The monsters came in overwhelming numbers, yet under Marcus’s command the battlefield moved with surprising order. With Marcus himself, Sea Demon Soul, and Pebble forming an iron wall at the front, while Goldie, Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, and Vixen Queen Camillo rained destruction from behind, enemies fell one after another without ever reaching true chaos. Their formation had settled into a perfect rhythm, and the familiar ’’train-pulling’ strategy grew smoother with every wave they cleared.

These were level 48 monsters, a full ten levels above Marcus. The experience bonus alone was intoxicating. Watching the numbers surge upward, he felt a rush of pure exhilaration and laughed out loud.

"Hell yeah!"

For most solo players, facing enemies this far above their level was suicide. Normally you would need to reach level 50, complete a second class advancement, and gather either a well-equipped mercenary squad or a tightly coordinated party just to survive encounters like this. Without that kind of support, stepping into this area meant certain death.

Marcus, however, was only level 38, yet backed by Divine Beast level companions, he carved through the dungeon as if it existed solely for him. What should have been an impassable grinding zone had turned into his personal leveling paradise. If Liam Windrunner could see this scene, Marcus was certain the man would collapse on the spot.

According to Liam’s earlier calculations, Marcus should have been stuck farming Stone Grunts on the first floor of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb until at least level 45 before even considering a push toward the deeper levels. Reaching the third floor at this stage should have been impossible.

The second level itself was not a maze. The cave twisted naturally, splitting occasionally into branching paths, but the main route remained easy enough to follow. Navigation was never the issue. The real problem was monster density. Enemies crowded every stretch of tunnel, respawning so quickly that progress became nearly impossible without overwhelming firepower.

Every two hundred meters or so, stone resting platforms appeared along the path, safe zones designed to give players breathing room. Without those platforms, anyone entering this floor would eventually drown beneath an endless tide of monsters.

Marcus, however, had no complaints. To him, the constant spawns were not an obstacle but a gift.

After destroying the four stone statues on the first floor, he had reached level 38. Now, barely an hour into the second level, his experience bar had already climbed to fifty-eight percent. The pace felt unreal.

Curious, Marcus opened the leaderboards mid-fight.

The results surprised him. The top ten players on the Level Leaderboard had all surpassed level 32. The player ranked second, RogueTheory, had even reached level 35, only three levels behind Marcus.

Considering everything Marcus had gone through to reach his current position, RogueTheory must have encountered some serious opportunities of his own.

The remaining eight players were tightly grouped in level range, progressing at what was probably the game’s intended pace. Most of them were likely using full immersion VR pods to stay online nearly twenty-four hours a day. That constant grinding was the only reason they had not been completely left behind.

’Crazy bastards,’ Marcus thought with a faint grin.

Unlike them, he refused to let the game swallow his real life. The fact that he still held such a massive lead felt genuinely satisfying.

He checked the other rankings next. On both the Reputation and Gold Coin leaderboards, his numbers sat absurdly far ahead of everyone else. The Pet and Mount leaderboards were completely locked down under his name. And then there was the flashiest ranking of all, the Divine Artifact Leaderboard, where only two entries existed, both belonging to his retainer Alana.

Those rankings were not something effort alone could earn. Luck, timing, and opportunity mattered more than endless grinding. Even players who sacrificed sleep, meals, or sanity would never touch his position without fate favoring them.

Still basking in that pleasant smugness, Marcus finally arrived at the deepest region of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb’s second level.

A vast circular cavern opened before him. Directly across from the entrance stood a narrow stone passage barely wide enough for one person to pass through. At the far end shimmered a towering barrier of black light, twice the height of a man, pulsing quietly like a sealed gate.

That had to be the entrance to the third level.

Standing guard before the passage were three monsters that immediately drew Marcus’s attention.

The first was a towering, muscular figure gripping a black hoe. Its hair hung wildly around its face, and four arms extended from its body. Two of those hands held enchanted hoes, one radiating freezing blue energy and the other blazing with crimson fire. Unlike the ragged Frenzied Digger Corpses scattered throughout the dungeon, this one wore yellow battle armor glowing faintly with earthen power.

No doubt about it. Frenzied Digger Corpse boss.

The second creature floated high above the ground, easily three times the size of a normal Wailing Wandering Soul. A loose ghostly robe concealed its form entirely, making it resemble nothing more than drifting fabric filled with mist. A dark cloak rippled around it as its body flickered between visibility and shadow. Only the occasional mournful wail and the emergence of two clawed hands made of black fog revealed the deadly presence hidden within.

The Wailing Wandering Soul boss.

The third monster stood hunched with its head tilted unnaturally to one side. It resembled the Bent Back Bricklayers Marcus had fought earlier, but larger and far more menacing. Instead of construction tools, it wielded a massive two-handed shovel that gleamed with lethal weight. Even standing still, it radiated brute force.

Bent Back Bricklayer boss.

Marcus exhaled slowly.

So these were the guardians of the second level. Anyone hoping to descend further would have to defeat all three.

"So what level are you guys?" he muttered.

They felt like level 50 opponents.

Before killing the Golden Bone Boar, facing three unknown bosses of that level might have made him hesitate. Now, though, Marcus understood something simple. As long as even a small chance existed, backing down was not an option.

After surveying the terrain and confirming positions with his pets, Marcus leapt down from the resting platform. He directed Sea Demon Soul and Pebble forward to aggro the outer ring of monsters first. The plan remained the same: pull the mobs gradually, clear them in controlled waves, and approach the bosses step by step.

"No rushing. We wipe every single one of these little bastards first," he murmured, carefully dragging enemies farther away before finishing them off. The last thing he wanted was for the Bent Back Bricklayer’s Miserable Call skill to alert the bosses prematurely.

He did not know the bosses’ abilities yet, and even the regular monsters were ten levels above him. Carelessness here would mean disaster. If the bosses and mobs attacked together, the fight could spiral out of control instantly.

Even so, events unfolded faster than he expected.

When Marcus was still about fifty meters away, with roughly seventy monsters clustered near the bosses, the floating Wailing Wandering Soul suddenly turned toward him.

"Woooo..."

Its mournful cry echoed through the cavern like a war horn.

In an instant, all three bosses and the surrounding monsters surged forward as one massive wave. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’Shit.’

This was bad.

The bosses alone were dangerous enough, but combined with the mob swarm, the pressure became terrifying. Marcus had already pulled fifty monsters moments earlier. Now those were converging with another seventy charging directly toward him.

More than one hundred twenty level 48 monsters. Ten levels above him.

One full volley of attacks could erase Sea Demon Soul. Another would finish Marcus and Pebble right after.

They were about to be buried alive.

"Focus," Marcus whispered to himself. "Stay calm."

Panic tried to creep in, but he forced it down. This was not the moment to retreat blindly, yet surrender was not an option either.

The fifty monsters he had previously pulled were nearly upon him, while the larger wave led by the bosses remained slightly behind, not yet merged into a single formation.

There it was; an opening.

Marcus had never relied solely on luck. Combat awareness was his real strength.

"ATTACK!"

Goldie, Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, and Vixen Queen Camillo unleashed devastating magic simultaneously. Explosions of light and elemental power filled the cavern as destructive spells slammed into the first wave of monsters within five meters.

Those enemies stood just outside Marcus’s personal attack range.

Marcus, Pebble, and Sea Demon Soul stopped retreating at once and planted themselves firmly. This narrow window was everything. He intended to gamble everything on it.

"Dragon Soul Aegis!"

The Dragon’s Crest on his chest erupted with blinding brilliance. A radiant dragon phantom spiraled around his body, bathing him in golden light as every attribute surged upward by thirty percent.

"Battle-Wolf’s Fury!"

A crimson spectral wolf appeared overhead, releasing a feral howl. His equipment shimmered as if transforming into a living predator, amplifying his strength yet again. His health skyrocketed to 11,250.

"Adamant Shield Wall!"

Marcus raised his right hand. The Divine Artifact Adamant Shield ignited with intense golden radiance, and its protective aura spread outward, enveloping every one of his companions.

At that exact moment, the first wave crashed into them.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Blows rained down relentlessly. Most attacks struck Sea Demon Soul, perfectly fulfilling its role as the frontline tank. Yet with Marcus’s buffs empowering the entire team and the Divine Artifact shielding them, each monster dealt barely fifty damage.

Marcus watched the numbers appear and felt a slow grin spread across his face.

All the restraint he had shown until now vanished. Excitement surged through him, fierce and unstoppable, and the battle spirit burning inside finally broke free.

"Heh... heh..."

Then he roared at the charging horde.

"LET’S GO!"