Chapter 78: The Hidden Den (1)

*!

With a cry like a fox, Miya rushed at the skeletons and swung her hand.

Her frail body, with long, slender fingers, made her look like a young girl or boy at first glance.

But as soon as her thin fingers struck the skeleton's torso, the bones shattered and scattered.

Without hesitation, Miya attacked the other skeletons. After a few swings, dozens of skeletons had already turned into piles of bones.

*! *!

Miya looked at Damian with a relieved expression. Damian shook his head.

*?

The piles of bones reassembled into skeletons. The skeletons, now intact, picked up the weapons that had fallen to the ground.

'That's the annoying part about skeletons.'

Among necromancy spells, skeletons were particularly difficult to deal with because they required binding souls.

If the soul was bound, the skeleton would function semi-permanently. Even if it was destroyed or damaged, it would repair itself.

'Filthy necromancers.'

Damian could see the souls bound to the bones, supplying dark magic. It was a truly revolting sight.

*!

Miya charged at the skeletons again. The skeletons countered with their shields.

This time, she struck with her fist. Her small fist landed on the skeletons' heads.

With a satisfying sound, the skeleton's bones shattered completely. The broken bones scattered on the ground.

'Good instincts. She's figured out how to deal with skeletons.'

The most effective way to deal with skeletons was to break their bones into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the weaker their ability to repair.

*!

Miya moved around, shattering the skeletons. Broken bones were scattered all over the floor.

But there were still many skeletons left. As she fought them, the broken skeletons would repeatedly return to their original state.

An endless cycle of destruction and regeneration, a hellish ordeal.

Yuran hadn't placed skeletons in the hidden den for no reason.

'This can't go on. I need to think of another way.'

As Damian thought this, Miya's gaze suddenly turned to the ceiling.

There, a flesh golem in human form was holding a staff.

Miya leaped off the wall and reached the flesh golem in one swift motion. Before the flesh golem could escape, she kicked it, shattering it into pieces.

At the same time, the skeletons stopped moving. The necromancy spell was dispelled, and the skeletons returned to bones.

*!

Miya came down with a triumphant look, like a fox that had successfully hunted its prey.

"Excellent."

Miya's expression became even more triumphant when Damian praised her.

At that moment, the ground shook with a heavy sound. The flesh golems guarding the door approached the two of them.

Since the first line of defense, the skeletons, had been breached, the flesh golems were now moving.

Miya's face turned fierce again as soon as she saw the flesh golems.

"Can you handle them alone?"

Miya nodded in response to Damian's question. She crouched low, her chest almost touching the ground, and dug her ten fingers into the floor.

She pushed off with both hands and feet, launching herself forward like an arrow.

Miya leaped into the air in front of the flesh golem and struck its face with her knee.

With a terrible sound, the flesh golem's face caved in, and its body staggered.

Miya, now on the ground, wrapped her hands around one of the flesh golem's arms.

As Miya's body rotated, the flesh golem's arm twisted and was torn off.

'Not ordinary strength.'

The power emanating from Miya's small body was beyond imagination.

'But her body is too fragile compared to her strength.'

Each time Miya attacked, her skin peeled off and her muscles tore.

Miya had a regenerative ability, but even considering that, her physical durability was clearly weak compared to her strength.

Just as Miya was about to continue her attack, the flesh golem next to her kicked her.

Miya flew and crashed into the wall, spitting out blood.

*!

Due to her lack of experience, she had let her guard down. The cost was high. Miya was vomiting blood and couldn't avoid the approaching flesh golem.

'Should I help her?'

As Damian was thinking this,

The blood spilled by the flesh golem began to gather around Miya.

Miya's skin started absorbing the blood. The more blood she absorbed, the faster her body regenerated.

"…What is this?"

Damian was so surprised that he spoke out loud. But what came next was even more astonishing.

When Miya stood up and extended one of her arms to the side, it suddenly grew to a massive size, similar to a troll's arm.

"…Body transformation?"

Miya moved again and struck the flesh golem that had attacked her with the troll's hand. The flesh golem's body shattered in one blow.

*!

The fallen flesh golem tried to resist. Miya immediately crushed its head.

*!

Miya let out a cry of relief. The arm that had grown to a massive size returned to its original size.

Miya ran to Damian. Damian examined her body and asked,

"How much can you transform?"

In response to Damian's question, Miya transformed both of her arms.

"Can you transform more?"

Miya shook her head. It seemed this was her limit.

"By absorbing blood, you can increase your recovery speed and transform into the corresponding creature?"

The flesh golem Miya had fought was made from two trolls. Miya had absorbed troll blood, allowing her to transform her arm into a troll's.

"Remarkable."

If Damian's theory was correct, it was an extraordinary ability.

If the Corpse Player had succeeded in subjugating Miya in his previous life, it would have been another catastrophe for humanity.

"Good job. Let's go inside now."

Damian and Miya moved deeper into the hidden den.

* * *

After going in a bit, they came to a fork in the path.

"Treasure, herbs, plant poisons, animal poisons…"

As expected of a storage area used by many necromancers, there were various types.

Damian headed to the treasure storage first.

Inside, a space of about 20 pyeong (66 square meters) was filled with gold coins and jewels.

"The amount is… a bit disappointing."

Unfortunately, the items in the storage weren't very numerous. There were only five bags of gold coins and one bag of jewels.

"Who has already looted… what is this?"

Damian found a chalkboard hanging on the wall.

January 10 - Agito: Took 50 gold.

February 28 - Mustang Fury: Took 150 gold and 10 sapphires.

April 25 - Rebecca: Left 80 gold and 5 golden statues.

August 10 - James: Took 70 gold and 4 diamonds.

The records of Yuran's members taking treasures were listed.

But at the bottom was a name that wasn't very pleasant.

November 1 - Corpse Player: I need to make a masterpiece, so I'm taking everything.

┗ Agito: Hey, you! What are you going to do with all that!

┗ Mustang Fury: Give it back when I ask nicely!

┗ Rebecca: Corpse Player! Do you want to be cursed?

Damian clicked his tongue. No wonder the storage was almost empty; it was because of the Corpse Player.

"Anyway, he's no help at all."

Damian grumbled and put the remaining treasures into a subspace.

Next, Damian went to the herb storage. But there were only a few ingredients left here as well.

November 1 - Corpse Player: I need to make a masterpiece, so I'm taking everything.

┗ Agito: You damn fool, are you crazy!

┗ Mustang Fury: Do you know how much the herbs you took are worth!

┗ Rebecca: I'll really kill you, %$#$%^$%.

"…"

Damian looked at the chalkboard with a bewildered expression.

"At least there should be something left in the other storages."

Damian checked all the other storages, but the situation was the same. The Corpse Player had taken everything.

"Seriously, what did he do with all this?"

Damian, feeling absurd, headed to the last 'treasure storage.'

As expected, there wasn't much left here either.

December 1 - Corpse Player: Even after using everything I took, it's still not enough. I need money to make a Nine, so I'm taking everything.

┗ Agito: @#$@#%@$@#.

┗ Mustang Fury: %^&$%^#$#.

┗ Rebecca: @#%#%#%#.

As Damian read the message left by the Corpse Player, he looked at Miya. Miya was nodding her head.

"Nine… that was definitely your old name."

Now it made sense why her abilities were so overpowered.

She had been created using all the treasures Yuran had accumulated, which is why she could perform at this level.

'But her regenerative ability and the ability to absorb blood are just too unrealistic.'

As Damian was pondering this,

*! *!

Miya tugged at Damian's sleeve. There was a box still left in the corner of the storage.

Since the Corpse Player hadn't taken it, it was likely a worthless item.

Still, to check what it was, he approached the box.

Note: This is the item that He was looking for. Keep it safe until the promised day.

"…He?"

The only person Yuran referred to as 'He' was Dorgo.

If this was something Dorgo wanted, what could it be? He opened the box.

"…"

The moment he saw the item inside, he was shocked.

A handle that looked like it was carved from obsidian, rough and uneven.

A crossguard that resembled intertwined thorns.

A blade that was mostly broken, with only a small part remaining.

"Erebus…"

The magic sword Damian had used during his Death Knight days was right in front of him.