freenovelworld Chapter 129: The Oriole Waits
Chapter 129: The Oriole Waits
Though unsure what caused Thunder’s scream, Antler realized it might draw the giants.His first instinct was to seal three unopened passage doors.
He didn’t know where they led.
They hadn’t found the kitchen or banquet hall—where the magical cauldron was—or the giants’ bedroom.
To avoid blocking the cauldron’s door, Antler left room doors untouched.
But they’d mapped several safe routes.
Even if chased by giants, they had escape paths.
In this situation, sealing unseen doors was a safe bet.
It might not trap the giants, but it could block other teams’ routes or Thunder’s escape.
With luck, it could trap the strongest, Alastair, in a dead end.
In an unfamiliar maze, shrinking everyone’s movement space favored their team—a stealthy assassin and a necromancer who could turn corpses into instant fighters.
As a caster, necromancers relied on mediums like bone staves, skulls, or bone shields.
Without one, Antler’s casting was slow, requiring long chants or rituals.
After a seven-to-eight-second chant, a translucent, dark-yellow beam shot from his hands, piercing the darkness he’d grown accustomed to.
The beam hit a bronze door, leaving a petrified trail.
Using its faint glow, Antler aimed at the handle, petrifying it for two to three seconds until it turned brittle, then stopped.
“How much mana do you have left?”
Lily suddenly asked.
“Plenty.”
Antler replied calmly.
“Reviving fresh corpses barely costs mana.
Older ones take more.”
His words carried a warning.
He’d sensed malice in Gray’s voice.
To deter his temporary teammate, he added, “You must have trump cards, right?
So do I—don’t forget I was the first to arrive.”
Gray didn’t respond.
Lily had decided to kill him but was still waiting, like a spider on its web.
When Gray and Antler arrived, the giants hadn’t come.
Surprisingly, a faint lamp glowed—the first light Lily had seen in the ritual, almost blinding after adapting to darkness.
Three people were present.
One lay unconscious.
Another, with a shifting expression, crouched beside them.
The third, mentally unstable, leaned casually against a wall, his chin faintly lit.
He raised a hand, greeting Antler and the silent “King” warmly.
Glancing at King, his lips curled.
“I’m guessing you’re Antler, right?”
The conscious young warrior looked up.
“…Thunder?” Antler asked tentatively.
“No, I’m Knight.”
The youth replied.
“Mr. Thunder’s unconscious… thanks to this Mr. Cloud.”
“Can you blame me?”
Cloud laughed.
“Every secret I shared was true.
You’re still awake, aren’t you?”
Knight sneered, unconvinced.
Lily sensed a clear change in Knight’s aura.
Not corruption or madness—more like waking from a dream or a child maturing instantly.
What secret had he heard to change so drastically so quickly?
Antler touched his forehead—their agreed signal for Lily to kill someone.
‘Who?’ Lily looked up.
Her invisible gray web spread from her feet.
Thunder was unconscious, Knight a young man guarding him.
The most threatening was Cloud, as Knight called him.
Lily faded into the shadows, gliding swiftly.
Gray threads silently wrapped around Cloud’s neck.
A sudden force yanked him back, vanishing into the lightless dark.
“—Strangler Gang?!”
Knight frowned, blurting out.
At that moment, the silent “King” beside Antler lunged, swinging a fist at Knight’s jaw.
Neither had weapons, but their bodies were robust.
Compared to King’s stiff movements, Knight was agile.
He dodged the punch, grabbed King’s linen collar, pushed him back, then pulled, throwing him off balance.
As King stumbled, Knight gripped his head, slamming a knee into his nose—a blow that could knock anyone out.
Knight looked up, wary of Antler.
Unlike King, the last to enter, Antler, the first, had clear strengths.
Antler raised his right hand, faintly aiming at Knight.
Knight sidestepped, ready to dodge and rush Antler with a punch.
But his mind went blank, like a drunken blackout.
When vision returned, King—whom he’d struck—stood beside him like a ghost, unscathed, his eyes emotionless.
Knight had broken his nose, yet there was no trace of injury.
King drew something from his chest.
Thorny vines sprouted from his fingers, forming three whips.
He swung, the vines lashing toward Knight.
Knight tried to retreat, but the vines grew faster than he could move.
As he neared the light’s edge, he slashed with a hand like a blade.
A sharp gust cut the vines.
Seizing the moment, Knight erupted in electric light, his hand forming a fist, smashing King’s jaw.
Thunder sparked, burning Knight’s fist.
Sparks burst from King, who staggered and fell.
Knight exhaled, relieved.
But Antler snapped his fingers, commanding calmly.
“—Rise again.”
King’s wounds reversed, as if time rewound, and he stood unharmed.
‘That’s drained Knight’s stamina,’ Antler thought.
He clasped his hands, chanting a petrification spell.
At that moment, Thunder awoke.
Seeing Knight under attack, he raised a hand, and blinding light exploded in the air.
Antler, Knight, and Lily—who’d just strangled Cloud—were caught off guard, blinded.
Antler’s spell and Knight’s defense were interrupted.
Only King moved normally, attacking.
“—Undead!”
Thunder shouted, charging and shoulder-tackling King.
His fists glowed white, unleashing a fierce combo.
In under three seconds, he floored King, pressing a hand to his face.
White light burst from his palm, piercing King’s head and scattering.
King’s head began to burn quietly.
He twitched, then stilled, no longer reviving.
“What’s your profession?”
Antler, unhurried to attack, asked curiously.
“I’ve never seen it.”
“…Holy Warrior.”
Thunder’s voice was hoarse, his spirit drained.
Antler pointed to the lamp behind them.
“By the way, how did you—”
Mid-sentence, Thunder ducked, raising his left arm.
A roughly circular light shield formed, absorbing a petrification beam from Antler’s finger.
“Guessed it, sir.”
Thunder smirked.
“You need more practice… your intent’s too obvious.”
“—What about mine?”
A sinister, evil voice rang out.
A black hound leapt from a blind spot.
Seeing it, Antler abandoned Gray and fled.
Thunder blocked with his shield, but the hound bit through it in an instant.
As the shield shattered, sea-urchin-like blades erupted from the hound, piercing Thunder’s body.
Thunder’s body flared with white flames, striking the hound.
But it melted before contact, vanishing into the floor.
A figure cloaked in dripping black shadows approached, entering the lamp’s light.
Only glowing purple eyes were visible.
Another shadow hound emerged, circling him.
His shadow spread, bubbling like a boiling mire.
“—What a coincidence, everyone’s here.”
Alastair said softly.
“Saves me the trouble of hide-and-seek, doesn’t it?”
“You vile beast!”
Thunder roared, turning to Knight.
“Run—find the Holy Lance!”
Knight hesitated, then nodded, fleeing.
Alastair didn’t pursue.
He clasped his hands behind his back, asking Thunder curiously.
“What secret did that man share?
Care to tell me?”
“I’ve nothing to say to you, demon!”
Thunder snapped.
“Go eat shit with your demon master!”
A sharp shadow spear shot from the boiling mire, piercing Thunder.
The corrosive shadows, capable of destroying codices, dissolved him to nothing in an instant.
Silence returned.
Aiwass knelt, patting the hound, consoling it.
“Don’t get so worked up…”
“…Just those two left.”
Lily appeared silently behind Aiwass.
“Should we chase and kill them?”
“No need.
It’s just a first advancement ritual.
Winning’s not hard.”
Aiwass shook his head.
“The goal is to uncover lost history in the dream world, gain stronger traits.
I want to see if I can get a high-level shadow affinity.
Also, I’m heading for the Holy Lance—coming?”
“I’ll follow you, young master.”
Lily said softly, a faint sadness in her voice.
“Wherever you go, I’ll go.”