The maze was built starting with the mother skeleton replenishing its magic.

Chapter 1: A Mother Skeleton Arrives in the Maze

Angelica cried herself to sleep.

Because she discovered that no matter how sad a skeleton is, it can't shed tears.

The two skeleton companions she encountered at the beginning of her reincarnation had already died at the hands of the walkers, and she could only watch helplessly.

Then he turned and ran away.

Now, all that accompanies her is the long sword in her hand, which has long since been dulled.

She thought that she must have been too undevoted in her life, which was why she was punished by the goddess after death and reincarnated as an immortal.

The cave was huge and dark, the damp air condensing onto her bones, and unsettling growls echoed continuously from all around.

Time seemed to lose its meaning here. After an unknown amount of time, Angelica realized that she had to pull herself together and explore the cave.

Touching the wall, I carefully moved forward.

The next chamber was still dark, with only a torch embedded in the wall and the faint light from the bioluminescent plants at the foot of the path illuminating the way.

Fortunately, there was a skeleton with its arms crossed over its chest, leaning against the wall, looking in this direction.

That was the first time Angelica felt at ease seeing her own kind since her reincarnation.

As if grasping at a lifeline, she stepped forward with a mixture of joy and trepidation, and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind:

"Mr. Skeleton, is this a maze?"

"Yes."

"Thank you... huh?"

Angelica was stunned.

With a clang, the longsword in his hand fell to the ground.

She raised her hands, leaned back, struck a stereotypical surprised pose, and let out a scream:

"The skeleton...the skeleton spoke!"

......

Lance had been observing the talking little skeleton for a whole day.

Discovering that she could speak was not difficult.

As soon as she emerged from the maze, she knelt on the ground and cried for a full hour, repeatedly calling out words like "Help," "Goddess Frey," and "Bishop," which Lance had never heard before.

It's too conspicuous.

After crying herself to sleep, she encountered two little skeletons and was dragged along to fight the zombies. When they couldn't win, they started running away.

After running back to the original refresh point, she continued to cry.

To be honest, she's really noisy.

If it weren't for secretly observing her background, Lance would have already shown up to stop her.

"Quiet down," Lance snapped.

The boisterous newcomer skeleton in front of him trembled and then quieted down.

He looked at Lance with a mixture of fear and curiosity in his eyes.

"Before we officially begin our conversation, I have a question for you to answer, Angelica," Lance said slowly.

The green flames of his soul flickered constantly in his eyes.

Angelica's body visibly trembled again.

She instinctively spoke:

"Who is Angelica? I have absolutely no idea..."

She poked her finger, then secretly glanced at Lance and noticed he was staring at them. She quickly turned her head away, pretending not to care.

half an hour.

Angelica's eyes remained fixed on the side, but she weakly raised her hand and spoke in a barely audible voice.

"Yes, it's me."

Lance knew it was her, of course, because it was clearly written on the system panel.

————"Basic Information"

Name: Angelica

[Level: LV.1 (0/10)]

[HP: 20/20]

【Magic Power: 2400/2400】

[Race: Undead - Skeleton]

【Class: Frey's Priestess (Level 10)】

——"Racial Talent"

Assemble the bones: No matter what kind of bones they are, just assemble them and you can use them!

——"Professional Talent"

Holy: Deals additional effects when using Holy and Storm spells.

Noble Sacrifice: Consumes one's own mana to replenish the mana of others; if one's own mana is insufficient, it is replaced by health points.

--"Skill"

【急速治疗LV10、净化不死者LV10、祝福术LV10、缓慢癒合LV10、屏障术LV5、全属性提升LV5、不落要塞LV5、人类通用语LV10】

......

"Angelica, are you female, uh, mother, uh, woman?"

Lance changed his mind three times in a row; this was his biggest concern at the moment.

Are skeletons gender-specific?

That's as stupid as asking a skeleton if it can drink alcohol.

Skeletons don't have digestive organs, so naturally they can't drink alcohol.

Similarly, skeletons do not have reproductive organs, and therefore do not have gender.

A gust of wind at the cave entrance flickered the torchlight, and Lance's gaze swept over Angelica's chest and lower body.

Both are mass-produced skeleton monsters from the maze, and there's no difference in their size.

Ok.

The newlyweds shyly hugged their chests; even with the same skull face, it was clear at a glance that they were "shy."

The area being covered was clearly only the ribs.

"In my previous life, I was a priestess of the Storm Goddess Frey, and I still retain those memories, so... please don't look at me like that."

Oh my god, you female skeleton!

Just as they were about to continue negotiations, they heard distinct footsteps and the sound of weapons clashing coming from the cave entrance.

The adventurers have certainly come at the worst possible time.

"We can talk about it later." Lance put his hand on Angelica's shoulder. "The adventurers are here. Prepare for battle."

"Eh! Fighting, fighting adventurers?!"

Angelica panicked.

In her mind, skeletons were monsters that embodied all the flaws of the undead.

Weak, fragile, and non-threatening.

Even in the lowest-level dungeons, it belongs to the lowest-level category of monsters.

She's just a low-level monster right now!

Fighting adventurers would probably kill you!

"I don't care what you were in life, now you're the Maze Skeleton."

"Fighting adventurers with all your might is your mission as a dungeon skeleton."

"Now! Pick up your gear! Don't embarrass the skeletons!"

Another scolding ensued.

Lance remarked that intelligent skeletons are easy to train.

Angelica hurriedly picked up the sword from the ground, holding it to her chest with both hands, looking flustered.

"Okay, okay, senior!"

There were so many things she wanted to know.

Whether it's about the talking skeleton senior in front of us, or about this labyrinth.

But before that, you have to survive.

I took a deep breath.

Angelica's upper and lower jaws opened and closed repeatedly with a "creaking" sound. She first put the longsword on the ground and gently patted her cheeks to encourage herself.

After rousing himself, he picked up his sword again and stared intently at the doorway.

This little skeleton is really interesting.

Lance thought to himself.

——"Basic Information"

Name: Lance

[Level: LV.9 (89/90)]

[HP: 150/150]

【Magic Power: 200/200】

[Race: Undead - Skeleton]

【Occupation: King of the Labyrinth (Unique)】

......

I'm just one experience point away from leveling up.

During his time as a skeleton, Lance has been anything but idle.

They're either training those factory-made skeletons or exploring this labyrinth.

The maze is laid out in a dot matrix pattern, with caves made up of rugged stone walls. There are many complex branching paths, but only one correct path leads to the lord's room.

The maze is quite large, but it only has one level.

There are three types of monsters: skeletons, zombies, and vampire bats, none of which are more than level 10.

Especially the walkers; those ugly creatures have been getting into fights with them quite a bit lately.

Taking advantage of its strong physique and slightly higher level, it has already occupied several rooms that originally belonged to the skeleton.

Several adventurers have come, but they are mostly newbies with low levels and poor equipment, and they retreated after not going very deep.

Lance speculated that the maze was likely at the "beginner tutorial" level.

Da da—

Heavy stomping sounds were already echoing at the entrance to the cave.

The torchlight cast the shadows of four fully armed men onto the rough rock face.

Unlike the novice adventurers Lance had encountered before, this was a fully equipped team with the highest level being 20.

For the skeletons in the maze, whose average level is around 5, this is practically a nuclear bomb.

It's rare.

Are we having a team-building activity at the maze?

"S-senpai, what should I do?" Angelica's voice trembled slightly.

"I'll only teach you once," Lance replied in a deep voice. "When facing adventurers, first raise your sword with both hands."

"Like this?"

"That's right, get into position and watch their movements, then... charge!"

With that, Lance raised his sword and charged straight at the adventurer.

Battle begins!

The next second, the human warrior stomped heavily on the ground, and swung his greatsword with a gust of wind, sweeping straight towards Lance.

Click!

A crisp, clean sound.

Lance's head flew off, tracing an arc in the air as it flew toward Angelica.

The headless skeleton stood frozen in place for a second before scattering with a clatter.

Battle over!

It took one second!

Angelica instinctively released her weapon and reached out to catch Lance's head.

Then, the two looked at each other.

"Eh————"

Angelica stood there, her bewildered voice trailing off.

"That way you'll die with some dignity, at least you resisted."

Lance finished speaking very seriously, and then his skull turned into a pile of ashes.

It's awesome!

The senior has turned to ashes!

With a loud crash, Angelica was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground.

He lowered his head, covered his head with his hands, and trembled.

"No! I don't want to die!"

The adventurer remained silent, and swung his greatsword once more.

Angelica became Angela and Rika.

------

nothingness.

Angelica's consciousness sank into a void of darkness.

There was no pain, no warmth.

Just when she thought this was eternal silence, Lance's languid voice jolted Angelica out of her confusion.

"How was your first job, newbie?"

She stared blankly up at Lance, her right hand instinctively reaching to wipe away non-existent tears from the corner of her eye.

"Senior, you're not dead?!"

"His head was blown off; he's as dead as can be."

"So now you are...?"

"Wait for a refresh."

Lance leaned against the smooth rock wall, arms crossed, his right index finger rhythmically tapping his left arm.

"Isn't it common sense that monsters in the maze need a period of time to respawn after being defeated?"

Is this how common sense is understood?

However, Angelica then realized that she was not dead, nor had she lost an arm or her head.

It was clearly cut in half at the waist.

Looking around, this was no longer the rough cave from before, but a square room made of neatly arranged limestone, the walls of which were polished so smooth that they looked as if they were made by a craftsman.

A few simple stone platforms leaned against the wall, and there was nothing else there.

There was no furniture, and the layout was relatively primitive. Not far away, there was a heavy, closed iron gate, giving the place a bizarre feeling that was somewhere between a barracks and a prison.

So the monster that spawns in the maze is actually the same one every time?

"senior..."

Angelica's tone carried a hint of resentment.

She desperately wanted an explanation.

"Once a monster is defeated, it will remain in this space until it is refreshed by the maze," Lance said.

"So this is the afterlife?" Ange looked around and asked again.

Lance pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"The monsters in the labyrinth can never truly die, but the price is that they can never leave the labyrinth."

"Or rather."

"We're already dead."

After Lance finished speaking, he opened the system panel.

[Killed by a human wanted criminal (LV16)]