The dark, sinister appearance of the Corpse Demon set immediately satisfied Marcus. The armor seemed alive in a disturbing way, faint wisps of shadow drifting across its surface as if invisible spirits were breathing beneath the metal. Even before equipping it, he could feel an oppressive aura radiating from the gear, and anticipation surged through him as he opened the attribute panel.

—

Corpse Demon Set (Golden Equipment)

Requirement: 250 Strength or 250 Constitution

Forged by restless digging demons using countless corpse souls, this armor was infused with anguished spirits that wailed endlessly within its frame. Those lacking sufficient strength risked being haunted by lingering ghosts, their minds slowly eroded by misfortune.

Weapon: Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword

Corpse Demon Helm

Defense +150, Vision +3 meters

Strength +20, Constitution +20

Health +200, Mana +100

Dark Resistance +20

20% chance to trigger Wraith Entanglement, instilling fear and reducing enemy attack and defense.

Corpse Demon Armor

Defense +350

Strength +30, Constitution +30

Health +200, Mana +100

Dark Resistance +10%

10% chance to trigger Soul Entanglement, summoning furious spirits to shield the wearer and increase magic resistance.

Corpse Demon Gauntlets

Defense +150, Attack Speed +2

Strength +30, Agility +30

Wind Resistance +10%

10% chance to trigger Soul Drain, converting 10% of damage dealt into Health.

Corpse Demon Greaves

Defense +200

Strength +30, Constitution +30

Health +100

Wind Resistance +15%

10% chance to trigger Soul Fortify, increasing physical resistance.

Corpse Demon Boots

Defense +120, Movement Speed +2

Health Regeneration +10

Agility +20, Poison Resistance +30

20% chance to trigger Soul Dance, increasing movement speed, attack speed, and evasion.

Set Bonus

Strength +30, Constitution +30

Attack +10%, Defense +10%

Health Regeneration +30, Mana Regeneration +30

All Elemental Resistance +20%

The Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword becomes infused with vengeful ghost energy, granting a 20% chance to slow enemies.

Set Skill One: Wandering Corpse Souls

Active Skill. Mana Cost: 800

Summons countless wandering corpse souls that cling to the user, increasing Evasion by 30%, Attack by 20%, and Defense by 20%. Attacks inflict ghostly entanglement, reducing enemy movement and attack speed by 10%, with a 20% chance to stun. Each strike deals an additional 300 Dark Soul damage. Duration: 30 minutes. Uses: Twice per day.

Set Skill Two: Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven

Active Skill. Mana Cost: 800

The Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword releases a mournful wail as furious spirits surge forward. Three ancient Corpse Demon souls are summoned to attack, each dealing double the user’s normal damage. Enemies struck are stunned for five seconds and suffer a massive reduction to Luck. Cooldown: 5 hours.

—

"Strong."

Marcus could not stop himself from saying it out loud.

There was no doubt about it. This was a true Level 50 Golden set. While its raw attack speed could not quite match his previous Cabaro equipment, the moment he equipped the Corpse Demon set his attack and defense values climbed explosively, reaching a balance that felt perfectly suited to him.

As a melee fighter, this was exactly what he needed.

His extremely high Agility and absurd run of lucky encounters had already granted him terrifying movement and attack speeds. Even assassins who invested everything into Agility at the same level would struggle to outrun him. Speed was no longer his weakness. Now he could finally return to the fundamentals.

A Knight was meant to stand at the front line. Attack and defense, pressure and endurance, relentless forward momentum. That was the path of a true Knight. With this set, he felt like an unbreakable blade, something capable of forcing enemies to tremble simply by advancing.

His gaze fell on the Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword resting in his hand, its black edge faintly humming.

"Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven..."

The Cabaro set had always felt incomplete without its Greataxe, but this time the set was whole. Because the sword belonged to the set itself, he gained access to a devastating offensive skill. Three ancient wandering souls, each striking with double damage. Combined, the output reached six times his normal attack power.

Even compared to Desperate Strike, this ability felt overwhelmingly dominant. The only limitation was the long five hour cooldown.

"Let’s test it."

Battle hunger rose within him.

"Sea Demon Souls, move!"

After his two Sea Demon Souls drew a group of monsters and he finished applying basic buffs, Marcus lifted the Corpse Demon Dark Soul Sword and charged forward.

"Hundred Phantom Strike!"

Dark soul energy surged from the blade. A chorus of mournful cries echoed through the air as the sword fractured into countless phantom slashes that swept across everything within four meters. The effect was eerie yet strangely beautiful, shadows flickering like dancing ghosts.

Damage numbers exploded into view.

-4700, -4800, -4600, -5200

The monsters slowed immediately, their movements dragged down by vengeful spirits. The sword’s passive effect activated, reducing their regeneration as ghostly chains wrapped around their bodies.

Again, and again.

"Hundred Phantom Strike!"

The skill had no cooldown. Its rhythm perfectly matched his attack speed. Marcus swung once more, phantom blades flooding the battlefield.

-9800, -3600, -1000, -9800

Critical hit.

Every monster caught within range collapsed instantly. Equipment scattered across the ground with a satisfying metallic clatter, several pieces of Blue-grade gear shining faintly among the drops.

Marcus grinned.

This was exactly the combat style he wanted. At Level 49, eliminating Level 47 monsters with only two skill rotations was absurd efficiency. Even high-tier single target magic could hardly match this pace, and his attacks covered an entire area.

He let out a quiet laugh.

Who said Knights were only meat shields? Who claimed Knights needed Mages to survive? Who decided Knights could not grind alone?

He was tempted to unleash Corpse Demon Shatters Heaven immediately just to witness its destructive power, but he restrained himself. The true challenge lay ahead on the third level of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb. Saving his trump card there made far more sense.

"Dark Wind Spirits... I’m coming back."

This time, it was revenge.

With a sharp shout, Marcus cleared the remaining monsters and guided his pets toward the black light screen leading to the third level. The last time he had entered, the Dark Wind Spirits had ambushed him so violently that he was forced into retreat. Still, that defeat had taught him valuable information.

He first set the teleport point of his Wanderlust skill near the entrance, then disabled his buffs to review his current base stats.

—

Player: Stonehaven

Class: Royal Knight

Level: 49

Strength: 413 | Constitution: 369 | Agility: 598 | Focus: 190 | Luck: 45

Health: 7540 | Mana: 2930

Attack: 2698 | Defense: 3820

Accuracy: 598 | Evasion: 631

Attack Speed: 23 | Movement Speed: 32

Not bad at all. Aside from Focus being slightly lower than ideal, every other stat exceeded his expectations. This time, he intended to completely overturn the third floor.

"Move out."

Shield Guard, Knight’s Prayer, Peach Blossom Dance, Adamant Aegis...

One buff after another activated as he roared the commands, watching his numbers rise sharply. The familiar rush of empowerment spread through his body.

"Dragon Soul Aegis. Wandering Corpse Souls."

After activating his core buffs, he layered on his strongest defenses and the newly acquired set skill. At the same time, he opened the Monarch Squad interface and activated the Aegis of the Gods formation.

His attributes surged again. Health climbed dramatically, while both Attack and Defense crossed the four thousand mark. Multicolored auras spread beneath him and his pets, brilliant light wrapping around them like divine protection.

But he was not finished.

"Adamant Shield Wall!"

The Divine Artifact Adamant Shield activated, forming a massive protective field. More than seventy percent of incoming damage would now be negated, and the barrier extended to cover all of his companions.

"Charge!"

Marcus spurred Blackie forward and led the group straight through the black light screen.

The moment they stepped into the third level, violent winds erupted.

Woo woo woo...

Black storms screamed toward them as Dark Wind Spirits launched their ambush exactly as before.

-50, -60, -50, -50, -60

The damage barely registered under Adamant Shield Wall. Individually weak, yet their area attacks struck both Marcus and his pets simultaneously, creating constant pressure.

But this time he was ready.

"Go!"

The two Sea Demon Souls darted outward, splitting left and right to pull aggro away from the main group. Behind them, Goldie, the Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, and the Vixen Queen Camillo unleashed immediate counterattacks, filling the air with dazzling magic.

All three pets had surpassed Level 45 and undergone massive growth. Lyanna and Camillo, both Divine Beast level companions, now displayed truly formidable combat power.

-2900, -3000, -4200, -4300, -4500

Huge damage values floated above the Dark Wind Spirits. Goldie’s strikes hovered around three thousand, but Lyanna and Camillo consistently exceeded four thousand damage. Camillo’s Peach Blossom Demon Blade in particular had evolved into a terrifying magic attack, even surpassing Lyanna’s Wyvern Explosive Lance in raw output.

Of course, Lyanna remained far sturdier. The Dark Wind Spirits dealt less than one hundred damage to her, while Camillo absorbed closer to one hundred thirty.

"Pathetic..."

Watching his pets dominate the battlefield, Marcus almost felt useless for a moment. He could not immediately reach the airborne enemies, and all he could do was sigh before pushing forward.

Protected by Adamant Shield Wall, he urged Blackie ahead, closing the distance while coordinating the advance.

"Super Health Potion!"

At his command, Goldie, Lyanna, and Camillo each consumed a potion, restoring five hundred Health per second. Even surrounded by ten Dark Wind Spirits, their survival remained stable.

Meanwhile, Marcus repeatedly cast Insight on the enemies.

—

Earth-Wind Spirit

Level 53 | Health: 17,000

Floating monsters born from the violent storms overflowing from the Earth-Wind Spirit Cave deep within the third level of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb. They specialize in controlling storm currents to attack enemies. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Passive: Floating. Without flight abilities, melee classes struggle greatly against them.

Skills: Intermediate and lower-tier wind magic. Their attacks carry a high chance to stun or freeze targets.

—

So that was it.

They originated from the Earth-Wind Spirit Cave. No wonder he had been completely overwhelmed last time.

Marcus smiled faintly.

His level had risen. His equipment had transformed. And most importantly, Insight had revealed the location of the Earth-Wind Spirit Cave itself.

Inside that cave awaited one of his quest objectives: The Seven-Colored Divine Eagle.

This time, he was not running away.