At the rear of the team, Miruku gently dabbed Ariana’s face with a handkerchief, wiping away the last traces of the mimic’s vile slime.
Anyi watched them, half-expecting Ariana to be shaken after the ordeal. Instead, she was giggling, her laughter light and carefree.
“I told you to be careful,” Anyi said, shaking his head in exasperation.
“It wasn’t that dangerous. You saved me, didn’t you?” Ariana replied, her tone teasing.
“If you hadn’t opened it in the first place, you wouldn’t have needed saving,” Anyi countered. His gaze shifted to the now-destroyed mimic’s remains. “In a castle this decrepit, a pristine chest like that stands out. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”
“But that’s exactly why it’s worth opening!” Ariana argued, her logic somehow both flawed and compelling. “It could have been treasure just as easily as a monster!”
Anyi’s expression remained flat. “And if its Strength had been just a little higher? You might’ve been bitten in half. Then I’d only be able to save one half.”
Ariana froze mid-laugh, her eyes widening. “…Oh.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Then… if that ever happens, please save the upper half.”
“No,” Anyi replied without hesitation, his tone as unyielding as his blade. “If I manage to save you and you’re still alive, I’d rather not hear any more foolish last words. At least the lower half wouldn’t talk back.”
Ariana puffed out her cheeks in mock indignation. “Fine! Next time, I’ll open the chest with my feet! And I’ll make sure to haunt you even in death!”
Miruku, who had been walking quietly beside them, suddenly turned bright red. Her thoughts spiraled: tentacles… slime… the suffocating grip of a mimic… and the lower half being—
Abruptly, she blinked, her blush vanishing as clarity washed over her. Her entire demeanor shifted, radiating an aura of purity.
Ariana noticed Miruku’s sudden stillness and tilted her head. Above Miruku’s head, faint text shimmered: 【Holy Maiden】.
Ariana frowned. “Huh?”
Under what circumstances does that status activate?
But before she could dwell on it, Anyi’s retort drew her focus back to their banter. The fleeting thought dissolved into the background.
Meanwhile, Karen stifled a laugh, covering her mouth as she walked beside Layton. “They really get along well, don’t they?”
Layton scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Ah? Uh, yeah, sure…”
His thoughts, however, were far less composed. 'They’re already close enough to sleep together, and yet…' With the [Lustlessness] effect in play, such proximity should have been devoid of tension. And yet, they still found ways to bicker and tease. 'Do they lock themselves up at night or something?'
“Wait!” Karen suddenly called, halting the group.
“What’s wrong?” Ariana asked, her grip tightening on her staff.
Karen’s eyes narrowed, her voice tinged with certainty. “I think… we’re almost there. I can see a very open area up ahead.”
Anyi’s expression turned serious. “Prepare yourselves.”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The group moved swiftly. Each donned their Goblin series equipment, gaining the +4 attribute bonus. Ariana pulled out her Totem Staff, its carved designs glinting faintly in the dim torchlight. Layton hefted his Goblin Centurion Bone Shield, positioning himself at the front.
Miruku entered her “Sage Mode,” clutching her newly acquired [Goblin Centurion Dagger] with both precision and poise. Anyi unsheathed the [Hero’s Sword], favoring its versatility over heavier weaponry.
Karen, observing their readiness, tightened her fists. While the others had weapons and armor, her strength lay solely in her fists and feet. And she would use them without hesitation.
With every step forward, Karen’s confidence grew. The air grew heavier, the sense of purpose undeniable. They had arrived.
The group emerged from the narrow hallway into the space Karen had detected. Darkness pressed against them like a tangible force, robbing the hall of its full grandeur.
The torchlight fought to pierce the shadows, revealing glimpses of a massive, opulent hall. Red carpets, once plush and regal, lay tarnished and blackened with age. Candles, long oxidized, lined the walls like forgotten sentinels, their metallic holders dull with the passage of centuries.
This was no ordinary room. It was a battlefield waiting to be claimed.
"Look at the throne," Miruku’s soft voice carried through the tension-filled air, slicing through the oppressive silence.
Everyone froze, turning their gazes toward the throne at the far end of the dimly lit hall.
Karen squinted. "Where’s the throne?"
The darkness swallowed most of the room, leaving only faint details visible in the torchlight.
Finally, they saw it. A figure sat upon the throne, shrouded in the shadow of jet-black armor. Broad-shouldered and imposing, the armor seemed to pulse with latent power. But there was something profoundly wrong.
The figure had no head.
On the throne's armrest rested a dark helmet, silent and foreboding, as though it watched them with invisible eyes.
Next to the throne stood a black horse draped in a tattered blue cloth. Like its master, the horse lacked a head, yet reins floated in the air, shifting as if held by invisible hands.
The unsettling sight made the air feel heavier, almost suffocating.
[Unlocked new Bestiary: Headless Knight
Strength: 10 Agility: 25 Endurance: ∞
Durability: 20 Prana: 3 Intelligence: 0
Technique: 5]
"Twenty-five Agility?!" Ariana's voice broke the stillness. Her face paled as she did the mental math. "Even a fully enhanced Goblin Centurion barely hits twenty!"
The realization struck like a thunderclap: the Headless Knight wasn’t just fast—it was nearly untouchable.
As if responding to Ariana’s outburst, the Headless Knight moved. The motion was fluid, unnaturally swift, as it reached for the helmet on the armrest and placed it where its head should have been.
Without warning, the knight stood, unsheathing a long, ominous sword. The room seemed to shift under the weight of his presence.
Where once the figure resembled a lifeless statue, it now radiated an aura of pure malice. Though no words escaped him, the oppressive killing intent was deafening.
The horse reared back, spectral reins snapping. "Clatter! Clatter!" The beast moved without hesitation, carrying the knight into a terrifying charge.
Karen’s heart pounded as the knight's stats filled her mind. The numbers were unreal. This wasn’t an ordinary enemy; it was a force of nature.
“Taunt!” Layton bellowed, stepping forward to meet the charge. His shield gleamed in the dim light as he braced himself.
The Headless Knight struck like lightning.
"Clang! Clang!" The first blow smashed against Layton's shield with bone-rattling force. Before Layton could react, a second strike came at his neck, faster than the eye could follow.
Such speed!
Layton stumbled, his Durability the only thing keeping him upright. Without it, the blow might have taken his head clean off.
“Boom!”
From Anyi’s outstretched hand, a torrent of viscous slime erupted, aiming to snare the black horse’s legs. But the beast, with 25 Agility, evaded effortlessly, circling back with its rider’s blade poised for a devastating strike.
Ariana, quick to react, raised her staff. "Holy Judge!"
A brilliant arrow of light shot forward, its radiance cutting through the gloom.
The Headless Knight didn’t flinch. With a single swing, he shattered the light arrow, sending shards of holy energy scattering like embers. He charged again, this time his blade targeting Miruku at the rear of the group.
But Miruku was no longer there. She had vanished, leaving Ariana exposed.
"Get behind me!" Anyi shouted, his arm snapping out to pull Ariana back. He retreated with Karen to safety behind Layton’s shield just as the knight’s blade fell.
"Bang!"
The bone shield shook under the impact, but the relentless foe wasn’t deterred. His second strike arced directly toward Ariana again, ignoring Layton’s shield entirely.
“Taunt doesn’t work on him!” Karen shouted, frustration laced in her voice.
"Clang!"
Metal sang as Anyi met the Headless Knight’s sword with his own.