Chapter Title: Forest (1)
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"Ah, you're already here."
Ribel, who had grabbed his main weapon, spoke upon seeing Dante already waiting ahead of him. Dante smiled and replied to his words.
"Not at all. It was just the right time."
Ribel gave a light nod at Dante's response as he surveyed the summoned creatures around him.
"You can even summon a Dullahan..."
Thirty Skeleton Warriors. And standing among them was a lone knight clad head to toe in armor, gripping a greatsword in one hand and holding his own helmeted head in the other.
"Yes, that's right. Did I not mention it? I'm pretty strong myself."
"I've seen enough of your strength yesterday to have no doubts, Sir Dante."
A black aura rose from the bodies of the thirty Skeleton Warriors and the Dullahan. It exuded a strange pressure that instinctively cowed any who beheld it.
'That aura really is something special.'
An aura infused with the power of death. Naturally, any living being would feel uneasy at the mere sight of it. Death was something all creatures instinctively rejected, and this aura was death made manifest and visible to the eye.
"Then let's get going."
Ribel nodded at Dante's words, and the two set off toward the forest alongside Dante's summoned minions.
"Dullahan, guard me. Skeleton Warriors, kill any monsters that appear around us."
At Dante's command, the Dullahan silently took position at his side, while the Skeleton Warriors spread out to form a circular escort around him at a set distance. Ribel, walking under that protection alongside Dante, marveled at the Skeleton Warriors' movements.
'They really are different. Nothing like the Skeleton Warriors I've seen before.'
In combat, they had moved like battle-hardened veterans rolling across a battlefield. Now, in escort formation, they displayed the precision of soldiers professionally trained for the task.
'They say the difference in skills comes down a lot to proficiency...'
Skeletons could be mere shambling bones or terrifying undead, depending on the summoner's level of mastery.
In that regard, the Skeleton Warriors Dante had called forth were on another level entirely compared to any others.
'Lehas. Do the Skeleton Warriors she summons look like this? Or even more impressive?'
Ribel thought of her—the one hailed as the world's greatest necromancer, the Queen of Death. Surely her Skeleton Warriors would look something like this.
He realized it was a bit ridiculous even as he thought it. She was the pinnacle of her art, and here he was comparing her to Dante.
But he couldn't help it. The incredible combat prowess Dante's Skeleton Warriors had shown was still vividly etched in his mind.
'Maybe he's been in seclusion all this time and has only now emerged into the world.'
This was especially common among mages. They prioritized their personal research above all else, holing up in quiet places for decades before stepping out and shocking the world.
'If that's the case, just how strong is Sir Dante? How would he stack up against Lady Lehas?'
As those thoughts ran through Ribel's mind, the lead Skeleton Warriors halted abruptly before charging toward something. Moments later, monstrous roars echoed from the direction they had gone.
"Let's check out where that noise came from."
"Yes, understood, Sir Dante."
When they arrived at the source, all they found were the corpses of goblins already slain by four Skeleton Warriors.
Ribel counted the dead goblins and spoke up.
"Seven goblins. That's a small pack."
"Yeah."
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Harvest
Goblin corpses absorbed. Byproducts stored in inventory.
Dante extended his hand to activate the skill, and the seven goblin corpses began to glow before crumbling into dust and vanishing. At the same time, their byproducts were neatly added to Dante's inventory.
"Any strange spots in the forest?"
"Pardon?"
"Like you mentioned after dinner—monsters suddenly attacking the village more often. I'm asking if you have any guesses about the cause. Like some odd location, or a powerful monster, or something."
"Ah, I see what you mean. As for places like that..."
Ribel pondered for a moment. Dante watched him, waiting for his answer.
'There has to be one. A place that's been bothering him.'
In the game, accepting this scouting quest prompted Ribel to point out a specific spot. Investigating it led to the first discovery of a 'totem.'
That revealed something was amiss in the forest, kicking off the first major storyline in Wizley Village: destroying all the totems hidden there.
"There are a few."
"Then we should check those first."
"That does seem the most likely. We'll head there first. I'll lead the way."
"Sure."
Ribel took the lead, and Dante followed. The Skeleton Warriors continued protecting both men outwardly, but in truth, they were focused solely on Dante.
Ribel knew this and proceeded cautiously on his own, heading to what he considered the forest's strangest spot. Along the way, goblins and orcs appeared, but the Skeleton Warriors dispatched them in moments, fattening Dante's inventory further.
"That thing..."
As they walked, Ribel spotted a two-meter-tall red wooden totem planted squarely in the eerie location he had in mind, and he frowned.
"Looks like something that wasn't here before."
Ribel nodded at Dante's words.
"It wasn't there even two months ago. Who the hell would make something so creepy and stick it in this forest?"
"No way to know, but it sure looks like the culprit, doesn't it?"
Ribel nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, even to me. If it's not the totem, we'd have to look for another cause—but just having something this weird in the forest isn't good news."
"Then let's destroy it."
"Please do."
Dante nodded at Ribel's request and turned to the Dullahan.
"Go smash that thing."
The Dullahan advanced to the totem, swinging its greatsword. A protective barrier appeared to guard the totem, but it shattered in one strike, cleaving the totem in two.
Red smoke billowed from the broken totem as eerie roars echoed in all directions. Ribel grimaced.
"This doesn't feel good."
"Coincidence. I feel the same."
Destroying a totem was just the beginning. It drew every monster in the area straight to this spot.
Players then had two choices: flee with the monsters to Wizley Village, where villagers could help deal with them more easily. Or wipe them all out right here—a brutally difficult option that even veteran players struggled with.
'But with my current power, it's doable.'
Dante was confident. With thirty Skeleton Warriors, one Dullahan, and the massive buffs from his Aura of Death, he could handle it.
"Don't stray from my side."
Ribel nodded at Dante's instruction. The Skeleton Warriors, sensing something, tightened their formation around him while scanning the surroundings.
The Dullahan gripped its greatsword, poised to charge and cleave enemies at any moment.
Kieeeek!!!!
A goblin shriek rang out from one side. Ribel whipped his head toward it, his face hardening at the sight of dozens of goblins approaching by climbing through the trees.
"All these goblins suddenly converging here!"
Dante eyed them and spoke.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Aura of Death activated. All enemy stats reduced by 30% (Curse effect).
"Aura of Death on."
With Dante's words, black aura began to emanate from his body, noticeably slowing the goblins' charge.
The curse effect of the Aura of Death skill had triggered, reducing all the goblins' stats by 30%.
"Dullahan, guard me. Skeleton Warriors, kill every monster that approaches!"
At Dante's command, the Skeleton Warriors clustered around him surged toward the oncoming goblins.