079. Monster's Castle 1 - Pirenchi Castle 1st Floor
Pirenchi Castle 1st Floor.
Thud. Thud.
The 6th and 7th Division knights stepped forward cautiously, scanning their surroundings. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, hinting at a fierce clash sometime in the past. Tables, books, and wall ornaments lay shattered and dust-covered. Countless objects littered the floor. As a place defeated in an ancient war long ago, finding anything intact here was no easy task.
Bin surveyed the area, his mind turning inward.
'A superior weapon in a dump like this.'
Bin had come here for one reason alone: a superior weapon. Of course, wielding two such weapons at once brought even harsher side effects and drained his mana reserves massively. But it could maximize his power in the short term.
With Bin and Alenda at the lead, the knights pressed on—until they spotted a pile of fallen monsters ahead.
Alenda, the 6th Division Captain, turned to the 5th Division knight leading them. "Did Captain Odekus end up losing his patience and giving the order after all?"
The 5th Division knights hesitated before replying. "Yes... that's what happened."
Soon, the knights guided the 6th and 7th Divisions up to Pirenchi Castle's 2nd floor.
* * *
Pirenchi Castle 2nd Floor.
As Bin, Alenda, and the knights advanced, a human presence made itself felt, followed by a deep, resonant voice. "No need to be so tense. Come on in, nice and easy."
A massive man with a thick 'O'-shaped beard around his mouth and bushy eyebrows gripped an axe and shield. It was Odekus, the 5th Division Captain, who had entered ahead to scout.
Behind him stood his 5th Division knights. But something else caught the eye first.
"...!"
"Wh-what the...?"
"They already took down that many monsters?!"
The knights were right. Piles of chimera corpses surrounded the 5th Division knights, soaked in black blood. There had to be at least fifty of them. The heap was even tall enough to brush the ceiling.
But it wasn't just monster remains. Human bodies lay scattered too—the 5th Division knights who had fallen in battle against them.
Bin's brow furrowed at the sight. Odekus, meanwhile, wore a relaxed expression.
"7th Division Captain, no need to be so on edge. Just think of it as a difference in experience and watch."
Hite's eyebrows shot up in an inverted V at Odekus's cocky demeanor.
'Arrogant bastard.'
It might sound dismissible at first glance. But the hidden meaning was clear: treating pure-blood nobles like inferiors while subtly asserting his own superior position.
The numbers before "Division Captain" weren't just labels. The lower the number, the stronger the knight it signified.
But Bin, catching the implication, spoke up as he eyed the dozens of knights buried in the corpse pile. "Poor judgment just led to needless sacrifices."
Bin figured that if the 4th, 5th, and 6th Divisions had fought together, the casualties would have been far fewer.
Odekus saw it differently. "Far from poor judgment. It was the perfect chance to slit the throats of those sleeping monsters. Their deaths are on them for being subpar knights."
That was his excuse, but the truth was otherwise. String of mission failures had him on the brink of dismissal if this one went south too. He wanted to outshine the other captains and claim the glory.
But cold water doused his fire. "Was that really a better call than combining forces three times your number?"
"... "
Odekus's brow furrowed at Bin's retort. It wasn't just the contradiction—it was the knights watching, which undermined his authority as 5th Division Captain.
But Odekus wasn't one to back down. He leaned on his rank. "We're here as Division Captains, so follow the 5th Division Captain's lead. I'll treat you not as a pure-blood young master, but as the proper 7th Division Captain while we're in here."
"Suit yourself."
Bin replied coolly.
"... "
Bin and Odekus locked eyes in a tense standoff. Alenda, the 6th Division Captain, finally stepped in. "We need to pool our strength against the monsters. Let's not let tempers flare—calm down, both of you."
But even as Alenda spoke, Bin and Odekus glared daggers at each other—until the corpse pile stirred.
Crunch. Crunch.
The knights whipped their heads around. Something burst from the heap: a massive centipede body fused with a toad's forelegs—a chimera.
Thud!
"Screeeee!"
It let out a eerie hiss and lunged at the 5th Division knights.
"...?!"
As their eyes widened in shock, purple tentacles erupted from the centipede's body, binding it tight. It was the binding spell from the 6th Division's pride, the Ten Mages.
"Not on my watch."
One of the Ten Mages smirked at the writhing beast. Their proactive action without orders showed their mastery.
The 6th Division knights cheered. "As expected of our Ten Mages!"
"No monster here can break a 4th-class binding spell."
As the 5th and 7th Divisions eyed the pumped-up 6th Division warily, the corpse pile stirred again.
Crunch. Crunch.
A horde of chimeras roared into view.
"Shaaaak!"
"Squeeee!"
"Raaargh!"
A leopard with enormous wings. A lower boar body topped with an orc torso. A front half tiger fused to a snake rear—and more. The diverse monsters charged the knights.
Five 5th Division knights' eyes flashed. They slammed their massive shields down on the nearest monsters' heads.
Bam!
As the beasts reeled, the five swung their swords from the other hand.
Slash! Slash...!
Severing sounds rang out as the monsters' heads split in two.
The 5th Division knights shouted. "O-Fang Knights!"
"With builds like yours, no way you'd lose to trash like that."
"Talk about reliable."
The O-Fang Knights: five burly 4th-class knights from the 5th Division, personally trained by Odekus. Like him, they wielded shields alongside their weapons.
The 6th Division knights looked stunned by their prowess. "Using shields and weapons that freely!"
"The O-Fang Knights aren't pushovers..."
As eyes locked on the O-Fang Knights, attention shifted to the 7th Division. A winged leopard chimera bit at a 7th Division knight's leg—but the sound was off.
Clink! Clink!
Those fangs should have pierced armor and flesh. Instead, they shattered.
The chimera wore a dazed expression at the impossible turn.
"... "
Both canines snapped in half. The 7th Division knight bellowed triumphantly. "This is a high-grade weapon, you freak!"
He seized the moment, his raised sword slicing the leopard's head.
Swish.
Thud.
It wasn't just this one. Other monsters attacking 7th Division knights met the same fate. Bites and claws glanced harmlessly off, breaking their own teeth and talons.
The 5th and 6th Division knights gaped in disbelief. "The monsters' attacks aren't landing..."
"N-no way."
They'd assumed the '7' meant inferior combat power. Yet superior gear let the 7th Division match them blow for blow.
True, none had high-grade weapons—the rank gap forbade it. So they'd focused on armor, which was less restricted by class.
"Guess it's my turn."
The hulking Odekus lumbered forward.
Thud. Thud.
Gripping his silver-sheened axe, he spun clockwise. Momentum built until he blurred like a silver top.
Whirrr!
Storming forward in a vortex, he carved through monsters.
Slash! Slash! Slash...!
Chunks of flesh rained down.
Thud. Thud. Thud...
Alenda spoke up at the display. "I'll lend a hand too."
His staff gleamed silver, summoning two magic circles from the ground. Towering plants erupted, as tall as the ceiling, with gaping maws.
Spotting monsters, they drooled and lunged, swallowing heads whole.
Snap! Snap!
Bin didn't sit idle. Swinging his greatsword around him unleashed a chill that blanketed the area.
Crack. Crack.
A freezing wave encased countless monsters in ice.
The knights held their breath at the three captains' feats. "That's 3rd-class knight territory!"
"All three are incredible..."
Some knights clamped their mouths shut in awe. Others relaxed.
"Monster's Castle? Piece of cake."
"This mission's a breeze."
Unlike before entering, their faces eased into calm—until metal clashed.
Clink! Clink!
All eyes turned. Odekus's assault had been blocked.
A knight in full blue armor rode a purple horse, dual-wielding weapons. Behind him loomed a cavalry, their eerie aura unmistakable. Not human.
The stunned knights cried out. "Monsters wielding weapons?!"
Alenda broke into a cold sweat, glancing at Odekus.
'Did he... touch the upper floors?!'
Unlike the rattled Alenda, Bin smirked coolly. He'd planned for these since entering, gunning for that superior weapon.
'They've walked right into it themselves.'