Fortress of Silence.
Inside, a ledger lay scattered on Necros’s desk.
A skeletal finger, rolling up the sleeve of a blue robe, traced the numbers written in the ledger one by one.
“Click…”
The ledger contained details related to the Monster Coliseum, which was operated in the underworld of the Sail Kingdom.
The amount of gold coins invested so far, the amount recovered, and the expected future profits.
No matter how he looked, the graph was pointing upwards.
Nevertheless, Necros leaned back in his chair and sighed.
The reason for creating the Monster Coliseum in the first place was clear.
Money.
It was operated to generate profits.
Initially, the profits were good, as expected.
He hadn’t realized there were so many humans who enjoyed watching humans fight monsters.
It was natural, in a way.
Thrilling stages that showed everything as it was, without any staging or manipulation.
The exhilaration felt when humans were torn apart by monsters, or when humans became heroes by slaying monsters, drew the audience further into the coliseum.
Furthermore, with the ability to bet money, it was said that nobles and royalty were now secretly coming to place bets.
The Monster Coliseum would continue to do well in the future.
However, the reason for Necros’s sigh lay elsewhere.
“Tap, tap.”
(There aren’t enough humans.)
There was a shortage of humans to fight monsters, meaning challengers.
No, because the coliseum had gained so much popularity, and matches were held every day, the number of humans had become insufficient.
“Click.”
Necros was contemplating how to overcome this situation.
After a moment, his gaze shifted to a map.
The dungeon where Necros was currently located was in the southernmost mountain range of the Orbis Empire.
He wanted to gather people here, but the area was extremely remote.
Moreover, only a desert spread out below it, making it essentially useless territory.
In short, it was difficult to find humans here.
Even if humans were found, to reach the coliseum in the Sail Kingdom, they would have to pass through the Orbis Empire and then the Free City Alliance.
With the White Church recently declaring its intention to capture warlocks hiding in the Free City Alliance, it was clear that finding human challengers would become increasingly difficult for the time being.
“…”
Necros, who had to stay here according to his Master’s will for now, wanted to think about what he could do right away.
As he pondered for a moment, a zombie approached him.
“Groan.”
A zombie with rotten skin, blackened eyes, and wearing old clothes, opened its mouth.
“…Intruder-groan.”
It meant an intruder had appeared in the dungeon.
“Click?”
An intruder.
“Click!”
Suddenly, a good idea struck Necros.
***
As the sun was high in the sky, four adventurers gazed at the panoramic view of the dungeon, ‘Fortress of Silence.’
“Is that where the Lich is?”
The man in the lead looked up at the magnificent fortress and spoke.
He was a knight, clad in armor from head to toe.
The strong jawline and fierce eyes revealed beneath his helmet hinted at his numerous combat experiences.
Baldwyn Veilport.
Known as the Flame Knight, he was the leader of this party.
“It’s really eerie.”
Lyra, the woman behind Baldwyn, murmured.
Lyra, who was half-elf, carried a bow made of silver wood and a quiver of magical arrows on her back.
“It’s a Lich’s dungeon. It’s full of undead energy.”
In response to Lyra’s words, the old man at the very back spoke.
Streil, propped up by a staff, was once a great figure who had risen to the rank of elder in the Magic Tower.
“Still, since it’s a Lich’s dungeon, there must be a lot of treasure, right? I heard it’s an old dungeon.”
Lastly, Sienna, wrapped in a long red cloak, spoke with anticipation.
Though the youngest in the party, she was the most skilled pathfinder, showing agile movements.
Moreover, their adventurer ranks were considerable.
Baldwyn Veilport, who held the Platinum Badge.
And three individuals who held the Gold Badge.
Lyra, Streil, and Sienna.
“Let’s confirm our plan before we go in.”
Baldwyn, the party leader and Platinum Badge holder, gathered everyone.
“The owner of this dungeon is a Lich. A 4-star undead monster. Although we have experience subjugating 4-star monsters twice, remember that a Lich is different.”
The mage Streil nodded at the leader’s words.
“Unlike ordinary monsters, Liches are intelligent and can use magic. Be especially cautious of their explosion spells.”
Liches could be naturally occurring, or sorcerers who had become undead themselves.
Therefore, Streil, who had risen to elder in the Magic Tower, knew well how fearsome a Lich was.
Still, there was no need to worry.
When adventurers with Gold Badges gathered, they could subjugate 4-star monsters.
Of course, it depended on the individual monster and their physical abilities, but generally, that was the case.
Now, with the addition of Streil, a Platinum Badge holder, a Lich could be easily subjugated.
‘There’s a legend that a Lich becomes an Arch Lich if it ages for a long time…’
Streil worried for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh.
Arch Lich.
A 5-star monster, the realm of a great mage that a Lich could reach only after gaining enlightenment.
He firmly believed that he would never encounter such a being easily.
What he needed to be cautious of was the corpse explosion magic used by Liches.
It could explode corpses as well as undead monsters that were considered corpses, making them extremely troublesome monsters.
“Alright, our formation will be as usual.”
Leader Baldwyn said.
“I will block enemy attacks from the front, Lyra will provide support fire, Sienna will carefully check for traps, and Streil-nim, we will request magical support from the rear.”
In fact, this subjugation could be considered to have a large stake in the battle between the mage and the Lich.
So, the victory or defeat would depend on how well Streil performed.
“I shall do so.”
When Streil nodded, everyone agreed.
It was a veteran team that had already tackled dozens of dungeons together.
“Now, let’s make history towards becoming the greatest adventurers in the Orbis Empire!”
Baldwyn drew his sword and shouted.
“For history and gold!”
The other three responded to his words.
Holding their weapons, they cautiously approached the entrance of the fortress.
“Kaak!”
A zombie guarding the entrance spotted them and rushed forward, but Lyra’s action was quicker.
Fwip-
The arrow Lyra fired hit the zombie’s head.
“Choke!”
As the zombie collapsed, the group nodded, and they stepped into the Fortress of Silence.
The interior of the fortress was engulfed in darkness.
“Light!”
As Streil illuminated the surroundings with magic, everyone gasped in amazement.
“Wow!”
The scene that unfolded before them was beyond imagination.
The interior of the fortress was in stark contrast to its humble exterior.
From floor to ceiling, everything was decorated with gold, dazzlingly reflecting the magical light.
The jewel decorations placed in various places emitted a variety of colors like a rainbow.
“This… I can’t believe it.”
Baldwyn felt as if he had entered a jewelry store rather than a dungeon.
“Is this truly a Lich’s dungeon?”
Streil also stared in awe, his mouth agape.
The appearance of the dungeon was completely different from the numerous undead dungeons they had explored so far.
Undead dungeons typically brought to mind eerie skull decorations, dusty coffins, and dark corridors tangled with cobwebs.
“It’s strange…”
Streil, holding his staff, scanned his surroundings warily.
“Even for a Lich, it’s unlikely to have amassed this much gold and jewels.”
Liches, being mages, required many materials for research.
As such, they accumulated a lot of wealth, but this was beyond that level.
“It’s real gold! Not fake!”
Sienna exclaimed, touching the gold-decorated wall.
Wouldn’t just taking this much be enough to live a prosperous life forever?
“Sienna, be careful.”
Baldwyn grabbed her hand.
“No matter how splendid it may look, this is undoubtedly a dangerous dungeon. It might even be a trap.”
Lyra, holding her bow, scanned her surroundings with a tense expression. Her expression then contorted.
“It’s strange. There isn’t a single monster.”
“Indeed. It is strange.”
Streil also gripped his staff tightly.
Perhaps the Lich had abandoned the dungeon?
But even if the dungeon was abandoned, wouldn’t they take the treasures with them?
The adventurers looked at each other with worried expressions.
“Let’s proceed further.”
Baldwyn made a decision.
“If anything seems strange, we’ll retreat immediately.”
They cautiously moved along the golden corridor. Contrary to expectations, no additional monsters appeared.
Only a massive door glowing at the end of the corridor awaited them.
A door that was clearly not ordinary.
“I feel a strange energy from there.”
Sienna pointed forward with her finger.
“I sense distorted mana.”
Streil agreed with Sienna’s opinion.
Baldwyn drew his sword.
“Is everyone ready? I’m opening the door.”
Streil prepared his magic, Lyra nocked an arrow to her bow, and Sienna gripped a dagger coated with poison.
As everyone finished preparing, Baldwyn pushed open the massive door.
At that moment.
From the gap where the door opened, and from all sides of the silent corridor, skeletons revealed themselves and charged at them.
“T-There are too many of them!”
Lyra cried out, but the others felt the same.
Skeletons emerged endlessly, surrounding them.
At that moment.
Click-
Someone snapped their fingers.
Then, the skeletons around them began to explode simultaneously.
KABOOM-!
For a moment, their vision flashed white.
The floor beneath them vibrated, and the deafening explosions echoed through the corridor in rapid succession.
“Aaaak!”
Sienna’s scream was heard, but it was faintly drowned out by the explosions.
As the skeletons exploded, bone fragments flew out like shrapnel in all directions.
“Shield!”
Streil’s voice echoed clearly amidst the chaos. Blue light burst from the tip of his staff, and a transparent shield enveloped the group.
The shockwaves of the explosions struck the shield.
Streil’s body trembled violently, but he gripped his staff tightly and squeezed out his mana.
However, Streil’s face grew paler.
The explosion was too powerful for the shield to withstand.
The magical energy overloaded and began to surge back through Streil’s body.
“Streil, stop!”
Lyra cried out, but the old mage maintained the shield.
Thanks to this, the chaotic surge of the explosions struck the shield instead of engulfing the group, keeping them safe.
However, the cost was that the mage’s body endured an unbearable backlash of magical power.
Finally, the explosions subsided. The shield grew faint, and Streil’s staff dropped to the ground.
He opened his mouth, swayed, and slowly knelt.
“Streil!”
Baldwyn rushed over and helped him up.
“Cough!”
Red blood flowed from Streil’s mouth. He weakly opened his eyes and looked at Baldwyn.
His once vibrant blue eyes were now losing their life.
As his vision blurred and lost focus, Baldwyn could read in his eyes both despair and the will to convey a final warning.
“N-Not an ordinary Lic… Lich…”
His voice had become so faint it was barely audible.
Bubbles of blood rose from his throat as he was about to take his last breath.
“What? Streil, snap out of it!”
Sienna, shouting urgently, bent down. Tears welled up in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.
Her usually cold and composed face was now flooded with emotion.
Sienna grasped Streil’s hand, but it had already grown cold.
“Streil! Streil!”
Lyra wailed. But they had no time to mourn their departed comrade.
“Tap tap.”
“Tap tap.”
Skeletons were already gathering around them again.
If those exploded this time, they would surely all die.
***
Clap-
Necros clapped his hands with satisfaction.
Adventurers. They were undoubtedly quite skilled adventurers.
Although one human had died, three were still alive.
Necros had no intention of killing them. Instead, he planned to send them as challengers to the Monster Coliseum.
“Click!”
In case they resisted, Necros formulated a plan.
That was to attach a skeleton to each adventurer’s back.
If necessary, he could detonate them, so they wouldn’t even dream of resisting.
It was a kind of time bomb.
