Chapter 292: The Visitor

“Let’s keep leveling.”

After the scolding, the tension between the brothers slowly faded. Marcus stored away the level forty Black Bone Iron Tunic and Dwarf Os’s Little Hammer, then deliberately shifted the conversation as if nothing had happened. Confidence returned to his voice as he led the group deeper into Black Rock Spire.

The lecture had lasted barely three minutes, and his temporary buffs were still active. Letting that power go to waste would have been criminal. Since they were already here, they might as well push farther than before.

DragonBlade and the others exchanged surprised looks. Marcus suddenly carried himself differently, sharper and more decisive, almost aggressive. But this was exactly the energy they had hoped to see. Since he had obediently admitted fault earlier, they chose to drop the matter and followed him without complaint.

“Hundred Phantom Strike!”

Fully buffed, Marcus was terrifying.

The monsters ahead simply ceased to exist. None of them could survive a single coordinated assault from him and his summoned companions. Steel flashed, shadows moved, and enemies collapsed before they could even retaliate. Marcus and his pets advanced like an unstoppable tide, cutting through the dungeon with ruthless efficiency.

Before long, they arrived at the end of Black Rock Spire’s fourth floor, standing before the entrance leading down to the fifth.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Marcus felt his heartbeat quicken as he stared into the dark passageway. What kind of monsters waited below?

Higher levels meant stronger enemies. Stronger enemies meant faster growth.

Ambition flared inside him.

After clearing the surrounding mobs, he turned back toward DragonBlade and the others.

“I’m going to scout the fifth floor. If we can handle it, we’ll move down.”

With his buffs still active, his strength far exceeded his normal state. Confidence surged through him. If the fifth floor was manageable, their leveling speed would skyrocket.

Still, caution came first.

He recalled Goldie, Lyanna, and Camillo, keeping only the Sea Demon Soul and Pebble active. The two summons moved ahead as scouts.

“Go on, Stone. We’ll cover you,” Drunkard said eagerly.

Higher-level zones meant danger, but danger was half the fun. Drunkard and Invincible Strong practically lived for reckless challenges.

DragonBlade’s tone, however, remained cautious. “Be careful. We’re already fighting level forty mobs. The fifth floor will definitely be above fifty.”

Marcus nodded. He understood the risk. Even so, he wanted to try.

A flash of light swallowed him as he stepped through the entrance.

The others waited outside, anticipation building.

“Stone…”

Their expressions changed almost immediately.

Less than two minutes later, Marcus burst back out of the fifth floor looking thoroughly battered. The Sea Demon Soul and Pebble had both been destroyed, and nearly a third of his Health was gone.

“The mobs are insane,” he admitted with an awkward, bitter smile.

He had annihilated the level fifty Golden Bone Boar earlier without effort, barely breaking a sweat. The boss hadn’t even fought back properly.

But the fifth floor was completely different.

The moment his summons appeared, monsters poured in from every direction. It felt like triggering a living avalanche. Before Marcus could even react, both summons were overwhelmed and killed in under a minute. He had barely escaped alive.

Too many ants could kill an elephant. Even heroes fell when surrounded.

His strongest abilities, Desperate Strike and Roar of the Dragon-Steed, excelled at single targets. Against one enemy, he was overwhelming. Against swarms twenty levels higher than him, raw power alone wasn’t enough.

He had gotten cocky.

Killing one level fifty boss had made him feel invincible. The dungeon corrected that illusion quickly.

’Lesson learned.’

They returned to grinding on the fourth floor instead, where level forty mobs still provided excellent experience. Conveniently, the monsters they had cleared earlier were already respawning.

Marcus resummoned his companions and immediately threw himself back into battle.

“Stone, I need to head back and appraise my gear.”

After another hour of steady farming, Drunkard finally couldn’t contain himself. His earlier frustration had vanished entirely, replaced by restless excitement.

Marcus nodded. Things had returned to normal between them. Apologies had been made, forgiveness granted, and the group dynamic felt natural again.

“Alright. I’ll handle it. I can set a teleport point here with Wanderlust.”

He opened a point in a safe corner free of monsters, gathered everyone around it, collected the Bone Boar Burst Stinger and Barrage of Bone Spikes, then teleported back to Dragon’s Peak Citadel.

Of all three drops from the Bone Boar, Marcus was most curious about Dwarf Os’s Little Hammer.

The description stated it required appraisal before use, yet the item displayed as plain white quality. Normally, white-tier items never needed appraisal. The contradiction bothered him.

And the hammer itself looked anything but ordinary. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, its design unmistakably unique.

He had already tried using Basic Appraisal twice. Both attempts failed.

Only the Old Man could identify it now.

’What exactly are you?’

Meanwhile, far away in the dungeon, Drunkard paced impatiently.

“Hurry… come on… hurry…”

At level fifty, Marcus would duel Fate’s Trial. The Mythic Bone Boar Burst Stinger felt like Drunkard’s personal turning point. A Mythic weapon dropped from a level fifty Golden boss had to be powerful.

He practically vibrated with anticipation.

“So? How is it?”

Five minutes later, Marcus reappeared on the fourth floor through Wanderlust. Drunkard rushed forward instantly.

“Lucky bastard,” Marcus said, handing him the newly appraised weapon.

He then passed around the Barrage of Bone Spikes and Dwarf Os’s Little Hammer for everyone to inspect.

—

Bone Boar Burst Stinger:

Black Mythic Artifact

Requirement: Rogue-class

One-handed weapon forged from the hardest bone spike of the Tusk Ripper. After dwarves slew the beast, the spike absorbed immense death energy, awakening extraordinary power. Due to the Bone Boar’s prior injuries, part of the weapon’s strength remains sealed.

Effects:

Attack +250

Critical Hit +25%

Hit Rate +20%

Attack Speed +3

Movement Speed +2

Additional Attributes:

Agility +20

Strength +15

Constitution +10

Attacks deal +50 Death Energy damage.

15% chance to Stun.

15% chance to Blind.

Skills:

Dark Energy Cloak

Relentless Assault

Bone Boar Barrage

Bone Boar Bloodletting

—

“Holy crap…”

“Stone, this thing is ridiculous!”

Drunkard nearly shouted in disbelief. The stats rivaled, maybe even exceeded, most level sixty Mythic weapons. Even better, it had no level restriction.

He equipped it instantly, unable to stop himself from testing its balance and weight, pride practically radiating off him.

And this was only its weakened state. If the weapon ever returned to full power…

He didn’t even dare imagine it.

“Hey, Cleaver. You said yesterday’s fights weren’t satisfying. Want a rematch?”

The smugness returned immediately. Yesterday’s defeat clearly still bothered him.

Cleaver laughed. Fate’s Trial shook his head.

“Just admit defeat and buy me a drink already,” Drunkard bragged, clearly intoxicated by his new weapon.

After everyone finished examining the gear, only the stinger remained with Drunkard. Marcus stored the hammer and the artifact dart back into his inventory.

—

Dwarf Os’s Little Hammer

Quest Item

A hammer forged by the dwarf Os for his son. After his son’s death at the hands of the Bone Boar, its whereabouts became unknown. Os continues searching for it.

—

So it was a quest item. That explained everything. The real reward would come later.

Then Marcus examined the final item.

—

Barrage of Bone Spikes

Red Artifact

Requirement: None

Forged accidentally when the Dark Sorcerer Myron infused Bone Boar spikes with death energy.

Effect: Unknown.

Skill: Bone Barrage

Transforms into thirty-six controllable bone spikes capable of cone, circular, or focused attacks.

Damage equals 150% of normal attack.

Critical Hit +30%.

Deals Death Energy and Poison damage.

Limitation:

Cooldown 5 seconds.

Usable only ten times before destruction.

—

Marcus’s eyes lit up.

Thirty-six spikes converging onto a single point meant theoretical thirty-sixfold damage.

Combined with the critical bonus and damage modifier, the burst potential was absurd. At higher levels, this weapon could erase enemies instantly.

The limited uses were unfortunate, but acceptable. He carefully returned both items to his bag.

“Stone, summon your Sea Demon Soul. I need to test this.”

Drunkard could not wait any longer.

Marcus nodded, resummoned his companions, and resumed clearing mobs while Drunkard prepared his showcase.

“Dark Energy Cloak.”

Black energy wrapped around Drunkard, swallowing him entirely. He vanished from sight.

Moments later:

“Bone Boar Barrage!”

Invisible attacks rained down as bone spikes tore into a cluster of monsters gathered by the Sea Demon Soul. Stealth broke, but Drunkard was already moving.

“Relentless Assault!”

Three lightning-fast strikes slammed into a Vampire Zombie. Every hit critted. Before anyone could react, the reset effect triggered.

“Relentless Assault!”

Another triple strike followed instantly.

“This is insane!”

Six explosive hits in seconds nearly destroyed the summon outright.

With the Mythic stinger, Drunkard finally embodied what a Rogue was meant to be: lethal burst damage and relentless critical strikes.

“Stone, this weapon is incredible!”

He spun around triumphantly. “Who wants to fight me?”

Invincible Strong grinned mischievously. “Stone, Drunkard wants to challenge you.”

“….”

“Strong, you’re evil,” Drunkard groaned.

One hit from Marcus would delete him. That wasn’t a duel, it was execution.

“Back to grinding. Stay close,” Marcus called.

The group returned to farming. The fourth floor proved perfect for steady progress. They only paused briefly for lunch before continuing nonstop.

DragonBlade and the others reached level twenty-eight. Lyanna and Camillo hovered just shy of thirty.

Marcus felt genuine anticipation.

’Keep growing. Keep getting stronger.’

Then, unexpectedly:

Ding-dong… ding-dong…

The doorbell rang.

Marcus blinked. Lily and the others had keys. They would not ring. And it was barely mid-afternoon; they should still be at school.

“Someone’s here. Head to the third floor and wait for me.”

He quickly guided the group to safety, exited the game, and went to answer the door.

He opened it.

“Ms. Willow!”

The sight before him made him freeze. Willow Moran stood at the doorway.

She was breathtaking, the kind of beauty that seemed almost unreal. Her features were delicate yet striking, elegance and warmth perfectly balanced. Her slender figure carried mature curves with effortless grace, refined and alluring without ever appearing deliberate.

She possessed the quiet nobility of someone raised among privilege, yet her presence felt gentle rather than distant. A calm femininity surrounded her, captivating without trying to be.

“Ms. Willow… you’re back?”

Excitement rose uncontrollably inside him.

She had been studying in England for more than a year. Seeing her again made him realize how often he had thought about her, how deeply he had missed her without admitting it to himself.

For a moment, he nearly stepped forward to hug her.

Time had only refined her further. She seemed more poised now, more confident, carrying a subtle sophistication that made her presence impossible to ignore. Her smile held warmth, but there was also an untouchable composure beneath it.

Marcus found himself wondering, not for the first time, how someone could possess such natural charm, as though grace and quiet seduction were simply part of her nature.

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