After dispatching several skeleton army grunts, Aris and Juro now stood at the heart of the dungeon, resembling a grand palace long buried underground. The towering walls were lined with black stone and ancient ruin carvings, while a massive chandelier made of bones hung from the ceiling of the vast cavern. The air was damp and filled with the scent of old dust, and the sound of their footsteps echoed through the silent corridors, seemingly swallowing the light from their torches.
In front of them, five mid-tier skeleton knights stood in formation, blocking the path. Each wore rusted yet still sturdy metal armor, with red glowing eyes burning from within their skull helmets.
"Five enemies. I'll take four, you handle one," said Juro calmly, rolling his neck as if warming up before light exercise.
"Wait, one? Alone?" Aris stared at him in disbelief.
"Time to learn to be a real mercenary, kid. Focus on their movements. Don't just focus on your own attacks. Use your surroundings too," Juro said, then leaped forward, simultaneously attacking four of the skeleton knights.
Aris gripped his sword tightly, his heart pounding. He faced off against one skeleton knight, who immediately lunged at him with heavy swings. The battle was intense. Aris dodged, parried, and even slipped at one point because of the slick floor. Although overwhelmed at first, he slowly recalled Juro's advice—read enemy movement patterns, exploit openings, and maintain distance.
Juro, having already taken down his four opponents, watched from afar while giving instructions, "Straighten your back! Use your left foot to push back, not just defend!"
With more fluid and focused movements, Aris finally managed to slash the skeleton knight's neck, destroying its core. He panted heavily, but he had won.
Juro nodded. "Not bad. But you took too long."
They moved deeper inside. However, along the way, Juro began to frown. "Strange... Dungeons like this usually don't affect the forest ecosystem. There shouldn't be any impact outside... unless there's a high-level monster."
After walking down a long mossy corridor, they arrived at a large room resembling a royal hall. As they entered, a killing aura filled the air.
Juro suddenly stopped. "Houuu... Finally. You show yourself. Hiiiii... Skeleton King."
From behind a massive pillar, a towering figure emerged: the Skeleton King, but its body was thin and flexible like an assassin. Its eyes glowed darkly, and two poisoned daggers were strapped to its waist. A dark aura radiated strongly.
"A high-class assassin monster," Juro muttered. "No wonder I couldn't sense him. He's a master at hiding his presence... troublesome."
Juro lowered his backpack and unwrapped a long cloth from his back, revealing a pitch-black spear adorned with dragon carvings. "Damn it. Stay close to me, kid."
The battle began. The Skeleton King charged with incredible speed, its shadow blurring in the air. Juro parried with the tip of his spear, creating shockwaves that blasted away debris.
They exchanged rapid attacks. Juro's spear slashed, thrust, and spun. The Skeleton King moved like a shadow, repeatedly trying to sneak toward Aris, but Juro always intercepted.
"Focus on the left! He likes to circle from there!" Juro shouted during the fight.
Aris defended himself, unable to help much. Juro began to show wounds—slashes on his shoulder, a cut on his stomach. Yet his gaze remained cold.
With a powerful thrust, Juro finally drove his spear into the Skeleton King's body, cracking it audibly. The monster fell, and the killing aura vanished.
Juro sat for a moment, panting, before standing up and searching for loot in the nearby chests.
But from behind the rubble, the Skeleton King, seemingly not fully dead, quietly rose and attacked from behind.
"Juro!" Aris shouted, quickly throwing a crystal rock at the Skeleton King's head, then slashing the cracked part with his sword.
The skeleton shattered completely.
"Who's the one that said no carelessness in a dungeon, old man?" Aris said, trying to hold back a laugh.
Juro sneered. "Hmph. I knew he wasn't dead, kid. Just giving you a chance to be useful. And don't call me old man, I'm barely in my 40s."
They both chuckled, and for the first time, Aris truly felt like part of the mercenary world.
"Come on, quickly gather the loot! This dungeon's about to collapse and disappear!" Juro shouted, checking the now-cracking walls and the fading dark aura.
Aris immediately followed orders, gathering magic crystals, ancient undead relics, and several still-valuable pieces of jewelry from the main hall. It didn't take long before they were ready to leave, just as the mild tremors grew stronger.
After escaping the dungeon and ensuring everything was safe, they returned to the Mercenary Guild. There, they submitted their mission report, detailing the battle with the Skeleton King and the data on the collapsed dungeon's instability. The receptionist carefully recorded everything, calculating the potential profits from the loot they brought back. The haul was impressive, even by mid-tier expedition standards.
After finishing all formalities, Juro invited Aris to relax. They headed to the guild bar, where mercenaries usually gathered to unwind. When they got there, Juro ordered a strong drink, while Aris only ordered juice because he was still underage.
"You know, I've been thinking about something ever since we fought at Thalassos," Juro said, sipping his drink...
"You have potential, kid. How about you join Veritas?"
Aris turned to him with a serious expression. "Veritas...? The organization you lead? The one that kidnapped Lysandra back then?"
Juro nodded. "Exactly. But they're more than just fighters. They also battle corrupt groups, evil nobles, and dark forces that even regular guilds can't touch."
Aris gritted his teeth slightly. "I'm... not sure. Back when I saved Lysandra... I killed a lot of your members, didn't I? They must hate me, and dont you forget you and your friends kidnapped my best friends."
Juro shrugged. "That's the problem. But I won't push it. I'm just making an offer. The rest is up to you. Even if you don't want to join, at least know that they're not the enemies you think they are, we don't even touch her, and they know the risk on that day."
Aris lowered his head, deep in thought. The past was hard to escape. But the direction of his future... might just be decided by this choice.