66: The First Paladin

While I was enunciating the terms of the law, the dozen or so Undead Creatures had already drawn close enough.

Fiona began casting Thorn Whip, and a faint but clearly audible magical fluctuation rippled out.

Immediately after, a patch of dry bones on the ground began to surge upwards, and a cluster of long, thick magical vines broke through the soil.

They twisted and coiled, rising high with an irresistible force.

These vines, like living tentacles, lashed fiercely at the approaching Undead skeletons, making “thwacking” sounds accompanied by the faint crunching of splintering bones.

At the same time, I drew my bow and began to shoot.

However, when I aimed at those skeletons, I found that arrows had little effect on these fleshless enemies.

The arrows often just passed through the sparse gaps in their bones.

Occasionally, when I was lucky enough to hit one of their bones, the smaller animal skeletons would stumble.

But soon, I discovered the weakness of these skeletons—the eerie green flames flickering in their eye sockets.

Only when I precisely shot that flame would these bone frames “clatter” and scatter across the ground.

However, this victory was only temporary.

Not long after, those scattered bone frames astonishingly began to reassemble themselves, as if invisible threads were pulling bone to bone; they stood up again, and the eerie green flames rekindled in their hollow eye sockets, continuing to wobble closer to us.

Although Fiona’s magical vines could quickly smash the skeletons apart, she encountered the same predicament as I did.

Those bone frames, shattered by the vines, also began to self-repair after a brief silence.

Bones made faint grinding sounds as they reassembled into complete skeletons, once again closing in on us.

The Dragon King's attack effectiveness was similar to my arrows.

...

At the same time, I needed to help Randall complete the Oath ceremony as quickly as possible.

“Alright!” I turned to Fiona, “Fiona, you be the witness! As the object of Randall Barkman’s allegiance, I will now have him swear the Holy Knight’s Oath of the Crown.”

I began to have Randall swear the oaths one by one:

“The law is supreme. It is the foundation of civilization and must be treated with solemnity. I, Ryan, as the Lord of Black Panther Fortress, have now promulgated three laws: no betrayal of the Lord, no mutual killing among the common people, and all common people must prioritize the interests of the territory in all matters. Randall Barkman, are you willing to abide by them?”

“I am willing,” Randall replied solemnly.

“Keep your word. Without loyalty, oaths and laws will be meaningless. Randall Barkman, are you willing to maintain your loyalty to me and Black Panther Fortress for this lifetime?”

“I am willing.”

“Fearless. You must be willing to step forward when order is shaken, even if the odds are slim. Randall Barkman, are you willing to maintain such courage for this lifetime?”

“I am willing.”

“Dutiful. You must recognize the importance of your actions and bear the consequences for them. You must do your best to fulfill your responsibilities and obligations. Randall Barkman, can you do that?”

“I can do it!” Randall’s voice was firm and strong.

As Randall’s oath concluded, a white-backed, gold-patterned Holy Emblem appeared in my system space.

[Holy Emblem of the Crown of Black Panther Fortress]

This is the Host’s Guardian Holy Knight’s Divine Holy Emblem, like a pure white shield, engraved with a crown, crossed swords, and a panther’s paw.

This Holy Emblem was neither gold nor wood; its material seemed like flawless white jade, yet it exuded an indescribable mystery and sanctity.

Its appearance was like a palm-sized shield, symbolizing guardianship;

On the shield face, two golden patterns were finely carved:

A crown, symbolizing loyalty to royalty, law, and order;

And a pair of crossed swords, signifying battle and an unyielding will;

The back also outlined a black panther’s paw, traced with a thin golden edge, and Randall Barkman’s name was carved below it in the common language.

This is the Host’s first Guardian Holy Knight’s Divine Holy Emblem, infused with the purest energy of the system, containing exceptionally powerful blessing abilities.

In the future, the Host can independently place carved emblems into the system space for 3 days of nurturing to mass-produce new Holy Knight Holy Emblems.

Data:

Equipment Ability:

- Strength: +1

- Charisma: +1

- Defense Rating: +1 (+2)

- Saving Throws: +1 (+2)

- Heart of Guarding: When the Holy Knight holds this Holy Emblem within 60 feet of the Host, the Holy Knight’s and Host’s Defense Ratings and Saving Throws gain a +1 bonus on top of their existing values, and they gain resistance to all damage. Furthermore, whenever the Host takes damage within 60 feet, the Holy Knight shares half of the damage taken.

- Dispel Evil: This Holy Emblem enhances the Black Panther Fortress Holy Knight’s ability to dispel evil creatures or evil magic. When the Holy Knight faces Undead Creatures, demons, or other evil forces, using this Holy Emblem can significantly boost the dispel effect.

- Divine Favor: The Holy Knight holding this Holy Emblem gains +1 Divine Spell slot per level, and all Divine Spells cast are treated as +1 spell level.

Sole Usable By: Randall Barkman

Weight: 1

...

This powerful Holy Emblem glowed faintly in my hand, as if containing endless power.

I walked up to Randall and presented the Holy Emblem before him.

Seeing this, Randall’s eyes flashed with surprise and excitement.

He solemnly knelt on one knee, his hands trembling slightly as he received the Holy Emblem.

His actions were pious and reverent, as if he was receiving not just a Holy Emblem, but a heavy responsibility and mission.

The moment he received the Holy Emblem, the entire underground space seemed to tremble.

A sacred radiance suddenly lit up around Randall, enveloping him completely.

This radiance was warm and bright, like sunlight piercing through dark clouds, illuminating all darkness and evil.

Under the illumination of this radiance, the Undead skeletons approaching Randall instantly turned into fine dust, unable to reassemble into new skeletons.

The Undead skeletons further away quickly turned and fled into the distance.

It worked!

I quickly opened Randall’s attribute panel in my mind.

[Name]: Randall Barkman

[Affiliated Territory]: Black Panther Fortress

[Citizen Loyalty]: 100

[Race]: Human

[Gender]: Male

[Alignment]: Lawful Good

[Age]: 21

[Birthplace]: Elturgard

[Origin]: Noble

[Profession]: Paladin (Oath of the Crown)

[Profession Level]: 7

[Attributes]: Strength 18 (+1 = 19 Holy Emblem bonus), Dexterity 12, Constitution 14, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 10, Charisma 17 (+1 = 18 Holy Emblem bonus)

[Defense Rating]: 2 (Chainmail damaged, Holy Emblem bonus +2 = 0)

[Health Points]: 72 / 72

[Base Attack Bonus]: 8

[Damage]: 4 to 12 (Greatsword)

[Skills]:

Turn Undead, Divine Allegiance, Defend Challenge, Divine Sense, Divine Grace, Protection, Lay on Hands, Aura of Protection, Smite Evil, Extra Attack, Turn the Tide...

[Divine Spells]:

1st-level Divine Spells: Divine Favor, Protection from Evil and Good, Shield of Faith, Command, Compelled Duel

2nd-level Divine Spells: Prayer of Healing, Protection from Poison, Warding Bond, Zone of Truth

[Spellcasting Effect]:

All Divine Spells cast are treated as +1 spell level (Holy Emblem bonus)

...

Powerful! Too powerful!

All the attribute values that were reduced due to his previous corrupted state have returned to normal!

He instantly gained over twenty Holy Knight-exclusive skills and Divine Spells.

With the bonuses from his exclusive Holy Emblem and various powerful abilities, Randall’s overall strength increased significantly.