The Ruined Death Knight

Walking through the accursed deserts, a group of 30 people was to be seen on the edge of the ruins of the tower.

"Finally here!"

"Hah~and here I was starting regretting coming here."

"We should even get a beast to carry us! One of those massive lizards would have been enough."

Many of those people in the group started complaining as soon as they stopped to take a breather.

"Idiot! Do you even got any idea how much it would cost us to borrow one of that beast!? We came here to make a profit. Not open holes in our own pockets." Herald said while punching the guy who suggested the idea of getting a ride.

"Everyone! We will take a break here before we are going to spoil our winnings!"

"Huh? Can´t we just take a break into those ruins? We could use the buildings to hide from the sun." One suggests.

"We can´t do that." Isamu answered the man's question before Herald even had the chance to.

"I ain´t sure if you have forgotten, but that place is filled with monsters of the 3rd-tier. Not only that, with them hiding in the sand. You will be dead before you even realize it." Isamu said before going silent for a moment to continue 

"At least that´s how our leader got eaten..."

"..."

Sighing internally, he walked beside Herald.

"So? When do you think that we can go in the tower?" Isamu asked with a look saying that he couldn´t wait to go in there and fight.

Shaking his head, Herald motioned his head towards the group resting.

"Don´t haste, my friend. Although I understand how you feel, those guys have been walking for two whole weeks through the desert. Even though except those arcana guys everyone else is a veteran explorer. The toll in their body had been building up. They need rest." Herald said as he screened Isamu from top to bottom.

"You need to rest..."

In reply, Isamu shook his head bitterly.

"I am still fine. More importantly, is to be on the lookout. Sylva is already looking and I am sure an extra of two eyes wouldn´t hurt."

Seeing him walking away, Herald sighed as he went to take his own break.

As he too was exhausted

"Hmm, she should be around here, ah." 

Noticing the beauty with brown hair and a bow on her back. He was about to greet her before he noticed another person beside her.

"What is he doing here?" With a frown on their face, Isamu walked towards the two.

"Any movements from the ruins, Sylva?"

"No, nothing." She responded with a cold tone without even looking at him.

Which made him a bit upset, but not enough to voice it out.

Taking his eyes away from the beauty, he started at the guy who was looking up to the sky.

"What are you doing here?" Isamu asked.

Without removing his gaze from the sky, the young magic caster pointed his staff towards the tower.

"Hey, tell me. Can you see that?" 

"Huh? What are you talking about? Do you mean the tower?"

"Tch, I ain't talking about the tower! I am talking what is above it!" The young magic caster said annoyed.

"Ehm...Do you mean the sky?" Isamu said as he scratched his head to make sense of the young man's question.

"You blockhead! I am talking about the mana! The mana above the tower!"

Growing his eye browns, he pushed his face forward.

Only to see the tower and the sky.

"Sorry, us warriors aren't that well versed in seeing mana. We more like utilize it to enchant our battle powers."

"In other words, you guys are just muscle heads."

With a vein in his forehead twitching, Isamu asked with a fake smile.

"If the great magic caster could enlighten me, then I would be most grateful."

Ignoring the secret sarcasm hidden in Isamus's word, he started explaining.

"Before that...let me ask you something. Do you have any idea what dungeons are?"

Tilting his head and stroking his chin, Isamu answered.

"You are talking about those monster-infested areas where many rare beasts are residing, right? I myself have been in some myself, as they are fairly common in the desert. Why do you ask?"

"Is because you don't seem to know what a dungeon is. What you told me is just the side effects of being in one."

"Dungeon in every sense is a place where mana is 'loved' or where it constantly flows for an indefinite amount of time."

"Right~ So why are you explain-" Isamu halted mid-sentence as something crossed his mind.

"Wait, you aren't telling us that this tower is a dungeon, right?" Sylva asked.

"No." The young magic caster shook his head.

"The whole ruins-No, this whole ruined city has essentially become a dungeon."

"Huh!? Do you mean that this huge city had become a dungeon? I thought dungeon can only become so large..." Isamu said while looking at the city ruins in disbelief.

He knew of dungeons that were massive tombs and labyrinths with monsters roaming in there worthy to be feared.

But a whole city to be a dungeon was to him unheard of.

"Hey, are you sure that's the case?" Isamu asked with doubt in his voice.

Surprisingly, the young magic caster didn't mind him being doubted and just shook his head in response, which made Isamu and Sylva who were listing from the side confused.

"I am simply telling you what I learned in my academy. While supporting my eyes with mana, I am capable to see mana somewhat. And what I am currently seeing is similar to that of some dungeons. But also not the same."

"Alright, you lost me there. Can you explain in easier terms for use none magic caster to understand?"

"

Well... Imagine a dungeon being a flow of water going through an endless circle with water being the mana. That's a dungeon. But in this case, is more like...it's more like Vortex. Like a hole that was made in a pond. The mana on the surroundings is being guided into a single point and then released." The young magic caster said while lowering his staff to the tower.

"And the point where the mana is gathered, the hole in the pond is directly above that tower over there..." 

"Mhmm, I see." Isamu nodded his head while trying to hide his confusion.

"Do you why that's the case?" Sylvia asked, receiving secretly a dumps up from Isamu.

"No, that's the first time that I am seeing such a dungeon. No book in the academy had any records of it." He said while turning his head to them.

"You guys said that you faced a necromancer, right?"

"Yes" both replied at the same time.

"Then...by any case. Did you manage to see his face?"

"His face?"

"I...only managed to get a glimpse of him. All I saw was his dark armor while hiding his face with a hood and a helmet."

Hearing that, the young magic caster went silent.

"That's just me speculating, but...was that necromancer an undead? A lesser lich?"

By that, both Sylva and Isamu went quiet.

"What makes you think that? And a lich from all of that. " Isamu said with a frown.

"Well, many things. First the environment of the desert himself. I can't imagine someone surviving in those ruins without any food. Other than that, the road of a necromancer is that of turning into a lesser lich or any other of the types of undead."

"And don't confuse a lesser lich with a lich itself. Does two existence are in completely different levels of power. With the latter being the stronger one of course."

"I see..."

With an awkward silence between those three, Isamu scratches the back of his neck.

"I got to apologize, I have taken you as an arrogant prick, but you are much smarter than I thought..."

"Hmpf! Compared to you illiterates. I spend years of study the moment I turned it 5 years old!" Pointing aggressively his staff towards the warrior's head. He said.

"If that place really has a lesser lich in it, not only would it be much dangerous for us. But the chance of finding much more value increases. And I tell you now that if there is a magical artifact in there, my group will take it, got it!?" Without waiting for a response, he walked past Sylva and Isamu and went towards the others.

Shaking his head towards the young man's character, he turned to look for Sylva, I only to see that she was long going by now.

Making him sigh bitterly.

"Sigh...not leaving me a chance, huh?"

As soon as he said that, Sean who was together with some other Explorers waved at Isamu through the distance.

"Hey! Isamu! Come over here! I am telling those guys when we to-"

Seeing that, Isamu could only smile bitterly to himself.

"I am coming!" Telling at the group, he hastens his steps while thinking of what the young magic caster of before said.

'A lesser Lich, huh? I got to tell Herald about it.'

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