[You have slain an (Elite) [Underworld] Swordspawn [3] levels lower than you! Calculating experience point rewards…]

[You've obtained 3,000 Experience Points!]

[You've obtained (20) Purge Tickets.]

[You've obtained (2) Lesser Demon Essence.]

[You have slain an (Elite) [Underworld] Swordspawn [3] levels lower than you! Calculating experience point rewards…]

…

Daru exhaled heavily, sweat trickling down his temple, then he smiled.

The Condemned Centurions were three levels lower than him, yet they put up quite the fight, at least more than he expected.

They also rewarded him with relatively rich experience points, considering he was supposed to only obtain a measly five for slaying regular Swordspawns three levels lower than him.

Then again, the Centurions were of the underworld, far mightier than the spawns of the same level, plus they were elites.

There was no time to relish the aftermath, though.

He was pressed for time.

The first thing Daru did was to look around…which turned out to be the correct thing to do.

There, in the distance to his left, was a squadron of warrior wraiths, howling while charging at him furiously.

They didn't seem to be centurions, but there were eight of them.

Still, given that they were merely level fifty pawns of the ancient castle, Daru wasn't too threatened.

He glanced at the stone gates.

It didn't seem like they would close, or they would've closed already.

Then again, he could be wrong.

But there was no time for hesitation; the squadron of warrior wraiths was upon him, their nameplates hovering above their heads:

==

Forsaken Legionary Lv.50]

HP: 20,000 / 20,000

==

Daru only spared their hitpoints a glance before assuming an L-stance and firing a spinning cross-slash at the approaching wraiths.

Two ended up being the most unlucky, outright decapitated as the other Forsaken Legionaries jumped out of the way, with two more losing a leg.

So, Daru only had to clash with four.

Battle-hunger began to take over again, and this time, he allowed the sensation, relishing it.

He stood his ground in the middle of four healthy wraiths, flowing like the river for the first few seconds, then he disappeared.

At least in the abyssal eyes of the Forsaken Legionaries.

In truth, he merely used [Swallow Step] to reappear to the right of one of the wraiths, severing his arm.

Daru was then performing the motions for the next burst of speed while engaging the other three.

Like a swift swallow, he danced around the outer grounds of the stone castle, severing the limbs of its defenders, then eventually, their heads.

The battle lasted no longer than a minute, and Daru gained a decent amount of experience points, crawling his way closer to level 59.

He was finding trouble locating a suitable opponent to give him that final, small boost in levels before he would have to challenge the five horrors of Limbo.

Perhaps this infiltration was just the thing he needed?

It was way too early to conclude anything, but for starters, a pair of Condemned Centurions and a squadron of eight Forsaken Legionaries was no problem.

This meant that for now, Daru needed not fear anything even if the gate closed.

'Unless the ruler of this castle made a move…'

By move, there were two possibilities that he was aware of.

Either the warrior wraiths would be making a move to eradicate him, or the ruler himself would personally make a move to kill him.

'Ah…but there's a third option, too…'

The ruler, whom he believed was The Crown, could personally make a move and seek to eliminate him alongside his troops.

Daru shrugged impassively.

This was the time to trust in himself, his combat skills, and his instincts. Overthinking would do more harm than good.

So, he moved, walking towards the stone gate to examine it after verifying that there were no more enemies around.

Maybe he could learn something about how it worked…maybe he could use it to Egress' advantage…

Unfortunately, despite thorough checking, Daru found nothing.

It was as though the stone gates were operated through some magical force. Or external energy, at the very least.

He was a bit disappointed, but what could he do except move on and look for other advantages?

That was the reason he even dared risk his life and enter, after all.

Shrugging off the letdown without much difficulty, he turned and shifted his attention to the open stone doors of the stone castle — the entrance Rocante was able to use without problems.

But he didn't decide to enter yet.

Instead, he examined the outdoor castle grounds as far as his vision allowed, first.

With an exhale, a small smile formed at the corners of his mouth, and he decided to explore the outer grounds first.

He already knew there would be a lot of wraiths inside the castle.

After all, he saw that the scourges tasked to ravage the ancient settlement in the Ashen Plain came from inside, charging across the drawbridge.

Daru also saw the outer grounds from the plateau of the Stone Altar.

Only, due to the sheer distance, he couldn't discern much.

Even the charging wraith army looked like a pebble from up there, and it was only because he had seen them once that he was able to recognize what they were.

It was simply impossible to see small, scattered squadrons from such a distance.

Still, Daru knew Forsaken Legionaries and Condemned Centurions were guarding the outdoor grounds, and he was ready to fight his way to the drawbridge.

He would return to Egress and restock first if luck didn't favor him, then return and resume his investigation.

But if it somehow did — even if only barely — he would be here tomorrow, and he would be infiltrating deeper.

Grimness fading and bounce returning, Daru walked west of where he was standing, to the direction of the Underworld River and the drawbridge.

He encountered the defenders of the Stone Castle as he expected, but nothing he couldn't handle

Steadily, he advanced.

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