"Ugh... where did you get this old thing?" Evelyn asked.

She knelt on Ethan’s bed, her long, shapely, tanned legs on full display as she helped him into the armor. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

As a mercenary, she had plenty of experience with gear like this, though she had never handled plate quite this heavy before.

"From the same place I got you, pretty, isn’t it?" Ethan smirked, his hand drifting down to settle on the round curve of Evelyn’s shapely butt, steel-clad fingers pressing lightly into the soft flesh beneath.

"Ugh~~ idiot, take off your gauntlets before you touch me, that hurts!" Evelyn gasped as the hard metal dug into her tender skin, the shoulder pads she had been trying to fit slipping from her grasp.

Ethan obeyed without protest. What was the point of touching her if he couldn’t feel her properly, skin against skin?

He stripped the steel gauntlet from his right hand and tossed it aside with a dull clank. Then his bare palm descended onto Evelyn’s ass with a soft slap.

Her tanned cheeks, framed by the tight leather shorts, bounced sharply under the impact, the plump flesh flattening beneath his palm for a split second before rebounding with a soft, supple jolt.

Ethan’s fingers sank into that warm, faintly damp skin and a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.

Yes, that was life.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t enjoy it for long.

Somewhat roughly, Evelyn finished fastening the last piece of his armor, then leaned forward and caught his mouth in a brief, demanding kiss.

"Now let’s go, I’m already dying to get out of this damn place! I want to kill some goblins, but if there are kobolds down there, that’ll do too."

Evelyn stood up from the bed and began adjusting her own clothes, eyeing the steel breastplate, shoulder guards, and arm and leg protectors with reluctance.

She hadn’t wanted to wear any armor at all, but after Alice’s insistence, she had finally caved.

Evelyn lifted the breastplate and pressed the cold steel against her huge tits, a soft moan slipping from her lips as the chilled metal met her warm skin.

Ethan stepped behind her and pulled the straps tight, cinching the piece into place.

Her generous flesh swelled under the pressure, the soft mounds bulging upward over the top edge of the plate, creamy skin straining to spill free.

The leather bindings creaked faintly as the armor settled against her curves, shaping itself to the abundance it could barely contain.

Once the back section was fastened, Ethan moved on to help her with the remaining pieces, his fingers brushing along her warm skin at every buckle.

"Uh... it’s good, I guess," Evelyn muttered, stepping away and tapping the floor a few times with her steel greaves.

Ethan watched her in silence and let out a soft sigh. It was a shame to see those curves constricted like that, but it was for her own protection.

As Evelyn left the room, he walked over to the silver mirror, admiring his own reflection beneath the imposing armor.

It was heavy, but not enough to hinder his movements. Grayish plates covered every vital part of his body, joined by flexible joints, with a mesh of steel and leather layered underneath.

That final layer served purely for comfort, separating the plates from his bare skin, since only the plates themselves could be imbued with Aura and have their resistance multiplied.

Honestly, what mattered most to Ethan was that the armor looked cool. Really fucking cool.

From the black cape draped over his shoulders to the unique designs etched into the breastplate, every inch of it pleased him.

Since the Order of the Wandering Knights still existed, he had carefully scraped off every symbol that directly referenced the order.

Even so, it remained a beautiful suit of armor.

With heavy steps, Ethan left the room and descended to the front of the mansion. Doran was already waiting for him alongside Alice, Evelyn, and twenty guards, five of whom had reached the second stage.

It was a considerable fighting force for this region, even if they would likely be outnumbered.

"My lord, the men are ready. Shall we depart?"

"Yes." Ethan nodded, glancing up at the sun’s position.

It was nearly ten in the morning, and he wanted to return before nightfall.

Since Elena was busy in her room, he didn’t disturb her and soon set out with the guard.

They followed the trail northward for about two kilometers before turning west, tracing the mountainside for several more before their destination came into view.

It was a mine, one that looked as though it had been abandoned for decades, perhaps even centuries.

The place clearly predated the Darkwall settlement, which had been founded just over ten years ago.

The entrance yawned wide, supported by massive wooden pillars and broad enough for five men to walk shoulder to shoulder.

Broken wooden carts lay scattered across the ground, along with rusted iron rails and forgotten tools, their materials long since consumed by moisture and time.

"Hm... I wonder who could have built a mine in a place like this..." Alice’s voice drifted up beside Ethan.

With a snap of her delicate fingers, a small orb of light bloomed into existence and drifted ahead, slipping into the mine’s black mouth to cast a pale glow across the rough stone walls.

"Probably a royal family settlement. There have been many attempts by the kingdom to colonize this region before," Ethan replied, taking the lead and gripping the hilt of the elven sword at his waist.

Evelyn and Alice followed close behind, while Doran and the guards covered the rear.

"Don’t use fire spells," Ethan warned, his eyes tracking across the black, damp walls that pressed in on all sides.

Even with Alice’s orb lighting their way, visibility extended no more than five meters ahead. Beyond that, an intense darkness swallowed everything.

After a few more moments of walking, the surroundings began to shift.

The walls retreated outward, opening into a broader passage, the grayish, damp floor dotted with dark stains barely visible in the pale light.

Ethan stopped mid-stride, his face contorting as a terrible stench slammed into him.

Rotten flesh. And it wasn’t beast flesh.

What kind of animal would willingly wander into a place like this?

Ethan advanced a single step and, in the next instant, his eyes snapped wide, and the metal of his elven sword slid free of its leather scabbard with a dry hiss.

A loud crack split the stillness as he parried a spear thrust, deflecting the weapon downward.

The rusted tip buried itself deep in the stone at his feet.

His face twisted. The spear was far too large to belong to a goblin or kobold.

Behind him, Alice channeled her mana, pouring it into the orb hovering above them.

The sphere erupted like a second sun, blooming into a blinding light that lit the chamber from wall to wall.

[You have entered: Corrupted Orcs Lair]

[Reach the end and kill the orc boss to earn unique rewards.]