Novel Full Chapter 46: The Dark Sentinels, Full Storage Space!
Chapter 46: Chapter 46: The Dark Sentinels, Full Storage Space!
Several monsters began to emerge from the dark fog once more, their silhouettes forming long before their bodies became clear.
The ground trembled as they rushed toward [Hub City] for the second time, their footsteps heavy and synchronized, far more disciplined than the chaotic charge of the shadow wolves from before.
There were thousands of them.
But unlike the first wave, these monsters did not move like beasts driven purely by instinct.
They advanced in loose formations, weapons in hand, eyes glowing with a dull, oppressive light.
Even from a distance, it was obvious that these enemies were on an entirely different level.
Leon immediately activated [Appraisal].
—
[Dark Sentinel]
[Level: 13]
[Combat Power: 7,000]
[Details: Humanoid soldiers born from darkness and shadow.]
—
The moment the panel appeared, the mood among the players shifted.
A combat power of 7,000 was no joke. For most of the people who had barely survived the first wave, this was already beyond their limits.
Panic spread quickly, and within seconds, over fifty percent of the players who had fought the shadow wolves began to retreat.
Some ran back toward the city gates. Others simply stopped fighting altogether, choosing to stay far behind the frontline and hope that stronger players would handle everything.
Those who stayed were the confident ones. Talents from intermediate and high-level worlds.
People who understood that this was a [Nightmare] difficulty event and had accepted the risks the moment they decided to stay.
Leon and Emilia were among them. Neither of them moved back even a single step.
“This is more like it,” Leon muttered, watching the sentinels approach.
As the first [Dark Sentinel] reached him, its shadow-forged blade swung down with surprising speed. Leon met it head-on.
Slash!
His sword cut cleanly through the sentinel’s torso, the dark body splitting apart before dissolving into smoke.
Leon raised an eyebrow slightly. “…Yeah. That’s about what I expected.”
Even without Emilia’s [Strength Buff], his attacks were already more than enough to deal with enemies of this level.
The buff was still appreciated, of course, and it would make a real difference once stronger monsters appeared, but for now, he didn’t need it to dominate.
Beside him, Emilia didn’t waste time either.
Divine energy gathered at her scepter as she fired beams into the advancing ranks, her attacks tearing through multiple sentinels at once.
“Finding more support spells is my priority,” she said while fighting, her tone calm despite the chaos. “If I can stack buffs properly, I’ll be able to support you far more efficiently.”
Leon nodded as he cleaved through another sentinel. “My talent will make that easier.”
He already had several plans forming in his mind.
Certain monsters, certain regions, even specific dungeons were known to drop support-type spells.
And if luck didn’t favor him, he could always buy them.
While cutting down enemies, Leon opened the [Trading House] mid-battle, his movements smooth and practiced. He filtered the listings, searching specifically for support spells.
The results made his eye twitch.
[Speed Buff (Uncommon Lv.1): 50,000 Eternal Coins.]
“…Absolutely not.”
The price was absurd. Even for an uncommon spell, the demand was high enough to drive costs through the roof. Leon closed the interface with a faint sigh.
For now, he was broke. Still, that wouldn’t last forever.
The items he was acquiring were in high demand, and once he sold them, he would be swimming in Eternal Coins.
Until then, he’d simply have to work with what he had.
Powerful Fireball!
A blazing explosion erupted in the middle of the sentinel ranks, instantly wiping out a cluster of them.
Their defenses were better than the wolves’, but they still couldn’t withstand Leon’s magic.
After everything he and Emilia had gone through in the [Undead Temple] on [Hard] difficulty, enemies like this were well within expectations.
Ding!
[You have killed x25 “Dark Sentinels” and gained 1,865 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered. Items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
[You have obtained 50 Points.]
Leon glanced at the notifications. “Looks like these ones actually drop items.”
He quickly noticed another important detail. The sentinels were worth significantly more points than the shadow wolves. Double, in fact.
That made sense. As monsters became stronger and fewer players were willing to fight, the system compensated by increasing point rewards. High risk, high reward.
Then another familiar chime echoed.
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 13!]
[Due to “Heaven’s Blessing”, you have gained 100 points in all attributes and 100 free points to distribute.]
“Nice.”
Leon could feel the increase immediately. His body felt lighter, stronger, more responsive. Leveling up during an event like this was ideal, especially with his talent amplifying the gains.
Still, he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he checked the items he had acquired.
[Dark Sentinel Essence x12: Consuming increases Strength by 5.]
[Dark Sentinel Armor x13 (Rare): +350 Defense, +300 Constitution, -50 Agility. Requirement: At least one darkness-based skill, trait, or sub-talent.]
Leon whistled softly. He had obtained a ridiculous number of armors already.
These weren’t items he planned to wear. Instead, they were perfect fuel.
He consumed all twelve essences without hesitation, feeling a surge of power ripple through him as his Strength increased by sixty points.
Then he went back to work.
Slash! Slash!
Another sentinel fell. And another.
The dark soldiers kept advancing, but none of them could stop Leon’s momentum.
Each kill made him stronger, and with Emilia covering his sides, their position remained unbreakable.
Eventually, another system message appeared.
Ding!
[Your “Storage Space” is full. Please free space or pay 10,000 Eternal Coins to add 10 slots.]
“Damn it,” Leon muttered.
This was exactly why Eternal Coins were so important.
His talent relied entirely on items being sent to his [Storage Space]. Without space, the effects were interrupted.
And right after that, something else caught his attention.
The next sentinel he killed did not trigger the familiar drop-rate notification. No [100% Drop Rate has triggered].
Leon’s eyes narrowed. ’So that’s the limitation.’
If his storage was full, the talent couldn’t activate properly. It wasn’t a big issue, but it was something he had to manage carefully.
“Cover me for a moment,” Leon said.
Emilia immediately nodded. “Got it.”
She stepped forward, unleashing [Divine Beam] and waves of [Spectral Flames], holding the sentinels back as Leon focused on his inventory.
He consumed every remaining essence first.
[+75 Strength.]
Then he moved on to the armors. He had fifty-six [Dark Sentinel Armors].
Without hesitation, he began fusing them.
Fwish!
Ding!
[You have consumed two identical equipment… enhancement successful!]
Ding!
[You have consumed two identical equipment… enhancement failed!]
Again. And again.
Most enhancements failed, but Leon didn’t care. He kept going, methodically reducing the pile.
After about a minute, he was left with twelve [Dark Sentinel Armor +2].
He continued.
Ding!
Crack!
Failures stacked up, but eventually, he succeeded. Three [Dark Sentinel Armor +3].
“Done?” Emilia shouted, firing another spell as the pressure increased.
Leon looked up and grinned. “Yeah.”
He closed his interface and surged forward again.
Powerful Fireball! Slash!
The sentinels fell once more, unable to regain momentum.
An entire hour passed like this, the battlefield slowly clearing as the remaining players worked together, pushing through exhaustion and danger.
Unlike the shadow wolves, these enemies fought back fiercely. They coordinated, blocked, and counterattacked. Still, one by one, they fell.
Leon continued consuming essences and fusing armors nonstop, keeping his storage manageable while growing stronger at an absurd pace.
And then, the hour ended.
Ding!
[The Third Wave of the “Shadow Horde” is coming.]
Only thirty minutes remained. Leon checked the leaderboard briefly.
—
[Event Leaderboard:]
[1. Celestial – 660 Points]
[2. MightyElf – 532 Points]
[3. Saintess – 501 Points]
…
—
He and Emilia were dominating the event. Even with elites from countless worlds present, they stood above nearly everyone else.
Another notification appeared.
Ding!
[+390 Strength.]
Leon exhaled slowly.
His Strength had skyrocketed.
[Strength: 1,430 (+681)]
It had passed the thousand mark long ago and kept climbing.
He could feel it in every movement, every swing of his sword.
An event like this, filled with endless enemies, was the perfect stage for his talent.
Just as he was about to examine the upgraded armor—
ROOOAR!
A thunderous roar shook the battlefield, freezing players in place.
From the depths of the fog, something massive began to emerge.
And Leon knew, without a doubt, that the final wave had arrived.