CHAPTER 9: BECOMING STRONGER

Godfrey quickly deactivated Echo, and the armor crumbled away, leaving only the massive longsword in his grip. He was already beginning to feel drained, and that was a terrible sign, because the monstrosity standing in the center of the hall was unlike any orc they had fought before.

Beneath the shaft of moonlight pouring through a hole in the ceiling, an eight-and-a-half-foot-tall orc loomed. Its skin was jet black, its massive frame encased in heavy iron plates. Skull-shaped pauldrons crowned its shoulders, and in its hands rested a gargantuan axe that gleamed under the pale light.

Bare feet dug into the stone, and from its tusked jaws hung rings of obsidian black. Long braided locks, woven with beast fangs, trailed from its head like trophies of war.

"Evjah kabljs?" the creature rumbled, its voice devoid of emotion. Godfrey sensed it was asking about the fallen orcs outside, though its tone carried no pity, only cold judgment.

A shiver ran through him. The aura radiating from this armored orc was suffocating. ’This has to be an elite tier.’ He turned to warn Mountain, but the knight was already in motion.

The clash shook the entire chamber. A violent airburst rippled outward, sending dust billowing into the air as Mountain intercepted the downward swing of the black orc’s axe. Godfrey’s hair whipped wildly in the gale.

The strike had been aimed at his head. He hadn’t even seen the orc move, only the aftermath and Mountain barely managed to block in time.

But the gulf in strength was clear. The axe sank deep into Mountain’s shield, neutralizing its reflection. Cracks spidered across the stone beneath Mountain’s boots as his feet sank into the floor.

The orc’s breath came in low, guttural growls. Its bloodshot eyes glowed with murderous hunger.

’Mountain, use Black-Out State, now!’ Godfrey commanded, darting behind a pillar. He couldn’t afford to stand in the path of such a beast.

At once, the knight’s golden armor darkened into a crimson-black sheen, his body radiating killing intent. With a thunderous roar, Mountain forced the orc back and ripped a deep gash across its abdomen. He raised his shield instinctively, catching the next strike without even glancing at it.

But Godfrey’s heart sank. The wound sealed almost instantly, flesh knitting together as if the cut had never existed.

The armored orc roared and stomped forward, slamming its feet against Mountain’s shield. The knight slipped aside at the last instant, moving with a grace that defied the weight of his heavy armor. In a blink, Mountain’s blade thrust straight through the orc’s abdomen, the tip bursting from its back.

"Voshbuka!!" the black orc bellowed. Dropping its axe, it clamped both massive hands onto Mountain’s shoulders, driving him down with raw force until the knight was forced to one knee.

A brutal knee strike cracked against Mountain’s chin, rattling his helm, followed by a vicious spinning kick that launched him clean through a stone pillar. The impact sent a shower of rubble across the hall.

Godfrey’s eyes sharpened. ’It’s reckless because it can regenerate. Unfortunately for you, two can play that game.’

To the orc’s surprise, Mountain rose from the debris, his form remolding itself as cracks in his armor sealed. Even his shield gleamed as if newly forged. Regeneration, but stronger, an unyielding, immortal fortress.

Mountain flexed his gauntleted fist, as though savoring the renewed strength, then lifted his shield and charged.

The orc reeled back from the collision, just as Godfrey surged forward from behind. He summoned the longsword in an instant, timing his strike perfectly. Mountain slammed the orc’s skull sideways with his shield, staggering it off-balance. Borrowing that momentum, Godfrey drove his sword clean through the back of its head, the blade bursting out its forehead.

The black orc collapsed with a heavy thud that shook the chamber. The boss of the green dungeon lay still at last.

Godfrey exhaled sharply. That thing was no ordinary monster, it had been at least a 4.3 elite tier, its strength beyond abnormal.

As Mountain’s dark cloak shimmered back into pure white, and his armor returned to its golden brilliance, Godfrey turned his gaze toward the dais. Floating above it was a glowing red orb, the dungeon core.

It pulsed faintly in the shadows, beyond the touch of moonlight. Worth a fortune on the market... but Godfrey wasn’t chasing wealth. He was chasing strength.

’It’s yours,’ he told Mountain.

The knight ascended the dais and grasped the orb. In a flash, its immense mana dissolved into him, vanishing as though consumed.

The surge hit Godfrey instantly. His muscles swelled and tightened, veins humming as if alive. His bones felt denser, his tendons more taut, his very frame stronger. Mountain’s power climbed from 3.0 to a staggering 3.2, in just two days since being summoned.

Godfrey clenched his fist and, on impulse, slammed it into a nearby pillar, tearing a great portion of it off. The stone burst apart, chunks raining across the floor as if some giant beast had bitten into it.

’Is this... me?’ He looked down at his bruised knuckles, but the injury was negligible. Once he used Echo which would grant him Mountain’s gauntlets, he would not be hurt and the damage dealt would multiply.

He had seen celebrities and bodybuilders with strong summons lift cars, feats that once felt unreal. But now, experiencing this firsthand, the sensation was intoxicating. Power flowed in him like a living flame.

It could have gone to his head. It should have made him arrogant. But he had lived too long at the bottom to be blinded by pride. His goal remained clear. He was still far from Siegfried, Snow, Dale, and even Isolde. He wasn’t there yet.

***

The chamber dissolved like mist. Stone, blood, and rubble faded until Godfrey stood once more in his bedroom. A punching bag loomed before him, the gloves resting neatly on top.

"Finally back to the real world... Mountain, do you feel at peace?’ he asked.

The towering knight beside him turned sharply, shield raised, sword at the ready.

Startled, Godfrey spun toward the doorway.

Victoria stood there, her face pale, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The horror in her eyes slowly melted into relief and disbelief.

Her heart had nearly given out when she sensed the green dungeon. The moment the boss fell, its leaking energy had allowed her to trace it here. And when she realized the mana signature originated from Godfrey’s room, her knees nearly gave way.

Gathering courage, she pushed open the door, only to find Godfrey before her, drenched in green blood yet wearing an exhilarated smile.

And beside him... a knight.

She blinked twice, struggling to process it. Could it be that the dungeon had been abnormally weak? Otherwise, how could Godfrey, the boy who had just awakened a humanoid summon, still be alive?