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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘That wasn’t something I was worried about.’
My companions weren’t lacking in responsibility or camaraderie.
Annelise was an exception, of course.
After nodding in agreement, we followed Kayla one by one into the ruin.
As we descended through the gap beneath the tree trunk, the space widened as Kayla had described, and after a certain point, the dirt floor gave way to stone.
And when we reached the end…
“It’s spacious.”
Although it was dark, we had no trouble seeing with the luminous stones we had taken from the cave.
Countless statues filled the space.
Although I couldn’t sense any presence, my instincts were screaming in alarm.
“Indeed, most of them are Gargoyles.”
An ordinary person, or even a mana awakener with a low level or dull senses, wouldn’t have noticed.
But I could feel it.
Most of the statues were Gargoyles. Kayla was right. And…
“Those… feel strange…”
Athena seemed to have noticed it too.
Her gaze was fixed on the two giant statues guarding the sides of the ruin.
“They’re unsettling.”
“Kayla, those two statues must be what you were talking about, right?”
I felt it too.
Those weren’t ordinary statues either. Perhaps…
‘Guardians?’
I would have to check.
‘Should I attack first?’
But I shook my head.
If they were guardians, especially ones similar to Gargoyles, it was something I shouldn’t do.
‘Gargoyles are more durable in their petrified state.’
Although the aura they emitted was unsettling, it wasn’t particularly strong, so I had to prioritize other things.
It would be foolish to attack without any information.
‘Let’s start with the ones we’re sure about.’
I summoned all of the undead.
The massive Bone Golem filled the entrance.
The Gargoyles seemed to notice us as they slowly began to emerge from their petrified states.
“Battle formation.”
Unfortunately, with the lack of materials, it seemed difficult to use Temporary Base Construction.
‘This is the inconvenient part about being a necromancer.’
They were strong on the battlefield, but in situations like this, they were inevitably lacking unless they had prepared in advance.
They could compensate for this by bringing a large number of undead, but it was difficult at the moment.
“Kik, kik.”
A sound that seemed like laughter echoed through the ruin.
The Gargoyles, freed from their petrified states, took flight, filling the ceiling.
“There are a lot.”
Over thirty.
‘This will be tricky.’
I quickly informed my companions about the Gargoyles.
“Be careful. They can partially petrify themselves, so they have high defense. Ordinary sword attacks won’t even scratch them.”
And on top of that, they had high magic resistance and were immune to most curses and poisons.
‘Curse and poison resistance are characteristics of high-level monsters.’
You would need to be at least 6th class to kill a Gargoyle with curses or poison alone. And even then, it wouldn’t be an instant kill.
“They’re resistant to Aura too?”
“Low-level Aura would barely scratch them. Even mid-level Aura wouldn’t be enough to inflict a fatal wound in one blow. But Athena, you should be able to do it.”
In terms of defense alone, they were practically high-level monsters.
‘It’s just that they lack offensive power.’
But even Gargoyles couldn’t withstand the combination of Aura and artifacts.
Athena’s daggers weren’t ordinary weapons.
They were artifacts, ancient relics.
And with mid-level Aura added to the mix, I believed she could inflict fatal wounds in a single strike.
“Then Master and I will be the main attackers.”
I planned to focus entirely on support in this battle.
“Kayla, I’ll protect these two. You focus on the Gargoyles.”
Cereo and No. 2 couldn’t instantly kill the Gargoyles anyway.
It was more efficient to draw their attention, protect the rear, and prepare for any unexpected situations.
The Gargoyles’ gazes swept over us.
Since they were in the air, they had the first-mover advantage.
At least, that’s what they thought.
But this wasn’t above ground.
It was an enclosed, underground space.
“Ha!”
Kayla kicked off the wall.
And then, using the structures the Gargoyles were perched on as stepping stones, she soared into the air.
High-speed movement.
“Kik?”
The Gargoyles momentarily lost track of Kayla’s movements and one of them was instantly split in half.
Her sword was already imbued with high-level Aura.
The Gargoyles’ attention was immediately focused on Kayla and in that moment, Athena vanished.
I quickly enhanced the undead and told Annelise to lie down.
Annelise looked anxious, but realizing that she couldn’t do anything in this situation, she immediately dropped to the ground.
The Living Armors surrounded her, providing thorough protection.
Cereo was among them, and I could feel his strong will to protect her.
Kayla, having slain a Gargoyle, began to fall, and the Gargoyles seized the opportunity to attack her.
But Kayla skillfully parried their attacks.
Clang! Crack!
Their claws were incredibly hard and sharp. Honestly, they had greater strength and cutting power than most swords, but they couldn’t penetrate Kayla’s shield and armor.
She skillfully deflected their attacks mid-air, and even the attacks she was forced to endure due to her disadvantageous position in the air couldn’t pierce through her artifact, the Armor of Regeneration.
Some Gargoyles refused to give up on her, even though their attacks were completely ineffective.
Kayla blocked over ten attacks during her short time in the air.
And when she was close enough to the ground…
Thud.
A Gargoyle’s head was cleanly severed.
The Gargoyles, startled, took flight once more, and my magic captured one of them.
“Kik!”
Although they had high magic resistance and strong immunity to curses, they weren’t completely immune to a mage’s magic.
In fact, it was possible to harm them with magic other than curses or poison.
It’s just that mages couldn’t expect the same level of destructive power against monsters, humans, or demihumans.
“Kiii!”
Athena, seizing the opportunity, severed the neck of the restrained Gargoyle.
With three Gargoyles killed in an instant, tension filled the air among them.
Their gazes darted around and then they turned towards the rear, towards us.
‘They’re targeting the weaker ones first?’
It was certainly a wise choice. Or rather, they had chosen the side with the higher chance of success.
Half of the Gargoyles flew towards us.
The remaining half seemed to consider Kayla and the hidden Athena as threats, keeping their distance and preventing us from receiving support.
Of course…
“Kik…”
Despite their efforts, Kayla steadily reduced their numbers.
Athena was also still waiting for an opportunity.
‘They’ve managed to hinder them.’
Of course, it wasn’t the ideal situation for them.
“They’re coming.”
The Bone Golem swung its arms to block the approaching Gargoyles, but only one was caught and even that one was able to fly again after crashing into the wall.
‘They’re ignoring it.’
They ignored the Bone Golem and flew towards us.
I waited for them to approach before using Binding Shadows, successfully capturing two.
But there were still over ten Gargoyles remaining.
Baldur dodged the ones targeting him and swung his Aura-infused sword at one, but…
Clang!
“Kikit.”
He could only inflict a shallow wound.
But that was enough for him to defend himself.
Baldur, proving himself worthy of being Kayla’s disciple, skillfully blocked the Gargoyles’ attacks and even counterattacked.
‘Eight…’
That was the number remaining after excluding the two I had restrained and the three attacking Baldur.
And all eight were targeting Annelise and me.
“[Black Curtain]”
It was the black magic version of a shield, an upgraded version at that.
Crack!
The Gargoyles couldn’t easily penetrate it with their strength.
And as their speed decreased due to the barrier…
No. 1, No. 2, and the Living Armors charged, knocking them back.
‘They’re not dying, as expected.’
I tried to inflict heavy blows, but they were too durable to be easily defeated.
But it was enough to maintain the status quo.
Whenever they showed an opening, I used Binding Shadows to restrain them. Some of them broke free, but I didn’t mind.
The Bone Golem wasn’t idle either.
It continuously swung its arms, preventing the Gargoyles from dominating the air.
Essentially, we were just stalling for time.
But that was enough.
‘If the rear can survive on its own, the front line can move freely.’
Normally, the front line protected the rear, while the rear dealt with the enemies effectively.
But we weren’t ordinary, and in this situation, it was more beneficial for the front line to be more aggressive.
And my goal from the start was to observe those giant statues.
‘They’re not showing any signs of movement.’
They remained motionless, even with all the commotion and the Gargoyles being slain by us.
‘As long as we don’t directly touch them?’
But I still felt uneasy.
Meanwhile, Kayla and Athena were rapidly reducing the number of Gargoyles, and their movements grew more frantic as the situation didn’t go their way.
And the giant statues silently watched us.
“Kik, kik…”
It didn’t take long to defeat the Gargoyles.
As their numbers dwindled, Kayla and Athena’s speed increased, and it didn’t take long for them to return to us.
As soon as they arrived, they first eliminated the Gargoyles I had restrained. Then, using the Bone Golem as a stepping stone, they dealt with the remaining Gargoyles in the air with even greater ease than before.
‘They’ve gotten used to it in the meantime.’
I directly controlled the Bone Golem to support them.
Their adaptability was truly remarkable.
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