Memorize

As I grabbed its hair and lifted it up, its hollow eyes glared at me.

Like staring at me is going to change anything.

I didn't like that look. It made me want to crush its head right then and there. But there were more pressing matters to handle first.

Since I knew nothing about this ruined laboratory, I had to extract every bit of information possible from this thing. Without hesitation, I activated my Third Eye and focused on it.

『The creature before you can be classified as a (Wangja - The Deceased or Undead). However, unlike typical Wangja, these beings retain both physical bodies and emotions. During the height of the ancient Hall Plane's civilization, its arrogant inhabitants conceived an experiment—one born from the idea that they could become gods and create a new form of humanity…』

After scanning through the flood of information, I gently released my grip on its hair.

Thud.

Its head hit the ground, and I slowly raised my foot.

"Vivienne."

"Yeah?"

She responded in a calm tone. Out of everyone in the group, only Vivienne had remained composed since we entered the dungeon. Her gaze toward the Wangja was indifferent—completely unbothered. She had lived through enough hardships of her own that something like this was probably nothing to her.

"Do you remember anything about this laboratory? Anything at all?"

"Hmm…"

She frowned slightly, deep in thought. Then, after briefly glancing at Wangja, she spoke.

"I don't remember much, but… I think they were experimented on."

"Experimented on?"

She nodded once or twice in response to my question. Before I knew it, everyone in our group was focused on her words. The once-boastful undead that had appeared with such bravado had now been pushed into the background.

"Yeah. There was a time when not only magic engineering but also alchemy were thriving. I vaguely remember hearing about a lab being established to create new humans back then."

"And then?"

"I don't know. For some unknown reason, it was shut down and buried. I don't remember much. That thing you're looking at now is probably one of the poor souls who fell victim to those experiments."

"I see."

Vivienne neatly wrapped up her words. I brought my raised foot down with force. The sound of a skull shattering echoed through the hallway, which was instantly drenched in blood. Looking down at the creature, I confirmed that it had stopped moving—dead in a single strike.

The others wore indifferent expressions, but Jung Ha-Yeong and Shin Sang-Yong stared at me in stunned silence. They had only ever seen my quiet side before, so my sudden decisiveness must have caught them off guard. Ignoring their reactions, I turned my gaze to Sol.

"Sol."

"Y-yes…."

Sol responded in a timid voice but quickly lifted her head when she saw my frown. From past experience, she knew that once we were in a real fight, I was no longer the same as usual.

"You've practiced holy spells to some extent, right?"

"Shackles, protection… and healing…"

Sol's voice grew quieter as she spoke. If only she had learned Holy Striking, it would have been incredibly useful. Clicking my tongue in frustration, I turned away. Sol seemed to have something more to say, hesitating with her lips slightly parted, but I didn't have the time to entertain her murmuring right now.

"For now, let's proceed deeper inside. Stay alert for any potential traps or ambushes. Our first objective is to secure a retreat path and explore the building based on our current passage. And Jung Ha-Yeong?"

"Yes?"

"Can you keep Light Magic active at all times?"

"I can, but if I do, I won't be able to use Double Casting."

Rapid casting and Double Casting, huh? She's learned almost everything a mage needs. Not that it mattered—having just Rapid Casting alone was more than enough. I gave a small nod and continued forward, keeping the formation intact.

…

"Come forth! Queritatus! Slayer of Screams, ruler of the 14th Legion!"

"─── Cone of Aqua!"

A deep, agonizing scream, as if coming from the depths of an abyss, fills the hall above the rising magic circle. This is Vivienne's Chimera Beast Summoning Spell. At the same time, I saw cone-shaped crimson water blobs rising from the spilled blood of the dead on the floor. That was Jung Ha-Yeong's handiwork.

It seemed like the undead were pushing forward, irritated by the mages continuously shooting spells from behind. My defense was so tight that I noticed some of the undead trying to bypass it by moving around. I immediately raised my voice.

"An-Hyun. The undead are gathering in your direction. An-Sol, Shin Sang-Yong, cover them."

"Ugh! Again? Damn it! What the hell are these things?"

"Understood, Leader. ───."

I heard An-Hyun's shout as he swung his spear furiously, followed by Shin Sang-Yong's calm response. Without hesitation, I let my sword drop to the side. I could feel the sword through my hands as it cut into something firm, like muscle. It seemed that the undead had taken advantage of the moment when I briefly turned my head.

"Arrrgh!"

I succeeded in making it stagger by slashing its shoulder. However, it was persistent. Even with its arm nearly severed, the undead kept charging at me. I realized that, like the undead I met in the passageway earlier, they wouldn't stop unless I crushed their heads.

But targeting their heads was a difficult task. Deadmen were slower, so aiming for their heads was easier, but the undead were different. With their human-like build and much quicker movements, they rushed at me relentlessly, and trying to strike their heads was still an unreasonable request.

The terrain of the magic square where An-Hyun and Yun-Jung were positioned was shifting constantly, but they were still holding their ground. This was because all the support from Jung Ha-Yeong, Shin Sang-Yong, An-Sol, and Vivienne was directed toward them. Meanwhile, I was handling a large number of undead by myself, without any backup.

My sword dances. Having reached the pinnacle of the Sword's Heart, every swing of my sword carried a remarkable purpose. After blocking an undead's hand with the flat side of my blade, I gently redirected it. Eventually, that hand struck the face of another undead standing nearby. I smoothly cut both of them down with a single motion.

With each swing of my sword, two or three undead would fall to the floor, but immediately more would push in to take their place. I had already knocked down more than thirty, but it seemed like they wouldn't stop coming. It was starting to annoy me a bit. It felt like the scale of the battle was comparable to fighting 100 Landmole in our previous battle, and here we were, fighting in the hall on the first floor of the laboratory.

"───. Shackles!"

As An-Sol chanted the spell, I heard something collapse on the left side. I wanted to turn my head and check on their situation, but it was more important to thrust my sword into the undead's throat, which was gaping open with bared teeth.

"Ugh! Mmm!"

I also heard Yun-Jung's voice, releasing a heated groan. It sounded a bit lewd, but every time she let out such noises, she always showed results that satisfied my expectations. Especially in chaotic battles like this, Yun-Jung was more suited for the job than An-Hyun. In response to my expectations, I quickened the pace of my sword as I heard her lively daggers songs accompanying my movements.

Sck. Sck. Sck. Sck.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

But it was only for a moment. With a bored expression, I continued to swing my sword. Each strike split an undead's neck, sending it tumbling to the ground. It was inevitable. With my swordsmanship and stats being so high, there was no real challenge left. No matter what I tried to do, I couldn't hold back my abilities.

In the later stages of the first time, every day was a fierce struggle for survival. Any mistake, no matter how small, could lead to death. The battles were thrilling, filled with tension and excitement. But now, after becoming accustomed to that kind of life, this current fight felt like mere child's play.

Since I planned to complete this exploration, then finish preparations and immediately apply for a formal clan, there was no need to hide my strength anymore. The fact that the Year 0 users had uncovered and conquered two dungeons in less than two months was already enough to draw attention.

Once I submitted the application, I planned to leave the city and embark on my last expedition. I expected the approval to come through while I was at the Wailing Cave. Even if the approval didn't come through by then, it wasn't a problem. The chances of that happening were slim, and I was confident that adding the Wailing Cave as an accomplishment would guarantee my approval.

At that point, hiding my strength would be downright pathetic and foolish. There's always a right time for everything. Rather than hiding it blindly, it would be far more beneficial to reveal my abilities while riding the momentum, increasing the clan's value, and sparking curiosity in talented individuals.

"Eh...?"

While I was lost in thought for a moment, I realized my sword was cutting through the air absentmindedly. Startled, I looked up and saw the undead, who had been charging at me relentlessly, hesitating and slowly backing away. They, too, were beings with emotions, so fear wasn't an issue, but why were they retreating all of a sudden...?

I quickly realized what had happened. I had been so bored, thinking about the schedule ahead, that I had lost focus on the swordsmanship I was performing. Normally, I tried to hide my true skills and leave room for maneuver, but during my brief lapse in concentration, my practiced swordsmanship had kicked in reflexively.

Because of that, before I knew it, the corpses of the dead had piled up in front of me. Clean, precise traces without a single unnecessary mark. Worried that someone might find it suspicious, I turned my head, but fortunately, my concerns were unfounded.

"Phew. I owe my life to you, Vivienne."

"Heeeh…"

Yun-Jung and An-Sol wiped their cold sweat, staring blankly into the air. I followed their gaze and soon spotted a being radiating an overwhelming presence. It was none other than Queritatus, the ruler of the 14th Legion, summoned by Vivienne. Judging by its power, it seemed to be quite formidable, much like the beast ruling the 10th Legion.

The others probably thought the undead were terrified of the Queritatus, but in reality, most of their gazes were locked onto me. In any case, thanks to Vivienne stepping in at just the right moment, I let out a relieved sigh and reorganized our formation.

"Huff… Huff… S-Sol, heal me while we have the chance."

"Heal you? Just drink a potion for now."

An-Hyun, who had a tough time in close combat, panted heavily as he grabbed An-Sol. Sol quickly handed him a potion and began chanting a spell.

The battle had momentarily died down. Jung Hayeon still seemed fine, but after casting so many spells, traces of exhaustion showed on her face. Still, her move of using Cone of Aqua to pierce through the undead's legs and disrupt their formation had been a brilliant play.

I hadn't seen Shin Sang-Yong fight, but judging from how well he supported Yun-Jung and kept her from getting injured, his performance must have been solid. I couldn't help but wonder—what would have happened if I hadn't met these people and had only brought my group here? The thought made me chuckle.

As I laughed to myself, Vivienne, who had been quietly watching me, finally spoke in a small voice.

"Su-Hyeon. Su-Hyeon."

"What?"

"What should we do?"

She raised a finger into the air.

She, too, was skilled enough to wipe out the undead in an instant. When we first left the city, I had given her a heads-up—don't step in recklessly, let the others build up their skills first. Only if she judged that things were truly dire should she unleash her full power.

But this time, her judgment seemed to differ from mine. I still felt that we could push forward a little longer… but since she had already summoned it, sending it back now would be pointless. So, I had no choice but to give a slight nod.

At my response, Vivienne's face brightened. She must have been uncertain about her own decision.

Then, with a cold smile, she turned to her summoned being and gave a command.

"What are you waiting for? Queritatus. Wipe them all out. Leave not a single one."

As if answering her order, Queritatus let out a bone-chilling scream that shook the air. It soon began exuding a dark mist, which I watched with great interest. Since this class hadn't appeared in my first life, I was naturally curious. If nurtured properly, two Chimera Alchemists might even rival the mighty secret class, the Spirit Summoner.

While I was lost in thought, the mournful screams of the undead filled the hall. By now, the others seemed to have grown somewhat accustomed to such gruesome sights. Rather than flinching, An-Hyun, who had a strong combat instinct, even cheered on the summon from time to time.

And just like that, it took Queritatus less than two minutes to annihilate the remaining undead.

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