Ever since their first meeting, the three Peak Realm experts were curious about the one who is called, “Lord Vicegerent’s Disciple.”

Gerald, Nocturne, Caesar, and the whole Iron Slasher group are not natives of the Omen Tribe.

Most of them hail from villages, some from towns. Not a single one of them except Nocturne had lived an affluent lifestyle. From their current knowledge, the Omen Nation was one that they knew very little of.

It comes as no surprise.

The Omen Nation was always the best at keeping things secret. In this case, the title “Lord Vicegerent’s Disciple” is an unknown term. That’s to be expected.

It’s been mentioned before that the previous Lord Vicegerent disappeared eons ago.

Given that an indefinite period of time has passed in the world of Soa, archaic titles and even the Lord Vicegerent’s whole being has long been forgotten.

The only people who remember are the Omen Tribe and the people of the Omen Campaign. Moreover, only a handful of individuals know the information regarding the existence of Lord Vicegerent.

With that said, there was still some apprehension. After all, the party was challenging an old dungeon that had many stories and legends attached to its reputation.

However, all of the lingering doubts were dispelled.

The three Peak Realm experts were all impressed by the power and skill of Dario. It amazed them more knowing that the disciple was half their age.

This is no boy, but a man. Gerald thought.

A genius huh? Nocturne smirked, an action he often does when impressed.

Caesar had a more perceptive reaction.

So this is the one they call “Lord Vicegerent’s Disciple?”

These were the thoughts of the experts as they were resting around a campfire. They were all taking a break after their successful purge of the monsters stationed at the spiraling labyrinth.

Before entering the ancient dungeon, Dario sent out a search bot to map out the tomb’s interior. Now that they knew what awaited them, the party was able to accurately execute a plan focusing solely on leveling up.

When they viewed the map on their holographic interface, they realized that Deluc’s tomb went deeper underground. This is usually the case with most dungeons, tombs, and the like.

The first thing that the party would have to traverse was a labyrinth of spiraling stairs. Hundreds of medium-tier monsters guarded the area. They were presented as red dots when viewed from the holographic map.

Monsters like Skeleton Soldiers, Skeleton Knights, Skeleton Mages were the bulk of the numbers. Their levels were between 30 to 45.

Dario and the party spent the entire night fighting the undead horde. By the end of the long bout, bundles of bones stacking up like hills lay on the cold ground. All of the party members including Revenant and Kuma grew at least ten levels.

“Cura.” Thanks to the young disciple's aptitude for mana, restoration magic will also replenish stamina.

The fight against the staggering number of monsters was not entirely difficult. They executed a tactic that allowed safety above all else. Still, hundreds of monsters were bound to damage some of the party members.

An orb of green fluorescent light was released from Dario’s index figure and healed the party one by one.

Gerald has been healed by +2675 points!

Caesar had been healed by +2939 points!

Nocturne has been healed by +3284 points!

Dario has been healed by +2148 points!

A transcendent feeling of serenity was felt and refreshed the minds of the warriors.

“Let’s talk about the stages we’ll face and make a plan of action,” Dario said.

Revenant and Kuma were ordered to stand guard in case there were any surprises. Truthfully, Veda would be sufficient in keeping an eye out, but it made them safe knowing someone was physically watching their backs.

Caesar commented on the progress they made.

“Since we made it down that long labyrinth, it looks like there are several big rooms before we reach Deluc.”

"Right. So, that little ball-thingy was able to see that much?" Gerald replied.

"Didn't Sir Veda break it down for even a musclehead like you to understand?" Nocturne said while pinching between his eyebrows.

Dario looked at the three and smiled for an instant.

Even at a place this dangerous, they can still joke at this time.

It is extremely amateurish and unprofessional to be messing around in a dungeon raid. The party must stay vigilant in places where it is unknown what the darkness covers. However, all of that only applies to inexperienced people.

The Peak Realm experts had been fighting for more than twenty years. Therefore, they have some leeway to act as they please.

And that's why Dario cracked a smile. He understood that those three knew how to keep their spirits high in an unknown and dangerous place.

"We're about to enter a room that contains only one opponent. Expect the unexpected."

As soon as the young disciple said those words, they immediately headed off. From there on, the map showed a straight path. The labyrinth itself was a massive spiraling staircase that spanned 4 floors. Then a chasm of rooms big or small was all that was left of Deluc’s tomb. Indeed, special and unique dungeons would often scale larger than most.

What greeted their eyes were giant rainbow gates that had two insignias of a unique-looking bird on each end.

“Hold. I think I know who our opponent might be,” Dario blurted out.

“You have some insight, young master?” Caesar replied.

Dario nodded.

“Veda, display the bestiary of Enigma Bird.”

“At once, young master.”

Enigma Bird

Lvl. ???

Epithet: Rainbow Bird

Rank: Unique

Evasion rate: 75%

HP: 4/4

- The Omen Nation has had the fortune of recording an encounter with a unique monster called “Enigma Bird.” It is described as a fortune to anyone who encounters them because of the opportunity to challenge such a being and gain a tremendous reward.

Be warned, the monster can kill any being in under five attacks. Defense and magical defense are ignored when facing this creature and any damage inflicted on the monster will always count as 1 or 0 damage. Additionally, the bird boasts remarkable speed and evasion capabilities.

*The Omen Nation has specifically instructed any member to inflict confusion damage by any means and you will best the unique monster, Enigma Bird.*

Under the hood, Dario cracked a grin on his face.

“A blessing has come our way,” the young disciple arrogantly (confidently) said.

Dario’s expression looked as if he’d already won the fight before it even began.

“It’s simple.”

The young man now began to devise a plan. The only one fast enough to catch up to the bird’s speed was Dario, therefore, he would have to take the initiative and inflict the confusion status on the bird. However, the confusion will not last for long. Dario stressed that if the Enigma Bird inflicted damage to itself, then each party member will take turns executing their skills to try damaging the elusive enemy.

“Keep in mind, even though you may land a hit, the Enigma Bird has a high chance of receiving no damage,” Dario expressed.

Now that the plans had been laid out, they pushed the rainbow gates and saw the unique monster before them inside the enormous room built by bricks of stones.

The party got busy.

They immediately got into a diamond-shaped formation where Dario would lead by the front, Gerald to his right, Nocturne to his left, and Caesar from the rear. Revenant and Kuma would not be participating in this battle and were stored in Dario’s shadow. Swiftly, they approached the Enigma Bird.

It was an aggressive move.

When the distance became closer, Dario pulled an item from the Item Box and pulled out a black round ball with a white twisted string. He lit the white string with Aura and threw the ball.

Boom!

A direct hit to the bird’s right-wing. Upon impact, the ball imploded like a sensitive button and released a yellow mist.

Confusion Bomb

- A creation of the Omen Tribe who are known to be master alchemists and can make combat tools like bombs. Made from the extract of red cactuses found in the great red desert. Extremely hard to harvest due to the specific maturation of the cacti.

-Inflicts confusion status once inhaled for 30 seconds.

At this moment, it was important to attack the bird one by one since attacking it at the same time will reduce the duration of the confusion state. With that understood, Dario stepped forth and unleashed his sword technique, Fantasia.

Sword Techniques:

[Skill - Heavenly Demon Swordsmanship]

Fantasia - A blindingly quick slash from a state of nothingness. Twice as fast as any normal attack.

Rank: S

Proficiency: 100%

From the Enigma Bird’s view, Dario became a blur and instantly slashed the bird. Since the young disciple wields a sword with his right hand, the quick slash would start from the left-wing crossing down diagonally. The technique, Fantasia, perfectly describes itself as being a blur to whoever receives it and is impossible to predict when a strike will occur. All creatures leave behind markers like the twitching of muscle fibers to predict certain movements, however, all of that doesn’t matter when Dario is the opponent.

Thanks to Veda, the party was able to see how much damage was dealt through quantum vision.

1 Damage!

“It worked!” Dario yelled.

Understanding what the young man just shouted, Gerald darted from the right and unleashed a series of techniques with his dual swords. This would be the first attack with both arms. No longer did the man feel a missing appendage that would often bring out phantom pains.

His dual sword technique, Reverse Hell Scraper.

Dual Sword Techniques:

[Skill - Destreza]

Reverse Hell Scraper - A combination of four moves ending with a body twist into a powerful slash. Does the most damage and can cause knockback. The last combo in a series of attacks.

Rank: A

Proficiency: 100%

1 Damage!

“W-What the! I hit the bird more than one time, why is it only showing ‘1’ damage?” Gerald questioned.

“The Enigma Bird is a unique monster that can convert all damage to ‘1’. That’s why I said we need to attack one at a time,” Dario replied.

!!

The experts finally understood why they could not pounce on the bird all at the same time. First of all, the unique monster has a high evasion rate and has a chance of receiving no damage even while being hit. Thus, it was reasonable to attack by turns. Moreover, it is also important to note that combination attacks do not deal more than “1” damage.

“What a tricky opponent!”

From the shadows, Nocturne appeared from behind and struck the bird with his move, Trick Thrust.

Greatsword Techniques:

[Skill - Heaven and Shadow]

Trick Thrust - A thrust with a two-handed greatsword invisible to all but the user. Breaks parry.

Rank: A

Proficiency: 100%

0 Damage!

“Damn! Looks like my attack won’t work. You’re up next Caesar!” Nocturne shouted and retreated to the shadows.

The Samurai wasted no time and unleashed a lethal downward slash. “Hiyaah!”

Nodachi Techniques:

[Skill - Cursed Ryozen Swordsmanship]

Demon Buster - An execution move dealing a consecutive series of slashes. Many have died from this fatal attack.

Rank: A

Proficiency: 100%

0!

0!

0!

0!

0!

1!

0!

0!

0!

A total of nine hits were dealt to the Rainbow Bird. Luckily, one of those slashes managed to inflict 1 damage. Caesar’s luck lives up to Dario’s expectations.

Now that the party executed the first phase of the plan, it was expected that the Rainbow Bird would make its move.

And it did.

The bird was extremely fast. It vented out the damage it received by attacking itself twice and hitting Nocturne with its wing.

-1124

Contrary to its small size, it reduced Nocturne’s HP by a good chunk.

I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Nocturne thought.

He realized what Dario had said back then about the Enigma Bird killing most of its opponents by only five moves. With that one attack from the Rainbow Bird, the rest of the experts tensed up and took the bird seriously.

The Enigma Bird was still fast enough to make two more moves before the rest of the party could start attacking. It had to be that way for the second and last phase to end. When the party had all their turn of attacks, they had to let the unique monster act on its own for some time for it to attack itself.

Unfortunately, the bird received 0 damage for both the times when it attacked itself. Dario had hoped that the last two attacks would have to count. By then, the state of confusion would be over and the bird had a chance of threatening the party.

Fortunately, the two attacks dealt 1 damage before the confusion state ended.

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Numerous pop-ups appeared before Dario’s vision.

“Disable notifications.”

I’ll have to look through those later. First, I should gather the Rainbow Bird. A chi pill could be made with those materials.

The unique monster, Enigma Bird was not an opponent where one could take it easy. If planned perfectly, defeating the Rainbow Bird like how Dario’s party did would be the best example. Otherwise, fighting the bird without the element of confusion would place anyone in a dire position.

“An Enigma Bird is a rare encounter. I was only able to face two in my life, this one would make it my third,” Dario said.

“And did you manage to kill those two?” Gerald asked.

The young disciple shook his head. “I killed one and the other got away.”

Nocturne, Caesar, and Gerald looked at each other and finally understood why the young man knew what to do from the beginning. Initially, they were apprehensive as to why they followed such a plan to take down an unassuming enemy like that, but now, they would hold no more doubts about their young leader, Dario.

“Let’s move on to the next room. We should be able to conquer this dungeon sooner than expected,” Dario remarked.

***

There were two chambers left before the last room. Each of those giant rooms had a guardian standing by whenever challengers would appear. This time, the gates to the second chamber depicted an inauspicious-looking jar.

Malevolent Jar

Lvl. ???

Epithet: Lucky Jar

Rank: Unique

Evasion rate: 75%

HP: 6/6

Two tricky enemies in a row? Dario thought.

The young disciple quickly briefed the party before entering the golden gates. Another unique monster would have to be defeated and the enemy is known as Malevolent Jar.

With an appearance of a large golden jar, a sinister smiling face is engraved into it. It has a prolonged nose, two wide eyes, and pronounced gleaming teeth to its face. The handles of the jar represent the ears. Unlike the Enigma Bird that behaves in a myopic manner, the Malevolanet Jar is far more active.

Very few individuals in the Omen Tribe have had the opportunity to encounter such a unique monster and have given it the epithet, Lucky Jar. It is said that whoever slays the Lucky Jar will be able to receive a precious reward inside of the monster.

Dario instructed his team to not attack the Malevolent Jar by conventional means because the unique monster itself is highly immune to physical and magical damage. Fortunately, there were records that the young disciple read in the Omen Village detailing how to defeat such a foe

“It’s only weakness is to inflict confusion or poison status,” Dario remarked.

Gerald and Caesar looked at Nocturne.

Noticing their glares, the greatsword wielder already knew what to do. “Looks like this is where I come in.”

He took out a vial from his breast pocket.

Nocturne smirked. “This should do the trick.”

He applied the green liquid inside the vial and applied it to his twin daggers.

What Dario had briefed earlier was simple. They could not approach the enemy like how they did with the Enigma Bird. Since physical and magical attacks will likely cause no damage, everyone excluding Nocturne would have to distract the Malevolent Jar. While the opponent was preoccupied, Nocturne’s high stealth skill would allow him to hit the Lucky Jar from the back.

“Let’s begin,” Dario said.

Shortly after, the party began to execute the plan. Nocturne disappeared as soon as he stepped into the shadows and the three ran at the enemy.

Dario was the first to slash the unique monster.

“Fantasia!”

0 Damage!

As expected. Dario thought.

“My turn!” Gerald exclaimed. “Wind Thrust!”

Dual Sword Techniques:

[Skill - Destreza]

Wind Thrust - A quick thrust executed by the weapon in the left hand. Breaks parry.

Rank: A

Proficiency: 100%

0 Damage!

Again, no damage was inflicted. Being hit twice made the jar angry and displayed its speed.

-1347

It moved swiftly and rammed its golden body against Gerald. Noticing its surprising speed and attack, Caesar immediately flanked the jar with a move of his own.

Nodachi Techniques:

[Skill - Cursed Ryozen Swordsmanship]

Kesagiri - A diagonal slash from the shoulder. This move can make various transitions into combos.

Rank: A

Proficiency: 100%

1 Damage!

A lucky hit.

It surprised Dario who knew a lot about the unique monster to be damaged by Caesar. But then he remembered the unusually high luck status that the Samurai has been blessed with.

“Do it now Nocturne!” Dario commanded.

From the shadows, Nocturne gripped his twin daggers and flung them toward the jar. It was a technique called, Trick Shot.

Dagger Techniques:

[Skill - Mallory Finesse Handling/Manipulation]

Trick Shot - Flings the daggers in a continuous circling motion and curves towards the enemy. Serves as a surprise attack and breaks parry.

Rank: A

Proficiency: 100%

The two daggers nicked the golden jar and successfully caused the poison ailment status.

“Good! Focus on dodging!” Dario yelled.

The party retreated a couple of steps back. Poisoning the Malevolent Jar meant that it would be gradually losing HP.

2 Damage!

The Lucky Jar’s embedded face started to distort and displayed an angry face with red eyes. Its teeth transformed and became sharp.

Although the party was a good distance apart, the golden jar moved faster than before.

Slam! Slam! Slam!

-1590

-1098

-1741

The unique monster dealt three attacks to Nocturne who was hiding in the shadows.

“How did that thing find me!” Shouted Nocturne.

The sensation of being rammed by a golden jar ringed Nocturne’s consciousness. Dario swiftly carried him by the shoulder and retreated to where the rest of the party was.

“Gerald take the aggro!” Dario commanded.

The three hits alone dealt more than half the damage to Nocturne’s HP. One or even two more hits would be the end of him.

Gerald growled, “C’mon you evil-looking jar!

Gerald threw himself at the unique monster and blocked its oncoming attack. With his two iron swords clenched in an “x” position, the Malevolent Jar was blocked. It pushed vehemently against Gerald’s two steel swords. Whoever wins the impact would be able to get through.

“Hold on a little while longer!” Yelled Caesar.

Gerald mustered his strength. Even with both arms! He thought.

They were both locked in a stalemate. Slowly, the golden jar managed to push Gerald little by little.

!!

When it looked like the Lucky Jar would win, the poison finally reacted.

2 Damage!

And just like that, the Malevolent Jar fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.