We enter the chamber and I watch Ronan tuck the elemental cores into one of his small cloth bags again.

Three different corridors branch off from this room, but thanks to the map, we know which way to go. We take the one on the right. It's a tunnel similar to the one we came through, only wider with a higher ceiling. Just before entering, Ronan reminds us to be careful.

"This corridor is long and winds all the way to the treasure chamber. The boss can appear around any corner and might be accompanied by elementals or, on rare occasions, alpha wolves."

"Let's hope we get lucky with the wolves," I say, since I prefer them to the elementals.

I have a healthy respect for that freezing effect, even though I'm wearing the snow alpha's bracelet, which gives me 50% cold protection and I still haven't returned it to Ronan since we were planning to dive this dungeon again.

The corridor is lit only by a few torches, driven into the rough rock walls at intervals of several dozen meters, producing flickering light that can't quite overcome the gloom between each metal bracket. In fact, they're spaced so far apart that rather than providing light, they seem designed to create dark zones where shadows could easily hide traps or enemies.

Ronan puts two of the trolls up front and the other three—the more wounded ones—behind. Each carries a golem in its hands. He sends the remaining golems to advance along both sides of the passage. Slowly, since that's how they move when rolling.

"I am also going to raise the naga boss," he tells us. "I assume we are going to need him."

He pulls the deceased creature's finger from one of his component pouches, places it on the ground in front of him, and animates its corpse.

Only one finger? Well, as he's already explained to me, that just means it costs him more mana to raise it, since he has to use that mana—that dark energy—to recreate the body as it was in life.

Like other times, I see the pool of darkness from which the zombie's body seems to emerge, though now I know that what Ronan actually calls from the other side when he raises it is just its soul. And considering these are souls he's previously contacted, I think they're in a special place on that other side. Or maybe it's his soul inn mastery that creates that place beyond life and death where those souls rest.

I don't feel fear, but I don't feel a connection to eternity or to that unfathomable darkness like I did that time with the mountain bear king either. Just respect.

Little by little, I watch the naga warrior emerge. It's not carrying its two swords. I notice Vincent takes a step back. I get it. We fought this enemy, and the instinctive reaction is to think it's going to attack us again. However, now it's a minion of my vassal and therefore receives the bonuses from my queen mother sword.

"Welcome back," he tells it. "Stay alert and remain hidden in the shadows. Your main mission is to protect us from whatever might appear."

The naga inclines its head respectfully, produces a soft hiss with its forked tongue, and slithers to the nearest shadow.

Its tail—its magnificent serpent tail that we had severed—is whole again.

Yes, decidedly in this world a necromancer who wants to have an army needs two things: either a lot of time or an obscene amount of money to buy mana potions. Beyond that, the power Ronan is accumulating is terrifying.

I see the bats disappear into the upper reaches of the passage, no doubt responding to a mental command from their master. They'll be our scouts.

"Should I create a light orb?" I ask.

Stolen novel; please report.

"That is not necessary. The bats do not need light to detect enemies ahead."

I nod and we begin moving forward. We all match the slow pace of the golems.

We've barely advanced a few dozen meters when the bats detect an enemy.

"Elemental," Ronan whispers.

Immediately, one of the two trolls up front hurls its golem hard and must score a direct hit—I can't see it, the enemy is in one of those shadowy zones between the distant torches—because the elemental doesn't counterattack and the other front troll doesn't throw its golem.

We repeat this process. Most enemies are elementals, though there are also a couple of alpha wolves, and they all fall to the same system.

Ronan's going to make bank on XP.

As for those alphas, they can't call their pack. I imagine they don't have that spell or power. Too bad, since they would have been brutal additions to our army.

Bianca... army? I say to myself. Isn't all this goblin village and demon king contract stuff going to your head?

Oops...

Well, I can have an army without being the demon king, right? What else is Ronan going to do with so many undead...

When the troll hits, the damage it deals to the creature is brutal. It leaves the elementals as a mess of ice crystals and the wolves as pulverized meat. The good news is that the wolves' pelts aren't too damaged either. In fact, Bob hangs back to skin the two corpses.

And when the troll misses, well, there's a fight. Though it doesn't last long because the other troll throws its golem and, on top of that, the first one picks up one of those advancing along the sides to throw it again. All without forgetting that the hard icy spheres have their ice shard attack and that, once the enemy is eliminated, all the golems return to their original positions.

The downside? Two things: we advance very slowly and only Ronan gets experience. But neither Vincent nor I complain, since I'm saving my mana for the boss and I imagine the prince understands that melee attacking an elemental that can freeze you isn't exactly a good idea.

When we're close to reaching the treasure chamber—which we know is at the end of the long corridor even though we can't see it due to the curves—one of Ronan's trolls hurls its golem at a new enemy detected by the bats. Just when it should impact its target, we hear a thud louder than what we've been hearing so far, followed by a powerful roar.

"My lady, can you create a light sphere there?"

Without wasting time answering, I cast the spell so the sphere stays stationary near the ceiling, in the shadowy area where the roar came from and now there's only ominous silence.

It's the boss. The yeti.

A creature with white fur, about four meters tall and tremendously muscled.

The light from my magical orb illuminates it fully and casts reflections that shine bluish-white on the tunnel's icy walls.

My heart pounds and I feel fear.

Its eyes are looking at us and gleam with glacial coldness, crystalline white, while its fangs protrude menacingly from a jaw that I don't doubt is capable of crushing bones like dry twigs.

Its skin, barely visible beneath the dense coat of white fur, is a blue-gray tone, thick as cured leather and crossed by veins that show beneath the surface. In areas where the fur is thinner, like around the knuckles or on the palms of its gigantic hands, the skin looks rough.

The tunnel, being such a confined space, makes it look even more enormous and threatening.

I fix my gaze on its pectorals, which protrude like natural armor plates. That doesn't help. I shift it to its arms, disproportionately long even for its colossal height, ending in hands that could completely wrap around my torso and squeeze.

Well, the huge golem in the desert dungeon was imposing too, I tell myself, trying not to be overcome by fear.

I look down. Naturally, its legs look like pillars of brute strength. On the ground, next to its feet, lies the ice zombie golem. Split in two.

It raises an arm to grab the light orb. Its fur brushes against the nearest wall. Its massive fingers try to grasp the sphere but pass right through it.

It's light. Just that.

I hear the characteristic sound of an arrow being fired. The archer is Joe. I watch the projectile race across the distance separating it from the yeti and hit squarely in its chest.

It splinters and breaks, unable to pierce its thick skin.

Joe tries again. As he nocks a second arrow, I notice Vincent draw his sword and prepare to fight. I wait. The arrow hits the creature's neck this time, with the same result.

It's clear that I'll need channeling if I want to pierce that thick skin.

I reach for the quiver to apply it and hesitate. Fire is the one I've improved most, therefore the one that does the most damage. And so far, it's worked well for armor penetration. However, this creature isn't made of ice, and the water and air elements, according to my teachers, are better for piercing armor than fire and earth.

And when I've shot arrows with air channeling, I could feel they had more speed and accuracy, also that they traveled farther.

On a whim, I decide to take the risk. If not, the next one will be fire.

I channel the quiver and its contents with spirit magic, applying the air element.

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