Flameskull (Part 1)

Flameskull (Part 1)

The first underground level was essentially a reception area, and there had never been anything particularly important there to begin with. After twenty years of adventurers looting the place since the Demon King of Tyranny vanished, not even a hair was left. They had even scraped at the walls to see if there were any secret passages.

But once they reached the second level, they had to put away the chatter and focus on the job.

From the second level onward, most floors were not separated by barriers. There was a certain chance that monsters from lower levels could wander upward.

For example, otherworldly creatures summoned by ritual magic back in the day; experimental creatures used to research new potions; magical creatures created through magic; and alchemical creatures like the automatons in the school library.

And as mentioned before, negative energy could easily accumulate underground, so the odds of undead appearing here were equally high.

Alton took the lead to scout ahead, wearing a pair of dark goggles that resembled swimming goggles.

They were a magical item called the Eye of Night, capable of providing twenty meters of dim-light vision. In other words, even in faint lighting, it let him see as clearly as in broad daylight. Even in pitch-black darkness where one could not see their own hand before their face, it granted roughly five meters of darkvision. Alton said they had been left to him by his father, who had once been an adventurer.

Gary, clad head to toe in heavy armor, carefully controlled the sound of his footsteps as he followed close behind. As the party's shield, he had to ensure that he could block any attacks aimed at the back line.

Pei Renli and the priest Fandar had relatively less to worry about. Both cast Light to illuminate the party, while keeping watch on the flanks and rear.

Since the four made up a standard adventuring party, their marching formation was equally standard. They looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.

In truth, the second level, like the first, had been picked clean. If the first level had been explored one hundred percent, then the second had been explored ninety-five percent. The remaining five percent was simply where nobody had scraped off the wall plaster...

So as they advanced, opening doors along both sides of the corridor in hopes of finding something inside, all they saw were empty rooms. Even the tables, chairs, and benches had been carted away by those who came before them, leaving at most a few scattered scraps of waste paper.

The only thing worth mentioning was that they had opened a rather strange room along the way. Inside stood a door completely different in design from those of the other rooms, with more than a dozen buttons beside it.

That thing that looked like an elevator really was an elevator—the difference was that it ran on magic. And because it had long since run out of energy and received no maintenance, it was no longer functional.

But even if it had worked, they would not have used it to go down.

The school's underground complex was extraordinarily complicated, filled with countless hidden doors and chaotic labyrinths. Using an elevator would not make exploration much easier, and if they encountered danger, being trapped in a cramped, enclosed elevator would likely get them killed horribly.

After a brief discussion, they decided that since there was nothing worth looting on the second level either, they might as well pick up the pace and head straight for the third level. They only needed to stay alert and guard against trouble before it arose.

Though their teacher had warned them not to enter below the fifth level, they had not even planned to go as far as the fifth. At most, they would search the fourth level before turning back.

The farther down they went, the more dangerous it became. They knew exactly how much they were capable of.

Even without stopping to search, they had followed the passageways for more than twenty minutes. According to the markings on the map, they should soon reach the entrance to the third level.

But at that moment, something unexpected happened.

Alton edged toward an intersection little by little. A near ninety-degree turn like this was the kind of place where one could run straight into trouble around the corner, so he had to scout it carefully beforehand.

He quickly glanced around the corner, then signaled to the others behind him. Only after they approached did he lower his voice and say, "There's something on the other side that looks like an undead creature, but I've never seen one like it."

At that, everyone poked their heads out from beside the wall.

About thirty meters from their intersection, a skull floated in midair. It did not seem to be doing anything in particular, merely circling in place.

The skull was wreathed in thick green flames. Under the flickering magical lights, it truly looked rather terrifying.

"Could that be a demilich? I heard some liches are left with only a head."

Though he tried his hardest to keep his voice down, Fandar sounded as though someone had seized him by the throat.

Liches were undead that powerful mages transformed into in order to gain eternal life. The process required a special magical ritual, and not just any nobody could become a lich. Even the absolute minimum was level fifty.

Meanwhile, Pei Renli was only level seventeen according to the Demon King system's assessment...

"That isn't a demilich."

Alton did not recognize the creature, nor did Gary or Fandar. The three of them turned their eyes toward Pei Renli, who had spoken.

Not many students at the Adventurer School could read, and among them, Pei Renli was the one who frequented the library most often.

After thinking back for a moment, he told the others, "It should be a Flameskull."

As long as the environment was suitable, undead could easily come into existence. The vast majority were things like skeletons, zombies, and ghosts. Flameskulls, however, were different. They were not natural products, but undead created by people. No wonder the other three did not recognize it.

This type of undead was usually used as a guard or sentry, and creating one required a certain degree of mastery in necromantic magic. It had probably been made by the mages conducting research below twenty years ago.

The others did not care much about the details. Alton asked, "Is it easy to deal with?"

"Its body is easy enough to destroy, but it can use magic. And it can cast one Fireball."

Despite its ordinary-sounding name, Fireball was the most powerful D-rank spell. It was even stronger than many C-rank spells, making it the first choice for magical damage dealers and widely used.

And precisely because it was so widespread, even those who had never heard of a Flameskull knew how powerful Fireball was. If one exploded among the four of them, every last one of them would die.

Charging in headlong was far too risky, but the Flameskull happened to be blocking the entrance to the third level. No one was willing to simply tuck their tails between their legs and return the way they had come.

Fandar thought for a moment before saying, "I have a way to defend against fire, but timing is crucial. I'll need your cooperation."

Though its ability to cast Fireball was troublesome, nothing in this world was perfect. Naturally, Fireball had weaknesses as well.

Knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy was an enormous advantage. It was like fighting a boss in a game—the more information one knew about the target, the better the odds of victory.

Since nobody wanted to slink back the way they had come, they quickly discussed a strategy. After repeatedly confirming that nothing had been overlooked, Alton and Gary charged out of the intersection first, with Pei Renli and Fandar following behind.

Unlike their usual formation, the front and rear lines were kept seven or eight meters apart, positioned this way to avoid being wiped out in one go by a Fireball.

The moment they entered within twenty meters of the Flameskull, the skull that had been drifting aimlessly through the air reacted at once. It opened its decayed jaw and turned toward Alton and Gary, who were charging at the front.

Undead had no sight, hearing, or sense of smell. They perceived the world differently from the living. The Flameskull's alert range was only twenty meters; beyond that distance, it would turn a blind eye even if you danced the Pure Land right in front of it.

The green flames circling the skull suddenly flared higher. Their ominous glow replaced the dim illumination of the magic lamps, casting everything nearby in a sickly green hue.

As the skull turned, everyone saw two clusters of scarlet flame burning in its eye sockets, their brightness abruptly intensifying.

--Screech!

The next instant, a piercing whistle like something sharp tearing through the air rang out. Two vivid red rays shot from the Flameskull's eyes.

Pei Renli had already told them what the Flameskull was capable of when they discussed tactics earlier, so no one panicked at the sight.

Alton, running at the front, nimbly flipped forward, and the scorching ray swept beneath his feet. The other ray targeted Gary. Clad head to toe in heavy armor, he obviously could not pull off a flip, so he simply raised his shield before his face.

A string of flashes like welding sparks burst forth, and the ray left a clearly visible, straight charred mark across his kite shield.

Seeing the Flameskull attack just as expected, Pei Renli and Fandar, following behind, immediately stopped their charge. The rune Pei Renli had been weaving with his left hand was already complete, and he pointed at the skull from afar.

"Magic Missile!"

The Flameskull was rather small, so to ensure a hit, Pei Renli chose magic that came with tracking ability.

An oval force missile arced over Alton and Gary as they continued their charge, striking the Flameskull's cranium before it could make any response.

Bones weathered by who knew how many years were knocked askew by the blow. With a slight turn, its eye sockets burning with scarlet flame fixed on Pei Renli in the rear, while the green fire surrounding it crackled violently as though enraged.

Its slightly open jaw let out a soundless roar. A flame no bigger than a broad bean condensed before it and shot toward Pei Renli like an arrow.

Fireball. As expected, it was here!

Low-level undead possessed little intelligence. Driven by intense hatred for all living things, their behavior patterns were rather rigid.

Since that was the case, the Flameskull's reactions could be predicted with ease. Pei Renli wanted the Fireball aimed at himself, which was why he had deliberately fired off a Magic Missile first.

At first glance, the broad-bean-sized flame did not seem dangerous at all. Yet anyone with even the slightest sense for magic could perceive the astonishing power contained within that tiny spark.

Once cast, a Fireball was no less powerful than a mortar shell. In the hands of a powerful wizard, it could even rival a large-caliber howitzer shell.

More than enough to blow Pei Renli to pieces without a trace.

But if it could be predicted, then there was a way to deal with it.

As the flame flew toward them, Fandar raised the shield inlaid with Moradin's holy symbol in front of Pei Renli and shouted:

"Protection from Energy: Fire!"

--Boom!