The Support Ate it All

Although we had quickly taken down two chimeras, not every fight was going to be that easy.

We hadn't gone much farther when I stopped the group again and gestured with my eyes toward one of the walls.

There, a potbellied chimera was clinging tightly to the surface. Its shoulders drooped and its head hung low, as if it were deeply dejected.

It didn't look very strong and in reality, it wasn't.

The problem, however, was—

It self-destructs.

The type that explodes upon defeat.

In a narrow hallway like this, we'd definitely take some damage, even if just a little.

And even without casualties, the noise could draw in researchers or other chimeras.

"We're taking a detour."

"……"

Everyone followed the order without question.

Our destination was the staircase we'd passed earlier.

Since we needed to get to the fourth floor anyway, this would just mean getting there a bit sooner, so no big deal.

Of course, it was still possible there were chimeras lurking along the way, so the group remained quiet and discreet as we ascended the stairs.

Just before entering the next floor, we attempted scouting.

We needed to decide whether to push forward on the second or third floor or head directly to the fourth.

But when Dang Gyu-young released her butterfly scout, she shook her head.

"Two people and one chimera."

"That's too many. Let's go higher."

Even taking down a single chimera quietly was hard enough. We couldn't afford to deal with researchers or guards at the same time.

It made more sense to continue upward and look for another opportunity.

But things were even trickier on the third floor.

A chimera was standing firm at the base of the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

Its outward appearance was humanoid, but the number of limbs exceeded that of a spider. Almost at an octopus level.

Where hands and feet should have been, there were razor-sharp claws resembling blades.

Fortunately, it didn't seem to have noticed us yet. Its gaze was fixed in the opposite direction.

Now we had to decide to retreat to the second floor, head down the third-floor hallway, or break through to the fourth floor?

I made a snap decision.

We push through.

The creature had considerable combat capability, but with a surprise attack, we could take it down easily.

But just then, a startled voice rang out from behind us.

"What are you people doing?"

A man in a white lab coat stood there. He was clearly a researcher at first glance.

And he seemed to realize right away that we weren't supposed to be here, his face twisting in alarm.

To make matters worse, the chimera turned its head sharply at the sound of his voice.

"Kkiiik?"

And the moment it spotted us, it lunged, radiating killing intent.

"Kiiiiiiih—!!"

"!"

"!"

Without hesitation, we exchanged glances and split into pairs on the spot.

Lee Soo-dok and Dang Gyu-young would handle the chimera; Seo Cheong-yong and I would deal with the researcher.

Of course, there was an easier way to handle this.

I motioned for Seo Cheong-yong to wait, then smoothly held out the Immortal Pot.

A night-sky-like space unfolded, and the researcher opened his mouth in horror, but before he could say a word, he was swallowed whole by the dimensional rupture.

Seo Cheong-yong looked at me with a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"A severed space, huh?"

"Exactly."

"Well done. Keep him trapped for a while."

Seo Cheong-yong quickly joined Lee Soo-dok and Dang Gyu-young.

The two of them were already putting pressure on the octopus-like chimera, and with Seo Cheong-yong's support, the tide of battle shifted drastically.

Before long, the creature had all its limbs severed, and its torso was finally split clean in half.

The moment it fell, the group turned back toward me.

Seo Cheong-yong gave a quick explanation as they approached.

"Kim Ho sealed him inside a severed space."

"So that's what happened."

Lee Soo-dok gave a small nod.

Then, with renewed momentum, he gave the next order.

"Release him when ready."

"Understood."

Mana was still draining steadily in real time, so the longer I held the space, the worse it was for me.

That's why, the moment the three were in position, I released the severed space.

As the void resembling the night sky unraveled, the researcher's form reappeared.

"Wh-What—?!"

For a moment, he looked bewildered, but he quickly assessed the situation and began to draw up pitch-black mana.

But by then, attacks were already flying in from three directions.

Slaash!

Boom!

"Guhk."

With a short, choked scream, the researcher crumpled to the ground.

He was considered an elite even by A-rank dungeon standards, but the sudden shift in environment had thrown him off so much that he couldn't even mount a proper defense.

As the group cleaned up the scene, Seo Cheong-yong finished what he'd been saying before the battle.

"That could've been dangerous, but thanks to you, we got through it cleanly. I didn't expect that pot to contain a severed space."

"The enchantment ended up a little too good."

"If it's that powerful, I'd imagine the materials and the craftsman behind it were both top-tier. Any chance you'd tell me who made it?"

"All I'll say is it came from Hye-seong Group."

"I see."

Seo Cheong-yong nodded his head. He was satisfied with just that much.

There was no need to mention that "Kim Ho Kim Ho" had been sacrificed in the crafting process.

***

The four of them pressed onward toward the archive room.

Under Kim Ho's command, they eliminated researchers, guards, and chimeras when necessary, but often they avoided battle altogether by retreating or taking detours.

And like that, they eventually reached the fourth floor.

Not far ahead, a particular room caught their eye.

At that moment, Dang Gyu-young began to feel an odd flutter in her chest.

Whether it was excitement, fear, anticipation, or a mix of everything….she wasn't sure.

What she did know for certain was that something significant was waiting for her beyond that door.

As they drew closer, the plaque on the door came into view.

<Archive Room>

Lee Soo-dok immediately used the master key to unlock the door, and the four of them stepped inside.

The interior was neat and meticulously organized.

At first glance, it didn't even feel like a chimera lab.

But the moment they saw the titles on the bookshelves, there was no room for doubt.

<Experiments on Human Limits>

<Creating Undead While Still Alive>

<The Ideal Curse and Poison Combinations>

Even the titles reeked of dark magic.

Dang Gyu-young turned to Kim Ho and asked,

"What should I read?"

"You'll know when you see it."

His vague reply made her pout a little, but she kept scanning the shelves.

And sure enough, not long after, she spotted a faint black mist rising from a corner of the bookshelf.

She approached it—

<In Search of the Finest Ingredients>

A cookbook…?

Of course, there was no way something so wholesome would be mixed in among all those dark magic books.

Even the cover was black.

Still, for some reason, Dang Gyu-young felt curious and opened the book.

[For ages, we have used the corpses of the dead as they were. It was the most economical method, and it had the significant advantage of instantly replenishing fighting power.]

Well, obviously.

So they were a necromancer, after all.

Dang Gyu-young briefly wondered if she should look for another book.

But the sense of pull she felt remained, so she decided to read a little more.

[However, corpses had an undeniable limitation. They could only exert a fraction of their strength from when they were alive. The stronger the corpse, the more obvious this limitation became.]

[Moreover, if the corpse was decayed or damaged, its combat abilities suffered further losses.]

[With quality steadily declining, they were always vulnerable against powerful individuals like knights.]

…I kinda get what they mean.

Without realizing it, Dang Gyu-young nodded.

Her own shadows had often been swept away helplessly by martial artists and knights.

Though lately, her improved skills had started to turn the tide a bit.

Then she wondered, "So how did this person deal with it?"

[At first, we tried adding magical substances or patching up damaged parts. But that only delayed the inevitable. It wasn't a fundamental solution.]

[Someone attempted to combine them with magical gear, especially armor. When this was paired with advancements in necromancy, powerful entities capable of rivaling knights began to emerge.]

Sounds like a Death Knight.

[Of course, this too had its limitations, like acquiring magical gear, among others. More details can be found in Chapter 2.]

[Someone else abandoned solid form altogether and opted for a liquid-like application. Surprisingly, this method succeeded in preserving a large portion of the corpse's fighting power. More on that in Chapter 3…]

That must be Dark Oobleck.

Thinking back to how that one Witch of Corruption had single-handedly thrown the entire school into chaos, it definitely seemed like a solid method.

From there, the book went on to describe all kinds of experiments necromancers had conducted to improve the undead.

Even the chimera production currently underway in the lab was part of that effort.

As she continued reading "In Search of the Finest Ingredients" book, one sentence suddenly seized Dang Gyu-young's attention.

[While everyone sought their own path, I saw potential in the shadows.]

"…….!"

[Apparently, Shadow Mages can freely stretch and shrink shadows, hardening them like stone or sharpening them like blades.]

[If we could use this as a material, it might resolve most of the issues we've faced so far. Further details can be found in Chapter 7…]

"Chapter 7? Chapter7!"

Dang Gyu-young rapidly flipped through the pages.

With a pounding heart, she dove into Chapter 7.

[After years of painstaking effort, I finally achieved meaningful results. I succeeded in raising shadows instead of the corpses of the dead.]

He actually succeeded? Seriously?

Dang Gyu-young felt like giving the author a round of applause.

And maybe a thank-you, if he also explained how to do it.

[As expected, the fusion of shadow magic and necromancy produced a powerful synergy. Even more so than the liquid form mentioned in Chapter 3, this method preserved nearly all of the deceased's fighting power.]

[However, an unforeseen problem emerged…]

"Ah, of course it did."

There was no way it would be flawless.

Dang Gyu-young smacked her lips in frustration.

Still, curious about what came next, she kept reading.

[The issue lay in the limitations of shadow magic itself.]

[Under sunlight, it becomes extremely vulnerable and sometimes even disappears entirely.]

[The freedom of form was both a strength and a weakness. Maintaining a stable shape was next to impossible, especially in the midst of battle.]

[What's more, the difficulty of control increased exponentially with the number of entities in use. For example, to command even ten units—]

Dang Gyu-young blinked a few times.

She too had wrestled with similar problems in the past.

But didn't I already fix all of this through Hardship quests?

She had resolved the environmental instability back in Stages 1 through 3 by obtaining [Soul Marks].

The issue of maintaining the forms? Taken care of in Stages 4 through 6, to the point where even wide-area attacks couldn't faze them.

And by Stages 7 through 9, she had reached the level of commanding entire legions.

So then… can't I just learn this?

With a shrug of "That's just you being bad at it…" at the unknown necromancer's struggles, Dang Gyu-young kept reading the book.

Unaware of it herself, she was now wrapped in a cocoon of shadows rising up from beneath her feet.