Episode 64: Dungeon (2)
Cheongyeom.
A member of the sect known as “The Incinerators” and one of the five great saints of the order.
Each of these five saints was a monstrous figure. Even those in the master class, known as superhumans, were mere children compared to them.
Damian had fought and defeated all of the five saints.
If you asked him which of them was the strongest, he would unhesitatingly name Cheongyeom.
That’s how formidable Cheongyeom was. Even Damian remembered him as a dangerous opponent.
Agnes was Cheongyeom’s first disciple.
The term “first disciple” referred to the most recent student. Agnes was one of the few who received direct teachings from Cheongyeom.
“I’m curious.”
In a past life, Agnes likely perished during this campaign.
The fact that Damian, despite his vast knowledge, had never heard of a holy knight named Agnes was evidence of this.
Thus, he was intrigued.
What kind of raw talent did Agnes possess?
“I dedicate this battle to the divine.”
Blue flames began to dance across Agnes’s armor.
The flames erupted, and in the blink of an eye, Agnes was right in front of the flesh golem.
A series of explosions followed.
The force from her elbow propelled her fist forward, striking the golem’s chest with incredible speed.
With a sound like clashing metal, the golem was slammed into the wall.
Agnes moved again, appearing behind another golem with another burst of flames.
Two quick strikes battered the golem, causing it to spew blood from its mouth.
“She’s already mastered Cheongyeom’s combat techniques.”
The holy knights of “The Incinerators” wielded powerful flames to burn away the unholy.
But Cheongyeom used this power differently.
The Incinerators’ power never harmed its wielder, and explosions were no exception.
Cheongyeom had developed a martial art that used explosive force for acceleration.
“Though the attacks are mostly straightforward and predictable…”
Cheongyeom’s martial art compensated for its predictability with overwhelming speed and power.
Before long, all the flesh golems lay on the ground. Agnes turned to Damian and said, “Sir Damian, it’s all over…”
Just then, Damian lunged toward Agnes, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and spinning her around.
At the same time, he kicked backward, sending a flesh golem that was about to pounce on her flying.
-Kieeek!
The golem skidded back, glaring at Damian with murderous eyes.
-Kieeek!
-Kieeek!
The other golems rose again, shrieking wildly.
They had only been momentarily stunned by the impact; their tough exoskeletons had protected them.
“They survived my master’s power…?”
Agnes muttered in disbelief, her expression hardening with resolve.
“Sir Damian, please watch again. This time, I’ll burn them all to ashes.”
Blue flames began to blaze across Agnes’s entire body.
It seemed she intended to unleash her divine power to reduce the golems to cinders.
“She has potential, but there are still too many gaps.”
Damian clicked his tongue inwardly.
If she could fully harness the Incinerators’ power, these golems would be incinerated in an instant.
But they couldn’t afford to waste energy, not knowing how long the dungeon raid would last.
“Agnes, calm yourself.”
With her talent, Agnes could be a great asset to the order.
Damian offered her a piece of advice for her growth.
“It’s not about quantity. It’s about density.”
Damian summoned his aura. It enveloped his holy sword, the blue haze more intense than usual.
-Kieeek!
A flesh golem charged at Damian, the same one he had kicked earlier.
“Increase the concentration of your divine power. Think of it not as fire, but as lava. Make it so dense it flows, rather than burns.”
Damian swung his holy sword. The exoskeleton that had withstood Agnes’s punches split like paper. The golem fell, lifeless.
“Did you see?”
Damian turned to Agnes. She stared at him, wide-eyed.
“You can do it too, Agnes. Remember what I said and try it.”
Encouraged by Damian, Agnes clenched her knuckles. Blue flames gathered around them.
The flames subsided, replaced by a searing red glow on her fists.
Agnes moved, charging forward and striking the flesh golem.
Its exoskeleton shattered like a cookie, and the core inside was crushed and burst.
A faint smile appeared on Damian’s lips.
To master it so quickly… No wonder Cheongyeom took her as a disciple.
She might even reach the level of a master.
“Good thing she joined the raid.”
Watching Agnes overwhelm the golems, Damian felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
The raid party faced several more battles after that.
As they ventured deeper, they came upon a vast chamber.
“Huh? The path splits into five here.”
Margata pointed ahead. Five entrances were carved into the wall.
“Looks like the real dungeon starts here.”
Gamal muttered, eyeing the five entrances.
“We’ll rest here for a while. Soldiers, prepare the meals. Margata, Sanus, come with me. We need to discuss our next move.”
With that, Gamal turned sharply.
“Why’s he suddenly acting like the leader?”
Margata thought, looking at Gamal with disapproval.
“Well, he’s always liked taking charge.”
“You seem to know Gamal well~?”
“Know him? It’s just that he’s always like this.”
“Margata~ Let’s go~.”
Margata followed Gamal, with Sanus trailing behind.
While the second-class holy knights conferred, the soldiers began preparing the meal.
They started distributing jerky and dried bread.
“Sir Damian, please stay here. I’ll bring it to you.”
Before Damian could move, Agnes spoke up.
“There’s no need.”
Both turned toward the voice.
Dionysio of the sect “The Blended Blizzard” stood there, holding food.
“Here, take it.”
Dionysio handed the food to Agnes, who accepted it with a brief thanks.
“Thank you.”
“I’m only doing it because you’re my senior.”
With that, Dionysio turned away.
Before leaving, he shot a sharp glance at Damian, clearly still holding a grudge from their previous encounter.
“Sir Damian, here you go.”
Agnes shared half of the food with Damian. As he chewed on a piece of jerky, he asked, “You seem quite close with that holy knight.”
“Are you referring to Dionysio? I looked after him a few times when he was still a regular knight.”
Agnes began nibbling on her bread, holding it with both hands.
“He used to say he’d follow me into the Incinerators, but he ended up with the Blended Blizzard.”
Her voice carried a hint of regret, suggesting they were quite close.
Damian and Agnes ate in silence for a while.
Throughout the meal, Agnes kept glancing deeper into the cave.
Her face was calm, but there was a strange fire burning in her eyes.
“Why do you pursue necromancers so fervently?”
Damian asked suddenly.
All holy knights despised necromancers, as they were an affront to the divine.
But Agnes’s hatred seemed more personal.
”…It’s rather bold of you to ask such a personal question, Sir Damian.”
“You don’t have to answer.”
“No, it’s fine. You’ve come all this way for me, and it wouldn’t be right to hide it. Especially after the guidance you’ve given me.”
Agnes took a sip from her canteen, looking somewhat burdened.
“Do you know how necromancy first became known to the world?”
“I heard it was after an entire village was turned into a den of the undead.”
“That village was my hometown.”
Damian couldn’t help but be shocked by her revelation.
He hadn’t expected there to be any survivors from that village.
“I remember it vividly. It was the day my brother finally returned home.”
Agnes sighed and continued.
“My brother was a holy knight. Like me, he was part of the Incinerators. I heard he was one of the most promising knights.”
Agnes’s talent was exceptional. If her brother was anything like her, he must have been an extraordinary knight.
“I loved hearing my brother’s stories. That day, I was pestering him to tell me about his missions for the order.”
Agnes’s expression softened slightly.
“Then, suddenly, we heard screams from outside. My brother rushed out. I followed him, not knowing what was happening… and I saw it.”
Monstrous creatures were swarming from outside the village.
They weren’t human, nor beast, nor monster, but they were slaughtering the villagers.
“I think my brother realized he couldn’t handle it alone. He shoved me into a large chest in the house.”
Agnes’s expression, which had softened for a moment, hardened once more.
“And then he pressed something into my hand. Later, I found out it was a special relic given by the order to protect skilled paladins.”
Young Agnes huddled inside the box, trembling with fear.
All she could see was the faint glimpse of the outside world through the cracks.
“Screams kept echoing from outside. Cecil from next door, Mr. Obel from across the street… all familiar voices. And then, finally, I heard my brother’s voice.”
Agnes’s hands, holding her meal, began to tremble slightly.
“I stayed trapped in that box, not knowing if my brother was alive or dead. I was hungry and thirsty, but I couldn’t leave. My brother’s plea to stay hidden until someone opened the door was etched in my mind. Just when I was on the brink of losing consciousness, the box opened.”
The order’s extermination squad had arrived.
After dealing with the undead, they found Agnes during their search of the village.
From then on, Agnes was under the order’s protection. Only after regaining her strength did she learn the truth of what had happened in the village.
It was suspected to be the work of a necromancer known for corpse manipulation.
And Agnes was the sole survivor.
Agnes glanced at Damian, her eyes as desolate as a dried-up well.
“Enjoying your meal?”
Margata returned after a while.
“I was discussing plans with Gamal. With five entrances, we need to decide whether to split the squad or check each one thoroughly.”
Margata stuffed a handful of jerky into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
“What was your opinion, Sir Margata?”
“Me? I suggested we split up. The entrances and passages are narrow, so crowding in would just be a hassle.”
Despite witnessing the strength of the flesh golems on their way here, Margata casually suggested dividing their forces.
It was likely due to her confidence.
As a second-tier paladin of the sect, she had earned the right to such arrogance.
“Sanus agreed with me. Gamal wanted us to go in together, but with both Sanus and me in favor of splitting, what could he do?”
“So, it’s decided that we’ll enter separately?”
“Seems like it. If we split up, your role becomes crucial. You’re the strongest among us, aside from me and Sanus.”
Margata winked.
“We’re lucky to have you. Thanks to you, we’ve had no casualties and conserved our strength.”
The flesh golem blocking the entrance was no ordinary foe. Without Damian, there would have been casualties.
The armored flesh golem was equally formidable. Its stealth abilities nearly caused significant damage to the squad.
“We’ll continue to rely on you…”
Damian’s senses picked up something. He stood, gripping his holy sword.
“What’s wrong?” Margata asked, puzzled.
Just then, eerie sounds began emanating from the five holes.
The extermination squad quickly rose, weapons at the ready. Soldiers and paladins alike stared tensely at the entrances.
From each of the five entrances, a flesh golem emerged.
They had four long arms like a monkey and a lower body that slithered like a snake.
All five were so tall their heads brushed the ceiling, exuding a dense, suffocating dark magic.
“These aren’t going to be easy,” Margata muttered, licking her lips.
“Agnes, Damian, you two stay put. These are ours to handle.”
Agnes gripped the metal object at her waist.
Damian was taken aback by what he saw.
‘What? That’s a knuckle?’
He had assumed it was a blunt weapon for smashing. But it was actually a knuckle duster for protecting her fists.
The other second-tier paladins seemed to share Margata’s sentiment.
Gamal drew his spear for the first time. Sanus hefted a massive axe, reminiscent of a guillotine.
“Gamal, I’ll attack first. You back me up.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re backing me up.”
“Everyone, stop fighting~.”
Second-tier paladins of the sect.
Even without invoking their divine power, the three exuded an indescribable aura of intimidation.
“Whatever, I’m not fighting with you. I’ll team up with Sanus.”
“Childish…”
As Margata and Gamal bickered, an explosion erupted beneath their feet.
Simultaneously, the ground beneath the extermination squad collapsed.