'It died?!'
That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
It...literally exploded.
Into tiny pieces.
That...can't be right, can it?
How weak are skeletons if they shatter like that?!
"Skeletons are level 8, Master!"
A skeleton reaches out for me and I reflexively spin the club and counter it.
Its entire arm shatters into a spray of splinters.
The undead warrior recoils back, stumbling, and I sweep it off its feet with a low kick and a push to the torso. It collapses against the nearest wall, sending more bones flying.
The one coming for me from behind rushes up, attempting to stab me, but I bend around and take the tip of its weapon right in the back.
The thin blade breaks through my clothing and pokes at my skin.
The blade is, apparently, so dull, that it just scrapes by me harmlessly.
"Wh-what?!"
I quickly deal with the attacking skeleton.
These are definitely weak!
I'm not even sure these are dangerous to regular people, let alone any other kind of adventurer.
I'm just using a torch and nothing else and they're not even managing to hurt me. It's kind of pathetic.
I shove the one before me back with the butt of the torch I'm carrying, sending it reeling back into the mob. It bumps into the ones behind it and they fall like a bowling pin strike.
In just a few minutes I manage to utterly demolish the entire group.
That was...
Surprisingly easy.
I glance back at the others. "It really wasn't-"
The expression of abject terror on Elara's face cuts me off.
"...What is it?"
She and Arin both shake their heads, wordlessly, and she swallows nervously. "...It's nothing. It's just...nevermind."
She casts a furtive look at Kael, who nods subtly.
It doesn't seem to be 'nothing' to them, but I'm not about to press it.
"I've never seen anyone defeat that many at once..." Elara finally finds her voice and looks at me.
The blond girl laughs awkwardly.
That's...
"Like I was trying to say. They're really weak." I shrug. "This is just a c rank mission, right?"
She nods mutely.
"There you go then."
Elara blinks several times, and then shakes her head. "...W-we should keep moving. Come on!"
I sigh and toss my makeshift club on the floor, picking up the sword from some of the destroyed enemies instead.
Might as well try it.
Can't gain skill without practice, after all.
For a moment or two, I consider picking up a spear as well, to practice dual wielding.
But no.
No cheese tactics.
I almost pass over the shield, too, but -
Eh.
I can take it with, just in case.
Normally I hate shields, but what am I going to do if there's an unexpected arrow trap or something like that? I don't have the agility just et to be dodging that kind of thing.
Maybe after I get some armor.
I'm almost tempted to ask the system helper if there's a way to open my UI and look.
Almost.
But I'm fine with a minimalist UI.
Or no UI at all.
I can learn my way around the mechanics eventually on my own.
Besides.
I don't want to make it too easy.
I have to succeed through my own ability.
The sword has a strange heft in my hand. It's unfamiliar to me.
But...I find I quite enjoy it.
It feels like it belongs there.
A small thrill runs up my spine as I get used to the feeling, and I grip the hilt tighter.
I can get used to this.
I can get very, very used to this.
With these three following me, we resume our slow progression into the caves, careful not to set off any more traps.
But these traps are pitifully easy.
It's laughable how little challenge there is, honestly.
It would be, anyway.
If System Helper didn't always tell me about them before I can even try to look for them.
"It's Cissy! Master, I have a cute name~!"
'...Yeah. Whatever. Don't talk to me.'
She huffs and sulks.
I can't see her.
But I know she's sulking.
We make our way slowly down the narrowing cave pathway, following the curve of the rocky walls as they twist and turn.
This place is...
Well.
Creepy.
But that's to be expected. Even a beginner dungeon - or cave - is creepy by design.
Arin in particular always looks pale and a bit queasy every time I look over at him.
It's almost amusing.
He doesn't really fit the image of an adventurer type, with those glasses and that worried look, but maybe that's also to be expected.
He's part of the escort team for the first mission, after all. There's only two options for such: the hyper competent carries who trivialize the fights until we get to some scripted boss fight, and the useless drags that waste time and effort to force you to keep them alive.
I suspect they're the latter.
Especially given the way Elara's been acting since our encounter with those low-level skeletons.
I don't know what it is about her, but she's just acting shaken, even now.
Maybe next time she can actually try to fight them too and she'll see what I've been saying is true.
Or maybe she'll get hurt.
Somehow.
I guess it's possible.
But...
She can use healing magic even if she is hurt, can't she?
"Incorrect, master. Arin is the healing mage! Elara is a fire mage and incapable of performing healing magic because she cannot use light element spells!"
'That's dumb. People are only capable of using certain elements of magic?'
"Yes, Master! Everyone is born with different aptitudes or none at all. But don't worry, you have all the elements already mastered!"
What???
Why?!
'Why do I have the elemental magic of every magic user class?'
"It's because you possess the Elemental Mastery perk!"
Elemental...mastery...
That's so overpowered!
'Why do I have the Elemental Mastery perk??'
Perks are supposed to be unlocked.
Or at least chosen at the outset.
Which-
I specifically didn't choose any perks because they were all broken crap like that!
"You were given the Ultimate Blessing, Master!"
Before I can ask what the hell that means, the wall busts down in front of us.
It's just more skeletons for me to smash, but.
Still, I can't berate or interrogate a voice in my head while I'm trying to fight an undead hoard.
I glance to the others with me. I'm a soloist, so it doesn't really matter to me if they join in, but I can't help checking on them anyway, just out of curiosity.
Kael immediately draws a pair of daggers from his belt, the blades glinting in the glow of the magical flame Elara conjures with her fire.
He looks confident and at ease as he strikes out at one of the approaching creatures.
When he strikes, the skeleton parries him with surprising alacrity.
That's a lot faster than the skeletons I faced.
Well. I guess it's deeper in the dungeon now.
One of the skeletons comes at me, but...
This one is considerably more sluggish than the one fighting Kael.
I deflect the attack easily, shoving the creature back with my sword.
Another raises a curved axe, bringing it down over me in a deadly arc, and I sidestep it neatly, reaching up and grabbing the blunt end as it sails by my ear, turning it aside.
It's actually easier than I'd have expected to pull that off.
Maybe this is the effect of being in a video game world. When I try to do something the technique activates, or something.
The skeleton pauses, momentarily thrown off balance.
I seize the opportunity to smack it in the spine with my sword hilt, breaking the old bones of the body, and then a solid strike to the legs topples it.
Man, this is actually kind of fun.
Mindless fun.
But fun.
A gout of flame flies by my face and singes a skeleton.
And now that I think about it...
Yeah, I can't expect fire to do much to skeletons.
"They're immune to fire, Master!"
Yeah, thanks for telling me right this second.
Not that it matters. We can just beat them to death with clubs, after all. I still haven't come close to being injured.
Kael slices through the neck of a skeleton and the monster collapses to the floor in a heap.
At the same time, another one grabs Elara's hair and jerks her backwards, wrenching her out of the fight.
I wince a little in sympathy - that's going to be painful - but she's probably not in much danger anyway.
As predicted - kind of - Kael immediately spins around and takes down the skeleton attacking her.
Elara picks up her sword, still holding up a hand, which burns with flames. "Th-thank you...! I..."
"Later. For now, we fight." The black-haired man responds tersely.
Elara nods and readies her sword.
I ready my weapon.
These undead creatures...
They're almost too easy to kill.
But I guess we all have to start somewhere.