Marcus

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Marcus
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Adventurers' Association; leader and vanguard of Marcus's party
Occupation/Role	Silver-ranked adventurer; intermediate warrior; shield-bearing vanguard and party captain
Status	Active 488
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Lower-Rank Warrior	9	Had remained at this rank for years because he could not master battle aura; could not reliably harm magic-resistant foes such as Mist Demons.
Intermediate Warrior	98	Forced a breakthrough by facing Vales's live arrows. Formed a tangible battle aura shield, the sign of an intermediate warrior.
Metal Affinity battle aura	397	Acquired a special battle-aura attribute after the ruins expedition. His battle aura resonates with metal equipment, improving reinforcement efficiency and power.

Background

Marcus was already an experienced adventurer when Zeliel joined his party alongside Gray and Vales. As the party leader, he kept the group focused during their first wolf-hunting commission and assigned Zeliel his first watch duty 1.

During that commission, the party encountered and killed a juvenile Mist Demon. Marcus held the creature at the front despite its physical-attack-resistant barrier, while the party combined their abilities to defeat it. He later retrieved its magic core and divided its value evenly among the team 6 9. Impressed by Zeliel's usefulness under pressure, Marcus proposed forming a fixed party with him 19.

For many years, Marcus was stalled as a lower-rank warrior. Unable to fully wield battle aura, he became increasingly frustrated by the gap between himself and stronger professionals. He ultimately chose an extreme method: having Vales shoot him to recreate life-or-death pressure. The risk paid off when Marcus condensed his first battle aura shield and advanced to intermediate warrior 96 98.

Appearance

Marcus is a tall, muscular man with a close-cropped haircut, broad shoulders, and an imposing, reassuring presence 1. Years of adventuring have left blade scars across his back 96.

• Thick, powerful arms suited to shield-and-weapon combat 1
• Initially wore a hardened leather vest and carried a round shield and saber 1
• Later adopted scale armor, a composite shield, and a battle saber after advancing 180
• Eventually obtained half-plate armor, a Blacksteel Tower Shield, and a steel short spear 421
• Keeps a lighter armor set and round shield for situations where tower-shield equipment would hinder his mobility 464

Personality

Marcus is steady, responsible, and protective. He naturally takes the front in dangerous situations, whether shielding inexperienced teammates, confronting monsters, or testing unexplored passages himself 1 86 369.

His reliability does not mean he lacks ambition. Marcus became deeply dissatisfied with his inability to advance and willingly endured serious injury to force a breakthrough. His determination can become reckless when he sees a chance to grow stronger 97 98.

He is also pragmatic and cautious outside battle. When the party found evidence connected to a murder and skeleton-soldier disturbance, Marcus insisted they report it rather than involve themselves in a matter beyond their commission 66. He takes party logistics seriously as well, drawing route maps and helping turn the group's exploration knowledge into a source of income 319 360.

Abilities & Skills

Vanguard Combat

Marcus specializes in holding the front line, drawing enemy aggression, and creating safe openings for his allies.

• Uses battle cries and battle aura to provoke monsters into targeting him rather than the party's rear line 150 286 314
• Endures direct assaults from threats including Dreadbone, Minotaurs, One-Eyed Trolls, Dragon Serpents, and the Thorn Behemoth 65 149 314 353 372
• Coordinates closely with the party's ranged attackers, retreating after opening an enemy's defenses so Zeliel and Vales can strike 424
• Cannot simply absorb every attack; powerful opponents have repeatedly broken his shields, armor, or weapons 240 389 396

Battle Aura Shield

After advancing to intermediate warrior, Marcus can condense battle aura into a defensive shield around his body.

• Awakened while stopping a live arrow fired by Vales 98
• Reinforces his body, armor, shields, and weapons in combat 286 350
• His battle aura carries a taunting effect that makes hostile monsters focus on him 150 314
• His aura initially lacked a special elemental attribute, unlike Gray's wind aura and Vales's lightning aura 284

Bedrock Style

Marcus is identified as a typical practitioner of Bedrock Style, a combat school centered on stability, defense, and efficient movement.

• Maintains a low center of gravity and firm defensive stances 96 116
• Relies on straightforward blocks, shield charges, and heavy counterattacks rather than flashy techniques 96 116
• Excels at holding a position under pressure, described as “steady as a mountain” 116

Shield and Short Spear

Marcus shifted from saber-and-shield fighting to a short spear and heavy shield combination for heavily armored enemies.

• Uses thrusts to focus his full strength on a single point, allowing him to pierce tough scales more effectively than with a saber 349
• Successfully used repeated spear thrusts to wound a Dragon Serpent through its scales 353
• Combines shield strikes, charges, and spear thrusts to control enemy movement 183 424
• Later developed a ranged shield throw using a Towing Crystal, which returns the round shield in a curved path 464

Metal Affinity

Marcus's battle aura developed Metal Affinity after the Third-Floor Ruins expedition.

• Lets him reinforce metal equipment using less than one-third of his former battle-aura expenditure for comparable output 397
• Makes his weapons and armor feel like extensions of his body 397
• Greatly improves the practical value of his shield-and-spear equipment as a vanguard 397 421

Leadership and Navigation

Marcus serves as the party's organizer and practical field leader.

• Handles mission registration, completion reports, and reward matters for the party 10 104
• Leads travel through forests, mines, ruins, and other unfamiliar terrain 5 211 366
• Draws and studies route maps, including paths through the Second- and Third-Floor Ruins 319 360
• Volunteers to test dangerous routes before allowing his teammates to follow 369

Equipment

• Round shield and saber — Marcus's original weapons during the party's first Graywood Forest commission 1
• Composite shield and battle saber — upgraded gear used after reaching intermediate warrior 180
• Blacksteel Tower Shield — heavy shield used in major battles, including against the Black Knight 388 389
• Steel short spear — adopted for armor-piercing thrusts against heavily scaled monsters 349
• Half-plate armor — finely made steel armor with chainmail protecting the gaps at its joints 421
• Light armor and small round shield — mobility-focused alternative set acquired after recognizing the limits of heavy armor 464
• Towing Crystal — thirty-gold magical item that returns his thrown round shield like a boomerang 464

Relationships

• Zeliel — Teammate and trusted mage. Marcus recruited him into a fixed party after the Mist Demon mission and later received healing from him after near-fatal injuries 19 54 244.
• Gray — Longtime teammate and frequent sparring partner. Marcus supports Gray's growth, though Gray often teases him about his caution and inexperience with romance 245 365 464 469.
• Vales — Longtime ranger teammate. Vales reluctantly fired the arrows that enabled Marcus's breakthrough, demonstrating their mutual trust 97 98.
• Hill — Assassin teammate whose trap detection and independent combat style Marcus came to value, despite previously avoiding assassins when recruiting 366 369.
• Mackey — Intermediate swordsman who joined the party for the Thousand-Toothed Rockworm mission. The two work effectively as a frontline pair against powerful monsters 180 183 240.
• Gak — Half-orc warrior who briefly joined the goblin-extermination party and offered to help Marcus hold the front line 41 49.
• Wells — Collaborated with Marcus on studying and selling maps of the ruins 332.
• Lord Vance Wenmill — Noble employer who entrusted Marcus's party with clearing Rose Castle 227.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Graywood Forest and the Mist Demon — Leads Gray, Vales, and Zeliel on a wolf-hunting mission; helps the party survive and defeat its first juvenile Mist Demon 1 6 10.
• Fixed Party Formation — Invites Zeliel to become a regular teammate, establishing the core adventuring group 19.
• White-Haired Goblin Mission — Leads a larger lineup against goblins, stands against Drake's attempted extortion, and supports the party during the resulting deadly conflict 42 49 50.
• Intermediate Warrior Breakthrough — Pushes himself through live-arrow training and awakens his battle aura shield 97 98.
• Monster-Hunting Escort Team — Serves as the party's defensive anchor against threats such as the One-Eyed Troll and Crystal Cluster Giant Spider 149 150.
• Rose Castle Expedition — Fights beside Mackey to buy Zeliel time against the Bone Centaur, suffering critical injuries but surviving through Zeliel's healing 240 244.
• Second- and Third-Floor Ruins — Maps routes, directs exploration, confronts the Black Knight, and gains Metal Affinity after the ruins' inheritance 319 360 388 397.
• Later Expeditions — Continues operating as the party's frontline specialist against Griffin Beasts, Lava Tyrants, and other high-threat monsters 424 439.

Notable Quotes

“I'm the captain, I'll go first!” 369

“Please hit me.” 97