Chapter 65: Chapter No.65 Job Change Quest (3)
’I’ll know once I get there.’
I took my first step forward.
My eyes gazed far forward, and all I could see was the cavern-like passageway with seemingly no end. And there were no monsters nearby.
’Wait, since this is still within the System’s influence, should I call them monsters, and not monsters?’
Even though they both meant the same thing.
In any case, that wasn’t the only difference to consider. There were lit torches lining up at a fixed interval along the cavern walls as well.
’Instead of a light bulb, I got torches, huh.’
Unfortunately, the light from the torches was not an effective source of illumination.
No matter how many there were, they were still not enough to light up the entire passageway. So, there were plenty of hidden shadows.
With the deafening silence being accompanied by the gloomy shadows, this place came off far more eerie and ominous than the instant dungeon from before.
’I can see no problem, but still....’
Should I say it’s down to the atmosphere of this place?
I pulled out the nearest torch and held it. My front brightened ever so slightly with the torch in my hand.
Though the Observation grid makes this useless, but in that state, I only see an outline and not the true appearance, for example, Byakugan.
So, ’Yeah, this is better.’
I formed a satisfied smile.
I took one last glance behind me and slowly made my way forward, the torch lighting the way.
...
Just how long did I walk?
When I walked for a long, long time, I finally got to a bend in the passageway. And just beyond it, I sensed multiple presences.
’Are they finally here?’
I carefully placed the torch on the ground and stood back up.
Shurururu...
My left hand was now holding my favourite Muramasa instead.
I briefly entertained the idea of using Conqueror Will to quickly deal with my enemies, but gave up on that after remembering the crazy expenditure of my SPIRAL.
If I carelessly spent SPIRAL here, then I might be unable to use the necessary Skills when I really needed to.
’....It’s coming this way.’
I pressed tightly against the wall and waited for the enemy to show up around the bend.
Clank, clank....
Whenever this thing took a step, the metallic clang reverberated loudly in the passageway.
The noises were getting closer.
Clank, clank....
Hearing that strange noise, I tilted my head.
’Could it be carrying some kind of chained weapons?’
I was curious, but there was no need to get anxious. I’d get my answers soon enough.
’5, 4, 3.’
I tightly held the Muramasa in the reverse grip and stopped breathing. It was to prevent the opponent from hearing the sound of my breath.
’2, 1.’
Clank, clank.
Finally, the enemy’s shadow could be seen.
’...0.’
When my countdown hit 0, the enemy revealed itself.
I aimed for the side of its neck.
Clang!!
But I got to hear metal hitting metal instead.
The blade didn’t go in.
’Metal armour?!’
My eyes widened.
Finally confirming the identity of my opponent, I quickly took several steps back.
"It’s a human?!"
I was now facing a knight decked out fully in a suit of armour. Its face was hidden behind the helmet, and I couldn’t see what it looked like.
Clank—!
The knight turned its head toward me, slow and mechanical, the visor catching the faint torchlight. For a brief moment, I thought I heard the faint rasp of breath within—but it wasn’t human. It was hollow, as if the armour itself was alive.
’...An empty suit?’
The knight raised its greatsword. Its blade was jagged, blackened, and steaming faintly—like it had been pulled from a forge and never cooled. The moment it moved, the air around it rippled, and a cold pressure pressed against my skin.
Spiritual energy? No, it felt wrong. Too lifeless. Too stale.
"Oii!"
However, the knight didn’t even utter a word and simply lunged in my direction.
Thud, thud, thud!!
The knight rushed forward like a raging bull and tried to shoulder tackle me, but I lightly tilted out of the way and evaded the attack.
The knight couldn’t win against the momentum and continued to run forward for a bit longer, before somehow bringing itself to a stop.
Swururung!
The knight turned around and brandished the sword mounted on its hips. Just as I had done, this ’knight’ probably didn’t plan on letting me go alive.
After sensing its intense hostility, my glare became a level sharper.
But instead of retreating, I lunged with Muramasa overhead.
The first one to strike, wins!
Before the enemy made its move, I dashed in first.
Swish!
I evaded the hurried swing of the knight’s longsword and struck my blade at various points in its armour.
Clang! Clangg!!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t damage it.
’The armour’s too thick.’
Not only was it thick, but the surface was smooth as well, so when I landed a straight blow, the blade didn’t go in but simply slid off to the side.
It was at this point that the knight swung its sword in a huge arc.
SWISH!!!
I ducked lower and evaded it. The blade swung past my head by a hair’s breadth. A big move like this would inevitably expose a big opening.
Another chance had come by!
I stepped in before the knight could recover its stance.
Muramasa cut through the air, meeting the gap between its pauldrons—
CLANG!
Sparks burst, steel screaming against steel. The recoil numbed my wrist, but the impact staggered the knight a step backwards. It wasn’t bleeding; instead, black mist seeped from the slit, hissing as it met the ground.
"...So, you’re not human after all."
The knight straightened, black vapour leaking through every joint of its armour, the eye-slits flaring with dull crimson light. That mist wasn’t mana. It was something else—a condensed fragment of corrupted soul.
’A soul shell?’ I thought grimly.
The thing tilted its head, as if mocking my recognition, then advanced again. Faster. Heavier.
Its sword came down in a brutal vertical swing.
BOOM!
The ground cracked open, chunks of rock flying.
I twisted aside, sliding on the loose grit, letting Muramasa dance in my grip. The blade hummed faintly, eager, as if tasting familiar death.
"Fine," I muttered, eyes narrowing. "Let’s test the new threshold."
I let the breath settle in my lungs, centring the world around a single point.
[Observation Grid — Limited Activation]
Thin silver outlines exploded into existence around the knight’s body. Every joint, every unstable seam in the armour, every flicker of leaking energy—laid bare to me.
I moved.
SHINK!
The blade found a gap beneath the armpit joint. Black vapour burst out like smoke under pressure. The knight jerked violently, sword swinging blindly.
’There!’
Another strike followed, precise and relentless.
SHNK! SHNK!
Each cut chipped away pieces of its essence. The crimson glow inside its visor flickered, weakening.
Finally, I planted my foot forward and thrust straight through the centre of its chest plate.
CLANG!
Muramasa pierced through the armour’s heart. A soundless scream echoed through the chamber as the knight froze mid-motion, black smoke flooding outward like a dying breath.
Thud!
[You defeated the knight.]
A simple but concise message announcing the end of the battle popped up.
A flickering light indicating the presence of loot came from somewhere on the armour, but my attention was elsewhere.
’So I was right? There’s nothing inside.’
The helmet I held in my hands was totally empty.
I quickly checked inside the armour to make sure, but it was the same story: empty.
Just as I arrived at my conclusion, two more knights rushed into view from around the bend. It seemed that they had belatedly sensed the unfolding battle.
Clank, clank!
The knights discovered me, and as if they had made a prior arrangement, they unsheathed their longswords in unison.
I tossed the empty helmet away and loosened the muscles in my neck and shoulders.
I now knew how to fight these things.
’So, this is the real beginning, huh?’
Thud, thud, thud, thud!!
My lips formed a slight grin as I stared at the knights rushing towards me.
My first step in clearing this dungeon proved to be on the right track.
...
Was it because of all the restrictions?
The loot drop rate turned out to be rather excellent.
I only defeated three knights, yet two of them dropped an item each. As far as percentages go, that was 66.6%.
It was an unimaginably high drop rate compared to the other instant dungeon.
Especially considering the fact that, when all I got after clearing a floor of an instant dungeon several times in a row would be a few items and stuff I had no use for other than to sell them off at the Store.
[You found the Item: Banished Knight’s Breastplate.]
[Take it?]
’Of course I’m taking it.’
Just a thought, and the breastplate of the now-headless knight kneeling and unmoving on the ground disappeared and reappeared right before my feet. And its information popped up in my view.
[Item: Banished Knight’s Breastplate]
— Rarity: B
— Type: Armour
— Reduction in physical damage: +10%
— (Note: Your movement will slow down if your Strength is below 280.)
10% increase in physical damage reduction!
Though I don’t plan on getting hit at all, a little insurance never hurts.
I picked up the breastplate. A message regarding equipping the armour popped up in my view.
[Will you equip ’Item: Banished Knight’s Breastplate’?]
No matter who looked at it, this breastplate’s design was rather clunky and embarrassing, and I’d never wear it in public.
’Banished Knights, huh...’
’System, is there an option for the equipment to be invisible, while equipped, like in some games?’
Tti-ring!
[Cosmetic Concealment Function — Available.]
[Would you like to render equipped items invisible to the naked eye?]
[Y/N]
’Finally, some quality-of-life feature.’
[Yes.]
The moment I confirmed, the breastplate shimmered once, its metallic sheen dissolving like mist, leaving only the faint sensation of weight pressing against my chest. I looked down—nothing. My bare torso was still visible, but the faint hum of reinforcement vibrated against my ribs.
’Perfect.’
I rolled my shoulders, testing the movement. The balance felt good. Heavier than my casual wear, but the System had already optimised the inertia through spiritual compensation.
Next, I shifted my gaze over to the unmoving knight stuck in the distant corner.
It was bent and crumpled so badly that nothing looked salvageable, but still, the flickering light indicating the loot’s presence could be seen on it quite clearly.
[You found the Item: Leather Pouch]
[Take it?]
Of course, I was the one responsible for that, but even I had to concede that I had gone a bit overboard there. I fought barehanded and well, it was really hard to control my strength, especially with Armament Core, that was why....
’...’
With a solemn expression on my face, I walked closer and reached out to take the loot away.
’Acquire it.’
[Item: Leather Pouch has been opened.]
[50,000 Gold is inside.]
[50,000 Gold has been acquired.]
’Huh?!’
Nothing entered my hands, yet I got a message declaring that I acquired some Gold, instead.
Was it a bit different from regular items?
I remained somewhat mystified as I accessed his Inventory, and sure enough, my Gold amount had really increased by 50,000.
[Current Gold: 51,060]
’I got 50,000 Gold in one go?’
Was it because knights were supposed to be wealthy or some such?
***
Stone me, I can take it!
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Guess what Job would he get.... ;3
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