Chapter 105: Struggling (1)

Chapter 105: Struggling (1) "It’s been a while..." Xu Tao breathed deeply, as if internalizing his newfound strength. He hadn’t just reached the Golden Core stage—he’d reached the Perfect Golden Core stage! A realm only achievable when one forms a golden core with 100% accuracy—something all cultivators aspire to, yet most fail to accomplish. Compared to the normal kind, the Perfect version had 10% more Qi concentration and density. Though that might seem small, this "small" difference could split mountains once nurtured to its peak. Of course, Xu Tao had reached the Perfect Golden Core in the past too. But that was only with the final golden core he formed before breaking into the Nascent Soul stage. Now that he’d achieved it right from the start, he could aim to get all ten golden cores perfect—and gain a full 100% cumulative bonus! Just imagining the power he’d have with that made his heart race. Without delay, he opened his status panel. [ Name: False Fisherman Level: 275 Stats: STR: 343 INT: 22 VIT: 22 AGI: 343 DEX: 22 Cultivation: 10,392 Bonus Points: 0 Currency: Money: 59,250 Gold System Points: 36,476 Points ] A cultivation stat over 10,000! And that was after using only two of the remaining Condensed Qi Pills—already a massive achievement! "With this much, we shouldn’t fall behind the boss monster, that’s for sure." He sighed, then rose to his feet. "Now, let’s focus on the wave!" BUWOOOOO! Just then, a loud horn echoed from the north and east, signaling the completion of loot collection. It also served as the cue telling Xu Tao he could now end the wave. "...Though I wasted the monsters on my side." He shook his head lightly. Since the monsters were "sacrificed" to the Blood Ice Rose Trap Formation, they didn’t leave corpses behind—much less loot boxes. A painful sacrifice... but well, plenty more still waited ahead. They were just at the 6th batch out of 20—meaning two-thirds of the battle still remained. "Time to step up the pace!" Things were just getting started. ???????????? Hours passed as the wave continued, and soon enough, the moment they’d been dreading arrived. RAAAGH! "Don’t let them through the walls, no matter what...!" "I... will protect... my family!!!" "Guh! N-Need help!" As expected, during the 16th batch—with monsters now hitting level 256—one side finally began to crumble... Arthur’s northern front. "Tsk!" Arthur clicked his tongue, swinging his arm. On cue, Excalibur flew at the monsters scaling the wall, cleaving off heads in a sweeping arc. "There’s no end to them...!" he cursed, summoning the sword back to his hand. Of course, it wasn’t that he was being overwhelmed by the monsters. The problem was sheer numbers—too many to keep in check at once. "If only I could use the Holy Field Radiance...!" he growled. That skill was his one and only standard AoE move. Excluding his trump cards—which he was still reserving—the rest of his abilities were just slashes and strikes. Unlike Xu Tao’s versatile cultivation-based kit, Arthur’s skillset was locked into pure swordsmanship—he had zero splash damage unless Excalibur itself bent the rules. His crowd control options were sorely lacking! The fact that his side—despite handling only one spawn point—was the first to leak monsters was a direct blow to his pride. Worse, this wasn’t just a minor breach—it was a full-on surge of enemies flooding the wall’s defense line! Arthur grit his teeth, then plunged Excalibur into the ground. "Screw the loot...!" He roared as he finally triggered his golden radiance—or at least, tried to. "Huh? Excalibur, what’s going on? Activate the Holy Field now!" he barked, demanding his weapon comply. The sword, unable to speak, could only respond through the shimmer of its blade. It pulsed gently—its light dimming and flaring in rhythmic bursts, like a heartbeat trying to warn him. "Are you telling me not to use it?" Arthur asked, interpreting the sword’s hesitation. "But at this rate, the monsters will—" Before he could finish, Excalibur yanked itself from the ground and hovered before him. It floated still for a moment—then suddenly burst into brilliant light. When it faded, an astonishing scene met Arthur’s eyes. Excalibur had multiplied—twelve identical blades now floated in the air before him! "This is...!" Arthur gasped. "No way. Are you sure about this spell, Excalibur...?!" he asked warily. But instead of answering, the twelve swords shot off in twelve directions, tearing through monsters with ruthless precision. Arthur watched them thin the horde with seemingly great ease... yet his expression only darkened. The "spell" Excalibur had used—splitting itself into twelve—was an Arcane Spell. It worked for the current situation, but came with a harsh cost: the sword’s durability was now split twelve ways, making it brittle and far easier to damage! "Kuh...!" Arthur’s fists curled tight, shame boiling in his chest. "What the hell have I been doing all this time...!" he seethed. He’d slacked off so much that his only partner and weapon had to push itself to the limit just to stop the monsters from approaching! Excalibur was fighting recklessly, slashing haphazardly. Thick cracks already forming along its edges! "No way..." Even though he knew the sword would eventually regenerate once sheathed, Arthur couldn’t bear to watch it wear itself down. Each new fracture felt like a blow to his heart. At that moment, a memory surged—of a vow he once made on the battlefield long ago: never again would his comrades bleed while he stood idle! "EXCALIBUR, COME TO ME!" He couldn’t hold back any longer. With a voice full of power and urgency, he called the blade back—and almost instantly, the twelve swords returned. "..." His pale blue eyes burned with resolve, anger... and genuine concern. He reached out and grasped the hilt of one—the original—and canceled the arcane spell instantly. The twelve merged back into a single form, but the damage remained. The restored sword was deeply battered, its once-glorious edge now cracked and dulled. "Don’t ever do that again..." Arthur muttered, gently sliding her into the sheath. "You’re mine, and mine alone. I won’t allow you to break yourself for my sake!" he vowed, his expression dead serious. The sword trembled faintly in response—almost like it was shivering with excitement. If it had a heart, it would’ve skipped several beats. But it had clearly overextended itself more than a little. To recover, Excalibur would now need to remain sheathed for at least an hour. Until then, Arthur would have to fight without his one and only weapon...! Despite how disadvantageous that sounded, Arthur didn’t flinch. Instead, he shrugged off his armor, baring his broad, muscular chest to the wind. His sharp, resolute gaze watched the few remaining monsters of the horde approach, before cracking his knuckles. "From now..." He spoke slowly, but each word hit like a warhammer. "I’ll fight like a man—mano a mano!" "..." Excalibur almost forgot. Its master was kind of an idiot.