She braced herself for the approaching skeletons, now five in number. Lilly could probably hold down three in the same way she did the two, but clearly she wouldn’t be able to put out any damage. 

The thought was a moot point, however, as a whistling arrow flew past her. It looked like wind was twisting around the arrow itself, increasing the destructive capacity of the arrow. The skeletons were smart enough to jump out of the way, but one wasn’t fast enough. The arrow blew a foot-wide hole in its chest.

Eyes wide, she looked back to see Eli nock another arrow. “Nice shot,” she said appreciatively. He nods his thanks, then loosed another shot. Unfortunately, the monsters were prepared this time and the arrow caused minimal damage.

By this point, the knights were too close for comfort, so John and she quickly engaged. Lilly struggled with the knights this time, they were faster and stronger than the previous group. She was forced to incorporate [Afterimage] just to avoid being bisected by their blades. Her lack of combat experience against humanoids became obvious when she was slammed in the chest by one of the shields, which sent her tumbling back near Amy. 

Luckily, Amy had been holding onto one of her lightning charges, waiting for an opening. A loud crack and flash of light later, where one of the skeletons was standing, lay a pile of scorched armor. Another arrow whistled past her and put another skeleton out of commission.

[Skeleton Knight (35) - Defeated!]

[Skeleton Knight (36) - Defeated!]

Lilly was impressed by how seamless it felt to fight with them. She didn’t have to worry about protecting anyone, and her shortcomings were covered and even used by her teammates.

John was fairing well against his opponents, having already dispatched one of the knights and making quick work of the other. John would seriously kick my ass, she realized. In the beginning, she had felt that maybe she would be an even match for her party members, but now she felt underwhelming after having watched them casually fight mobs she couldn’t even hurt. Not to mention, that armor-piercing skill looked extremely handy and she hoped desperately that one would come with her class eventually. 

After checking for loot and tending to minor injuries, the party trudged forward in search of the next fight. At the rate they were moving, they would have enough energy for a few more fights like that before being forced to call it a day. Amy was a third of the way through her mana and John had used a little more than that, having had to use his skills a few times to win his fights. Lilly herself was tired physically, already aching throughout her upper body. 

As they walked through the endless tunnels, their monotonous passage marked only by the occasional sconce lighting the way, she thought about the skill she had just attained. 

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By being able to both cause pain and heal with the same skill, she couldn’t help but realize that it was explicitly meant for torturel. The thought sent shivers down her spine. Lilly had been steeling herself in an attempt to fulfill her role as an assassin in this ruthless world, but torture seemed to cross a line that she never even considered pushing. Was that really a path she wanted to walk down?

For now, she didn’t have to worry about it, and resolved to only use the healing until the time came. She wasn’t completely naive. There would come a time where she would need to use the skill for its original purpose, but that was neither here nor now.

Another part that irked her was the fact that if she had had this skill sooner, she could’ve possibly saved the girl, who had died in her arms. Self-hatred started seeping into her bones. No. I can’t start that line of thinking. It would be an endless cycle of self-loathing and regret, and there was nothing more she could do about it even if she wanted to. The only thing left would be to get stronger and avoid making the same mistakes again.

“Lilly? You alright?” Amy’s voice drifted into her thoughts, breaking her from her reverie. When Lilly made eye contact, she could see the concern written all over Amy’s face, indicating that she had probably been distracted for far too long.

She smiled weakly. “Yeah, I’m good.” 

Amy looked like she wanted to probe further but decided against it. She nodded affirmatively. “Alright, just checking. We’re here now, you know. You’re not solo anymore.”

“I know. Thanks.” This time, a genuine smile flashed her way.

Shortly afterward, they came across an iron door set into the side of the hallway. Eli nocked an arrow, then John quickly opened the door and moved to the side, leaving Eli’s line of sight unobstructed. After a quick clearing of the room, they found nothing of note within the five-meter wide room. 

“This looks to be one of the safe rooms in the dungeon,” John said as Eli marked its location on the map. When she had asked why they didn’t buy a map beforehand, they told her that the dungeon shifted every two weeks or so, and unfortunately, they had arrived right after said shift. 

After double-checking the room carefully, they went on their way to explore more of the dungeon. A few turns later, they came upon another group of skellies. Upon closer inspection, one of the four skeletons actually wielded a huge greatsword rather than the standard shield and sword combo the rest of the knights sported, not to mention it stood at two and a half meters tall.

The knights rushed forward too quickly for Eli and Amy to take preemptive shots, forcing John and Lilly to engage their full number. Lilly got stuck with the greatsword user and another knight, and was immediately on the defensive, ducking and dodging the powerful swings that could cleaver her body in twain, blades notwithstanding. 

She managed to keep this up for another minute and it seemed to enrage the undead being. It started to swing its blade wildly, heedless of its allies and surroundings. The sword cut the wall, floor, and ceiling, completely indiscriminate in its destruction as it persistently tried to bisect her. 

She locked swords with the skeleton wielding a blade and shield, blocking its overhead swing. Unfortunately for her, the greatsword slammed into the back of the skeleton, slicing through the knight. Her eyes widened and she brought her blades to block the incoming behemoth of a sword. Fortunately for her, the sword’s momentum had been slowed somewhat from passing through iron plating. Unfortunately for her, the sword still sent her flying into the far wall.

Lilly had no time to react before her head slammed into the wall and her world fell to darkness.