Knight Secret Skill

The mechanical voice continued echoing in his mind.

Hearing the voice and feeling the power that had suddenly surged through his body, Arthur froze.

"Life Seed... Was that feeling just now the process of awakening?"

Thinking back to what he had just experienced, Arthur smiled wryly. "That was dangerous. I nearly got myself killed for real."

"Chip, analyze the conditions for activating the Life Seed."

He came back to his senses and gave the order to the Chip in his mind.

Almost instantly, the mechanical voice sounded again in his mind.

"Ding! According to the recorded data, an analysis of the host's Life Seed shows that activating it requires a strong physique. Strength, agility, and constitution must each exceed 2.5. The host must then undergo intense stimulation, which may trigger the Life Seed. The higher the host's physical attributes and the more intense the stimulation, the greater the chance of success..."

The Chip's mechanical voice continued sounding in his mind.

"The host's life structure is beginning to change! Physical attributes are increasing significantly!"

A pale green glow of data shone before Arthur's eyes.

A three-dimensional model of a human body appeared before him, with the areas that had changed highlighted by the Chip.

The body's overall structure had not changed much, but some minute details had begun to shift, undergoing more precise optimization and becoming more perfect than before.

The heart in particular—the location of the Life Seed—was highlighted by the Chip. It seemed to have changed considerably compared to before.

"As expected, activating the Life Seed changes the very level of one's life. The body's structure undergoes subtle changes, allowing physical attributes that had already reached their peak to grow even stronger."

After studying the body model before him for a long while, Arthur finally spoke. Then he looked at his physical attributes.

"Name: Arthur Falkus. Strength: 1.4 (3.4). Agility: 0.9 (3.3). Constitution: 2.1 (3.5)."

His strength, agility, and constitution had all improved to varying degrees. According to the Chip's analysis, as the Life Seed awakened and his body's structure gradually optimized and changed, this rate of growth would continue for a while before slowly leveling off.

A force now flowed through Arthur's body. As it circulated, it accelerated the healing of his wounds and rapidly restored what little strength and stamina he had left.

It wasn't especially fast, but it worked better than relying entirely on the body's natural healing. It could also ward off some minor illnesses.

Arthur estimated that his life expectancy would now be longer than before, thanks to activating the Life Seed.

"Chip, name this force Life Energy," he ordered the Chip in his mind.

Once that was done, he reached for his waist, pulled out some black salve, and bit down on it.

The salve had been made using Healing Potion. It was highly effective at treating injuries and could also counteract some mild toxins. Arthur carried quite a bit of it with him.

The bitter taste spread through his mouth, but Arthur paid it no mind. He looked into the distance.

Earlier, to fight more effectively and avoid being surrounded by other Orcs, Arthur had deliberately lured his opponent away from the battlefield. After weaving in and out of danger along the way, he was now some distance from the main battle.

No one thought Arthur could win. Bloodthirsty Orcs had a talent for bloodlust, and their physiques were formidable—stronger than those of some knights. Under normal circumstances, there would be no suspense in a fight between one of them and a Rookie Knight who had yet to awaken his Life Seed.

That belief, combined with the stalemate on the battlefield, meant that few Orcs came over to interrupt their fight.

Arthur looked down at his legs. They were smeared with blood, and the flesh was mangled beyond recognition.

With injuries this severe, he had lost most of his mobility and could only move slowly.

Realizing this, Arthur wisely abandoned the idea of returning to the fight. Instead, he headed to the side, intending to find a concealed spot from which to watch the battle.

He didn't like entrusting his safety to others, so he wasn't about to simply wait for someone to win and come rescue him.

If the Orcs started to gain the upper hand, Arthur would flee at once, without the slightest hesitation.

Fortunately, things hadn't become that dire yet.

He walked behind a large tree. With his keen eyesight and the Chip's analysis, Arthur was able to clearly observe the battlefield.

The battle was still at a stalemate. Both sides were fighting fiercely, and corpses littered the ground.

To Arthur's relief, the Orcs weren't winning. Instead, the Rookie Knights were fighting desperately and pushing them back, keeping them locked in a struggle.

The one responsible for this turn of events was Flar.

The middle-aged knight stood on the battlefield, sweeping across it like a human-shaped beast. He showed Arthur just how terrifying a peak knight's power could be.

Earlier, it had taken three Bloodthirsty Orcs together just to hold this knight back. After Arthur lured one of them away, the remaining two could still keep Flar occupied for a short time, but as time passed, they gradually faltered and began to fall behind.

Knight Flar still wore the same cold expression. He wielded a greatsword over two meters long and maintained his relentlessly aggressive fighting style, meeting the Bloodthirsty Orcs head-on with every blow.

He charged forward and brought his greatsword down hard, forcing the two Bloodthirsty Orcs back. Then, without hesitation, he rushed into a nearby crowd and slaughtered the scattered Orc warriors.

Roar!!

Seeing this, the two Bloodthirsty Orcs flew into a rage and tried to chase after him.

But although Orcs were naturally strong and sturdy, they were much slower than knights of the same rank. They could barely keep up with Knight Flar's movements, let alone stop him.

As though their pent-up fury had reached its limit, their faces twisted with rage, and their already towering bodies began to swell until they were nearly four meters tall.

"Is that... bloodlust?" Watching from a distance, Arthur, who had just fought a fierce battle himself, recognized it at once. His gaze shifted to Flar.

Feeling the rage surging behind him, Flar took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

His body began to swell as well. Though not as dramatically as the Bloodthirsty Orcs in the distance, his aura grew much stronger in an instant.

"Ding! The target's physical attributes are increasing rapidly!" The mechanical voice sounded in Arthur's mind, making him freeze.

Bang!!

The tremendous impact rang out so loudly that even Arthur, far away, could hear it faintly.

Struggling to deflect the attacks of the two Orcs before him, Flar took a deep breath. The greatsword in his hands slowly lowered as the Life Seed within him vibrated rapidly, drawing out Life Energy at great speed.

With the Life Energy infusing it, the greatsword in his hands glimmered green. Then he swung it down with all his might.

A heavy slash!

A faint streak of pale green flashed, and the greatsword came down swiftly, striking the Orc before him as he stared in disbelief.

Roar!!! The Orc let out a low, furious growl, filled with frantic rage and bitter unwillingness.

One of the Bloodthirsty Orc's weapon-wielding arms was chopped off, and red blood flowed from the wound.

Losing the arm that held his weapon meant losing half his combat strength. Against a formidable foe like Flar, the outcome was all but decided.

"Was that... a Knight Secret Skill?" Hidden in place and watching from afar, Arthur's eyes lit up.

A Knight Secret Skill was a special technique that only a knight could use. Only a true knight who had awakened his Life Seed could perform one.

Arthur's Knight Breathing Technique also included instructions for a Knight Secret Skill. But before, he hadn't awakened his Life Seed or gained the power of life, so naturally, he couldn't use it.

"Chip, infer the target's current state!" After a moment, Arthur gave the order to the Chip in his mind.

The mechanical voice sounded again at once.

"Ding! Life Energy is surging within the target's body! Similarity to the recorded effects of a Life Seed's burst: 89.5%!"

Taking in the Chip's information and the target's strength, Arthur pondered. "Simulate the final result of a Life Seed's burst."

"Ding! When a Life Seed bursts, the Life Energy within the body greatly increases the host's physical attributes. Once the burst ends, the host enters a weakened state, and his Life Limit is greatly reduced." The Chip responded shortly afterward.

"So that's why..." Arthur finally understood and continued watching the battlefield.

After bursting his Life Seed, Knight Flar's strength increased again. He was now every bit as powerful as the Bloodthirsty Orcs in their bloodlust state.

Both Bloodthirsty Orcs were wounded. One had even had an arm chopped off and looked utterly miserable.

They were no match for Knight Flar in this state, and he quickly finished them off one by one.

A muffled thud sounded nearby. One of the towering Bloodthirsty Orcs let out a roar and collapsed, his swollen body slowly shrinking back to its original size.

Once that was done, Flar looked toward the nearby battlefield and charged straight into it without hesitation.

With his strength, there was hardly anyone left who could stop him after he had dealt with the two Bloodthirsty Orcs.

Even the strongest Orc Warrior couldn't hold out for long against a peak knight who had awakened his Life Seed.