"No way," he gasped, eyes wide with disbelief. "How could a deadweight like you unleash such a powerful attack?" I smirked and replied, "That wasn't magic; it was my skill, Restore. It returns objects to their original state." For example, the zombies, once mere dust before their cursed existence, crumbled back to nothing under its power.
"What in the world?" he shouted, his voice echoing in the desolate crypt. Suddenly, a zombie lunged, its gnarled hand clawing at him. "What are you doing?" he cried. "I'm your master!" I leaned against a crumbling pillar and warned, "Be careful, zombies turn on their masters when hunger takes over."
As ten zombies surrounded the pitiful man, their hollow eyes glinting, he screamed, "Stop! Stay back!" I crossed my arms and said coolly, "This is the fate you deserve. You greedily used the Necromancer's Gem, ignorant of its curse and its full effect." His cries faded as I turned away, the sound of tearing flesh behind me.
"You tried playing God," I added with a sharp retort. "What did you think would happen?" The zombies' hunger, unquenchable, consumed him as I faced the dungeon's sealed gate. Breaking the barrier might draw attention, monsters, or worse, so I needed another way.
I placed my hand on the cold ground and whispered, "Metamorphosis." In an instant, I transformed into a small, nimble mole, perfect for digging. Glancing at my furry form, I chuckled, "Not half bad, if I do say so myself." Metamorphosis let me become anything I choose to become, but I preferred something mobile to ensure I could revert.
Burrowing beneath the gate, I tunneled with ease, emerging with a soft thwip on the dungeon's other side. "Whoever designed this barrier didn't expect Metamorphosis," I said aloud, amused. "They didn't even extend it underground." With a thought, I cast "Illuminate," a shimmering light ball glowing in my palm.
The dungeon stretched vast and foreboding, its walls etched with ancient runes. This was no ordinary place; it had to be a high A-ranked dungeon, maybe even S-ranked. Dungeons and adventurers were ranked from E, the weakest, to S, the strongest, like Vivia or Alicia.
I, Ariake, was a mere C-ranked adventurer, or so they claimed. Support roles like mine, wielding skills like Restore or Metamorphosis, were rarely celebrated. No matter how many superior skills we mastered, we lingered in the shadows, unrecognized, overshadowed by combat heroes.
My thoughts halted as two gargoyle statues loomed before me, their stone eyes gleaming red. An ominous voice slithered from the shadows, intoning, "Intruder." The gargoyles stirred, their bass voices rumbling, "Are you here to release the Red Calamity?"
"The Red Calamity?" I echoed, tilting my head. "Must be whoever summoned me here. Important, huh, with guards like you?" The gargoyles shrieked, "We will exterminate you!" and lunged with terrifying speed, their claws aimed to rend me apart.
I raised a hand, summoning a shimmering white barrier. "Spatial Binding," I declared, turning the air into an unyielding wall. Their attacks crashed harmlessly against it, the force hurling them back into the dungeon's stone walls with a thunderous crash.
"How dare you?" they roared, scrambling to their feet. "What was that skill?" I grinned, replying, "Spatial Binding. It solidifies the air, rendering your attacks useless." One gargoyle snarled, "Die!" and charged, its fist shattering my barrier with a deafening crack.
I nodded, slightly impressed. "You broke my shield. That's no small feat." The second gargoyle lunged, its wings casting shadows as it swung a clawed arm. I dodged, rolling to the side, and cast "Restore," returning a cracked pillar to its pristine state, toppling it toward them.
The gargoyles screeched as the pillar pinned one to the ground. The other circled above, its eyes blazing with fury. "You cannot stop us," it growled, diving with claws extended, but I was ready, my mind racing through my arsenal of skills.
"You're level sixty, aren't you?" I taunted, eyeing their raw power. "You could raze a kingdom in minutes, but not me." I clapped my hands, activating "Echo Pulse," a skill that sent a shockwave rippling through the dungeon, stunning both gargoyles.
Their stone forms cracked under the vibration, and I stepped forward, undaunted. "Support or not, I'm no pushover," I said, my voice steady. I moved in an insane speed as they gasped, wondering where I was. I swiftly chopped their stone heads off. The Red Calamity, whatever it was, had drawn me here, and I wouldn't leave without answers.
I advanced deeper into the dungeon, the gargoyles' shattered remains behind me. The air grew colder, the runes on the walls pulsing faintly. A low hum vibrated through the stone, and I sensed the Red Calamity's presence, its power calling to my own.
This dungeon held secrets, ones the Dawnbreakers had dismissed me for seeking. They'd called me reckless, a liability, and cast me out, but I'd show them. Ariake, the lowly C-ranked support, would unravel the mystery of the Red Calamity and prove his worth.