Stepping through the fog gate with uneasy hearts, Stella was met by the figure that had haunted her dreams and robbed her of countless nights of sleep.
The bronze-clad knight stood with his back to them—his very posture exuding a timeless, crushing strength.
The Crucible Knight.
Among C-rank monsters, he was already regarded as an elite. With the Dungeon Punishment's empowerment, his strength now rivaled that of a C+ rank.
In raw power, he had nearly doubled.
"That's the knight who killed you twice?" Leon asked, regaining a sliver of composure. He gripped a straight sword in one hand, a shimmering mana shield forming in the other.
"There are quite a few guild records of him too," Drew added grimly.
In the swamp region, treasure chests occasionally turned out to be teleport traps—sending victims to more than twenty possible destinations, ranging from boss rooms and trap chambers to monster dens.
The Crucible Knight was one such destination.
So far, there had been over a dozen sightings. Given his monstrous strength, some adventurers even suspected he was the dungeon's true final guardian.
"He's strong," Leon muttered, eyes narrowing. Even through the layers of heavy armor, he could sense the tempered muscle and explosive power coiled beneath.
But something wasn't right.
"Why isn't he moving?" Maru asked, frowning.
Indeed—though the Crucible Knight had turned to face them the instant they entered, he stood frozen in place, unmoving, like a statue caught mid-charge.
Stella's lips twitched. She had a hunch. Pulling out her half-empty potion bottle, she said, "I'll test it. You lot, cover me."
No one knew why she said that—but instinctively, Leon and the others stepped forward, forming a wall before her.
Stella took a slow breath, raising the potion to her lips.
The moment the glass touched them—the Crucible Knight's head snapped up, his eyes igniting crimson. With an inhuman roar, he lunged forward, greatsword slicing through the air.
"Knew it!"
Stella cursed, leaping back and loosing arrows midair—but every shot ricocheted off the knight's massive shield with a deafening clang.
The Holy Knight moved first, summoning twin radiant shields in front of him just in time to meet the blow.
Boom!
The ground split beneath him from the sheer force. Cracks spiderwebbed through the earth—then through his shields, and finally, through his own arms.
A sharp snap echoed. His forearms fractured, his defenses shattered.
That power... it surpassed even the dragon from before!
The Crucible Knight raised his sword again—only to be struck by a sudden flash of light.
"Rrragh!"
A dragon's roar thundered through the cavern. Rathian slammed a kick into the knight, hurling him several meters away—saving the Holy Knight from certain death.
"Guess you just got saved by a heretic dragon," Roger said dryly, tossing a healing potion over while commanding the dragoness to reengage.
The Holy Knight shot him a venomous glare but said nothing.
Terl joined the dragon in the offensive, hammer swinging with all his might—but something felt wrong. The dragon strikes lacked their usual weight.
Of course—Rathian had once been strengthened by the Dungeon Punishment. Now that she was tamed, that blessing was gone.
"Plaguebind!"
"Languor!"
Drew and Perry chanted together, releasing twin curses that seeped into the air and slowed the knight's movements.
"Hathaway—Fireball!"
Balls of dragonflame pounded the knight's shield. With the Fire Priest's enchantments, the explosions roared twice as fierce, scorching the bronze armor black.
The Crucible Knight was forced to turn away—just as Roger and Leon emerged from behind him, cloaked in invisibility.
One's blade gleamed with condensed light, the other's rapier hummed with pure mana. They struck in perfect sync.
Their blades met the armor in an explosive flare of energy.
Above them, Maru appeared like a shadow—her petite form descending with a dagger aimed right for the helmet's gap.
Surrounded on all sides, the Crucible Knight had no escape.
Would he yield?
Of course not.
Thoom!
He stomped the ground—a devastating move inherited from Godfrey himself. The earth burst open in jagged waves, tossing everyone aside like rag dolls.
"Eh?" Maru blinked in disbelief. In an instant, everyone else had been blown away—leaving her alone before the armored giant.
She didn't hesitate. Her dagger plunged into the gap between helmet and breastplate, drawing blood at last—
—but a heartbeat later, she was smacked aside like an insect.
Arrows wreathed in lightning rained down from above, forcing the knight to raise his shield.
"Thanks for the enchantment, old man!" Stella shouted, loosing shot after shot while Drew chugged another mana potion.
"Against armored foes, lightning works best—stay sharp!" Drew called back.
But before he could say more, the Crucible Knight unfurled wings of radiant gold and launched himself straight at Stella.
"Again?" she smirked. Having simulated this fight in her mind countless times, she rolled to the side with practiced ease.
"Same trick won't work on me twice!"
Before she could celebrate, a tail suddenly whipped out from the knight's back, striking her across the face with brutal force.
A vicious combo!
At that moment—
"HERETIC!"
The Holy Knight roared, slamming into the Crucible Knight like a living battering ram, knocking him off balance.
Terl followed up immediately, hammer swinging down with bone-crushing weight, smashing into his back.
Against heavy armor, blunt weapons reigned supreme. It was the strongest blow yet.
Roger and Maru darted in from stealth. Leon unleashed a burning slash of swordlight. Each strike landed, one after another, as the knight staggered.
The tide had begun to turn.
"Disarm!"
At last, Perry finished his long incantation and unleashed his first high-tier spell.
Clang!
The Crucible Knight's greatsword flew from his hands, crashing to the ground. Quick as lightning, Maru dove forward, snatched it up, and sprinted away.
The knight froze, staring at his now-empty grip.
"Pfft—"
Even Wade, watching through the crystal ball, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
These adventurers never ceased to amaze him.
He'd assumed magic in this world was limited to basic attacks and buffs. Who could've guessed they'd pull something like Disarm?
Onscreen, the battle raged on—chaotic and relentless.
Gradually, the party began to piece together the knight's behavior.
Whenever someone raised a potion to their lips, even in the middle of combat, there was a small chance—about one in ten—that he'd immediately target them.
They exploited it, using potions to bait him and open windows for attack.
But overuse dulled the trick. The knight adapted, resisting the urge even when it burned through his instincts.
The fight dragged on—so long that Wade started to worry the dungeon's timed closure might kick them out before they could win.
This shutdown mechanic was a real pain. Couldn't it be adjusted somehow?
Fortunately, half an hour before the dungeon's closing—
They finally prevailed.
"Cough..." Leon spat blood, his chest crushed inward from a shield bash.
Stella lay crumpled by the wall, unmoving after a brutal tail strike—her spine likely fractured.
Terl and the Holy Knight were both on the brink of death: Terl's gut had been pierced by the shield's horn, and the knight's left arm had been torn clean off.
Roger and Drew were completely drained, their mana depleted—helpless as corpses.
Only Perry and the Fire Priest could still move, desperately casting healing spells to keep their comrades alive.
It had been a brutal fight. For them, a C+ monster was already their limit.
What kind of power, then, awaited in B-rank or A-rank monsters of this world?
The Crucible Knight fell to one knee. His body cracked, then crumbled into ash—leaving behind a single violet cluster of light. But none of them had the strength left to pick it up.
As he vanished, bursts of light exploded across the boss chamber—fireworks of victory that startled the bloodied, exhausted adventurers.
Before Leon's dimming eyes, glowing words appeared in the air:
[To the heroes who braved peril and triumphed against a mighty foe: this is the reward for being the first to reach the deepest depths. Accept this blessing.]
A row of golden treasure chests materialized before them—one for each adventurer.
Alongside them appeared another line of text:
[Larval Tear (Elden Ring)]