I am the Demon King of the Dungeon!

Arthas left the guild and instantly teleported to the plains outside Holy Radiance City. What would normally be a seven-day journey was, for the Primordial Dragon God, a mere blink of an eye.

He plans to settle his career matters today.

Holy City is more than three times larger than Greystone Town, and its city walls are made of white granite, which shines brightly in the midday sun.

The guards at the city gate wore bright silver plate armor, and the sun emblem on their chests was polished to a gleaming shine. The crowds entering the city formed long queues, with merchants, adventurers, and pilgrims mixed together, and the noise could be heard from half a mile away.

Arthas blended into the queue, and the guards at the city gate glanced at his adventurer badge and waved him through.

The professional offices in Holy Radiance City are right next to the headquarters of Dawn of Light. The two buildings share the same side wall and have consecutive house numbers: No. 17 and No. 18 Holy Radiance Avenue.

Arthas first went to the professions office. Unlike the deserted two-story stone and wood building in Graystone Town, the professions office in Holy City was a four-story marble building.

There were about twenty adventurers lined up at the entrance, and more than a dozen windows in the hall were handling business at the same time. The walls were covered with a whole wall of magic crystals, which displayed the examination schedule for each profession in real time.

Magic swordsman.

Today's examiner: Garrod Greyblade.

Assessment venue: Third floor, Training Field No. 7.

Arthas went straight to the third floor. The door to Training Ground 7 was wide open. Inside was a circular field. The ground was not paved with stone slabs, but with dark cork flooring that bounced slightly when stepped on.

The walls are inlaid with magic-absorbing runes, allowing them to withstand a certain level of magical impact without damaging the building.

Is there a person standing on the sidelines?

Or rather, it was half a person.

Garrod Greyblade had the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse, with his four hooves treading on the cork floor, the horseshoes reflecting the light from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

He wore a dark gray short robe on his upper body, with a slender straight sword hanging at his waist, and his face carried a calmness that came from having seen countless people.

Centaur.

One of the races most skilled in both magic and martial arts on the continent of Ashu, they are born with elemental magic, and the profession of magic swordsman was first invented by centaurs.

"Dick Reynolds?" Garrod glanced down at the assessment form in his hand, then looked up at Arthas, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Your first job advancement score is excellent. Do you know the content of the magic swordsman assessment?"

"have no idea."

"The assessment for magic swordsmen is divided into two parts." Garrod placed the assessment form on the weapon rack next to him, stamped his four hooves twice on the spot, and the horseshoes made a dull sound as they hit the cork floor. "The first part is the basic assessment, which requires the simultaneous use of swordsmanship and magic, switching between different attributes during combat, and ensuring that the output of magic power cannot be interrupted. I will personally test this part."

He drew the slender, straight sword from his waist, its blade gleaming coldly under the crystal lamp. Unsharpened, yet in his hand, its imposing presence was no less than that of any real sword.

"The second part is the practical mission..." Garrod pointed with the tip of his sword to the huge map hanging on the wall behind the training ground. The map marked the locations of all the dungeons around Holy Radiance City, with one prominently marked in red: "Blackrock Mountain Prison, Excellent-grade dungeon. You need to complete it solo and rescue the prisoners inside."

Arthas followed the tip of the sword to the red circle.

He had seen the name Blackrock Mountain Prison on the Adventurers' Guild's quest board. Its difficulty was considered medium to low among the excellent-level quests. A solo run would certainly be challenging for adventurers, but it wasn't difficult for him.

"Whom do you want to save?" Arthas asked.

“A centaur named Marcus Greyhoof.” Garrod lowered his sword. “He’s one of my people. He was captured three days ago by the warden of Blackrock Mountain Prison. That prison is ostensibly abandoned, but it’s actually been turned into a private dungeon by trolls, who kidnap passing caravans and adventurers for ransom. Marcus was captured while investigating a missing caravan.”

He sheathed his straight sword, took an unsharpened training longsword from the weapon rack, and tossed it to Arthas.

Arthas caught it with one hand.

"The assessment rules are simple: get past me first, then you can face the warden. Any questions?"

"Yes." Arthas gripped his training sword, weighing it in his hand. "Should I save them first, or fight you first?"

Garrod paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the training ground with the rhythmic thud of horses' hooves.

"Attack me first, then rescue him. If you can't even get past me, forget about Blackrock Mountain Prison." Garrod drew his straight sword again, spread his legs, and assumed the standard centaur fighting stance, his front hooves slightly bent, his hind hooves pushing off the ground, his upper body leaning slightly forward, the tip of his sword pointing at Arthas's chest. "Ready? Let's begin."

"Ready," Arthas said.

Garrod's figure disappeared from the spot.

Relying on its innate sprinting speed, the centaur braced itself on all four hooves, compressing ten steps into one, its straight sword drawing a silver arc in the air as it slashed toward Arthas's left shoulder.

He didn't hold back with this sword strike, because he was the examiner, and holding back would be the greatest disrespect to the examinee.

Arthas seized the opportunity to dodge, his sword grazing his shoulder armor, the distance just inches away. At the same time, a fireball condensed in his left palm. Instead of launching it, he slammed the fireball directly onto his sword. Flames spread along the blade, and the entire sword ignited with a thin, steady layer of orange-red fire.

Weapon Enchantment (Fire).

Arthas had seen Novaran use it once, completing it directly during a dodge.

Garrod's pupils contracted slightly.

"good."

He sheathed his sword and returned to defense, shifting his limbs to create distance, but Arthas gave him no chance to catch his breath.

The burning sword slashed down from the front, not fast, but at the perfect angle, catching the centaur between the moment his forelegs returned to their place and the moment his hind legs exerted force—the exact instant he switched targets.

Garrod raised his sword to parry, and before the crisp sound of the two swords clashing had even faded, the flames on Arthas's sword suddenly went out, replaced by a thin layer of frost.

Weapon Enchantment (Ice).

Switching between elemental spells during battle requires that the output of magic power not be interrupted for more than ten breaths.

Arthas switched in less than a breath.

Frost spread along Garrod's sword, condensing on his fingers that gripped it, causing his knuckles to stiffen slightly.

Garrod glanced at his frosted knuckles, his composure replaced by seriousness.

"You're good."

Arthas did not answer, but simply sheathed his sword.

Garrod shook the frost off his fingers, sheathed his straight sword, stamped his horseshoe twice on the ground, then picked up the assessment form and circled the basic assessment section.

"You've passed the basic assessment. Now, all you need to do is go to Blackrock Mountain Prison and bring Marcus back. That will complete your second job advancement assessment. You have three days to complete it."