The undead horde rushed toward Ascalon and his companions, but the knight remained unfazed. His steps echoed amidst the screeches and moans of otherworldly nature, as both Lilithra and Selorien watched with bated breath, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Heed my words, you who have been denied eternal rest.” Ascalon spoke, his voice resounding through the tunnel with a mythical reverberation.

The creatures, in fact, did not heed his words, continuing their relentless charge.

“In the name of my Goddess, Athanya’el, Third Throne of the Great Gods, I decree.” Ascalon continued, his figure emanating a soft, golden light. Each step he took caused the ground beneath to glow slightly, tiny sparkles rising in his wake.

“Let your woes and regrets be buried—return to your rightful slumber, oh anguished ones!” His voice boomed with the power of a sacred prayer, a chant he had uttered many times in the past.

But this time, before he could muster his holy will, a blue screen appeared in front of him. Slightly taken aback, he quickly read the contents.

Holy Sanctification. Poor souls, lost and shackled to earth—be rid of this burden. —Skill info—

Ascalon Rendland’s unique skill.

Rank: S - Level 99.

Potential: S.

Attribute: Holy. Effects:

Channeling divinity from within, Ascalon Rendland radiates holy energy to expel undead abominations from the living world. Additional effects:

* Has a 99% chance to instantly vanquish lesser undead.

* Has 83% chance to instantly vanquish mid-level undead.

* Has 42% chance to instantly vanquish boss-level undead.

* Undead vanquished by this skill cannot be reanimated.

He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, seeing his chant integrated into the Gifted network. The mystery behind the network and its immense power gnawed at him once again, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

“Holy Sanctification.” He muttered, feeling a bit sheepish. It was kind of awkward having to chant the name of something he had never actually named himself! It was also interesting that some of the ‘skills’ required a verbal intonation, while others didn’t.

As soon as the words left his lips, an aura of holy light radiated from him—a sphere of pure goodness, spreading in all directions and encompassing the whole tunnel. The creatures rushing at him met the brilliance head-on, oblivious to their impending doom.

In an instant, their rotten bodies began to disintegrate, their screeching intensifying as their forms were consumed by holy fire. Smoke and ash ascended, their screams slowly fading as they vanished into the afterlife.

The scene was brief—perhaps only a couple of seconds long—yet it left both Lilithra and Selorien standing there, with their mouths agape, astonished by the knight’s readiness for any and all situations.

With Ascalon basking in the middle of the soothing, dissipating light, Lilithra raised her banner in the air. “Amazing!” She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling and her body slightly trembling with excitement.

“To think you can even take the role of a cleric…” Selorien added, approaching Ascalon with a confident grin.

Ascalon looked at them over his shoulder, an awkward smile on his face. “Oh no, I could never replace a proper Cleric.” He began, bowing slightly. “Some of the most powerful priests can dispel undead with a mere gaze!” His voice showed his admiration, reminiscing about some of his old friends.

“Ooh, wow!” Lilithra chimed in as she skipped forward. “But you’re amazing either way!” She said with a cheeky smile, continuing on ahead and pointing the way with her banner. “Let’s go!” Her voice prompted her friends back into action as they resumed their advance through the tunnel.

Ascalon ran as he looked back one more time. “Be at peace.” He whispered to the now-vanished undead. With his gaze set in the path before them, he wondered if the dungeon’s boss was a necromancer—it would explain the ‘zombie’s, after all.

Afterward, the scene of Ascalon vanquishing the undead repeated itself a couple of more times, the advantage of his holy skill allowing them to maintain a steady pace.

“At this rate we’ll be done in a flash!” Selorien stated with a mischievous grin, his figure darting behind Lilithra.

“You’re… right!” The girl panted, catching her breath. It was clear she was the ‘weakest’ when it came to long-distance running, though she was keeping up the pace anyway! Her determination and effort made Ascalon smile tenderly.

“If things keep going as smoothly we shall-” Ascalon began to comment in a cheerful voice, but suddenly, he felt a powerful presence approaching them at high speed.

“Be on your guard!” Ascalon exclaimed, causing his friends to abruptly stop and exchange confused looks.

Standing firm in the middle of the railway, Ascalon focused on the presence, his gaze set on one of the tunnel’s walls. “Step back!” He commanded, and both Lilithra and Selorien promptly complied, rushing behind him without the slightest hesitation.

In the next moments, they could feel the ground tremble slightly, a rhythmic pounding of heavy steps shortening the distance between them. The sound echoed and grew louder as it drew closer, causing the air to thicken with tension, anticipation weighing on them. In a flash, the wall before them crumbled as a humongous, brown bear burst through.

“Found you, little wanderer!” Urvan roared as he emerged from the crumbling pieces of wall and debris, his eyes glistening with savage intensity.

Lilithra gasped with a mix of fear and surprise, while Selorien narrowed his eyes in confusion. Ascalon, on the other hand, stepped forward to meet Urvan’s relentless charge head-on.

Raising his left arm, Aegis materialized in his grasp. With a powerful stomp, Ascalon anchored himself to the ground just as a huge, glowing claw slammed against the shield.

The force of the impact was immense, causing the ground beneath Ascalon to crack. The railway itself warped, rippling under the sheer force of their clash as if made of rubber. Many of the corroder parts simply crumbled, the jarring sound of breaking metal adding to the intense scene.

“Haha!” The bear laughed, his terrifying jaw drawing dangerously close to Ascalon’s head. The knight frowned, clearly not sharing the same amusement as the bear.

“What is the meaning of this?” Ascalon questioned with an irritated tone. He could guess at the bear’s intentions, but wanted to confirm it anyway.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The bear pounded with his other claw against the shield. “Hah! You know already!” Urvan growled, trying to slip past the knight’s defenses with quick, precise strikes—to no avail.

“You would disrupt this test over our brief squabble?” Ascalon mocked, his gaze full of contempt.

The bear roared, causing Lilithra to cover her ears and Selorien to recoil. Then, Urvan unleashed a barrage of sweeping strikes, his huge claws tracing the air with a red light.

Ursurian Rampage.

—Skill info—

Ursurian race skill.

Rank: A - Level 81.

Potential: A.

Attribute: None. Effects:

An Ursurian base skill. The user unleashes a relentless barrage of sweeping strikes, greatly boosted by the Strength and Agility stats.

Additional effects:

* Has a 70% chance to leave open wounds, causing bleeding on the target.

* Has a 67% chance to quadruple the strike’s speed.

* Has 22% chance to briefly stun the target, depending on the target’s resistance.

* The stun effect can be stacked.

“Go ahead, I shall join you shortly!” Ascalon exclaimed with utmost confidence as he defended against the rampaging bear. His friends hesitated for a moment, but then resumed running through the tunnel, while Urvan’s head began to redden with anger.

“Heh, that confident, are you?!” He growled, his paws slashing the air with such force that the walls around them became riddled with claw marks.

Ascalon observed Urvan’s attack with keen interest, gauging the bear’s strength. “Not quite as strong as the ‘kaiju’.” He compared them, tilting his head. Urvan, although unaware of what Ascalon meant, realized he was being underestimated.

Clenching his huge teeth, Urvan began to shift his weight from side to side in a rhythmic motion. His figure started to flicker, leaving afterimages in his wake as his relentless attack increased in speed.

Ascalon braced himself as he felt the weight of multiple claws collide against his shield, the enormous bear appearing to split into four due to his rapid movements. Still, Ascalon blocked every attack with unparalleled skill, causing Urvan to shudder.

The bear was one of the strongest beings in New Lumingard, and as much as he disliked the knight, he had enough sense to realize what was happening. His powerful assault was met with barely any effort—this wanderer was no mere joke.

But even so, powerful individuals often had very inflated egos, and Urvan’s pride wouldn’t allow him to stop.

Either way, Ascalon was displeased by the situation. “To think a Guild leader would behave like this!” Ascalon chastised as he stepped forward, bashing the huge bear with his shield and causing Urvan to recoil back.

“Wha-” Urvan muttered as he stumbled backwards, spinning his arms in the opposite direction to regain his balance. Slightly frustrated and taking a moment to rest, he replied.

“There’s no rule against sabotaging the other team! It’s actually encouraged, to see if they can adapt quickly to the situation. Still, I only did it to mess with you, hah!” Urvan revealed, while Ascalon sighed in frustration.

In the next moment, the bear prepared to pounce once again, but the knight was done with his nonsense.

In the blink of an eye, Ascalon’s figure darted forward, his fist clenched into an ominous fist. Urvan opened his eyes wide in shock as he felt a powerful impact on his chest before being launched fiercely through the air.

As Urvan gasped in pain, Ascalon followed with another burst of speed, his arm sweeping forward in a second strike aimed at the Bear’s humongous torso. The force of both attacks created an unstoppable momentum, sending the bewildered Urvan back from whence he came, his body disappearing into the distant darkness.

Ascalon could hear a ‘what the fu-’ trail off far ahead, but paid it no heed as he rushed to his friends’ side. In a couple of minutes, he catched up, prompting his companions to act shocked.

“That was too fucking fast!” Selorien reproached, his expression a mix of awe and confusion. Lilithra, on the other hand, started giggling out of nowhere.

“Haha! Not even a Guild leader…!” She said to herself, her cheeks reddening at the fact that Ascalon was so utterly strong. Ascalon himself couldn’t help but chuckle before replying.

“I would have shown him more respect had he behaved.” He declared, nodding as he ran along his friends. Lilithra and Selorien glanced at each other, shrugging with resignation as they had no idea what had happened between Ascalon and Urvan before the test.

“Also, I must follow my leader’s orders!” Ascalon added, causing Lilithra to stumble in surprise. She quickly regained her balance and kept running, her cheeks reddening further as she shook her head in disbelief. She wondered just what had she unleashed to the world by ‘allowing’ Ascalon to act on her behalf.

With the cheerful atmosphere around them, they pressed on, vanquishing multiple undeads with the slightest effort as they navigated the dilapidated tunnels. No other examiner stood in their way—perhaps Urvan was the only one who wanted to impede their advance, or he had warned the others of Ascalon’s might. Maybe they simply weren’t lucky—or unlucky—enough to cross paths with Lilithra’s group.

Whatever the case, they soon found themselves in a boarding room, where a huge set of pillars adorned the way to the stairs that ascended to the outside of the station.

“Phew, maybe… we can rest… for a bit!” Lilithra panted as she leaned against a pillar, catching her breath. Selorien agreed in silence, mimicking her actions and producing a water bottle from his inventory. After sipping a few times, he passed it to Lilithra, who gratefully accepted the refreshment.

But to their dismay, Ascalon was staring intently at the stairs ahead, his gaze unwavering and cautious.

“Is… is something wrong?” Lilithra asked, already anticipating his answer. She was really accustomed to Ascalon’s uncanny perception.

“Brace yourselves—it comes.” He declared, prompting his friends to stand by his side.

From atop the stairs descended a most unnatural darkness, warping the surroundings with an unquestionable might. The air grew heavy and musty, and a feeling of feebleness suddenly assailed their bodies.

“Ugh…!” Lilithra whimpered as her knees quivered, while Selorien stood against the pillar, struggling to resist the oppressive force.

Whatever was coming, its presence was overwhelming and supreme.

Slowly, a figure emerged from the dark, hovering toward them solemnly: a huge, robbed skeleton, evoking a profound sense of doom.

On its bony hands rested a humongous, dreadful scythe, reminiscent of Roco’s but with a more intricate decorative pattern, and an even more dangerous feel to it. The blade was forged from a deep black material, its abnormal darkness seemingly consuming the light around it.

The rod that held such blade was slightly bent in some places, its dark surface carved with elaborate depictions of bones. At the top, holding the blade and rod together, rested a skull made of what seemed like obsidian, and the handle at the bottom resembled a cold, skeletal hand.

The creature’s hooded visage, coupled with the ominous weapon and the eerie air surrounding it, created a truly horrific scene—it was as if the grim reaper had descended upon the dungeon.

Lilithra raised her banner with nervousness, clearly frightened by the unknown enemy, while Selorien prepared himself for the battle ahead. The tension grew as their breath quickened—that monster was beyond any of their previous encounters, that much was clear.

The skeleton, feeling their readiness, looked directly at them with its empty sockets. It raised one of its bony fingers and pointed at them, as a hollow, spectral cackle escaped its decayed jaw.

The otherworldly sound sent shivers down their backs. Then, malice seeped out of the reaper as skeletal hands began to burst forth from the ground. At the sight, Ascalon began to mutter something to himself, his soft voice drowned by the sound of the cracking floor tiles.

Steadily, a multitude of undead bones emerged around the area, awakened from their slumber and called forth by their master. So, that was the cause of the necromancy—a wraith of the highest tier, also known as a lich by Ascalon. Even if it evoked the feel of a God of death, it was nothing more than a skeleton with an air of grandeur.

“Holy sanctification!” Ascalon suddenly exclaimed, the space around him brightening with the holiest radiance. As the light expanded, the recently raised undead rapidly disintegrated, while the pseudo-grim reaper screeched in agony.

“Gyaaah!!!” The creature wailed, its form swallowed by the sacred luminance. Slowly, its frame burned away, the scythe clattering against the ground with a metallic thud, its robes falling onto a pile of ashes.

Lilithra and Selorien were at a loss of words, while Ascalon turned to face them with a wide, proud grin. At the same time, a notification window appeared in front of everyone in the dungeon.

The boss monster - The Undead Sovereign - has been defeated. The dungeon will close in one hour. Reopening in: twelve hours.

And just like that, the first test was over!