Chapter 347: Invading The C-Rank Macabre Forest Dungeon

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"I can’t believe I am being used to kill low ranked demons."

Cagliostro’s spiritual avatar manifested above the floating golden polearm, crossing her arms and complaining she was being used for such a mundane and boring task, unbefitting of her great power, her tone full of clear dissatisfaction as she looked down at the scattered remains of the imps.

As she gazed up at the eternally dark sky, she noticed dozens of giant red trees twisting and cracking. Their long branches reached for her from every direction, only to be utterly decimated by a charging, werewolf-like reptilian chimera giant.

CRAAASH!

With his two claws and immense physical might, he unleashed a cross-shaped, explosive burning attack that tore straight through them. The Giant Macabre Treants, deadly C-Rank Trees that drained their victims’ blood after trapping them within their branches, were instantly reduced to burning firewood. Splintered trunks and severed limbs rained across the forest, leaving a blazing path behind the charging giant.

Vladimir’s long red hair whipped in the wind and flames. His wolf-like face turned from side to side as he sniffed the air and stared deeper into the forest, searching for anything powerful enough to survive his assault.

"Looks like we’re here. The Dungeon Boss of the First Floor should be somewhere nearby... I guess."

Another figure followed behind him: Riven Claymore himself, or rather, a shadow that had taken Riven’s form. It was his Shadow Clone, controlled from afar. With Cagliostro and Vladimir accompanying it, this was more than enough force to conquer a C-Rank Dungeon now. Even so, Riven kept the clone close to Vladimir. The forest had become strangely still after the Treants fell, and that sudden silence usually meant something was watching them.

"Hm, the First Floor Boss of the Macabre Forest is... Ah, there he is."

It wasn’t difficult to find. This dungeon was so dangerous that few people ever made it this far, and because almost nobody survived long enough to challenge its master, the boss had no special summoning requirements. It simply roamed its territory until it sensed intruders approaching. The distant pounding of hooves soon answered them, each impact shaking ash from the scorched branches around them.

"Intruders... Why are you in my forest...? Why...? Why? WHY?!"

The sound of an approaching horse echoed through the forest. A giant mounted knight emerged between the burning trees, clad in crimson armor and riding a pitch-black horse made of shadows. In one hand, he carried an enormous blazing sword lined with razor-sharp fangs. The weapon scraped against the ground as he advanced, carving a molten trail through the soil. His mount exhaled black mist, and every furious step sent sparks scattering around its hooves.

"Huh, it’s true... He really does have a pumpkin for a head."

"Huhuh... I’m going to enjoy this...! Yes... Yes, yes, yes! Gahahahaha!"

The knight was indeed pumpkin-headed, with red flames surging from the carved eyes and jagged mouth of his enormous pumpkin head. There was no flesh within those openings, only an infernal fire that burned brighter whenever he laughed. His crimson armor creaked as he raised his sword, while the shadow horse beneath him scraped its hooves against the air as though standing upon solid ground.

[Macabre Jack-o-Knight – C++ Rank]

He galloped forward, racing across the sky as he swung his massive blade. A burning wave of ghostly, infernal flames erupted from its edge, spreading wider as it approached. The attack scorched the treetops below and turned several Macabre Treants into blackened silhouettes before they collapsed.

"Hahahahaha! Gahahahaha!"

Laughing maniacally, he swung his blade in every direction. Explosive slashes surged from each swing, bombarding the forest and everyone within range. Trees burst apart one after another, and burning pieces of wood spun through the air. The Jack-o-Knight did not seem concerned about destroying his own territory. If anything, every explosion only made his laughter grow louder.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

"He sure is enjoying himself," Riven sighed, watching another wave of flames tear across the forest. "Sorry, but we need to hurry."

Riven grabbed Cagliostro with one hand and thrust her forward with carefully calculated strength, making sure not to destroy too much of the surrounding environment. Holy light gathered around the spearhead, compressing into a narrow point rather than spreading outward. Even from a distance, its brilliance forced Vladimir to narrow his eyes.

"Huh...?!"

Just as the Jack-o-Knight was about to attack Vladimir, Riven exchanged places with him. The charging blade struck nothing but a fading shadow, and before the knight could turn, a gleaming spear of light thrust straight toward him. The sudden attack happened so quickly that the monster’s laughter stopped halfway through.

"Hahahaha! Your relic won’t be able to... GAAHA?!"

The knight screamed in agony as the spear pierced his torso and blasted a massive hole through him. His crimson armor shattered along with several ribs of blackened metal beneath it, scattering molten fragments across the sky.

The force sent him flying downward, his shadow horse dissolving under him as he crashed into the ground and formed a burning crater.

BOOOMMM!!!

For a second, the Jack-o-Knight tried to rise, clawing at the broken soil while flames leaked from the wound. However, the holy light continued consuming his body from within.

"A-Ah... T-The light... The... light..."

The flames within his pumpkin head flickered, dimmed, and finally faded away. His enormous sword slipped from his hand and struck the ground beside him. Whatever spirit had animated the knight vanished entirely, leaving the boss dead inside the smoking crater.

"Well, that’s done," Vladimir sighed, staring at the remains before turning toward Cagliostro. "What a monstrously strong spear! Are we going to one-shot everything with it?"

"I cannot overuse her, or I’ll strain my soul," Riven said. "The stronger the foe, the more of her true power she has to unleash. If that power surpasses what my current rank can endure, I could suffer a backlash... Anyway, let’s keep moving."

After gathering and storing the corpses, they entered the staircase and began descending. The stone steps spiraled deep beneath the forest, covered in old roots and traces of dried blood. The flames from the upper floor vanished behind them, leaving only the pale glow radiating from Cagliostro.

They continued downward until Vladimir finally broke the silence.

"Are you sure about this? We don’t need to conquer three dungeons at the same time... Even for me, this is insane!"

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