More than one hour had drifted by since the invasion of the corrupted creatures. The campfire continued burning, illuminating the heated battle between the hero and the abnormalities.
After observing the hero's strength, the corrupted creatures let go of the other crew members and focused all their attention on him.
However, despite their massive numbers, the hero still remained on top.
His movements were graceful and lethal, a single sword strike could render a corrupted creature powerless or send it back to the hell from which it originated.
"Angelic!"
"He only gets stronger and stronger, never wearing out. What kind of man is he?"
Talks erupted among the few crew members who remained. Even the captain was in awe— for more than twenty years, he had participated in battles with powerful warriors, but none of them could ever muster half of the prowess the hero was displaying currently.
Most of those powerful warriors had decades of war experience, and a few were even renowned for entering terrifying landmarks to hone their skills and become unstoppable. But none of them would last even a second against Alister.
'Two days ago, I was very sure I could stand against him in a duel. But now, I'm not so sure I can fathom the strength behind his weakest attacks!'
Theobald's mind wandered as he observed the hero's amazing performance—unfazed and unstoppable even in the midst of dozens of powerful abnormalities.
'I have to ask for his guidance. I can't miss this opportunity!'
Theobald clenched his fist and swore to himself, resolve shining in his eyes.
….
[ You've slayed X1 Corrupted Lions, EXP +133 ]
[ Level up ]
[ Level 7 → Level 8 ]
Alister received a level-up notification as he slayed his most difficult opponent so far.
'Two levels remaining to unlock mana.'
Alister gritted his teeth with determination as he evaded the attacks of two corrupted humans. After a swift sidestep, he swung his sword, and the heads of the two corrupted humans fell to the ground.
'Corrupted humans have become so much easier to beat, and even the strongest corrupted beasts are no match for my strength.'
He was excited by the growth he had accomplished tonight. He started at level 4 and now he was at level 8—twice as strong in less than three hours.
On Earth, achieving such growth in strength, if it were even possible, would take at least two years of rigorous training, diet, and rest. But the hero accomplished this in a few hours. Truly remarkable.
Alister stared at the number of corrupted creatures remaining, there were only around a dozen of them.
He sighed in disappointment.
'This number won't be enough to reach level ten tonight. I was hoping to reach level ten and finally unlock the ability to use mana.'
'Well, I might even reach level 15 while crossing the Mountain of Skulls. So many abnormalities dwell in that place.'
While his mind wandered, he did not halt his slaughter of the few corrupted creatures remaining.
In just three minutes, their numbers dwindled drastically until a single one remained—a corrupted lion that lunged at Alister fearlessly, letting out a loud, terrifying growl.
Alister moved swiftly before the abnormality could land a strike.
Once it landed, it let out a furious growl, revealing how angry it was at missing the chance to take his life, and immediately lunged again.
Alister grinned and evaded the attacks once more. The abnormality made several more attempts, but the hero's playful evasion turned the corrupted beast into a fool.
It grew angry and tired, its movement speed dropped drastically, and it was drained mentally from targeting the same person over and over with no result.
"How brave—he's even playing with his opponent."
"This kind of strength—how can one ever achieve it?"
"Was he always this strong from the beginning?"
"It can't be. In the beginning, although his sword moves were refined, they lacked strength and agility."
Standing in front of the royal tent, the soldiers spectated the scene with amazement and curiosity. The captain reminded himself repeatedly to meet the hero for guidance once everything was over.
On the other hand, Alister played with the corrupted beast until he grew bored and killed it with a single, swift move.
[ You've slayed X1 Corrupted Lion, EXP +133 ]
The system's confirmation of its death came right away. Unfortunately, there was no level up accomplished.
Alister waited ten seconds, but there was no update on the urgent quest.
'What is happening? I have completed the quest,' he thought.
"You did it again, hero!"
"So cool!"
"If only I were half as strong as you, my girlfriend would never leave me!"
The soldiers were celebrating his victory, chanting his name and praising him. But the hero frowned instead of smiling as he observed his surroundings curiously.
He wondered if the system had an error delaying his mission report and result. He even queried it.
[ Quest hasn't been completed yet! ]
"What?"
He had slayed all the abnormalities that attempted to kill the king—shouldn't that be enough to complete the quest?
Orr?
Alister's eyes widened.
He began taking fast, long strides toward the royal tent.
The few soldiers in front were still praising him and celebrating the victory, but he remained unfazed.
Theobald saw his expression and instantly knew something was wrong.
"What is it, Alister?"
He tried speaking with Alister, but the hero did not respond. Alister stepped past the soldiers and opened the royal tent.
King Julian was sitting on a bench, going over a map on the desk with Osborne.
Noticing his presence, both stood up and strode forward to congratulate him on yet another victory.
But this only confused the hero—there was nothing wrong with the king, so why hadn't the system confirmed his completion?
"Hero, what is wrong?"
King Julian noticed the hero's worried expression and asked.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
Before the hero could respond, three loud explosions shook the place.
"Come outside, King Julian of Muzez!"
A loud and terrifying voice shouted, sending a menacing message.