1-Second Invincible Player in the Game

113. Undead (2)

The resurrection of the undead begins at the place where life met its end.

Thus, within the fortress, nearly all were humanoid undead.

The fallen within were primarily soldiers and knights, a grim testament to their last stand.

In contrast, the outskirts were rife with monstrous undead.

Their bulk rendered them incapable of passing through the narrow entrance, and before conquest, this land had been the domain of beasts.

Swish!

Limberton pierced the brow of a knightly undead with an arrow, then turned to me.

“Is Shulape’s crown safe?”

“No need for concern. You know well. These are seasoned warriors in the defense against beasts, and they know how to safeguard their own lives.”

—

Just as one could manipulate the barrier within the stronghold at will, such devices were also set within the dormitory.

By now, Atra must have deemed it an emergency and completed her preparations.

For the moment, it was time to worry only about ourselves.

Sila and Leana took the lead.

Sila swung her sword, severing the heads of the foes, while Leana thrust her blade at those targeting Sila’s flank.

Thud!

Limberton drew his bow from the rear.

From the way he pulled the string just halfway, it seemed he was conserving his strength.

Swish!

Asley grappled with the undead approaching from behind, slamming them to the ground, while Belman intermittently flickered the barrier magic on and off, granting them a brief respite.

At the heart of the chaos stood Rix, his focus unwavering on the manifestation magic.

The remaining forces shielded him with their bodies, ensuring he would not be disturbed.

Once the corridor was somewhat cleared, Belman spoke.

“Just in case, I’ll mention it. The armory is on the second floor.”

Shulape, unfamiliar with the terrain, offered this consideration.

And it was also a warning.

“Even now, undead continue to pour in from the entrance. Among them, there may be resurrected monstrosities. The drain on our stamina will be greater than before. Rix, do you have enough mana?”

Rix forced a smile.

The sweat trickling down his forehead and his slightly sagging shoulders betrayed his exhaustion.

“I can maintain it for about another 40 minutes.”

Manifestation magic demands a great deal of mana.

It mimics not only the form but also the weight, making it only natural that such a feat requires substantial energy.

It’s likely that the blessing he received, which increased his mana capacity, was for this very reason.

“Hursel, I’ll return the staff to you as soon as we reach the armory.”

Thanks to the staff I had lent him, he had gained an additional 15 minutes of duration.

A magical staff amplifies the power of spells and enhances their accuracy, reducing wasted mana.

I chuckled softly, easing my worries.

“At this pace, we should reach the second floor in under 30 minutes.”

Starting off with a real weapon rather than a mere illusion felt almost like cheating.

Limberton’s bow was one such weapon, as was the magic sword gripped tightly in my hand.

The original challenge at the beginning of the scenario was to navigate the threshold without a proper weapon.

“More than that, I’m starting to tire here.”

Sila wiped the sweat from her brow, having swept through the corridor.

Though Leana, who was paired with her, still brimmed with energy, it felt wrong to keep relying on her.

Upon reaching the entrance of the descending stairs, Belman pointed at Riamon and Erucel.

“This time, it’s your turn to take the lead.”

As Leana and Sila presented the swords conjured by their shaping magic, Riamon grimaced.

“I prefer a greatsword, you know.”

“Ahem, I too would rather wield something a bit larger than this.”

Erucel discreetly observed Riks’s weary face.

Sila, catching on to the hint for a new weapon, snapped.

“Ugh, I’m already on edge as it is, do you have to be so picky?”

In that moment, heavy footsteps echoed from the bottom of the stairs.

Asley glanced at me, sensing the shift in the air.

It seemed he had an inkling that it was time for him to step up.

“Boss.”

“You don’t need my approval. Whatever judgment you make, I won’t interfere. That goes for you too, Asley.”

Asley nodded and approached Riamon and the bewildered Erucel.

“I’ll handle this.”

He passed by Riamon and the slack-jawed Erucel, keeping his gaze fixed on the bottom of the stairs.

“Wait, what are you saying without a weapon? Truly, the intellect of a barbarian seems to be on par with that of a beast!”

As Erucel babbled nonsense, I kicked him sharply in the shins.

“Ow!”

“Enough chatter, leave it to Asley.”

As Erucel hastily averted his gaze, I scoffed.

Could it really be a disadvantage to be unarmed?

Perhaps, but in the narrow passage, the reach of a long sword or spear was constrained by the walls.

On the other hand, Asley’s weapon was the art of close combat, wielded by hand.

Among us, there was no one who could fight as well as Asley on these stairs.

Crrrraaak—

Hearing the sound, the undead swarmed like a horde of zombies.

Asley’s massive hand seized the head of the nearest undead.

With a crunch, the skull shattered under his grip.

Then, a soldier undead thrust his spear diagonally.

Asley twisted his body and deftly evaded.

With a swift motion, he yanked the spear, pulling the soldier undead toward him.

The creature, caught off guard, stumbled forward as if yanked by an unseen force.

Asley grasped its neck with his right hand and slammed it against the wall.

Bang!

The armor, inherently fragile, crumpled like aluminum foil.

With another brutal impact against the wall, its insides burst, black blood splattering.

Thud!

Having cleared the space, Asley descended the stairs, stepping with purpose.

At a glance, one might think he could stumble, but he did not falter.

For Asley, who had lived amidst the wilds, the stairs were merely flat compared to the steep terrain littered with sharp stones.

What he had learned from his instructor was not mere sparring techniques, but practical combat that took the terrain into account.

Thud!

Even as Asley took a large stride, he balanced his weight on one foot.

An enemy swung his sword, aiming for his neck.

Whoosh—

Asley ducked smoothly, as if flowing with the water.

His movement resembled that of an infighter boxer, weaving into the enemy’s embrace.

Though he had not learned striking techniques from his instructor, he had picked up the skill of slipping in with his footwork.

Clang.

Asley approached the undead, lifting its armor and slamming it down, breaking the arm of the one who struck vertically, throwing it aside.

Crunch!

In the narrow space, his immense strength stained the area with black blood with just small movements.

As Asley swiftly cleared the area and stepped onto the landing, he caught sight of a large knight undead, matching his own bulk, ascending toward him.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He drew forth the mace, a club like a goblin’s weapon, strapped to his back, and approached Asley.

Vroom!

The brute aimed to strike Asley’s head with the mace.

Asley seized the weapon with both hands.

Thud!

The creature yanked at the captured mace, but it did not budge an inch.

Victorious in the struggle of strength, Asley released the mace and bent low, slipping past the creature’s side.

In an instant, Asley, now behind him, wrapped his arms around the creature’s waist.

Gotcha!

The heavy form of the undead knight was lifted.

And then came Asley’s follow-up.

A splendid suplex.

Bang──

With a force that cracked the landing, the undead’s head burst apart.

As everyone watched the scene in stunned silence, Asley rose from his place and spoke.

“I’ll tidy up down below.”

He turned and descended the side stairs.

As the sound of the undead being crushed echoed on, Riamon asked me, his voice laced with intrigue.

“That fellow, he’s no ordinary fighter. Who do you think would win if he and I were to clash?”

A light smile crept onto my lips.

On the first day of school, it had been difficult to even place Asley in the same league as Riamon.

“You’d win.”

Yet, if I lent just a bit of assistance, he could catch up.

Asley’s only weakness, if only he could mutate that cursed trait.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy, and achieving the rather tricky conditions was a tale for another time.

“Not yet, though.”

Riamon’s lips curled in a smirk.

“I suppose I’ll have to work hard at this, then?”

It was music to my ears.

His growth would bring me good fortune as well.

* * *

Crack!

The journey from the fifth floor to the second was swift.

Each time we reached the entrance of the new staircase, the undead lurking in the corridor lunged at us, but they were swiftly dispatched by Riamon and Eruzel.

Even I, who had been watching leisurely, began to draw my sword.

Swoosh—

The corridor on the second floor, where the armory lay.

This was the level where the undead appeared in greater numbers than before.

No matter how many we cut down, the undead that had entered the stronghold continued to fill the gaps through the three staircases: right, center, and left.

Clatter!

As expected, the corridor was packed with undead, like a highway choked with cars on a holiday.

Riamon and Eruzel, wielding their swords, took the lead and swung their blades with great force.

I too ignited my mana blade, surrendering my body to Donathan as I thrust my sword forward.

Swish!

The cutting power was extraordinary, almost giving the illusion of slicing through air alone.

I had to see with my own eyes that I had struck the undead.

As I repeated the act of severing necks and cleaving shoulders dozens of times, black blood began to splatter across the floor.

Swish!

With each undead that fell, the space we secured only grew.

Now it was Belman’s turn to shine.

As expected, he moved just as I hoped.

“We’ll need a moment to devise a strategy.”

Belman cast a barrier spell, completely blocking the central staircase so the creatures could not ascend.

The left and right corridors were sealed off in the same manner.

He fortified the entire area like a fireproof metal shutter.

The undead surged from three directions, pounding against the barrier with a resounding thud.

“Ugh… if it weren’t for the barrier, we’d all be dead by now,” Limberton remarked.

He was right.

Even if the main characters were gathered together, we were still without proper weapons.

If we were surrounded by those creatures here, it would only be a matter of time before death claimed us.

The relentless onslaught of the undead was nothing short of terror.

“But why is it that there’s not a single soul around? It’s still before curfew; you’d think a few would be visible…”

As Rix voiced his confusion, Erusell nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. Most professors are in the faculty building at this hour, but there are those who wander about.”

This was no time to be idly worrying about others.

Even now, Belman’s magic was rapidly depleting.

I couldn’t help but chide him.

“Is there really time to be so leisurely?”

The first task was to gather equipment from the armory.

The second-floor corridor was the place to sprint with all our might.

Ever since Belman had cast the barrier, a time limit of fifteen minutes had been imposed.

It was originally a highly complex spell, and he had magnified it without a wand.

As if that weren’t enough, the undead were constantly battering against it, making a short duration inevitable.

Of course, I knew the quickest way to resolve it, but this was also an opportunity for them to grow.

It was necessary to observe a little longer.

The first to speak up was Shila.

“Now that I think about it, it’s strange. Why are we, the students, the ones suffering through this? What are the professors doing right now?”

Her piercing remark struck a chord, and everyone nodded in agreement.

It really was a waste of their salaries.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the faculty building, the professors gazed beyond the translucent blue barrier.

A writhing mass of undead.

At that moment, one professor drew his sword and readied himself.

His target was the barrier blocking the exit.

He ignited his aura and swung his sword with all his might.

Clang!

The sword rebounded with a dull thud.

Rockefeller, gripping his staff, shook his head at the knightly professor.

“That’s a pointless endeavor.”

There had always been formidable foes in the past.

To protect against the onslaught of such beings, the barrier crafted could never be shattered by the mere strength of a single professor.

The core, a magic stone, was the highest-grade artifact drawn from the staff of a grand sorcerer; it must have been of the caliber of Acanthric.

“This barrier has existed since the fortress was built, and it has endured until now. It was not created by ordinary means.”

With his eyes closed, Rockefeller traced the incantation, channeling a vast amount of mana into his staff.

A gust of wind stirred, enough to send the papers on the desk fluttering.

Whooosh—

When he opened his eyes, the staff shot forth like an arrow, propelled by telekinesis.

Boom!

As the staff embedded itself halfway into the barrier, Rockefeller let out a sigh of relief.

Considering the strength of the barrier, merely creating a small hole was already a satisfactory achievement.

Within a barrier that even blocked magical power, attempting telekinesis would have left even the stones outside immobile.

However, now that the tip of the staff extended beyond, it could release mana, making a difference.

“Hm, with this, the conditions for contact with the outside world are met.”

After sketching the incantation with his bare hands, Rockefeller grasped the staff lodged in the barrier.

An undead creature from outside was forcibly drawn to him by his telekinesis.

It was the one that appeared to be in the best condition.

“Hamendal.”

As Rockefeller called out, the professor named Hamendal approached hesitantly.

“Yes, Professor. You called for me?”

“Were you specialized in the curse arts?”

“…That’s right?”

“Good to hear.”

Perhaps sensing the ominous air, Hamendal’s eyes trembled.

Ignoring his reaction, Rockefeller pointed at the staff.

“Possess the undead.”

Hamendal hesitated, stammering his response.

“I’ve never possessed a corpse like that before…”

“So, you can’t do it?”

As a pen flew into Rockefeller’s hand, Hamendal forced a desperate smile.

“Y-yes, I’ll do it. It’s a good opportunity to try possessing an undead, after all. Hehe.”

—

In this dire situation, there’s a lunatic trying to factor in performance reviews.

For the sake of a smooth promotion, I had no choice but to comply with orders.