Chapter 23

A few minutes after starting the strategy.

A skeleton bound in chains, over two meters tall, appeared before us.

In its hand, it gripped a crude club.

"Status"

As I said this, a message window appeared before my eyes.

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[Chained Skeleton]

- Recommended Level to Defeat: 28

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The Chained Skeleton.

In exchange for its slow movement, it is a monster with excellent defense.

Undead creatures are already highly resistant to physical attacks.

Even with a critical slash, it would likely take multiple hits to defeat it.

But, I have the best companion for fighting undead right now.

When I turned to Shuna, she was also checking the enemy's status and spoke with a tense expression.

"What a presence... It's level 28, so maybe we should turn back now..."

"No, it's fine. This is the opponent we expected, and I'll take it down in one hit."

As I replied, Shuna's face showed a look of confusion.

"One hit? Zeros' level is 24, right? Oh, do you have some special skill? That's amazing, Zeros..."

"No, the one who will defeat it isn't me, but Shuna."

"......Huh?"

Shuna froze, clearly not understanding what I was saying.

Right after that,

"Giyyyyyyyyy!"

The Chained Skeleton, which had been gauging the distance, let out a roar and charged at us.

I immediately kicked off the ground and ran towards the enemy.

The Chained Skeleton swung its club down at me with great force.

"Parry"

"Wha!?!"

But I easily deflected the enemy's club.

The level difference between us is only 4, and I have the benefit of +15 attack power when parrying with the [Guardian's Legacy Sword].

This is child's play for me.

I turned around and shouted to Shuna.

"Anyway, prepare a Magic Missile with holy attributes and fire it at my signal! I'll buy us some time!"

"――! Got it!"

Despite her confusion, Shuna began to channel her magic in response to my instructions.

"――Guh!?"

At that moment, the Chained Skeleton changed its expression and turned to face Shuna.

It must have sensed the holy attribute, which is a weakness for undead.

But,

"I won't let it reach you, Shuna."

"――Aaaah!?"

I blocked the undead's attempts to force its way through using parries and techniques.

Then, about ten seconds after the battle started,

"I'm ready, Zeros!"

A huge, pure white light ball, glowing brilliantly, floated before her.

Seeing this, I took a step back from the Chained Skeleton, timing my move.

"Alright. Now, fire!"

"――Sacred Missile!"

The holy projectile was launched straight at the Chained Skeleton.

The Chained Skeleton tried to dodge.

However, its sluggishness prevented it from doing so in time.

As a result, the holy projectile struck the Chained Skeleton's chest, piercing through its body and shattering it to pieces.

"Aaaaaa..."

With a final scream, the Chained Skeleton dissipated into miasma.

[Experience gained. Level up by 1]

[2 Stat Points gained]

Yeah, the battle is over.

My level has increased, so this can be considered an ideal start.

"Good job, Shuna. Thanks to you, we were able to take it down easily..."

"......Really, with just one hit? I took down a higher-level monster?"

As I tried to offer words of encouragement, Shuna seemed confused by the situation.

I briefly explained the situation to her.

"There's no need to be so surprised. Magic is effective against undead, and holy attributes can exploit their weakness. Even with a skill level of 1, it adds a 30% multiplier, which is enough to take down that level of enemy."

Magic Missile itself is a high-damage spell designed to be used against higher-level opponents.

In parties that prioritize safety, they only challenge dungeons with lower-level enemies, so the inefficiency was more noticeable...

But if used correctly, it can be effective against higher-level enemies and efficiently earn experience points. I plan to learn it soon as well.

"Did your level go up?"

"Level? ...Y-Yes! It went up, by three levels! This is the first time this has happened!"

With a mix of surprise and joy, Shuna relayed this to me.

Experience points are distributed based on the contribution to the battle.

The formula is quite complex, including buffs, debuffs, and healing, but the most straightforward measure is the amount of damage dealt.

Thanks to entrusting the attack role to Shuna, as planned, she leveled up significantly.

I smiled and firmly told her,

"Alright, let's keep this up and get to level 30."

"......Huh? Thirty?"

Apparently, the surprise overcame her again, and Shuna's expression returned to a blank stare.

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