Doungoun of Gluttony - Round 2

As soon as the last knight stepped forward, the air in the dungeon turned heavier. Their golden armor shimmered like miniature suns, and their swords hummed with divine energy.

Lan Tian tightened his grip on his sword. Something about these guys felt different. Stronger. Smarter. Deadlier.

Then, without warning—

WHOOSH!

One knight vanished from sight.

Lan Tian barely had time to react before—CLANG!—a blade came crashing down toward him! He leaped back just in time, the sheer force of the strike sending a shockwave through the ground.

"Damn, they're fast!"

Before he could counter—

—BOOM!—

A sudden explosion of energy erupted from the side!

Ma Suho was already struggling. Two knights had ganged up on him, their movements perfectly synchronized.

His four-armed armored beast barely blocked one strike before the second knight's sword pierced straight through its shoulder!

"Urgh—damn it!" Ma Suho gritted his teeth and jumped back. His beast growled, trying to shake off the damage, but it was clear—it couldn't take many more hits.

The second knight turned toward him, its golden blade gleaming in the dim dungeon light.

Then it vanished.

Oh no.

Ma Suho barely had time to blink before—

SLASH!

A cut appeared on his cheek. He didn't even see it move!

"You bastard!" He summoned his second creature—his bird, a massive eagle with razor-sharp wings.

"Buy me some time!"

The bird let out a screech and charged, engaging the knights in a fierce mid-air battle.

Meanwhile…

Lan Tian dodged another strike from his opponent. This time, he didn't retreat.

He parried. Countered. Slashed.

The knight blocked each strike, but it was slowing down.

Lan Tian smirked. "Sneaky, how long does the poison take?"

Sneaky, perched on his shoulder, flicked its tail. "Depends. But this one? Five more seconds."

The knight lunged again—but its body wobbled.

Lan Tian took his chance.

SWOOSH! His sword glowed with telekinetic force, extending its reach. One clean slash—and the knight's arm flew off!

Before it could recover, Sneaky coiled around its legs and squeezed, injecting another dose of venom straight into its core.

"Three… two… one…"

The knight froze.

Lan Tian's smirk widened. "Game over."

One final strike—and the knight shattered into golden fragments.

But—

Before Lan Tian could celebrate, he felt a chill run down his spine.

His eyes darted toward—

Uncle Shin.

Uncle Shin had been holding his own, but his opponent was different.

Bigger. Bulkier. Slower—but impossibly strong.

Uncle Shin had dodged the first few attacks, but then—

BOOM!

The knight's sword smashed into the ground, and the impact alone sent Uncle Shin flying backward!

His back slammed into the dungeon wall. CRACK! The stone behind him shattered.

"Ugh—! Damn it…" He groaned, his entire body aching.

The knight stepped forward, slowly, raising its blade for the finishing blow.

Uncle Shin gritted his teeth. No way in hell am I dying like this.

Then—

"Uncle Shin, MOVE!"

Lan Tian's voice snapped him out of it.

A second later—

—WHAM!—

Sneaky's telekinetic force slammed into the knight, sending it stumbling backward!

Lan Tian rushed to his side. "You good?"

Uncle Shin coughed. "I've been better…"

He wiped the blood from his lip, then smirked. "Alright. Time for me to stop playing around."

His wolf spirit merged into his body, and his eyes flashed with silver light.

With newfound strength, he charged.

Meanwhile, Ma Suho was still struggling. His summons were injured, and he was panting.

His eagle had managed to clip one knight's wing, but the other was still coming at him full speed.

"Enough of this," Ma Suho growled. He placed his hand on the ground.

"Time to bring out my trump card."

A third summon appeared—

A shadowy tiger with piercing red eyes.

It roared, its body flickering in and out of existence.

Then—it pounced.

The knight swung its sword, but the tiger phased through it like smoke—then reformed behind it.

One powerful bite—and the knight's entire head was ripped off!

The second knight turned to strike—

But Ma Suho was already behind it.

SLASH!

One clean cut, and it crumbled to dust.

Lan Tian, Uncle Shin, and Ma Suho regrouped. The last knight—the juggernaut—was still standing.

Heavily damaged. But still alive.

Lan Tian and Ma Suho exchanged glances.

"Together?"

"Together."

Lan Tian raised his sword.

Ma Suho summoned his flaming spear.

Sneaky coiled around Lan Tian's arm, ready to inject one final dose of venom.

And Uncle Shin, still catching his breath, grinned. "Let's finish this, boys."

The knight charged.

They charged back.

BOOM!

A final explosion of power shook the entire dungeon—

And when the dust cleared…

The last knight was gone.

Lan Tian exhaled. "That… was insane."

Ma Suho wiped the sweat from his brow. "You're telling me."

Uncle Shin just lay on the ground, wheezing. "I need… ten minutes."

Suddenly—

DING!

[ Lan Tian has leveled up to 25! ]

[ Uncle Shin has leveled up to 23! ]

[ Sneaky has leveled up to 19 after consuming a Spirit Stone! ]

Ma Suho frowned. "Wait. What about me?"

No notification.

He blinked.

"What the hell?! I did so much work, and I don't even get a level up?!"

Lan Tian patted his shoulder. "Life is unfair."

Uncle Shin snorted. "Welcome to my world."

Ma Suho sighed in frustration. "Whatever. Let's just—"

Before he could finish—

Sneaky, perched on Lan Tian's shoulder, muttered, "By the way… what the hell does 'let's rock' even mean?"

Everyone fell silent.

Ma Suho blinked. "…Huh?"

Sneaky tilted its head. "We weren't even fighting rocks."

Uncle Shin burst into laughter.

Lan Tian sighed. "Sneaky… just… stop."