Ch.3232. Knight

Rex woke up from his sleep, quickly got ready, and headed to the temple.

Despite the early hour, the temple was bustling with countless adventurers.

After looking around, Rex spotted his companions huddled together in one corner.

“Hello.”

Rex greeted them while examining the people.

Everyone was carrying large backpacks. He guessed they contained blankets, preserved food, torches, and the like.

Only Elin wore nothing but her robe as usual. Of course, no one paid any attention to that. She was a mage, after all.

Harald stroked his beard and spoke.

“Finally, everyone’s here. Let’s go right away before more people gather.”

Harald waved to a nun who happened to be passing by.

“We wish to enter the dungeon.”

“Understood. Please follow me.”

The nun led the group to the dungeon entrance.

Being high-ranking adventurers had its conveniences. They didn’t have to wait in long lines. Rex gave a wry smile as he looked at the adventurers lined up behind them.

“What are you doing? Hurry up.”

Chloe urged him with a puzzled expression. Rex nodded and took a step forward.

That’s when it happened. Suddenly, a chilling sensation crept up the nape of his neck.

Clank.

The heavy metallic sound echoed throughout the hall.

Rex turned around with wide eyes.

A massive warrior covered head to toe in steel was entering through the temple entrance. The interior, which had been filled with all kinds of noise until just moments ago, fell eerily silent.

Though no one told him, Rex instinctively recognized who the figure was.

A Knight.

Monsters reborn as masters of slaughter through brutal training and countless battles.

There was no mistaking it.

Not only was he wearing the full plate armor symbolic of Knights, but most importantly, it was the unique holy power of a Consecrated One.

An intense aura unlike anything Rex had ever felt before emanated from the man.

It felt like all common sense was being shattered. Rex couldn’t even gauge what level of Consecrated One he might be.

One thing was certain: this was a powerful individual he could never defeat in his current state, even if he died and came back to life.

The excitement he had felt before entering the dungeon instantly subsided.

‘Was I being arrogant?’

Suddenly, something dark rose within him. It was the emotion commonly known as inferiority.

He had been chosen by Kaordix, received countless blessings, and achieved great things at a young age.

Though the process hadn’t been entirely smooth, he thought it wouldn’t be unreasonable to achieve his goal in a short time.

To become strong enough that no one could harm his loved ones.

But the world was vast, and there were countless people more exceptional than Rex. Seeing the Knight with his own eyes made that fact painfully clear.

‘I will catch up. Without fail.’

Rex stared at the Knight with blazing eyes.

“Make way! Lord Berger von Altrich is passing! Everyone show proper respect!”

The attendants surrounding the Knight barked at the crowd with angry voices. The adventurers, who had been tangled in confusion, instantly parted to the left and right.

The attendants raised the corners of their mouths as if finding the sight ridiculous.

Despite the situation being one that might evoke a sense of humiliation, not a single person complained.

Strangely, from the moment the Knight appeared, it felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing their hearts, making it hard to breathe and causing dizziness.

People simply bowed their heads deeply, desperately praying for the Knight to pass by quickly.

The Knight moved his steps slowly with an indifferent face. The gaze visible through his visor was cold.

‘What truly pathetic creatures.’

To him, both the attendants who satisfied their base desires by borrowing his authority like a pack of wolves, and the inferior adventurers trembling in fear, were all mere minnows.

Yet why were those dull attendants smirking and acting so smug? Their arrogant behavior was utterly deplorable.

It was frustrating enough that he had to hone his own strength daily, yet here they were, focused on intimidating the weak.

He wanted nothing more than to drive them away. Had their parents not been nobles, he surely would have done so.

He suppressed his rising irritation. Whoosh! A gray light flashed like lightning for an instant and then disappeared.

As he calmed his emotions and turned back toward the interior of the temple, he felt a burning gaze from somewhere.

The Knight slowly turned his head.

A blond boy was staring intently at him.

While others lowered their heads in fear, the boy never averted his eyes.

This caught the Knight’s interest.

He stopped walking and drew upon his holy power to examine the boy. A Consecrated One who had reached a certain level could gauge someone’s ability just by looking at them.

A surprised expression flashed across the Knight’s previously indifferent face.

‘Not bad.’

He mentally compared the boy to the attendants following behind him.

The result was the boy’s overwhelming victory.

Even setting aside his young age, it was a remarkable achievement. So much so that he wanted to teach him a thing or two if given the chance.

Though his interest was piqued, the Knight soon took his eyes off the boy and moved his legs again. He couldn’t remain standing there, forgetting his duty as a Knight.

He had a mission that must be fulfilled.

He didn’t feel regret.

‘Nameless boy, do not stop.’

In the end, every human would find their place according to their abilities. Whether trampled by others and falling to the bottom, or using someone as a stepping stone to rise.

And from what the Knight could see, that boy was of the same kind as himself.

He had a feeling they would meet again soon, in a different place and in a different way.

“Hmm.”

Feeling unusually cheerful, he gave a faint smile.

***

Even after the Knight and his attendants had left, the cold atmosphere that had settled in the temple did not easily dissipate.

Chloe shivered and spoke to Rex.

“Knights are scary no matter when you see them, aren’t they?”

“…Yeah.”

Rex responded halfheartedly, his mind seemingly preoccupied with something. Chloe narrowed her brow and glared at him.

Not noticing her dissatisfied expression, Rex stared into empty space and asked.

“Are all Knights that strong?”

“Usually, yes. I don’t know much, but rumor has it that to receive a Knight’s appointment, you need to at least surpass the Radiance stage. Because of that, many people never become official Knights and collapse as Squires.”

Chloe shrugged with a bitter expression.

“It’s a completely different world from adventurers like us.”

Though Rex nodded at her words, inwardly he disagreed.

The mark on his chest suddenly throbbed. The pounding of his heart seemed to tell him that this was the wall he needed to overcome in the future.

‘I know.’

Rex repeated to himself. As if satisfied with his resolve, the violently surging holy power calmed down.

“Let’s go.”

Elin tugged at Rex’s sleeve. Led by her touch, Rex approached the group.

But then, Elin suddenly spoke to him.

“Were you scared?”

“What?”

“The Knight, I mean.”

Rex looked at Elin, wondering if he had misheard. Due to the shadow of her hood, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

‘Was I scared?’

The answer is ‘no.’ That much he could assert. Though he felt a deep sense of powerlessness, even that had transformed into a fighting spirit to become stronger.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Elin’s reaction when the Knight appeared. He suddenly wondered if Elin, who had always maintained an indifferent attitude, had also felt fear toward the Knight.

When he voiced his question, Elin answered promptly.

“No.”

“Ah, I see.”

Rex scratched his cheek with an awkward expression.

Irritated for some reason, Chloe pouted and grumbled.

“Why don’t you ask me?”

“You already said you were scared.”

“Oh.”

Chloe opened her mouth like a fool and then lowered her head. The tips of her ears, visible through her hair, were red.

‘What’s with her?’

Rex glanced down at Chloe but soon lost interest.

Though their schedule had been briefly delayed due to the commotion, it was now truly time to enter the dungeon.

“Let’s go in.”

Harald said.

In front of the massive door, Rex closed his eyes.

***

After checking that they hadn’t dropped any belongings, the group immediately began their exploration.

The conquest was going smoothly. Rex, who had fully engaged in combat, slaughtered monsters without a moment’s hesitation.

However, if one were to judge the contribution to the conquest, there was a clear frontrunner.

Elin pointed her branch forward. It was the same one she had used when moving the boar monster earlier.

“Move aside.”

Elin commanded in an indifferent tone. Immediately after, a hot wind blew through the space where a chilly cold had settled.

People sensed the ominous current and stepped back.

Crack. A spark appeared at the tip of the branch, and in an instant, it swelled into a large fireball.

“Ignis Eminus.”

Elin lightly waved the branch.

The fireball flew forward in a gentle arc. Kwang! The condensed flame burst forth, engulfing the goblins, followed by an ear-splitting noise.

People watched the scene with astonished eyes. Not even a handful of ashes remained where the flames had subsided.

‘Is this… magic?’

Rex’s reaction was not much different.

The magic she had shown when moving the monster onto the cart was mere trickery compared to this fireball. It was truly overwhelming firepower.

He had heard many times that mages were impressive, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.

Moreover, Elin didn’t even seem tired as she raised her branch again. Only then did Rex recall that Elin had reached the 5th floor alone.

“W-wait! They’re all dead already.”

Harald hastily stopped Elin. She silently lowered her hand and approached Rex with quick steps.

She looked up at Rex with her mouth closed, and it was impossible to know what she wanted. A triumphant gaze came from inside her robe, gradually turning into disappointment. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Rex spoke.

“Ms. Elin. That was impressive.”

Though he had just thrown out a plausible compliment, it seemed to be the right answer. Elin slightly moved her head and turned her back.

‘What was that…’

Anyway, thanks to Elin’s help, the party swept through rooms and corridors with unstoppable momentum.

As a result, they were able to reach the 3rd floor at a speed incomparable to their previous attempt.

“How long did it take?”

Harald asked Corner, swallowing hard. Corner counted the number of candles they had used and answered.

“…2 hours.”

“Really? I can’t believe it.”

“Me neither.”

Even with good luck in finding stairs quickly, it typically took at least five hours to reach the 3rd floor. That was how it had been in the days before Elin and Rex.

Harald smiled broadly and said to Rex.

“You truly are a blessing to our party! I feel like showering you with kisses. Seriously.”

“No, thank you.”

Rex stepped back with a serious face.

He would absolutely refuse a kiss from the hairy old man, even if it killed him. It made him nauseous even though he knew it was a joke.

“Ahem. Anyway, let’s keep going like this.”

Harald cleared his throat and changed the subject.

Just as their short break ended and they were about to continue their conquest, unfamiliar footsteps echoed from the dark corridor.

“Battle positions.”

Harald drew his weapon with a stern face. Rex also tensed his muscles and gripped his greatsword.

Thud, thud.

The footsteps grew closer, and finally, a group of people appeared.

“No… it’s you!”

Harald’s expression was filled with shock as he recognized the face.