Due to inadvertently destroying one of the security golems, we had been perceived as a threat to the entire underground city. As a result, a legion of security golems was headed our way… or so I thought.
“…Is this it?”
That was my genuine reaction. What stood before us were sixteen security golems of the α type. While their numbers weren’t insignificant, they seemed rather feeble compared to the horde of harpies that had filled our field of vision earlier.
It appeared that everyone shared the same sentiment, as no one displayed signs of nervousness or fear. In fact, they seemed just as underwhelmed as I was.
“””””Starting with elimination.”””””
“Whoa, magic circle activation, Holy Shield.”
Unlike the first one, the sixteen newcomers opened fire without any hesitation. It was only natural since they had come to eliminate us monsters. Just as before, I deployed the Holy Shield without delay.
The density of bullets had significantly increased as the number of gun barrels aimed by the golems multiplied. Sadly, since they were mass-produced, that meant that their armaments were identical, and I had already confirmed that they couldn’t breach my defensive magic at this level.
As the six α-type security golems simultaneously opened fire, my Holy Shield deflected all of their shots. It might sound odd coming from the one on the defense, but I couldn’t help but pity the futility of their efforts.
“Karl, charge in! Everyone except Iris, use Karl as a shield and push forward!”
“Gruoooo!”
“Here we go!”
“Got it!”
“Okay!”
“Iris, attack from behind me and the shield!”
“Yes!”
Everyone promptly sprung into action at my command. We were well-practiced in this routine.
Behind Karl, who had soared over my Holy Shield, Jigoro and Genjuro emerged from both sides, taking cover and charging in. Oh? Where’s Ruby… Ah, she’s craftily latched onto Genjuro’s shoulder without me noticing. Quite efficient.
Iris extended her tentacles toward the golems from behind the Holy Shield. While she couldn’t outright crush them, she could certainly immobilize them.
“Gruooaah!”
“Yah!”
“Hmph!”
Karl, Jigoro, and Genjuro, the trio of brawlers, destroyed the golems one by one with fierce spirit. Karl’s claws, Jigoro’s fists, and Genjuro’s blade mercilessly sent the golems flying. It was quite a spectacle.
I had suspected this since the moment Karl easily shattered the first one, but these golems were indeed feeble, as one would expect from mass-produced models. They were nothing more than cannon fodder for us.
In terms of monster equivalents, they probably had the combat prowess of around level 20 or so. Is that really enough to eliminate us, especially when we have three members with levels exceeding 40?
“It’s wide open!”
Ruby silently approached the base of a golem’s armor, a short blade poised at a spot where the armor had peeled away. With a swift thrust, she pierced the vulnerable point. The golem whose insides were gouged out fell down silently. Compared to the maniac duo and the one beast, her approach might have seemed unassuming, but it was a sleek and skillful way of fighting. Her assassin-like skills were shining through.
“I want to minimize the destruction as much as possible… Crescent Magic Circle Activation, Sandwind.”
I used the spell of Sandwind to generate a wind imbued with sand. If the golems had been in perfect condition, it would have merely scratched their armor. However, with their insides exposed, it was a different story.
Gagigi…!
Thud!
It’s a well-known fact that foreign particles like sand can lead to malfunctions and operational issues in precision machinery. It seemed that these golems were no exception. Although it was unclear what exactly happened, the three golems I attacked became immobile due to the sand grains that had infiltrated their interiors.
“Alright, it worked like a charm.”
I successfully incapacitated the golems as planned without inflicting any unnecessary damage. Fufufu, I’ve got a great sample here. I’ll have Iris break it down and analyze it later. Maybe we can even create a new golem with our own hands. I can’t help but look forward to it!
“Wait! Something’s coming from behind!”
As I chuckled to myself, Ruby’s sharp voice pierced through the air. At the same moment, the cover of a ventilation shaft on the ceiling behind me made a noise as it came loose. From within, something resembling a circular drone emerged!
Kweeeeen!
The sides of the drone were equipped with multiple sharp blades, and it transformed into a flying circular saw, hurtling towards us with rapid rotation. There were four of them, to be exact.
“Tch! Flying Slash!”
“Eiiy! Ahh, it dodged me!”
Iris and I hastily turned around, attempting to intercept the drones with my scythe and her hammer. However, we were outnumbered. While we managed to shoot down three of them, the last one slipped through our attacks and closed in.
If that one got any closer, I’d be left with limited options for resistance. My only weapon was a scythe, which was definitely not designed for defense. While I had become somewhat proficient at parrying attacks from humanoid foes, my success rate against enemies like this was low. At this rate, I would undoubtedly suffer significant damage…. Or at least, that’s how it used to be.
“Sooner than planned, but let’s unveil it!”
I made my robes flutter and extended something from within to pierce the drone. It seemed to have worked well, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“…Huh? A tail?”
As Iris muttered, her tentacles stiffened as if she was shocked. Indeed, what I had added before evolving was a tail, one with a skull-tipped end that held something resembling a spearhead in the tip of its mouth. The inspiration came from Karl and the Tarasque.
The tail I had grown from my tailbone was about five meters long; it was constructed entirely of bone except for the tip. Until now, no one had noticed the tail’s existence because I had coiled it like an extension cord, hiding it from my abdominal to chest area. I couldn’t help but commend my past self for not filling the space inside my ribs when I increased the number of bones during my previous evolution!
And what I had attached to the tip was a modification of the spikes and shell of the Tarasque. By using alchemy to fuse the Tarasque’s shell with my bones, I shaped it to match the structure of my skull. To complete it, all that was left was to insert a spike from the tarasque into the skull’s mouth.
The spikes of the Tarasque were quite large, and using them as they were would have resulted in a severe imbalance. However, there was no need to worry. In fact, the spikes of the Tarasque consisted of multiple layers, much like an onion, and I had only used the hardest part that was revealed once all the layers were peeled away. The result of my appraisal was as follows:
――――――――――
- Tarraqsue Spike Core – Quality: Superior, Rarity: T (Treasure)
This is the core part of the spikes generated by the Tarraqsue monster. It is exceptionally hard and possesses regenerative capabilities. As long as this core exists, the Tarasque can generate spikes repeatedly.
It can release deadly poison and flames by infusing it with magic. Additionally, it can generate layers of spikes.
It is famous as an extremely excellent spearhead but is extremely rare in circulation.
――――――――――
This spike core had already been crafted into a spear for Genjuro by Iris, and it was from there that I learned of its existence, establishing my decision to use it for my tail. While it would have been necessary to meticulously peel away each layer of spikes, I found the task surprisingly easy because I could use alchemy to handle most of the troublesome parts.
In any case, I had created a tail that could wield deadly poison and flames, and I could even extend the spikes themselves. With this, I could make moves even when all my limbs were occupied, and I could use it for surprise attacks by keeping it hidden, just like I did just now!
What? You think the skull part is unnecessary? Well, that’s part of the charm, isn’t it? By the way, I tried embedding a fire-element magic stone in the eye sockets of the skull, and now the tail could glow red. Well, it didn’t serve any real purpose.
However, I only found out later that when I used the [Eyes of Death and Chaos] skill, my eye sockets would apparently emit a red glow. It seemed they had coincidentally matched the same color.
“Well, I guess I have [Tail Strike] to thank for my somewhat intuitive understanding of how to move this thing. It seems like it was the right answer to learn the skill.”
The skill that allowed me to make the most of this tail was [Tail Strike], which I acquired by spending 4 SP. Thanks to this skill, I could benefit from the system’s assistance. Without it, hitting a moving target in a live situation with my new tail would have been impossible.
“Brother just keeps getting weirder and weirder…”
“Grew a tail, huh… I was almost expecting you to grow extra arms next.”
“It’s not cute at all… even though it’s a tail…it’s not fluffy…”
“It’s, it’s cool! Like a scorpion’s tail!”
After the others had finished incapacitating the other golems, they had plenty to say about my new weapon. As usual, Iris was the only one who praised it. But the comment about it being like a scorpion’s tail was quite clever.
“Grrrrrr♪”
Karl returned, carrying a golem in his mouth, and in high spirits, he wrapped his tail around mine. He was the only one who had witnessed my evolution, so he was aware of the tail’s existence. Naturally, he came to play with it.
“W-Whoa, Careful, Karl! You might break it!”
However, there was a significant difference in size and thickness between my tail and Karl’s. Furthermore, even though I used dragon bones for my tail, it was still just bones in the end, and its power and durability couldn’t compare to that of a real dragon. As Karl’s powerful tail playfully tugged at mine, my tail began to make a creaking sound.
“Grrrr…”
Karl reluctantly eased the strength of his tail. I felt sorry for him, but it was disheartening to have my newly acquired organ potentially damaged so soon.
“You’ve added something new; so you’ve evolved, huh, brother?”
“Yeah, I’ve become a ‘Chaos Abyss Dragonbone High Lich’.”
“Chaos… where is Isam heading with this?”
“I have no idea, really. As for my new job, it’s a priest-type called “Apostle of Death and Chaos”. That’s why I can use healing magic now. You can leave healing to me from now on.”
The moment they heard about my new job, everyone gasped in surprise. Yeah, I get it. It’s quite a shocking job with that name.
“P-Priest-type…!?”
“Even though you’re a skeleton!?”
“It doesn’t really suit you…”
Oh, really!… Now that you mention it, I guess a skeleton priest doesn’t seem like the best fit! It’s more like ‘fallen’ or ‘undead’ would be a more appropriate description, right?
“Huh? You all didn’t know? The emblem of Lady Yifa, the Goddess of Death and Chaos, is the ‘skull and vortex’. So, there’s nothing strange about it.”
“”””eh?””””
“Guru?”
Iris said it as if it were common knowledge, but it was the first time I heard such a story. The other three had the same reaction as me. Oh, Karl simply had no idea what we were talking about.
“…Leaving the other three aside, did Isam not know about this either?”
“No, I had no clue. Could you explain it?”
“Of course. You see…”
According to Iris’s explanation, each of the twelve goddesses in FSW had a symbol or emblem called a holy seal. The holy seal of Lady Yif, the Goddess of Death and Chaos, who bestowed her blessing upon me, was the “skull and vortex” So, it seemed that even as a skeleton, I was not an inappropriate choice to be an apostle of a goddess.
“I thought I was pretty active on the bulletin boards, but I don’t remember seeing that information.”
“It’s in the world-building explanation on the official website, you know?”
“Oh, that completely slipped my mind!”
I mostly skimmed through the official website, except for loading the initial list of selectable monsters…It’s ironic that I usually read manuals cover to cover, but I missed this crucial detail.
“Anyway, now that we have other means of healing besides potions, we can embark on more stable adventures.”
“Oh, that sounds great!”
“But are you sure it’s okay? Wasn’t it against your principles to choose a job other than mage?”
Genjuro’s observation was valid. In fact, I had hesitated for a brief moment due to that very consideration. However, I had absolutely no regrets about making this choice.
“I’ve always thought we needed someone who could use healing magic, so it worked out perfectly. Besides, sooner or later, I would have ventured into a priest-like job to learn healing magic, so this just expedited the process.”
Indeed, it was undeniable that I would eventually explore priest-like jobs to use healing magic. It simply happened a bit sooner than expected. Therefore, there was really no need to worry.
“…That’s true. In that case, it’s all good.”
“But more importantly, what’s healing magic like? I’m curious!”
“Oh, what I’ve acquired is a skill called [Soul Magic]…”
And so, at Ruby’s persistent request, I took advantage of our break to explain the [Soul Magic] skill to everyone.
Leave a Reply