Zich’s eyes flickered after seeing the notification.

Unlike the giant system panels floating above the battlefield, this one remained visible only to him. A faint golden glow appeared near the dissolving corpse afterward, and while everyone else focused on the advancing formation, a small scroll quietly dropped onto the cracked ground beside the dead knight.

Zich immediately realized that everyone’s attention was elsewhere. Varok was barking new orders, Helen was preparing another spell, and Jayden had already started moving forward aggressively after seeing the kill notification.

Without changing expression, Zich stepped sideways naturally.

His foot slid across the stone within a few centimeters of the glowing scroll before he calmly bent down as though avoiding another incoming arrow. His fingers closed around the item instantly before he tucked it into his sleeve without anyone noticing.

A small notification appeared before him afterward.

[Vital Surge lv1]

[Details: Temporarily increases health points of allied targets by 15%]

Zich’s eyes narrowed.

’Support skill.’

It was not flashy, but extremely useful during prolonged combat.

’Good.’

Right ahead, Jayden suddenly exploded forward.

BOOM!!!

His blade tore across a spear knight’s torso hard enough to split the rusted armor open while black energy leaked outward violently. Before the corpse even fully collapsed, Jayden twisted sideways and pierced another knight directly through the throat gap.

CRACK!!!

The second undead collapsed almost instantly.

Two golden notifications appeared above him afterward.

[Temporary Kill Mark Applied: Jayden Smith]

[Kill Count Updated: 2]

Helen frowned after seeing him rush ahead alone.

"He is pushing too far."

Jayden either ignored her or simply did not care.

His expression looked colder now while he continued cutting through the front line aggressively.

Perhaps he was trying to exert dominance before the Velhari or whatever the reason was, Zich, who was simply observing, could not help but snort inwardly.

’Idiot.’

While he was watching, Zich caught something.

The knight formation suddenly shifted.

At first, the opening looked accidental. Two shield knights moved apart while spear users pulled back a little, creating a visible gap directly ahead of Jayden’s advance.

Jayden stepped into it unaware, and the trap closed almost instantly afterward.

It was only after he was inside that he realized he had made a big mistake!

CLANG!!!

Shield knights slammed together behind him while three spear knights rotated inward from different angles. Another two moved from the side while rear archers raised their bows simultaneously toward the trapped human swordsman.

Jayden’s expression changed. The first spear thrust came from the left.

CLANG!!!

He blocked it quickly, but another spear immediately stabbed toward his ribs while a third aimed directly for his throat. The attacks overlapped almost perfectly, forcing him backward step by step into the enclosed formation.

"Move!" Helen shouted while raising flames toward the shield wall.

FWHHHT!!!

Arrows rained toward her instantly.

Three rusted projectiles forced her backward while another exploded against the ground near her feet hard enough to scatter burning debris across the courtyard. The bow knights completely cut off her angle before she could break through toward Jayden.

Varok noticed everything. His golden eyes followed the formation movement carefully while his grip tightened around the bone spear. However, instead of rushing immediately, he stayed where he was while observing the human side.

The giant Velhari glanced toward him briefly.

"We are not helping?"

"I want to see whether humans panic first or think first. If they cannot sort themselves out, then no use for them being here in the first place." Varok eyes flashed coldly.

Meanwhile, Jayden’s situation worsened rapidly.

Another spear sliced across his shoulder armor while shield knights slowly compressed inward around him. Every time he tried forcing through one direction, another shield immediately slammed into position while spear users attacked through the narrow gaps.

The battlefield intelligence was disgusting.

Zich clicked his tongue softly.

He genuinely did not want to interfere.

Jayden dying here would remove an annoying problem from his life, but unfortunately it would also create several larger problems afterward. More importantly, losing manpower this early inside a gold realm was simply stupid.

Zich exhaled once and stepped out quietly.

"Slimy."

Slimy immediately understood.

The slime suddenly expanded outward before firing thick silk directly toward one section of the shield wall.

BOOOOM!!!

A translucent barrier exploded sideways between two knights, forcing their formation apart by nearly one meter. At the exact same moment, Zich activated Blink.

FWOOSH!!!

His body vanished instantly.

Jayden’s eyes widened after Zich suddenly appeared beside him inside the enclosed formation itself. Before anyone could react fully, Blood Leech burst upward from the shadows beneath a spear knight.

SKRRRRK!!!

Its red tendrils wrapped around the undead instantly before dragging it violently sideways across the stone floor. The removal created another narrow opening barely large enough for one person to pass through.

Zich grabbed Jayden’s shoulder immediately.

"Move."

Jayden hesitated for barely half a second before stepping through the opening. Several spear thrusts followed them instantly afterward, but Zich activated Blink again before the attacks landed.

FWOOSH!!!

Both reappeared outside the encirclement.

The shield wall slammed shut again almost immediately afterward.

Jayden steadied his breathing while glaring toward the formation with visible frustration. One section of his sleeve had already been torn apart while a shallow cut stretched across his jaw.

"Try not to die before the mission becomes useful," Zich said calmly while looking at him before already turning away.

The words hit harder than the rescue itself. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Jayden’s face darkened instantly afterward.

Not only had Zich saved him, but he had done it while sounding completely unimpressed. Worse, Helen had seen the entire thing happen.

Helen glanced toward Jayden briefly before looking away again.

She wisely chose not to comment.

Right ahead, the battlefield grew worse.

More knights continued emerging between the ruined pillars surrounding the courtyard while fresh shield lines advanced toward them from multiple directions. Rusted arrows darkened parts of the red sky while spear formations shifted constantly beneath them.

The horde looked endless!

Varok finally frowned properly after seeing the increasing numbers.

"This realm is producing reinforcements continuously."

Another row of armored knights stepped forward afterward.

CLANG!!! CLANG!!! CLANG!!!

Zich quietly observed the advancing army while Slimy bounced beside him and Blood Leech continued tearing apart the knights with its bare fists. For every kill that his summon made, spirit orbs emerged from the corpses and entered his chest.

With this many organized undead knights appearing constantly, Zich already knew exactly what kind of summon he would get next.