Letting out a soft sigh, Roland returned to Black Wind and Teresa, slowly leaning against the wall as he sat down.

Regardless of whether the tunnels in the cave led to the outside, he had to wait for the others to awaken.

If he went to investigate alone and Demons attacked, his unconscious companions would be defenseless.

With that thought, Roland opened his Professional Panel again, carefully examining the golden text he hadn’t finished reading earlier.

[Warrior Profession detected. Professional Resonance can be triggered.]

[Professional Resonance]

[Knight’s Attendant + Warrior]

[Acquired Extra Benefit: Battle Intent Covenant]

[Battle Intent Covenant: After activating [Fermented Battle Intent], the mount simultaneously gains an attribute boost but shares the negative effect of the rider’s decreased Spiritual Attribute. When the Spiritual Value drops too low, the mount may lose control and attack friendly units.]

’This isn’t bad at all...’

Recalling the sudden surge of power from activating [Fermented Battle Intent], Roland nodded lightly.

’Right now, my mount is just a horse like Black Wind, so the benefit won’t be that strong. But if I can tame a more powerful mount in the future, this [Battle Intent Covenant] will be spectacular!’

He read on.

[Knight’s Attendant + Blacksmith]

[Acquired Extra Benefit: Horn Liberation]

[Horn Liberation: When activated, the mount’s body is explosively covered in a race-specialized keratinous layer, massively increasing its defense. The boost’s intensity and duration are determined by the mount’s endurance attribute and growth potential.]

’A defense boost? That’s decent, I guess, but...’

Roland slowly stroked his chin.

’Unlike the resonance with other Professions, it seems the Extra Benefits for a Knight’s Attendant focus more on enhancing the mount’s strength, not the rider’s...’

His gaze shifted downward, and another line of text came into view.

[Knight’s Attendant + Juggler]

[Acquired Extra Benefit: Deceptive Rider Illusion Step]

[Deceptive Rider Illusion Step: When activated, every change in direction or leap the mount makes will leave behind an afterimage. The number of afterimages and their duration are determined by the mount’s Agility Attribute and growth potential.]

’Oh?’

Reading the description, Roland raised an eyebrow.

’It doesn’t directly increase my power, but the effect is very practical... If my mount’s growth potential and Agility are high enough, I could weave and dodge while fighting on horseback, and my enemies would have no way of determining my exact position!’

At this thought, his desire for a powerful mount grew even stronger.

Although Black Wind was of decent quality, he was ultimately just an ordinary warhorse.

Even with these Extra Benefits, the improvement would be quite limited.

’I remember Colin saying the River Domain is home to many Races. Not just the more common ones like Dwarves and Elves, but even highly intelligent Demons—goblins—who are exceptionally skilled at trade... Maybe I can find a suitable mount there...’

As he was lost in thought, a painful groan reached his ears.

Teresa rubbed her aching head and slowly sat up, looking around in a daze.

But when her gaze landed on Roland’s face, the wariness in her eyes quietly faded away.

"Mr. Roland, where... is this? And... what just happened?"

After confirming that Teresa was unharmed aside from some dizziness, Roland breathed a sigh of relief and recounted everything that had just happened.

"So..."

After listening to him, Teresa spoke, her voice hoarse.

"We’re trapped in this cave now?"

"Not exactly..."

As Roland checked on Black Wind and saw his mount slowly get back on its feet, he pointed deeper into the cave.

"I scouted ahead a moment ago. The tunnels are complex and intertwined, but there’s a breeze flowing through. As long as we keep moving in one direction, we should be able to get back to the surface. By the way..."

He opened his pouch and, seeing Qiao groggily open its eyes, gently stroked its small, furry head.

"How are you feeling? Can you stand and walk?"

"I should... be fine."

Teresa pushed herself up with her hands. Her legs felt a little weak, but she gave a slight nod.

"Then we shouldn’t delay. Let’s go."

Roland grabbed Black Wind’s reins and led the way.

"The earthquake has subsided for now, but there’s no guarantee it won’t start again."

Teresa glanced at the orb of light floating above Roland’s head, her eyes filled with confusion, but she didn’t ask any questions and just quietly followed behind him.

The once-silent cave was now filled with the faint sound of footsteps.

The oppressive darkness made it difficult to perceive the passage of time.

After some time, having checked their direction again, Roland spoke without breaking his stride.

"What exactly happened back there? Why did you suddenly faint?"

"I’m not sure either..."

Teresa shook her head, her face pale.

"I just remember hearing a sound, and then my head felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer. The pain was unbearable..."

"A sound?"

Hearing that key word, Roland’s brow furrowed.

If she was referring to the sound from before the earthquake, he had heard it too, but he had only found it jarring, with no other ill effects.

As he was thinking back, a familiar feeling drifted from not far ahead.

Roland immediately held out an arm to stop Teresa, simultaneously directing the orb of light to investigate ahead.

The ground ahead was covered in fine black lines, identical to those he had seen in the forest where he found Qiao.

The cold, corrupt aura, thick with the stench of death, was the same as well, though it was far less concentrated than in the forest.

After taking a deep breath and confirming he felt no adverse reactions like tightness in his chest, Roland slowly frowned.

The black lines spread into every fork in the path ahead.

"Teresa, do you feel anything unusual?"

When the silver-haired woman shook her head, Roland said in a low voice,

"Stay close behind me. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, tell me at once."

"Okay, Mr. Roland."

Though she didn’t understand why Roland was being so cautious, Teresa nodded in agreement.

Fortunately, nothing strange occurred as they continued on.

The black lines stretched onward, but they never grew as thick or dense as they had been in the forest.

Before long, Roland and the others reached the end of the path.

Blinding light poured down from an opening above, accompanied by a cacophony of noise.

The clang of weapons and the roars of humans and Demons.

Roland’s heart sank instantly.

They had found the exit, but it was obviously not safe outside.

"Teresa, stop."

He immediately lowered his voice and made a hushing gesture, pressing his body against the cold rock wall as he peered cautiously upward.

He quickly recalled the orb of light to avoid giving away their position.

Teresa immediately held her breath. Black Wind seemed to sense his master’s tension and stomped his hooves uneasily.

"There’s a fight going on up there. Situation’s unclear."

Roland’s voice was extremely low, filled with an undeniable gravity.

"You stay here for now and keep quiet. I’m going up to check things out."

"Remember, don’t come out unless it’s an absolute emergency or I come back to get you."

"I’m counting on you, Mr. Roland. Please, be careful."

Teresa’s eyes were filled with worry, but realizing her body hadn’t fully recovered, she knew this was the most prudent approach.

Roland nodded and said no more.

He stretched his limbs and planned his ascent.

The cave wall was steep, but not without handholds and footholds.

After a deep breath, he began to climb, as nimbly and silently as a gecko. His movements were fluid and careful, and he took great pains not to dislodge any loose rubble.

The closer he got to the opening, the clearer and more jarring the sounds of battle became.

The air was thick with the smell of blood and dust.

Finally, he carefully peeked over the edge of the opening.

Before him lay a relatively open, flat area, but it had been transformed into a chaotic battlefield.

Over a hundred human soldiers in uniform armor, armed with Long Spears and shortswords, were struggling to hold their ground in a loose circular formation.

Their opponents were a Monster Legion of all shapes and sizes.

goblins, Kobolds, Gnolls...

Mixed in among them were quite a few Alien Demons.

The soldiers’ Long Spears glanced off the hard Scales of the Mutant Dogmen, often leaving nothing more than shallow white marks, unable to inflict a fatal wound.

Soldiers continuously screamed and fell under the Demons’ attacks, and the battle line was on the verge of collapse.

Just as Roland’s eyes swept across the battlefield to assess the situation, his gaze was involuntarily drawn past the edge of the conflict, toward the distant sky.

Against the leaden-gray sky, a blurry figure of suffocating size was slowly gliding across the horizon.

It was too far away to make out any details of its shape, only a massive silhouette, as vast as a mountain range.

The creature possessed an unimaginable wingspan. Each slow, powerful beat of its wings seemed to stir the very clouds high above, casting a soul-crushing Shadow below.

Its flight path carried an ancient, ponderous majesty. Its very existence exuded an invisible, soul-shuddering pressure.

Roland’s pupils contracted to pinpricks, and the blood in his veins felt as if it had frozen solid.

’Is that... a dragon?’

A chill unlike any he had ever felt shot up his spine and exploded in his skull.