Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 76

76.

I carefully observed the Dullahan, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

I could have continuously harassed the Dullahan using the Gnome [a low-level earth spirit], but I envisioned a scenario where I’d create a significant opening with a single, decisive attack, allowing David to finish it off.

David, along with the other knights, were skilled enough to capitalize on such an opening.

The moment David swung his sword with considerable force, the other three knights adjusted their momentum in response.

I sensed my chance.

The Dullahan seemed to recognize the unusual intensity of David and the knights’ attack, focusing primarily on defense.

‘Gnome!’

I instantly channeled a massive amount of mana into the Gnome. Supplying a lot of mana to a low-level spirit doesn’t dramatically increase its power, but there was no reason to hold back, as even a slight boost could be beneficial.

Just as the Dullahan was about to block David’s sword, the cave floor shook violently.

The Dullahan staggered, and David seized the opportunity.

Thwack-!

David’s sword pierced the Dullahan’s chest, and the remaining knights followed up, exploiting the opening.

One sword pierced its side, and another decapitated the head it was holding.

Slash-!

The Dullahan’s body trembled.

David swung his sword once more.

Slash-!

The Dullahan’s body, split in half, slowly collapsed backward.

David exhaled deeply.

The other knights did the same.

“Your Highness.”

David approached and expressed his gratitude.

“It was definitely on a different level from the skeletons.”

David nodded in agreement.

“It’s said that Dullahans are usually created when high-ranking knights die and make a deal with a Lich [a powerful undead sorcerer]. Moreover, they become stronger than they were in life from the Dullahan level onwards.”

David continued, looking at the Dullahan’s corpse.

“It seems he wasn’t a top-tier Expert knight.”

Even among top-tier Experts, individual skills varied greatly.

The strength of the Dullahan we had just defeated wasn’t the primary concern.

The real question was whether there were even stronger undead lurking deeper within the cave.

“Set up a perimeter and rest. It would be good for Riorden to regain consciousness and be able to move.”

Riorden was still unconscious.

I couldn’t determine his exact condition, but his wounds had healed, and his magical energy had been purified, so it seemed we simply had to wait.

I couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease, but there was no immediate solution.

I decided to wait here for Riorden to wake up rather than returning to the Western Temporary Headquarters.

“Yes.”

David gave orders to some of the knights, and the rest of us leaned against the cave wall to rest and recover.

I kept my concerns hidden from the knights as I searched my memory, trying to recall any information about this cave.

‘Even a Dullahan is appearing? Is it Goran’s influence?’

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember setting up a dungeon of this difficulty at this point in time.

In other words, this wasn’t a cave I had directly created.

‘Information I don’t know…’

I knew there would be cases like this eventually. Creating a vast world is something only a god can truly do.

I felt that I had reached a critical decision point.

Should we venture further, or turn back while we still could?

Following the skeletons, a Dullahan had appeared.

Logically, it was reasonable to expect even stronger undead waiting deeper within the cave.

So far, the knights had avoided any serious injuries, but facing undead stronger than a Dullahan would be a different story.

‘What if it’s a Lich or a Death Knight [a powerful undead warrior]? Or if both appear?’

If I wanted to avoid such risks, I should choose to turn back now.

What if we retreated, left the cave, and avoided contact with the Orcs as much as possible on our way back to the temporary headquarters?

That choice would likely be safer than remaining inside the cave, where even greater dangers awaited.

The problem was Gail.

The quest description told me the rewards for success, but it didn’t explicitly state the consequences of failure.

However, I could infer the disadvantages of failure from the quest’s context.

-The Orc King intends to extract the mana from Gail and offer it to Goran. Rescue Gail before the Orc King mobilizes the Orc shamans to perform the ritual.

What if I failed to rescue her? What if I turned a blind eye to her plight?

The Orc shamans would proceed with the ritual as planned, and Gail, drained of all her mana, would inevitably die.

‘There have already been sacrifices. And I made a promise to the knights.’

I made up my mind.

I couldn’t return empty-handed.

‘I need to contract with a mid-level Earth Spirit, too.’

Contracting with a high-level Water Spirit or a high-level Earth Spirit was still beyond my capabilities.

Thanks to my affinity, I had managed to contract with high-level spirits of both attributes even in my current state.

But attempting to contract with any more would likely result in the spirits rejecting me, or even if I succeeded, the spirits wouldn’t be able to exert their full power.

Therefore, a mid-level spirit that I could reliably contract with and empower sufficiently would be a better choice.

‘I know firsthand how much the Earth Spirit helps in battle.’

I immediately began reciting the oath to summon the spirit.

Thump-!

I was startled by a sudden explosion.

The resting knights also jumped to their feet.

I postponed the spirit contract and turned towards the source of the sound to assess the situation.

Thump-! Thump-! Rumble-!

The explosion wasn’t a one-time event; it continued repeatedly.

The entire cave shook, not just from the sound, but physically.

“It seems something is happening ahead.”

-Gnome, tell me what’s happening ahead.

I could have summoned Sylph [a wind spirit], but the battle with the Dullahan had taught me that Gnome was better suited for covert reconnaissance.

Gnomes typically move underground, making them less likely to be detected by enemies.

The Gnome quickly moved ahead and soon reported back.

-The cave ceiling collapsed, completely blocking one of the forks.

I immediately asked.

‘The undead?’

-I don’t see any undead. I tried to enter the blocked fork, but even the underground passage is blocked from here, making it difficult to break through with my power. It would require a high-level spirit.

I nodded at the Gnome’s explanation and immediately informed David of the situation.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but there’s a fork ahead, and one of the paths is blocked.”

David asked.

“Can’t you sense any undead or anything else?”

“No.”

I made a decision.

“There’s still one path open, so let’s take that one. And we should hurry. It would be troublesome if the entire cave collapsed.”

David turned his gaze towards Riorden.

“Riorden hasn’t woken up yet…….”

As if on cue, a shallow groan escaped Riorden’s lips.

“Riorden!”

I immediately approached Riorden and summoned Undine [a water spirit].

I unleashed the wave of purification once more.

Regaining consciousness meant that his body had recovered to some extent, so healing him again with a skill at this time would likely be more effective.

As the wave of purification subsided, Riorden slowly opened his eyes.

A dry voice came from Riorden’s mouth.

“Your… Your Highness.”

“Are you okay?”

Riorden answered with difficulty.

“I’m okay.”

“It would be wise to use more potions.”

I immediately accepted David’s recommendation.

“Potion.”

Riorden didn’t refuse and took the potion from the knight, drinking it down. After finishing the potions, Riorden’s face gradually regained color as he composed himself and regulated his breathing.

‘It seems to be a breathing technique on par with the Breath of the Wind [the best breathing technique].’

The phenomenon that defied modern science and knowledge was the mana breathing technique.

Riorden came from a mercenary background, but he seemed to possess his own unique breathing technique, and its level appeared to be quite advanced.

Riorden’s complexion steadily improved, and he opened his eyes and spoke.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

I smiled faintly.

“I’m glad you’re safe. I thought you were dead when you were trampled by the Dullahan.”

“It seems I came very close to death. But thanks to my comrades and Your Highness, I was able to survive.”

I felt that the knights had grown closer since the battle with the Orcs in the Western Fairy Forest, but this incident had strengthened their bonds even further.

The knights’ gazes towards Riorden conveyed both relief and apology.

It was natural for them to become closer as they faced life-and-death situations and overcame crises together.

In the beginning, there had been a clear divide between the knights based on their status.

Those who had come from the evaluation competition were mostly mercenaries like Riorden or commoners, so they felt a sense of alienation from the knights who had joined from Bopeun Castle.

It was a problem that I couldn’t solve immediately, and I had been so focused on the quest that I hadn’t paid much attention to it, but seeing the current situation, I realized its importance anew.

How important camaraderie is.

It was noticeable that everyone’s morale rose as Riorden recovered.

“Can I move now?”

I asked Riorden just to be sure.

Riorden replied.

“I can even fight right now. The potion and Your Highness’s healing effect are amazing. I feel stronger than before.”

Riorden’s jest brought a brief moment of laughter among the knights.

I also spoke loudly with relief.

“Then let’s go. We need to get out before the cave collapses.”

I didn’t know what awaited us ahead, but my belief that leaving this cave would lead us to the Orc Legion’s main base remained unchanged.

Even if it didn’t, it couldn’t be helped.

It was already too late to turn back, and time was running out.

As we moved, I contracted with the mid-level Earth Spirit, Noes.

Contracting with a mid-level spirit was much easier than contracting with a high-level spirit.

I could contract as soon as I made up my mind.

‘Undine, Phoenix [a fire spirit], Noes.’

I had now contracted with mid-level spirits of three attributes.

It was clear that I was getting closer to becoming a high-level spiritist, as it didn’t take long to contract with the spirits of three objects at the same time, and the mana consumption was low.

While I was at it, I increased the number of low-level spirits to five for each attribute.

It was better to contract with as many spirits as possible.

I had contracted with two mid-level spirits each, and Sylphen and Ignis [a fire spirit] were the limit for high-level spirits.

It seemed that I would have to become a high-level spiritist beginner to contract with an additional high-level Water Spirit or a high-level Earth Spirit.

It wasn’t something the system window explicitly stated, but it felt like my instinct.

‘Calmly, my power is superior to a high-level spiritist beginner.’

Even if an ordinary spiritist became a high-level spiritist beginner, it would be impossible to contract with two high-level spirits.

I was experiencing the benefits of the greatly increased mana capacity thanks to the best breathing technique, the Breath of the Wind, and the Polysia flower [a rare flower that enhances mana capacity].

And above all, my affinity with the spirits was so great that even if the spirits were not entirely satisfied with my level, they would still contract with me.

‘Make good use of the advantages. I can’t afford to lose any more knights.’

While I was lost in thought, we arrived at the fork.

“Really…… It’s an incredible magical energy.”

David’s voice trembled.

Riorden, the knights, and I also felt a shiver as we sensed the immense magical energy emanating from behind the completely collapsed and blocked path.

“Are we lucky?”

I nodded at David’s words.

“Maybe? Because there’s not much magical energy felt where the path is open. But don’t let your guard down.”

Everyone agreed with my warning.

Lowering your guard in a dungeon could lead to a life-threatening crisis.

As I moved towards the unblocked path, I briefly glanced back at the collapsed path.

‘It can’t even be compared to the magical energy that the Dullahan was emitting…… What on earth is behind there? Could it be Goran?’

Many questions arose, but now was the time to move forward.