Chapter 19
[Soldiers, arise.]
At the moment the majestic voice echoed through the cathedral, the floor began to tremble.
The corpses slumped over the pews —
those reduced to nothing but bone — rose up, as if driven by will.
The dry clatter of bones filled the air.
The chilling sound of crackling joints sent shivers up their spines.
“Jihoon, remember? Once we take down the Lich King, it’s over.”
“…You think the two of us can handle that?”
“It’s not about whether we can. We have to.”
Facing the endless army of skeletons, Juhyuk glanced behind him.
If we leave them here, they’ll definitely get attacked.
The rest of their party had become dead weight.
Could they possibly protect everyone and defeat the skeletal legion?
It was far from an easy task — but they didn’t have the luxury to hesitate.
Juhyuk muttered two possible choices under his breath.
“Should we abandon the party and go for the Lich King ourselves?
Or protect everyone and fight our way through?”
Jihoon stayed silent for a moment, torn.
If they chose to protect the party, it would turn into a long, drawn-out battle.
And with the stamina they’d already burned through during the raid,
fighting while defending others was practically suicide.
A death wish.
If they were still in the academy, the “correct” answer would’ve been obvious —
but this wasn’t a classroom lecture.
“Juhyuk.”
Jihoon looked back at his party — people whose names, lives, and homes he knew.
They weren’t just teammates; they were friends, guildmates, humans.
That was why he clung to a fragile hope.
“Can I trust you?”
Juhyuk pressed his lips together and stared at him, then gave a faint grin.
“I knew you’d say that.”
He’d expected that answer from the moment he asked.
It was time for his turn — to respond not as the same old friend, but one changed by battle.
Juhyuk drew his sword.
“Protect them. I’ll take the Lich King’s head.”
“…Thanks.”
They divided the task.
Juhyuk would take the Lich King.
Jihoon would guard the party.
There was no need for further words.
Juhyuk stepped past the others and began walking slowly toward the Lich King.
[A noble sacrifice in such an unworthy vessel.]
The Lich King’s hollow voice rumbled, mocking the small mana reserves he sensed.
Pointing toward the group, he continued,
[Flesh will decay, and tears will dry.]
The skeletal soldiers began to move, swords and bows raised.
A familiar sight —
as if the training dummies in the practice hall had turned into skeletons.
There weren’t this many back then, he thought grimly.
Still, dodging arrows and crossing swords was nothing new.
[Welcome your new companions.]
As the horde surged forward, Juhyuk advanced in contrast, step by steady step.
— Whish! —
He tilted his head, dodging the first arrow that sliced through the air,
then ducked under a skeleton’s sword and shattered its spine.
Destroying the spine was crucial; without it, regeneration took far longer.
Miss the mark, and they’d stand back up within seconds.
Juhyuk advanced, methodically breaking each one apart.
Not too many…
A rough count — fifty swordsmen, fifty archers.
Some would likely go for the rear, toward the party.
So, if he only had to face half of them, it was manageable.
The problem’s the Lich King…
Would he really stand idle while the fight unfolded?
No — as an undead mage, he’d definitely cast spells during combat.
How’s he planning to attack?
The Lich King’s magic centered around mental interference —
debuffs that darkened vision or clouded thought.
He didn’t know when or how the first spell would hit,
but he kept breaking skeletons apart while his nerves screamed on edge.
His body, long accustomed to dodging arrows, moved automatically.
When he’d shattered around twenty skeletons,
the Lich King finally spoke again.
[Impressive. Such skill, wasted on one with such meager mana.]
That damned mana again.
Juhyuk snorted and kept moving, ignoring the taunt.
[Then, I shall prepare a new gift.]
The Lich King struck the ground with his staff.
Juhyuk’s ears caught the low hum of magic forming beneath the clash of bones.
Is he going to summon a fog spell?
If he just cleared out what was left, he could reach him soon.
But if the Lich interfered now, things could get ugly.
He picked up speed, slashing through the skeletons faster.
Then, green lines began to trace themselves across the floor.
A magic circle.
Whatever spell it was, once the drawing was complete, it would trigger instantly.
Juhyuk jumped back, retreating from the forming lines.
Moments later, the circle flared to life, and space itself twisted with a green light.
[A pity. Had it caught you, your mind and body would’ve become one with mine.]
“…A mental attack, huh?”
If he’d been caught, it would’ve been disastrous.
Juhyuk steadied his breathing and lunged back into the fray.
Break bones.
Dodge arrows.
Evade the glowing traps beneath his feet.
After three repetitions of that deadly dance, the skeleton numbers had thinned.
Jihoon’s stamina must be dropping too. I have to end this fast.
The Lich King raised new undead from the scattered bones.
For every ten he killed, five more emerged.
Even so, Juhyuk’s relentless pace was winning.
Soon, the cathedral floor was littered with shattered bone fragments.
[It’s about time to finish this.]
Feeling cornered, the Lich King slammed his staff again.
Another glowing circle began to form — this time much larger and slower.
At first, Juhyuk thought he could simply dodge it —
but then he realized the truth.
He’s casting over the entire cathedral!?
Lines of light crawled across the walls and floors, connecting into one massive spell.
There was no way out.
“Tch…”
Only one option left —
kill the Lich King before the magic circle completed.
Move faster.
He pushed his body to the limit, racing forward.
An arrow grazed his arm.
He ignored it, crushing skeletons with brute force instead of precision.
Five left.
The circle was almost done.
Breaking a spine here, kicking away another there — he closed in on the throne.
He saw the Lich King’s hand, sketching something small and separate.
He’s drawing another one by hand?
Two circles — a massive one enveloping the cathedral and a smaller, focused one.
What kind of spell…?
From the symbols, it looked like the same type of mental assault as before.
He must’ve realized that blinding him now was pointless,
but hadn’t given up on a direct psychic strike.
Juhyuk crushed one more skeleton.
One left.
He lunged low, severing its joint with a single slash—
and at that exact moment, the green light engulfed the cathedral.
[This is my victory.]
The Lich King reached out, releasing the smaller circle toward him.
If Juhyuk dodged, the larger cathedral-wide circle would activate.
There was no escape.
Guess I’m taking the hit.
In that fleeting instant, Juhyuk chose the best move.
He charged straight ahead, sword flashing toward the gem embedded in the Lich King’s forehead.
The blade struck true.
The Lich King’s head flew from his shoulders,
and the glowing circle around the cathedral flickered and dimmed.
But it wasn’t over.
[Impressive…]
Even headless, his voice echoed telepathically.
The lingering small circle the Lich King had drawn
flared once more and wrapped around Juhyuk.
[You destroyed my army. You will pay the price.]
A green hue spread across his body.
The psychic spell had succeeded — or so it seemed.
[I’ll savor every one of your memories.]
The Lich King began rifling through them.
Juhyuk’s birth.
His days in kindergarten.
The death of his father.
His first kendo match.
His awakening.
Entering the academy.
Struggling without talent, yet never giving up.
Then, the day he found the artifact.
His entry into the training chamber…
Then suddenly—
[…]
The Lich King’s thoughts fragmented.
Too much information — his mind couldn’t process it.
[Guhhhh!!]
A pained psychic scream echoed as the magic circle dissolved.
The green glow around Juhyuk’s body faded.
“See it all, did you?”
The mental attack had failed.
He hadn’t charged in out of desperation.
He’d done it knowing this would happen.
Juhyuk walked up to the fallen skull, crouched, and said,
“You thought I dodged your spell because I was afraid of mind control?
Sorry — that doesn’t work on me.”
He’d already confirmed it through the dungeon’s hallucination trap earlier.
Illusion magic’s incubation time is less than twenty minutes.
If it didn’t affect me then, it never will.
Even if the cathedral’s full-scale circle had gone off,
he might’ve been in trouble — but this small, hand-drawn one? Not a chance.
That was why he let himself be hit.
As expected, his mind didn’t even waver.
The skull trembled silently.
At last, the Lich King, overwhelmed by fear, managed to whisper,
[My… my mana stone… don’t—]
“That’s far enough.”
Crunch.
The skull shattered under his boot.
Even if the Lich King couldn’t control his mind,
he’d clearly read his memories — Juhyuk wasn’t going to risk him saying more.
He stomped down again, crushing the mana stone lodged inside.
The bone splintered, leaving only fragments of skull and a faintly glowing crystal on the floor.
“…About the same size as the mutant orc’s.”
The mana stone gleamed — roughly the same as the one from before.
As he admired it, a message appeared.
[Absorb the mana stone to gain magical power.]
Not yet.
He pocketed it. There were still eyes watching from behind.
Just then, a brilliant light flared at the center of the cathedral —
a gate opening.
“Juhyuk!”
Jihoon ran toward him, panting heavily, exhausted from defending the others.
His words tumbled out in disbelief.
“How the hell did you take that thing down!? I thought you were done for when—”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let’s talk outside.”
As much as he understood the excitement,
getting the team out of the dungeon came first.
Juhyuk soothed him with a small smile,
lifted one of the fallen party members,
and stepped through the glowing escape gate.
