Chapter 387: The Sealed Gate and the Knight Guard

A flash of light filled Marcus’s vision as he logged back into Dominion, reappearing at the entrance to Level Two of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb.

"Dancing Colorful Eagle!"

He summoned the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle immediately. A radiant burst of rainbow light unfolded in the air as the elegant divine creature appeared, its feathers shimmering with shifting colors that almost hurt to look at. The eagle circled once before landing lightly on his shoulder, chirping happily and nuzzling against him with surprising affection.

Marcus could not hide his excitement.

After obtaining the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle, the system had never announced its ranking on the Pet Leaderboard, nor had it occupied one of his normal pet slots. The explanation quickly became clear. The eagle was bound to the Eagle’s Crest itself, functioning more like an inherent ability than a traditional pet, much like his Demonic Artifact, the Sea Soul Demonic Jade Necklace. His two Sea Demon Souls existed independently of his normal summons, and now the eagle followed the same rule.

"Summon Goldie!"

A golden flash appeared beside him as the Shadow-Stained Gryphon King materialized, wings spreading proudly. There was no conflict whatsoever with the Divine Eagle.

Marcus grinned. He had effectively gained an additional summon.

One command followed another as he called forth the rest of his forces. The Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna appeared in shining armor, the Vixen Queen Camillo stepped forward with graceful confidence, Pebble rolled into place, and the two Sea Demon Souls emerged silently beside him.

"Time to level up, beauties!"

After layering himself with buffs, Marcus charged forward, leading his growing army deeper into the dungeon. The Sea Demon Souls rushed ahead first, drawing monster aggression while carving a brutal path through the dense mobs scattered across Level Two.

"What a shame."

The three bosses on this floor had not respawned yet. Even if they had, their drops barely interested him anymore. The odds of obtaining another Mythic Artifact like the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe were practically nonexistent.

"Dragon Soul Aegis!"

"Wandering Corpse Souls!"

Golden and ghostly energy wrapped around him as the buffs activated. He downed a Super Health Potion without hesitation, then advanced toward the entrance of Level Three.

The memory of the Earth-Wind Spirit ambush still lingered vividly in his mind. Back then, he had nearly died before understanding what happened. This time, however, he entered prepared and significantly stronger.

The moment he crossed into Level Three, freshly respawned Earth-Wind Spirits attacked from all directions.

-0, -150, -1200, -1200

More than a dozen spirits struck simultaneously, their attacks landing on both Marcus and his summons. Yet his health regeneration from the Super Health Potion restored 500 HP every second, easily offsetting the incoming damage.

And Marcus had no intention of defending passively.Offense was always the safest defense.

Explosions echoed as his pets counterattacked instantly. Combined assaults from Lyanna, Camillo, Goldie, and the Sea Demon Souls shattered the enemy formation, while Marcus unleashed Hundred Phantom Strike, blades flashing in rapid succession.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The unfortunate Earth-Wind Spirits barely managed a third attack before being wiped out completely.

For a player under Level 50 who had not yet completed his second class advancement, clearing Level 50 monsters at this speed was absurdly impressive.

Marcus laughed, a hint of villainous satisfaction slipping into his voice as he pushed forward, slaughtering everything in his path. Time blurred as battle followed battle, and five hours passed before a system notification finally rang out.

Ding!

[Congratulations, Stonehaven. Your pet, the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle, has reached Level 25. Health +200, Mana +100, Attack +100, Defense +200.]

"Man... this eagle levels insanely fast."

He was beginning to understand just how powerful the Divine Eagle truly was.

Thanks to Seven-Colored Radiance, as long as the eagle stayed within five meters of him, it could not take damage at all. Its survival depended entirely on Marcus remaining alive. On top of that, its stat growth rivaled the defense-specialized Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna.

That was completely outrageous. Its defensive scaling was already approaching that of Blackie, his Super Divine Beast.

"Little eagle, you’re seriously broken."

He gently stroked its radiant feathers. The eagle chirped happily, hopping from Blackie’s head to Marcus’s shoulder again. Even Blackie, normally arrogant and unwilling to tolerate anyone climbing on him, seemed oddly tolerant toward the newcomer.

Apparently, the eagle had claimed Blackie’s head as its favorite resting spot.

Marcus opened his status panel and checked his experience bar.

Level 49.

Originally, he planned to grind here until reaching Level 50 before advancing further into the tomb. The problem was the infamous Level 49 bottleneck. Experience gain had slowed to a crawl. Even while farming Level 50 monsters, reaching Level 50 would likely take another three or four days.

He exhaled in frustration.

Staying trapped inside this tomb that long sounded unbearable.

He had explored nearly everything on Level Three already and found nothing particularly valuable. Instead of wasting time, he decided to push forward and scout Level Four.

Decision made, Marcus led his pets toward the deeper entrance.

Half an hour later, after cutting down countless monsters, he arrived before a massive dark stone door carved into the dungeon wall.

"Wanderlust!"

He reset his teleport anchor here, relocating it from the hidden path behind him. If anything went wrong, he wanted a reliable escape route.

Remembering the near disaster between Levels Two and Three, Marcus refused to rush in blindly. He dismissed Goldie, Lyanna, and Camillo, then recalled the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle into the Eagle’s Crest for safety.

He refreshed every available buff, including Dragon Soul Aegis and his final daily use of Wandering Corpse Souls. Holding back now would be suicidal.

Fully prepared, Marcus urged Blackie forward and pressed against the dark stone door, ready to activate Adamant Shield Wall at the first sign of danger.

The door did not open. Instead, a system notification appeared.

Ding!

[Player Stonehaven, you do not possess the key to open the entrance to Level Four of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb. You have triggered the entrance seal. Guardian soldiers are being deployed.]

"...Of course."

The door began glowing with deep black light. A violent force erupted outward.

Bam!

Marcus and Blackie were blasted backward, sliding seven full steps before finally stopping. Each forced step inflicted roughly 1,000 damage. By the time he stabilized himself, 7,000 health had vanished, leaving him with barely half his HP remaining.

"Damn it."

Nothing in the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb ever worked the normal way.

"Super Health Potion!"

He drank immediately, restoring his regeneration just as the black glow spread from the door into the surrounding stone walls.

The massive murals carved along both sides trembled violently. Figures etched into the stone peeled themselves free and stepped into reality.

Thirty-six enemies emerged in perfect formation. Eighteen charged from each wall.

At the front marched Stone Grunt Soldiers clad in yellow armor, long spears held firmly in disciplined ranks. Behind them followed Stone Grunt Sorcerers wearing matching yellow robes, gripping two-handed staves that glowed faintly with magic.

A classic frontline and backline formation.

"Insight!"

Marcus instantly scanned the lead soldier.

—

Stone Grunt Spearman

Level 53

Health: 18,000

Tomb guardian of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb. Upon detecting intruders, enters a relentless killing frenzy.

Passive Ability: Blood Drain. Converts dealt damage into self-healing.

Skills: Spear Swipe, Triple Stab, Stone Grunt Protection.

—

Level 53 enemies. Dangerous, but manageable.

The sorcerers behind them were likely similar in strength, but Marcus had no time to inspect further.

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Heavy hoofbeats echoed from within the sealed stone door itself.

Through solid stone as if passing through air, a towering figure emerged. A Stone Grunt Knight rode forward on a pure white warhorse, clad in heavy white chainmail. One hand gripped a massive ten-pound war hammer, while the other held a broad defensive shield.

Marcus immediately shifted Insight toward the knight.

—

Stone Grunt Knight Guard

Level 55 Silver Boss

Health: 65,000

One of the commanding leaders of the tomb guardians, responsible for directing the extermination of all intruders. Highly resistant to Dark-element attacks.

Passive Ability: Resurrection. Revives fallen allies using knightly honor. Cooldown: 3 minutes.

Skills:

Cross Hammer Strike: High-speed attack dealing double damage.

Cross Defense: Temporarily increases defense.

Cross Life: Restores health.

Cross Attack: Increases attack power.

Cross Resistance: Boosts elemental resistance.

—

Marcus narrowed his eyes. A commander-type boss... supported by an entire army.

The sealed gate was not merely locked; It was a battlefield test.