I finish crushing the skull of the final undead before much longer, the body disintegrating into a cloud of bone powder and scattered ash.
I stare down at the weapon in my hands. This. is. So easy.
In the sorts of games I usually play, even in the early, 'easy' parts, I still have to do a good amount of dodging. Especially early on, before I figure out the attack patterns, their weaknesses, or get any armor. Yet. In this place, as long as I put in any effort at all, I might as well just be dealing with trash games in a musou game. A genre I've rarely ever cared for.
These skeletons are slow and clumsy, they struggle to aim, their weapons are useless even when they manage to land a hit, and they die pathetically easily. This is set up...more like to make someone feel powerful, than to feel small.
I hate it.
I glance toward the others, and...
Can't help but stare.
Elara is leaning against the wall, panting and cradling a bloodied arm. Her face is scratched and heavily bruised, and her legs are trembling as if they're struggling to hold up her weight. Arin is speaking rapidly in a quiet voice, as white light shines from his hands, clearly trying to heal her wounds. Kael looks exhausted and drained, leaning against the opposite wall. His hair is wild, fallen out of the loose ponytail he'd kept it in, and his face is covered with scratches and cuts.
...What. The hell kind of fight did they have? Was Kael that bad at rescuing Elara from that group of skeletons she'd been grabbed by?
Are...
Are they all really that weak?
It explains why they'd been struggling to find a fourth member, though. I'm a new arrival to this world. I've never been trained in fighting in either world - not outside of a video game, anyway. I did actually pick up some useful tips about how swords work and dodging and whatnot from playing games, but I'm not going to delude myself into believing it's equivalent to real training. But still. I'm as new as they come - if there's levels in this world, I'm level 1.
If I'm showing them up this much, just how weak are these party members I've been saddled with? Are they actually going to be anything but a gigantic liability?
I'm half tempted to ask-
No.
Absolutely not. I'm not asking that voice anything. Even if I'm curious, I'm not encouraging her into thinking she's useful to me at all.
Really, I just want to spite her at any cost. If that means missing out on information, so be it. I'll survive.
"Masterrr..."
I cough. Mostly to shut up the voice. "...You alright?"
Elara, despite her healing injuries, looks up at me with a confused expression. "How are you holding your own so well?" She shakes her head. "It's like you don't even needs us."
I don't. At least I haven't needed them so far.
"...Did you even try fighting them...?"
I mean. Surely they had to. She wouldn't have escaped that mess of skeletons if she didn't. And even if she blindly swung her sword around, she'd still contact them and find out how weak they were. There were simply too many of them for her not to. And I'm definitely - pretty - sure that I did not eliminate every single skeleton in that chaotic mob all on my own. So they should be aware that a single strike of even a stick eliminates these trash mobs.
Right?
Her cheeks flush with color as she turns her eyes away.
Arin frowns and brushes his light blonde hair from his eyes. "Look, you may be good, but you can't just dismiss this so fast. Skeleton soldiers have enough strength to topple an unprepared warrior in armor! They even did it to you!"
"Aren't you guys prepared, though?" That's the whole point of being called an adventurer and going willingly into a dungeon, right? And I was only caught once off-guard because I was distracted by them. So.
Kael puts a hand on Arin's shoulder and steps in. "Ryo. Look. What Elara was trying to say is that you're doing well, but we're lowly beginner adventurers just starting out. You can't expect us to keep up with your advanced skill."
Elara purses her lips and frowns at Kael. "You don't have to put it so...accurately! Spare my feelings a little!"
Kael sighs. "What good would that do?"
"A lot!!"
He glances away pointedly, apparently unconvinced.
Advanced skill, huh.
...I guess that's not inaccurate. Maybe my skills from playing games are even more potent than I'd been giving them credit after all.
...Regardless. There are more pressing matters.
I nod to the tall, ornate, double doors in front of us. "...So, that's definitely the boss room, right? That big attack was just the lead up for whatever's in there."
Maybe that's wishful thinking. But. At this point I'm just desperate for a bit of a challenge. Elara's not wrong - I'm pretty sure I could have solo'd that entire group of skeletons with basically no more effort than I already had. I could probably take on twice the size of that before they really become a problem.
Probably.
Possibly even without getting injured. I feel like I've earned a challenging boss. After all, there's a lot of games that are really hard that have trash mobs like these and then bosses that are face-meltingly difficult to fight. Usually they're not. Quite so trash. But the concept remains the same.
The boss definitely. Should be. Far more challenging than these were.
My hand grips into a fist at my side as I stare at the door. A thrill runs through me at the thought of what's past that door.
I'm looking forward to it. Maybe I should be wary. A first boss can be devastating, meant to humble a cocky adventurer. And dying against the first boss would still be humiliating. I realize all that.
But I'm on a roll, and I can't help it.
I need to see that boss.
Elara sighs as Arin does a once over on Kael, healing that one of his exhaustion and injuries. "...Right. What's ahead of us is more dangerous than what's behind. We need to be focused and united if we're going to survive."
Kael squints at the door. "You think it'll be the final chamber ahead?"
She takes a few steps forward and gives another short nod. "I think so. It matches the descriptions I've been given."
Kael reaches up, fixing his hair in...a surprisingly vain move on his part. "Well. We came this far. Might as well finish it up."
Arin walks up to me, and I shake my head. "Save your magic. I'm fine."
He just ignores me and presses his hand to my cheek. I feel...warmth. A little tingly, like a sensation of something creeping into my veins. Then it's gone.
"...Seems like it." He shakes his head in disbelief. "You're something else."
I can't help a little quirk of a smile at that. I mean. I am pretty singular. I'm not going to be humble about it. Nobody takes on hard challenges like me with such determination or excitement.
"Yeah, I guess I am."
I'm given exactly one second to enjoy this moment before the System Helper chirps up.
"You sure are, Master! There's no need to worry at all. You won't even break a sweat facing the Necromancer with your abilities!"
That's.
Just.
...Damn it.