Chapter Forty-Five: The Sunken Ship Cavern (3) The King of Fantasy

Ailei's long spear danced amidst the damp cave that glowed with an uncanny, eerie light. The roar of wind and the howls of monsters echoed through the cavern, as a horde of creatures in various forms surged forward, provoked and chased.

“I’ll disappear in five minutes,” Ailei said, hauling Zhao Tianhe by the back of his collar as she raced ahead. His strength was too low, his speed insufficient—he could easily be caught.

Soon, nearly eighty percent of the monsters on the second floor had been taunted and drawn by Ailei. This was the strategy Zhao Tianhe had devised: pulling the monsters together. The monsters on the second floor were too scattered; for a team of ordinary heroes, this was advantageous, allowing them to defeat each one separately. But for someone like Zhao Tianhe, whose combat relied solely on summoned creatures, it was troublesome—mismanagement could lead to running out of time.

Thus, the plan placed responsibility on Ailei to taunt as many scattered monsters as possible before she vanished, then use Artoria to unleash the Wind King Barrier and annihilate the mob in one swift blow.

“Summon!” Ailei called. Her figure began to fade as she flung Zhao Tianhe forward.

“Come on!” Zhao Tianhe shouted.

The silhouette of the knight maiden slowly appeared, and a violent storm gathered at her hands—

Boom!

The Wind King Hammer thundered forth, obliterating the mass of monsters hot on their heels. Even the monsters, fierce and fearless as they were, halted before this cataclysmic phenomenon.

“C-class monsters really are formidable—only half were wiped out,” Zhao Tianhe muttered, anxiety rising as he watched. Over a hundred monsters taunted by Ailei had been struck, more than fifty destroyed by the Wind King Hammer, but not a single elite creature among them had fallen.

“Can you handle so many at once?” Zhao Tianhe asked Artoria.

“No problem. Besides…” Artoria’s sharp gaze spotted a monster slowly dissipating in the distance, leaving behind a dragon’s fang. “I’ll scatter the rest. You pick up that item.”

Zhao Tianhe focused, spotting the dragon’s fang at once. He nodded, then cast a basic wind spell to hasten his speed.

The spell lightened his body, ensuring he always moved with the wind at his back, increasing his speed.

Artoria, legs tensed, leapt before two common monsters and sliced them into quarters with a single stroke. Her body flashed red as she activated her magic amplification, quickening her movements and slaying an elite sea monster on the spot.

Once the Wind King Barrier was unleashed, the Sword of the Lake’s destructive power was terrifying—and seemed to inflict bonus damage against undead creatures.

A semi-transparent ghostly sailor was casually slashed by Artoria. The wound, which should have healed swiftly, was instead touched by glimmering golden light, slowly infiltrating its body and forming veins of luminous streams—

Then it exploded!

An elite C-class monster was dispatched without even using magic amplification. The Sword of the Lake’s radiant damage was indeed fearsome.

“Should I continue upgrading the Lord of the Holy Sword?” Zhao Tianhe asked, after absorbing the dragon’s fang and seeing plus signs appear beside Artoria’s two skills.

“My talent system is about to activate. Upgrade Magic Amplification!” Artoria called.

Zhao Tianhe complied, investing the skill point in Magic Amplification.

Multiple elite C-class monsters posed a threat, but after a Wind King Hammer, their health was depleted; with Magic Amplification active, they were easily slain.

Twenty minutes later, the second floor was cleared. Although Artoria sustained some injuries, damaging her magical armor and exhausting her mana, her body remained unharmed.

And finally, the talent system was activated.

Talent System: King of Fantasy lv0 (0/10000)

Increase talent level to gain one talent point (usable to enhance various talent skills)

Dragonblood lv1

Health increased by 100 × skill level

Base defense increased by 2 × skill level

All resistances increased by 2 × skill level

Dragon Heart lv1

Mana capacity increased by 100 × skill level

Health and mana regeneration increased by (skill level) per second

Knight’s Will lv1

Reduces illusion and mental attacks by 50% (constant effect, cannot be improved)

Base defense increased by 2 × skill level

All resistances increased by 2 × skill level

All attributes increased by 1

Examining Artoria’s talent system, Zhao Tianhe once again felt overwhelmed by his own weakness.

The increase in resistance was a terrifying effect—and even more so, her innate skills had changed: Magic Armor transformed into Sacred Dragon Scales.

Sacred Dragon Scales lvmax

Mana transforms into armor enveloping the body; armor strength rises with maximum mana, every 50 mana adds 1 base defense. The armor inherits all resistances and base defense from the user; consuming mana instantly repairs damaged armor.

Now, this magical armor was like an extension of Artoria’s body, no longer merely providing defense but merging with her, inheriting her base defenses and greatly enhancing them.

“Hmm, mana consumption is now manageable. Next time I get a dragon’s fang, I’ll upgrade Dragon Heart,” Artoria said, taking a deep breath. Zhao Tianhe felt as if the air itself trembled with her inhalation.

It was as though the knight maiden before him was not a petite girl, but a terrifying ancient dragon…

“Oh, Miss Artoria seems to have grown stronger again,” Jeros slowly materialized, stepping forward.

“And you,” Zhao Tianhe said, looking at Jeros. “Give us a flight spell.”

“Certainly. The environment here is dreadful; better to stroll on a sunlit beach and relax,” Jeros nodded, and then Artoria and Zhao Tianhe floated up.

“We’ve got over half an hour left—let’s go celebrate on the beach. There are plenty of snack stalls. Today, you can eat to your heart’s content!” Zhao Tianhe said with a smile.

“Snack stalls?!” Artoria’s eyes flashed keenly. “Indeed, the coastal culinary culture warrants investigation…”

Leaving the sunken ship’s cave, the three flew to the busy beach where visitors gathered.

“That’s the Heroes’ Dormitory. I’ll head over first; you two can return after you’re done,” Jeros said to Zhao Tianhe, pulling out a gold coin. “Here’s today’s payment—take it.”

“Huh, what about you?” Zhao Tianhe asked, puzzled. “I thought the reward was split equally?”

“We’ll discuss it after B-class,” Jeros replied, rising into the sky with a smile. “I still get a subsidy from the Summoners’ Association, so you needn’t worry. Also, I’ve arranged for your nature spirit to be delivered.”

Zhao Tianhe nodded, while Artoria had already dismissed her magical armor, donned a blue dress, and ran barefoot toward a barbecue stand.