Chapter 83: Double Dungeon Incident (3)

He had somehow managed to lead them directly to it.

Of all possible paths.

Straight there.

The four D-Ranks stared at the Warp Gate.

"Is that..."

"A second Gate?"

The supervisor slowly approached it.

His eyes widened.

"A double dungeon..."

His voice trembled slightly.

The old man’s expression had completely changed.

He was far from being frightened.

He was excited.

Almost euphoric.

"Do you know what this means?"

Eden did.

And that was exactly why he hated the look on the man’s face.

Double dungeons were extraordinarily rare.

Before this one, only six had ever been officially discovered in the entire world.

Discovering a seventh would be enormous.

And clearing one?

The rewards could be astronomical.

Guilds would pay fortunes.

The Association would investigate it.

Researchers would swarm the location.

The people involved could become famous overnight.

The supervisor stared at the Gate.

"We found one..."

The D-Ranks gathered around him.

"That’s incredible."

"Are we really going to enter?"

"We’ll be famous!"

Eden stepped forward.

"Don’t."

Everyone looked at him.

His voice was unusually serious.

"We shouldn’t enter."

The supervisor frowned.

"Why?"

"I have a bad feeling about it."

The old man chuckled.

"Kid, I understand being cautious, but this is a D-Rank Gate."

He pointed toward the blue portal.

"The Gate we entered was D-Rank. This is the same color, same structure, and it has the same essence output. There’s no reason to assume it’s any different."

Eden’s jaw tightened.

The old man smiled.

"We’re lucky. That’s all."

Eden looked at the four D-Ranks.

They were already excited.

There was no convincing them.

Not without exposing himself.

He could forcefully stop them.

But then what?

Fight the entire Association?

Explain that he knew exactly what was behind the Gate?

The supervisor stepped through.

"Come on."

One of the D-Ranks followed.

Then another.

Then thw rest followed suit.

Eden remained outside.

For a moment, he considered turning around.

’Fuck this.’

He looked at the Gate.

’If only I hadn’t sent Sylvia off to Monitor Obsidian clearing gates.’

Eden then looked at the people disappearing through it.

He sighed.

"Dammit."

He followed.

The moment Eden emerged on the other side, his instincts screamed.

Something was wrong.

The environment was completely different.

A gigantic hall stretched into the distance.

Its ceiling disappeared into darkness.

The walls were impossibly tall.

The air felt heavier.

Strangely cold in the most oppressive way possible.

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

At the far end of the hall stood something enormous.

A purple statue of a Death Knight.

Thirty meters tall.

It stood motionless, both hands wrapped around an enormous broadblade.

The four D-Ranks stared upward.

"...What the hell?"

The supervisor’s expression changed.

"This isn’t..."

He didn’t finish.

A sound echoed through the hall.

Metal striking stone.

Everyone turned.

Two figures stepped from the darkness.

Death Knights.

But unlike the massive statue at the far end, these were only around four meters tall.

Their armor was a deep mixture of purple and black.

Their weapons were enormous.

And the Essence radiating from their bodies was terrifying.

The supervisor’s face went pale.

"A-Rank..."

Eden’s eyes sharpened.

’Exactly.’

Two A-Rank Death Knights.

The D-Ranks froze.

"You’re joking..."

"Those are A-Rank?"

The creatures charged.

The supervisor immediately stepped forward.

"Stay behind me!"

The first Death Knight swung its greatsword.

The impact exploded across the hall.

The supervisor barely blocked it.

His feet slid backward several meters.

"Now!"

The D-Ranks attacked.

Arrows flew.

A spear pierced through the creature’s armor.

Enhancement skills activated.

The second Death Knight crashed into them.

The entire formation nearly collapsed.

Eden watched for half a second.

Then moved.

His Aura Blade formed around his hand.

Purple Essence condensed into a razor-sharp edge.

He rushed forward.

The first Death Knight swung.

Eden ducked beneath the blade.

His Aura Blade cut across its side.

The creature staggered.

The supervisor took advantage of the opening and slammed his fist into its chest.

"Push!"

The D-Ranks followed.

One attack.

Then another.

Followed by a third combo.

The second Death Knight charged them.

Eden intercepted it.

Steel collided with Essence.

The shockwave rattled the entire hallway.

Eden’s arm went numb.

’Ugh!’

Even though his raw attributes were far above the norm for his level, A-Rank creatures were still monsters.

’It’s almost as if im fighting Obsidian all over again!’

The Death Knight swung again.

Eden blocked.

The floor beneath his feet cracked.

He twisted his body and redirected the blade.

The supervisor shouted.

"Now!"

The D-Rank spear user drove his weapon into the creature’s exposed side.

The enhancement user amplified the strike.

The Death Knight roared.

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

He stepped forward.

Aura Blade flashed.

The creature’s head separated from its body.

It collapsed.

At almost the same time, the supervisor and the remaining D-Ranks finally brought down the other Death Knight.

A uncomfortable silence filled the hall.

"We did it!"

One of the D-Ranks raised his weapon, breaking the silence with his cheerful voice.

"We actually killed an A-Rank!"

The others cheered.

The supervisor laughed breathlessly.

"Everyone alright?"

"I’m fine!"

"Me too!"

"We actually beat two!"

Eden said nothing.

He stared at the corpses.

Something felt wrong.

A subtle pressure.

Perhaps even a presence.

His instincts kept screaming.

’This is too easy.’

He looked toward the enormous purple statue at the end of the hall.

’There’s no way we would be able to defeat Two Death Knights while protecting the D-Ranks.’

It hadn’t moved.

Not that it needed to. From the darkness below it, emerged several more death Knights.

Metal scraped against stone.

Eden’s expression hardened.

A second sound followed.

Clang.

The D-Ranks were still celebrating.

The supervisor was checking the corpses.

Nobody noticed.

Except Eden.

He tightened his grip around his Aura Blade.

The darkness at the far end of the hall began to fill with silhouettes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

More armor emerged from the shadows.

Eden’s pupils contracted.

Four more Death Knights.

And judging from the sound echoing deeper within the dungeon, there were more behind them.

The celebration died the moment the nearest D-Rank finally turned around.

His smile vanished.

"Uh..."

The others followed his gaze.

Their faces drained of color.

The supervisor slowly stood.

"Everyone..."

His hand tightened around his weapon.

"Get ready."

Eden stared at the approaching monsters.

His mind raced.

’Six A-Rank Death Knights already.’

And the giant statue was still standing motionless at the far end.

He finally understood why nobody had survived this place in his previous life.

’Depending on how many more are to appear, this dungeon can very well be considered S-Rank.’