SYSTEMBREAKER: Rise Of The Ninth Overlord

#7: You Cannot Be Serious

Rhys Artisan hid behind a tree near the road, a five-minute jog from the entrance of the dungeon. He had been waiting for over an hour until he finally heard the steps of the drake jog past him.

That was the first part of the plan. Wait for the drake soldier to realize something had gone wrong and double back to check on his team members.

He hopped back onto the path and into the dungeon. He knew the steps but didn't know if he could act well enough to fool the boss.

He made it past the burnt down inn. As far as he could tell, all the zombies had been taken care of. He unsheathed his sword and swung it around, checking his own movements while he walked. Each strike flowed like a dream as he wondered if this was what the truly talented people felt on Terra Prime. The children of adventurers.

A realm 0 [Infiltrator]. Peak physical talent comparable to any Olympian on Terra Prime. Enough talent to react to a highly skilled soldier from Terra Prime. If he could have moved like this, he would have had more than enough talent to get sponsored for a slot in the Crucible System.

Rhys Artisan shook his head, shaking away the fantasies.

Then he cut the first tripwire at his ankle height.

He kept his head on a swivel. The tripwires themselves weren't dangerous. It was mainly to slow adventurers down for the zombies. Had they decided to flee from them.

There was even one hanging loosely at neck height. He shuddered as he remembered one particular recounting of an adventurer in the earlier generation. They had panicked when one wrapped around their head and the zombies ate him alive.

Bastards they may have been, but the Settler generation had it rough.

The tripwire-riddled tunnel opened up into a well-lit chamber with three more exits. There were [Magelights] on the ceiling, giving the room an odd, multicolored hue. His eyes scanned the chamber until he saw the only other thing in the room. A corpse leaning against a wall.

He didn't hesitate. Rhys Artisan rushed over to the body and promptly stabbed the body through its eye socket. The blade went through the bone and he felt something squelch as the sword hit the brain. He took out his blade and gagged.

He really needed to get a stronger stomach.

Three exits lay before him but he wouldn't need to check around. The map the soldiers had taken from the inn had made it clear which tunnel contained the boss. Sometimes the other tunnels would have extra loot but it wasn't worth getting cornered by the drake soldier or the boss.

The Bone Sovereign could leave its chamber if you took too long, and Rhys Artisan had no idea how long the Crucible had been going on for.

It only took ten more minutes before he encountered more undead. Two skeletons in front. One holding a greatsword and another with a sword and shield. The one with the sword and shield charged first, the other following close behind.

He threw his knife as it thudded uselessly into the shield. The skeleton hadn't even needed to block because his throw had been so bad. That was on purpose for later.

These skeletons were quick, probably just as fast as a regular mortal. He noted the purple flame in one of their eyes.

He did a front kick, the very same kick the [Arcanist] soldier used, onto the skeleton's shield. They might have been quick, but they were still just bones. The front skeleton fell back, knocking into the one behind it.

He leaped forward and slashed at the front skeleton's sword hand, knocking the blade away from him, then he stabbed forward into its skull. His keen brown eyes met the purple flames as he made it clear he knew exactly what was going on.

Before the other one could recover, his foot stomped on its greatsword and the other foot kicked its head off its socket.

He heard a clattering and looked up. Six more skeletons appeared in his vision. Each paired up and in tight formation. The boss wasn't pretending anymore, it wasn't going to give him a fighting chance.

"Right, a three scaled dungeon, I guess this is as far as I go."

He shook his head and pretended as if that was it, that he was just going to walk away. A clattering voice called out from up front. A skeleton with blazing purple fires in its eye sockets.

"Would you like to make a deal?"

Rhys Artisan looked at the skeleton then glanced back to where he had come from, like he was weighing his options. They clambered and moved aside, backs to the wall of the tunnel. They stood facing each other as they revealed the entrance to the boss room.

A stone gate, enchantments carved into the grey stone.

He grit his teeth and walked forward, wary of the possibility that the skeletons could attack at any time. If he had a [Cleave] skill he could probably clear them from where he stood. Unfortunately, he was just an [Infiltrator]. The boss knew that too.

Three orbs flew out from the stone gates.

[Vanguard], [Arcanist] and [Infiltrator]

These were crimson compared to the golden spheres in the Arbiter's Void. All of them depicted a skeleton in different gear. Like a cold, evil reflection of the choices offered in the Void. He didn't hesitate, he picked the [Arcanist] orb.

The other orbs shattered as the orb he held pulsed once, then twice, then shot back into the stone gate behind him. Ancient red enchantments pulsed throughout the gates. He would have liked to watch the light-show but he kept his eyes locked onto the skeletons behind him.

If they even twitched, he'd rush forwards and try to slam down the boss. Not that it was likely. The Bone Sovereign was well aware that it was just a Crucible boss.

A situation like this was what it lived for.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, a voice rasped from one of the skeletons.

"It seems you already know so much, tell me, boy. How long has the Crucible been in your world? What are the comings and goings of your version of The Dominion?"

"I'm not a boy, and I know enough not to tell you that."

The skeleton behind him clattered with an undead mockery of laughter. "Fair, fair, but 5 or even fifty, all of you are children to me. Come on in."

The stone gates pulsed and opened inwards, bringing a heavy rush of air with them. A vibrating static washed over him, a sense he had only felt from afar when he had seen an adventurer do a live demonstration.

Magic.

The gate opened as he walked in. He was calm and focused. He knew the steps. He'd practiced them when he was younger, he had daydreamed about this, the steps were even in his dreams. Now it was just a matter of execution.

Sure, if he died he was dead. No free lives, no bailing out of the Crucible, no allies to cover his back.

For some reason, this felt right. This was where he was meant to be. This was where he belonged.

The room slowly lit up as he stepped deeper into the chamber. [Magelights] appeared next to pillars to make the throne room brighter.

For the first time in the Crucible, he felt a little underwhelmed. A lot of the artistic renditions of this chamber had made it look solemn and menacing. Shadows had crept up onto this ancient tomb where the lord would greet you. In reality it wasn't like that at all.

This was more of a decrepit dusty place, worn down by time and long forgotten.

The Bone Sovereign sat upon its cold throne of stone, elevated by large steps. It gave him a height advantage as it looked down at him, like a lord would to its subjects. The [Arcanist]-classed skeleton wore a dusty grey robe with a cracked golden crown on its head. A wand lay carelessly on the handle of the throne. An obvious gesture that the boss did not consider him a threat.

"An interesting scenario," the lord mused. "Three bloodthirsty soldiers trying to keep their identities secret and a young Chosen who seems to know all the tricks and traps of the first Crucible. It must have been at least three decades since the Crucible has graced your world. Hmm, I would bet on five."

That was eerily close. He just shrugged.

"It's been five hundred years."

"Five hun– now, we can't have a civil conversation if you simply start by lying to me like this. Best remember, boy, I control your fate now. It was sealed the moment you entered this chamber."

He crossed his arms. "Sure, it's been sixty years since the first Crucibles appeared."

"Interesting, interesting. So all my actions and behaviors have been thoroughly documented." The Bone Sovereign tapped his chair, contemplative.

"Very well then, you must know what comes next. I offer you a deal."

《Crucible quest updated Objective: Kill the Bone Sovereign Or Take tutelage from the Bone Sovereign and help him kill the other trialists. Or Flee and get the villagers to safety Note: this decision may impact your future. Classes, skills and crucibles will change upon your choices.》

"If you don't accept, I will kill you. There is no path for either of us. Those soldiers are far too competent for us to have a chance."

The Bone Sovereign was aware of anything in the dungeon that the [Magelights] illuminated. The very reason he was being offered something like this was because the lord knew it's likely be fucked without help. Well, it didn't really know that the two soldiers had already died.

He sighed as if he were contemplating his choice and reading over the system prompt.

"Hurry up little [Infiltrator]."

"Fine, I accept your deal."

He took a few more steps into the chamber and the Bone Sovereign raised a hand to stop him. The 'little [Infiltrator]' put his hand out. The skeleton looked at the outstretched hand from half a chamber away. It tilted its head.

"And what is that supposed to be?"

"A gesture from my world. When we accept a deal, we shake hands."

The flames in its eyesockets flickered. Clearly, the idea of an [Arcanist] shaking hands with an [Infiltrator] was absurd in any world. It decided to take it as a bad joke instead.

"You cannot be serious. Go join my soldiers and slay the others. Then we shall talk again."

"You cannot be serious. I know what you're like. You're going to use me as fodder the moment you can." Rhys Artisan tapped his head. "Well documented, remember? Come down here, I want a deal on even terms."

The Bone Sovereign stood up, this time in anger. "I won't expose myself to some lowly [Infiltrator] - Hey!"

He started sprinting at the lord.