"For Lord Luka!"

The roar shook the cavern.

The Knights charged forward with Gerard at their head, boots slamming against stone hard enough to drown out the goblins’ shrieks for a single thunderous moment.

Bang!

In a brutal collision

Gerard’s blade swept horizontally in a crimson arc, cleaving through three goblins at once. The force behind the strike was so explosive that it tore the bodies apart, spraying black-green blood and shattered bone across the tunnel walls.

A single blow forced the goblins to hesitate.

Unlike wild monsters, which would never stop hunting.

Those born to other races still held vague emotions, and the strongest of these feelings.

Fear.

The old knight moved like a different man entirely. His previous exhaustion had vanished beneath the violent crimson aura flooding from his body. Every swing of his sword is terrifyingly precise and overflowing with pure power.

A goblin dropped from the ceiling, dagger in hand.

"Hah!"

Gerard shouted, catching the little monster with one hand.

Crunch!

He tightly gripped the monster’s throat until its bones collapsed inside his gauntlet. Then hurled the corpse into the swarm hard enough to knock several of the bastards sprawling backwards.

Advance!" He shouted, taking advantage of their momentum.

The knights obeyed instantly.

The faint crimson mist leaking from Gerard spread amongst them like a blessing of war itself.

Each knight became more focused and aggressive.

Their shield formation tightened.

Their strikes became sharper, faster, more decisive.

A knight who struggled to hold the line a few moments earlier now split a goblin from shoulder to waist with a single strike—yanking the blade free with a twist, green blood sprayed across his helmet as he laughed.

Another smashed forward with his shield hard enough to crush ribs inward.

The aura was changing them.

From the strong warriors with a sense of morality.

Into juggernauts, who could look past their petty fears and worries in the heat of combat.

The terror and fear once held by humans had transferred to the goblins.

The goblins sensed the shift immediately.

Their frenzied assault faltered as the humans stopped retreating.

"Kiik?!"

One creature shrieked in confusion just before Gerard’s sword pierced through its mouth and pinned it against the cavern wall.

The tunnel transformed into a slaughter.

Bodies piled along the narrow stone floor as the knights advanced step by step, turning the bottleneck against the goblins exactly as Luka would have wanted.

Gerard breathed heavily, despite the boon of his Miasma, his body remained that of an advanced-age human. He couldn’t keep up with the young knights, slowly heaving, he pulled back to recover, watching over the battle.

A familiar box flashed in the corner of his eyes, bringing a rush of warmth. It was like a stream of rejuvenating water flowed through his muscles and organs, reducing the previous exhaustion and fatigue to nothing.

[Level Up!]

[You have reached Level 7]

[You have 5 Bonus Attribute Points to Spend!]

He immediately increased his Endurance by 3 and Strength by 2.

[Strength: 22 --> 24] [Endurance: 22 --> 25]

However, it also brought clarity.

He watched the goblins fleeing, his knights rushing after them and though they dealt a fast, devastating blow. The majority of goblins fled into the tunnels.

’Lady Iris!’

Their purpose was to stall the goblins, for Lady Iris and the Amol Warriors’ sake.

He quickly regained focus."

"Men, fall back, we retreat through the tunnel and regroup with the Lord’s Future Bride!"

The knights hesitated only briefly.

The boiling blood raging inside them from the battle frenzy, the crimson mist curling faintly from their armour, faded as goblin corpses littered the tunnel around them. Several younger warriors looked ready to dive into the tiny holes, despite deep wounds and damage to their armour.

Gerard’s command cut through that madness instantly.

The old knight’s voice, like a thunderclap, echoed through the cavern and renewed his authority with a sharper form than before.

One by one, the pursuing knights regained clarity and disengaged, shields rising defensively as they retreated from the deeper tunnels. The surviving goblins screeched from the darkness ahead, dragging their wounded bodies away while throwing hateful, fearful glances back toward the humans.

Not a single one dared to attack.

All fled like cowards.

Gerard lowered his blade slightly, breathing more slowly now as the warmth of the level-up settled throughout his body.

The difference was unmistakable.

Strength flowed more naturally through his limbs as if he were only thirty and the ache in his joints had dulled further. The feeling of defeating the goblin horde with only a few wounded knights brought a great sense of glee.

Nevertheless, he threw away the instinct to celebrate this fight. It wasn’t a victory until the goblin shaman fell to his blade.

"This cannot be the end. I must regroup and prepare for the real battle."

The goblins had prepared such a precise and devastating ambush, since they knew of the hidden passage here. He couldn’t help but feel sure that the mountain pass was also something they’d considered.

"My Lord, please be safe."

Gerard gathered his knights and then proceeded down the tunnel Iris had marked earlier when she retreated.

In the dark tunnels, there was no sound other than the clang of metal and crunch of stone beneath boots. "Keep yourselves in order, do not allow those bastards to get the jump on us again! Shield bearers front and rear, wounded to the centre."

The knights moved quickly, far more coordinated than before. The effects of the Commander’s Aura remained subtle but undeniable when faced with an experienced leader like Gerard.

They moved with cleaner, faster reactions and managed to control their emotions far better than before he awakened this strange power. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

’Wrath... am I a man of that much hatred and anger?’

Though he sought to eradicate the goblins and filth from the Fallen lands due to his wife’s death. Gerard never realised this seething rage lingered beneath his skin. An explosive hate that brought only insanity.

One younger knight glanced at Gerard with unconcealed awe.

"Sir Gerard... your hair..."

The old knight paused.

He ran his hand through his hair, surprised by its fullness and the lack of a bald spot. Strands of once pure white hair now carried streaks of steel-grey gloss, fuller and healthier than before. Even the deep line on his face had softened slightly.

’I could pass as that stinky girl’s father now...’

He chuckled to himself.

"All gifts granted by Lord Luka are to be repaid in blood," he said calmly.

Then he turned toward the side passage where Iris had vanished earlier.

Far ahead, faint torchlight still flickered in the darkness.

"Move," Gerard commanded. "We regroup with Lady Iris before the goblins circle us."

Underground, in the perilous cavern leading to Amol Village, Gerard underwent a sort of evolution. His devotion and desire to achieve his own goals are now much greater as he feels a surge of youth returning with each successive kill.

’I wonder just how far I can improve...’

No longer trapped by his body’s decline or blinded by his failing mind and loss of confidence, the old knight regained a sense of self.

He didn’t understand why, but his chest tightened as he thought of the little blonde girl who followed him around after her parents passed.

His heart sighed.

If only I were healthier then.

"Forgive me, Galatea."

...

Meanwhile, in the darkness of the Eastern forest, a beautiful woman leaned against a tall, dark tree, gasping for air.

A mixture of dirt, goblin blood and her own stained her silver armour.

"Haa... stupid...Luka..."

She struggled to regain her focus, the heat from her burning lungs spreading with each hurried breath.

Beside her, a black, muscular horse nuzzled her cheek, and Furia’s gentle golden eyes watched the knight with a pure but obvious affection.

"I know, girl, you didn’t want to rush out. It’s that bad guy’s fault for being so heartless."

"Neigh~"

A tall knight and black warhorse stood in the middle of a dark forest, with a faintly purple mist surrounding them.

The density of mana in the air brought a sweet, intoxicating scent.

Galatea slowly managed to catch her breath as she cleaned her greatsword, glancing at the dozen or so red-skinned wild goblins sprawled on the floor.

Much like her grandfather, she peeked at the glowing interface while biting her lips.

A bitter feeling twisted inside her gut.

[Level Up!]

[You have reached Level 4]

[You have 20 Bonus Attribute Points to spend]

’How many times is this, now?’

At first, she refused to use the power granted to her by Luka, a strange sense of irritation and sourness growing each time she thought of him and that dark elf.

But on the precipice of collapse, she shook her head and slapped her cheeks.

Pah!

"I cannot fall here!"

’You’re right, we cannot allow him to suffer alone.’

Her inner thoughts carried bizarre memories of a world Galatea hadn’t experienced. Yet those dreams, the emotions she felt seeing that angel with massive white wings, endure for humanity stirred something inside her chest.

"What must I do..."

Ever since she connected with Luka, the thoughts and memories began synchronising with hers more intensely.

Though she felt as if someone else was invading her heart and mind.

The person was her.

Another Galatea, so she allowed it.

It was she who shouted for her to follow Fura, to save the horse.

’Go! Find the Horse... and keep her safe. Look at him! He cannot afford to chase her! Yet his eyes desperately search the darkness for Furia.’

When Luka stood and announced they were to keep pushing ahead, the voice spoke out, guiding Galatea. In the quiet hours of the night, this strange phantom, with her visage, would teach her tactics and swordsmanship and guide her.

Whispering things about Luka and his true identity.

She felt she could trust this phantom Galatea because both women fell for the same man.

When she gathered herself, Galatea added 10 points to her Strength and willpower.

[Strength: 13 --> 23], [Willpower: 14 --> 24]

After adjusting herself, she took the reins of Furia and headed to the west, aiming to find the mountains that Luka and the rest had headed to.

She knew they planned to leave the wolves at a small camp.

That was her goal.