Chapter 93: Dungeon Core
The person who had just risked his life to save Mark, of course, had absolutely nothing to do with Nexus or the system. The moment he noticed the skeleton knight’s wide-area attack, Kael immediately thought of Mark.
Luckily for Mark, the distance between the two of them was very close, so Kael was able to make it in time to save him. Otherwise, Mark would have been torn apart by that huge energy slash before he could even feel the pain.
"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you along to the boss fight. An F-rank like you coming here is no different from walking into a dead end."
Right after saving Mark, the first thing Kael said was an apology, making Mark stare at him in confusion. How could this possibly be Kael’s fault? Mark was now blaming himself for putting his new teammate in danger because of his own weakness.
Kael’s kindness and concern for someone he had only met today deeply moved Mark. The more he cherished this feeling, the more he blamed himself for being useless.
"Captain, you didn’t do anything wrong. This is the second time I’ve been saved by everyone today. If it weren’t for you guys, I would have died under that skull ape’s punch. I won’t hold everyone back anymore, so focus on killing the boss."
Even though he had just fallen hard onto the ground and his body was still aching, Mark forced himself to stand up and put on a smile to reassure Kael.
But Mark’s pretending to be fine could never escape Kael’s eyes. This clumsy act made Kael smile at the attitude of his new teammate.
"Go find somewhere to hide. That damn monster almost killed you, so I’m definitely going to make it pay."
Kael’s eyes immediately changed. He had wanted to kill the monster from the start, but his eyes were not as murderous as they were now.
To Kael, his teammates were the most important. Anyone who dared touch his teammates, whether human or monster, would not be spared.
"Quickly, take the handheld cannons and fire into there."
More than a dozen people immediately changed weapons on Kael’s command. The cannon shells fired continuously, causing the entire cave to shake once again.
Mark’s ears began to ache after having to constantly listen to loud noises beyond what they could withstand.
But he could still grit his teeth and endure this little bit of pain. How could he run away just because his ears hurt when his teammates were risking their lives? If he did that, Mark would even despise himself for being such trash.
Kael had already drawn his bow and was ready to shoot as soon as the skeleton knight came into his sights. Now he just needed to wait for the right moment.
This continuous barrage of cannon fire with such powerful explosions made it impossible for the skeleton knight to keep defending passively. It charged out of the thick smoke on its own, but the moment it appeared, Brann was already charging straight at it like a tank.
With its super-fast reflexes, the skeleton knight immediately swung its heavy greatsword to block the attack. The powerful impact made Brann grimace in pain, but the skeleton knight was no better off.
Because it had been moving too fast, the moment they collided was when both of the skeleton knight’s feet were off the ground, so it was immediately sent flying.
"Fuck you!"
The moment he got the chance, Kael immediately released the string. The blazing red arrow flew at incredible speed, leaving the illusion of a long red streak in the air.
The greatsword was still in the skeleton knight’s hand, but it was still being affected by the powerful force from the previous collision, so it could not return it to a defensive position in time. The scorching arrow struck directly at the skeleton knight’s energy core.
The energy core immediately cracked but still did not break. It was both the skeleton knight’s weakness and not its weakness.
It was true that the skeleton knight had to be destroyed before it could be killed, but it was also the hardest part of its body.
An explosion appeared right after, once again blowing the skeleton knight away and making it slam heavily into the cave wall, causing the entire cave to shake. But chunks of rubble kept falling from above.
Although they were called chunks of rubble, some were as big as fists, while others were even bigger than a head. These rocks falling from above could all cause critical damage to Mark, so he kept jumping around to dodge them.
The skeleton knight’s energy core had been severely damaged, but it was still glowing, which meant the skeleton knight was not dead yet.
Even though the skeleton knight was deeply embedded in the cave wall, it only needed to exert a little force before the dirt and rocks around it were sent flying.
With nothing left restraining its body, its evil aura erupted once again and concentrated into the greatsword.
The skeleton knight raised the greatsword high, and it was obvious that it intended to unleash that massive energy slash once again with this terrifying power.
But this time, everyone’s vision was not blocked by dust, and while it was casting its attack and could not defend itself, Brann took the opportunity to charge forward like a cannonball.
"Don’t even think about using that move!"
Brann shouted, his facial muscles tensing and making his face look as terrifying as a real monster. His bulging arm swung out with a powerful direct punch, once again sending the skeleton knight deep into the cave wall.
The cave shook violently once again, and this time, the skeleton knight’s energy core completely shattered.
The hands tightly gripping the greatsword immediately went limp, and the heavy greatsword fell down and stabbed into the ground.
The dungeon core appeared out of thin air, floating in front of the boss’s body. It was a sphere that radiated blue light, representing the current state of the dungeon.
Only now could everyone finally relax. Mark’s eyes, however, curiously stared at the giant greatsword, and then he walked over beside Brann.
"Brann, this sword seems like good stuff. Why aren’t you interested in it too?"
"You’re really stupid. Aside from what we bring in and the three types of resources that can be harvested, other items can’t be taken out of the dungeon."
"Hurry up. We’re done for today. Break the dungeon core and let’s head back."
Originally intending to tell Mark a little more, but after hearing Kael urge him, Brann immediately threw a punch at the dungeon core, but it did not break.