Hissing like vipers, the Undead Nagas approached the convoy with malicious intent. The knights pulled out their battle axes and tugged at their reins, making the horses neigh and raise their forelegs off the ground. It was an intimidating gesture meant to scare off smaller animals, but the Nagas paid no heed to it.“They are undead. You can’t scare them off. We have to fight!” the leader thundered and charged at the largest Naga. With one swift blow, he hacked off the creature’s left arm and sent it reeling back. The others quickly followed suit and joined the fight.Meanwhile, the foot soldiers on the other side of the bridge were forced to adopt a more cautious approach since they were stranded without any mounts. The ones in front raised their halberds to form a defensive barrier while those at the back readied their crossbows.As the soldiers guarding the carts became occupied with the Undead Nagas, Ezra flew down and landed softly on a patch of brown grass. Cloaked by the invisibi
The following morning, Count Gressil was called away by Marquis Sullivan, and Tanya was summoned to the shrine by the High Priestess. It gave Ezra the perfect chance to sneak out of the mansion and head to the Arcadium.Since Ezra arrived early, the Arcadium was still empty save for the City Guards patrolling its periphery and a few elite Gunners who had close ties with the organizers.Among the elite Gunners, there were three humans, two half-breeds, and one of elven descent. However, despite their differences, they treated each other with mutual respect and maintained a sense of decorum.But the moment they laid eyes on Ezra, things quickly turned south. The fact that Ezra was still wearing his mask and had decided to keep his identity a secret, even behind closed doors, annoyed them tremendously.The tall, golden-haired elven Gunner cast a disapproving eye at Ezra and mocked, “You must have a truly hideous face if you need to hide it even from us. I am guessing you are a lowly basta
Ezra’s shocker of a performance in the last round had raised the stakes even higher, and that match had quickly become the talk of the city. This drew in an even larger crowd for the third round in which the contestants were set to participate in six different dungeon raids.With the spectators shouting and cheering them on, the contestants entered the arena in pairs. Apart from Ezra and Sam, there were five other pairs, consisting of the best Gunners on this side of the world.“Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to another exhilarating round of the Grand Dueling Tournament! Today, our contestants will fight in pairs again, but they won’t be dueling each other. Instead, each team will choose a dungeon and clear it before nightfall,” the announcer’s voice boomed across the Arcadium as trumpets blared in the distance.Moments later, six stone arches appeared in the middle of the arena, each carved out of a different kind of material and having its unique distinguishing features.The one
The forest seemed to close in around them as Ezra and Sam headed down the snaking path winding between the trees and hedges. Apart from the occasional chirpings of birds and insects, they could sometimes hear distant howls.Ezra scanned the shrubbery as he trekked through the looping vines and overhanging branches leaning over their path. So far, the coast looked clear, with no enemies in sight. But the complete absence of smaller animals and snakes indicated something was amiss.“Why couldn’t we just be teleported straight to the dungeon? Why would they make us search for this grotto?” Sam asked in an annoyed voice. It was clear that despite coming from a family of peasants, he wasn’t used to long walks through the forest.“They are giving us time to prepare,” Ezra replied promptly before increasing his pace. “I swear these people just take pleasure in—”Snap! Grrr!A twig snapped behind them, followed by a low growl. As Ezra and Sam turned around, they saw a pack of Black Wolf Dogs
Sam’s breath stuck in his throat as he looked at the colossal monstrosity standing in the darkness. It was well over fifteen feet tall, and its arms were as thick as tree trunks. In its left hand, it held a wooden torch, while its right hand was gripping a massive wooden club with a bulging top.“That does not look good. That does not look good at all,” Sam gasped, his voice reduced to a squeaky chirp. “How are we even supposed to get past it? Do you think there’s another way around it?”Ezra pulled out the cork from a filled vial and gulped an Awakened Shadow Wraith Potion. As the bitter black liquid went down his throat and mixed with his blood, it boosted his reflexes and sharpened his senses.Tossing the vial away, Ezra replied, “We are not going around it. We have to kill it.”Sam’s eyes widened at the mere thought of going up against that humongous brute. The troll looked like a giant hunk of muscles, and the club in its hand could easily smash through any armor.The leather wrap
“Let’s get moving. No time to waste,” Ezra said, calling out to his partner.Sam was still frozen in his spot, his heart racing inside his chest and his legs trembling in fear. Even though he had only watched the fight unfold from afar, it made him re-evaluate his situation.“I think I am not supposed to be in here. You just killed that troll effortlessly, but I am not sure I would have lasted even a minute against that brute,” he spoke in a quivering voice. Clearly, he wasn’t too eager to continue his journey through the cave.Ezra turned around and asked, “You know we can’t go back until we clear the dungeon or run out of time, right? Are you sure you want to stay here all alone?”“When you put it like that…I guess I am better off sticking with you,” Sam whimpered like a scared pup and joined Ezra near the cavern entrance that led deeper into the troll dungeon. “Do you reckon there will be more such giants up ahead?”"Plenty more."Ezra picked up the torch the troll had dropped and e
“What kind of stupid firearm needs to be enchanted after every few shots?” Ezra cursed, his voice laced with frustration as he tried to pull the trigger once again.Yet, even after exerting all his strength, he could not manage to move it an inch from its position. The trigger was stuck, and no matter how hard he tried, it simply wouldn’t budge.“God damn it!” Ezra eventually put the sniper away and switched to his shotgun. He was about to jump down when he saw Sam slowly getting back on his feet.Despite being whacked away by the Cave Troll, Sam looked completely unharmed save for a little dizziness. Even he could not believe he was still alive. There was no way any ordinary human could have survived such a brutal blow.“How…is this possible?” Sam questioned in disbelief as he touched his chest and took a few deep breaths to feel his ribcage. All his ribs were still intact, and there wasn’t a single bruise on his skin.Not only had Sam been whacked away by an enormous bone club, but a
If Ezra’s previous experiences of dungeon raiding had taught him anything, it was that the strongest creatures always guarded the treasure in the final chamber, and this Rock Troll was no exception.“Alright, it is two against one. We can kill this one easy peasy,” Sam huffed, taking things more casually than he should have. Slaying the Cave Troll had worked wonders for his confidence, making him throw all sense of caution out the window.Ezra, however, was smart enough not to jump into a fight without gathering any intelligence. Instead of rushing in for the attack, he scanned the Rock Troll with his Dragon Eye skill.[Dragon eye activated!][Target identified: Ancient Rock Troll.][Type: Heavily armored primal guardian.][Strengths: The Rock Troll is capable of crushing enemies as large as griffins and ogres with its powerful fists. Its rock-hard skin makes it extremely resistant to physical damage. Explosives may work on it sometimes, but the Rock Troll can regenerate from any wound