Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 116

The skull, trapped between the sole of Walm’s boot and the floor, creaked under the pressure and was on the verge of shattering. When Walm put more weight on it, the skull finally reached its limit and crumbled, scattering dirty white fragments across the worn floor. Without glancing at his feet, he squinted and caught sight of something crawling in the dark. A skeleton, having lost its lower half and one arm, was approaching Walm with its remaining arm.

Originally, the skeletons weren’t crawling creatures. Four walking skeletons had attacked Walm and were struck down. The last of them was now closing in on him. Before the bony fingers, stripped of flesh, could grab his boot, the butt of his halberd smashed the skull, halting its movement completely.

“What a troublesome floor.”

According to the information Walm received from the receptionist, only undead monsters appeared between the eleventh and fifteenth floors. He had faced such creatures many times on the battlefield. Corpses were abundant in places where life and death coexisted, and if the handling of the dead was neglected, they would quickly reappear.

The skeletons Walm had just been crushing continued to move as long as their heads were intact, even if their spines or necks were severed. Piercing a part of the skull often wasn’t enough to stop them. Walm’s method of dealing with them was simple: crush the skull with the axe blade of his halberd or immobilize the limbs and then deliver a finishing blow. Though it required a second effort, it didn’t take much time. The real problem lay with other monsters.

“They’ve been drawn in.”

Walm had learned from both hearsay and experience that once a battle began in the labyrinth, monsters from the surroundings would gather. On the surface floors, there were so many labyrinth challengers that there was often competition for monsters, but after the tenth floor, the ratio reversed. The deeper floors were more dangerous, and only adventurers or labyrinth explorers from other countries remained, as ordinary citizens lacked the necessary skills and confidence.

It was unclear whether the sound of bones breaking acted as a call, but a strong stench assaulted his nostrils. One after another, creatures emerged from the dim darkness.

“More ghouls, huh?”

The ghouls, or moving corpses, had partially melted and decayed skin, dyed a dark brown. Their faces were half-rotted, and hollow eye sockets, devoid of eyelids, fixated on Walm. The three ghouls, their rotting arms outstretched, ran towards Walm, craving the flesh of the living. Despite their appearance, they moved with unexpected swiftness.

Walm’s halberd horizontally sliced through the side of the head of the first ghoul that leapt at him, sending the uncontrolled body spinning into the labyrinth wall. Without a moment’s delay, he thrust the spearhead into the throat of the second approaching ghoul. It required no strength.

Even after being impaled through the throat, the ghoul continued to advance. With the halberd braced at his waist, the blade naturally dug in deeply. The last ghoul, not impeded in its actions, groaned and exuded a stench, seeking Walm’s blood and trying to bite off his flesh with its uneven teeth.

“Feast on this.”

Walm twisted the shaft of his halberd, rotating the blade embedded in the ghoul’s spine, severing its head. He then shortened his grip on the halberd and thrust the spearhead into the final ghoul, entering from under its jaw and forcefully closing its gaping mouth, the spearhead smashing through the palate and ravaging the brain.

The weight of the now lifeless ghoul pressed down on the spearhead. Walm tilted the shaft, causing the corpse to slide off the embedded blade and fall silently to the floor. Although he avoided being grabbed or splashed with the decayed fluids, he couldn’t escape the pervasive stench.

His halberd, smeared with filth, felt thoroughly contaminated. He flicked it several times, sending droplets of reddish-brown liquid flying. The unpopularity of the undead floors was due not only to the danger but also to the stench and the grotesqueness of the creatures. Even with just Walm and his halberd, it was a mess. In a group battle, with blunt weapons and magic, splattering decay fluids would be unavoidable.

Whether for better or worse, Walm’s sense of smell dulled as he descended further into the labyrinth. Keeping his sense sharp would only distract him. On the undead floors, this was fine, but once he returned to higher floors or the surface, he would inevitably face silent disapproval from other labyrinth explorers.

With each deeper floor, the number of corpses increased. Occasionally, he encountered traces of past battles, passing by adventurers without interference. A brief glance was all that was exchanged before they moved away, an unspoken etiquette within the labyrinth.

After passing through the monotonous corridors, Walm reached a rare large room within the labyrinth. Typically, such rooms were monster gathering spots, with coins and worn weapons scattered around. However, this time, things were different.

“Today’s welcome party is here.”

Two ghouls and two undead wolves, despite lacking proper circulation, emitted a fierce stench and awaited him. At the center of them was a monster commanding them.

“What kind of monster is that?”

The unknown monster was undoubtedly undead, specifically of the skeleton type, but its form was strange even to Walm’s eyes. It had the head of a human with curved horns, a ribcage-like shield on its left arm with a wolf’s skull at the tip, and its right hand formed a lance-like shape with three intertwined spines. Its lower half was unnaturally robust for a skeleton. The color of its bones resembled weapons made of bone owned by swordsmiths or novice adventurers.

As Walm recalled the explanation given by the receptionist about the undead floors, he remembered a rare type that occasionally appeared and was feared by parties suited for the fifteenth floor.

“A Bone Collector!”

Realizing the identity of the mixed individual of several skeletons and dark slimes, Walm turned to retreat, but there was no time left. Without warning, the five monsters charged at him. Even the supposed regular undead followers were exceptionally fast.

Abandoning the idea of retreat, Walm shifted his focus to combat. He didn’t have the nerves to hold back against an unknown opponent. Overcoming the numerical disadvantage required immediate action and firepower. He quickly gathered his magical power and released it, conjuring a fireball in the path of the undead.

The resulting flames shook the air and scorched the labyrinth. Two ghouls, unable to avoid the blast, became torches illuminating the labyrinth. However, it wasn’t the sight Walm desired. The two undead wolves and the Bone Collector had evaded the explosion with their speed.

“They’re fast.”

The Bone Collector positioned itself in front, while the two undead wolves moved to flank him. It aimed to distract and divide his attention. Despite being reduced to skeletons, the wolves demonstrated an unexpected level of intelligence. Walm, however, wasn’t foolish enough to wait for the impending danger.

The wolves’ flanking maneuver increased the risk of being picked off individually. The Bone Collector’s role was to prevent such a split, but Walm possessed the capability to overcome it. The speed of one of the undead wolves, which had scorched its hind leg while escaping the flames, had diminished.

Kicking off to the side, Walm used wind magic to accelerate and close the distance. Realizing it couldn’t evade, the wolf tried to turn rapidly, but Walm’s halberd crushed its skull faster. Without indulging in a sense of accomplishment, Walm pivoted on his left foot, turning his body.

The Bone Collector had already thrust its blackened lance. Reading the trajectory aimed at his chest, Walm pressed the halberd’s shaft against it, deflecting the lance upwards. The intertwined bones passed beside his eye. Walm crouched and aimed to slip under the left side. The shield-like left arm attempted to block, but the distance wasn’t enough.

“Ugh—!”

The wolf’s skull, assumed to be a mere decoration on the shield, suddenly opened its jaws to bite Walm’s shoulder. He instinctively jumped back, narrowly avoiding a sweep from the lance. Walm countered with a thrust from his halberd, and the hardened bone spear clashed against his weapon, continuing the struggle.

The clash didn’t last long. As the intense battle continued, the remaining undead wolf aimed for Walm’s ankle.

“How annoying.”

Walm pushed the Bone Collector back with his halberd, then wrapped the shaft around his body, channeling magic into it. With a sweeping motion enhanced by his Strong Strike, he cut through the undead wolf from its snout to its shoulder, sending the remains sliding across the floor. The unrelenting Strong Strike repelled the Bone Collector’s lance upwards. Walm swung the halberd like splitting firewood.

“Hah!”

The Bone Collector attempted to defend with its shield, but the axe head dug into its right shoulder and exited through the left hip. Its upper half slid off, followed shortly by the lower half.

Walm checked the condition of his numb fingers. The resistance felt through the shaft was akin to cutting through metal armor, not bone. Without Strong Strike, a clean cut would have been impossible. The Bone Collector, neatly bisected, made a final resistance with its shield, but Walm, from a safe distance, struck it down with his halberd, ending the fight swiftly.

“Using magic and skills, huh?”

Although it was a special monster unlike any before, the unexpected use of magical power on the thirteenth floor left Walm with a bitter taste.

Shifting his focus, Walm crouched and began searching the remains. Among the blackened bone fragments, he found something reflecting the faint glow of luminating moss. Using his dagger to pry away the bones, Walm picked it up.

“A gold coin, huh? At least I didn’t come away empty-handed.”

The gold coin in his hand was enough to feed several people for a year. Relieved that his effort against the troublesome Bone Collector wasn’t wasted, Walm let out a sigh of relief.

Translator – Lyxxna