Boom!

Raven's foot smashed through the final door at the end of the burning river of flames, his body covered in burns from the second trial, bloody cuts and bruises from the first; something about this strange place in the dungeon inhibited his passive healing and regeneration.

He didn't care about where this was, his power tearing the door off its hinges as it blasted across the room, smashing into countless kneeling dolls all motionless, kneeling towards a man sitting on a small throne, a greatsword in his hand.

'Who is this fucker? One of the people who made me see that shit?'

Stepping forward, his black hooves tapping on the black stone.

The room was a large oval, with seats and upper balconies as if this place was some auditorium or nobles' meeting room.

Raven didn't care; his eyes were dark, the neon blue now faint and dim, a black and crackling lightning sometimes flickering from them, his huge axe dragging along the floor, crushing, destroying the intricate floor, with beautiful patterns, how old might it be?

It was now ruined.

As he approached within ten feet of the man on the dais, Raven noticed an odd pattern etched onto the floor around him: The man wore thick black armour, his body seemed to be huge, maybe more than 7ft and thick, with stocky size not a slim man. His hair had been shaved bald except for one long braid down his back, which flowed out behind like a tail. He also sported two swords hanging by their sheaths over each shoulder.

A silver mask hid his face, but Raven knew what kind of person he looked upon even without seeing those glowing red eyes under the helmet.

"You are the challenger?" A hoarse voice, sounding like it came from the depths of hell itself.

"Heh."

Raven merely swung his axe, the wind blowing the room as it slammed onto his muscular shoulders.

"And what?"

The black Knight on the throne tilted his head, leaning against his left palm, stroking his huge greatsword with the right.historical

"It seems our youngest member is rather naive and ignorant when it comes to etiquette and respect; let me, Griswald, your senior teach you how to act as a prospective Dread knight."

Clang!

The loud sound of his metal armour buckling as the huge male stood on the dais.

He stepped forward, holding his huge sword with one hand while pushing down the visor on his black-plated helmet, covering the silver mask.

Each step caused the entire room to reverberate, as the dolls all lowered their posture as if welcoming the coming of a king, despite it being a mere knight level.

"Take up your stance, boy. Otherwise, I will end your life here."

A sudden sense of danger filled Raven's body as he lowered his hips and rushed forward, the anger not too strong. It completely took over his mind.

His massive axe sliced through the air, attempting to slice apart the black plate armour but missed before clanging loudly again and, once more, cutting deep into the stone beneath the dais, making the whole structure tremble slightly.

Griswald raised his greatsword above his head, swinging it downwards, catching Raven squarely in mid-stride, sending him flying backwards.

Falling heavily on his ass, blood flowing freely from several wounds already opened on his chest and stomach.

"Is this your best? Well..."

"Not like we can expect much from a filthy orc."

Another blow landed, hitting Raven so hard that it sent him sailing clear across the arena, slamming into another wall, with dust and stone exploding from the area he impacted.

'Calm down, Raven; this isn't an enemy I can beat with pure power. He insulted you, insulted your mother! Let's crush him with the intellect and knowledge Mother gave us!'

"You still stand? A tough or, at least..."

Griswald stepped off the dais, his steps loud, a powerful aura constantly slowing Raven's body each time he approached; there was something strange that Raven realised on the second strike; it wasn't that Griswald surpassed him completely; it was like he moved at a fraction of his speed whenever within 2 metres...

'DREAD AURA!? He's using the same skill... but it seems passive!'

"Phew... big talk from a man too fearful of wounds he hides behind a steel coffin."

"Folly, don't try to engage me in mental batt..."

Bang!

A huge rock smashed into the sternum of Griswald, his body stumbling back, as Raven's Axe cleaved across his body, the strike aimed for his neck, but the Dread Knight managed to pull away thanks to his superior dread aura.

"Ugh..! FILTHY LOW-BORN!"

Raven wasn't finished; his knee was flung forward, smashing the hand grabbing the greatsword, as the metal gauntlets bent in a strange direction, causing Griswald to stumbled again, his metal armour rattling, before he smashed Raven into the distance with his brutal punch, landing directly in Raven's chest.

'Mother's favourite phrase, never relent! Always combo attack!'

With his next swing, he threw his axe straight upwards, splitting the ceiling as well as the stone flooring underneath, raining stones and dust down on Griswald below, huge black streams of crackling thunder destroying the roof and dais, as the dread knight became irate, his sword slicing the flesh of Raven's arms with a heavy swing across his body, blood spurting from his deep wounds.

Only the giant figure stood tall when the impact stopped, looking at Raven with cold, calculating eyes.

"Well then, little beast," Griswald said, stepping forwards, "I shall show you just how weak your pathetic tricks are."

"Fuck you! I'll show you the fighting spirit of an orc warrior!"

Raven's bloody body stood up, his muscular body on display; thankfully, the broken armour would repair in 24 hours; he paid extra for the body suit to repair itself and cleaned once every 12 hours! So handy.

His vision was blurry; the axe in his hand felt heavy, and the trickle of blood from his wounds was like small lakes leaving the mountain named Raven.

But he refused to fall.

No matter how many times he got hit. No matter how badly he was beaten, he'd fight until death.

So he charged ahead, taking three more strikes from his opponent, throwing punches wildly, only to get caught by the mighty hands of Griswald.

They both fell to the ground together, rolling around on the floor, grunting, growling and snarling, punching and kicking, trying to break free.

Suddenly, they rolled aside, falling outside the arena, crashing through the doors and shattering them, breaking the glass panes.

Both men rose to their knees, panting, breathing heavily.

After a moment, Griswald spoke.

"Now, young orc, tell me why you think yourself worthy of my position as a Dread knight."

"WHAT KIND OF KNIGHT FIGHTS LIKE AN ANIMAL!"

Griswalds voice caused the entire room to shudder as his sword jangled, pointing towards Raven's bloodied chest.

"Fuck your way to fight!"

"IF I WIN, I WIN! WHO CARES HOW UNSIGHTLY!"

Black shadows began to swirl around his body, forming a strange form

[Unlocked New Talent]

[Dread Mantle]

His body was wrapped in an eerie black mist that formed a long cape, with sleeves wrapped around his arms hand hands, the powerful claws.

"Your weakness is revealed. You have no honour." Griswald spat out, lifting his blade high.

"Don't underestimate me because of my way of life, asshole."

He launched himself off the floor, his boots striking Griswolds head, sending his body flying, but Raven grabbed the man's arm, smashing him onto the ground as his sharp claws pierced the Knight's black armour like cheese.

Bang!

His muscles bulged as he tightened his body to swing the 7ft giant over his head, slamming him into the ground, crushing and breaking the beautiful stone tiles, ruining this arena, a blissful look on his face as the black mantle formed countless sharp spears, all piercing the Knight's body, over and over, blood began to ooze from the body of Griswald.

Raven didn't care; his tail began to coil around the man's neck, holding him off the ground as it tightened around his airway.

"So, Knight. Is honour worth more than your life? More than the life of your most valued people?"

The spear points tore open Griswald's torso, revealing his insides, turning the armoured plates inside out. Blood poured forth, filling the cracks between the floors.

"What do you know of honour?! My father died defending his family, protecting mine from the orcs! Do you understand that? Orc scum killed them, murdered them! They should die! Every last fucking one of them! And if they refuse to obey me, I'll kill them myself!"

Raven roared at the disgusting words of Griswald, releasing his hold on Griswald's neck as his body was sent flying through the air. At the same time, Raven used his dread aura; dashing forward, he grabbed his axe that was buried in the formed throne before swinging down with all his power, both arms filled with writhing muscles and veins as he sliced through Griswalds back, pinning his body against the throne's walls.

There was nothing left of Griswald but a pile of guts and organs, the smell almost unbearable.

He turned to find the dolls now watching him in silence; their fake eye became wide as they watched him, some shaking in fear, others laughing nervously.

"What are you looking at? Get on the floor!" Raven snarled, yanking the axe from the gooey mess of the former Dread Knight Griswald.

Suddenly, loud clangs sounded, the floor now filled with over 50 silver armoured dolls, all pushing their faces into the ground as if worshipping Raven, as he stood bathed in the sunlight that started to shower from the roof above before that annoying voice sounded.

"Oh, Wondrous Dread, Knight of passion and fury! Thou hast defeated thy brother and become the lowest seat knight!"

"We welcome thee, Lord Alistair Granbell 1st! As the 13th Dread Knight! Lord of the damned and fiery lake of regret!"

Raven didn't care about the voice; he watched as the entire room began to change; the floor became marble, the throne pure black, with a huge wolf for the backrest with two paws for his armrests; slowly, he sat down on the throne, his body exhausted, as finally, he felt something... something inside him cracked.

Not only did he defeat this stupid Knight and have his class upgraded, but he also broke through the third gate.

'Status...' A tired thought, as his axe slipped from his hand, only to hover into the slot beside his throne... somehow, he felt cool.

-> Alistair "Raven" Granbell

-> "Chimera of Black Storm." "Monster of Endless Hunger."

-> Chimera (Manticore / High Orc)

-> Age 28 (Visually 21)

-> Blood Type O-Z1

->Level: 27

-> Class: Dread Knight (Lord of the 13th Seat)

-> Experience: 50/270

-> Cultivation: The Twelve Gates Of Bliss (Manticore Only)

-> Cultivation Realm: Gate 3 [Gateway of the Body]

-> Cultivation Stage: Stage 1

-> Credits: 3750 (1180 Lilith's Pocket Money)

Strength: 9,5

Agility: 6.2

Stamina: 8.3

Vitality: 8.6

Intellect: 4.8

Wisdom: 4.9

<-->

Manticore's Heart (Passive) [Level 3]

Increases Vitality and Stamina regeneration at all times, creating the perfect mate for a female Manticore.

Shadow Strike [Level 6]

Dash towards an enemy and brutalise them with a dark cleaving double strike, causing heavy shadow damage, ignoring defence.

It can be used three times per cast!

3-second cooldown

Dread Aura [Level 4]

Cause fear to all enemies around you, slowing their actions for 4 seconds.

The caster takes reduced damage for 10 seconds after the fear ends; once this effect ends, all damage taken is doubled for 5 seconds.

10-second cooldown

No cost

Dread Mantle [Level 1]

You are the Lord of Dread; this mantle is your own; nobody can take this from you!

Grant's the user a protective cloak of gloom that can cover the entire body at the cost of a rapid drain of willpower and stamina.

It can also be used to attack the enemy when all is lost, trust in yourself!

No Cooldown

-

'So that's why I am so fucking exhausted...'

"Haa...Haa...."

He wondered how he could return home; a moment before the thought entered his mind, knowledge flooded his head, causing his nose to bleed before he could even check the changes in his body thanks to breaking into the Gate of the Body!