CHAPTER 21: COMPETITION – NEW SUMMON

Godfrey placed his palm on his face as soft laughter left his lips. "I almost thought I was dead... Thank you for this skill." His blue eyes flared with a bright gleam, reflecting the purple moon.

The Goblin General frowned, furious that these red meats dared laugh in his presence. Yet he faltered when the huge knight, far more muscular than him, also split into four, each of them donning massive crimson armour with a dark sun. Their obsidian longswords reflected the purple glow of the moon. The dark sun and its rays on the fan-shaped crest of Mountain and his three copies’ great helmets looked like a bleeding sun, an ominous sight none expected from what was once a regal-looking knight.

With a war cry, the Goblin General swung his club, but Mountain blocked with his shield, his ironclad boot digging into the rocky ground. Web-like cracks spread outward, a shockwave of dust sweeping across the hall. Grunting, Mountain retaliated with a powerful thrust, the sword cutting into the Goblin General’s left ear as he tilted his head.

Seeing an opening, Mountain slammed his shield into the Goblin General, forcing him backward, then followed with a heavy swing. The General blocked and countered with a massive strike that tore through the wall beside them. Mountain leaned back to avoid the blow, then surged forward, slamming his armoured head into the hobgoblin’s skull.

Its advantage had always been overwhelming opponents by multiplying itself, a cowardly method, renowned among goblins, but this time that method was useless. One of its copies was slammed against the wall by one of Mountain’s doubles, its chest crushed beneath an ironclad boot.

"Jkshei Kahskija!!" the Goblin General cried, seeking aid as he tried to retreat. But Mountain unleashed a mana slash, severing his club-wielding arm. The General’s eyes widened as he clutched the bleeding wound, only to see that his copies were dead and three more crimson steel knights, tanks in human form, were advancing with heavy metallic clinks.

Dozens of hobgoblins descended through rope ladders, guttural battle roars filling the air. The Goblin General tried to flee but found three hulking Mountains closing in. All three unleashed mana slashes, cutting off his remaining limbs before severing the chains binding the dungeon core.

By then, the hobgoblins had landed, swarming toward Godfrey and his summons from all directions. Godfrey quickly retreated, joining Mountain and forming a round barricade with him and the three copies.

Godfrey gripped his longsword and great oval shield tight, his entire body covered in heavy armour. Even in the Black-Out State, his nerves were taut, sweat trickling inside his helm as he faced a literal small army. Each goblin was only 1.6–2.1 meters tall, nothing dangerous alone, but their numbers made them a high-tier threat.

At that moment, something opened within him. Mana surged through his pathways, nourishing his muscles, strengthening his bones, and heightening his senses. It was as if a dam had burst inside him, as if the power within could tear through his flesh.

Then, like one waking from sleep, Godfrey opened his eyes and found himself at the end of Mountain’s chamber, staring at a massive ornate double door of wood and brass.

At the intersection where both sides of the door met was the insignia of a great warbow. ’It’s open... the door’s open!’ The doors swung inward, revealing another hall. To the left was a plain stone door, but as he turned to the right his eyes narrowed on the armoured figure seated upon a polished wooden throne.

He was huge, nearly seven feet tall, clad in golden armour. His flat-topped great helm had no slits or holes for eyes. A crown with six sharp, dagger-like protrusions jutted skyward, and the symbol of the sun was etched on both sides of the helm where cheeks should have been.

A massive warbow, larger than him, rested on two iron hooks above the throne.

’What a knight...!’ Godfrey gasped inwardly. The aura of the Knight-Captain pressed heavily upon him as the knight rose to his feet, armour clinking softly. He lifted the colossal warbow, which seemed to weigh more than a hundred pounds, and descended with heavy steps.

His shadow loomed over Godfrey, but instead of attacking, the Knight-Captain went down on one knee, lowering his head in a bow. His fingers tightened around the bow’s grip, as if anticipating the command Godfrey would give.

Summon: Bow Knight-Captain of the Golden Order

Type: Hybrid

Tier: 5.0

Potential: 7.0

Description: [A seven-foot-tall Bow Knight, apex of the archery unit. Through alchemic alterations he has been reborn without eyes, yet gifted with True Sight—the ability to perceive anything within a three-hundred-meter radius and to sense mana fluctuations far beyond. He can also see hyper-detailed up to a kilometer in a straight line. Possesses herculean strength and invisibility. In Black-Out State, the Bow Knight breaks the limits of his base strength and can summon up to a hundred Golden Bowmasters to fight alongside him.]

’With a bow of that size, you might as well be a human ballista. Oh? I’ll call you Ballista, then.’

His eyes opened in the real world, and he found himself standing in darkness. Mountain stood before him, scratches marring his armour from helm to boots, cloak in tatters and stained with goblin blood. With the dungeon core destroyed, the dungeon had collapsed, ejecting them, but the battle had been brutal, judging from Mountain’s state.

Rising to his feet, Godfrey opened a portal, a golden diagram flaring to life, chasing away the darkness and revealing the abandoned subway station. The light scattered nocturnal creatures, and another huge knight emerged, slightly shorter than Mountain but radiating an imposing aura. His crown marked him as a noble born of war.

Ballista turned his head toward Mountain, and the two exchanged a soft nod. Godfrey, a mere 183 cm compared to the 213 cm Ballista and the towering 228 cm Mountain, looked like a child under the protection of giants.

The sight of these knights would certainly draw attention. Their exquisite designs were far too refined to be mistaken for simple humanoid golem summons. Thanks to Symbiosis, the skill that allowed summoners to gain fifty percent of their summons’ strength, Godfrey realized he had grown much stronger after unlocking Ballista. Running through his veins was the power of a Tier 5.0 elite.

That was only a side gain. Once Ballista entered Black-Out State, he would become a Tier 6.0 high tier, while Mountain, having absorbed the dungeon core, would rise to Tier 5.1. Gains from green dungeons were growing harder, which was why Godfrey’s focus remained on entering the top three. The school was offering high-level dungeon cores for the top three students, even third place came with a core strong enough to boost a Tier 4.0 elite summon by 0.5!

"It’s here!" Voices snapped Godfrey from his thoughts. Two individuals descended the staircase, bright phone torches raised toward him, Mountain, and Ballista.

Ballista placed one end of his bow on the ground and conjured an arrow. Its shaft was as thick as a thumb, its head like a ballista bolt. He drew the bowstring.

The thought of the destruction such a weapon could unleash sent fear down Godfrey’s spine, especially after reading Ballista’s description. He quickly retrieved both Ballista and Mountain, but in the scramble, one of the intruders dropped his torch, the phone clattering to the ground with a sharp gasp.

The surge of mana as the dungeon closed must have drawn them. Surprisingly, he could feel the mana within them, a sign that they were summoners and judging by the density of their mana, they both had elite tier summons.

He covered his face with his hood and walked past them. One was a man, the other a woman and they both had wary expressions. Just what kind of summon did they just see?

It looked like the mindless humanoid summon but they could clearly feel the mana pulsing out of those knights and the weight of their gaze. They had will, they were powerful. These two descriptions didn’t fit the bill of a humanoid summon.

"What is that?!" The woman asked the man, her eyes filled with questions.