[+3,200 EXP]
[+3,200 EXP]
[+3,200 EXP]
[+3,200 EXP]
After killing all the centipedes, and summoning back his undead, Aldred finally calmed down.
"You don't like centipedes that much?" Mary asked.
"It tickles my skin just by looking at them."
Bartrem laughed. "You're a soldier, Aldred. You should fear nothing."
Aldred scratched his cheek, embarrassed. They continued to walk and killed a bunch of monsters on the way. There were traps as well.
One of his undead stepped on a rock. Suddenly, a gigantic spear shot at him from the side. The undead regenerated back his body part and stood up before they dismantled the trap.
When they continued, they triggered a lot of these traps. Flames burst and burned the undead from above. The ground suddenly opened itself, making the undead fall before it closed.
"So many traps," Bartrem said.
"Imagine if we don't have undead to take the lead. So many lives would have been lost," Aldred said.
An explosion sound came from the front, and Aldred saw a steel javelin coming toward them. He was about to dodge, but his godly eyes told him that Mira would be hit.
That must never happen.
He took out his sword and stepped in front of Mira. "Execution Strike! Fire Combustion!"
Combining the two skills let to an incredible effect happen. His blade was covered in flame, and when the arc shot towards the javelin, it was a shining arc of flames and light.
It cut the javelin in half and burned it to dust.
"Thank you, Aldred."
"You have done so much for me, Mira. I will not let anything come to harm you."
Mira was touched. She didn't feel like she deserved that word.
The group reached the end of the tunnel. There was an armor sitting in front of a chess board. The armor seemed empty.
Aldred frowned. 'What is the meaning of this. An empty armor and a chess board. Is the mountain wants us to play chess?'
He ordered his undead to sit down on the chair. Suddenly, the armor moved his pawn forward.
It was like an invitation to play.
Aldred and Bartrem looked at each other.
"I will let the undead play first. I want to see the consequence of losing."
The undead moved his own piece, but shockingly he lost in less than 5 moves.
"Checkmate," the armor said. All of a sudden, the chess pieces on the board returned to their original position instantly.
Aldred stared. He was waiting for what was about to happen to his undead. Nothing happened. He ordered the undead to play again, but the undead couldn't move the chess piece.
That meant one person only got one chance of playing.
"I will try." Bartrem sat down and play.
Unlike the undead, he took hours before taking the next move. Everyone also helped him from the back, trying to see if the armor could beat him.
Nevertheless, he was beaten in 7 moves.
"How's that even possible." Aldred frowned.
The soldiers tried playing against the armor one by one. Mary, Mareona, Sophia, and even Pongo decided to play.
Pongo lost the game in 3 moves.
Aldred eventually sat down and played with it. From his observation, it would be impossible to defeat this armor in chess. If that was the case, then there was only one thing to do.
"Fire combustion."
The opponent's chess pieces burned to dust.
"I win," Aldred said.
Mareona hit him on the head. "Stupid! That's not how we play the game."
The armor looked down on his chess board. "You win."
"Eh?"
Everyone stared with mouth agape. The armor just accepted Aldred's victory by cheating. That was a first because the last few challenges were not very kind to cheaters.
"This means that we cannot trust everything we see. Things might not be as it seems," Aldred said.
The dice made a click sound, and it exuded a powerful aura that engulfed them.
[Weapon Art Mastery increased by 250%]
Suddenly and explosively, all of them felt the comprehension of their respective weapon skyrocket and pierced through heaven. It was like they experienced a blessing from the gods.
All kinds of complex and complicated techniques were now bare naked in their mind. It was so clear to see and easy to understand.
Aldred also felt an improvement in his sword skill. He now felt like he could do more with the sword.
All of them wanted to try their new mastery.
And their wishes were heard.
The wall of the tunnel right behind the knight armor disappeared. It opened up another dark tunnel.
Aldred narrowed his eyes. He then realized there was a large swarm of monsters coming their way. "At arms!"
The soldiers went into a stance they hadn't even used before, but it felt like they had used it for more than a hundred years.
Aldred scanned them with his godly eyes and noticed that the hundreds of monsters were around Silver Rank and Gold Rank.
He was about to order his undead to attack, but unexpectedly, Bartrem charged forward with the soldiers.
"Attack!" Bartrem raised his sword and went forward with incredible speed. A powerful aura spun around him.
The soldiers were no different. They charged forward with shining, sparkling mist around them.
What Aldred saw later was a large-scale massacre. Bartrem's attack was followed by a large and powerful arc that cut down everything in his path.
And not only that, all the soldiers had that ability as well. It was like a weaving and roaring wind. They went rampaging around the tunnel, slashing the monsters to shreds.
The boy was shocked. His comrades had improved up to this point, and he was proud of them.
The soldiers were proud as well. All this time, it was the boy who did all the work.
But now they had the chance to show their power and might. That made them excited. Power rushed through their bodies, and Aldred noticed they leveled up.
Suddenly, powerful energy radiated out of them. They roared and slashed for one last time, creating a bright, blinding light.
BOOM!
Aldred opened his eyes and saw the soldiers looking at him with a smile. Bartrem's expression was that of relief.
"We can finally be useful for you, Aldred," Bartrem said.
Aldred shook his head. "I never thought you guys as useless."
"I know. But we all felt the same thing."
Aldred smiled. "I am just glad that you guys are much stronger now."
The dice hanging on their waist clicked. Another riddle opened and showed itself.
Aldred read it.
"It turns the smartest man into a fool, ambition into indolence, pride into humility, aggression into meekness."
Sophia frowned for a few seconds before she widened her eyes.
