Death Knight

"Wow, this atmosphere…"

Though it was Lulu who let that slip out, everyone felt it.

Until now, the labyrinth had enough light to see clearly. However, the seventh floor's earthen walls only had the bare minimum of torches lit here and there.

Something seemed to lurk in that darkness.

"Ghosts are probably going to show up after all. I'm not really good with that kind of thing, though."

The one whose tone didn't match her gloomy words was Maal.

"By any chance, Maal, can you see fairly well in the dark?"

She nodded at Ria's question.

"Most beastkin can."

Indeed, she was a cat-person.

"Earthen walls, huh. If we knew which direction the center was, we could just smash through them…"

Though Ria said it seriously as usual, the two mages stopped her just as seriously.

The monsters on this floor were mainly undead, and some could pass through walls. If enemies could only attack from front and rear that would be one thing, but if they came from all directions at once, it would naturally be impossible to handle them all.

The exploration was extremely difficult.

Skeletons were fine. They were just ordinary skeletons. Well-equipped skeletons were even welcome since the goal was to sell off their equipment. Having skeleton knights roaming the floor as regular enemies rather than as floor guardians was harsh, but even so, they were just strong.

Zombies were fine too. Moving corpses were disgusting, but their combat ability wasn't that impressive. Some individuals were abnormally strong and agile, but they still stopped moving once their heads were crushed. Abnormal conditions like poison could be cured with magic.

Harvesting magic stones from these undead was unpleasant. There was the psychological discomfort, but thanks to the Goblin-Slaughtering Demon Ria-sama, the burden on the other members wasn't too heavy.

The problem was the ghosts.

So that attacks would work on these formless beings, everyone's weapons had been enchanted with magic the previous night.

However, there were limited means to defend against the ghosts' attacks.

Creating barriers with magic to block them was the standard approach. But during a long exploration, maintaining magical defenses constantly without interruption was impossible.

"I can somehow manage with willpower."

Ria, who remained calm while ghosts clung to her, was the exception. The frontline warriors, despite being used to pain, found this exhausting.

The ghosts' attacks drained stamina and magical power from wherever they touched directly. They also caused dizziness, lightheadedness, and sudden feelings of dread, none of which armor could block.

In Ria's case, her abundant resistance to abnormal conditions, combined with her willpower and magical power, meant she was hardly affected by this.

To her, the ghosts didn't feel any more real than realistic 3D CG. At most, they gave her goosebumps.

Whether due to her race, Lulu was also strong against the ghosts' attacks. Maal made use of her keen senses to quickly avoid contact.

Taking very brief rests, the group continued mapping. Based on patterns so far, the guardian's room was definitely in the center. There were many blank areas, but they had no time to fill them in.

"We'll push through in one go. The more time we spend, the greater our exhaustion."

Spurred on by Ria, the group charged into the guardian's chamber.

The chill was reminiscent of underground catacombs, and the ceiling was high.

Lined with pillars bearing intricate carvings, the room had an air of dignity.

Standing in the center was a knight clad in elaborately decorated armor. It held a longsword in its hand, and its face was hidden behind a visor.

It was tall, but after becoming accustomed to seeing minotaurs and golems, it didn't seem like much.

However, the aura it exuded was different.

A death knight.

This was where the Ogre King said he lost his first companion.

"Spread out!"

The four fighters, including Maal, scattered and surrounded the death knight.

They had no time to spare. If someone lacked resistance, just being there would drain their life force. That was the death knight's ability.

The death knight's gaze turned toward the largest figure, Gig.

That gaze was venomous. Gig clutched his chest, staggering and crouching down.

Then, without wielding its sword, it pointed its left hand's fingertips at Carlos.

"Ugh…"

Losing all feeling in his left arm, Carlos lost his balance from the weight of his shield.

"Hyaaaah!"

Ria swung her katana down from a high stance, but the death knight caught the attack with its longsword. She had intended to cleave through blade and all if it was inferior, but the sword itself seemed to be a magic sword.

It skillfully deflected her follow-up attack as well. Its combat technique was also high.

An arrow fired by Maal from behind pierced its armor. But there was no sign of damage.

Gig, healed by Lulu's magic, brought his warhammer down, but the knight dodged with movement that could only be called elegant and slashed his side while passing by.

"Gah…"

Fresh blood scattered. At the same time, Gig felt his very life force being stolen.

But Ria didn't miss the small opening that created.

She slashed upward diagonally, and though the death knight parried with its sword, it couldn't fully kill the momentum. Her attack sent the helmet flying.

What was revealed there was, as expected, a skeletal head.

The helmet that fell to the ground dissolved into mist and returned to its head.

The arrow Maal had hit with also corroded and fell to the ground, and the armor regenerated its wound.

"Nee-chan, this is bad! My magic can't dispel it!"

Serge screamed after heading toward Carlos.

Lulu, who had healed Gig, now headed that way. Serge cast acceleration magic on Lulu. Watching the death knight's movements, he didn't know when Lulu might be killed.

Though Maal had landed another arrow, it showed no sign of being affected.

"Ria-chan, this thing might only be affected by holy magic!"

Maal cried out in a near-tearful voice.

Ria's party appeared well-balanced with a scout, vanguard, and rear guard, but it wasn't perfect. They had no one who could use holy magic, the main countermeasure against undead.

Though Rufus had conducted detailed research in almost every field of magic, holy magic derived its power from prayers to the gods and fell under the temple's jurisdiction, so he hadn't touched it. Ria and Lulu, who could be called his disciples, had no knowledge of it either.

"It's fine! We just can't see it, but damage is getting through!"

Serge shouted. His Identify ability could see the other party's life force. In this case, it would be more accurate to call it negative life force.

"Then we just have to whittle it down."

Ria sheathed her katana and drew a warhammer in each hand. She judged that against a magic sword, her blade would get worn down.

Gig, having recovered, began attacking. Ria circled around to attack, giving the death knight no room to dodge.

By then Carlos's arm had been dispelled by Lulu's magic, and it became a three-person assault.

Even when the death knight's special attacks left Carlos and Gig unable to move, Lulu immediately healed them.

Serge fired offensive magic at any openings.

Unexpectedly, the final blow came from an arrow Maal let fly.

The death knight collapsed, its contents crumbling to ash.

Its weapon and armor remained, and a magic crystal was inside.

"It's not cursed. The armor has an auto-repair function, and the sword has the same function plus the ability to steal vitality from those it cuts."

When Serge used Identify, Ria picked up the sword with interest.

"If only it were a katana… Even if the armor doesn't fit, Carlos, want to try using the sword?"

"Eh, is that okay?"

Since the longsword had a weight manageable with one hand, she thought it would be just right for Carlos. But when he actually swung it, there was a problem.

"Until this exploration is over, I'll stick with my current sword. After all, a weapon you're not used to just doesn't work."

His current sword was also new, but he had carefully selected it for length, balance, and other factors. In battle, even slight discomfort could be fatal.

Ria could use katanas of almost any length, but even she wouldn't use one in actual combat without testing it several times first.

"Then Serge, store it. We'll rest after we reach the next floor."

Even though they had defeated the death knight, resting in a place like a cemetery didn't appeal to anyone.

Lulu treated their abnormal conditions, they drank mana recovery potions, and the group set foot on the eighth floor.