[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 51

    In front of an E-Class Dungeon Portal Gate.

    Hundreds of individuals were gathered, forming formations while meticulously checking their equipment.

    “Commander, everyone is ready.”

    “Good. Elsabar Civil Squad! Move out!”

    The Elsabar Civil Squad was a cavalry force operated by the eldest son of the Oblaine Ducal House. Among the cavalry units under noble families, it was renowned as the most elite.

    And for good reason.

    Not only did it offer the best compensation in the industry, but the unit also deployed a large-scale knight corps to ensure the safety of its affiliated Meisters.

    Lioness watched the knights entering the dungeon and spoke to the rugged knight standing beside him.

    “Brother Guntrian, the preparations seem excessively thorough for an E-Class dungeon.”

    Guntrian de Oblaine was the second son of the Oblaine Ducal House and the commander of the Elsabar Civil Squad. Though he lacked magical aptitude, his talent as a knight was unparalleled, reaching the realm of a Knight Meister.

    “No, look closely at those going in. Almost all of them are knights.”

    “Ah, I see.”

    “Nowadays, knights are as cheap as dirt. Better to use a hundred knights than to let even one Meister get hurt.”

    Guntrian, himself a knight, spoke disparagingly of his own kind, then glanced at Lioness with a grin.

    “Of course, since you’re here for field training, we’ve made extra preparations.”

    “Thank you for your consideration, Brother.”

    “Don’t mention it. I plan to put you to good use, after all.”

    “Haha, feel free to use me as you please.”

    Thud. Thud.

    Hundreds of knights entered the dungeon first, followed by Guntrian and Lioness.

    “This one’s an Orc Dungeon, huh?”

    As soon as they entered, Guntrian frowned.

    Among the monsters that appeared in E-Class dungeons, orcs were some of the most troublesome.

    “Damn it. We’re going to lose quite a few men.”

    “Are orcs really that bad?”

    “They are. And this dungeon’s large too. They’ll spread out and surround us in no time.”

    Orcs, humanoid monsters with green skin, were significantly more irritating than typical instinct-driven creatures. Unlike others, they demonstrated rational judgment.

    They were well-known for employing strategies to scatter widely and encircle their enemies, likely as a counter to the overwhelming firepower of Meisters.

    They would relentlessly target Meisters from a distance, using bows and throwing axes.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    “Knights, form a defensive line!”

    “Yes, sir!”

    “Lioness, eliminate them before they can spread out.”

    “Understood. ...Explosion!”

    Lioness’s body burst into flames, and—

    Boom!

    A massive explosion erupted in the middle of the clustered orc troops.

    “Graaaah!”

    “Grr... Grrah...”

    In an instant, dozens of orcs were engulfed in flames, the fire spreading rapidly—

    Whoosh! Whoosh!

    The orcs quickly dispersed from the explosion site, scattering widely.

    “The orcs’ mobility is surprising. Are they usually like this?”

    “They’re not usually this agile... but for some reason, they grow stronger in dungeons. Now, they’ll focus their attacks on the Meisters. Stay alert.”

    “Understood, Brother.”

    An E-Class dungeon raid wasn’t much different from a war.

    Thousands of orcs surrounded the knights from all directions, while the Meisters concentrated their firepower on the orc units under the knights’ protection.

    Among the Meisters, the most prominent was, of course, Lioness. Equipped with an A-Class Mana Suit, she unleashed the bulk of the offensive power.

    “...Reload. Fire Wall.”

    As if to regroup the scattered orcs, a wall of fire surrounded the expansive interior of the dungeon.

    The intense heat, seemingly capable of incinerating anything nearby, caused the orcs to hesitate and retreat into a corner.

    The overwhelming flames repeatedly cornered the orc units. Once enough of them were herded together, Guntrian issued commands to the Meisters.

    “Good. Focus your firepower!”

    Boom! Boom!

    Magical attacks rained down on the orc units, and the sounds of explosions signaling the battle''s conclusion echoed through the dungeon.

    The final blow came from Lioness.

    “Reload. Fire Wave!”

    Then, a massive wave of fire swept over the clustered orcs.

    Whoooosh!

    The entire dungeon was engulfed in flames.

    “GRAAAAHHH!”

    The orcs couldn’t resist the devastating area-of-effect magic and were completely consumed by the fire.

    “Phew...”

    Shhh...

    Lioness dispelled the inferno and took a deep breath.

    There was a stark contrast between simulated training at the Magic Academy and an actual dungeon raid.

    “Well done, Lioness.”

    “You too, Brother.”

    “This dungeon raid ended quicker than usual. The casualties were far fewer than I expected—all thanks to you.”

    “How many casualties were there?”

    “Thirty-seven. Thankfully, none of the Meisters were injured. At this rate, it’s safe to call this a flawless victory.”

    “How is that even possible?”

    “Why wouldn’t it be?”

    “You’re detached from your body!”

    “It’s still my body, even if it’s separated. Of course, I can manipulate it.”

    Even process-Assimilated elves likely couldn’t achieve such a feat, Myorn thought, feeling her very understanding of the world upended.

    I can’t comprehend this man. He’s unfathomable.

    Sometimes, he seemed like a Sword Master.

    Other times, he shook the world by displaying the talents of a six-circle Meister.

    And now, his Assimilation surpassed even that of elves.

    “This doesn’t make sense! No one, not even elves or dwarves, can handle Assimilation like that. At best, they can manage it briefly.”

    “Hmm. Not even those two races?” Kaylen’s eyes lit up with interest.

    He had assumed that process-Assimilated elves would easily be able to utilize such abilities.

    Is it because of the Mana Body?

    As he pondered the possible cause, Myorn stomped her feet in frustration, unable to find an explanation.

    “This is so obvious to me. I can’t even explain it properly,” Kaylen said with a shrug.

    “Sigh... This could revolutionize mana suit development,” Myorn muttered.

    Kaylen chose not to elaborate. It wasn’t the time to discuss the Mana Body yet.

    “Let’s head into the portal. I’ll clear the way using the same method.”

    “Tsk. Fine. But do you really need to conserve your strength?”

    “Yes. I wanted to help with your Spirit Power training today.”

    A Mana Suit of Water?

    Myorn raised a questioning brow, clearly perplexed. Kaylen simply smirked.

    “Let’s start by breaking the dungeon core.”

    “Enter the portal in an hour,” Kaylen instructed Myorn and Alkas before stepping into the dungeon portal alone.

    “Do you think he’s really going to use that same method again?”

    “Seems like it.”

    “But there are far more orcs inside the dungeon, and they’re much stronger.”

    “If it weren’t our lord, I’d bet my entire fortune that no one could pull it off.”

    Exactly one hour later, they entered the portal. All around them lay the bodies of orcs.

    Each one was untouched by blades or burns—every single one had suffocated to death.

    Alkas muttered in disbelief, “I thought this might happen, but... to clear an orc dungeon this effortlessly...”

    He recalled stories from his academy seniors. Many who joined escort squads for Civil Squads struggled in orc dungeons, with few returning.

    Unlike monsters that acted purely on instinct, orcs were highly organized, making them a nightmare for even seasoned knights.

    Following the trail of corpses, they soon found Kaylen sitting casually near the dungeon core, completely unharmed.

    “Myorn, you brought the old ‘Normal’ Mana Suit, didn’t you?”

    “Yes.”

    “Alkas, put it on and try to break the dungeon core.”

    The Prototype Normal Suit, an early version capable of outputting 1.5 times the standard aura, fit snugly over Alkas.

    Crackle.

    Aura surged from Alkas’s sword like an explosion.

    “Haaaahp!”

    With a sharp swing, his blade struck the dungeon core directly.

    Clang!

    The sword seemed to bite into the core briefly but was quickly repelled.

    “Again.”

    Clang!

    “Strike the same spot.”

    Clang! Clang!

    “Aura output is dropping. Focus. Again!”

    Clang! Clang! Clang!

    Under Kaylen’s guidance, Alkas continued to strike relentlessly, but the dungeon core remained unscathed, deflecting each blow with ease.

    “That’s enough. It’s still beyond your ability,” Kaylen finally declared.

    “Aura alone won’t work. To break the dungeon core, you need simultaneous, large-scale explosive damage to weaken its defenses. No matter how sharp aura is, it’s limited in its impact points, allowing the core to regenerate instantly,” Myorn explained.

    Her reasoning was sound.

    It was this very trait that sidelined knights and elevated the importance of mages in dungeon clearing.

    Kaylen listened silently, then extended his hand.

    “Alkas. The sword.”

    “Yes, my lord.”

    The blade in Alkas’s hand slowly dissolved into water, spiraling and transforming as mana surged around it.

    What formed was an Aura Sword—but not the familiar golden hue Kaylen usually wielded. This one glowed with a vivid blue light.

    Seeing it, Myorn’s hair stood on end.

    “An Aura Sword... of Water?”

    With a smooth motion, the blue Aura Sword passed cleanly through the dungeon core.

    In an instant, the core dimmed and split into two perfect halves.

    “My lord... you’ve become even stronger!” Alkas exclaimed.

    “No, it just resisted less than usual. Your attacks seem to have weakened it.”

    “Ah...”

    “Yes. But...”

    Kaylen picked up one half of the split core, his brow furrowing.

    Where the usual infernal script marking it as “Colony” was inscribed, a new word had been added.

    [Colony – Caution]

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]