The shield Artoleia had crafted turned out to be quite exceptional.
Ten times the weight, indestructible, capable of shattering gold and slicing iron like butter—all without negatively affecting the user. This shield was basically a souped-up version of Captain America's vibranium shield, with just one caveat: it couldn't block anything.
But what Guinevere liked the most was the passive effect that attracted nearby monsters.
With that passive, Guinevere immediately began rapidly stacking his "Battle High" counter:
[You have encountered Phantasmal Species: Demon x1.]
[You killed it with a shield throw.]
[Ding. Since your action aligns with both the "Chainsaw Boy" and "Gun Boy" image templates, the Demon Contract meter increases by 10% each. Current charge: 80%.]
["Battle High" – Victory Against Stronger Foe +1. Current streak: 2.]
[You have encountered Phantasmal Species: Lamia x4.]
[You used "Triple Shield Toss" to instantly kill three lamias, then headshotted the last one using the Holy Fire Verdict rifle form.]
["Battle High" +1. Current streak: 3.]
[You have encountered Phantasmal Species: Twin-Horned Beasts x2.]
["Battle High"... Current streak: 4.]
[You have encountered Phantasmal Species: Sea Demons x4.]
["Battle High"... Current streak: 5.]
[...]
And so, monsters kept flooding in without pause. Even though they had only a third of yesterday's distance to cover, the frequency of encounters today was nearly ten times greater.
As a result, Guinevere's win streak piled up fast. The more he fought, the more confident he became, his courage and belief in himself surging with each victory.
By the time they reached the cavern marking the entrance to the Vein Corridor, Guinevere had accumulated nine victories against stronger foes. One more win, and his "Battle High" would level up to the next tier.
And right at the cavern entrance, they encountered the strongest foe yet.
[You have encountered Phantasmal Species: Guardian x1.]
Looking at the towering rocky behemoth—several meters tall and wielding a colossal stone greatsword—Guinevere fell silent for two full seconds.
He vaguely remembered this type of enemy. If memory served, it was this very creature that kicked a certain golden man's abs into oblivion in Chapter 7 of FGO.
While the in-game version wasn't much harder than any other monster, the real-life version was... a whole different story. The sheer pressure it emitted was unreal.
Cautiously, Guinevere hurled his shield toward the Guardian's face.
A dull thud rang out as the shield was deflected and sent flying, leaving only a hairline crack on the Guardian's stone face.
That was it.
A moment later, the Guardian raised its gigantic sword—wider than a door—and brought it down on Guinevere.
[Due to the Guardian's overwhelming defense, your shield throw failed to take it down.]
[You are forced into melee combat.]
[After a single devastating blow, with no time to evade, you are killed on the spot.]
Staring at the pixelated remains of himself on the screen, "Guinevere" grit his teeth and immediately selected "Retry."
["Undying One's Endless Trial" activated. You re-engage the Guardian.]
[This time, you adopt a kiting strategy, using your smaller frame to navigate the forest and drag the Guardian around.]
[Your shield's taunt effect keeps the Guardian focused on you, allowing your teammates to attack freely from the flanks.]
Onscreen, Guinevere darted between trees, luring the furious Guardian as it bulldozed through the forest behind him.
Meanwhile, columns of blue mana and crimson magic arrows rained down from the flanks, smashing into the Guardian and spreading fractures across its rocky body. Guinevere would occasionally turn back and hurl his shield, further widening those cracks.
When the fractures finally reached critical mass, the Guardian began to slow. On Guinevere's next throw, the shield struck dead center on a facial crack—and the Guardian's head split apart like a shattered mask.
Chunks of rock rained down as the massive figure staggered and finally collapsed with a thunderous crash.
[After an intense battle, you have defeated the Guardian guarding the Vein Corridor's entrance.]
["Battle High" +1. Current streak: 10. "Battle High" has evolved into "Unstoppable Momentum."]
[Unstoppable Momentum: Your base stat growth rate is significantly increased. Your morale will remain above 90% and is resistant to decrease. You gain strong resistance to mental-type attacks. You are more likely to achieve breakthroughs and improvements during combat.]
[Additionally, when facing enemies stronger than yourself, your fighting spirit will remain steady, and your strength will scale up partially in response to the enemy's power.]
[All allies fighting alongside you will share a portion of this buff's effects.]
[This state will last until you are defeated. Upon defeat, the buff disappears and may convert into the debuff "Crushed Spirit."]
[Note: If using "Undying One's Endless Trial," the final result of the buff will depend on your status at the conclusion of that trial.]
[If you achieve 100 victories against stronger foes while this buff is active, it will evolve into "Irresistible Force."]
[Due to your use of a kiting strategy to defeat a significantly stronger Guardian, "Unstoppable Momentum" has activated. Your stat growth is greatly increased.]
[Agility stat increased.]
[Endurance stat increased.]
"Holy crap, this is busted."
Guinevere blinked and quickly opened his personal status screen:
[Player ID: Guinevere]
[Base Attributes:]
Strength: D
Agility: C
Endurance: E → D
Mana: E
Luck: B
And the good news didn't end there. Another message popped up:
[Due to repeated use, your skill "Shield Throw Proficiency" has leveled up.]
[Shield Throw Proficiency · C]
Though not a mainstream weapon, under your continuous practice, the shield has become a powerful unconventional weapon in your hands.
You can now guarantee the accuracy of four consecutive attacks after throwing your shield, or hit three enemies at once and have it return precisely to your hand.
You can throw your shield in a parabolic arc that lands at a preselected location after a few seconds.
Furthermore, you can now select a technique based on enemy type before throwing:
— Power Strike: A heavy, forceful throw that deals high damage but cannot ricochet between targets.
— Quick Strike: A swift, light throw with greatly enhanced speed and surprise factor.
— Skillful Strike: A masterful throw with an unpredictable trajectory that defies common sense.
"This is... insane."
Guinevere couldn't help but mutter.
If he ever became a game character someday, the developers wouldn't even need to design his red, green, and blue command cards—he'd already created his own: Power, Speed, and Trick shots.
Only downside? All three of his "command cards" were just different ways to throw a damn shield.
He felt like one of those janky early-day Servants who only had "Shoot arrow," "Shoot more arrows," and "Jump and shoot arrow" as their entire moveset.
All he could do was hope that when this skill reached higher levels, it would unlock some proper combo mechanics.
Maybe Artoleia could craft him a decent spear or something later on. Then he could go full Leonidas cosplay.
Still, all things considered, Guinevere was finally feeling genuinely optimistic about the future of his Shield Throw skill.
"Alright, let's get going," Guinevere strode confidently toward the cavern, "There's probably more intense battles waiting inside—"
Before he could finish, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air shot from behind him, followed by a heavy thud.
And then, a voice that made everyone's heart stop rang out behind him:
"Found you at last. So this was your plan—to hide in the Vein Corridor to escape me? How foolish. The chaos you caused earlier gave your position away."
"What—?!"
Guinevere turned, stunned.
A small figure was rocketing toward him like a missile, propelled by bright blue mana.
Without hesitation, Guinevere flung his shield at the incoming figure.
But just as it was about to hit, the figure suddenly halted mid-air, seemingly unaffected by inertia. With a graceful spin, she sidestepped the shield and closed in again. Her armored fist shot straight toward Guinevere.
He barely had time to raise his sword and block, leaping backward to absorb the impact.
Even so, the sheer force shattered his sword and drove straight into his chest.
Boom!
Guinevere was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the cavern wall behind him. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he hit the ground.
The attacker lunged forward, ready to finish the job—when another shield came flying in from behind her.
Fairy Lancelot turned just in time to catch a spinning shield slamming straight into her face.
Clang! She stumbled back two steps, her mask flying off from the impact. Her follow-up strike was completely disrupted.
"What...? I dodged that... didn't I?"
Watching the shield arc through the air and land right back near Guinevere, Lancelot's eyes widened in shock.
That single shield throw had bought just enough time for Artoleia and the others to rush to Guinevere's side, forming a protective line against Lancelot.
The knight's momentary confusion quickly faded.
"No matter. Struggle all you want—it won't change your fate."
With a flourish, she equipped a new half-mask over her face. Her gauntlets flew forward, then returned to her hands, now glowing with blue mana and sharp enough to slice through steel.
Fairy Knight Lancelot... had entered the fray.