Game World

Crumbs system you're standing up

Xi Vi returned to Winterhold Castle with a light and cheerful mood, successfully completing the final daily task involving an antagonist. The target was a slave trader who, at the time, was ruthlessly beating a group of slaves. Although such incidents were common in this world, it didn't mean that Shivi could turn a blind eye.

Consequently, the individual was charged with the crime of "Disturbing Public Order" and "Causing a Disturbance Loud Enough to Disturb the Lord," resulting in partial paralysis from the attack by Shivi's knights. Moreover, Shivi took all of the slaves under his care and assigned them as servants within the castle.

The trashy system didn't specify the type of person to be attacked; as long as they were citizens, it sufficed. This was the only task that Shivi felt justified and at ease doing, without the need for compensation.

...

"Now it's time for the exciting award ceremony!"

Shivi rubbed his hands excitedly, sitting upright at the long table in the dining hall, where the castle chef had meticulously prepared roast meat and red wine.

"I want to claim my reward, system!"

"Ding! The host has completed all daily tasks. Would you like to claim the rewards?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Shivi only heard the sound of fireworks launching in his mind, followed by a virtual roulette bouncing out, adorned with red silk and cheap colored lights.

"Well, this looks quite festive, doesn't it?" Shivi grinned.

The roulette had five sections: Unit, Martial Arts, Equipment, Elixir, and Oddity—a traditional setup.

Shivi wasn't overly surprised or disappointed; his expectations for the trashy system had dwindled. Among the rewards, what he wanted most was a new military unit. As a newly appointed lord, manpower was his primary need, with only one Kremeon currently not enough to hold the fort.

Following that, his desire was for equipment; as for martial arts, Shivi was not lacking. His master was a legendary Sword Saint, and the skills he had acquired were already top-notch.

Oddities were unknown entities; Shivi hadn't encountered them in his previous gaming experiences. Literally translated, they seemed to be strange items—well, with a trashy system like this, wasn't it strange enough?

Elixirs seemed quite lackluster to Shivi; in his view, enhancements that couldn't be permanently applied to oneself were just paper tigers.

"Here we go."

Shivi pressed the button in the middle of the roulette with his mind. The wheel spun with a swift motion, gradually slowing down, passing through Martial Arts and Unit sections, finally coming to a halt on the Equipment column.

"Not bad!"

Shivi felt a bit pleased as he drew something he needed—a new set of armor.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Fine-grade Armor 'Dragon Slayer Heavy Plate Armor'... Ding! Obtained three times the critical hit chance. Critical hit successful... Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Hero-grade Armor 'Triumphant Holy Knight Heroic Plate Armor.'"

"Hmm, not bad at all... Wait a moment, 250 systems, what did you say? Hero-grade?"

Shivi leaned back in his chair, suddenly sitting up.

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Hero-grade Armor 'Triumphant Holy Knight Heroic Plate Armor.' Would you like to materialize it?"

"Materialize, materialize, hurry up. I haven't seen what Hero-grade armor looks like!"

Shivi felt ecstatic as an exquisite and magnificent set of armor materialized on the dining table.

The armor was silver-white overall, accented with some gold. The joints were made of extremely flexible soft gold, while the main body was crafted from the hardest dragon-patterned steel.

Shivi had learned about this material when he studied at the Knight Academy. It was said that only a trace could be found deep within the earth or in the lair of a fire dragon.

And now, it had been extravagantly forged into a complete set of armor.

The most eye-catching part was a golden dragon crystal, about the size of a human face, embedded at the center of the chest plate.

Although flattened in shape, the crystal still revealed the features of a mature brass dragon.

Linked to the magical circuits in the armor, the dragon crystal would passively enhance the wearer's combat and defensive abilities.

The wearer could also actively trigger the magical circuits, raising a protective shield against attacks until the energy within the dragon crystal was depleted. Of course, this attack threshold also had its limits.

This Hero-grade armor was truly top-notch compared to others of the same grade. Just the dragon-pattern steel used to forge it was priceless, not to mention the dragon crystal, which was practically unobtainable.

Shivi hastily put on the armor, and as the magical circuits activated, he felt a surge of power spreading from his chest to his entire body.

He had a sense that, with this armor, he might be able to go head-to-head with Kremeon.

"System, you're impressive! You're no longer the dumb system you used to be; you've stepped up!"

"Ding! This system does not have legs and cannot stand up."

The system was still as clueless as ever.

But that was a good thing; the dumber the system, the more loopholes Shivi could exploit.

While Shivi was happily contemplating, he fetched his greatsword from the room.

He couldn't wait to have a fight with Kremeon, testing the effectiveness of this new set of armor.

...

"Master Shivi, are you looking for the old servant?"

Kremeon, wearing heavy knight armor, pushed open the door to the private training room. He had been training guards in the castle's rear horse yard until now, as increasing the defense force of Winterhold Castle was currently a top priority.

Shivi had been waiting in the training room for a while. It was the place where he usually practiced privately, decorated with some wooden stakes and weapon racks—mostly for show.

The truly useful part was the obsidian slabs covering the floor and walls. These slabs were not only highly durable but also had good flexibility. The downside was their poor energy conductivity, restricting their use to crafting weapons below the Fine-grade level.

Shivi smiled and gestured for Kremeon to join him, and they both walked to the center of the room. Kremeon performed a respectful bow, holding out his sword.

Afterward, he raised his head, drawing the longsword from his waist. The blade gleamed like a crimson moon as his aura suddenly shifted from a composed old man to a ferocious beast lurking in the blood-soaked battlefield.

Shivi silently praised; no wonder he had single-handedly blocked the fourth Cataclysm for over two months. The terrifying killing intent, the powerful aura—despite being fellow Earth Knights, it still sent shivers down his spine.

This formidable power and imposing aura, akin to a majestic brass dragon roaring behind him, made even the air around them heavy and stagnant.

"Ah!"

Kremeon took a step forward, initiating the attack. The longsword thrust forward with a hissing sound, a scarlet sword aura erupting like a poisonous dragon.

Shivi raised his sword to block, using both arms to forcefully parry Kremeon's single-handed strike. Then, he grasped the sword with both hands, pushing forward.

"Roar!"

The enormous sword, accompanied