Lucky Four-Leaf Clover (Tier 1)

Origin: Goddess of Fortune

Description: Grants its holder frequent strokes of minor luck.

For merchants and sailors whose livelihoods depended on fortune, this Divine Artifact was nothing short of a priceless treasure.

What awaits on the next floor? What other desires are buried deep within my subconscious?

Riemann could no longer suppress his greed.

No. Everything should belong to me.

A sharp glint flashed across his eyes before he deliberately put on a solemn expression.

"The battles ahead will only become more difficult. Anyone who wishes to leave may do so now. However, if any ordinary soldiers without extraordinary powers choose to stay until the trial is over, I’ll reward each of them with ten thousand gold coins."

"My lord is truly generous! We’ll stay!"

"With that money, I can live comfortably for the rest of my life."

"After this battle, I’m getting married."

The sailors laughed as they checked their equipment, fastening their shields as tightly as possible and sharpening their blades until they gleamed.

In reality, Riemann’s words were directed at the Twilight Knights and Phield.

"Let’s move. I still want to continue the trial."

Phield snapped his fingers before quietly instructing Tisiana,

"Keep an eye on Riemann’s group. They’re running out of patience."

Riemann had insisted on opening the first treasure chest, claiming the first Divine Artifact. According to their agreed rotation, he would open the 1st, 4th, and 7th chests, while Phield would get the 3rd, 6th, and 9th. Since the quality of the treasure chests clearly increased with each floor, it seemed as though Phield was getting the far better deal.

But how could that possibly be true?

No one was foolish enough to willingly hand over all the valuable rewards.

By opening the first chest, Riemann appeared to be sacrificing long-term profits, yet he had actually secured complete initiative. Whoever opened first controlled the pace and could betray the alliance whenever they wished.

The group didn’t even bother maintaining a proper formation as they casually entered the next level.

Before anyone had time to survey the surroundings, a figure moving faster than the naked eye could follow descended from the sky. One unfortunate sailor was snatched into the air.

The Half-Blood Demon’s claws tore deep into the sailor’s leather armor. Armor that should have been remarkably tough ripped apart as easily as wet paper.

Slash!

The sailor exploded like a smashed watermelon. Blood and mangled flesh rained from above, splattering across the faces of the surrounding sailors.

"Damn it! They’re low-ranking Half-Blood Demons!"

More than a dozen Half-Blood Demons appeared overhead, causing the trial’s difficulty to spike dramatically.

"ROAR! ROAR!"

A tidal wave of Demonkin surged forward, instantly scattering the entire force.

Every direction was filled with Demonkin. Among them were Clawed Demons with long, ape-like arms. Every swing of their claws ripped several sailors apart.

Phield watched one demon’s claws merely graze a sailor’s face.

The sailor’s lower jaw, along with both rows of teeth, was blown clean off. His tongue was shredded into pieces as blood poured from the wound like water from an open faucet.

Chaos erupted instantly.

"I need to fight with my back against a wall."

With no allies nearby to support him, Phield had no intention of being surrounded.

He immediately retreated.

"Tisiana, eliminate every flying enemy. I’ll have Firomina supply you with Divine Power."

"Yes! Divine Skill, Divine Wing Assault!"

Divine Power erupted from Tisiana as the Four-Winged Angel became enveloped in holy light.

In the blink of an eye, she caught up to the swarming Half-Blood Demons. Like a freight train injected with an absurd dose of Compound V, she smashed through them head-on, reducing every demon along her path into clouds of bloody mist.

"Firomina, transfer Divine Power!"

In her Moon Form, Firomina was purely a support unit, possessing the ability to channel Divine Power.

Closing her eyes, The Flawless Moonflower floated from her forehead.

A stream of violet Divine Power linked directly to Tisiana.

"My Divine Power has completely recovered, and my regeneration speed has increased dramatically!"

Tisiana gasped in amazement, instantly regaining her confidence.

She transformed into a streak of white light, darting through the demons as she relentlessly crashed into them.

Only after killing over a hundred Demonkin did Phield finally feel the pressure ease.

The Demonkin were retreating.

Although Demonkin were humans corrupted by demonic energy, leaving them savage and bloodthirsty, they still possessed emotions.

Holy light terrified them.

After suffering overwhelming casualties, their morale collapsed completely, and they fled in every direction.

"So... ever since obtaining the Divine Artifact, the difficulty has clearly increased."

Phield muttered to himself.

Ignoring the fleeing Demonkin, he began searching for the rest of the alliance.

The Twilight Knights were pursuing the retreating monsters.

Farlo calmly stood atop the central stone platform, already waiting for his treasure chest.

As for Riemann’s group...

"Wait... where did they go?!"

Phield’s heart skipped a beat.

He instantly raised his greatsword into a defensive stance.

"Tisiana, fall back!"

Riemann possessed a Divine Chosen capable of making people invisible.

The warship had remained hidden thanks to that very Divine Chosen.

If Phield’s guess was correct, it had to be the Mermaid Divine Chosen.

"Tier Three Divine Skill, Torrential Maelstrom!"

"Tier Three Divine Skill, Surging Tidal Pierce!"

Two Navy Divine Chosen appeared out of thin air.

Protective water shields had already formed around them as they unleashed their strongest Divine Skills without hesitation.

An overwhelming torrent of water-attributed Divine Power surged forward like a descending celestial river.

Fortunately, they weren’t attacking him.

Their true target was the Twilight Knights’ crossbowman.

As long as they eliminated the fragile ranged attacker, no matter how powerful Farlo was, he couldn’t possibly fight so many enemies alone.

Phield let out a long sigh of relief.

"Riemann really is a merchant. He wants to squeeze every last bit of profit out of this."

After obtaining the Divine Artifact and receiving its boost to his luck, Riemann had intended to betray everyone before anyone else could acquire an artifact of their own.

Phield had originally assumed Riemann would wait until the fourth treasure chest, since a Tier One Divine Artifact offered only a modest improvement, while the fourth chest would contain significantly better rewards.

"Heh. Pathetic tricks. Let me show you the true strength of the Twilight Knights."

Farlo didn’t even bother returning to defend his teammate.

He merely sneered.

"Executioner, your turn."

The next moment, one warrior burst out from the ranks of the Twilight Knights.

A massive executioner’s blade flashed into view.

Its icy metallic sheen alone was enough to send chills down everyone’s spine.

"Tier Three Divine Skill, Annihilating Edge."

The Divine Chosen known as the Executioner swung his executioner’s blade in a savage arc.

The violently surging blade aura was so overwhelming that even the residual energy tore the stone floor apart.

The colossal blade aura collided head-on with the Navy Divine Chosen’s Divine Skills.

A deafening metallic explosion rang through the battlefield.

The two Navy Divine Chosen turned pale simultaneously as they were blasted backward.

Even the water shields protecting them shattered instantly.

The chaotic currents of mixed Divine Power instantly killed more than a dozen ordinary soldiers nearby.

With a single thunderous step that echoed like rolling thunder, the Executioner clashed repeatedly with the two Navy Divine Chosen.

The battle reached a complete stalemate.

"What worthless clowns. Two against one with a mermaid providing support, and you still can’t win."

Farlo burst into laughter.

"Fuck! How can his explosive power be this terrifying?!"

Riemann nearly coughed up blood.

Even after having two Mermaid Divine Chosen provide enhancements and launching a surprise attack while hidden, they had still been driven back by a single strike.

His hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Is the gap between naval and land combat really this enormous?"

In the open sea, his Divine Chosen had always ranked among the very strongest.

Yet after coming ashore, they seemed unable to defeat anyone they encountered.