"Wait for me here," Kenley uttered. Subsequently, with a triple jump, he deftly leaped up to the aperture.

  "Master!" Tia voiced her concern.

  Upon reaching the aperture, Kenley swept his gaze across the environment within the tunnel. He failed to spot the mysterious figure, and the Ring of Life detected no signs of life either, indicating that the mysterious individual was not within a fifty - meter radius.

  Kenley turned back to Tia and said, "Do not fret. I shall conduct an investigation and return shortly. Remember my words. Regardless of how the Black Sheep Knight attacks, you must maintain the maximum distance, and let Knight Daina draw the enemy's attention."

  To be frank, with Daina present, Kenley harbored no concerns about any untoward incidents befalling them. Firstly, Daina boasted a substantial amount of health. Moreover, it was evident that the Abbey of Rest differed somewhat from its in - game counterpart. For one, the Black Sheep Knight did not rigidly adhere to the fixed rules as it did in the game.

  He was like a genuine knight in the real world. Owing to the chivalric spirit, he was fully engaged in a fierce battle with Daina and seemed to have no interest whatsoever in the other enemies in the vicinity. This was precisely why Kenley felt at ease to embark on his exploration. Additionally, having grouped up with the others, Kenley could clearly observe their status through the in - game interface. He would be immediately alerted to any unusual activity, a highly convenient feature.

  "Understood, but master, you should also exercise caution." Once Tia was reassured, Kenley then proceeded along the secret passageway.

  "Very well, rest assured."

  Waving his hand, Kenley groped his way into the secret passage.

  The secret passage was precisely tall enough for one person and wide enough for two, allowing Kenley to walk through it without feeling cramped. After walking for approximately ten seconds, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

  Kenley let out a soft exclamation of surprise, for he discovered that, according to the map, he had indeed entered the bell tower area of the Abbey of Rest. This was truly intriguing.

  He vividly recalled that some players, after acquiring the ability to fly in the late game, had specifically mounted flying dragons and employed flying magic to reach the bell tower for investigation, yet they had found nothing.

  Presumably, they had not anticipated that the true entrance to the bell tower was concealed on the ceiling of the Silent Corridor...

  Inside the bell tower was a spiral staircase arranged in a "hui" - shaped pattern, ascending layer by layer. Numerous gears were in constant motion, and the rhythmic ticking of the pointers could be heard intermittently.

  He lowered his head and observed that the end of the staircase was quickly visible, and there was nothing remarkable there. Then, raising his head, he beheld interlaced gears and iron chains, giving the place a distinctly mechanical ambiance.

  "Strange. Where has that mysterious figure vanished to?" The design within the bell tower was clearly discernible. Although there were some blind spots in the field of vision, it was still possible to obtain a general overview, making it difficult for anyone to remain hidden.

  Kenley ascended the staircase. Just then, a series of bell chimes suddenly resounded from within the bell tower.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Was it the appointed hour? The bell sound was rather harsh. Perhaps due to his being inside the bell tower, the sound was amplified many times over.

  Kenley rubbed his ears and glanced up and down once more. Apart from the operating machinery and gears, he found nothing else. Although he was curious about the mysterious figure that had disappeared earlier, considering the current situation of Tia and the others, he deemed it prudent to return first. Any unforeseen accident could prove disastrous.

  Although the bell tower had not been fully explored, he already knew its exact location. He could always return to investigate after clearing the Abbey of Rest.

  With this in mind, Kenley decided to retrace his steps. Lingering any longer would likely give rise to unexpected changes.

  Just as Kenley was about to step back into the secret passage, the singing female voice grew distinctly clearer.

  Kenley halted his steps and turned back to listen intently.

  Was the sound emanating from the base of the bell tower?

  Kenley immediately approached the staircase and bent down to peer downwards, yet, as before, he saw nothing.

  "Could there be a hidden passage at the base of the tower?" Kenley furrowed his brow.

  Descending from this point, even at the fastest pace, would take at least several minutes. The battlefield was in a state of constant flux, and several minutes could significantly impact the situation. Oh well, it was better to return first and investigate later once the matter was resolved.

  When Kenley reemerged from the secret passage, Tia heaved a sigh of relief.

  "Master, you're back." Tia smiled sweetly.

  "I discovered that someone was monitoring us in the secret passage earlier, so I pursued them. Unfortunately, the culprit managed to escape," Kenley explained to the group.

  "I see. Could it be someone left behind by the Black Sheep Heresy to keep watch over us?" Fess posited his conjecture.

  "I'm not certain. This place is, after all, the secret stronghold of the Black Sheep Society. They deliberately employed the threshold enchantment to prevent those of excessive strength from intruding and conducting investigations. Now that this place has been exposed, it's not surprising that they might engage in some peculiar covert activities." Kenley shook his head.

  "Incidentally, how is Knight Daina faring?" Kenley turned around.

  "The Black Sheep Knight appears to be fatigued," Fess indicated with a nod.

  "Fatigued?" Kenley regarded the Black Sheep Knight with a puzzled expression.

  Appraise!

  [Leader · The Black Sheep Knight · Erdo]

  [hp: 10781/37332]

  It had been less than two minutes, and Erdo had already lost such a substantial amount of health?! Initially, according to his expectations, it would have taken at least half an hour for the two of them to whittle down each other's health. Yet, he had not anticipated that Daina possessed such formidable strength.

  Upon closer reflection, it was not entirely implausible. Firstly, at level 55, Daina was already higher in level than the Black Sheep Knight, exerting a level advantage. Moreover, Daina was outfitted with a set of high - quality equipment and wielded the Heritage King's Sword · Condemnation, ensuring a considerable level of damage output.

  Furthermore, Daina possessed numerous skill combinations that he had never witnessed before. She surely had an effective strategy for dealing with the Black Sheep Knight.

  Glancing at Daina again, he noted that her health had only decreased by a little over 3000 points. In comparison to the Black Sheep Knight, she was indeed handling the situation with relative ease.

  However, Kenley's brows immediately knitted together. Daina was unaware that the Black Sheep Knight had a terrifying wipe - out mechanism. Even with the powerful Condemnation at her disposal, she might not fare well against this mechanism.

  When the Black Sheep Knight's health dropped below 5000, the Black Sheep Knight would trigger the [Black Khorne] skill. This was a large - area self - detonation skill. Moreover, when this skill was in use, the Black Sheep Knight entered a berserk state and was immune to all control skills.

  The terrifying aspect of [Black Khorne] lay in its ability to ignore both magic resistance and physical defense, directly inflicting damage equal to 80% of the current total health on the enemies within its range. It was a skill that deducted health based on a percentage of the total health! Once your health was less than 80% of the total, you would be instantly eliminated!

  Of course, [Black Khorne] was not entirely insurmountable. When the Black Sheep Knight began chanting the incantation for [Black Khorne], six flags would rise up around him, and among these six flags, there would be a weak point. By breaking through that weak point, one could successfully nullify the [Black Khorne] skill.