Necromancer 2.2

Test

2. Mirage, the Knight of Illusions

Hmm, what should I do?

Well, to get out of here, it seems like unlocking the skill limiter is necessary...

"Do you think you can defeat the monsters on the lower floors, Mirage?" 

"I believe I can win with certainty."

Mirage said, not with overconfidence, but rather as if stating a fact, with a calm demeanor.

"And if we unlock the skill limiter, you should be able to make those powerful monsters your servants. That would greatly increase our combat power." 

"I see... There are many benefits, indeed."

Alright, I've decided.

"Come with me to the lowest floor, Mirage."

To get out of here, I need to—

Unlock the skill limiter.

"This is amazing... We’ve arrived in no time!"

Thirty minutes later, I was on the lowest floor with Mirage.

Along the way, we were attacked by monsters several times. But each time, Mirage defeated them in an instant.

And now, we were standing in front of the room at the far end of the lowest floor.

"This is the treasure vault."

Mirage explained.

The door opened easily with a slight push.

"...Are there no traps or anything?"

I paused at the entrance and peered inside.

The room was dimly lit, with numerous shelves and many potential blind spots.

"I’ve been in here several times, but I haven’t found any traps or monsters."

Mirage answered my question.

We entered the warehouse and proceeded straight ahead. True to Mirage’s words, there were no traps or monsters. And then—

"What’s that—"

At the very back of the treasure vault, it was displayed.

[Hero Skill: Artifact for Unlocking Second Stage]

The inscription on the plate made its purpose clear just from the name.

"Second stage... unlocking..." 

"I mentioned that your skill has a limiter, didn’t I? That’s because the skill has ‘stages’."

Mirage explained.

"Your current skill is at the ‘first stage'. By unlocking it to the ‘second stage,’ you’ll gain new skill effects."

"New... skill effects?" 

Does that mean the skill will power up? Even someone like me, who’s been dismissed as having only the lowest-tier skills—can I become stronger?

"However... there is a possibility of risk." 

"Eh?" 

"Such artifacts often impose some kind of penalty if the user doesn’t meet the conditions."

"Penalty...?" 

"They usually involve curses. Occasionally, they might even use instant-death curses." 

"Instant death..."

I gulped.

Of course, dying is terrifying. We’ve come this far, but can I really go through with this?

The only option seems to be 'escape.'

"But—"

I gulped again.

"Is it really... okay to do this?"

Is it really—okay to escape?

I questioned myself.

If I advance, there are risks; if I escape, I’ll miss out on the rewards.

Which do I want?

To risk it for power, or to play it safe and miss out?

"I—want power."

Without power, I’m looked down upon. Then, to overcome that, I need to become stronger than I am now.

It’s not a pretty thing.

The unreasonable things that come my way can only be overcome with strength.

I took the artifact in my hand.

It was a palm-sized plate.

Vroom.

A humming sound filled the air as the plate emitted light. And then—

[Skill [Necromancer] has reached the second stage] 

[The range of undead that can be commanded has been expanded] 

[In addition to the lowest-tier undead, you can now command lower and mid-tier undead]

[Furthermore, some abilities of the commanded undead will now be reflected in the user’s stats]

An explanatory text floated in the air.