Chapter 4

"Is this the place...?"

Rihito murmured in the deepest part of the old dungeon. Throughout his journey, he hadn't encountered a single monster.

It seemed that this dungeon was indeed not functioning properly.

"What a waste, for such a vast dungeon..."

The words slipped out unintentionally.

By the time he reached the deepest part, he had a rough idea of the dungeon's size. Despite the absence of enemies, it had taken him almost a full day, clearly indicating that it was a very large dungeon.

Rihito felt a sense of loneliness at the thought of such a grand dungeon being left to decay, unused by anyone.

(But there's no point in saying that. More importantly—)

Suddenly, Rihito remembered his original purpose. His goal was to revive someone who had died here.

He needed to form a party to survive. Given the size of this dungeon, it was not unusual for powerful ancient figures to be resting here.

With the skill "Resurrection," it was possible to revive someone who had died years ago. Even without a body, as long as the soul remained, they could be restored.

The skill that the old man had feared would be misused didn't matter to Rihito now. On the contrary, the idea of revenge only fueled his determination even more.

"Resurrection"

Rihito searched for the souls resting in this place. At that moment, something nauseating assaulted his mind.

An ordinary adventurer would likely have died at this stage. It felt as if his own soul was being extracted. This was clearly not the reaction when reviving a human.

"---What!?"

Suddenly, the ground exploded.

Fortunately, he was in a position where he wasn't caught in the blast, but if he had been unlucky, he would have died. Based on his experience with the skill, this method of revival was highly unusual.

Moreover, it wasn't just one person. A total of five souls were revived by "Resurrection."

"Wow! We really came back to life! We did it!"

"Well done, my lord."

"…Even our bodies have been restored."

"Onee-sama, Onee-sama, I'm so happy."

"Yes, Ilyse."

Each of the five revived individuals spoke. They all seemed to be rejoicing at their revival, leaving no room for Rihito to intervene.

However, in that situation, one phrase from the woman in the center caught his attention.

She had indeed called someone "Demon Lord." The girl called the Demon Lord didn't show any signs of denying it, so it seemed to be true.

As he was thinking about this, one of them finally noticed Rihito.

"My lord, could this person be the one who revived us?"

"What?—Anyway, none of you should come any closer. Stay within the protective area."

The girl called the Demon Lord skillfully led the other four out of the deepest part. From her mention of a protective area, it seemed that this dungeon originally belonged to the Demon Lord.

The other four didn't object and quickly left, leaving Rihito alone with the Demon Lord.

"…So, it was really you who revived us?"

"Yes."

"How did you do it? We died over a hundred years ago. Even a necromancer can't revive someone without a body."

"I was surprised myself. To be honest, I don't even understand how this skill works."

Rihito answered the Demon Lord's questions honestly. It was a fact that he couldn't control the "Resurrection" skill. The only thing he knew was that this ability could be used on himself as well.

"Ahaha! You're an interesting one. But it seems you can really revive the dead. Will you join my ranks?"

"Is that okay…?"

"Yes, it seems you're in a bit of a bind. I don't know what your situation is, but I simply want to be of help to the one who revived us."

And so, Rihito became a member of the ancient Demon Lord's army.

The "Resurrection" skill, which was shunned in the human world, became a valuable asset in the Demon Lord's army, rising to a prominent position.

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