The next thing King Carthur knew, he was dissipating into red cubic particles.
"No…No!! How could I, Carthur of Catmelot, fall to the likes of you?! You think this is the end of me? I'll come back for your head, [Omaru]!!"
The moment the corrupted king growled Daru's Trial Name, he dissipated, but not before locking eyes with him, shooting one last vindictive gaze.
"Nyaaah!! My king, how could you lose…"
An unwilling cry followed, echoing a dozen meters from where Daru stood and prompting him to turn and look.
Sir Nyalahad, too, scattered into red cubic particles after his corrupted king was slain.
Only Sir Meowdred remained.
The rebel leader stared at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face as he let go of his sword and clenched his fists.
The adolescent leopard nyaight was certainly having a dramatic moment.
A few moments later, he turned to Daru:
"Thank you, Cluckson Commander [Omaru], for helping me restore peace to the Catmelot Kingdom. I probably would've failed without you."
"Ahh…yes. You would've lost for sure. You need to work on your footwork a bit more. Also, you rely too much on strength. Utilize feints more," was Daru's response.
Sir Meowdred froze as though he glitched, uncertain how to respond for a moment before finding the right words.
"I see, thank you for the advice, Cluckson Commander [Omaru]," bowed the rebel nyaight with sincerity.
Daru's lips curved into a faint smile, appreciating Meowdred's willingness to learn.
The rebel nyaight then continued:
"You're a man of morals, Commander [Omaru]. I don't know how my rewards would fare compared to my father's, but please accept them. I shall forever be indebted to you."
Promptly after the last of Sir Meowdred's words left his mouth, a series of notifications appeared in front of Daru:
[Congratulations! You have cleared the hidden dungeon: Catmelot Kingdom (Solo) with a completion rating of: SSS!]
[You have completed the hidden quest: End of a Corrupted Dominion!]
[The item: Catmelot Kingdom Dungeon Clear Reward Pack (SSS) has been deposited into your inventory]
The world then suddenly turned into a black void, but strangely, King Carthur's sword, the Excatlibur, suddenly appeared in front of him, hovering for a second before turning into a golden, glowing shard that slowly floated towards and assimilated with Daru.
[You've obtained (1) Excalibur Fragment!]
The moment he closed the notification panel, he noticed he was already back in Critter Forest, and the old well had vanished.
Daru sighed in satisfaction.
He had a lot of fun in Catmelot Kingdom, and those nyaights were more than decent opponents.
Then, he realized: this was only the beginning.
'Haha…I'll probably meet more of such opponents...'
He hoped he would, and one from his own race…
Daru tapped on the belt bag tied on his waist, opening the inventory window.
The fragment he obtained earlier piqued his interest. He tapped on it to check its information:
===
Name: Chip of Excalibur's True Edge
Type: Trinket Accessory (Guardian) / Awakening Item (Wielder)
Level Requirement: 40
Tier: SSS
Description: Forged in divine flames, the legendary [Excalibur]'s loyalty must be obtained through a trial of fire. The divine sword's wielder must gather all fragments…or die trying.
Effects: +1 to each attribute for every (Elite) or (Boss) Swordspawn killed (Must be at least ten levels higher than the guardian/wielder's) - (0 / 100)
Current Bonus: +0 to all attributes
Note: This item would drop if the guardian is slain by the holy sword's wielder.
Warning: Each stack of bonus increases [Excalibur]'s awareness of your presence.
===
'Hoh?' A faint grin appeared on Daru's face. 'So someone will be coming for me?'
That seemed to be the case.
'I hope he's strong…'
Aside from the thought of a fearsome opponent hunting him down, Daru appreciated the effects of the SSS-Tier Trinket Accessory.
Unfortunately, since he's still below the level requirement, he could only keep it in his inventory.
He then turned his attention to the reward pack.
[Would you like to open [Catmelot Kingdom Dungeon Clear Reward Pack (SSS)]?]
Daru tapped [Yes].
In the next moment, another sweet stream of notifications appeared in front of him:
[You've obtained 10,000 Experience points for slaying [King Carthur]!]
[Congratulations! You've leveled up to 9!]
[You've obtained 10,000 Experience points for clearing [Catmelot Kingdom (Solo)] with a completion rating of: SSS]
[Congratulations! You've leveled up to 10!]
[You've obtained 2,000 Swordcoins!]
[You've obtained 50 Actualizer Crystals!]
[You've obtained the [Skirmish] Event Card: Catmelot Royal Army: Purrcival Division!]
[You've obtained a Novice Equipment Mold (S)!]
He was dumbfounded for a moment, finding his rewards a bit difficult to digest.
'Well…that's a lot…'
He was naturally happy that he obtained such generous rewards, but he had no idea how to efficiently use most of them.
Soon, he realized something, and he was torn about the possible adjustment he would have to make.
Daru had focused on swordsmanship all his life, partly for reasons he himself wasn't conscious of.
Now, he discovered that the scope of what he was trying to master had significantly broadened, and if he wanted to remain excellent in his craft and win battles where and when it mattered, he would have to adapt.
He had the choice of remaining oblivious to the matters of the Myriad Sword Realm and continuing to focus on nothing but swordsmanship.
However, while doing such a thing would allow him to win sparring matches in the real world, do such victories truly matter?
Daru couldn't deny that he was falling madly in love with the Myriad Sword Realm.
Furthermore, the very reason for improving his swordsmanship was to prepare himself for the Sword Trials, where every small victory was a step closer to his entire race's survival.
What was his sword's purpose, then? Entertainment?
Well, it was… What other use would it have in the real world?
The so-called American Option simply couldn't be defeated by swords, regardless of how skilled the wielder was, though he would like to know what the name of the option meant or why it was called that.
However, he was now a Bladeborn of the human race in the Myriad Sword Realm, and while his heart still craved fiery sword duels, his sword could have so much more purpose here.
And to remain an excellent swordsman, he had to learn other, theoretical stuff.
The problem was that he was unsure what would happen to his swordsmanship if he allocated less time to it.
Or was this the correct path to true excellence?
'Sigh…'
Daru remained uncertain.
In any case, he still had a little less than four hours to clear his mind and ponder.
Perhaps fighting more swordspawns would give him more insights and help him decide?
And so, in the next moment, Daru headed towards a certain direction.