87 Episode 21: I wiped out the octopus monster and tried to capture the cave as it was.

I used the dark magic Necrodark and summoned the undead one after another.

The headless knight, Dullahan Lord, who wore the evil armor.

An immortal great mage who rules the darkness, the Elder Rich.

Other than that, skeletons, wyvern zombies, and others, the army of walkers is quite a varied group of faces.

This time, he accompanied Charu, and when he saw the undead in his eyes, he expressed his surprise.

''Dullahan Road, Elder Rich, Wyvern Zombie ....... What kind of person is Master Ko to accompany hundreds of undead with an S-ranked danger level?　I don't think such a great mage exists, not only in ancient civilizations, but even back in the age of mythology: ......

That's probably too much to ask.

I'm just taking the most appropriate means in the current situation.

When the number of undead exceeded 1000, I heard a voice in my brain.

''The conditions for acquiring the sub-skill within the [Appraisal] skill have been met. 【Army Command】 will be released.''

Apparently a new skill was added following the 【Magic Evolution】 earlier.　

Even so, a sub-skill of 【Appraisal】 is rare.

What effect will it have?

...... I see.

Apparently, 【Army Command】 is a skill for grasping all of your allies' abilities and giving them instructions according to the battle situation.

When I activated it, the information about the undead flowed into my head with a thud.

Even so, the fact that I was able to remain unconfused is probably thanks to the 【Otherworldly Person】's mental tolerance.

Alright.

Now that the number of undead has exceeded 1,000, it's time to make a move.

The large octopus-shaped monster ...... devil path crowd also approached 500 meters from here.

I give the order.

I will now encircle the Sides Cave and destroy the devilpas. ...... Dullahan Lord, move forward and draw the enemy's fire. The Elder Rich will attack magically from the rear, and the Wyvern Zombies will watch from above while destroying each of the Devil Paths that have escaped the siege.

There are various other undead, so I will give them the appropriate roles, depending on their species.

I was surprisingly tightly performing the work of the commander, even though I was surprised.

When I finished giving orders like that, I finally activated 【Brave man】 and shouted.

''I'll go first!　All troops, follow me!

If truth be told, I was going to take it easy in the rear to watch, but according to 【Army Command】, utilizing the 【Brave Men】 is the most efficient way to do it this time.

I took out 'Artemis, the Great Sword of Moonlight' from the item box and ran through the meadow.

''Haaaaaaah!''

With magic power, he swings the great sword from left to right.

The distance between him and the Devilpath is about 100 meters, so the slash itself doesn't hit him.

However, Artemis has received the blessing of the moon and her power is always fully unleashed.

A dazzling light was released from the great sword that shone divinely.

The blade of light engulfed the surrounding grass and trees, cutting through the devilpaths.

The preemptive attack could be called a great success.

The swarm of Devil Paths stumbled out and slowed down their movements.

''Not yet!　All troops, move in!

Apparently, [Brave] is effective against non-humans as well.

The undead let out a fierce yell and attacked the group of devilpaths.

''Ko-sama!''

A little later, Char followed behind me.

''I was surprised because he went so suddenly. ...... But Ko-sama was so cool earlier. I was in love with you.

Charu looked somewhat enraptured, and then let out a feverish sigh with a huff.

''By the way, Ko-sama, were you previously a general in some country?　He was so imposing and commanding that I can only assume so: ......

No, that's a first for me.

'You're good at this for the first time: ......!　That's what I'm talking about, Mr. Ko: ......!

Char gives me a sparkling, respectful look.

It's a bit embarrassing, as expected.

'It's all about skill. I myself am just an ordinary person everywhere.

I replied briefly, but turned my attention to the front line.

The undead were excellent and had completely suppressed the swarm of devilpaths.

Devilpaths have an advanced self-renewal ability, and even if their entire bodies were dismembered, they would regenerate in seconds.

However, there seemed to be a limit to the number of times they could regenerate, and although it took some time, they were reducing their numbers one by one.

The undead, on the other hand, do not regenerate themselves, but they never perish.

Even if they lose their bodies, as long as I activate the NecroDark, they will quickly gain a new body and revive.

If I were to compare it to a game, it would be like Infinite Remaining Machines or Infinite Continuity.

Even now, the darkness of the abyss is spreading at my feet, and more and more undead are coming one by one.

The siege net is getting smaller and smaller, and before long, all of the devil paths have been destroyed.

I guess that's an end to it.

I activate [Enemy Radar] and [Enemy Radar Convergence] just in case, but there's no enemy reaction around.

Alright.

Let's get into the underground city.

I take Char and head to the entrance of the Sides Cave.

''The back of this cave is connected to the ancient underground city, right?

'Yes, there is a hidden passage at the lowest level. However, the cave is like a maze, and if the defense system of the time is still alive, the structure of the cave should be changing periodically. It might take a little while to get to the lowest level.

Isn't that a terrible inconvenience?

''The people involved in the underground city were given a Spatial Transfer Magic Tool. When I was chosen as the target of the Seal of Time Freezing, I was returned to .......

I see.

Since the people involved use magic tools to get in and out of the cave, the cave can be a maze, I suppose.

Anyway, from here on out, it's standard fantasy fare, cave exploration.

Normally, Charu and I should be able to steadily advance the attack, step by step.

However, if we were to be nonchalant, the Devil Pass reinforcements might come, and there's a possibility of even bigger trouble.

Time should be shortened as much as possible.

I command the undead.

Form a party of Dullahanlord and Elderlitch and search the cave. The rest of you, set up a perimeter and call in immediately if anything is amiss. Is that clear?

「「「「「 goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! 」」」」」

The undead groaned as they said, "Copy that," and then they grunted.

As I instructed, the Dullahan Lords and Elderlites formed groups of four or five and entered the cave.

In addition, there were a few individuals who couldn't get into the party well, but these guys might have been communists in their lifetime.

In the end, we formed a party of stragglers and sent them out to the cave.

After that, me and Charu also stepped into the cave.

The undead explored the cave first, so we easily reached the lowest level.

The journey took about fifteen minutes.

''It's been a short journey.''

Ko-sama, I'm amazed. ...... Normally it would take me half a day to get to the lowest level: ......

Thank God for the undead, huh?

In the future, when I take on dungeons, I'll use a materialistic strategy with the undead.

I'm not looking for thrills in another world, and what I want is solid results.

In that sense, I think I've done well this time.

The lowest level of the cave was an open space.

There was a secret passage hidden there, and it was supposed to be ...... that Charu was supposed to find it, but the passage had already been discovered.

The discoverers were the last party of stragglers undead to leave.

One Dullahan Lord and three Elder Liches, all together, a bit proudly beating their chests.

''Well done, you've done a great job. Keep up the good work.

When I called out to them, all four of them seemed to tremble with emotion.

Judging from their movements, they seemed to be in tears.

They're undead, but they're extremely emotional.

When I was thinking like that, Charu murmured beside me.

''Kou-sama's undead are special, aren't they ......

Is that so?

'Normally, the undead don't have such clear emotions. They're basically just puppets.

If that's the case, why are the undead strangely alive?

''Maybe it's because Ko-sama's abilities are too high that impossible events are occurring. Really, it's too substandard in every way: ......

Extra-standard, huh?

Considering the fact that the first power I obtained was not a 【Brave Man】, 【Demon King】, or 【Wise Man】, but rather 【Creation】, it's certainly out of the ordinary.

But that's like a coincidence, and it's not like I've accomplished anything special myself.

I just need to avoid getting drunk and getting carried away with my cheap specialness.

I'm not trying to be a hero, but I'm trying to be a decent adult.

...... I doubt that leading an army of undead is what a decent adult would do, but I hope you'll go through with it.

Adults are cheating.

Aside from that, we're almost to the underground city.　

Is it time to meet the mastermind?