"This means war!"
Vankel's roar echoed through the vault, and the pyramid trembled. In his rage, he banged his tail against the wall, making it shake.
"Your Majesty, please be still!" Victor begged, before he could bring the house down on them.
"Ah, that brings me back," Fuliben said from his scythe. "I shouldn't be happy about this sight...but I am."
"You, shut up," Victor replied, while Julie tried to calm her uncle down.
"Uncle, we can still find new treasures——"
"This has nothing to do with treasure!" shouted Fankle, and his niece cowered at his outburst. "This is a personal insult and a challenge to my authority as the first and greatest dragon adventurer!"
When Winkle loudly announced the Third Ice War and complained to his niece, Victor noticed that Kia was surprisingly calm. She was busy examining the mummies left by Bingya and ignored the dust falling from the ceiling.
"The mummy didn't come back to life," Kia said when she was done. "They ransacked the pyramid's treasure trove, but no mummies were resurrected."
"So what?" Victor asked, then realization dawned. "Oh, I see. If this were the dungeon's real treasure room, the corpse would be attacking or cursing intruders."
"Sabra Tower is said to tower into the sky, and this pyramid is smaller than other dungeons I've visited," Kia replied. "Most of the building is probably below us and this room is a decoy to keep out stupid intruders."
Bingya must have quit after grabbing the first batch of gold he could find; which means there may be treasure here. How did he know that Fankel would be ransacking it soon? Something felt wrong. "So there could be a secret passage, either in this room or in another room."
Kia nodded and examined Vai
queue
No broken walls. Strange hieroglyphics cover the mural, depicting elves prostrate before a giant worm as it devours the sun. Victor recognized the portrait as a symbol of Sabra, the god of time, destruction, and earth.
Allison tells him that Sabra's followers took over the elven empire that ruled the continent and drove it dry. The magical disaster they caused destroyed their entire civilization.
Could it be that the pyramid is just the top and the rest is buried under the sand?
A painting so small that almost no one would notice it caught Victor's attention. A scrawny beast, surrounded by the icy wind, whispers something to the figure of a pharaoh. A huge spire blocked their view, and the guy looked at the tower with a vicious smile.
"Vic, can you read these pictures?" Kia dragged her fingers over the dusty runes. "I don't understand the language of the elves."
"That's not an elf," Freeborn said from the scythe. "That's Reyhan."
The tongue used by Moon Beast? In this case, Victor tried to read it, thanks to his Pe
k, he translated these words aloud. "The password is: worm apple."
As soon as he finished speaking, Victor was engulfed in a purple light. He left the treasure room and went somewhere else. A place so dark that he couldn't even see his hands.
"[Death Candle]," Victor said as a ghostly will materialized before him, lighting up the room.
The dark, closed room is crawling with living corpses.
Victor immediately raised his scythe and found himself surrounded by eight undead knights, three times as tall as Kia; the monsters wore armor thick enough to withstand artillery fire, and huge swords that could slice horses as easily as cheese. . The monsters stared down at him, their crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness.
"A dark room," Freebon guessed, delighted at the trouble his "master" was about to face. "I had one, but your dragon master broke it."
"Man?" As no one answered, Victor readied his scythe, ready to defend his life. "You want to bite me? Come on!"
But they did nothing.
The knights stood intimidatingly, looking at him as if he were a prop.
"Hello? You won't kill me." There was no answer; the knights didn't move. "Hello? Can you understand me?"
Not answering. They either don't care, or more likely don't care.
They are unconscious. Scary robot but vulnerable to his [Death Friend] Pe
k's attack.
"Okay..." Victor did not doubt his luck. He looked around, fearing that there would be murals with other passwords written in the stone room. It doesn't. "Why didn't Kia and others follow up?" I said the code out loud. "
"You have to speak in their native language." "Your Pe
k translated your words as R'lyeha
, but your friends won't have the same privileges. "
Come to think of it, why didn't Fankle call him over to him? It was a prank room, maybe it could stop the teleportation effect?
He had to find a way to escape. gay. Victor walked out of the room through the only door, and the dead warriors left him.
Victor found himself in an underground maze of stone stairs and corridors that was in much better shape than the floors above. His will provides him with much needed light to guide him around.
Rusted steel golems dust off various rooms like workers, while undead warriors patrol the area. Victor speculates that in a century, no sentient being will continue to guard a silent tomb, leaving only mindless robots to defend it.
Unfortunately for the shop owner, time has not been kind to the guards. Most of the puppets are in disrepair, some have fallen over and are now crawling on their arms. Their design reminded the visitor of Rollo, and he thought the golem might have come from this family.
Early on, the fortifications can easily defeat any invaders, while Victor's team can force their way in.
"Hey, can you tell me where the exit is?" Victor asked one of the undead guards, who ignored him. "Fu
ibo
, is there any necromancy spell that can subdue them?"
"If you have the level required to cast it, I will teach you. These are the Grave Guards, some of the most powerful undead in existence. A group of them can overwhelm a dragon."
Victor doubted that they would be able to take Wankel without a large number of men, but he decided not to linger too long in case their procedures could overcome his Pe
k.
After wandering around the grave for twenty minutes, he realized that was easier said than done. There are many rooms in the dungeon, all identical, with nothing but walls and space. He began carving marks into the stones to mark his path, and soon he realized that he had been spinning.
"Where is the treasure?" Victor didn't know. "Where the hell are the decorations? Who would build a tomb out of stone?"
"Do you think the tomb of a cult that worships entropy would care about materialism after death?" Fu
ibo
Laugh at him. "Followers of Sabra do not value anything that does not come from the Earth."
"Wait, you knew this tomb might not contain treasure? You didn't say anything?"
"Is it too much to ask that you and the dragon die in vain?" "Also, have you been to the second room to your left?"
Victor glanced in that direction and discovered a room he hadn't marked yet. He walked in and noticed it was slightly different from the others.
First, a black sarcophagus lies in the center, covered with worm symbols and purple gems. The walls are decorated with frescoes similar to those in the fake treasure room, alongside decorative items such as canopic jars and scimitars on the pillars.
The brightness of one of the decorations contrasts sharply with the others: a golden shield covered with precious stones, affixed to the wall in front of the sarcophagus. Victor's "treasure-seeking eyes" immediately recognized it as "Crest".
"trap?"
"Trap." Fu
ibo
answer.
Victor glanced at the sarcophagus first, just in case it was a replica or some other dangerous device. He carefully tapped the water with his scythe, keeping a considerable distance.
When no mummy rose to kill him, Victor turned to the crown and poked it with his scythe. He didn't cause the roof to collapse or anything like that, but he got a notification.
Use [Crest to break the level ceiling? "Uh, are you sure?" Victor said, he thought this thing would break his level ceiling. However, the shield disappeared in a flash, which made him nervous.
Used by Crest! You can now reach level 60!
Using [Crown], you get [Crown] personal allowance.
[Crest]: You went from an ordinary adventurer to a folklore hero. You now have access to more prestigious courses.
C
As soon as est disappeared, a stone door closed the exit, trapping him inside.
Victor panics as the sarcophagus begins to open from the inside with a loud creaking sound. A biting wind filled the room, and bony, bandaged fingers gripped the edges of the coffin.
His scythe was his only protection, and Victor found himself staring at the most horrific mummy he had ever seen. A huge monster wearing dirty green robes with bones made of obsidian. The bandages binding them together are scrolls with hieroglyphs written on them; a funerary mask covers its skull, with only two glowing lamps replacing the eyes. This entity radiates malevolence and magical power, unleashing an invisible pressure that dwarfs even Melodyus's.
Victor immediately activated his monster insight Pe
k to find the creature's weakness. He was already fighting in an enclosed space, so he needed any advantage.
Akhe
apep
Black Pharaoh (Undead/Eldridge)
Weak before the Spirit, life, and holiness.
Strong against everything else.
Cataclysm of the previous era, one of Overmund's super bosses. The prophet of Sabra, ruled the southern continent from behind the scenes and then destroyed it with a magical super weapon. Can cause sandstorms and earthquakes, summon armies of death, and kill you with a mean look.
Recommended party level: Mid-80s.
Run, Forrest Gump, run!
Thing is? That's over 15 floors higher than the Kia's, let alone the Vai's
queue
With him!
"Trespasser," spoke the powerful man in these heavy words, and the magic in his words made the whole room tremble. "Is it time to end the world?"
"No!" Victor blurted out in panic.
"Oh?" The ancient mummy sounded confused, and the power in his voice disappeared. Before Victor could react, his confusion turned into annoyance. "Then get lost, meatbag."
The ancient villain lay on his back and closed his sarcophagus.
Victor stood there, astonished at the absurdity of the situation, before Freebon snapped him out of his trance. "Run, you idiot!" the Lich said in panic. "Before he changes his mind and ruins us both!"
Victor followed this wise advice and immediately tried to escape from the room, but the stone door did not reopen. He studied the hieroglyphs carefully, searching frantically for a code that would transport him out.
Unfortunately, before he could find the switch, the sarcophagus opened again and Aknapeppe climbed out; this time it was less dramatic. The mummy's glowing eyes stared at Victor like a hawk.
"Wait a minute, Meatbag," the mummy said, the solemnity in his tone changing to curiosity. "If this isn't the end of the world, why are you here?"
This is a very interesting question... Victor is desperately trying to come up with an excuse, and the Black Pharaoh is clearly not very patient.
"Speak, fleshbag."
"I'm...checking if everything is normal!" Victor lied. "See if you're still there and ready for the big day!"
"Ah." The mummy thought about his words and seemed to believe him. Victor thanks the gods for the privilege and the charm bonus against monsters. "Yes, I haven't woken up in centuries, but as you can see, I'm fine."
"Yes, indeed." Victor nodded. "Since you are completely lifeless, I will take my leave."
Charisma check…
Failed!
"Why are you so anxious, Fatty?" Didn't you encounter a lot of traps and guards before you found me at the beginning? Unless you are here..." The mummy suddenly noticed C
The original position of est is empty. Any other reasons?"
Victor could have sworn the pressure had increased tenfold.
The Black Pharaoh raised a hand quickly and cast a spell faster than the Chief of Staff's brain could calculate. "(Epic Magic Sca
). "
It took all of Victor's willpower to keep a serious expression when the ghost text appeared in front of the mummy. The Pharaoh began to mutter, absorbing information from him at a faster pace.
"Victor Dalton. A neutral shade of intense chaos." This seems to legitimize necromancy, while Nightblade pushes his karma from good to chaos. "A red dragon monster knight...the God of Death, very good...and...the minister of the V&V Empire, the prophet of the Moon Man?"
Victor closed his mouth, Fuliben also closed his mouth, the mummy finished reading his scan, and the words on it disappeared. "Meatbag, why did the minister of some distant empire come to my tomb?" The monster quickly cast a spell to emphasize the danger, "[Stronger Lie Detection]."
Well, no more tricks then.
Maybe a half-truth would work. He doesn't have to tell the whole truth, just avoid lying.
"I'm here to find the mysterious artifact called the 'Magic Bottle'," Victor admitted.
The mummy nodded to himself, not at all surprised. "I see," Superboss said. "Necromancer, why don't you tell me the real reason you woke me up?"
Let's play, let's play, let's play! "Because you were scary, I thought you would mistake me for a thief. I felt bad the last time this happened."
"I may be a little scary but you will never usurp your emperor with this attitude. I don't recommend it either. You may be just starting out or I guess you are thinking about your low level but there is a lot more to your mindset Something that needs improvement. I'm not going to give my advice to every wannabe cult person that knocks on my door."
． ..
Can you say it again?
"Merely wearing robes, manipulating the emperor behind the scenes, and stealing souls is not enough to be a true vizier," the mummy continued. "You need a special mentality. You can't imagine how many advisors were chopped down by nasty knights because they wanted to be emperor instead of emperor; instead, you should make your emperor a powerless puppet so that you enemies will blame him instead of you. Thus, you can justify your power by getting rid of an 'evil ruler'."
The mummy sounded arrogant, like he was talking to a child, but Victor didn't clear up his misunderstanding.
“Patience is the mother of victory.” Your time will come. The important thing is not to appear in control, but to be the one in control. step by step. I thought your psychic would teach you. "
"Victor still has a lot to learn," Fulibon said in a flattering, groveling tone, not wanting to go against the almighty mummy. "But he was reckless and rarely listened to me."
"The fault of the student is the teacher, and I find a lie in your judgment," Pharaoh scolded the lich. "How many countries have you conquered, Victor Meatbag?"
"One," Victor replied quickly, and the mummy was clearly unmoved. "But we're just getting started!"
"Then obviously you need guidance. This should be the moment when a self-righteous god, like Mithras or the Hierophant God, empowers a bunch of knights and peasants to take you down. They've been doing this for centuries, so they're pretty good at it. So. You must do better, starting with the basics. Do your empire's legions have face-covering helmets?"
"Uh, isn't it?"
"Good. Does your lair have vents for gnomes to crawl into?"
"No," Furibang replied, then paused. "Does the secret passage count?"
"Is there a secret passage in the castle?" Victor asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I—" Fuliben caught himself. "Because the time is not right."
"You must do away with secret passages, except as escape routes," said the mummy. This is the second strategy. Next comes the third strategy, 'Becoming an Only Child'. "
Victor wisely decided not to interrupt the creature as it went on to deliver a tirade about killing the Holy Knight if possible, and the best way to do so. The Chief of Staff hoped he could delay long enough for Winkel and others to rescue him.
How long will it take?
Two hours later...
The 13th move, the law of fire. "If you kill a person, especially a cunning gangster, be sure to shoot him with a flurry of arrows and then cremate him. Finally, scatter the ashes to the wind. This way, they will no longer appear as undead or reborn. I’m here to disturb you.”
"Huh?" Victor asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Even if the gods intervene?" Find a friend. "
"The more broken down the ship, the harder the task, even for the gods. It's cheap to create the undead with the body intact; it's harder with scattered ashes. Now, Strategy Fourteen, No Last Request Rule
Seven hours later…
“Strategy 52, no secret passages.” Have an architect inspect your lair to see if there are any secret passages you don’t know about, and then tear them down. "
"But..."
"There are no secret passages" Pharaoh cut off Freeburn's passage. "A heavily guarded emergency escape route, nothing more. Enemies will discover a secret passage and use it to infiltrate your lair. Make them crumble or set a trap, or both."
"Two?" Victor asked, scribbling notes on the scroll the mummy took out of his bandages.
"Let the tunnel collapse when the intruders reach the end. Then dig up the bodies, shoot them, and cremate them. If a skin bag is missing, assume it escaped."
"It's great," Fu
ibo
said impressively. "Why did I never think of this?"
Twelve hours later, after a passionate lecture on political intrigue, conquest, managing servants, public relations, magical research, and architecture...
"So, that's why these meatbags must be provided with a constant stream of mindless entertainment so that they become docile. Cats are good. Cats are a distraction. When the helpless masses realize you intend to conquer and destroy world time, it will be too late.”
"It was great," Victor admitted, mesmerized by the lecture and no longer having to fight fatigue. So many ideas! “What about the Assassin’s Ring?”
"As the Forty-Four Strategies say, as long as you can outbid your competition, only hire those who fight for money. Those who fight for fun give the enemy an opportunity to exercise, or when they And I turn to you when I can’t control my urge to kill.”
"But what if, hypothetically, the treasure is guarded by a dragon and cannot be used?"
The mummy pondered this question as a philosopher ponders a complex question. "Give them noble titles. Don't ask them to farm the fields. Killers don't want to farm, they want to kill. Dogs are dogs, not cows. Let each go his own way."
“Like Gadmani should do to Sco
Che
s did that," Fu
ibo
added his point.
"The lesson is to avoid mercenaries and instead make them vassals. Make them work for more than just money." The mummy nodded to himself, satisfied with this seminar. "This is "The Minister's Hundred Strategies"."
Congratulations! You received the [Vizil Education] personal benefit for attending a seminar given by a retired evil overlord!
[Minister Education]: You gain a +8 bonus to Intelligence when dealing with manipulation, strategy, statecraft, magical studies, or plotting against your ministers.
"I got a benefit," Victor said. “Vizier education?”
"Good. You listened."
"Have you ever been a minister?" Fulibang couldn't help but ask, and the mummy nodded. "I thought you were the last Elf Pharaoh?"
"I am. How do you think I became Pharaoh? I infiltrated my cult into the upper echelons of the empire, corrupted it from within, and then built this great tower in the name of Sabra to dry out the land." Mummy Malice chuckled. "I still remember the look on my 'master's face when he realized the truth, but it was too late."
Yes, even the centuries he spent in the grave could not dilute his evil. But Victor realized that he didn't have the power to fight the monster yet, so he didn't speak. "So, um...thank you for the lesson?"
"You're welcome. Seeing you eager to plunder magic items to gain power reminds me of my lost youth." Aknapape searched in his sarcophagus, and then handed Victor a beautiful, full It's a blue ceramic bottle of dust. "This is the bottle you are looking for. My servant is still inside."
Victor blinked. "Your slave?"
"Yes and no, my minion. The key to controlling him is to constantly remind him of his humble status in every conversation you have with him. Otherwise he will become rebellious. I no longer require his services, so I bequeath him to you. If you were wise you would never give him his freedom. Now go."
"How?" Victor asked, pointing to the closed door.
The mummy looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Ask Mort," the undead replied, clutching the edge of the sarcophagus. "Well, Viktor the Meatbag, I wish you good luck as chancellor. Tell the other cultists that I'm fine and that I'll be up at the apocalypse. "
"Well, of course, I will."
"If anyone interrupts my nap in advance, I will kill him."
"Definitely."
The mummy closed the sarcophagus, and Victor could have sworn he heard snoring inside.
Congratulations! You gained two levels in [Monster Knight] by aiding an ancient dark lord and lulling him to sleep before he wreaked havoc! You earned the [Slayer of Humanity] class perk!
+60 hp, +20 sp, +2 st
, +1 vit, +2 ski, +1 agi, +2 i
t, +2 cha!
[Slayer of Men]: Your armed attacks always count as [Slayer of Men] and deal double damage against humanoids.
"Is that bottle what I think it contains?" Fu
ibo
asked.
There's only one way to know. Victor opened the bottle cap, and a stream of black smoke came out of the bottle cap.
A tiny, tiny creature popped out; a bluish, horned goblin with golden eyes.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!"
The little monster let out a terrible wail, which made Victor take a step back. "What - what happy paradise?"
"Trapped in a beeping bottle for hundreds of years!" the elf replied, his screams turning into tears of relief. "I'm out. I'm finally out. "It's over...I have space now...space...oh God...hundreds of years..."
Things get more complicated.
