs?”
“Lead… sir.”
“Everyone, stop. Don’t move without my permission.”
They stood still, observing my every move.
I was different. As I laid eyes on the old man Wilhelm at the front, my body froze.
Upon seeing the shining holy sword, my thoughts came to a halt.
What the hell is a hero doing here? Did he arrive less than a day after?
A myriad of questions swirled chaotically in my mind. I wanted to believe it was a lie, but the clear reality was right in front of me.
[Lv. 91]
Wilhelm, awakened with his holy sword, had a level of a staggering 91.
His sheer power was on par with the boss of the Seven Lairs. In fact, he was even stronger than the Undead like Calandas.
The color of the levels of the surrounding paladins was orange. Yet the most threatening, Wilhelm, radiated a dark red, clearly expressing his intent to kill.
I wanted to escape. I wanted to scream without looking back.
But doing that would just lead me to death in a single step. In Wilhelm’s eyes, I was merely an insignificant insect to be crushed.
Snapping back to reality, I took in Wilhelm’s holy sword.
[Awakening Solar’s Sun Sword (EX)]
[Durability: ∞]
[Enhancement Probability: 1%]
Probability: 1%
[※Warning! If enhancement fails, it will be automatically destroyed!]
[If enhancement fails, cooldown will reset.]
[Will you enhance the Awakened Solari’s Sun Sword (EX)?]
[YES/NO]
…My only lifeline.
I looked around. Everyone, including Charlotte, was on the brink of death.
I was the only one left standing in this dungeon.
Could I survive even if I destroyed the sword? There were over twenty elite paladins, excluding Wilhelm.
If I destroyed the sword and acted tough, could I win by blowing everything up?
Even unarmed, a hero is a hero for a reason.
Surely, I would be killed by one of the paladins before Wilhelm did.
The best plan that came to mind was to blow up the sword and scare them into fleeing.
But if I asked whether everyone would run away in fear just because I blow up the sword…
‘…No.’
Their expressions were resolute enough to accept death.
The extermination team I first encountered was a bunch of amateurs who fled in disgrace.
[Lv. 68]
[Lv. 72]
[Lv. 74]
[Lv. 77]
The paladin squad before me was the crème de la crème, not a single one lacking in strength.
Their power and mindset were on a completely different level from mere extermination squads.
Whuuu—
Light gathered around the sword in Wilhelm’s hand.
The already dazzling light radiated even more brilliance. The space around it twisted like a mirage.
As the sword’s light ignited, Wilhelm’s murderous intent flared up.
“Foul evil! I, Wilhelm, shall avenge my friend today!”
Wilhelm bent his knees, preparing to leap.
With that spectacle before me, there was no choice but to act without options.
Only blowing up the sword and putting on a show was left as my strategy.
[Enhancing Awakened Solari’s Sun Sword (EX).]
I had no doubt the sword would blow up.
What followed would depend on how well I could bluff.
Various lines and actions danced through my mind. I had to pick the most pretentious ones to survive.
[Congratulations! You have succeeded in enhancement with a 1% probability! Awakened Solari’s Sun Sword has been enhanced!]
…What?
For a moment, I thought I had misread it. No, it had to be wrong.
The sword was enhanced? With a 1% probability?
“Burn in sunlight!!”
Ah.
1%.
With a 1% chance, heaven granted me a miracle.
I was now dead.
Undead don’t close their eyes.
Even as the sword raced toward me, I had to see everything.
Thus, my death would be clearer than ever.
Just as I humbly accepted my fate, the sword suddenly came to a halt. More precisely, it automatically found its way into my grasp.
“…?”
I questioned my eyes even as I saw it. But the sensation of the hilt in my hand was too vivid.
Why was this in my hands?
I flexed my fingers, yet the sword clung to my grip as if it wouldn’t let go.
As I tried to look around, a long notification window appeared in my view.
[Awakened Solari’s Sun Sword (EX) +1 enhancement (bound)]
[Durability: ∞]
[Enhancement Details: Overall stats have slightly increased through enhancement. Additionally, the item’s classification has changed from ‘eligible’ to ‘bound.’]
[Bound User: Enhancer]
[This item does not permit contact from anyone who is not the bound user.]
“…Huh.”
The sword in my hand was a bound item. So, that’s why it had come to me.
Solari’s sword was now in the hands of the Death Knight.
Following the notification, I saw Wilhelm staring at me with a blank expression.
Not only him; everyone around was expressing their shock in their own ways.
The Undead, who normally would burn just by touching it, now held the sword without issue.
They wouldn’t know, but as the bound user, I was an exception. Only I could wield this sword.
Clank, clank.
In the silence filled with dozens of astonished reactions, I slowly approached Wilhelm.
Despite getting closer, no one dared to move.
In this place, time was a privilege granted only to me.
Whoosh!
The light of the enhanced sword emitted an even brighter glow. It was more radiant than when Wilhelm held it.
The gaze of a man who had lost everything remained on my sword.
“O, oh Holy One. H, how…?”
Thud. Wilhelm dropped to his knees.
He had completely lost his fighting spirit. Rather, he had lost the will to live.
What he lost was not just the sword. He had been robbed of his faith, which was everything he had.
“The gods have betrayed you.”
To the adversary of faith, the Undead—me.