Since the Wailing Wandering Souls possessed partial immunity to physical attacks, Marcus left them entirely to his pets’ magic. There was no point wasting stamina hacking at enemies designed to frustrate melee fighters.

Instead, he urged Blackie forward, charging straight past the drifting souls and heading toward the three hunched shovel wielders lingering at the rear of the formation.

The small creatures moved quickly despite their crooked bodies. Their shovels flipped through the air with practiced rhythm, releasing waves of black sand-like mist. The damage itself was unimpressive, barely one hundred fifty per hit against the Sea Demon Soul, but Marcus immediately recognized the real danger.

The slowing effect.

Movement speed dropped. Attack speed dropped. If a player were caught inside that effect during a real fight, escape would become nearly impossible.

Marcus closed the distance and activated Insight.

—

Bent Back Bricklayer.

Level 48. Health: 9,000.

Once low level bricklayers forced to construct the Four Spirits’ guardian tomb, they had lived weak, broken lives under cruel overseers. Endless labor bent their backs and crushed their spirits until exhaustion claimed them at the worksite itself. After death, resentment fused with dark underground energy, transforming them into monsters driven by violent obsession.

—

Their skill list made Marcus narrow his eyes.

Shadow Sand Shield allowed them to instantly raise a brick wall barrier that protected their bodies and granted partial immunity to magic attacks.

Bricklayer’s Shadow Sand released black shadow sand that dealt steady damage while sealing enemy strength, reducing both attack and movement speed.

Then came the troublesome one.

Miserable Call.

In life, they had wailed whenever whipped by foremen. Even in death, the habit remained. Their cries summoned all nearby allies within thirty meters to attack together.

Marcus swore under his breath.

’A summoning skill.’

Behind the three Bricklayers wandered dense groups of monsters. If Miserable Call activated while they still stood near those mobs, he would instantly be buried under reinforcements.

These were all level forty eight enemies. Thirty attacking together could burn through five thousand of the Sea Demon Soul’s health in a single round. More than that, and even his summon would collapse. After that, he himself would become the frontline tank.

Marcus hesitated briefly.

Should he eliminate the Bricklayers immediately? Or drag them away first and fight safely?

He thought for only a moment too long.

His pets, far less cautious, had already reduced a third of the Bricklayers’ health. Each still held roughly six thousand HP when suddenly a miserable wailing erupted.

"Waaaah... waaaah...!"

Every monster within thirty meters froze at once.

Then they turned.

More than thirty level forty eight monsters lifted their weapons simultaneously and charged straight toward Marcus.

"Damn it."

Only six thousand health left and they were already crying for help. Cowards even in death.

Marcus immediately shifted into formation.

"Hundred Phantom Strike!"

Two swift slashes cut down the remaining Wailing Wandering Souls harassing the Sea Demon Soul. As they shattered, Marcus quickly picked up the sword dropped earlier by a Frenzied Digger Corpse while repositioning the team.

Buffs activated one after another.

Marcus and Pebble took positions on either side of the Sea Demon Soul, forming a defensive line. Goldie, Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, and Vixen Queen Camillo stood behind them as the entire group retreated slowly, drawing the incoming swarm closer.

The moment the monsters entered optimal range, Marcus shouted.

"Kill!"

His pets stepped backward while unleashing overwhelming magic.

Lyanna responded first. With effortless elegance, she cast Wyvern Explosive Lance. Twenty blazing energy lances streaked forward, each strike dealing at least two thousand damage. When critical hits triggered, entire chunks of the enemy formation collapsed at once.

Not to be outdone, Vixen Queen Camillo moved next. Standing just behind Marcus, her poised stance carried a dangerous grace that nearly distracted him despite the battle. Her Peach Blossom Demon Blade swept outward in continuous horizontal arcs. The skill carried no cooldown, allowing an endless stream of slashes that carved through nearly every monster within a forty five degree range.

Then came Goldie.

Dark Storm erupted from its wings, violent whirlwinds roaring across the battlefield. The swirling energy tore into the charging monsters, shredding their remaining health and turning the cavern into a chaotic storm of light and dust.

By the time the swarm reached melee distance, their health had already dropped from roughly ten thousand to barely three or four thousand.

The monsters howled in frustration. At the back, the slower Bricklayers began crying again, attempting another Miserable Call.

But it was too late.

Every monster within thirty meters was already present. They could scream until their voices broke, but no new reinforcements would arrive.

"Poor things," Marcus muttered.

Then the Frenzied Digger Corpses and Wandering Souls finally reached him.

His expression hardened.

"Hundred Phantom Strike!"

He and Pebble attacked together. A massive blade aura surged outward, exploding into a storm of steel.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Every monster within three meters of the frontline was instantly cut down. Bodies collapsed in succession, several pieces of equipment clattering onto the stone floor.

Seeing the sudden gap open between them and the remaining enemies, Marcus seized the momentum.

"Move forward!"

Marcus advanced. The Sea Demon Soul surged ahead in the center, Pebble flanking one side while Goldie and his two powerful companions followed closely behind. Instead of retreating, they charged directly into the remaining monsters rushing toward them.

The creatures grew excited at the sight. Instead of fleeing prey, their target was attacking.

"Attack!"

The monsters roared and struck simultaneously.

But the Sea Demon Soul’s Taunt activated again, pulling nearly every attack toward itself. Weapons slammed into its body, burning through more than three thousand health in seconds.

Marcus barely reacted as it was like a drop in the bucket. With nearly fifteen thousand health, the Sea Demon Soul possessed almost double Marcus’s durability. Three thousand damage meant nothing.

Now it was his turn.

"Kill!"

He and Pebble unleashed another Hundred Phantom Strike while his pets followed with devastating magic. The remaining thirty plus monsters disintegrated under the combined assault, leaving behind scattered loot and fading echoes of battle.

Marcus exhaled proudly.

That was strength.

He had not retreated earlier out of fear. He had simply been gathering enemies together for a perfect wipe while dragging the Bricklayers away from additional reinforcements.

Combat was not just about power. It required timing, positioning, and intelligence.

Courage and cunning, that was what made a true hero.

Allowing himself a small, satisfied smile, Marcus urged Blackie forward and continued deeper into the cavern. Ahead, dense clusters of monsters filled the tunnels.

’Perfect.’

He would carve a path through them, level up rapidly, and push toward the entrance to Level Three of Mystic Turtle’s Tomb.

After that earlier test, he fully understood the enemy strength. Based on his current power, handling fifty monsters at once should be completely manageable.

Exactly what he wanted. Time to pull a train and grind experience against enemies ten levels above him.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Marcus laughed loudly as he rode forward. A Knight pulling trains for experience farming was almost ridiculous. That was usually the territory of ranged classes like Mages or Archers.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

But here he was, doing it anyway.

He glanced back at his two stunning companions. The strategy worked so well largely because of them.

Unfortunately, his smug grin and shameless laughter earned him identical looks of faint disgust from both Lyanna and Camillo. They glanced at him briefly before turning away, clearly refusing to acknowledge his self satisfied triumph.

Marcus felt wronged. What kind of pets treated their master like that?

’Unbelievable.’

Goldie, however, reacted completely differently. Sensing Marcus’s excitement, the bird circled happily overhead, wings gleaming as it swooped close in celebration. Its body had grown far too large to perch on his shoulder like before, so instead it brushed its dark golden wings against him repeatedly in obvious affection.

Blackie beneath him also sensed his mood, prancing lightly as its tail swished back and forth. Marcus laughed and stroked the mount’s dark fur.

"One day," he said confidently, glancing toward the two proud women ahead, "you’ll both understand exactly who your master is."

Watching their flawless figures and distant, goddess like composure stirred thoughts he wisely kept to himself. One radiated heroic strength, the other irresistible allure, and the contrast alone was enough to make his imagination wander.

"Hmph."

They belonged to his team now. That was enough.

Marcus quickly checked the loot scattered on the ground. Two blue grade items. Both went straight into his backpack.

’Time to continue.’

At his command, the Sea Demon Soul and Pebble surged forward again, carefully pulling around fifty monsters at once. The group began a controlled retreat, drawing enemies into a tight cluster.

Once the swarm gathered fully around them, Marcus shouted the signal, and every ability unleashed at once.

Magic, blades, and summoned power tore through the packed enemies in ruthless waves, harvesting enormous amounts of experience.

"Ha ha!"

Pulling trains felt incredible. Endless monsters, endless rewards.

Now he understood why high level Mages leveled so absurdly fast. With efficiency like this, failing to progress quickly would almost be a crime.

And so they advanced, clearing enemies as they moved deeper into Level Two’s cavern.

Frenzied Digger Corpses, Wailing Wandering Souls, and Bent Back Bricklayers appeared everywhere in dense clusters, completely unlike the sparse encounters of Level One.

The difference between the two levels was like night and day.