CHAPTER 123: CHAPTER 123 - GARGOYLES

"Everyone... let’s prepare a proper burial for the poor souls who suffered at the hands of the Coalhearts."

Lucien’s voice was steady as he led them to the place where the pile of bones lay.

The moment their eyes fell on the chilling sight, the brainwashed group froze. Wrath surged inside them once more.

The anger they thought had settled deep inside them roared back to life, fiercer than before.

Their jaws tightened.

Their fists clenched.

Their breaths grew heavy.

Then—

A cry split the silence.

"No! It can’t be... No..."

A woman broke from the group, dashing toward the basement. Tears blurred her sight as she stumbled, tripped and fell.

Her body trembled yet she forced herself up each time.

Again and again. Refusing to stop.

Her desperate figure drew every gaze.

At last, she reached a section of the pile. She froze then dropped to her knees and began digging.

Her hands moved with frantic urgency yet her touch remained careful... as if apologizing to the souls she disturbed.

Even through her obsession, her respect for the dead was clear.

She dug through the pile with trembling hands until at last she lifted a skull, pressing it close to her chest.

But she didn’t stop there.

Shifting to another spot, she dug carefully.

Bone by bone, she gathered the fragments. Her tears dripped onto them as though trying to wash away years of neglect. Her body trembled all the while yet her hands never faltered.

Finally, she pieced together enough to form the outline of a full skeleton. With a choked sob, she carried the remains to a corner.

She sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around them as if to shield them from the world.

"I’m... so... sorry!!!"

Her wail tore through the sky. Raw and shattering.

The sight made everyone’s faces harden. The weight of her grief pressed on them all.

Coalheart subjects. Brainwashed survivors.

Their gazes faltered. Some broke down in tears. Others fell to their knees as their legs became too weak to hold them.

Together they lowered their heads, offering silent prayers for the dead.

Lucien watched quietly. Only then did he realize why she had acted with such desperation.

A quick glance with INSPECT revealed her secret.

She carried a tracking skill. One with similar effects to his Spatial Compass but with a small range.

That skeleton wasn’t just anyone. It was someone she loved.

Lucien’s fist clenched at his side. He wasn’t a fan of seeing scenes like this.

Soon... more Coalheart subjects arrived, drawn by the commotion. And when they saw her, their expressions twisted.

They too realized... among that pile could be their family and their friends.

Helplessness consumed them.

The grief in the air was so thick it was suffocating. The shared pain bound them together in silence.

Several women from the brainwashed group climbed down into the basement and gathered around the grieving figure. They held her shoulders as they whisper words of comfort through their own tears.

Lucien exhaled softly, letting the silence linger until the cries dulled to quiet sobs. Only then did he speak.

"Everyone... let us help one another. Let us lay our loved ones to rest. They may no longer walk this world but they will live on in our hearts. A proper grave is the least we can give them."

His words struck deep. Their faces lifted. Not with ease but with a light of resolve.

Soon, Lucien began speaking with his new subjects about the burial.

The Coalheart graveyard was wide enough as a resting place for the fallen. Without hesitation, volunteers stepped forward to dig. Their hands were eager to do what little they could.

Meanwhile, the brainwashed group carefully carried the bones out of the pit. Their movements were gentle as though each fragment held immeasurable worth.

Lucien turned to Sebas.

"I asked Uncle Ed to come straight here from the capital. When the airship arrives, bring Clara. Let a true priestess bless their souls. It may ease the people’s pain... if only a little."

Sebas bowed his head in understanding.

Soon, pile after pile of bones was carried to the surface.

Lucien stood in silence, watching the progress with patience.

It would take time to bury them all but that was how it should be.

No shortcuts. No magic.

The people insisted on using only their hands as a gesture of sincerity and respect for the dead.

The brainwashed group worked with uncanny coordination, moving carefully and efficiently. Slowly, the basement grew emptier.

And then... something emerged.

Around the base of the gargoyle statue, the outline of a hidden entrance began to take shape.

Lucien leapt down, retrieving the statue. The moment it vanished into his INVENTORY, a concealed handle revealed itself beneath.

His eyes flickered.

’What have the Coalhearts been hiding here?’

He glanced around. Every face was tense.

"Everyone," Lucien called, "we’ll investigate this place first. There may be more secrets... more conspiracies buried below."

Cielius and Sebas exchanged a nod with him. The others followed..

Sebas stepped forward and heaved the handle upward.

A gust of chilling air spilled out.

Stairs stretched downward.

Lucien’s pupils narrowed.

"It is... a dungeon."

Lucien descended first. Cielius and Sebas guarded his flanks.

The stairs opened into a vast chamber and the three of them froze at the sight.

This dungeon was... different.

It wasn’t the usual dungeon they expected.

Instead, it resembled a massive medieval castle. Its walls were carved with eerie precision. Pillars stretched upward, each one adorned with grotesque gargoyle statues glaring down from above.

’What an eyesore...’ Lucien thought grimly. ’Too many gargoyles for my taste.’

Curious, he cast INSPECT on one of them. His expression sharpened immediately.

They weren’t decorations.

They were monsters. Monsters ranging from Level 30 to 50.

Their stony stillness was so convincing that even he had nearly dismissed them as mere carvings. They radiated strength far beyond their appearance.

Strangely, they didn’t attack. Not yet.

Lucien quietly relayed the discovery to Cielius and Sebas. They were ready to strike at the slightest movement.

The group advanced cautiously.

Then—

A nearby gargoyle’s eyes blazed crimson. With an ear-splitting shriek, it ripped free from its perch and hurled itself at them.

Lucien’s lips curved in a cold smile.

"Please leave this to me," he said.

He wanted the drops for himself.

Cielius and Sebas stepped back. They are ready to intervene if anything went wrong.

Lucien raised his hand and the battle began.

The gargoyle lunged. Its stone wings cracked the air and at once several more came alive. Their eyes glowed as they spread through the chamber, hurling magic in unison.

Stone Gargoyles.

Ash Gargoyles.

Glacier Gargoyles.

Storm Gargoyles.

Spells of earth, fire, ice and wind interwove seamlessly.

But against Lucien, they were nothing.

He darted through the barrage with ease. He was faster and sharper than their stone claws could reach. Counterspells burst from his hands, shattering their magic midair. With every movement, another gargoyle fell.

Not satisfied, Lucien surged forward.

Glide Dash.

He leapt in the air, streaking across the chamber like a blur of light. He cut down the gargoyles still clinging to their perches.

One after another shrieked awake. Their cries formed a chorus of stone and fury.

Lucien waited. He watched them form a hunting pattern in the air.

Then he struck.

Explosion Magic.

BOOM!

The chamber shook as fire and force tore through the air. Stone fragments rained down as they melted into the dungeon floor.

Lucien exhaled, dusting his hands.

"Perfect."

They pressed on.

The castle-like dungeon stretched.

And then... they saw it.

A massive door loomed ahead.

Before the towering door stood four massive guardians.

Two Lionmane Gargoyles.

Two Serpent Gargoyles.

Each loomed like a statue of war. Their presence was suffocating.

Level 70.

Lucien swallowed hard.

’If the ones before were Elemental Gargoyles... then these must be Bestial Gargoyles.’

Yet strangely, they didn’t move.

Testing them, Lucien fired a spell from a safe distance. The magic dispersed harmlessly against an unseen barrier. Cielius tried as well, only to meet the same result.

Even when they drew closer, the gargoyles stood unmoving.

Then—

A sound rumbled from the guardians.

"n!#$%^@..."

Garbled, broken speech like stone grinding against stone.

Lucien’s brows furrowed.

"They’re... talking?"

The group exchanged wary glances. None of them could understand the words.

Then Lucien’s eyes lit with an idea. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a gargoyle ring. He then slipped it onto his finger.

At once, the noise shifted. The meaningless static took shape, becoming words.

He quickly handed purified rings to Cielius and Sebas and as they wore them, the message became clear.

"Offer blood... in exchange for passage."

The group’s expressions darkened.

Lucien fell silent.

"These things... are sentient?"

The words hung in the air.

They all froze.

This was something unprecedented. A discovery that could rewrite everything they knew about dungeons.

Sentient guardians? What secrets were they keeping behind that massive door?

Curiosity burned in their eyes.

Lucien slowly opened his INVENTORY, pulling out a spatial bag. From it, he withdrew several blood vials. They were the spoils from the monster corpses collected during the dungeon break cleanup.

Without hesitation, he tossed the vials toward the gargoyles.

At once, the barrier surrounding them shimmered... then broke apart. One of the gargoyles snatched a vial midair.

It trembled.

For a few heartbeats... Silence.

Then—

The gargoyle’s expression twisted into rage.

"How dare you bring monster blood here!"

An overwhelming aura surged from the guardians as stone cracked and wings flexed to life.

Lucien’s eyes widened.

"Tch—fuck you! You should’ve specified if it was human blood you wanted!... Not like I’d give you any."

Before the guardians could strike, Cielius raised his staff.

Magic surged forth. Chains of earth pinned the massive gargoyles to the ground.

"Now, Grandson!"

"Thanks Grandpa Ciel!"

Lucien dashed forward. His fist was wrapped in condensed divine energy. He slammed his punch into their heads with brutal precision.

"Serious Punch!"

Crack—crumble—

With their barriers gone, the guardians couldn’t withstand the blows. Their stone bodies shattered, collapsing into rubble.

And... It ended... Just like that.

All that remained were glittering high-grade mana cores and rare drops gleaming on the floor.

Auto-collect did its work.

And then... with cautious breaths, they pushed open the door.

What they saw inside froze them in shock—