The skeleton that appeared ahead in the cavern turned its wide, pitch-black eye sockets toward us and halted, standing motionless.
We had been told this place was safe from upper-layer monsters, but apparently that did not apply to those from the mid-layers.
"Th-this is bad… That thing is no joke… Something insane just showed up…"
The thief muttered, sweat beading on his forehead as he stared at the skeleton positioned a short distance away.
Not just the thief—everyone present could not tear their eyes from it.
The armored man had called it an Ogre Skeleton.
Perhaps it should be called a Skeleton Ogre.
Though humanoid like goblins and orcs, its size was more fitting for a giant. It matched or even surpassed the Killing Bear I had defeated.
Moreover, two extra skeletal arms protruded from its shoulders.
Perhaps mixed with another ogre's remains.
The base monster, an ogre, ranked C according to the Adventurers' Guild. A C-rank party could handle one in theory.
But this one was undead, with no obvious biological weak points.
Its form was abnormal. It was far beyond a normal C-rank.
Ogres were known for their ferocious, brutal nature—once engaged, they used their tough bodies and immense strength to crush humans outright.
Undead were vulnerable to a priest's "Dispel", but against higher-grade monsters, it often failed.
The adventurer party here was likely all D-rank, limited to upper layers. Fighting it head-on gave them no chance.
In that case, fleeing was the best option.
The narrow staircase on the way to the surface offered hope—if they could reach it, the Skeleton Ogre's size would prevent pursuit.
But they had injured members.
Running at full speed was impossible.
It was nearly certain not everyone would make it.
That meant someone would have to be sacrificed.
"I'll hold it off. Everyone, head to the surface."
The armored man drew his sword and took a stance.
"You're kidding!? There's no way you can handle that thing! We're just D-rank! We can't win!"
"It's huge, so it shouldn't move fast. Hide among the trees and buy time. I don't plan on dying here either."
As they spoke, the Skeleton Ogre leaned its upper body forward.
『Gugyaaaaaaa!!』
An otherworldly shriek echoed through the cavern.
The piercing sound made the adventurers instinctively cover their ears.
Then the Skeleton Ogre leaped.
It soared high and closed the impossible distance in an instant, landing right in front of them.
No ogre was supposed to move like that.
"Damn it…!!"
The man glared at the suddenly appearing Skeleton Ogre while keeping his sword raised.
(It's in range now.)
""Death""
Without delay, I unleashed Instant Death Magic toward the Skeleton Ogre.
But the jet-black wave struck its body and vanished.
(Failed.)
Perhaps noticing my magic, the Skeleton Ogre turned from the armored man to me and thrust out one massive arm.
I shifted slightly to the side to dodge.
Strangely, my mind remained calm. No fear.
There was only one reason.
"I never thought I'd be grateful for this."
I leaped back to evade the four arms reaching to grab me.
I knew.
I had faced something far more terrifying.
—Balzaak.
I could still vividly recall the razor-sharp glare that man had fixed on me. Overwhelming power.
I had been unable to even stand.
Compared to the terror I felt then, no matter the size difference, it meant nothing.
""Death""
It was nullified again.
Perhaps some kind of resistance.
[Instant Death Magic] was supposed to kill any target in one hit.
There was no reason it should not work on undead.
If it did not, I would have to flee from undead forever.
If I stopped here, I could never reach the place where he existed.
The Skeleton Ogre's four arms swung down together to crush me.
I dodged, and the arms smashed into the ground, shaking the earth beneath my feet.
"Th-that's insane… He's dodging every attack…"
"Unbelievable…"
I focused and kept evading.
""Death""
Failed again.
""Death""
One hit from that giant body would be fatal.
『Hey, if you keep that up, you're gonna get killed, you know?』
Recalling the catgirl from Balzaak's party, I evaded the skeletal hands closing in from above, below, left, and right.
""Death""
I am weak.
""Death""
That is why I resist.
""Death""
Until the enemy before me falls.
""Death", "Death", "Death", "Death""
Until my mana runs out, I will fire this magic as many times as needed.
Nothing else matters.
""Death""
『Vooooooo!!!』
A scream that made the air vibrate rang out.
The Skeleton Ogre threw its head back, mouth gaping wide, and froze.
The bones composing its body began to crumble and fall to the ground one after another.
My magic had struck whatever force kept the Skeleton Ogre moving as undead.
I can kill it.
Even if the target is undead, I can kill it.
With this [Instant Death Magic] skill.
『Skill level has increased. Please allocate points.』
I touched the displayed message with my fingertip.
『A new ability has been acquired by defeating a special monster. Displaying status.』
======================================
[Basic Status]
Name: Ark
Class: Magician
Level: 1
HP: 1029/1029
MP: 785/785
Attack: 233
Defense: 249
Stamina: 239
Speed: 230
Intelligence: 210
[Owned Skill]
・Instant Death Magic Lv25
[Owned Abilities]
・Mana Consumption Halved Lv1
・Effective Range Up Lv1
・Success Rate Up Lv2
・Coffin of the Dead
・Soul Collection
・Quadruple
======================================
The status board appeared alongside the ability list.
A new frame had formed in the lower right, adding a symbol resembling the Skeleton Ogre's face.
『Quadruple: Ability gained from the four-armed Skeleton Ogre. The next Instant Death Magic cast will have four times the effective range and success rate. However, it consumes a large amount of mana.』
(…So defeating monsters can grant new abilities too.)
This monster had taken considerable time to defeat.
If there had been more of them, the outcome might have been different.
From now on, I would face even stronger monsters.
『Quadruple』 had the drawback of heavy mana consumption, so spamming it might be difficult, but if used well, I could allocate points from Success Rate Up to other abilities in the future.