Necromancer Survival

“Is there no way to get Garam-ie out of there…?” I mumbled, clinging to Woo Ragi’s back.

“Seo Dawon told me to buy some time.”

“R-Really?”

“When he gets out in a few minutes, Jung Garam will probably be free as well.”

I didn’t expect an answer, but, unexpectedly, Woo Ragi replied.

I was a little relieved and recalled Seo Dawon saying something to Woo Ragi. However, my relief was short-lived. Jung Garam’s condition in the birdcage deteriorated suddenly.

‘It seems like the [Dummy] is hardly moving…’

As if it were weighed down by something, the [Dummy] was moving sluggishly; Garam-ie’s expression didn’t look good either.

I furrowed my brows as I surveyed the situation. Garam-ie was now sprawled on the ground, struggling for breath. His gasping face… it was like…

‘Is he…unable to breathe?’

Just as I thought that, small cracks began to appear on Garam-ie’s [Dummy]’s surface. I was instantly alarmed and subconsciously squeezed Woo Ragi’s neck tightly.

Woo Ragi didn’t bother to endure and said, annoyed, “Do you really think it would hurt us to have our [Dummies] destroyed?”

“…But.”

“If you want to kill me again, keep on strangling me, then.”

I had no choice but to turn my head away–my fluttering heart couldn’t take it. Logically, I knew Woo Ragi was right. I had no idea why Garam couldn’t move, but there really was nothing that could kill my Servants.

However, the correlation between the increasing number of Holy statues and the cage that made the Servants powerless disturbed me.

Now that Lim Jisoo had joined hands with Moon Issak, they were fully aware of our capabilities. They must have brought us here after finishing their preparations. If so, then… what kind of trap did they set in order to subdue those that couldn’t ‘die’?

‘Heart… Holy Statues…’

Just as I thought, ‘They’re wasting time, waiting for something,’ a loud boom echoed from behind. It was as if something had exploded.

Moreover, I’m not sure what caused the explosion, but the bright lights inside the building went out; even though it was midday, we were plunged into darkness. Of course, as soon as that happened, the emergency generators kicked, and half of the lights came back on. Yet, there was an eerie feeling lingering in the air.

Curiously, the Holy Mother statues stopped moving after the explosion. With the sudden change of the situation, I wasn’t the only one concerned–Woo Ragi and Bang Eunji also stopped in the midst of their attacks and retreated to a defensive position.

“Choi Lee-kyung, stay still.” Woo Ragi whispered to my stiff self; Bang Eunji silently stood behind me. We looked to where the noise originated and searched for any new presences.

Black smoke soared; water poured down as the sprinklers on the ceiling turned on. Fortunately, the [Echoblades] above my head blocked the deluge of water, but the black smoke didn’t subside.

“Ara?”

It was then–Bang Eunji’s expression turned strange as she peered at the smoke. Soon, as if she were waiting for something, her vigilant stance relaxed into a more placidly observant posture.

Shortly thereafter, I could see a lumpy, gigantic statue moving through the dissipating haze. At first, I felt nervous about the appearance of a new enemy, but, fortunately, it was just Choi Kyung-sik’s golem.

“What’s wrong? What about the entrance? Why did you come here?”

“Mmm… How should I put this… I was chased away?”

After a few minutes, the smoke had completely died down, and I could properly look at the Golem.

The Golem’s appearance was more ghastly than expected. The part where the core was located was cracked, and the core had lost its radiance; the golem’s head was slanted. Its surface was blackened as if it had been charred. Still, the Golem had penetrated through the outer wall of this dungeon in that horrid state.

“Is he alright?” I asked.

“If you’re talking about Choi Kyung-sik, he’s fine.” Woo Ragi responded.

I was a little relieved. Eyes wide open, I watched the Golem.

Trying to answer my unvoiced questions, Bang Eunji explained, “He used the Golem as a suicide bomb.”

“R-Really?”

“Yep~ Look over there. He’s jumping off its shoulder.”

When I looked in the direction Eunji was pointing, someone was stepping out of the Golem’s shoulder and leaping off.

Choi Kyung-sik really did look fine. Despite slamming his golem into a wall, he approached us with a tranquil expression. He even waved leisurely at me, showing no surprise that I was on Woo Ragi’s back.

“What happened? What about the entrance?” Woo Ragi finally asked when Choi Kyung-sik came close.

Choi Kyung-sik gave us a relaxed smile, “Koo Hui-seo must have done a wonderful job blocking everyone–no one came.” Then, he shrugged at Woo Ragi when the Swordsman looked as if he wanted to say something, “But, I felt something fishy from within; a barrier came down over the entrance. It felt as if something or someone was trying to block the way outside.”

According to Choi Kyung-sik, he noticed some suspicious movements from within the dungeon and decided he needed to infiltrate. As a result, he had ‘no choice but to make some sacrifices.’

“Is that why you blew yourself up?” I asked.

“Yes, and I was lucky–I found the generator that contained the mana circuit from the outside.” Simultaneously, Choi Kyung-sik looked at the place he had demolished not so long ago. Following his gaze, I noticed faint orange lights shimmering on the wall, which I hadn’t seen earlier.

To summarize, the reason why half of the building’s lights were now off and the statues stopped moving was because Choi Kyung-sik had boldly rammed his Golem there.

Only then did Woo Ragi lower his sword and push away the closest Holy Mother Statue with his feet. “Finally, we can say goodbye to these stone heads.”

Choi Kyung-sik raised his glasses with his fingers, “It’s a little early to lower our guards. The circuit has a self-recovery function and a target alarm. If my guess is correct, it’ll probably be restored in thirty minutes.”

“Eunji thinks 30 minutes will be enough, though?” Eunji confidently picked up her [Gunblade] and pointed towards the cage that trapped Garam. “I’ll save Jung Garam-kun!” ¹

Her face was so full of enthusiasm that everyone, including me, kept their mouths shut without trying to stop her. However, just before Bang Eunji could activate her skill, a subtle energy brushed past us from behind.

“[Ice Counter].”

An unpleasant premonition settling within me, we turned around only to find one of Lim Jisoo’s subordinates boldly swinging their staff. Moreover, their attack was precisely aimed at my back. Though the [Echoblade] promptly descended to block the attack, we were already surrounded by enemies.

“[Hell Fire]!” At that moment, another Mage popped out from the side and activated a flurry of flames.

Choi Kyung-sik flicked his hand; he began to control the Holy Mother statues that had stopped moving. The statues couldn’t attack, but they blocked the Mage’s view and skills with their bodies.

Choi Kyung-sik grumbled, “As things stand, this is our limit.”

Since he had used his golem to demolish the wall, his voice sounded particularly tired.

Bang Eunji’s expression lingered on the cage where Garam was trapped but soon aimed her skill at the swiftly approaching assassin. “[Art Shot]!”

The fired bullet’s blinked–almost out of existence–along their trajectory as they surged towards the assassin. It was a fast and powerful attack that almost pierced through the head, but the problem was that the opponent had a Mage on their side.

“That’s a skill I haven’t seen in a long while. [Perfect Shield].” Lim Jisoo, with her despicable calmness, created a shield that caught all the bullets midair. The corners of her lips curled into a smile. “Isn’t that our Eunji? How have you been?” ²

“Hmph. Why are you pretending to be close to Eunji.” Bang Eunji answered primly. But, she didn’t aim her weapon at Lim Jisoo.

Lim Jisoo smiled at Bang Eunji as if she were looking at a very cute, young girl. Of course, that smile was incredibly patronizing. She didn’t bother hiding the bloodthirst in her snake-like eyes.

As expected, Lim Jisoo quickly showed her true colors, “I’ll finally have a chance to soothe the memories of my men who died at your hands.”

“Why don’t you meet them in person instead and get rid of your resentment that way,” Bang Eunji replied. Then, she suddenly pulled the trigger, “[Nuclear].”

The extended barrel of [Gunblade] was neatly cleaved in half; a yellow target mark began to appear beneath Lim Jisoo’s feet.

Perhaps the skill was particularly powerful; the relaxed expression was wiped off of Lim Jisoo’s face. She frowned and muttered something incomprehensible; soon, four layers of shields surrounded her in an instant.

Meanwhile, the ceiling lights shook more intensely, and one by one they started to break with a popping sound. Subsequently, a magic circle was drawn on the now empty ceiling; a gigantic missile-like object emerged from within, quickly descending towards Lim Jisoo.

‘…Is that really a nuclear warhead?’

My eyes opened wide at the sheer scale of power behind Eunji’s skill, but Bang Eunji still didn’t look pleased.

“Eunji needed to use this skill on that bird cage, but…” She looked towards where Jung Garam was still trapped, face full of regret.

TL: Somehow, I feel like it’s very natural and normal for Bang Eunji to drop nuclear warheads on her crush.

And sorry guys, I’m going to have to skip wednesday release. This was late enough as it was >.<. The new semester is starting this Thursday, and I have to get ready for both my own classes and my TA appointments.