Chapter 136: Chapter 136

[Lord of Bones proficiency has greatly increased!]

[Lord of Bones skill proficiency has reached 25%!

Damaged bones can now be restored.

You can grant an additional (2) stat points to those under your control.

Recipients of the stats will significantly increase their Affection toward you.]

[List of those under your control:

— Acorn (Wolf Lv. 11)]

I stared blankly at the messages. I never expected Acorn to accomplish something so significant. In the first place, I hadn’t raised it expecting it to be useful in the first place. It had been an act of irresponsible pity; a shallow gesture of sympathy.

Acorn ran toward us, tail wagging as it emerged from the open passage. The little creature rubbed its head against my foot.

"Acorn! Is that really you? Thank you!"

Rena hugged it tightly from behind. I opened its status window to check.

— Autonomous Actions E+

— Keen Senses Lv. 3 (New!)

— Critical Hit Boost Lv. 1 (New!)]

Its stats had increased significantly due to the explosive level-up. It had acquired two new skills, while its existing skills had leveled up twice.

What remarkable growth! I took Acorn from Rena, hugged it, and stroked its head. The creature wagged its tail happily as if enjoying the attention.

Had its increased strength stat made a difference? There was even a faint breeze from its tail.

[Acorn is extremely satisfied!]

A notification popped up, indicating that its Affection had increased by one. There was something I needed to do. I opened the status window.

Allocate bonus stats.

[Confirm stat allocation to Acorn Lv. 11?]

[Distributing stats!]

Acorn rolled onto its back on my arm, exposing its belly. A series of chimes rang as more Affection increase messages appeared. I continued stroking it.

"It’s time to move," Chandler said cautiously, with a hint of impatience.

He had likely assumed that after dealing with the golems, we would be able to kill the sorcerer immediately. However, the poison caused a significant delay. There was no time to linger. We had only overcome a single, unexpected trap.

Chandler quickly stepped forward. Christina picked up her greatsword and followed.

Rena muttered quietly beside me, "Did Acorn really do all that?"

I nodded. There was no doubt about it. Its level had increased, and because of that, my unique skill proficiency had also risen significantly.

I recalled Acorn persistently following me, begging to be taken along. Since being revived in the mountains, Acorn had never gained a single level. Had it been waiting for this moment all along? After sharpening its fangs for so long, it had finally found the perfect chance to prove itself.

"It’s impressive, but I have a question. Why did the vent open in the first place…?"

"If it was a trap, there’d be no reason to clear the smoke. If I were the one who set it up, I would have left us here until our bones rotted away."

"Hm… Should we turn back?"

Rena had achieved her goal, and the golems had been taken care of. There was no obligation to stay for Chandler’s revenge.

But Rena quietly shook her head. "No. I don’t think that would be any safer. Look behind you."

"Yes, but the opening is much smaller than the one in front, and the stone walls are trembling. It feels like…." Rena swallowed. "Like it’s waiting to crush us if we go back. Let’s move forward."

Chandler and Christina had already advanced ahead.

I need to hurry, too.

There was a chance the stone walls would close again. I was ready to wedge my greatsword into the passage to stop it if necessary.

No traps were detected.

The stone walls remained still as we reached the end of the passage.

Rena exhaled a deep sigh of relief as we stepped into a spacious hall. We had passed through a long, suffocating corridor that could have crushed us at any moment.

A passage where death had never felt more tangible. And beyond it lay an open hall—a vast, level space. There were neither statues nor golems.

Christina, who had arrived first, pointed ahead. "There."

At the center of the hall stood a peculiar, spherical structure. A stone egg.

"Is that… the sorcerer’s sarcophagus?"

We had received detailed information from the lord beforehand. Chandler knew what needed to be done. Of course, seeing it in person was different.

"It looks ominous," Rena muttered.

The gray stone egg had been intricately sculpted, particularly along the edges of its shell. The shell was partially broken in several places—whether by design or damage was unclear. Other parts had spilled outward, curling in rounded, irregular shapes. Dried, cursed energy seemed to have once seeped out from the cracks.

As if drawn by an unseen force, Chandler slowly approached the egg. At that moment, Acorn signaled me to follow. When I did, I found a mechanical device behind the massive egg.

So this is what had been operating it.

It was a lever that was too large for Acorn to have moved easily. On the ground, a small, broken fang lay nearby. I picked up the fractured tooth.

"Looks like it bit down hard enough to break its own fang while trying to move it," Rena whispered.

My heart clenched at the thought of Acorn struggling to shift the mechanism.

[Use Skill: Lord of Bones Lv. 1?]

The broken fang in my hand trembled faintly.

I gently opened Acorn’s mouth.

[The target is under your control.]

[Would you like to execute Bone Restoration?]

Acorn’s broken fang glowed faintly and fused back together. The fact that I could fully restore a broken tooth to its original state was quite astonishing.

After all, this wasn’t just any necromancer’s skill, but the unique ability of the greatest necromancer. Even with just a proficiency increase, the effects were remarkable.

So, if my bones break, I might be able to fix them to some extent.

I felt even more grateful toward Acorn. After patting the creature affectionately, I gently set it down on the ground. Now, it was time to put an end to things.

"Yes. The sorcerer is resting here." Chandler seemed to be steadying himself multiple times over. A tight tension radiated from him. "I will begin."

I nodded. It had already been agreed that the final blow would be Chandler’s. The long-awaited revenge of a noble family spanning generations. Allowing him to land the last strike was all part of the request. I had no intention of letting greed ruin the commission.

I uncorked the glass vial and carefully poured the blood into the cracks of the stone egg. Christina tensed beside me, poised to lunge forward if anything went wrong. But nothing required her intervention.

The egg trembled slightly. Rena and Christina remained still, staring at the shaking structure.

—Have you come to offer your body…?

From within the stone egg, a voice echoed, laced with amusement. The ancient sorcerer had sealed himself away, waiting for the Demon King’s descent, perceiving only the blood of the servants meant to protect him.

He wasn’t even aware of his surroundings. I clenched my teeth. My determination to succeed was unwavering.

The final barrier, the sarcophagus itself, began to open. With a grotesque metallic screech, the egg slowly parted at its seams.

From the ominous gaps, a long, tube-like coffin emerged. The end of the coffin was sharp, cut at an angle like bamboo.

I grabbed the tube—the instrument meant to pierce my spinal cord. With my other hand, I pulled out the compact flamethrower I had prepared.

I drove the narrow nozzle into the tube like a spike and squeezed the trigger.

Flames surged inside the coffin. Fire bloomed like flowers within the massive stone construct. Generations of rage and resentment burned within the sorcerer’s prison.

The flames—the blacksmith’s wrath—blazed inside the sarcophagus, an inferno engineered for precision. It burned only inward, consuming everything within, leaving no path for escape. The metal tubing melted, and the stone egg scorched red-hot. From within the sealed sarcophagus, the sound of bones and flesh crumbling away rang out. Dark smoke curled upward like twisted shadows.

I stepped back, emptying the entire fuel tank. There was no resistance, no screams. I folded my arms and watched, waiting for the clear message. But the dungeon's clear message didn’t appear.

Had I made a mistake by burning the body instead of defeating it directly? For the first time, doubt crept in.

Instead of screams, loud laughter erupted from within the egg.

I unfolded my arms and took a step back. Scanning my surroundings, I realized something eerie: the laughter was only in my head.

The sound shifted—horizontal, then vertical—wrapping around my consciousness. It was like the sloshing of a pitch-black stomach filled with rotting soil. The laughter of an executioner hidden behind a mask. The laughter of an insect crawling toward the sun, only to die. The laughter of a decayed shadow, festering and grinning.

(Chandler’s Perspective)

From the sorcerer’s coffin, a wave of jet-black smoke surged toward me like flapping wings. One hand gripped the portable flamethrower, while the other wielded my long sword. I could feel my hands trembling.

I had succeeded in my revenge. I had killed the parasite that had exploited my family with my own hands. My chest swelled with emotion. It felt like the countless threads that had bound me were snapping apart.

I was dazed. It didn’t feel real.

I shoved my sword through a crack in the shell and twisted it violently.

Only white ashes and ancient stone dust spilled out. I repeated the action several times before I was finally convinced.

At last, I could breathe. The nightmares, the whispers, the long history of exploitation—ended. The stain that had haunted my family for generations was gone.

Perhaps my years spent training far away in the East had actually been an escape. Perhaps I had wanted to ignore the reality that I was meant to be the next sacrifice. But now, that reality had changed.

It’s all thanks to him…

I turned to look at the knight. Despite his denial, there was no doubt this man had risen once again from the depths of the earth. Whether through necromancy or dark sorcery, I didn’t care. I was convinced this knight had been sent by my ancestors to aid me.

I stared at the skeletal knight, brimming with gratitude and fervor. But he did not respond.

"Thank you…!" I called out again.

Still, no answer. Only a vacant, motionless stare.

Rena, who had been standing beside the knight, our savior, spoke up. She was an exceptionally skilled woman who seemed to always carry the scent of blood.

Even if we’re not allies, she’s not someone I’d want as an enemy… A disciple, was she? She’s an odd one.

I glanced at Rena, deep in thought.

"Master!" she cried out again, her face clouded with worry.

The knight clashed his teeth together twice. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward Rena and opened his mouth.