The Ancient Gravitas Mummy took a step to the side to avoid taking any further damage. It clutched its right arm with its left, using Mana of the Darkness Element to restore the bandages to their previous length and reform the arm.
The newcomer gave William a chance to catch his breath. He stepped back to gain some distance from the Mummy and pulled out seven more Array Puppets from his Space Ring, then took a peek at his unexpected ally.
The girl was clad in pure white robes, with a mask covering her face and only revealing a pair of bright-blue eyes. Behind the mask, William could see waist-length silvery hair that sparkled in the daylight. Her stance was calm but not arrogant, the epitome of grace and elegance that suggested she had gone through many difficult battles in her lifetime.
The hair and eyes brought sad memories back to William, but he was in the middle of a battle and didn't have time to think about such things.
"Thank you." he said to the girl with gratitude. If it weren't for her, William might have suffered a few injuries before he could escape from the Mummy.
"You're welcome." she launched another attack with her ethereal blade, forcing the Mummy to step back about fifty meters until it was well out of her attack range. The Mummy evaluated the newcomer with sharp eyes as she stepped closer to William. She urged William to come over.
"What do you know about this thing so far?" she asked once he had arrived next to her.
"It seems to be an Ancient Gravitas Mummy. It's very intelligent and can even speak. It is very skilled with the greatsword in its hand and can wield powerful Magic of at least the Fire, Earth, Wind, Darkness, and Lightning Elements. It duplicated one of my most complex spells after only seeing it once." William started explaining every attribute he had discovered since the start of the fight.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"It absorbed the Mana of a few dead Cultivators. I think it's trying to charge the staff in its hand for something big."
The girl nodded. William's description matched what her Sect knew about the creatures of this trial. She readied her sword and took a few steps forward to confront the Ancient Gravitas Mummy.
"Wait." William called out.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"You don't need to know, but I might say something for a price." the girl responded in a cold and aloof voice.
She didn't mean to be rude but wasn't willing to reveal her identity to anyone in the trial that might target her in the future. If others knew of her strength when she left the trial, it might cause unnecessary trouble for her Sect.
"What kind of price?" William asked even though he wasn't willing to pay anything just for someone's name.
"Follow me in the future, and I'll tell you anything you need to know. You can even join my Sect."
-The Host has received an offer to join a Party. Yes/No?
-Note: Once the Host has joined a Party, their fate will be tied to the Party Leader unless the Party Leader chooses to allow the Host to leave. The Host and its fellow Party members would have to follow every order given by the Party Leader.
William didn't expect to see a System message at this time, nor did he know why the System didn't mention this option when he joined Torc's party before. He read through the contents, a frown forming on his face.
Who would accept this? It's basically the same as slavery. If the Party Leader told me to go die, would I have to do that?
"Uh, no thanks. Maybe some other time." he tried to respond respectfully despite his bad mood.
As expected, it won't be so easy to recruit him. The girl thought to herself in disappointment.
"That's fine. I'm going to fight the Mummy now." she started off towards the Ancient Gravitas Mummy.
"Oh okay...well what should I do?" William wanted to collaborate with the powerful girl to take down the Mummy, which would make completing the Quest much easier.
"Nothing. Just stand back and watch." she said proudly.
William suddenly had a thought. Was this girl possibly the rival the System mentioned? What if he was competing with her, would he not get a Quest reward if he didn't land the killing blow on the Ancient Gravitas Mummy?
He decided to ask the System, who confirmed his guess.
I can't let her take the kill, but I also can't beat it by myself without showing too much strength... Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novelFɪre.net
William decided he would use the girl's skills to his advantage. He watched as she fought with the Ancient Gravitas Mummy, controlling his Array Puppets to approach from behind while waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The girl frowned at William's intrusion but said nothing. She collaborated with the Array Puppets, always positioning herself so that the Array Puppets were directly behind the Mummy.
The Ancient Gravitas Mummy was forced to split its attention between the girl and William's Puppets, cursing at their annoying tactics. It raised the staff in its hand, creating a Spirit Aura similar to William's Forcefield that focused all of its defense on the Mummy's backside.
Now it could focus entirely on the girl, since the Array Puppets couldn't possibly break its Enhanced Spirit Aura in a short period of time.
The Mummy rushed forward with its greatsword in hand, clashing with the girl's ethereal sword that adjusted its length based on its distance from the Mummy.
The pair exchanged dozens of strikes in just a few seconds, both parties skillfully parrying lethal attacks and waiting for the other to make a mistake. The small injuries multiplied on both the Mummy and the girl, but the Mummy had the upper hand since it could heal itself with the Darkness Element.
William saw this and activated his Life Element, healing the girl's injuries in an instant and earning a meaningful look in return.
He assumed his role for the remainder of the battle as a support character, using his Array Puppets to pelt the Mummy in the back with weak attacks and healing the girl when necessary.
The Ancient Gravitas Mummy became weaker over time, its Mana reserves plummeting as the duo became more coordinated in their attacks. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Mummy was too exhausted to fight back.
It didn't carry a Space Ring full of Mana Regeneration Pills or potions like William and the girl, so the Mummy had to go for its next method of recovery. It scanned the nearby environment while it fought with the pair, then started adjusting its position as it found what it was looking for.
A few minutes passed, the girl becoming more aggressive in her attacks with William as support. The Mummy appeared on its last legs, until the situation suddenly changed.
A spray of blood flew through the air as the Mummy sliced of the head of a previously well-concealed spectator, its eyes glimmering with malice as it used the Magic Staff to absorb the dead Cultivator's Mana.