Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Lucas Silversword [Mythical Knight] EXP: 119/10000

Potential: SS

Traits: Auto Defense (SSS), Swordsmanship (SS), Shield Mastery (SS), Close Combat (S), Intuition (S), Pain Tolerance (S),…

Strength: 640

Stamina: 660

Agility: 630

Vitality: 712

Endurance: 700

Mana: 600

Alaric couldn’t help but feel amazed every time he saw this. He wasn’t sure what this Auto Defense trait was so he couldn’t tell what it was for. However, he knew that his father could protect himself against the ogre.

He was certain of it.

What he was worried about was how many more Catastrophe-grade beasts were hiding in the nest. The system wouldn’t just set the difficulty into hell-mode for no reason.

There aren’t three Catastrophe-grade beasts, right?

Alaric thought to himself, but there was a high chance that this could be the case.

At this moment, Lucas and the monster had already engaged in close combat.

So there was indeed a Catastrophe-grade beast. Alaric’s hunch was right.

Lucas thought to himself as he looked at the towering monster before him.

It possessed the unique aura that could overwhelm weaker beings, but he was already immune to this.

Its aura is weaker than Zephyr’s.

He scoffed in his heart as he adjusted his battle stance.

Suddenly, as if the monster sensed his disdain, it pounced upon him and raised its massive fists while gathering mana into its arms.

Roarr!!

“Filthy human warrior, die!”

Seeing this, Lucas wasn’t flustered. He was confident in his defense.

He raised his shield above him while imbuing mana into it to activate its engraved ability.

Bang!

The ogre’s fists slammed into Lucas’s shield, causing a violent explosion that sent shockwaves across the forest.

Everyone around them was flung away by the fierce winds, leaving the area around Lucas and the ogre empty.

It’s sturdy, but it’s not fast.

Lucas changed his approach after analyzing the monster’s abilities.

The ogre was powerful, but it lacked in agility. Lucas wanted to make use of his advantage in speed to gradually tire out his opponent.

The two clashed in the next few minutes, but it was mostly the ogre on the offensive end. It released a series of devastating punches that turned the surroundings into a mess.

Each of its strikes could kill a Transcendent Knight, but Lucas managed to block them with ease.

Bang! Bang!

“Cowardly human! Stop running away and fight me properly!” The two-headed ogre roared.

From the expression on its two faces, Lucas could tell that it was incredibly pissed.

However, he couldn’t care less.

“Pathetic.” He snorted.

Furious at his response, the ogre rushed towards him with heavy strides.

The ground seemed to tremble with each step it took. Upon gaining momentum, it raised its fists and hammered them down upon Lucas.

“DIE!!!”

This monster isn’t smart so it’s definitely not the one making their tactics. Could there really be another one Catastrophe-grade beast like Alaric had said?

After fighting with the ogre, Lucas realized that its intelligence was lacking for its level. This led him to believe that there was another monster on the same level as the ogre hiding within the nest.

Bang! Bang!

As the battle progressed, the two-headed ogre warrior became even more enraged. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t penetrate Lucas’s shield.

“Human warrior, you are like a cockroach! I hate cockroaches!”

The ogre stomped its massive foot, causing fissures to appear on the ground.

Lucas frowned and planted his feet firmly to stabilize his footing.

Is it trying to destroy the surroundings so I wouldn’t be able to move around?

It seems like I have underestimated its intelligence. It still knows how to think.

He grinned.

While he was fighting with the two-headed ogre warrior, the troops led by Garandel and Vulcan had already breached the northern and southern sides of the outer walls.

More monsters came out of the nest to resist them, but both armies were quick to react to the situation. They formed defensive lines to slow down the monsters’ advance and slowly whittle down the enemy’s strength.

After an hour, the two-headed ogre warrior which had been aggressively fighting Lucas suddenly stopped and revealed a confused expression.

Lucas was baffled by its actions.

Is it communicating with someone?

He noticed that the ogre was unusually quiet. Its mouth was moving, but no sound could be heard.

Mental communication?! How?!

He was stunned. Mental Communication was a trait unique to some spirit-type monsters. It was an ability that allows them to mentally communicate with anyone. It might sound unimpressive, but it was an ability that no ordinary monster could possess.

So there is a spirit-type monster in the nest…

Lucas’s face darkened.

Unlike physical-type monsters like the two-headed ogre warrior that focuses on physical combat, spirit-type beasts were capable of using spirit-based attacks like illusions, hypnosis, and even curses.

Defending against these attacks was more difficult since you wouldn’t be able to see them. Unless someone had equipment that could block these unusual abilities, one could only resist them through willpower and mental strength.

Lucas was confident that he could resist such attacks, but the same couldn’t be said to the others.

Someone with weak willpower and mental strength would easily fall into an illusion. They would also be unable to resist a curse and die without even knowing what had killed them.

This is trickier than I imagined. I need to inform the others.

Thinking about this, he raised his fist and decisively shouted. “Sound the horns! We are retreating!”

The warriors were surprised by his commands, but they still complied.

In the next moment, the sounds of war horns echoed, signaling their retreat.

Garandel’s and Vulcan’s troops also heard the signal. Although perplexed, they chose to abandon the walls they had overtaken and retreated to their camp.

When the three armies converged, both Garandel and Vulcan immediately questioned Lucas’s decision.

“Venerable, why did you ask us to retreat? We have already taken control of their walls so we only need to hold the position and force them to retreat to their nest.” Garandel asked with a frown.

“I know you are confused. I will tell you everything later.” Lucas replied in a grim tone.