The Knight Squad's Defeat

"Have they figured out what caused the earthquake?"

Earlier, just as they had entered the second level, the entire Dungeon had suddenly begun to shake violently. Although the tremors had quickly subsided, the abnormality had still caught Mark's attention.

Ever since entering this Dungeon, all sorts of signs had indicated that it was far from ordinary.

Whether it was the mutated monsters or the labyrinthine terrain of the first and second levels, everything had made Mark increasingly concerned about this Dungeon.

This Dungeon might be a large-scale Dungeon, like the one that had once created the entire High Rock Kingdom and still provided the kingdom with vast amounts of resources.

"We haven't found any relevant information yet, but the lord has already sent mages over. I believe they'll find the cause soon."

"I understand."

Mark nodded and said no more. His instincts told him that if he wanted to uncover the truth behind these abnormalities, he had to venture deeper into the Dungeon.

More than ten minutes later.

The entire knight squad had finished resting. Mark took the lead at the very front and continued deeper inside. The nine squad members spread out beside him, staying close enough to support one another at any time.

Drip... drip...

In the dim passageway, Mark suddenly stopped. He walked over to the wall, pressed his ear tightly against it, and listened carefully. A few seconds later, he waved to the knights behind him, and everyone immediately prepared for battle.

After rounding a corner, Mark's gaze sharpened. A small spring appeared ahead, containing only a thin layer of pale blue liquid. The mana was so dense that it had condensed into glowing mist.

"Captain, look! There's a treasure chest over there!" One of the men pointed excitedly at a stone chest beside the spring.

"Stay alert, everyone."

Mark licked his slightly chapped lips and drew the greatsword from his back. A place with treasure would definitely be guarded by monsters. Before they cleared them all out, even the slightest carelessness could bring danger.

Within the dark cave, illuminated only by the faint light of glowing mushrooms, Mark and the others cautiously approached the Mana Spring and treasure chest. Yet even when they were only three meters away, no monsters appeared.

Just as Mark thought they had gotten lucky and would not encounter any monsters, he caught sight of several suits of iron armor standing in a dark corner to the side. White fungal threads crawled all over the armor.

At almost the same moment, scarlet light flared in the eyes of the four suits of armor. They became blurs and lunged at the three nearest knights.

"Enemy attack!!!"

The instant he shouted the warning, dark red battle aura erupted from Mark's body. Flames ignited on his greatsword as he stepped forward and charged out, his blade slicing through the air and leaving a dark red trail behind it.

Clang.

Blades collided, and blinding sparks burst forth. Mark seemed to teleport in front of the knights, sending two charging Death Iron Skeletons flying with a single strike. At the same time, he crouched and fiercely kicked a third Death Iron Skeleton in the chest with his left foot.

Spikes collided with his iron boot. Mark staggered back several steps, and the stabbing pain in his sole made him frown slightly.

"These armor monsters again."

They had encountered these monsters during their earlier exploration of the Dungeon. Someone had even been injured due to carelessness back then. Now that four had appeared at once, even Mark found them troublesome.

Though these monsters were not as strong as Formal Professionals, their steel bodies, spikes covering every joint, and fearless combat instincts made them monsters in every sense of the word.

"Encirclement formation! No one let their guard down!"

"Yes!"

The nine knights responded and surrounded the four Death Iron Skeletons. Three men formed a group to hold off each Death Iron Skeleton, while Mark took the remaining one himself.

Flame Cross Slash.

The flames on the greatsword grew increasingly violent, and the scorching heat rapidly raised the surrounding temperature. Mark stepped forward with his left foot, leaned forward, and gripped the greatsword with both hands as he dragged it behind him. Cracks spread across the ground beneath his feet.

The next instant, Mark shot forward. His greatsword scraped against the ground behind him, throwing up a shower of sparks. As he neared the Death Iron Skeleton, Mark leaped high into the air and swung his greatsword in a crossing slash.

Boom!

With just one blow, the Death Iron Skeleton was sent flying. Its steel body was severed into four pieces and scattered across the ground.

"Whew..."

Mark let out a deep breath and turned his gaze toward the remaining three Death Iron Skeletons. To end the battle quickly, he had used a killing blow from the start. In a perilous place like the Dungeon, he had no time to slowly trade blows with his enemies.

Next, as long as he worked with the others to eliminate the remaining three monsters, the treasure chest and Mana Spring would be theirs.

"Let's finish them in one go."

The moment he spoke, Mark rushed toward the nearest group of three. With one slash, he forced the Death Iron Skeleton before them back, allowing the three knights beside him to assist while he became the main attacker.

Boom.

"Ah!"

The ground suddenly shook, and one knight let out a miserable scream. Mark instinctively looked over and saw that the three knights nearest him were lying on the ground, crushed beneath a massive black sphere.

Thud.

The enormous Steel Slime leaped several meters into the air before crashing down once more. The screams of the three knights abruptly stopped. Blood flowed out from beneath the Slime, and the three men had already been crushed into knight paste.

"It's a Steel Slime."

"But why is it so huge?"

The remaining knights cried out in terror as they stared at the monster that had suddenly appeared. Especially when they looked at their dead companions beneath it, the full plate armor that had once given them courage and security had now become coffins.

Thud, thud, thud...

Dense sounds came from the darkness. Steel Slimes appeared one after another before them, mixed among them were many ordinary water-blue Slimes.

"Damn it!" Mark cursed. This situation had completely exceeded his expectations. He swung his greatsword fiercely and roared, "Everyone retreat! Get out of here first!"

Bang!

Just as Mark finished speaking, the massive Steel Slime, several meters tall, shot forward like a cannonball. The three knights standing in front could not even slow it down and were sent flying.

"You three, run! I'll cover the rear."

With that, Mark pulled a bottle of crimson potion from the pouch at his waist, tossed it into his mouth, bit it open, and swallowed it. His skin flushed red as nearly tangible battle aura burst forth.

Frenzied Lion Flame Slash!

With one swing, raging flames condensed into a roaring lion of fire that charged toward the swarm of monsters ahead. Mark did not even look at the result and immediately turned to flee.