Chapter 82: Siege of Base Camp D III

With each step, the frozen path extended closer toward Base Camp D.

One by one, the skeletal soldiers lowered their weapons and turned toward the creature approaching from across the lake.

They were bowing.

The figure wore the remains of a dark ceremonial robe, its fabric frozen against a body that had long since lost all flesh. It wore a jagged crown, while two balls of sickly green energy replaced its eyes.

In one hand, it carried a staff constructed from several bones fused together. A cracked black gem sat at its tip, leaking enough necrotic mana to make the surrounding air feel stale.

Instructor Klein appeared beside them, drawing his sword. "Everyone, get away from the southern wall."

"What is it?" Gareth asked.

"A lich."

"And judging by that pressure..." Klein continued. "It’s at least a 5-Star monster, maybe even more..."

’A 5-Star?’

Rian studied the approaching monster again. A lich powerful enough to reach that rank shouldn’t have existed anywhere inside the Graveyard. This entire region should’ve been thoroughly exterminated before Eidelgard Academy converted it into an examination site.

’Any undead above 3-Star should’ve been destroyed...So why is it here?’

’Unless...’

The Graveyard’s Frost Lich, the monster that Adrian Rosenheim had slain and the one that shot him up in status as one of the kingdom’s strongest Mages.

The official report had claimed the lich had been completely destroyed, but something about it always felt off.

’They never found its phylactery.’

Destroying a lich’s body meant nothing if the vessel containing its soul remained intact. As long as the phylactery survived, it could continue gathering necrotic mana and eventually construct another body.

The extermination force must have mistaken its monster core for the source of its immortality. After Adrian destroyed the original body, they collected the core and assumed the remaining fragments of its soul would disperse.

Instead, the lich had spent years feeding upon the mana saturating the Graveyard. It hadn’t recovered its former strength yet, but it had gathered enough to return as a 5-Star monster.

’Ugh...why did it have to wake up now of all times?! Was this what Selene meant by trials and tribulations?!’

By now, the camp was finally in the state that Rian had expected it to be. A few of the nobles who hadn’t been in this kind of situation before...completely lost their minds to fear.

The looming fear of death.

Some tried running while others frankly...pissed their pants, their bodies freezing up at the sight of the lich approaching.

"Everyone, stay calm and get as far away as you can!" Klein tried bringing some semblance of order back, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Seeing that there was no other option, the instructor stepped up, his sword glowing with radiant green mana.

"I guess there’s no other choice..."

Wind swirled around Klein before the man disappeared. The man crossed the distance so quickly that Rian barely managed to process it.

A trail of radiant mana followed him as he raised his sword, trying to find weak spots in the lich’s defense. But the monster simply raised its bone staff, forming a wall of ice between them.

CRAAAAAAAAAAACK—!

His blade cleaved through the entire wall and continued toward the lich’s skull. At the last possible moment, the creature shifted aside, causing Klein’s sword to tear through part of its robe instead.

The resulting force carved a trench through the frozen lake.

’He’s strong. Maybe he would even give Alicia some trouble if this were a head-on fight...’

The lich raised one hand as sickly green mana emitted from it. Several frozen corpses instantly erupted from beneath the lake and lunged at Klein from every direction.

He twisted his sword, releasing a circular wave of wind that shattered them before they could touch him. And in the next moment, the instructor reset his stance, ready to go again.

Seeing the battle, the panicking candidates seemed to have recovered somewhat, but not nearly enough to continue battling.

"Don’t just stand there!" Nolan shouted, recovering first. "Reinforce the wall!"

His voice snapped several students out of their fear. Those who could still fight began gathering their weapons, while the injured and less capable retreated toward the center of camp along with the others.

The fact that most Academy staff present were non-combatants was quite an oversight, but then again, nobody expected a monster of this caliber to show up.

Several skeletons even abandoned the northern entrance and marched toward the frozen lake, using the newly formed path to approach from the south.

With Klein occupied by the lich, there was no longer anyone capable of controlling the entire battlefield.

Gareth was attempting to reorganize the northern defense, while Mira attempted to direct the candidates from the wooden platform, but her orders were repeatedly drowned out by the fighting.

Even those who hadn’t panicked didn’t know where they were needed.

"Rian Rosenheim."

A white-haired boy stood several feet away, sword drawn and face covered in traces of a black, blood-like substance—Orion Ascher.

’So the protagonist finally decided to speak to me.’

Up close, Orion appeared far more exhausted than the original novel ever described him. Sweat clung to the side of his face, and several shallow cuts marked his uniform. His eyes moved toward Marie before moving back to Rian once more.

"You know something about this, don’t you?" he asked, but his voice didn’t sound angry whatsoever.

Rian raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms together.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because you’re too calm."

"So are you."

"I’ve fought undead before."

Rian simply shrugged. "I’ve fought worse."

Orion looked at his expression, trying to find a lie or maybe an arrogant bluff. But there was nothing, as Rian was telling the complete truth.

’He’s had his eye on me from the beginning.’

But upon realizing the situation they were in, suspicions could wait. "Instructor Klein can’t fight that thing while protecting the camp. The other groups are barely holding together. Yours seem perfectly fine."

Marie stepped closer, resting one hand on the hilt of her sword. "What do you need us to do?"

"My group will keep the northern entrance secure," Orion answered. "You two stop those soldiers from surrounding Instructor Klein."

The protagonist clearly didn’t trust him. His eyes lingered on Rian as though he were trying to see past the careless expression on his face. But without any time, he drew his sword and returned to the northern front.

Yet, before he made it too far away, Orion stopped and looked back once more. "You said you’ve fought worse."

Mana enveloped his blade before he pointed it at Rian.

"Then prove it. Otherwise—"

"We’ll all die here."