"Clang—!" Another strike landed, and Stephen's grin widened. He could clearly feel Dane growing weaker.
But Dane suddenly leaped backward, dodging Stephen's attack, and spoke in a deep voice,"The body is but a silent, dried-up well. Let it bear all the pain, marching forward in the darkness!"
Still spouting nonsense! Stephen's expression turned scornful. His Charge skill was still on cooldown, so he could only sprint forward to continue his assault.
He knew his opponent was either chanting a spell or making some kind of proclamation, but this was clearly the perfect moment to finish him off. The enemy might care about etiquette, but he didn't have to.
Raising his gleaming military sword, Stephen aimed straight for Dane's skull.
Just then, a sudden crimson light flared up from Dane's body, as if something was about to explode.
"Huh?!” Stephen was startled.
Dane crouched low, and with a bone hand wrapped in searing flames, he slammed the ground.
"Whoosh—!"
Fiery rings erupted from the impact, blazing outward in all directions!
One of the guards, who was even closer to Dane than Stephen, had no time to react. The moment the fire passed under his feet, an inferno engulfed him, reducing him to ashes in an instant.
It had begun! Once Dane's health dropped below half, he would enter his second phase. Kenley knew this well—this was when Dane's Signature Inherited Skill: Crimson Flame Ring activated.
A wide-area magic skill, it scorched everything within a 30-meter radius, dealing damage equivalent to a Tier 2 Fireball to anyone caught inside!
The tomb chamber wasn't particularly large. Even though Dane had moved from the center, he was still within ten meters of it—just enough to cover most of the room.
The guards, completely unprepared for such a powerful spell, were burned alive in the blink of an eye. Their agonized screams echoed through the tomb, filling it with a horrifying cacophony.
Stephen's face went pale with fear. Just then, his Charge skill came off cooldown. He reacted instantly, turning and dashing in the opposite direction without a second thought. He didn't care how far the fire ring extended—his only instinct was to run.
And as fate would have it, he was sprinting straight toward Kenley's hiding spot.
No! He's going to see me! Kenley panicked. He had been watching everything unfold from a narrow gap, never expecting Stephen to flee.
At that moment, golden light shimmered in the air around him. Experience points? What's going on?!
It turned out that Dane's fire ring had incinerated his own skeleton soldiers and archers along with the enemy forces. And all their experience points went directly to Kenley.
Kenley smacked his forehead. Damn it, I forgot! This fire ring damages allies too!
Stephen, too focused on escaping, had no time to process what was happening behind him. After using Charge to gain some distance, he sprinted frantically toward the corner where Kenley was hiding—only to catch sight of him.
"You filthy peasant!" Stephen roared in fury. So this bastard was hiding in that secret passage!
Now that he had discovered the entrance, he figured he could use it too. If Kenley had been safe inside, then he would be as well. Drawing his sword, Stephen lunged, intent on killing Kenley.
Kenley, however, had no intention of giving up his refuge. The Crimson Flame Ring is blocked by obstacles, and the passage is L-shaped—so I'll be safe in here!
Without hesitation, he dumped all his newly earned experience points into leveling up. Ding! Level 10 reached!
Although he was still two levels lower than Stephen, his base strength was now close enough for a fair fight.
"Defensive Stance![Third Form]!"
Kenley immediately assumed a defensive posture. His weapon might be a basic white-grade short sword, but as long as he had equipment, he could still activate Warrior Skills.
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Clang!
A metallic clash rang out as Stephen's attack was perfectly deflected.
"You're a warrior?!" Stephen gasped, realization dawning on him.
Now it makes sense! This peasant had lured them into a noble's tomb—it was all a trap!
"Just figuring that out now? Too late! Look behind you.”
Kenley smirked coldly. This was the same man who had planned to cut off his hands. Against these ruthless slaver guards, he had no sympathy to spare.
In the First Age, the Tenth Cycle, the Year of Origin, slave traders were one of the most notorious professions on Aude Continent. They pillaged and plundered without mercy, hunting for young, strong, and useful captives to sell.
It didn't matter whether they were elves, dwarves, beastmen, humans—even the undead were not spared. The vampire princess outside was a prime example.
At Kenley's words, Stephen instinctively turned—only to see Dane cackling maniacally.
Two massive fireballs hurtled straight toward him!
"No—!”
Stephen's scream was cut short as the flames engulfed him.
Within seconds, all that remained was a pile of charred, blackened bones.
Then, with a brittle crack, his remains crumbled into ash.
The sight was utterly gruesome.
Urk…
Watching the guards burn to death earlier had been unsettling enough. But now, seeing Stephen reduced to ashes right before his eyes, Kenley truly grasped the horror of it all.
This isn't like a game, where a dead character simply vanishes into light and returns to the embrace of the Mother Goddess.
This is real.
The sheer realism of it hit Kenley like a hammer.
He swallowed hard. This is too much… It's almost too real…
Suddenly, he felt a gaze upon him—it was the gaze of the Fallen Noble, Dane. Instinctively, he shrank back, pressing himself against the innermost part of the hidden passage, not daring to look around recklessly.
Who knew if things worked exactly like they did in the game? What if Dane could burn him alive?
Fortunately, Stephen had just blocked Dane's line of sight, or else he would have definitely been discovered.
Kenley waited patiently for a long time, straining his ears to catch any sound from Dane. As soon as the boss confirmed that all intruders were eliminated, he would surely return to his coffin to rest.
Sure enough, Dane scanned his surroundings once more. Finding no enemies, he turned around with a series of cracking noises and made his way toward the coffin where he had first lain dormant.
Kenley knew that sound all too well—it was the sound of bones clattering as they walked. He quickly peeked out just a little, pressing himself against the wall and using the corner of his eye to observe the burial chamber.
Dane was heading back to his coffin. The skeletal soldiers and archers that once filled the room had completely vanished, leaving behind a battlefield littered with the corpses of fallen guards—a truly gruesome sight.
Suddenly, Kenley's eyes lit up. A gleaming sword fell to the ground—it was Stephen's Imperial Military Sword! He had just absorbed the experience left behind by the skeletons, and he had conveniently leveled up to ten, allowing him to equip the weapon.
Not to mention, Dane had just taken three direct strikes from Stephen—he was already on the verge of collapse. If Kenley picked up that sword now, he could end this monster once and for all.
This was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss!
Kenley remembered well that if Dane made it back to his coffin, the boss would quickly regain full health upon disengagement.
He didn't know if reality worked the same way as the game, but he wasn't about to take that risk.
Swish!
Kenley rolled out of the hidden passage, grabbed the Imperial Military Sword from the ground, and just as Dane heard the commotion and was about to turn around—he launched a charge attack!
Crack!
Before Dane could even turn his head, Kenley drove the sword straight through his skull!
"Intruder… you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the Fallen Noble, Skeletal Mage Dane, extinguished the flame of his soul and would never awaken again.
Kenley let out a long breath of relief. That was way too close.
At that moment, a golden light surged into his body—it was the experience gained from decapitating a boss. Wow, enough to level up five times! However, Kenley wasn't in a hurry. He decided to save that experience for later when it would be more useful.
As he looked around at the battlefield, strewn with corpses and equipment, his hands were still trembling.
This wasn't like the game at all—this was a real battle of life and death.
A single mistake could have meant his end. In the game, he could respawn, but in reality? He wasn't willing to gamble on that. No matter how skilled he was as a player, caution was still necessary.
Kenley closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in and slowly exhaling. He shook his head to clear his mind, trying to shake off the lingering surrealism of having taken down Dane.
Once he fully calmed down, an overwhelming sense of joy washed over him.
Because now, all the loot—every piece of equipment, the boss's drops, and the treasure inside the chest—belonged to him.
Time to loot the battlefield!
This was a player's favorite activity. As a creature driven by profit, Kenley knew the process all too well.
"Ugh… just a bunch of useless white-tier gear… but this captain had some decent stuff.”
【Refined Leather Gloves (Green Quality)】
【Refined Leather Legguards (Green Quality)】
Unfortunately, the only green-tier iron breastplate had been burned into a "damaged" state—useless unless repaired by a blacksmith.
But those weren't the most important finds—the boss's loot was where the real treasures lay.
"Huh? Only one item?”
He picked it up and examined it—a mage's skill book:
【Dane's Runic Tome: Crimson Flame Ring】
Huh? A legacy skill? Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a rather practical ability. If he could learn it, he'd practically become an AoE machine.
Too bad he was a warrior—he couldn't use it!
But that didn't mean he couldn't find someone else to use it… like that vampire princess.
The vampire princess was a natural dark magic user, but she also knew fire magic. If he could teach her this skill, she'd become a powerful grinding machine for leveling up.
That would be incredibly beneficial for Kenley in the long run.