31 Bitter Decision
Alex began to reflect on the skills he had gained when he obtained his class. Combining active and passive skills, he had a total of thirteen abilities: seven passive and six active.
Among the active skills, he could use the following: Gravitational Manipulation Lv2, Lightning Step Lv2, Swordsman Lv2, Command of the King Lv1, and now Call of the Round Table Lv1. The skill Call of Avalon Lv1 was still sealed.
As for his passive abilities, the ones he could currently use were Gravitational Defense Lv2, Aura of Royalty Lv1, and Unbreakable Destiny Lv1. The remaining ones, Bearer of the True Crown Lv1, Protection of the Mystic Sheath Lv1, Connection with Merlin Lv1, and Royal Harem Lv0, were somehow sealed.
Alex decided to make a mental note: once he finished clearing this dungeon and rescued his kidnapped sister, he would study his abilities to maximize his power and make the best use of them.
He looked at the knight running beside him, her face expressionless, her long white hair fluttering in the wind. Strangely, a new section had appeared on the system panel, allowing him to see his knight's attributes.
Name: Not designated
Title: Knight of the Round Table
Master: Reigning King of Camelot
Mirrored Attributes:
Strength = 46
Dexterity = 16
Agility = 66
Constitution = 16
Intelligence = 16
Wisdom = 10
Charisma = 16
Luck = 10
Perception = 12
HP: Parasitism
MP: Parasitism
Active Skills:
Lightning Manipulation
Royalty's Damage Absolution
Passive Skills:
Infinite Regeneration
Loyal Servant
With this information, Alex could theoretically estimate the strength of his knight. In short, based on their identical attributes, she was just as strong as he was without using Excalibur.
That was true only if Alex's skills weren't included in the equation, since his knight possessed only four abilities: two active and two passive. There were some strange elements in her status window.
The word "mirrored" in her attributes meant that the knight reflected the base stats of her master. In other words, the more Alex's attributes grew, the more his knight would grow accordingly.
The word "parasitism" in her HP and MP meant that the knight used her master's HP and MP. This point left Alex depressed, since his HP and MP were already quite low even for himself, and now he had to share them.
Something pulled Alex out of his thoughts. The ground beneath his feet trembled, and from between the trees, a swarm of spiders emerged from below.
He stopped and ordered his knight to attack, saying he would provide assistance if necessary.
The armored knight advanced toward the spiders, her purple skin crackling with lightning of the same hue. In her hands, two short swords took shape.
She leaped into the swarm without a single change in expression. Even when the spiders surrounded her and webs were launched from multiple directions at once, she moved as if she were dancing.
The knight's movements were smooth, taking full advantage of the Dexterity points she had mirrored from Alex. With an Agility of sixty-six points, she advanced in a graceful assault.
Two spiders were sliced cleanly in half when she swung both blades. She struck another spider with a kick, focusing all her Strength into it and crushing the creature in the process.
Purple lightning orbs formed around her swords and shot toward the spiders. Just like the tree earlier, the spiders that were hit were carbonized in an instant.
Seeing his knight fight for him, Alex smiled. He no longer felt as envious of the Sword Saint's ability. Now he had a skill that could easily rival the Sword Saint's Final Judgment.
Time was short, and every second counted for his sister. With a thought, Excalibur appeared in Alex's hands, purple lightning serpents coiling around his body.
System Warning
You have equipped Excalibur.
Strength = 46 + 10
Dexterity = 16 + 10
Agility = 66 + 10
Constitution = 16 + 10
Intelligence = 16 + 10
Wisdom = 10 + 10
Charisma = 16 + 10
Luck = 10 + 10
Perception = 12 + 10
Lightning Step was activated, and Alex's figure turned into a blur. He dashed into the middle of the mutant spiders, using Gravitational Control. His speed doubled as his body grew lighter.
The King and his knight fought fiercely against an endless swarm of mutant spiders. The creatures were brutal and incredibly numerous.
No matter how hard Alex fought, even with his knight by his side, the swarm didn't seem to lessen, even after fighting for an entire hour.
As time passed, Alex began to tire, and the number of spiders only kept increasing. This time, he wasn't leveling up, no matter how many spiders he or his knight killed.
Unlike his knight, who possessed a regeneration ability, Alex's injuries piled up along with his exhaustion. If it weren't for the combat suit from the Association beneath his formal attire, he would have been in far worse condition.
Then Alex discovered a flaw in his own ability. The system beeped, and bad news appeared in a window he couldn't afford to read at that moment.
System Warning
Your MP is below 50%.
The skill Call of the Round Table Lv1 cannot be used.
Alex cursed silently as he saw his knight turn into purple light before disappearing.
He glanced away from the battle to check his MP and HP, which were both low. His only alternative was to level up to restore his stats, but could he really bet on that?
The brief distraction cost him. A spider violently struck his left shoulder, dislocating the bone. If not for the suit, he would have lost an arm.
In another minute, his MP would drop so low that he wouldn't even be able to use Excalibur, and when that happened, Alex would be dead. The King could never allow such an end.
It now seemed like a sea of spiders. Alex couldn't tell where they were coming from. When one died, ten more appeared to replace it.
He wished the Sword Saint were here.
There's no way, Alex thought. I'll have to retreat for now. I can't handle this many spiders alone.
He believed that even a group of a hundred low-level hunters would be enough to deal with so many.
To escape the situation, Alex pushed his Luck attribute, amplified by Excalibur, to the maximum and activated two of his abilities.
Aura of Royalty Lv1 created an aura of respect and admiration around his body.
To complete the main course, he used his trump card, Command of the King Lv1, and shouted with every ounce of air in his lungs:
"Stop!"
All his majesty and command merged into a single word, and the result was astonishing.
Hundreds of mutant spiders froze in place. None of them dared to move for several seconds.
When the swarm regained control a few seconds later, Alex had already disappeared. The spiders looked around in all directions with their many eyes, but unfortunately for them, Alex had fled, or rather, made a strategic retreat, since a king does not run away.
Inside a cave, Alex was dusting off his suit, which, despite the battle, was still in good condition. The material of both the combat suit and the formal attire was the same, hence their durability.
He took deep breaths, trying to recover.
A huge battle must've taken place here, Alex concluded as he glanced around the cave. He wondered if it had been the Blue Spirit Guild that fought in this place.
Alex was forced to rest inside that cave. He spent the night there, and by the next morning, he woke up starving.
He had no supplies with him. He had practically ended up there by accident.
Then he remembered: he hadn't eaten breakfast before leaving home, and since he had been worried about his sister, he hadn't eaten anything at the Hunters Association either.
He had to find the Blue Spirit Guild quickly. If he didn't, he would be killed either by the spiders or by the hunger gnawing at him.
For his consolation, his knight had returned. But Alex was so hungry that he couldn't fight. He could only rely on her.
He had tried, but nearly fainted from exhaustion.
He had sent his knight to bring something to eat or to find other hunters. The first two times she returned, she brought only tree bark, which Alex refused to eat.
When hunger became unbearable, Alex reluctantly chewed on the bark. It wasn't poisonous, at least, but each time he ate, he lost one point of HP, which recovered over time.
And so, Alex and his knight fought for four days against the mutant spiders, and every time, he had to flee, or rather, retreat strategically. Otherwise, he would already be dead.
"Did you find other hunters?"
The knight didn't speak. She simply pointed in a direction and began running that way.
Alex was forced to follow her.
He could hardly believe his eyes. He had finally found other hunters, but if he didn't intervene, they would surely die.
Thousands of spiders were surrounding only three hunters.
Looking more closely, using his Perception to the limit, Alex saw that two of the hunters were protecting an injured girl with purple hair.
Alex would recognize that girl even in his sleep.
They had dated for two years.
There was only one question left to ask: what should Alex do now?