Iris yearned for that kind of life. Maybe their strength was not that strong, maybe they didn't have the strength of a hero to defeat the dragon and kill the demon king, but their lives really made Iris feel envious.
It was ridiculous to say that adventurers pursued the powerful strength of a hero, but as a descendant of the hero, a girl who could pull out the Holy Sword, often sat in the palace, flipping through those adventurers' self-aggrandizing picture books.
"Well then, this is both an exam for the knights and a test for the adventurers, let's all do our best."
As Russel's last words fell, the arena fell into a brief silence, and Iris's thoughts returned to the present.
Then came the free challenge segment.
There are many knights in the Royal palace, more than adventurers. Of course, the number of adventurers is naturally not limited to this. The Adventurers Guild in the Royal capital is where most adventurers gather.
The strength of knights varies, and so does that of adventurers.
The top adventurers are not here, and the weakest adventurers are not qualified to be here. Most of those who remain here are mediocre.
Of course, except for Roa.
Claire came to Roa, raised her eyebrows, and asked playfully, "What, want to give it a try?"
Claire's so-called "try" is actually an invitation to battle.
Although Roa didn't know what she was thinking, since she had said so, there was no reason to refuse.
Roa nodded slightly, agreeing directly.
Roa grasped the longsword at his waist and walked towards the center of the arena.
The arena was very large, more than enough for a group of people to duel.
Of course, it's not like everyone will fight all at once. No matter how big the arena is, it can't accommodate two hundred people dueling. Anyway, the assessment won't take long. Each battle will take about ten minutes at most, and the assessment can be completed in at most an hour.
Claire's strength is not weak. The adventurers besides Roa are all seasoned veterans. Having stayed in the Royal palace for so long, they have experienced such PKs more than once or twice, and they have a clear understanding of the strength of the knights.
There are also differences in strength among knights. As the saying goes, pick the soft persimmons. Although these adventurers wouldn't stoop to such cunning tactics, they wouldn't challenge the strongest among them, Claire.
When the adventurers saw Roa accept Claire's invitation, they looked on with a "the more the merrier" attitude. Except for those who were already competing, they all gathered around Roa, ready to watch the show with glee.
Russel stood beside Iris, watching every move below from the stage.
"Ten minutes. If the battle is still not over, then the adventurer will be considered the winner. I will personally guide the winning adventurer. Of course, if you can defeat me, then it means your strength has reached a certain level and you have a certain ability to protect yourself, even on the front lines. You can choose whether or not to attend future training, and you will also receive considerable privileges in the Royal capital."
Russel paused, looked at the faces, some young, some mature, and a smile appeared on his lips. Russel slowly said, "But the premise is that you have to defeat me, otherwise you have to follow my arrangements. This is both for the convenience of management and for your own good."
Roa glanced at Russel standing on the stage. His aura was not weak, but that was all. A level 55 adventurer was not enough in Roa's eyes.
Iris watched below with a smile. Although her face was still childish, Iris could also show a mature side.
With those words, it officially began.
Roa and Claire looked at each other, and Claire slowly drew the longsword at her waist.
Claire's knight's sword was slightly wider and longer than Roa's longsword. The Royal palace's foundation was beyond doubt. The moment the knight's sword was drawn, the blade gleamed with a cold, white light under the sunlight.
Claire held the sword with both hands, stepped forward with her left foot, and held the sword in front of her, looking ready for battle.
Honestly, Claire didn't have an accurate understanding of how strong Roa was.
Even if Roa could exorcise a high-level demon, it only proved that Roa had a holy-type item. According to the information, Roa's combat power was considerable, with the feat of independently subduing a blow bear.
However, Claire still wanted to test Roa's level.
Roa thought for a moment, stepped forward with his right foot, and instead of drawing his longsword, adopted an iaido stance.
Claire raised her eyebrows, looked at Roa's stance, and asked with some doubt, "Aren't you going to draw your sword?"
Roa said seriously, "I'm afraid that if I attack, you won't have a chance to attack."
Claire's face instantly darkened. With a cold face, she strode forward, moving quickly, leaning forward, raising the longsword high in her hand, and then suddenly bringing it down.
Roa looked at her with some doubt. There was speed, but not much.
Roa took a small step back, dodging Claire's slash.
A hint of surprise appeared on Claire's face. Without stopping, she raised her longsword, and at that moment, a blue light appeared on the sword. The speed of the longsword was actually 30% faster than the previous slash, suddenly increasing and slashing fiercely towards Roa's right arm.
Claire's moves were all broad and open. There were techniques, but not many.
Roa dodged again, dodging this slash. His right body leaned back slightly, Claire's face didn't change, and the longsword smashed down swiftly, changing from a slash to a chop. The longsword carried the whistling sound of the wind, falling again towards Roa's position.
Roa didn't hold back at all. Seeing Claire still attacking fiercely even though her attacks hadn't landed, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
So bold?
It seems that Claire's swordsmanship is not as good as imagined.
At that moment, Roa's right hand, holding the hilt of the sword, exerted a little force.
Claire instinctively sensed something was wrong. A bad feeling told her to retreat quickly.
But now the arrow was on the string and had to be fired. Retracting the sword at this time would undoubtedly give the opponent an opportunity to attack.
It was impossible to retreat, so she might as well go all the way.
A hint of madness flashed in Claire's eyes. She gritted her teeth, poured magic power into the longsword, and activated her skill at this moment.
"Godspeed!"
Claire's right arm muscles bulged, the knight's sword surged again, and the longsword turned into an afterimage, stabbing out suddenly.
However, Roa suddenly unsheathed his sword the moment her longsword was swung.