Warrior Jar Karl?
When Maru touched the summoning sigil, a familiar presence instantly appeared before everyone.
It was the very Living Jar they had rescued earlier, when it had been swarmed by monsters.
Its surface was still riddled with cracks, but they had been roughly patched up using jar-maintenance materials. It looked better than before—at the very least, its contents were no longer leaking out endlessly.
The repairs were extremely crude. Perhaps they couldn't even be called "repairs" at all—more like stuffing anything available into the holes to keep it from falling apart. Without a proper Jar-Smith, this was the best a Warrior Jar could manage on its own.
Looking at the battered Warrior Jar Karl, Maru felt a faint twinge of reluctance for the first time about summoning a helper.
Because of the active presence of the Fire Church, Warriors of Sunlight—and the entire co-op summoning system—had long since become widely known. Adventurers struggling with dungeon progression would be overjoyed at the sight of a summoning sign, wishing they could call in a few reliable allies.
Unfortunately, there was a limit to how many helpers could be summoned—no more than three. And for every helper summoned, the boss's strength would increase accordingly.
Maru herself had never summoned helpers. With their team's strength, most situations were manageable, and when things truly went beyond them, extra helpers wouldn't make much of a difference anyway.
That said, when exploring a dungeon, simply seeing a golden Warrior of Sunlight summoning sign always felt reassuring—like everyone was tackling the dungeon together.
"Should we summon him?" she asked hesitantly.
Leon thought for a moment.
"I'm curious."
So monsters in dungeons could be summoned as helpers too? He had always assumed only beings from other spaces qualified.
If they summoned him now and then returned to the graveyard later, would the Warrior Jar still be there? Probably not—the distance was simply too great.
They had been inside the dungeon for so long that Leon had completely lost track of real-world time, but judging by how much they had gone through in the roguelike sections alone…
This day was nearly over.
After defeating the boss beyond this fog gate, they likely wouldn't encounter the Death Rite Bird anymore.
Well—adventures were never meant to be rushed. There was always time.
Maru reached out and touched the summoning sigil.
Warrior Jar Karl was summoned.
He crossed his arms and struck a classic "strong warrior" pose. If they hadn't seen him earlier being beaten half to death by monsters, they might actually have been fooled.
If spoken to, he would respond—but only by gently wobbling.
"Ready? Then let's head in," Leon said.
"Wait!"
Maru suddenly ran off to the side and carefully hung the flower wreath the small jars had given her on a protruding stone pillar. She didn't want it damaged in the coming battle.
Leon smiled in understanding and placed his own wreath beside it. Soon, everyone followed suit, their wreaths lining the pillar, the vitality of fresh flowers pushing back the dungeon's oppressive gloom.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Gapar said calmly, his wreath still resting on his head.
"Do you really think monsters can even touch me?"
Obviously not.
And so, the Sword Saint became the only one to approach the fog gate while still wearing a flower wreath.
The Warrior Jar was the last "person" to enter. He glanced back at the wreaths hanging on the pillar—and somehow felt himself walking with renewed vigor.
Beyond the fog gate lay a burial chamber. The air was icy cold, biting straight into their bones.
Before they could even identify the boss, crackling lightning suddenly gathered on the far side of the chamber!
In an instant, it condensed into the shape of a long spear—but that wasn't all. Smaller lightning spears rapidly formed around it.
"Lightning Spear?" Maru exclaimed. She had seen Stella use something similar before.
"No—this isn't the one you know," Leon said, immediately sensing something was wrong. Stella's spear only resembled lightning; it carried warmth and radiance like sunlight, as though its essence wasn't truly lightning at all.
But the spears forming in this tomb were pure lightning.
Because this incantation was called Knight's Lightning Spear.
The next second, multiple lightning spears shot toward them, arcs of electricity crackling violently through the air. The power was immense—anyone hit would be charred black!
"Scatter!"
As everyone split up to evade, another volley followed—Knight's Lightning Spears homing in as if they possessed a will of their own!
Only after four or five consecutive casts did the barrage finally stop—allowing them to see their enemy clearly.
[Death Knight (Twin Axes)]
A skeletal knight radiating death itself, wielding a pair of axes crackling with lightning.
For some reason, the moment Leon saw the Death Knight, his hand instinctively pressed against his sword.
My hand is trembling. There must be a new wheelchair nearby.
Some vague intuition told him that the enemy's weapons were the same "type" as his Swift Slash—
ahem—the same type of wheelchair.
"Interesting."
Leon licked his lips, a hunger for victory flashing in his eyes.
Still, the Death Knight didn't look like something Swift Slash could handle outright. Best to observe first using a standard approach.
The Death Knight charged straight at Leon, twin axes whirling with terrifying momentum, each strike aimed precisely at vital points.
Leon blocked several blows, dodged others, and quickly reached a conclusion—
This guy was on par with a Crucible Knight.
Crucible Knights had once been absolute nightmares for them—but that was then.
Now, the team had grown stronger—like the Straw Hat Pirates reuniting after two years.
…Maybe not that dramatic—but enough to handle a Death Knight.
Terl and the Warrior Jar took on defensive roles. Drew focused on healing and buffs. Maru disrupted from the flanks. Leon and Darrick became the blades driving into the enemy.
Perfect teamwork.
So what about Gapar?
"I'm bored," he said casually, sitting down atop a coffin.
"Kid, watch your breathing."
"Huh? Oh!"
Darrick didn't realize it at first—until Gapar repeated himself. Only then did he understand that the Sword Saint was instructing him.
All that—for a jacket?
Under Gapar's guidance, Darrick adjusted his stance again and again, gradually entering a strange, comfortable state. It felt almost… soothing. Like soaking in a hot spring.
But something felt wrong.
If he followed Gapar's instructions blindly, he would become a puppet. He needed to absorb the experience—and make it his own.
When Darrick's blade finally clashed violently with the Death Knight's axes, he suddenly realized—
Why was he the only one fighting it now?
He glanced around.
Everyone else had stepped back, clapping and cheering him on.
Stop cheering and help!
His concentration wavered.
A deep gash was carved across his shoulder. He barely managed to force the Death Knight back.
"Steady your mind," Gapar said calmly.
Darrick took a deep breath.
The Abyss Watcher dance came alive once more—agile footwork paired with crushing strikes. Wounds began to pile up on the Death Knight as the battle evened out.
Good—this might actually work!
Excitement surged through him, and he unleashed the final segment of the Dance.
That last move had flaws. Tremendous power—but slower execution and heavy recovery.
The Death Knight seized the opening instantly.
Crack!
He transformed into a bolt of lightning and dove straight at Darrick.
Thunder Flash.
A pure, high-grade Thunder Flash!
"What—?!"
A bad feeling struck Darrick just as the Death Knight began spinning his axes—
Lightning Whirlwind Cleave!
The rotating axes engulfed him in an instant. His screams echoed as lightning tore through his body. When the light faded, he was sent flying, smoke rising from head to toe.
Darrick crashed to the ground, twitching violently—a pitiful sight.
"…"
The sudden reversal stunned everyone.
Leon stared at the twin axes, eyes burning.
He could feel it.
That spinning attack was absolutely the axe's weapon skill.
A wheelchair.
Without question—a wheelchair.
I want it.
And then things escalated even further.
The Death Knight's cloak shifted, unfurling into spectral wings. The aura of death thickened, pressing down on the chamber.
Phase two.
Terl rushed in to engage, buying Drew time to heal Darrick. Maru blinked behind the Death Knight, her twin curved blades slashing downward—
But suddenly, the Death Knight seized Terl by the face and lifted him into the air.
Something was being drained from his body.
Terl's vitality plummeted—while the Death Knight rapidly regenerated.
Another life-stealing monster?!
"Get off me!"
Terl tore himself free with brute force—but by the time he landed, the Death Knight had already shifted targets, transforming into lightning as it rushed Maru.
"Eeek!"
Maru froze, her mind screaming run!—but the Death Knight was already spinning.
Nowhere to dodge!
I'm going to die again!
She shut her eyes as the heat of lightning scorched her skin.
The Death Knight moved—
A shrill tearing sound exploded through the chamber!
And alongside it—
"BANG!"
Maru opened her eyes—and witnessed a scene she would never forget.
The cracked, battered Warrior Jar—
Uppercut the Death Knight straight into the air!
Boom!
The Death Knight slammed into the ground, momentarily stunned.
That Warrior Jar he had ignored—why was it suddenly so terrifying?
It couldn't possibly be because of Maru, right?
At that moment, the Warrior Jar embodied exactly why he bore the title Warrior.
He fearlessly clashed his spinning attack head-on against the Lightning Whirlwind Cleave, cracks spreading even further across his body.
Each movement inflicted new damage. His crudely repaired form couldn't endure much more.
That burst of strength was clearly his limit—but he bought them precious time.
Everyone was fully healed.
"KILL YOU!"
With a charred afro and rage blazing in his eyes, Darrick activated Wolf Blood, determined to smash the Death Knight into dust!
The battle didn't last much longer.
Under the team's relentless assault, the Death Knight fell to his knees, crumbling into ash—leaving behind a single white light.
But before anyone could celebrate—
The Warrior Jar collapsed.
Then—
He exploded into fragments.