After entering through the window, Enrico began moving quickly around the room, searching for any special item or anything that could help him during the exploration. He already knew most of the objects that were usually found inside that castle, but he knew that to obtain the most valuable rewards, he would need to defeat the dungeon bosses.
[ Sword — Normal Rank ]
The sword seemed to be the only useful item he found in that room, so he decided to take it. After storing it away, he moved on to the next room and continued exploring the others, always taking care to observe the corridor before leaving a room and proceeding to the next one.
'A normal spear, three healing potions, a magic recovery potion, and another temporary enhancement potion.'
Enrico placed the spear on his back and fastened the sword to his waist. As for the potions, he stored them in a secure compartment enclosed within a highly durable magical box to prevent them from being damaged during combat.
When he finished organizing the items, he realized that fifteen minutes had already passed since he entered the dungeon.
"Fifteen minutes have already passed. Then, it's about to begin."
[Good luck with that.]
During the first fifteen minutes, only one hundred Nartheis remained inside that enormous castle, wandering through the corridors and various rooms. That was precisely why Enrico had preferred not to fight them beforehand: despite their relatively small number, it would only take one of them spotting him to trigger the automatic summoning of reinforcements.
Those fifteen minutes served as a preparation period provided by the dungeon itself for the adventurers who entered it, although practically no one knew that this rule existed.
As soon as the time ran out, shadows began appearing along the corridor, coming from both directions. The silhouettes twisted before taking the form of young men wearing armor made from animal hide.
[Nartheis Faizes Spectral Squire — Level 1]
[Magic: None]
The squires looked like young men who had died before becoming knights. Their bodies floated a few centimeters above the ground as they held cracked shields and short swords. Their faces were pale, and their empty eyes showed no emotion as they advanced down the corridor.
[These guys have pretty empty eyes.]
'I know. Quite handsome, aren't they?'
[I wouldn't call that handsome.]
Enrico positioned himself in the middle of the corridor and drew his sword, pointing the blade at the spectral knights. As soon as they saw him, the squires charged toward him at an impressive speed, filling the corridor with the sound of their weapons and the movement of their armor.
Judging by the number of enemies he could sense, there must have been around fifty Nartheis in that section of the castle. Once the preparation period ended completely, more than ten thousand could be summoned throughout the entire structure.
"Zero Impact!"
Enrico tightened his grip around the sword's hilt and executed his technique. The blade disappeared from its original position, moving so quickly that the eye could barely follow its trajectory. The next instant, five heads were separated from the bodies of the squires advancing in front of him.
Before the others could react, Enrico sensed a presence behind him. Without wasting any time, he pulled the spear from his back and spun around, striking the enemies attempting to surround him. While his left hand wielded the spear, one of the squires managed to reach his right side and swung a sword at his arm.
However, the attack didn't produce the expected result. The blade struck Enrico's arm as though it had collided with a rock and shattered into several fragments without leaving even a single wound.
"Weapons of this level don't work on me."
With a confident smile, Enrico spun the spear around his body and coated his weapon with fire magic. The movement released a circular slash of flames that spread around him, splitting the nearby squires in half. Without interrupting his sequence of attacks, he raised his sword and launched another flaming slash down the corridor, cutting through the formation of enemies still approaching.
The flames illuminated the walls for a brief moment, revealing the spectral bodies being destroyed before disappearing. Enrico observed the result and realized that the enemies appearing next were different from the previous ones.
"It looks like the higher-level ones are starting to appear."
[Nartheis Faizes Inanimate Armor — Level 2]
[Magic: Fire]
[Unique Ability: Separation]
A group of empty suits of armor advanced down the corridor, producing metallic noises with every movement. Green energy glowed inside their helmets and between their joints, revealing that there was no one actually wearing those pieces of armor. Enrico immediately recognized the type of enemy before him and understood the danger they posed.
"Explosive cores that activate when they're about to die. Besides, they can separate their own limbs to launch attacks from multiple directions."
[You'd better be careful, then. There are too many enemies. Do you want me to analyze a route to create some distance between you and them?]
"No need. Don't worry. I won't give them time to do that."
The remaining spectral squires advanced to protect the animated armors, positioning themselves in front of them. Their shields aligned and formed a magical barrier, reinforcing the group's defense against attacks coming from the front.
Enrico, however, had no intention of wasting time trying to break through that formation with ordinary attacks.
"Large Fireball!"
An enormous sphere of flames appeared in front of him and rushed toward the defensive line, exploding in the middle of the enemies. The magical impact destroyed several units at once, opening a gap between the shields. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Enrico charged through the opening and appeared in front of one of the Inanimate Armors, delivering a precise strike directly against its core.
The core began glowing unstably, indicating that the explosion was about to occur. Enrico didn't hesitate. With a kick, he sent the armor flying away from him and retreated to a safe distance.
The explosion shook the corridor, destroying the Nartheis still nearby and opening an enormous hole through both walls. Fragments of stone and pieces of armor were thrown through the air as smoke spread throughout the area.
Enrico took advantage of the confusion to grip the spear firmly and concentrate mana in its shaft. Then, he hurled it at the remaining Nartheis, piercing through the smoke and completely destroying the enemies still trying to regroup.
As soon as the path was clear, he retrieved the spear and placed it back on his back.
[It's a good thing these Faizes aren't at the same level as the one you were thrown into by Matteo.]
"I'd find it pretty fun if they were."
[I hope you never have children.]
"First of all, if I have children, I won't do this to them."
Enrico knew that the difficulty of this dungeon had been increased. Therefore, even the lower-level Nartheis could exhibit considerable differences in power. Some of the Level 2 Faizes, for example, were strong enough to pose a serious threat to someone in the Second Circle, while others possessed strength closer to what they had in the original story, although they had also received a power boost.
"I don't think I need to heal myself for now..."
"Interesting. A human?"
The unfamiliar voice made Enrico stop what he was doing. His expression turned serious as he sensed five presences approaching. Looking ahead, he saw four humanoid figures walking toward him, each with a cracked crown fused to its skull.
[Nartheis Faizes Servant of the Broken Crown — Level 2]
[Magic: Silver]
[Unique Ability: Psychic Swords]
'If I remember correctly, in the story, they were nobles who went mad while trying to obtain eternal power.'
Enrico recognized the four immediately. Although they were more dangerous than the enemies he had faced so far, they didn't seem to pose as great a threat as the fifth individual accompanying them. Judging by the presence he sensed, that last Nartheis was the real problem.
'Looks like my bad luck has kicked in.'
The fifth individual continued speaking.
"From what I can see, you're practically the same age as me. That's interesting."
The four Servants of the Broken Crown moved aside, making room for the individual behind them to advance. The figure that emerged looked like a young knight, with pointed ears, pale skin, and two black streaks running across his face and over his eyes.
[Nartheis Shadow Knight Prince Vergel]
[Magic: Shadows]
[Unique Ability: Prince of the Realm — Can use the power of his subjects to increase his own strength.]
Vergel observed Enrico with interest, as though he had finally found someone capable of making this encounter less boring.
"Since we're the same age, I hope you entertain me."
"Entertainment?"
Enrico pulled the spear from his back and assumed one of the combat stances Titanza had taught him. He held the spear in front of his body and kept the sword behind him, distributing his weight between his legs as he carefully observed his opponent.
Then, he ran his tongue over his lips and broke into an excited smile.
"Since you want entertainment, I'll make sure you have the most entertaining experience of your life."
Vergel seemed pleased with the answer. Without taking his eyes off Enrico, he reached for the hilt of his sword and slowly drew it from its sheath, revealing a black blade crossed by a white line that extended all the way to the tip.
[Black Blade: Unique Rank]
[Ability: Black Flames of Doom: Can burn away the very existence of magic, provided it isn't stronger than the user.]
A small black flame burned within Vergel's eyes.
"Such beautiful confidence. I hope you don't disappoint me."