How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 48: Remnants of the Giant Magic Dragon (2)

—Step, step.

I descended the stairs slowly.

The old man had been unsummoned, and the six skeletons surrounded me in formation.

[You have entered the ‘Seal of the Magic Dragon.’]

[Be cautious.]

[The remnants of the evil dragon have spawned terrifying monsters.]

The Seal of the Magic Dragon resembled any other dungeon—perhaps even too friendly for a dungeon. There were stairs and luminescent pearls attached to the walls.

Considering this was where the dragon had been sealed, there should have been signs of a fierce battle, yet there were none. Perhaps the marks had been erased over time, or maybe…

The elves could have cleaned it up.

Whatever the case, it didn’t matter.

I kept things simple. This was a dungeon, so monsters would appear. If I moved forward, a solution might present itself.

The problem is…

I glanced behind me.

“Huff, puff, huff. Breathe, Dagnar, breathe! Don’t be so tense.” Dagnar was nervously clutching his chest, trying to steady his breathing. “Yes, yes, I’m on a glorious quest to find the relics of my ancestors. I mustn’t be nervous! Get a hold of yourself! Huff, puff…”

“…”

This stout dwarf was the problem. Ideally, I would have left him behind since he wouldn’t be much help in a fight. However…

“Hey! I told you not to look at me like that! You might be an outsider, but I’m a dwarf of the Rock Tribe! I know more about the history of our tribe than you do! I assure you I can be of help!”

Dagnar was stubborn and insisted on coming, even at the risk of his life.

“Alright… But I already warned you. I might not be able to protect you when things get dangerous.”

I was suddenly reminded of the dungeon where I met the old man.

Was it the guide Kang Sunwook?

Now I understood why that A-rank hunter had said he might be unable to protect me.

“Besides, I’d be just as much at risk staying in that village alone. You’re the bold one, running off to this place as soon as you figured it out.”

“That’s true.”

From Dagnar’s perspective, the elven village would have been much scarier.

“Let’s keep moving.”

We continued walking.

The stairs spiraled down along the edge of a bottomless pit. It was a chilling feeling, like staring into the biblical abyss.

But I ignored it and kept descending.

After some time…

“Hmm, are you alright? It’s getting damper, and it’s quite unpleasant.”

“Wait a minute.”

I stopped.

Dagnar was right. I could feel an impure aura encroaching with the Great Blue Heart Technique.

[‘Bonehead 3’ used the skill ‘Secure Vision’ (Lv.9).]

—Whoosh!

Boney 3 fired a glowing arrow into the abyss.

“Hm.”

I sensed several presences around the arrow. The location and number of the creatures, the writhing, and the ominous aura—hundreds of somethings were writhing down there.

[’Secure Vision’ (Lv.9) has discovered something.]

[‘?? ????’ has been found.]

The distance was considerable, so I couldn’t see clearly, but it didn’t look good.

Do I have to deal with all that to go further down?

It seemed like this dungeon’s difficulty was truly ‘Immeasurable.’

“…”

I had expected this, but it still felt daunting.

Although, maybe there’s another way.

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The mission wasn’t clearly defined. My goal here was to find a clue to resolve the conflict between the two tribes, not necessarily to annihilate these monsters. However, I needed to take down a few of them to assess the situation because this was basic reconnaissance.

“Well, let’s start slow.”

There was no need to rush. I’d take my time, dealing with them one by one.

—Ring!

[Discovering the connection between the dungeon and Hunter Joo Donghoon’s profession.]

“Hm.”

It felt similar to when I encountered Sunny in the Ancient Desert dungeon.

[Warning!]

[The dungeon is transforming.]

[You cannot exit the dungeon.]

“Ah, how familiar.”

I used to be terrified just by reading messages like this, but now I was accustomed to it.

Bring it on if you dare.

“My lord.”

“Yes.”

“We’re ready for battle.”

“Do we have a chance?”

“I’m not sure. From what I sense, it could be difficult.”

Sunny was honest, but it was also confident and fearless. Even though it hadn’t regained its former strength, it still had the mentality of a world ruler.

“My lord.” Sunny glanced down the abyss. “A group is coming up. Shall we start?”

“Yes, let’s wait a bit and ambush them.”

“Yes, my lord.”

—Thud, thud, thud.

Something was approaching.

“Wh-What’s that?” Dagnar shouted.

“What do you think? Monsters, of course.”

“What kind of monsters lurk in the ruins of the ancients?”

“Not just any ruin, but a giant magic dragon‘s, at that. It’s common sense that such places would have a few monsters, right?”

“D-Damn, I’d rather not have that kind of common sense.”

“Oooooh!”

A horrifying wail echoed from below.

[‘Spiked Drake’ has appeared!]

[‘Spiked Drake’ has appeared!]

…

Spiked drakes?

That was a new one. But I had read about the ‘drake’ species in an old document. They weren’t as intelligent or magical as dragons, but their physical tanking abilities were immense. Their strength was also monstrous, categorizing them as high-rank monsters.

“D-Dragons?”

Upon seeing the monstrous figures below, Dagnar fell back in shock.

“How could dragons be here? For the love of—what have these elves been doing in this place? Are they trying to wake the Giant Magic Dragon or something…?”

“Quiet down.”

“Kiiiii!”

“Krieeek!”

About ten spiked drakes were thundering up the stairs.

“Boney 4.”

—Thud!

The reliable tank, Boney 4, planted his shield firmly on the steps.

[‘Bonehead 4’ used the skill ‘Intermediate Block’ (Lv.3).]

Like the roots of a sturdy old tree, Boney 4 braced himself, exuding strength.

“And next, Sunny!”

“No problem, my lord.”

[‘Sun Spear’ used the skill ‘Soulflare’ (Lv.4).]

[‘Sun Spear’ used the skill ‘Raging Desert’ (Lv.4).]

Flames burst around Sunny.

Soulflare was a skill that temporarily amplified its power by burning its soul. It then unleashed its area-of-effect attack, Raging Desert.

—Whoosh!

A sandstorm raged up around us.

—Swish!

Sunny’s spear lashed out, sending waves of energy toward the advancing drakes.

“Woah, what kind of attack is this?”

Ignoring Dagnar’s astonishment, I prepared Boney 5.

“Boney 5!”

It started preparing its magic.

Drakes had strong physical defenses, so magic was necessary.

—Creak!

The S-rank item Staff of the Fire Dragon glowed red.

—Kieeek!

Below, ten pairs of red eyes gleamed menacingly. They seemed to dare us to attack them, their gazes growing even more intense.

But Sunny was undeterred. It charged at the hulking creatures without hesitation.

—Creak!

Not to be outdone, Boney 1 also charged forward.

“Boney 1, aim for their legs,” Sunny muttered.

—Whoosh!

Sunny’s spear jabbed.

—Thud, thud, thud!

The sound of impact filled the space. Their target was the drakes’ legs.

“Physical force won’t work. We need to unbalance them and make them fall into the abyss,” Sunny explained, and Boney 1 silently followed.

—Creak!

They’re doing well on their own.

Now it was Boney 5’s turn. Boney 5, who had finished casting, looked at me, awaiting my command.

“Fire away!”

—Creak!

[‘Bonehead 5’ used the skill ‘Fireball’ (Lv. Max).]

—Whoosh!

A massive fireball formed in the air three times the size of a normal one because it was at max level.

I can feel its heat all the way from here.

—Fwoosh!

Boney 5 swung its staff, sending the blazing fireball toward the drakes.

It didn’t matter if the enemy could dodge—they had nowhere to go on the stairs.

—Boom!

“Kyaaak!”

A scorching wave of fire filled the space.

The drakes, who had scoffed at Sunny and Boney 1’s attacks, now screamed in agony.

“As expected, fire is the best for dealing with beasts.”

I muttered in satisfaction, and Dagnar marveled beside me.

“Amazing! You’re incredible!”

But this wasn’t the end. I didn’t expect these high-rank monsters to go down with just one Fireball.

“Give ‘em another one!”

—Creak!

[‘Bonehead 5’ used the skill ‘Fire Field’ (Lv. 2).]

—Whoosh!

Though it lacked the firepower of Fireball, Fire Field covered the stairs in a straight line.

Sunny and Boney 1 retreated.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Kiiiieek!”

The drakes halted, hesitating.

Of course, they would.

They had already tasted the terror of fire. With the flames burning before them, they had no reason to push forward.

And it wasn’t just any fire—it was imbued with the power of the S-rank item Staff of the Fire Dragon.

[Name: Bonehead 5]

[Energy: 170/200]

Good.

Boney 5 still had plenty of energy. Thanks to the Staff of the Fire Dragon, which added 100 max energy, it had more than enough energy for now.

“Set another one behind them.”

—Creak!

[‘Bonehead 5’ used the skill ‘Fire Field’ (Lv. 2).]

I placed another line of fire behind them.

As the flames flickered, the drakes, who had been inching backward, found themselves trapped.

“I see you’re slowly roasting the dragons!” Dagnar marveled beside me.

I smiled. “Still, it’s fortunate that these guys are weak to fire.”

“L-Look over there!” Dagnar pointed forward.

“Kiiiek!”

“Kieee…”

Unable to withstand the flames, the spiked drakes began to throw themselves into the abyss. Their shrieks echoed until they faded away.

After waiting for about a minute…

[‘Spiked Drake’ has been defeated.]

[‘Spiked Drake’ has been defeated.]

[‘Spiked Drake’ has been defeated.]

…

The notification messages appeared one by one. No matter how tough these creatures were, the fall must have been fatal. This indicated just how deep the abyss was.

Oh.

My eyes gleamed.

The monsters were being counted as defeated, even though I had only indirectly set them on fire—this was excellent news. Why?

[Bonehead 1’s strength has increased by 1!]

[Bonehead 1’s technique has increased by 1!]

[Sun Spear’s strength has increased by 1!]

[Bonehead 5’s technique has increased by 1!]

…

Because it meant that we could receive experience points for defeating these monsters!

Given my unique ability as a ‘Cursed Necromancer,’ the experience points from monsters were directly transferred to my summons and converted into stats.

This is huge.

If I could defeat all the monsters lurking here this way, it would lead to a massive level-up and a surge in stats.

“Hehe.”

I couldn’t swallow my leaking laughter.

Come to think of it, it’s about time I grew stronger.

I’d been focused on training all this time. Of course, growth can come through training, but balancing between grinding for experience points and training was crucial.

“Kyeeek!”

I heard the cries of drakes from below as if they were trembling in fear of something unknown.

“I’ll gladly take all of you down.”

My footsteps became noticeably lighter as I walked forward.