We marched into the building as a group. The squads were long gone, and our frontline was entirely composed of tanks who could focus on magic.

The idea was simple, in theory. The skeletons will hopefully use the same energy ball attack, which the tanks will take. It didn't seem to follow around or curve, so there shouldn't be surprises.

We moved at a slow pace. The skeletons were waiting for us right at the entrance. I couldn't see them yet, but I trusted the judgment of those around me.

“Brace!” Lebil shouted.

I expanded a tiny bit my pulse and confirmed it. All six skeletons were casting.

We kept moving, even as I heard the whistling of the attacks. They were coming our way, splitting the air and creating gusts of wind.

Shields were risen. Protective spells cast over the tanks. The line of defenses was set in front of us.

And the attacks hit.

“My shield is out!”

“Same!”

I could see how several tanks had left without any protective barrier. Some had even received almost the full brunt of the attack, making them step back a few times.

“Cast!”

At Lebil's order, the tanks moved to the side. As fast as they could. The empty gap they left was immediately filled with a colorful expression of magic. All types that we could muster, including one of my solid extremities, flew towards the undead.

“Cover!”

The tanks formed in front of us while the attacks reached their target.

I saw the outcome. All of them had hit true. Head, ribs, arms, legs, nothing was spared. Yet, none of those, suffered any significant damage.

A few charred spots, that was all we did.

We advanced slowly, repeating the same dance three more times, each of them with the exact same result. All, but the last.

Something changed. The skeletons seemed to free agitated. Scared? Maybe they noticed that we would win if we kept attacking.

Three of them stopped attacking. Their mouths started chanting. Their teeth clattering at the rhythm of weird words. Oh, Saints!

“They are casting another shield!”

I saw not only their intentions, but the actual result. It was not a huge barrier like the previous one. It neither looked as sturdy. For now. Just the bare minimum protection around them.

“I can break it down, probably.” I announced. “But you have to rush in right after! They keep reinforcing it and making it stronger. There won't be a second time!”

I hadn't been idling talking all this time. I had been gathering an energy attack, reminding myself to limit it to half my energy pool.

“Run!”

I jumped into the air, boosted by my own energy, and let loose my own compressed attack.

It flew faster than any of my fellow humans could run. They were half-way there—and so was I—when my attack met the shield.

The shield shone. First localized on the impact, and soon as a whole. It for brighter. Heat started emanating from the whole thing.

And it exploded.

We were barely out of range of the explosion. Luckily, none of us had been fast enough. While we weren’t burned, that didn't save us from the shockwave that came right after.

[You lost 6 energy]

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

I was sent flying back, fell to my butt, and even rolled a few times. As did mostly everyone around me.

“Keep. Running!” I tried my best to make myself heard. “They are worse than us!”

I saw the explosion engulfing them. Not a single one could escape from their own trap. I saw them launched against the walls, crashing hard and sliding down to the ground. They were still struggling to understand what had happened; we had to take that opportunity before it was gone.

But that was not all, I had some notifications demanding my attention.

['Undead' has been defeated -- 95xp] [Error #46 has leveled up] ['Undead' has been defeated -- 95xp] [Error #46 has leveled up]

The two closest to my attack had received the most of the aftermath. Not only the explosion had blasted them, but they also took head on what remained of my energy. Two solo-kills more added to my name.

We were a pack of hounds smelling blood. Red eyes—maddened for the kill—sought targets to let loose they ire. And they found them. Some people reverted to tribalism, kicking and spitting on the already unmoving piles of bones. I swear, if they could, they would have bitten into their flesh.

['Undead' has been defeated -- 5xp] ['Undead' has been defeated -- 3xp] ['Undead' has been defeated -- 7xp] ['Undead' has been defeated -- 4xp] [Error #46 has leveled up]

A part of me wanted to say it was anticlimactic. I was expecting a big fight. Strategy! Outsmarting them! Instead, I got a whooping explosion.

Another part of me loved the explosion.

And, overall, it had gotten rid of the enemy. I wouldn't complain. I had even learnt an important lesson. Magic in this world seems to interact, and what might be a simple attempt to create a hole in a shield, turns into a explosion.

Obviously, whenever possible I should aim to kill an enemy all by myself. The four remaining were shared merits, which reduced significantly the experience I received. Perhaps with a smaller group it made more sense.

“Well! That went easie-”

I relaxed for a moment, and they took it. My enemy sense—luckily for me—had been as fast as always. A sole figure. Unmissable. Their intentions clear going by the fireball headed my way.

I let loose of my energy, more than necessary really. And sent a statement, a bright and powerful one. All around me, I summoned a veil of pure white light. I could have dimmed it. Or shielded just the bare minimum area around me. But I wanted to make it clear.

I'm stronger than all of you.

The fireball impact my energy, and I scoffed as I read the message.

[You have lost 6 energy]

Falling at top speed from the Church had hurt more than this did. It tickled somewhere I could not scratch, but that was all.

“Saints!” The attacker said. “Healer! Hurry! I think I might have injured someone!”

Before the healer could move, or the attacker do something stupid, I burst my thin veil of light. The pulse traveled as far as to the attacker, blinding anyone who wasn't fast enough to close their eyes.

It was all about sending a message. My statement had been clear. Mess with me, and you are all dead before you can even understand what’s happening. I hadn’t tried it, but I was sure that adding the ring’s overdrive ability would have killed, or injured heavily, instead of blinding.

“I don't need a healer. But th-”

“What's happening here!?” Lebil stomped in to save the day.

“I-I-I misfired my fireball and it hit him,” the attacker blabbed and pointed at me.

“Are you okay?” Lebil asked me.

Drop the act… I was seeing right through this pantomime. Lebil was as bright as a candle in a moonless night. He was alit with animosity. He wanted me dead, even more so than the attacker.

I would have loved to confront him and pick a fight. But, I didn't know how many people were with him. If it turned out to be the whole expedition, then I was done for.

“He just missed his target,” I said nonchalantly instead. “And I’m a bit trigger happy. Thankfully, I managed to control myself and only blind some people.” I shrugged.

Around me everyone was quiet. Or screaming if they had been blinded. I supposed they got the message.

“Let's get going,” I finally said, fully aware that Lebil was beyond frustrated with my answer.

And sure he was. He turned on his wheel and, in his commander voice, thundered above everyone.

“Destroy any machine or equipment you find. We can't leave any trace.”

Those who could immediately got to the action. We walked along the corridor, people stepping into rooms every time a door appeared. Localized, small explosions followed every single of the spells and attacks that came with them.

Lebil didn't stop in either of the room, and neither did I. While I didn't know of his motives, I was quite sure about mine. I was sending regular pulses—stronger but also less frequently—and one of them had revealed something.

It was shiny. Not normal shiny, shiny in a system way. My identification had picked on it, similarly to what I felt with Yasmin's ring. I hadn't noticed it then, but the reason I noticed the ring so quickly was because of my identification skill. I was sure of that now.

I let Lebil continue ahead, adjusting my pulses to make sure I kept him on range. The room I entered was normal, plain, entirely out of place. A minimalist personal room with only a bed and a desk.

But the reason I had come was still shining on top of the desk. A book. A system-corrupted book.