Mark

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Mark (马克)
Alias(es)	Captain Mark; Lord Mark
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Viscount Korien Os; Margery Town’s knight forces; leader of Mark’s Squad
Occupation/Role	Knight; expedition commander
Status	Deceased — killed on the Fourth Layer after being abandoned by Oliver; his body and soul were consumed by Luo Ao 34 37
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Formal Professional / true knight	4	Leads nine Knight Apprentices into the newly appeared Dungeon; his rank is presented as superior to the adventurers present.
Peak Formal Professional / Official Knight	14, 26	Leads the Fourth Layer breakthrough as an Official Knight at the peak; later remains short of his intended Intermediate Knight breakthrough.

Background / History

Viscount Korien Os dispatched Mark to investigate the newly formed Dungeon near Margery Town, granting him authority to make independent decisions if circumstances changed. Mark arrived with nine elite Knight Apprentices, angered by adventurers entering without the lord’s permission, but prioritized reaching the Dungeon’s resources before them. He personally led the advance and began mapping the Second Layer. 4 7

Mark’s early expedition exposed the Dungeon’s abnormality. He suspected its shifting terrain, mutated monsters, and earthquakes indicated a far larger and more dangerous Dungeon than expected. On the Second Layer, his squad was ambushed while investigating a Mana Spring and treasure chest; Mark killed a Death Iron Skeleton with Flame Cross Slash, but Steel Slimes overwhelmed the knights. He used a crimson potion and remained behind to cover the survivors’ retreat. 11

Severely injured and with his left arm crippled, Mark intimidated an opportunistic adventurer party with his remaining fire-attributed battle aura. He concealed that he had less than a tenth of his aura left, passed on intelligence about the Mana Spring and treasure chest, then collapsed after ordering his surviving men to leave the Dungeon. 12

Appearance

Mark is a blond knight who normally presents himself with an imposing, aristocratic bearing. His appearance becomes markedly disheveled after combat losses, including sweat-plastered hair, battered armor, and a crippled left arm during his Second Layer retreat. 4 12

• Magnificent silver-white knight armor. 4
• Greatsword user; later carries a fiery red spare greatsword and round shield. 4 26
• Fire-attributed dark-red battle aura. 11 12
• Blond hair. 12

Personality

Mark is proud, class-conscious, and initially contemptuous of common adventurers, whom he sees as beneath noble authority. Even so, he restrains that hostility when political reality demands it, recognizing the Adventurers’ Guild’s influence and the urgency of securing the Dungeon ahead of rivals. 4

As a commander, Mark is disciplined, decisive, and protective of those under his authority. He repeatedly takes the most dangerous position during retreats, organizes formations under pressure, and accepts responsibility for failed expeditions rather than abandoning his duty to Korien. 11 14 16

His previous defeat on the Fourth Layer leaves him impatient for results, but he recognizes this flaw when Oliver refuses to waste mana dispersing the poisonous fog and apologizes. Mark remains ambitious: he views the Fourth Layer’s Mana Mushrooms as the fortune that could fund his advancement to Intermediate Knight. 24 27

Abilities & Skills

Knight Combat and Battle Aura

Mark is a peak Formal Professional knight whose fire-attributed battle aura enhances his attacks and can be used to intimidate opponents.

• Defeated a Death Iron Skeleton in one strike and engaged Steel Slimes while covering a retreat. 11
• Concealed his near-exhaustion from hostile adventurers by releasing a threatening fire aura. 12
• Personally led the breakthrough from the Fourth Layer’s monster encirclement. 14
• Forced his injured body beyond its limits with potions during the battle against the Muscle Puchis. 33

Flame Cross Slash

A powerful flaming cross-shaped sword strike.

• Severed a Death Iron Skeleton’s steel body into four pieces. 11
• Served as Mark’s opening attack in the planned ambush against the giant Puchi patrol. 30

Frenzied Lion Flame Slash

A potion-enhanced flaming attack that manifests as a roaring lion of fire.

• Used after consuming a crimson potion to delay the Steel Slime horde and allow three surviving knights to escape. 11
• Its use contributed to the severe backlash that left Mark nearly powerless during his subsequent retreat. 12

Flame Blast: Wave Slash

A desperate, high-output flame technique used after Mark consumed a burst potion.

• Blasted two Muscle Puchis away from Oliver’s Magic Shield. 33
• Warped and ruined Mark’s greatsword from the heat generated by the attack. 33

Command and Battlefield Planning

Mark is an experienced military leader who emphasizes reconnaissance, formation discipline, and controlled engagements.

• Mapped the Second Layer while his knights cleared nearby monsters. 7
• Identified the Fourth Layer’s poisonous fog and immediately ordered a withdrawal once the squad became surrounded. 14
• Proposed replacing large knight formations with an elite Formal Professional team better suited to the Venomous Swamp. 16
• Planned to eliminate the nine giant Puchis patrol by patrol before they could reinforce one another. 30

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Silver-white knight armor. 4 26
• Greatsword; his original enchanted weapon was lost during an earlier Fourth Layer expedition. 11 26
• Fiery red spare greatsword and round shield. 26
• Crimson berserk potion and later a burst potion, both used to force additional combat power at severe physical cost. 11 12 33
• Clearwind Boat for traversing the Venomous Swamp. 24
• Alchemy Expansion Pack, stolen by Oliver after Mark became incapacitated. 34

Relationships

• Korien Os — His lord and patron. Korien entrusted Mark with investigating and later conquering the Dungeon, continuing to rely on him even after catastrophic losses. 4 16
• Oliver — Hired mage in Mark’s final squad. Mark accepted Oliver’s tactical refusal to expend mana, but Oliver later abandoned and robbed Mark while he was incapacitated. 24 34
• Ireland — Church of Light priest assigned to Mark’s squad. Mark relied on Ireland’s support and carried his unconscious body while retreating from the Puchis. 22 33 34
• Vinnie — Drow Shadow Assassin recruited by Mark despite his distrust of her race. He secured her cooperation with an Adventurers’ Guild contract and poison, but she had already decided to betray the squad for the treasure. 25 33
• Knight retainers — Mark commanded Korien’s knight squads and repeatedly acted as their shield during retreats. Many died under his command during the Second and Fourth Layer expeditions. 11 14

Story Role / Major Arcs

Initial Dungeon Expedition

Mark leads Korien Os’s first knight expedition into the Dungeon, competing with independent adventurers for control of its unexplored resources. His disciplined squad reaches the Second Layer, but its first major treasure encounter becomes a lethal Steel Slime ambush. 4 7 11

Fourth Layer Defeat

After Korien reinforces the expedition force, Mark leads roughly forty knights into the Venomous Swamp. The toxic fog, swamp terrain, mosquitoes, and encircling monsters devastate the force; fewer than twenty knights return. Mark accepts Oliver’s assessment that future expeditions require antidotes, specialized equipment, boats, and lighter gear. 14

Formation of Mark’s Squad

Korien gives Mark another chance, funding a smaller, professional-only team for the Fourth Layer. Mark recruits Oliver, Ireland, and Vinnie, equips the group with the Clearwind Boat, and uses his prior experience to guide them through the swamp and into the Mushroom Jungle. 16 22 24 25

Mushroom Jungle and Death

Seeking the Mana Mushroom colony and a mithril-patterned treasure chest, Mark develops a plan to ambush the giant Puchi patrols. The Puchis counterambush the group, Vinnie secretly abandons them, and Mark prioritizes saving Oliver and Ireland over reaching her. After forcing a path out with Flame Blast: Wave Slash, he collapses in a cave. Oliver then steals Mark’s supplies and leaves him behind; Mark is killed shortly afterward, ending his squad’s expedition. 30 31 33 34

Notable Quotes

“Everyone retreat! Get out of here first!” 11

“Even if I go to hell, even if my soul sinks eternally into the Abyss, I will curse you!” 34