Zoro walked out of the crater, dusting off his sleeves before offering an amused smile to the camera hovering near Solomon.

Vlad rolled his eyes and walked past them. "You always waste energy showing off."

"I just like being thorough," Zoro replied.

Miro quietly bypassed the men and headed down the ruined street, prompting the rest of the group to fall into line behind her. As the artificial sky turned pitch black above them, glowing moss illuminated the broken stone paths.

Solomon carried his greatsword over his shoulder while checking his floating interface, noting the viewer count had successfully stabilized at three thousand.

[User12: They just casually keep walking.]

[GoonLord: Ask them what they actually want from this place.]

[BloodKnight: World Rankers usually operate on specific guild commissions.]

Solomon looked away from the screen to address his companions. "My chat wants to know why you three are here. You cleared out those thieves earlier, and now you are hiking directly toward the palace."

Zoro shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. "The Celestial Vanguard guild master gave us an extermination request. A dimensional anomaly keeps spawning anomalous monsters in the palace courtyard, so we are here to eradicate the source."

"An extermination request," Solomon repeated.

"Yes," Vlad stated. "It is a straightforward job."

Miro kept her eyes focused on the path ahead, gracefully stepping over a fallen marble pillar as the group entered an open courtyard leading to the palace gates. Broken statues of ancient knights lined the long walkway.

Solomon suddenly stopped walking when the distinct sound of bones grinding against stone echoed across the ruins.

The ground beneath the courtyard shifted violently. Skeletal hands burst through the cracked cobblestones while dozens of rotted corpses dragged themselves out of the dirt.

Undead knights clad in rusted armor stood up in unison, their eye sockets burning with unnatural blue fire. Hundreds of these creatures quickly blocked the path to the palace.

A skeletal commander sitting atop a decaying horse raised a rusted lance toward the intruders.

Zoro cracked his knuckles and laughed.

"I will take this group," Vlad announced, drawing his silver blade from its scabbard.

Solomon tightened his grip on his own sword and glanced at the rapidly scrolling chat.

[LazyCat: Undead army incoming!]

[NewbHunter: Please let Vlad fight this time.]

Miro paused her advance and simply watched the skeletal commander. Vlad stepped to the front of the group, pointing his weapon directly at the undead horde.

Vlad stepped toward the skeletal commander. He swung his silver blade with absolute precision, utilizing an incredibly efficient fighting style. He kept his movements as minimal as possible to perfectly conserve his stamina.

He pivoted on his heels to parry incoming lances and returned lethal strikes that shattered skulls, entirely avoiding overly wide arcs. A crescent of golden aura suddenly erupted from his weapon, cleanly decapitating a dozen undead knights in a single motion.

The grinding of bones multiplied across the ruins. However, before Vlad could finish clearing the initial horde, a second undead army flooded the plaza from the eastern corridor. There were easily several hundred of them. Miro stepped forward, readying herself to join the fray.

Vlad unclasped his dark cloak and let it fall to the cobblestones. Solomon widened his eyes in sheer surprise at the sight of Vlad’s exposed back.

An entire armory was strapped to his body. A pristine shield rested over his spine, overlaying two crossed blades. A spear and a recurve bow hung securely alongside two battleaxes. A sheathed dagger rested on his right hip, while a standard sword hung on his left side.

Everything was neatly arranged for immediate access. Despite carrying enough steel to equip a small militia, Vlad moved with blinding speed.

The newly arrived army stopped their advance. Hundreds of skeletal archers raised their bows and fired simultaneously. A massive cloud of arrows rained down toward the group.

Vlad stepped ahead of his companions as the volley descended. He left his shield strapped to his back and stylishly pulled out his spear. Casually flicking the polearm, he executed a rapid spinning move that deflected every single incoming projectile into splintered wood.

He then channeled his golden aura into the spear shaft and hurled it from far away. The glowing projectile moved incredibly fast, tearing right through the undead ranks in a devastating line of destruction.

Solomon watched the entire sequence, genuinely impressed by the display.

[GoonLord: HE IS A WALKING ARMORY!]

[GamerGuy: did he just parry a hundred arrows with a single spear spin?!]

[User12: Flight magic combined with aura manipulation. This is why Vlad is ranked in the top twenty thousand globally.]

Vlad jumped high into the dark sky and hovered in place above the battlefield.

Solomon stared upward and cursed under his breath. "He can fukcing fly."

[100 points deducted for swearing!]

Vlad dropped directly into the center of the skeletal army and continued fighting. He seamlessly transitioned from physical weapons to casting magic, conjuring massive lances of golden light that impaled dozens of monsters at once.

Zoro crossed his arms and laughed loudly. "He called me out earlier claiming I wasted energy showing off. He is doing it significantly more than me."

Suddenly, a chorus of rattling armor echoed from their right flank as a third army of skeletal warriors poured into the courtyard. Solomon gripped the hilt of his greatsword and prepared to finally test his own skills against the undead.

However, he quickly lowered his weapon and stepped back. He genuinely wanted to observe Miro in combat. She had ignored him entirely since he woke up by the campfire. He harbored a deep curiosity about her specific powers and combat style.

Miro stepped forward and muttered a string of ancient words. A massive magical crest instantly illuminated the cobblestones beneath her boots. Spatial tears ripped open above the glowing circle, spawning a pack of terrifying beasts directly onto the battlefield.

Three enormous shadow panthers with glowing violet eyes and a colossal armored bear materialized to intercept the undead advance.

Solomon pointed at the creatures. "Is she a summoner?"

Zoro crossed his arms and offered an amused smile. "Something like that."