That forest.
It's called that.
I've heard plenty about the forest.
But I know very little about it.
Plenty of delvers have gone in.
Not a single one has come back.
Among them were Grade II delvers.
When you enter, you hear the sound of a flute.
That's all. That's all I know.
Because I have no interest.
Who would go to a forest where you can never come back once you enter?
I absolutely would not. So I had zero interest.
"Maybe I should have been at least a little interested..."
At least roughly where it was. A forest full of mist-shrouded graves.
I can't tell front from back, left from right — nothing.
I can't use my Relic, Danger Discernment.
If I use it, everything goes dark, just like before.
The only one I can use is Banish.
You can never come back.
Something's here.
When I stay alert, I hear it again.
"―――~♪~~♪~♪♪~♪~~~♪"
A strange flute sound echoes all around me.
Then the ground near the graves began to stir.
I quickly braced myself, ready to cast [Banish].
What crawled out of the graves as if being unearthed were skeletons.
And not just one or two of them.
"......!"
Countless skeletons.
Each one was armed with rusted swords, axes, spears, and the like.
Moreover, some of the skeletons wore leather and metal armor.
They were all dirty and faded, but they were still armor.
Every single skeleton had a red ghostly flame burning in its eye sockets.
That's strange.
I've seen undead skeletons before.
About thirteen of them, but the ghostly flame in their eye sockets had been blue.
Is there some difference between them?
But more pressing — what do I do?
I was struggling to figure out a plan while keeping my guard up, when something moved.
Six skeletons nearby were closing in on me.
The clatter of interlocking bones echoed through the air.
Once they were within range, one swung a longsword with a chipped tip.
"—!"
Fast. I blocked it with my knife on instinct, and the lack of weight was a blessing.
If that swing had any heft behind it, the knife would have been knocked clean away. It was that powerful a stroke.
Skeletons are just bones. A sword swung with nothing but bone is light.
I deflected the blade and struck the skeleton's abdomen with Banish.
You can't negate an undead's Relic, Immortality, with a normal weapon.
What works is light-attribute or enchanted weapons.
Or weapons soaked in recovery items like potions.
But there are exceptions.
The skeleton whose abdomen had been erased by Banish — its remaining parts dissipated into mist.
It vanished without even regenerating.
I erased the other skeletons too.
Deep in the fog-shrouded forest, a whistle sounded.
I let out a sigh in the shadow of a tree.
"Fighting this many... is exhausting."
I managed to escape, but being found again was only a matter of time.
What flashed through my mind for an instant was the fourth Relic.
If it were then, if it were then… but I really don't want to use it.
I used it against the Chimera because I had no time to think.
That situation left me no choice. But this isn't that.
This isn't that yet.
Not yet.
Not yet!
But even so, I really don't want to die.
I'll use it if it gets truly, genuinely dangerous.
But only when my life is really on the line, when it's absolutely do-or-die.
I hate the fourth Relic.
It's not a Relic I should possess.
No. It's not a Relic a person should handle, should be allowed to handle.
"............"
Besides, I don't know the true identity of the enemy.
The one playing that flute melody is probably the true form of that thing from the forest.
What do I do?
What do I do?
In my hand, I have an ordinary knife.
My only hope is [Banish].
[Danger Discernment] is useless here.
All that's left is the [Wheel of Fortune].
No time to worry about anything else. The skeleton is slowly but steadily closing in.
Anything will do. I frantically rummage through my pouch.
My fingers touch something.
My eyes go wide.
"Oh... right."
I had this.
With this, even my knife will definitely work on the skeleton.
But more importantly—
It might be more powerful than any light-attribute enchantment or OOPArt.
Whether it's a way out or not, I can't say for sure.
But an idea has come to mind.
Hope or not, it doesn't matter right now.
Let's give it a try.