"A necromancer?"
Kurose Akira frowned slightly at Ivsha's words.
Was that necromancer an adventurer from the hostile guild?
And more importantly—how were they planning to interfere with the Vowbound Knight selection?
…Wait.
Akira's eyes narrowed.
Roxia had said it herself—only Vowbound Knights were allowed to enter the selection arena.
Then that meant—
What if the ones entering weren't living knights at all?
Undead Vowbound Knights.
If that was the case, the enemy's conditions for interfering with the ceremony were almost identical to his own side's.
"Ivsha, can you locate the necromancer?" Akira asked in a low voice.
"I'll try!"
Ivsha nodded and clasped her hands together, letting her magic ripple outward in expanding waves.
At the same time, Akira turned to Loserine and instructed calmly,"Be ready. There may be a hard fight coming."
As he spoke, he passed her the Rare-quality Silvermoon Longsword.
Loserine accepted the blade and nodded silently. Her hollow gaze locked onto Roxia in the distance, her body poised to move at a moment's notice.
"Mr. Akira…"
Natasha, seated nearby, had naturally overheard his instructions to Ivsha and the others. Though she didn't understand the specifics of his arrangements, his seriousness and dedication toward the commission put her at ease. A relieved, grateful smile appeared on her lips.
At this very moment, Mero stood atop one of the viewing platforms, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he awaited the fruition of his plan.
Of course, he had no intention of killing Roxia.
He only needed her to lose the chance to become a Vowbound Knight.
Only then could he proceed to the next step.
As his thoughts churned, Mero's gaze swept past Natasha—and then landed on Akira seated beside her. His eyes instantly turned cold.
In a voice no one else could hear, he muttered,"Nosy woman. You and your adventurer won't be able to stop this. Roxia will never become a Vowbound Knight today."
With that—
His gaze shifted to a certain spot in the crowd, the corner of his lips lifting into a smug smile.
The necromancer he had hired had already begun moving.
"Grrr… gurgle…"
The necromancer murmured softly, chanting under his breath as he recited necromantic spells. Every spectator was focused on the White Rose Rite unfolding before them—no one noticed his presence.
"Pul, how much longer?"A man's voice echoed inside the necromancer's mind.
"About ten minutes," Pul replied hoarsely.
"Hurry it up. Once this commission is finished, our guild will be able to upgrade to an E+ evaluation."
Inside the guild hall, a man in a suit leaned back in his chair, a cigar between his fingers as he spoke.
"Understood."
The man's name was Wang Qi—the guildmaster of the necromancer's guild. He was currently observing everything through a player's perspective.
When his gaze fell on Akira, his lips curled slightly.
"An F+–rated player," Wang Qi sneered. "Looks like a newbie who just started playing. Poor bastard—to run into me on a mission."
He let out a cold laugh.
"You can blame the game's unfair matchmaking system for pairing a freshly promoted F+ like you with someone like me—on the verge of breaking through to E+."
"And besides," Wang Qi added smugly, spreading his hands,"my necromancer is a Rare-quality adventurer. My friend, you don't stand a chance."
As a veteran player who had been immersed in the game world for nearly two months, Wang Qi knew exactly how vast the gap between evaluation tiers truly was.
Especially with him about to reach E+, crushing an F+ player would be effortless.
His adventurer, Pul, was a Rare-quality necromancer. Though Pul's personal combat strength wasn't particularly outstanding, he could command undead far stronger than himself.
On top of that, Pul was already Level 16.
For a newcomer player, this was nothing short of a dimensionality-breaking blow.
"My magic is ready."
Pul's message came through.
"Excellent!" Wang Qi immediately ordered."Begin. Let's end this commission."
"Understood."
Wang Qi watched the scene on the screen eagerly.
Inside the selection arena, Roxia was in the midst of fierce combat with the phantoms conjured by the White Rose's mana.
Under her relentless assault, the phantom knight was steadily pushed back.
The Sword of the Vow gleamed brilliantly in her hands, tearing through the phantom's body with swift, decisive strikes. After just a few exchanges, the spectral knight was already riddled with damage.
Finally—
Roxia drove her blade straight through the phantom knight's heart.
The fatal blow caused its body to dissolve into countless white rose petals, dispersing into the air.
She had successfully passed the first trial of the White Rose Rite.
"So strong!"
"She's the first one to defeat a phantom knight!"
"Incredible—this is the peak strength of the Yerman Family's younger generation?"
"The other families' knights are still barely holding on, and she's already cleared the trial!"
"It looks like the Vowbound Knight title is hers for the taking!"
Gasps and exclamations erupted across the arena as the crowd witnessed Roxia's clean, overwhelming victory.
Her strength—far surpassing that of the other contestants—made her the undeniable center of attention.
"Hah…"
Roxia stood still, her chest rising and falling as she adjusted her breathing.
Her azure eyes fixed on the White Rose floating high above.
Though she couldn't reach it yet, a massive white rose petal had already descended into the center of the arena.
After passing all trials, the twelve knights would be able to use that petal to ascend to the White Rose itself and face the final test of the Rite.
Having locked onto her target, Roxia raised her sword and stepped toward the petal.
The instant she took her first step—
Countless scattered white rose petals gathered once more, forming two phantom knights, who bowed to her with knightly salutes.
"Second round…"
Roxia murmured softly, tightening her grip on the sword as she prepared to face them.
At that moment, an ethereal voice echoed inside her mind.
Her body trembled violently, and she nearly collapsed.
The Voice of the White Rose—one of the trials itself.
It interfered with her judgment as a knight, threatening to make her lose herself.
"So Aunt went through this too, huh…?" Roxia exhaled slowly."What a troublesome test."
Steadying herself, she launched another fierce assault at the two phantoms.
Just as she swung her sword toward one of them—
Suddenly!
Outside the White Rose's mana barrier, the ground burst open.
One after another, yellowed skeletons clawed their way out of the earth.
They wore ancient armor and carried rusted iron swords, yet an icy, terrifying aura radiated from their bodies.
Among them, one skeleton stood out—its bones pitch-black, a massive greatsword slung across its back, over two meters long.
"What's that?!"
"Undead skeletons—someone's trying to sabotage the ceremony!"
"Hmph! The arena is protected by the White Rose's mana. A few skeletons can't possibly disrupt it."
"Whoever's behind this, send people to deal with them immediately. Don't let them disturb the proceedings!"
"Wait… why do those skeletons' armors look so familiar…?"
Confusion rippled through the crowd. No one understood why undead had suddenly appeared during the selection ceremony—but few felt genuine fear.
The knights stationed near the arena charged toward the skeletons, intending to eliminate the intruders swiftly.
But just as they moved—
They were struck dumb by the sight before them.
Their eyes widened in horror.
Those skeletons—rising endlessly from the earth—were passing straight through the magical barrier created by the White Rose…
…and marching directly into the selection arena.