Su-ho blinked in surprise as the notification appeared.
‘Boss room?’
When his vision cleared again, he found himself surrounded by pitch-black darkness.
[Due to the Original Vampire effect, you are not affected by darkness limitations.]
The Vampire effect activated the mont he was enveloped by shadow.
Yet despite this, Su-ho’s sight revealed nothing but pure black.
‘Even with the Vampire effect active, I still can’t see anything?’
What was this?
Was this space truly only darkness?
Even the princess—who had entered hand-in-hand with him—was nowhere to be seen.
For a while, he stood alone on the cold stone floor, until an unfamiliar voice began to echo in his mind.
— Who are you?
The voice rang through his skull like a divine echo, reverberating through the void with a grandeur so vast it could be mistaken for the voice of a god.
The mysterious voice continued.
— This is the first ti an outsider has set foot in this place. I shall ask again: who are you? Your answer will determine your fate.
Su-ho imdiately understood this wasn’t so disembodied narration—it was directed at him.
So he answered without hesitation.
“I am the knight who escorted the princess here.”
— This place is ant solely for royalty. Even knights who serve them have never been permitted entry.
“She granted permission. That’s the only reason I ca in.”
— I see. Then why is it only you and the princess who have co? Do you not know what this place is?
“No, I don’t. I only brought the princess here because I needed a safe place for her to hide.”
— Hide?
“Yes. Right now, foreign invaders have breached the palace itself. To make matters worse, the princess is the only surviving mber of the royal family.”
— ......
Su-ho calmly laid out the situation.
The voice fell silent.
And Su-ho patiently waited, knowing instinctively that this mont was the crux of a linked quest.
‘The fact that this is a boss room proves it’s the highlight.’
Gates ca in countless forms, and likewise, boss rooms took on many faces.
For example, the “Swamp of Despair,” made of endless death stairs, or the “Fire, Steel, and Hamr” stage with massive Fire Dwarves swinging giant mallets—those rooms didn’t even contain boss monsters.
In other words, not every gate required a boss monster to conclude it.
In his previous life, the Palace of the Moon had been cleared simply by escaping with the princess—no combat, no boss.
But now, a new linked quest had triggered—one that didn’t exist in his past life—and instead of an attack, the boss room had begun with a conversation.
‘This kind of gate requires you to follow the narrative through dialogue—to respond in the direction the system wants.’
Then it happened.
Fwaash!
A path unfolded before Su-ho’s eyes.
It shimred like mist, tinged with a mystical teal hue, and at its center, smoke rose and began to take on human form.
— What is your na?
It was the voice from before.
Su-ho answered clearly.
“My na is Henry.”
— I see. Your words have been verified. You are indeed the last knight of this kingdom.
As he spoke, the mist thickened around the figure.
Armor materialized around his body. A helt encased his entire head, and in one hand, he gripped a massive sword shaped like a cross—taller than himself.
— My na is Hex. I am the knight who has protected this Palace of the Moon for generations.
And then a na card appeared above his head.
— Hex, Knight of the Moon Lv.???
The level remained hidden.
But the appearance of a na card ant one thing—this was an opponent to fight.
Hex continued speaking.
— Thanks to you, I have learned that our kingdom now stands on the brink of extinction. Thus, as a knight who has guarded it since its founding, I offer this proposal to you, the kingdom’s final knight.
“What sort of proposal?”
— If you are worthy, I would like to pass on my power to you—for the sake of our kingdom’s future and its honor. This power has only ever been inherited by mbers of the royal family. Never has it been passed to an outsider.
Su-ho’s eyes glead.
‘This is...!’
It was unmistakable.
A Trait Quest.
Just like the “Hercules Candidate” quest before—this was another opportunity to gain a unique trait.
His heart pounded.
Because not only was this a Trait Quest, but also, he had never once heard the keyword “Knight of the Moon” before.
‘This is an unknown power even to .’
And that ant he had to claim it no matter what.
The system only revealed what it intended to be known. If even he, who had practically morized the ga’s chanics, hadn’t heard of this, it ant this was an extrely rare and difficult-to-obtain ability.
All the more reason to stay calm and focused.
“What happens if I’m not worthy?”
— Then it will mark the end of the royal line.
Hex answered with quiet sorrow, as if accepting the inevitable.
Fair enough.
What future could there be for sothing that couldn't be protected?
‘Just like I was in the past.’
So Su-ho accepted.
There was no need to ask what the risks were.
No thought even crossed his mind to ask.
Failure was simply not a word in Su-ho’s vocabulary.
He nodded.
“I understand. I accept.”
Hex smiled at the resolute answer.
— Hmph. You truly are a worthy final knight. No hesitation. No petty questions. I see now why the princess entrusted you with this place. Very well. Since you have accepted, I shall now tell you what being worthy ans.
He swung his sword once.
Teal smoke erupted around them, and the ground transford into a vast stone arena.
[Hex, Knight of the Moon, is testing you.]
[A Linked Quest has been generated.]
[Guardian - 3]
— Grade: S
**# The princess has placed her trust in you and brought you to the royal sanctuary.
Hex entrusts you with the royal family’s final hope.
Earn his recognition and beco the new Knight of the Moon.
If you lose to Hex, the quest will fail, and the gate will automatically close.**
A new linked quest had triggered.
Its na: Guardian - 3.
Its grade had risen from A to S.
‘Each stage of this chain raises the grade.’
That could only an one thing.
This wasn’t the end of the chain.
‘But to find out, I have to complete the third quest first.’
Su-ho relaxed.
The final line of the quest gave him peace of mind.
‘If I win, great. If I lose, no loss. So I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.’
He had expected this duel with Hex the mont he saw the na card.
And sure enough—
[A Boss Monster has appeared.]
Another system alert appeared.
Right after, Hex spoke.
— I hope you are stronger than . In that spirit, I shall grant you ti to prepare yourself.
“Ti to prepare?”
— I want to see you at your best. So don’t hold back—rest as much as you need.
“Well, in that case...”
What a considerate boss monster.
Su-ho was grateful.
He imdiately sat down and began ungijo-sik—his energy circulation technique.
[Movent Energy Technique is activating.]
He had barely any mana left after using Weaken against Gwaeslam.
He’d been wondering when to recover it—and now the ga had handed [N O V E L I G H T] him the perfect setup.
After fully recovering his mana, Su-ho began casting his buffs.
[Blessing is activating.]
[Holy Enchant is activating.]
[Mana Perception is activating.]
[Endurance is activating.]
[Enhancent is activating.]
[Eye of the Blacksmith is activating.]
Once fully prepared, Su-ho spoke.
“I’m ready now.”
— Then let us begin.
Hex, who had been silently waiting, lifted his sword.
And gave a short cough.
— Hrm!
[Hex, Knight of the Moon, uses Boss Monster-grade Fear.]
[Dragon Blood is activating.]
[Due to the Dragon Mind effect of Dragon Blood, Fear is nullified.]
With a single cough, Hex had released a boss-level Fear.
But it was no ordinary fear.
It didn’t damage the eardrums, nor did it shake the air.
Instead, teal smoke radiated from his body, blanketing the area.
‘As expected from a guardian knight—his Fear is on another level.’
There were many kinds of Fear, and their grades varied just as widely.
Loud, disruptive Fear wasn’t always the strongest.
In fact, scream-based Fear was a double-edged sword—it immobilized the user during the scream.
Short-action Fear like Hex’s was far more effective.
‘Guess I should return the favor.’
Su-ho cast Weaken on Hex.
[Weaken is activating.]
Hex smirked.
— An interesting power you wield.
“You’re not bad yourself, Sir Knight.”
— Good. Then let’s see what you’re truly capable of.
With that, Hex lunged forward with a thunderous stomp.
Boom!
He closed the gap in an instant and swung his sword.
Vwooong!
The massive sword, shaped like a cross, moved like a halberd or giant club.
Su-ho instantly summoned his Blood Weapon and t the attack head-on.
Clang!!
The force was trendous.
Truly worthy of the kingdom’s guardian knight.
Su-ho could say for certain—of all the opponents he’d faced since returning, this one had the most raw power.
But raw power wasn’t what concerned Su-ho.
He knew plenty of ways to beat strength.
What surprised him more was sothing else entirely—
The weak point marker.
Whenever Su-ho used his buffs, Eye of the Blacksmith activated automatically.
And that skill always highlighted the enemy’s weaknesses in red.
But on Hex?
There were none.
‘Yeah... a boss monster with both a Trait Quest and a linked quest should be this tough.’
‘Like I ever relied on weak points anyway.’
Clang!
Su-ho exploded with strength and pushed Hex’s sword aside.
Then, one beat faster, he swung his own blade.
[Steel Severance is activating.]
[Enhancent is applied.]
[The power of Steel Severance increases significantly.]
Whoosh!
The timing was perfect.
Not a half-beat—but a full beat faster.
He’d read Hex’s movent perfectly and drove his sword into his body.
But—
Clang!!
A harsh tallic clang.
The white and red arc of the Blood Sword halted at Hex’s armor.
His blade couldn’t cut through it.
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