episode_0010

Thud! Accompanied by a heavy clanging sound, the head of the approaching skeleton shattered.

Seizing the opportunity, three spears thrust forward. Retrieving my sword, I took two steps back and swung it broadly after stepping back.

“Seriously, how annoying…!”

I muttered as I crushed the heads of the spear-wielding skeleton soldiers in one blow.

Individually, skeletons might seem weak, but when gathered in dungeons like this Ancient Lich’s Tomb, there were no pushovers among them.

Wiping off the sweat with a sense of accomplishment, I shifted my gaze backward.

Countless bone fragments strewn across the straight corridor ahead. Despite that, having already taken down over a hundred skeletons, the end of the corridor should be near.

Moving slowly, I cleared away the rusty sword lying at my feet.

Contrary to its grand name, the Ancient Lich’s Tomb had a simple yet cunning structure.

A straight corridor lined with numerous skeleton soldiers guarding it. Traps springing up unexpectedly.

Designed as a dungeon challenging players in terms of quantity, it featured an elongated layout that made area-of-effect spells difficult to use. To make casting penetrating spells harder, the skeletons emerged one after another.

Even spells with area-of-effect capabilities had their mana consumption doubled to discourage their use.

To reach the end of the corridor and acquire the dungeon’s core, a crucial item for me at the moment, I had to break through all these obstacles.

“Oh. Is that it over there?”

A blue light caught my eye at the end of the corridor. Atop an altar placed at the corridor’s end lay a single blue gem.

Accompanied by familiar bone-chilling sounds, the ground between the gem and me began to tremble. Skeletons armed with rusty iron pieces slowly rose, clad in makeshift armor.

Different from what I had seen before, these enhanced skeletons were equipped with armor, albeit rudimentary, and stood ready with swords in hand.

Swoosh—

Accompanied by the creaking of rusted metal, the tip of a rusty sword was aimed at me. The vacant gazes of the speechless corpses fixed on me. A vitality distinct from the ordinary skeletons I had encountered.

Simultaneously, a dark mark on my forehead glimmered brightly.

Black particles vanished through the pitch-black corridor. The hollow eyes of the skeletons filled with confusion, their aimless sword tips swishing through the air.

As the skeletons appeared behind me, I anchored my left foot and extended the sword downward to the right. The sound of my foot hitting the ground echoed through the dungeon corridor.

Thud. Clatter. Clang.

With a half-beat delay, a variety of bone-chilling sounds reverberated through the cave beyond. The skeletons, belatedly realizing my presence, moved, but I was quicker.

“Ugh…!”

With a soft grunt, I swung the jet-black blade of the Void Sword, imbued with copious magical power, which blazed a deep trail through the air, cleaving through the horde of skeletons in one strike.

Rusty iron armors consumed by the dark flames. The blade, brimming with magic, incinerated the bone fragments strewn about.

Consequently, the bodies of the twelve elite skeletons blocking my path crumbled to the ground.

“Phew…”

Exhaling lightly, I sheathed my sword slowly, checking my physical condition.

Minor cuts on my wrists and torn clothes. Nothing too serious. I had been prepared for some level of injury from the start.

Unless you were a Swordmaster, it was impossible to penetrate such a horde without taking hits. Besides, engaging in combat with multiple foes was challenging for a swordsman.

One fortunate aspect was that my stamina hadn’t depleted as much as I had anticipated. Skeletons, despite their overwhelming numbers, had significantly weaker durability compared to their sheer quantity.

Even with an improperly balanced Void Sword, a swift strike was enough to dismantle them.

“…Well then, shall we go take the core now?”

I approached the core, muttering quietly.

Wooong—

The blue gem faintly vibrated. Buried underground in the academy for decades, constantly absorbing magic.

Of course, all that magic was used to maintain this dungeon and wouldn’t be of much help to me, but that didn’t matter.

After all, I wanted the core of the dungeon for its abilities.

Mana absorption and mana storage.

Even if you look at them separately, this gem with incredible abilities attached to it is a typical growth cheat item.

Initially, it couldn’t even block basic spells and could only store enough mana for one more basic spell.

But if you level it up, the mana storage capacity increases significantly, and it can absorb all low-level spells as its own function.

“…Well, time to head out.”

With a satisfied smile on my face, I muttered as I picked up the gem on the altar.

[Ancient Lich’s Dungeon Core][5☆]

[Mana Drain][E-]

[Can absorb surrounding mana and store it in the gem. This ability can be enhanced.]

[Mana Storage][E-]

[Can store mana absorbed through ‘Mana Drain.’ This ability can be enhanced.]

The gem blinked a few times in a blue light before losing its color. Simultaneously, with a crumbling sound, the altar collapsed.

Swiftly pocketing the gem, I turned around. No, I tried to turn around.

“…Ugh?!”

Until I felt the chilling sensation of a sword at my neck.

My head started spinning wildly. It was strange that I hadn’t noticed someone trailing me, even with my focus on killing skeletons.

If so, the person pointing the sword at me was at least on par with me, if not stronger.

Among the villains I knew, there shouldn’t be anyone that strong among those who entered the academy early stages…?

“Who are you…ugh…!”

I tried to ask to identify the person, but all I got in return was the sharp edge of a blade. Sensing the blade getting closer to my neck, I raised both hands.

Secretly bringing up the status window.

[Player ID: Cyan]

[Magic Level: D-]

“Do not worry. I won’t resist.”

Damn it. If I had known this would happen, I would have closed the dungeon door, even if it was a bit troublesome.

You can’t enter the dungeon without a key. And the existence of that key is only revealed in the mid-story of the academy.

In short, it was a crisis of my own making.

I looked at the message window that appeared like a curse in front of my eyes.

My magic level was D-. I used a scar when entering the dungeon, and then surrounded the sword with mana inside the dungeon, doubling my magic consumption. At this moment, I didn’t have time to use another flash step.

If I hadn’t consumed the mana stored in the [Ancient Lich’s Dungeon Core]. That is.

[Use the mana stored in the ‘Ancient Lich’s Dungeon Core.’ Activate the skill ‘Flash Step.’]

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. At the same time, a dazzling scar shone.

[Activating ‘Flash Step.’]

“Ugh, a scar bearer?! Wait a minute…!”

As my body turned into particles and disappeared, somewhere in the cave, a familiar girl’s voice echoed. Swiftly appearing behind the girl, I quickly raised my hand on the hilt of the sword.

“?!”

Aiming for the guy’s legs. He was a variable I had never seen in thousands of hours of gameplay. I should probably let him live for now.

Muttering to myself, I swiftly drew my sword. The flashing sword pierced through the darkness. An attack launched from an unexpected angle.

“Argh…!”

Swish!

However, what returns is the heavy clash echoing through the corridor. Along with it, the girl’s sword traced a peculiar trajectory.

What the girl’s swordsmanship is. Where that trajectory is aiming, I don’t really know either. After all, due to the darkness, I can’t even see the girl’s face clearly.

Nevertheless, my instincts as an adventurer for five years were ringing alarm bells. I don’t know what that is, but if you try to block it, you’ll get hit. Quickly dodge.

As soon as I swiftly took two steps back, a sharp thrust poured out where I had just been standing.

Kugugugu…

Simultaneously, the dungeon, having lost its core, began to shake. With the magical power source that had maintained its form for centuries gone, the dungeon corridors trembled.

Hwak-

A torch, shaken by the impact, rolled towards us. Only then did our appearances gradually become visible.

Even though visibility improved, I couldn’t wield the sword recklessly.

“Ah…?”

The moment I saw the girl pointing a longsword at me, my body stiffened.

Dark navy hair flowing down to her shoulders. Ruby-colored eyes shining as they reflected the light. A slightly smaller stature than mine, wielding a longsword almost as tall as herself with a bit of exaggeration.

Her hair was neglected, resembling a magpie’s nest, and dark circles under her eyes. Yet, she turned even that into decadent beauty.

Although there were many differences from the original short-haired lively appearance, having spent thousands of hours at the Arcana Academy, I could recognize the girl at a glance.

The youngest daughter of the Southern Changeback family, a genius in magic and swordsmanship. The next candidate for the position of the Southern Knights’ Commander. And the girl living her second life.

The world’s only reincarnator. Regina Strellachia, something was severely broken somewhere.