"Fair enough. I'll just add it to my resume, I guess," the male quipped. Merlyn went on to tell him the 'bad' news, which wasn't too bad at all in Arthur's mind. Cath Palug was a name he recognized, and though this world was real, so was his sword. It had great power─ he could feel it feeding into his arm as he held the weapon. If King Arthur of legend could get the job done, so could he. "I think I've got the feelings part covered. This Excalibur has made me feel pretty good since I first touched it."

180 was, of course, a frightening number to overcome. What were those warriors, though? In a town like this, he could only imagine at least some of them entered combat with the beast, having less than a single day of proper training to do battle against anything. Arthur had an edge over at least some of them, and the legendary Excalibur was yet another bonus. Onward he went, feeling the vibration of some beast's movement even through his armored feet. Snow and ice fell in clumps from nearby trees; this was something massive indeed. With the goal of victory in mind, he set his gaze forward, his trembling reducing to just the arm which held Excalibur. He wouldn't be taking the lotus offered by Merlyn just yet. "Pass. Not to be cocky or give any offense, but I doubt I'll make it anywhere if I need help like that on the first thing I do. I'd be out of a job if I let that happen, and worse yet... I'd have to deal with her."

And with that, Arthur steeled himself for combat. Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, he stared down this hulking beast of a cat, seemingly no less prepared to pounce than it was. Even so, he made no immediate moves. He'd never been much of a proactive fighter, but due to his job, that was perfect. Just the same, he personally found it perfect in this exact moment. This new beast was something to be studied; he couldn't haphazardly assault an unknown monster of any sort, just to be swatted away and splattered against a tree several kilometers off. Patience was his approach here, just as it was in his normal life.