The Fifth Stigmata—Selva Arturus

“I am one of the Knights of the Stigmata, ‘The Fifth Stigmata’—Selva Arturus. In the name of God—I place gathered wisdom as a sacrifice to the sword, raise the sage’s prayer upon the scales—and annihilate the 【Shadow Necromancer】—yo.”

Selva Arturus.

The Holy Church’s special combat unit—the Knights of the Stigmata—stood in my way.

“Oh my? You look puzzled as to how I was able to pinpoint your location, ne?”

“Is that so. Did the whole Holy Church stake out every single dungeon?”

“Hahaha—even if you are the Knights of the Stigmata’s top assassination target, we’re not that idle, yo. But, well—if you’re that curious, I can tell you.”

Selva took a pocket watch from his white coat pocket, checked the time, put it back into his coat—and continued speaking.

“When a dungeon is cleared you always get a Dungeon Core. And yet—the number of Dungeon Cores submitted to the Adventurer’s Guild for appraisal did not match the number of dungeons cleared around the royal capital. Adventurers must sell Magic Stones through the Guild, and Magic Stone craftsmen are only allowed to buy Stones from the Guild. Suspecting that Magic Stones were being traded without the Guild, the Holy Church swept the black markets, but there was still no trace of Dungeon Cores flowing into the market.”

“……..”

“Furthermore, I began to suspect that recently several poorly sited dungeons on the outskirts near the royal capital were being cleared in succession. Just like—the dungeon I’m in now—yes?”

“I see…”

“You cannot pass through the gates of the royal capital. Yet you delve into dungeons to level up. To avoid running into other adventurers, you deliberately choose unpopular dungeons—which naturally limits the number of dungeons you would appear in—that’s the point.”

“Thanks for the lecture.”

“You’re welcome—thank you for listening, ye.”

I never imagined my movement pattern would be read in a way like this.

The fortunate thing is they only narrowed down the dungeons I appear in—my hideout in the forest hasn’t been discovered yet.

“Well then—shall we begin?”

I drew my longsword and pointed the tip at Selva.

I didn’t forget to check his stats to gauge his combat style and compare them.

His class is 【Apothecary】.

It’s a class I’m not familiar with.

Maybe it’s a unique class like the Shikai Tribe’s 【Necromancer】.

It could also be an extra class like my 【Shadow Necromancer】.

His stats are overwhelming, but I braced myself cautiously.

“What’s the matter? Not going to take a stance?”

“There’s no need, yo—because—it seems the outcome has already been decided, ye.”

“…Huh?”

Selva took out his pocket watch once more.

“My poison should be taking effect about now――――ye?”

….

……I see, that’s how it is.

“…Cough!?!”

I spat blood from my mouth; the fresh blood trickled down my jaw and stained the dungeon floor.

“See, ye? You should already be at the limit of standing, yo.”

“…Gaha!?”

My knees gave out and I collapsed face down on the floor.

The reason he kept checking his pocket watch was to time how long before the poison would activate.

“Wh-when did you… the poison… damn it!”

I asked Selva with my tongue thick and slurred.

“This mist is a poisonous fog I created—my class is 【Apothecary】. It’s a skill that consumes MP to produce all kinds of potions, yo. Potions aren’t only things that heal wounds or illnesses—poisonous medicines are proper potions as well, yo.”

So the white mist I had assumed was a dungeon gimmick was actually Selva’s skill.

It made sense that, compared to the first floor, no monsters appeared on the second floor.

They must have been wiped out by Selva’s poisonous fog that lay in wait.

On the surface it looks like a support type, but it’s a ruthless class.

If you spread poison in the closed environment of a dungeon, you can wipe out the monsters on that floor and gain a huge amount of Experience.

“Poison is what has moved history in every era, yo. In the age of myth, people suffering from dragon plagues offered wine as a sacrifice to dragons. The dragon would become drunk and unable to move, and the hero would behead it—that kind of fairy tale is famous, ne.”

“So alcohol… is also a proper poison…”

“Poison and medicine depend on how you use them, yo—oh, and it’s useless to call for a Shadow’s help. Those hit by this poison cannot activate skills, ye.”

So he’s fully prepared to counter a 【Shadow Necromancer】.

“And a thousand years ago, when the continent wasn’t unified and countless states vied for power in a Warring States period, the king of a nation said to be near unification was killed by poison given to him by a treacherous retainer. Because of that, the chaotic era is said to have lasted another hundred years—even an undefeated S-rank adventurer from twenty years ago was poisoned after carousing with prostitutes because he had made many enemies—poison is a natural enemy that, no matter what monster your opponent is, cannot be avoided as long as it’s a living being, yo.”

“……..”

Seeing I had no strength left to speak, Selva took a step forward.

Judging from the fact he wasn’t affected by the poison, had he prepared an antidote in advance—or does his own poison simply not affect him?

“You probably don’t even have the strength to move a finger now, right? It’s remarkable you still have consciousness, yo. After that I’ll take you to the Holy Mother and have you pierced through the chest with the ‘Primordial Cleric’s Holy Stake’ just like the Crimson Vampire Princess, and the mission will be complete, yo.”

Selva’s glasses lenses flashed as he looked down at me with an audacious smile.