RD | Chapter 74

Thunk!

The arrow struck its target dead center. The fish head shattered into pieces, scattering foul-smelling fragments everywhere.

Leaving behind the collapsed skeleton, Ian nocked another arrow and set his sights on the next target. He pulled the bowstring taut, focused on his aim, and held his breath. The tension in the bowstring vibrated in his grip. Slowing his heartbeat to the bare minimum, Ian released the arrow.

Crack-!

The sound of bones crushing echoed as the skeleton’s pelvis shattered. Its upper and lower halves separated, leaving it unable to advance any further.

Normally, skeletons—sturdy monsters—didn’t pair well against arrows. But when those arrows were imbued with high-level <Purification>, the tables turned. It wasn’t the arrow that had a disadvantage; it was the skeleton.

“That’s done.”

Ian felt like he was adjusting well to his real-world aim. But at this rate, it wouldn’t take long for the skeleton army to surround him and gnaw him down to the bone.

Ding!

[Skill]
Archery

Ian checked his skill window. Although the character “Ian” wasn’t particularly remarkable, his starting skill—archery—was exceptional.

And at level 4, archery unlocked a vital feature.

[Skill]
Archery LV.4
Shoot arrows to hit your target.

Rapid Fire LV.4
Allows shooting arrows in rapid succession.

The description was simple, but the effect was powerful.

Archers didn’t have the wide-area attacks of mages or the tanking capability of warriors. Instead, their strength lay in guerrilla tactics and long-range precision.

Ian began backpedaling, shooting arrows as he moved. The <Purification> aim assist wasn’t perfect; it didn’t magically make an arrow hit an impossible target. It simply offered minor adjustments.

The same applied to the aim assist from <Archery>.

But Ian was a seasoned player of this game. If the direction and power were correct, the arrow would hit its mark.

And his arrows, fired by instinct, rarely missed.

That was good enough.

The rest? The skill’s auto-adjustments would handle that.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Crack!

With the final arrow, the pursuing skeleton horde crumbled en masse.

“It works!”

Ian smiled. One of his goals in coming here was to objectively assess his own abilities.

The <Reverse Dungeon> was essentially a defense game. Even against the Demon King, the rules of a defense game applied.

The player had to defeat the Demon King before his army overran the dungeon.

This meant players could choose to either build a character powerful enough to swiftly kill the Demon King, fortify the dungeon defenses to the point of being impenetrable, or find a balance between the two approaches.

Ian had already formed a plan in his mind.

“I’ll train Keith to face the Demon King, while I focus on holding the defense in the dungeon.”

To do this, he needed to bolster the dungeon’s overall strength. And the easiest way to do that was to increase the stats of the dungeon’s sole resident—himself.

That’s why Ian and Keith needed to work together on this journey.

After all, the simplest way to level up quickly has always been to get carried.

Ian planned to funnel all the experience points he gained directly into his own stats.

“I can’t control the others.”

Ian wasn’t the type to trust what he couldn’t directly oversee. Life had taught him that much. In this world, without backing, even the deeds you did could be undone, while deeds you didn’t do could be pinned on you.

The only thing Ian trusted was himself.

And, of course, tangible things like Keith’s absurdly brilliant stats.

“Five necromancers spotted.”

Keith’s voice broke Ian’s focus. Standing atop the volcano, Keith had made short work of every skeleton in his path and now stood at the summit. The gleaming white of his armor was blinding against the ash-covered landscape.

‘He might actually kill the Demon King.’

Ian watched him in a daze.

Keith wasn’t designed to be a growth-type character. He was more like a fully-developed hero, created to explore this bleak world with minimal difficulty.

That’s when Ian noticed something strange.

“Five?”

“One is missing.”

“Missing?”

Keith’s mindset treated all evil entities as subhuman, and apparently as mere “things.” In fairness, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Ian wasn’t worried.

“It’s fine. We’ll find it. Search again, carefully this time.”

“Understood. But Lord Ian, I have excellent vision.”

“…?”

What was he even saying?

“Uh… congratulations?”

“That’s not what I meant… If I can’t see it, it likely isn’t nearby. Could the necromancer be hiding elsewhere?”

“No. It’s definitely around here. I’m certain.”

Game logic dictated it.

“I’ll search more thoroughly.” Keith pressed his lips together.

He decapitated a skeleton with his sword, sending its head flying twenty meters away. However, as soon as it landed, the skull reattached itself to a nearby body.

The skeletons Ian had just defeated began to rise again, wobbling to their feet. Their numbers were no longer just dozens—they were approaching hundreds. A hellish sight.

“Necromancy!”

He knew they would regenerate, but this was excessive.

“Is this grind really worth it?”

For a moment, Ian doubted himself. It was clear this plan wasn’t great for his mental health.

“There are too many skeletons. If the necromancer is hiding among them, I may not find it.”

“Then thin them out!”

“I’m doing my best.”

“Can’t you try harder?!”

“It’s too much. Shall I eliminate two necromancers?”

Ian hesitated. To him, Keith’s words sounded like, “Should I throw away one-third of the experience points?”

There wasn’t much time to think. Skeletons regenerated beneath Ian, grabbing at his ankles. He fired an arrow, blasting one of their hands to pieces.

“Do it.”

Ian’s voice trembled as he made the decision, feeling as though he was carving off his own flesh.

‘Was going after just two necromancers too greedy?’

Maybe. But Ian had soloed with just “Ian” before. Sure, it was late-game, but still…

Before Ian could finish his thought, Keith vanished. Ian blinked. Then, a piercing scream echoed from the cluster of skeletons.

“A necromancer!” It was unmistakable. The scream of a necromancer. Ian’s instincts told him so.

The corrupt magician didn’t go down quietly. The surrounding skeletons collapsed momentarily, then merged into a massive figure—a dinosaur-like giant skeleton lunging at Keith.

Ian was about to shout, “Don’t engage!” Fighting necromancer creations was a bottomless pit.

But Keith didn’t need advice. He seemed more experienced in dealing with monsters than Ian himself.

Dodging the enormous skeleton, Keith rolled to his feet and sprinted toward the necromancer. The distance between them closed like folded paper. Ian couldn’t fathom how a human could move like that.

By the time Keith unsheathed his sword, neither Ian nor the necromancer saw it coming.

Crash!

The necromancer’s robe fluttered as it was impaled. It sagged lifelessly, spilling no blood. Instead, a foul-smelling black liquid dripped from Keith’s sword, exuding thick dark energy.

Ding!
[You have defeated the Necromancer of Hatred: Kolos!]

The remaining skeletons near Ian crumbled instantly, scattering bones and flesh into ash. Dust rose in waves, making Ian cough as he covered his face.

Ding!
[You have defeated the Necromancer of Regret: Moritif!]

‘This guy is insane.’

Ian squinted, trying to process the situation. Amidst the swirling dust and ash of the ancient tomb, Keith stood tall, looking completely unharmed.

‘Did I even need to come here?’

Maybe Keith could handle the Demon King alone. Did Ian even need to bother with the dungeon defense plan? If Keith walked into the Demon King’s castle, the fight would probably be over in an hour.

Ian had forgotten how absurdly strong Keith was. It had been so long since he played Keith’s route that he’d underestimated him. Seeing it now in real life, Ian could only gape in awe.

“Are you alright, Lord Ian?” Keith approached.

‘Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?’

Keith, of course, looked completely fine.

Ian stared at him blankly, a shiver running down his spine. Then he noticed something odd.

“…The ground is shaking.”

“I feel it too. Is it volcanic activity? Though I’m not sure we should even call that a volcano.” Keith’s voice was cautious.

‘No, it’s not volcanic activity. That thing is a temperamental bomb for Kyarakus’s fits of rage.’ Ian thought grimly.

But there was no reason for Kyarakus to act up now. Four necromancers were still alive, weren’t they? They wouldn’t be foolish enough to awaken him…

And yet, they had been.

A piercing noise split the air.

Beeeeeeeeep!

Above them, the black clouds twisted and writhed. It was the signal of a powerful monster’s arrival.

Ian’s ears were filled with an endless murmuring.

“What is this…?!” Keith’s reaction suggested he could hear it too. He clutched his ears in pain.

The whispers, the incantations.

Ian knew what this effect meant.

“The Kyarakus release event!” Why now? There was no time to think.

“It’s going to blow! Run!” Ian shouted.

At that moment, Keith scooped him up.

Behind them, the volcano erupted.

Boom! Rumble…!