Afterward, Duanmu Huai fused the [Ancient Amplifier] and [Ancient Automaton] with [Sky City]. This way, they could now automatically produce a certain number of (Constructs) and (Mechanical Soldiers) daily within [Sky City]. Of course, Duanmu Huai still needed to consume psychic energy to summon these constructs—but at least now, he essentially carried a large-scale, mobile troop-spawning base with him. For Duanmu Huai, that was more than enough.
However, he still had a lingering question—something about that old legend. He clearly remembered that when he first ascended the mountain, a fellow knight had mentioned that the patron saint of Bretonnia, the Green Knight, had once gone to Sky City under the guidance of the Lady of the Lake. Duanmu Huai later asked Mia about it, and she confirmed: several hundred years ago, a player had come to Sky City to challenge it. But unfortunately, that player failed to clear the final stage and only received a set of armor and weapons as a consolation prize...
Well, a consolation prize was still something. He didn't expect the Green Knight's equipment to be a runner-up reward. If the Bretonnians ever found out the truth, who knew how they'd react. Even so, Duanmu Huai could understand—because that final boss area really was disgusting. He couldn't imagine what kind of twisted thought process the original designers had when they built that part. It was blatantly unfair.
Maybe a large group could've had a shot, but Mia had also said the instance limited participant count and power levels. How the hell were you supposed to beat that? Sending a five-person team into what felt like a twenty-five-man dungeon was borderline suicidal. The fact that the Green Knight even returned alive was already a miracle.
In fact, Duanmu Huai suspected that the designers of Sky City had never intended for anyone to clear it—just like those shady promotions promising to give away a Ferrari, and if you won, they handed you a Ferrari model car. Capitalists were the same all over the universe.
Even so, one question still gnawed at him: how did the Lady of the Lake even know about Sky City? According to the legend, the Green Knight went to Sky City under her divine guidance. That meant the Lady of the Lake was aware of Sky City's existence.
So the real question was—was the Lady of the Lake a survivor of the civilization that created Sky City? Or did she simply stumble upon it and not truly understand what it was? Duanmu Huai leaned toward the latter. After all, she was a deity, and it wasn't all that strange for her to discover a mysterious amusement facility hidden in her territory.
It was entirely possible that the Lady of the Lake had once entered the facility herself, got scared witless by the difficulty, and then declared it a "trial," sending others to deal with it under a divine pretense. That would explain a lot.
After all, modern-day Bretonnia showed no signs of being connected to Sky City. Not even the architecture matched. If the Lady of the Lake had truly been a survivor of that lost civilization, then at the very least, her temples or architectural style should resemble Sky City. But Duanmu Huai hadn't seen even a hint of similarity—so this theory could basically be ruled out.
Of course, it was all just speculation. Duanmu Huai didn't dwell too much on it—mainly because at the moment, he was riding a motorcycle, flying across the grasslands. It felt amazing to finally have a vehicle—especially after being forced to walk everywhere for so long.
At this moment, Duanmu Huai was genuinely exhilarated.
And with this vehicle, he could now consider traveling to some previously unreachable places to search for holy relics…
"Screech—————!!"
However, just as Duanmu Huai was pondering where to find them, a sharp glint flickered in his eyes, and he abruptly hit the brakes on the motorcycle.
He looked up toward the entrance of a forest path—where a figure stood, blocking his way.
Although Duanmu Huai didn't recognize him personally, the green helmet, green armor, green longsword, and green warhorse were unmistakable. Wasn't this the legendary Bretonnian national hero, the Green Knight, the one said to make others "green with fear"?
What's this guy doing here? Trying to rob me?
Duanmu Huai stared at him, utterly confused. Then, the Green Knight silently drew his longsword, placed it upright across his chest, and slowly pointed it at Duanmu Huai from afar. At the same time, a system prompt popped up in front of him.
[Activate Special Timed Quest: Challenge][Quest Objective: Defeat the Green Knight][Bretonnia's guardian hero, the Green Knight, has challenged you. Now is the time to prove your strength to him!]
Oh? So it's a duel?
Raising an eyebrow, Duanmu Huai glanced above the Green Knight's head. The glowing label read [LV40 (Hero)], green from top to bottom. Just looking at it made one want to cry—how many times had this guy been "green-capped" to end up like this?
"Anticipating a stroke of luck, and an impact, what a wonderful encounter. Crossing over the mountain peak ahead, and layers of white clouds, green light is there…"
Humming a strange little tune, Duanmu Huai looked at the Green Knight, a small grin forming at the corner of his lips.
Since this was how it was going to be, he might as well see how strong this so-called national hero really was.
My turn. Draw card…!Summon three [Analyzed Constructs] and three [Ancient Constructs] to the field!Then summon one [Mysterious Construct] and one [Splendid Construct]!Also, summon five [Large Mechanical Soldiers]!
As Duanmu Huai extended his right hand, a flash of light erupted. Immediately, five floating ancient constructs and three heavily armored, towering mechanical soldiers appeared before him.
The [Analyzed Constructs] and [Ancient Constructs] cost 1, reduced to 0 thanks to the effect of the Warp Armor.The [Splendid Construct], normally 5, was reduced to 2.The [Mysterious Construct] and [Large Mechanical Soldiers], normally 3, were reduced to 1.Altogether, the 13 summoned units consumed only 80 Warp Heat.
Duanmu Huai's current Intelligence stat was 12, giving him a base Warp Heat cap of 120.On top of that, the [Primarch] trait [Warp Affinity] increased the cap by 10 points per level.At level 23, Duanmu Huai had a total Warp Heat cap of 120 + (10×23) = 350 points.
Even accounting for Olgis's 30 Warp Heat consumption, Duanmu Huai was currently using only 110 points—well under half!
As expected, Warp Armor really is the best!
"...!"
Seeing the constructs and mechanical soldiers rapidly assembled on the battlefield, the Green Knight visibly trembled. He even pulled his warhorse back a step—was this PTSD from a previous defeat?
But Duanmu Huai didn't care. The quest clearly said "challenge," not "duel." And as a summoner, why should he be embarrassed about overwhelming an opponent with numbers?
Besides, it wasn't like he was scared of a one-on-one anyway.
Are we challenging you? Or are you challenging us? What's the difference?
"Charge!"
With Duanmu Huai's command, the mechanical soldiers around him instantly surged forward toward the Green Knight. At the same time, the floating constructs began firing beams of energy, raining destruction down in an attempt to annihilate their target.
Faced with this overwhelming offensive, the Green Knight had no choice but to spur his warhorse and charge head-on. Of course, this was a vast open grassland—if things went south, retreat was always an option. But this was the Green Knight: Bretonnia's national hero, the very embodiment of chivalry—and the one who had issued the challenge to Duanmu Huai in the first place.
If he turned tail now, his honor would be in ruins.
And so, the Green Knight galloped into battle, clashing with the advancing [Large Mechanical Soldiers]. It had to be said—the Green Knight's offensive power was truly terrifying. Duanmu Huai glanced at his status window mid-battle: 60 Attack, 50 Defense.
In card terms, that translated to 6 Attack and 5 Defense. Not quite as powerful as Olgis's 7/7, of course—but that was Olgis after awakening. The Green Knight, in his current form, hadn't even awakened yet. If he had a burst mode too, his stats would skyrocket.
But that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
After all, awakened soul cards had their stats locked. Olgis's 7/7 couldn't increase any further. The Green Knight, on the other hand, might still be able to level up. If his Attack climbed to 70 or 80, then post-awakening, his final stats could be even higher.
Unfortunately, soul cards couldn't grow—they were simply soul imprints in the warp. They had no past or future, and couldn't level up by defeating enemies.
Back on the battlefield, the [Large Mechanical Soldiers], with only 3 Defense, couldn't withstand the Green Knight's devastating strikes. His mounted mobility far outmatched their lumbering movements.
Duanmu Huai did what he could—summoning [Mysterious Constructs] with the [Guard] trait. These could convert their defense into shields to block incoming attacks. Though they still shattered under a single strike from the Green Knight, at least… they bought him precious time.
Even so, it was now clear—the Green Knight's title of "national hero" wasn't just for show. Surrounded by constructs and mechanical soldiers, he sliced through with ease. A few powerful swings of his blade toppled the [Large Mechanical Soldiers] like tin toys. Then, with a fluid motion, he turned his horse, raised his longsword, and—boom—the airborne [Construct] legion exploded in a wave of sparks.
In moments, the battlefield had been swept clean by the Green Knight's might.
As expected.
Duanmu Huai wasn't surprised by the Green Knight's overwhelming strength—he never intended to win with just these minions. Their purpose had only been to delay and wear him down.
Now, the main event begins!
Activate [Mobile Armor]!
Just as the Green Knight finished cutting through the last wave and began charging toward Duanmu Huai, a ripple passed through Duanmu Huai's body—and then, his power armor surged with energy.
A dazzling purple light erupted from his frame as the armor expanded and transformed—bulkier, stronger, faster.
Then Duanmu Huai gripped his warhammer, his eyes locking onto the incoming knight, and charged straight toward him!
(End of this chapter)