“It’s not an invitation to join us. We are the Lords of the Seven Lairs. We will lead our subordinates together.”
Calandas mentioned the dungeons associated with the factions.
With the 12th-ranked dungeon and the 18th-ranked dungeon, along with others, Calandas had a total of 15 subordinate dungeons under his command.
“All the bosses of the dungeons are dead. If you join us, it would be absolutely perfect. Am I right, my friend?”
Now I understand.
That’s why Calandas has been calling me ‘friend’ and being all chummy since our first meeting.
‘If our friendship improves, I’ll allow you to read a paragraph from the Necromicon.’
That’s also why he brought this up in front of Charlotte.
Everything was part of his subtle campaign to recruit me into his faction.
Looking again, he was nothing but a snake-like skeleton.
‘If there are 16 bosses who are undead, it makes sense for me to join.’
In life, I’ve realized that making connections is the most important thing in any gathering.
Turning down close negotiation with the undead would mean willingly choosing to be socially excluded.
If I accepted, the bond through shared identity would make it easy to get along, and I’d feel a sense of relief knowing I had allies.
If the Hero Suppression Squad comes in, with Calandas and the support of his boss buddies, we could just hold them off.
But I still had no idea what the faction strength of the Seven Lairs was like.
Should I just accept without knowing anything? This isn’t some casual company meeting where you make hasty decisions.
And if I just went along with it, it would look like I was becoming one of his subordinates.
I desperately wanted to avoid being controlled by Calandas.
‘For now, I’ll just play it cool.’
I’ll politely decline but leave some positive openings.
That way, he won’t try to seduce me more and can take a hint to back off faster.
“Let’s think positively.”
“That’s a wise decision.”
It seemed like Calandas wanted this kind of response.
He might have been disappointed if I had accepted or rejected outright.
Accepting without knowing the situation would just show a hollow thought process.
In other words, Calandas was both testing and probing me.
If the boss I’m pairing with is untrustworthy, that would be a problem in itself.
I couldn’t help but think I had played my cards right by leaving room for negotiation.
“However, it’s still surprising. For a newly born dungeon, there’s nothing to criticize.”
If you’re done, can’t you just leave?
Calandas leisurely scanned the hall, completely oblivious.
“You said it’s thanks to my underlings. I despise humans, but you intrigue me quite a bit.”
“You’re too kind.”
“How about becoming a Lich?”
“….”
This guy, Calandas, just charged right in without signaling.
Charlotte mumbled for a while before she finally managed to speak.
“If it’s my time to pass, I will gladly accept.”
“That is yet another wise decision. Whether it’s years or decades, if you’re inclined, come to me.”
Calandas was unpleasant not just in appearance and aura.
Every word he uttered managed to make those around him uncomfortable. No wonder he only has undead as friends.
I thought we were done, but he continued.
“My friend. I’ve heard the news that you killed the Hero of Faith. They say you took him out in one blow without lifting a finger. I’m curious about how you did it, but where is the Hero’s corpse?”
“Well, I’m curious about that method, but where is the hero’s body?”
Flinch.
The one who reacted was Charlotte.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Can I take the hero’s body?”
“The hero, you say.”
“In exchange, I’ll gift you countless undead troops. After all, you’re an irregular Death Knight, right? I’ll prepare a skeleton mage that suits you. If that’s not enough, how about a Bond Dragon? I brought it from the Abyss 10th tier, so its usefulness goes without saying.”
It doesn’t add up.
The Bond Dragon is a named monster one tier above the Hero of Faith.
Calandas was about to make a loss for himself.
Somehow, I was catching on to why he was pushing it so hard.
The undead hero collection. For Calandas, who despises humanity, turning the hero, the great hope of humanity, into an undead was an interestingly perverse taste.
He aimed to reveal the undead hero to the world and bring despair to humanity.
“I must humbly inform you that I have it, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m already bonded with it, but….”
Instead of saying more, Charlotte showed Balmunk directly.
Calandas stared at Charlotte in silence for a while.
An undead minion is connected to the caster by the soul.
The caster had absolute control and couldn’t transfer it to another.
“That’s fine. I can sever the soul bond with my power.”
Assuming the transferee isn’t the Lich King.
Only Calandas could sever the soul bond in this way.
Without exaggeration, Charlotte was on the brink of crossing the river Jordan just now.
If Calandas couldn’t sever the bond, he would have cut Charlotte’s soul instead.
“Condition looks good. Hand over the hero to me. I promise to provide you with an even stronger army.”
It would have been easier to just give it, but for some reason, Charlotte was watching me closely. Does she think we are co-owners?
I nodded my head as if to say I wanted it back quickly.
Charlotte stared intensely at me and nodded back.
I hoped my intention got across.
“I’m sorry, but that cannot happen.”
“What?”
“This undead is a grace given to me after the boss corrected my mistake. It holds a precious meaning before being a hero. I humbly wish to keep it.”
Shit.
We’re really in serious trouble.
What on earth did my eyes convey to make such nonsense come out?
Just as I was about to step in, Calandas lowered his head.
“Ugh….”
A small laugh slipped through his teeth.
It gradually grew louder, resonating through the space as a laugh of madness.
My heightened nerves and senses focused on Calandas. It was a primal instinct that emerged before thought.
If Calandas made even the slightest move, we would die like kobolds.
“Oh my… you’ve got quite an amusing subordinate next to you. My friend. Don’t worry. I’ll refrain from being greedy, respecting your position.”
I swallowed my relief at the unexpected response.
This time, it wasn’t just a tension that could shorten my lifespan; it felt like my very life was about to be erased.
Please, just stop this life-and-death tightrope act.
Once Calandas leaves, I’m going to give Charlotte a good talking to. Crazy lady, I almost died because of you!
“Instead, I have another favor to ask. Coincidentally, I have things I desire beyond just a hero.”
Calandas pointed his finger at a specific spot.
“Turn this vile human into a corpse. With your own hands.”
At first, I thought I misheard.
But that finger was aimed squarely at Charlotte.
“By doing so, I will make them into a Lich and put them to good use. It’s a pardon for their sins.”
Charlotte’s expression, noticeable, was anything but her usual poker face.
Her pupils shook uncontrollably, as if caught in an earthquake, and her lips trembled like the last leaf on a tree.
“This human has now challenged the authority of the Lich King. Therefore, they must pay the price. If you lend a hand, I will grant you an army of thousands. No matter how capable a subordinate is, they can’t compare to an army. Isn’t that an enticing offer?”
“…With my own hands.”
If Calandas wants to kill her, Charlotte would probably die without even realizing it.
I couldn’t understand what kind of twisted logic led him to dump this problem on me.
“If you were to die at the hands of someone who follows you more than a boss, that would be utterly despairing. Look at her, trembling without even a clue, like a lamb being led to the slaughter.”
An Undead that lives off the pain and despair of humans for a lifetime. As an Undead myself, I could never grasp him.
Whether I understood or not, I wanted to live. If I didn’t spare Charlotte here, my life would be over, having surpassed mere animosity; Calandas could easily kill me.
The life-or-death decisions between bosses in the Infinite Dungeon aren’t as simple as they sound.
After all, we hadn’t killed each other for a thousand years.
But the boss in front of me was none other than the Lich King Calandas.
The reason he respects me is more for my status as Undead than my rank of 7th.
Normally, he would look down on lower-ranked 6th or 7th.
If a lower-ranked boss turns their back on him for a human, he wouldn’t spare them even if they were Undead. In fact, he might be quicker to strike down an Undead out of betrayal from his own kind.
‘On the flip side, he might not kill me.’
Regardless of the situation, we are treated as equals among the bosses of the Infinite Dungeon.
Would Calandas really risk killing me over personal feelings?
On the flip side, even if he has doubts, would there be a reason to hold my life in balance against saving Charlotte?
“You told me to kill my subordinate.”
With my decision made, I approached Charlotte.
She had already seemingly given up and was tightly shutting her eyes.
It looked like she realized it too. That it would be right for her to die for my sake.
I thought the same. In a situation where refusal might lead to death, I had no reason to risk my own life to save Charlotte.
“I can’t do that.”
But I couldn’t bring myself to kill her.
All of Charlotte’s dedication was for me.
To kill a subordinate who devoted herself to me, despite her talents.
Letting her die was hard enough; I absolutely couldn’t do it with my own hands.
In my peripheral view, Calandas with his eerie blue gaze stood watching.
In another corner of my vision stood Charlotte, wearing an expression I had never seen before. Her level color was changing, but right now was not the time to worry about it.
Charlotte stood there, her expression unreadable. The color of her level was changing, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
“Friend. Is this truly your choice?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve chosen to head toward doom on your own. Do you have no regrets?”
“Not a single one.”
It wasn’t just a thoughtless utterance.
I’m the boss of the same Seven Lairs. My rank might be low, but we’re both part of the same lair, and that doesn’t change.
Just then, the ground rumbled, and rotten hands shot up from everywhere.
The tainted energy of the undead. Sounds like dying gasps. Just from a glance, there must be at least a thousand of them.
At such a moment, thousands of minions emerged.
Just witnessing that made me feel his power firsthand.
-Gruuuh…
-Grrr…
Trudging.
Slowly tightening its grip, the army surrounded us, filling the crypt.
Wherever I looked, only deep red levels were visible. It was nothing less than bloodlust unmistakably.
“To think I need to change the Seven Lairs once again. How deplorable.”
As expected, Calandas’ level had turned a bright red.
He had already decided to kill me.
I always keep the worst-case scenario in mind.
And this was precisely that case, which was fortunate in itself.
“I share the same sentiment. If the 5th Lair is wiped out, the repercussions will be significant.”
“Someone has to die.”
If he seems weak, he dies. I had to engrave the consequences of facing me into him.
Moreover, if I could instill a threat of death, then…
If I demonstrated that kind of spirit, the momentum would swing my way.
This was a reasoned bluff—a gamble with my life at stake.
Thanks to being undead, my poker face was impeccable. All that remained was to show it through action.
I had been eyeing Calandas’ hand all along. More precisely, I focused on the bone ring.
[Bone Ring Enhanced with Eternity (S+)]
[Enhancement Success Rate: 2%]
[※Warning! If the enhancement fails, it will be destroyed automatically!]
[If enhancement fails, cooldown will reset.]
[Would you like to enhance the Bone Ring Enhanced with Eternity (S+)?]
[YES/NO]
This could very well cross a line.
He might retaliate impulsively, without reading the situation. If that happened, I’d be done for.
But if you’ve rolled the dice, you might as well hope for a six. Proudly, I could say it’s the gambler’s spirit in me.
If it works out, the one standing tall will be me.
“Were you curious about how I killed the hero in one blow?”
―!
In an instant, a firecracker-like noise erupted from Calandas’ hand.
Reacting, Calandas looked down at his hand, but the finger that should’ve held the bone ring was empty.
Only after realizing this did his gaze shift to me.
Gradually, Calandas’ level color changed from red to orange.
Murderous intent turned to wariness. And wariness is what the weak feel toward the strong.
This was a clear signal that the momentum had shifted in my favor.
“I can kill the boss of the Seven Lairs. Next, it’s your head.”
I nonchalantly nodded, feigning indifference.
Come at me if you dare, coward. I’m not scared at all.
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