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"My goodness, just what the heck happened here? Why does it seem like everything has been turned upside down? This doesn't align with Cezar's claims," Lucian mumbled to himself. There was a collection of bodies strewn across the floor, compiling a path of decrepit bodies.
While their figures were similar to a human, they possessed pointed noises, bulging stomachs, and oddly sculpted muscles. Obviously, this was the aforementioned Knolls bearing an unsightly appearance. However, according to Cezar and the others, there weren't any Knolls nearby.
In other words, there was either an abrupt change that took place before the others could realize it or Cezar had misled them about the positions of the Knolls. Although it sounded plausible, Lucian didn't understand the use of the latter choice.
Hence, the former seemed more closely related to the truth.
'I wonder, could I have something to do with the change? After all, in these types of situations, accessing a hidden area is bound to cause some unforeseen circumstances,' Lucian thought. Before advancing, however, he approached one of the bodies, examining it closely.
Compared to a human's skin, the Knoll's outer skin was astonishingly rough, akin to that of worn-out leather. Based on this, Lucian assumed the inferior equipment from before wasn't enough to break through their defenses. Not to mention, the exposed muscles from the gruesome lacerations on their bodies revealed their sinewy muscles.
Out of curiosity, Lucian withdrew one of his daggers before attempting to cut the muscle. At first, the resilience of the muscle was hard to deal with, but after increasing the pressure of the blade, he was finally able to lacerate the muscle.
'Quite tough. I supposed it'd take a high E Rank Strength to deal with these foes easily. Unfortunately, as they're all dead… it seems there's no information to collect on it,' Lucian internalized, tossing the Knoll body aside.
Unlike with the miscellaneous stone, when he looked at the lifeless carcass of the Knolls, intending to glean some information from them, there was nothing. The only viable explanation would be that Lucian had yet to reach the requirements to inspect dead monsters.
Shortly after, his attention returned to the extending corridor. Since there was nothing left in this area, Lucian abandoned it and moved forward at a moderate pace to not affect his stamina.
Despite his lack of training, after monitoring the others, he adopted some of their habits both in battle and outside of it. Whilst running, Lucian kept his hand at his thigh, specifically on the daggers strapped to his thigh. This way, he would be able to react promptly if a battle were to unfold.
Although it also gave away his intentions in high-level battles, for low-ranking monsters it would suffice. After all, intelligence wasn't exactly the strong suit of said monsters.
Approximately 20 minutes later, Lucian noticed sounds of battle; the clangs of metallic collisions and terrain being damaged entered his ears. 'They're up ahead and judging by the frequency of the clashes, there should be a good amount of enemies,' Lucian judged.
Without delay, Lucian withdrew his daggers, sticking close to the wall as he advanced. The sight of the collision entered his sights in mere moments. And, it surprised him, to say the least.
Foreign and shockingly strong clashed against Elaine's ferocious flames while a barrage of frozen arrows combatted Matthias' arrows. On the other hand, Cezar was occupied with Knolls wielding scimitars with exaggeratedly curved blades. Dealing with the angles of the strikes proved to be quite difficult.
However, based on their expressions, Lucian could tell instantly. 'Something's amiss. These enemies seem stronger than the last ones on the floor.'
Although he couldn't glean information from a status screen, all monsters carried residual mana signatures, and judging by what he felt now, these Knolls were evidently stronger!
"DAMN IT! What the hell was that wave earlier? And, why did it empower these fuckers? Crap was jam-packed with monster nutrients?!" Cezar snarled while feeling the pressure of battle.
Truth be told, Knolls of this level, were only classified as high-tier E Rank monsters. In other words, it shouldn't be an issue for Cezar and the others to deal with it.
Yet, each of them seemed to be pinned down by their combatants. Obviously, these current Knolls couldn't be classified as mere high-tier E Rank monsters.
"I have no idea, but the condensation was insane. I think it forcefully elevated these Knolls," Matthias replied while a piercing blue light accumulated in his eyes. Since the battle was more difficult than he imagined, he was less reserved than usual.
The pressure of his arrows underwent a large change as the frozen arrows hurtled toward him smashed towards the ground.
"So, I guess we're going for an unbridled usage of our abilities? Very well, I can get behind that," Cezar responded with a grin. A faint image of a white tiger howling behind him appeared. Its ominous red eyes exuded the desire to seek blood.
Meanwhile, Cezar's physique became more robust as his movements hastened. Unlike before, the scimitars were unable to even touch his equipment. Conversely, more and more claw marks appeared on the torsos of the Knolls.
'Skrreee!' 'Skrrreeee!'
A sound emitted from the Knoll's mouths. However, it was unknown what was said between them. While they interpreted it as a cry of pain, Lucian noticed something else. 'Wait a minute...those screeches weren't painful!'
Without a second thought, Lucian rushed forward; his eyes focused on the Knolls who were already weakened. For some reason, he felt they were devising some unknown plan.
Two of the Knolls split from the others, dashing towards the wall. At a glance, this seemed like an innocuous decision, but Lucian's mind raced, noticing some inconsistencies with that exact wall.
All of sudden, Lucian looked up, noticing a ridiculous boulder. If it dropped, the boulder alone would swallow half of the room's capacity, but even worse, it was bound to crush all of them under its magnitude.
'Suicidal! These things are god damn suicidal,' Lucian gawked. While rushing towards the two Knolls he also looked at the others, "There's an issue! Look up! I think whatever governs this place was leading us here all along!'
The entire team heard his scream, looking up in accordance. However, different from Lucian's response, they all chuckled.
Cezar crushed one of the Knolls skulls under his claw of Mana with a playful smile.
"Look at the scaredy-cat cry. It's just a boulder, tch," Cezar chuckled mockingly. The more he used his ability, the harsher his attitude became. While the drawbacks were unsightly, the benefits were immense.
During his chortle, the Knolls managed to reach the wall and blow it apart, shattering the support that kept the boulder suspended, thus allowing it to begin its descent filled with gravitas.
In accordance, Cezar sped forth, rushing straight towards a wall. Right before he met it, similar claws appeared around his feet, allowing him to ascend the wall with ease. Furthermore, he continued to gain speed, leaving deep imprints in the wall.
Small vibrations filled his claws before dispersing, enabling another marvel to take place. With a single punch, the howl of the white lion manifested, obliterating the boulder into 4 smaller quarters.
Now, it became a matter of dodging the falling pieces. Kicking off one of the rocks, Cezar watched all of this unfold, perched on the wall with his claws.
Whereas the others weaved through the falling rocks with ease, Elliot outright smashed those that came close, Lucian was appalled and frozen for the moment. By the time he realized a rock that was too close for comfort, it was too late to react.
Fortunately, a force arrow shattered the piece to dust.
"You must learn to be more attentive. You can lose your life at any moment," Matthias said with a disappointed expression.
Despite the fact Matthias had intervened to help him, the earlier events weighed heavy on his mind. These actions weren't enough to vanquish the grudge he bore. Perhaps it would only be solved after he matured further.
But, for now, Lucian wasn't sure.
Suddenly, Cezar dropped down, "Well, I think that's enough. Let's continue forward."
"Wait, what? What about the other Knolls?"
"Tch, look around and ask that again," Cezar sneered, walking forward without another word.
As the other followed behind, Lucian was awed by the decimated bodies of the Knolls, smashed to paste. Just as Lucian surmised earlier, their actions were suicidal!
With a click of his tongue, Lucian continued as well, 'I didn't even get a chance to acquire a single point! Then again...they are wasted on me. I can't use them.'