Chapter 39: War of Attrition
Inside the dimly lit cave before us, there are numerous side passages to the left and right.
In each of those passages, groups of undead monsters lie in wait, ready to ambush us.
After confirming the plan, we steeled ourselves and began to advance.
I used the MP I had collected by clearing away the clay walls to create a hardened ceramic shield that was just barely manageable for one person. Behind it, everyone took aim with their bows, bending low and moving forward in two rows.
We wanted to preserve as much MP as possible, both for me and for Ves. After all, there were a lot of enemies.
As we approached a spot where there were two side passages, one on each side, I sensed the presence of enemies emerging from the one on the right.
Without waiting for Laruq's signal, I instantly created a clay wall to block that entrance.
Zombies might not have voices, but I could sense them colliding with the sudden appearance of the clay wall, pounding on it with what seemed like shouts of anger. First move advantage against projectiles was secured.
At the same time, I absorbed the shield, and the party sprinted toward the side passage on the left that was still unblocked.
A moment later, zombies started pouring out from there too.
"About 30 of them! Probably just the remaining zombies," Laruq shouted.
Alright, the enemies on this side, as Laruq's scouting indicated, don't seem to have ranged weapons. The distance is about 30 steps, right? Seven of us, including Lina, shot simultaneously. About half of them hit.
The zombies kept approaching. We fired another volley.
The four frontliners abandoned their bows and drew their swords, charging forward. Greon immediately cut down two of them. Cecily, Lina, and I also brought down the enemies in front of us.
Laruq dealt with the ones slipping through our formation with her silver dagger, Beth defended with her silver staff, and Karina chanted "Purification" from the gaps between us, eliminating them one by one.
We took care of 30 zombies in just over two minutes of engaging.
After catching our breath, we quickly moved towards the sealed side passage on the right.
Laruq carefully scouted the inside once again.
"These ones were carrying bows. They're not zombies, right? Their movements seem more human-like. Their levels are also higher."
This is where we'll have Beth use the magic she had conserved.
Seeing Beth preparing her incantation, I created a small hole in the wall. It was a size that required considerable skill to shoot an arrow through.
I cast a focused fire spell into it and sprayed shots through the hole. Twice, thrice.
"Alright, we've taken care of over half. There are about ten left deeper inside," Laruq signaled, and we once again took up our shields, bending low.
Then, I absorbed the clay wall all at once. We rushed in.
This side tunnel is dark. Unlike the walls of the main maze, it doesn't emit any light.
Just as I thought that, an arrow flew towards us. Fortunately, it didn't hit, but this is bad.
From the other side, our maze behind us should be visible as silhouettes because it's illuminated. However, from here, it's pitch black and we can't see anything.
Beth aimed without hesitation and released a fireball deeper inside. It's more of an illuminating flare than an attack.
What emerged were... skeletons? Skeleton warriors, skeletons. They're the ones holding bows.
I summoned my ceramic shield again and instructed everyone to take cover behind it. I'm using up quite a bit of MP, but avoiding risks takes priority.
Since there aren't many enemies, we'll approach while retaliating with Beth's magic. With skeletons as opponents, arrows are unlikely to hit vital areas and mostly become wasted shots.
Greon and I advanced with the large shield, while Beth reduced the number of enemies with her fireballs. Finally, we charged forward with our silver swords. We finished clearing the area in about five minutes.
However, this isn't the end yet. Judging by the length of the upper floor, we've only passed the halfway point.
"Beth, Shiro, do you still have enough MP?"
"I can still go on."
Beth answered Carina's question.
Beth seems to have quite a bit of MP. Is it because of the special effect of her silver leotard?
"I can manage a couple more times, but we still have to seal the exit on our way back, so it might be tough after that."
I honestly replied while absorbing the ceramic shield.
However, if I make Beth the shield bearer, we'll be short on attackers. There's no helping it.
"We shouldn't take unnecessary risks. We've found a method to progress, so let's limit it to a little while longer."
"If the length of the maze is the same as the upper floor, it won't be too long. We might be able to clear this floor tomorrow."
Carina made that judgment, and Larruk agreed.
After advancing for a while from there, we sensed the presence of monsters again, and two side tunnels became visible.
Once again, we sealed one and tackled them one by one.
Thanks to Carina's "Protection" skill increasing everyone's defense, the effect of the silver weapons, and most importantly, the increased power of Beth's magic, we managed to clear them with only minor scratches.
Inside the cleared side tunnel, one by one, we healed our wounds and replenished our stamina using "Healing."
Carina used the skill of a monk called "Meditation" and could rapidly restore her MP with just a short rest. Thanks to that, unless we suffer severe injuries that can't be healed by "Healing," the physical exhaustion of the entire party can be greatly alleviated.
It would be great if we had such useful skills too.
Both Beth and I are running out of MP. It seems that mages don't have skills like these.
However, when Karina said, "Let's stop here for today," and tried to return to the main passage of the labyrinth, a red dot appeared on my "map" that wasn't there before.
Laruc also seemed to notice.
"While we were attacking the side tunnel, our retreat route was blocked... There are 20 or 30 zombies. No, there are high-level ones mixed in! Be careful."
The red dot slowly approached the entrance of the side tunnel, and the silhouette became visible even to the naked eye.
Zombies, probably remnants of the initial horde. They don't seem to have any long-range weapons.
However, there was a peculiar presence within that horde.
Beth began chanting a fireball spell. But at that moment, I felt a chilling wind blowing down my spine.
"Huh?"
Beth groaned. The chant was interrupted, but it seemed that wasn't the only issue.
"I don't feel any activation response... Is my magic power being suppressed?"
Karina also seemed to have noticed something.
"This... It's 'Tranquility.'"
What does that mean?
"Magic won't work!"
Beth pleaded, sounding like she was screaming. Even simple magic doesn't seem to activate.
"There's a magic seal that priests can use. I can't use it yet, but it can seal magic. However, since it affects the entire area, the enemies shouldn't be able to use magic either."
In other words, it's a battle without magic for both allies and enemies.
"They're coming!"
At Laruc's voice, our vanguard readied their weapons and shields.
As a last resort, I tried using a clay wall.
It worked!
In front of us, a breastwork about one and a half meters tall appeared. I shaped it with irregularities to make it easier to use a bow.
"Why can Shiro do it?"
"I don't know, maybe it's because mine is a skill, not magic?"
Beth raised a question, but it's a mystery to me as well.
"Anyway, we're saved. It's a defensive battle here."
Greon and Cecily also seemed to have switched to using bows.
It's a relief that the enemy isn't a skeleton archer.
While hiding behind the breastwork, we continued to reduce the enemy with silver arrows.
However, among the zombies, higher-level ones also approached.
"Be careful, ghouls eat people!"
Beth shouted a warning.
There were numerous opponents, clinging to the breastwork. Greon, Cecily, Lina, and I switched to silver swords, striking down the ones attempting to overcome us and maintaining the defensive line.
There's another strong presence behind!
"That's what's sealing the magic!"
"They also have bows!"
It's not a skeleton. Its appearance resembles a ghoul, but it's slightly larger.
A powerful arrow struck the wall intensely. Two shots, three shots, accurate. They're using both magic and bows. We also tightly concealed ourselves against the wall, as several ghouls started to climb over it. This is bad.
At that moment, an arrow pierced into the Undead Lord's body.
It was Larouk. She fired a precise shot while concealing her presence.
However, although the opponent struggled, it didn't seem to be a fatal blow. They even pulled the arrow out with their own hand.
I'm not sure if undead beings have life force, but being of a high level, they're persistent.
However, thanks to the valuable time bought by Larouk, we managed to deal with the ones attempting to climb over the wall and restored our defensive line.
The number of opponents also decreased.
And then,
"Beth, now you should be able to use your spells!"
"Yes!"
With the Undead Lord wounded, it seems the effect of "Tranquility" was interrupted.
Beth swept away the remaining ghouls and zombies with her band of flames!
The Undead Lord is still holding on, but they no longer have the strength to string arrows on their bow.
Greon and I leaped over the breastwork. The silhouette that was visible before became clear. A pitch-black armor and helm with a blood-red cloak. The rusty longsword stopped Greon's blade that had struck first.
A moment late, I struck a horizontal flash into the opened flank.
At that instant, a repulsive smell, like steam or miasma, filled the air, and there was a sensation as if the tangible feeling was escaping from inside the armor and helm.
With a clattering sound, the helm fell to the ground, and the contents of the Undead Lord disappeared.
The party members who had finished off the ghouls also rushed over.
Looking around, the corpses of the undead hardly retained any shape. They had become nothing more than tattered cloth, shoddy armor, and rusty daggers they held in their hands, essentially just equipment.
Rather than purifying them, they vanish without the need for purification. In fact, defeating them with silver swords and fire magic may be an act of purifying the remains.
It seems they don't leave behind magic stones, and the undead are peculiar among magical creatures.
Sitting down exhausted due to running out of MP, I pondered such things.