Act V: The Knight and the Maiden

"Marsa, my soldiers breached the gate, but it's already been set on fire. My skeletons are hesitating in the face of the dirty flames. I need a bit more time for them to adapt."

The corpse necromancer, hunched over, bowed deeply. His eye sockets glowed with a cunning green flame, but he placed his withered arms over his chest to show absolute obedience.

Mardala's hierarchy was strict, instilling deep fear in anyone who dared to overstep, especially with the necromancers who excelled in manipulating and tormenting souls behind the Black Codex.

The necromancer apprentice, with his pale, slender fingers, gently tapped his deep black silk robe. He stood on a hill, overlooking the village below. In the darkness, the bell of Butchi tolled continuously, and human society was engulfed in profound fear.

But this nightmare was just beginning. Not far off, the skeletal army was disappearing into the darkness in rows. A reserve unit was hidden in the nearby woods, and he ordered them to fire arrows soon—this wave would include flaming arrows.

The eerie blue flames, the cold fire of the soul. The blazing inferno in the darkness would cause panic among all living beings, and he intended to create some fear to prompt his skeletal soldiers to attack.

"How much longer?" The future necromancer's voice was cold and sharp.

"This," the corpse necromancer estimated while keeping his head bowed, "about eight minutes—no, at most five minutes."

"I don't have that kind of time, but I can leave a detachment for you. Eleven skeleton soldiers—will that be enough, Kabuka?"

"Quite sufficient, my lord."

The future necromancer smirked coldly, "Be careful not to let any rats escape through the back door."

"Rest assured, my lord. I've already set up defenses at the back door as per your instructions."

"Then, let us hope that when I return victorious, I receive good news, Kabuka," the necromancer apprentice pointed forward, casting a meaningful glance at his subordinate. "Now I must go to receive the village's surrender and savor the eternal death that humans experience in fear. May Marsa above ensure that my decision to strike early does not cause any trouble for Sir Instalon."

"As you wish, my lord." The corpse necromancer bowed deeply.

...

Inside, the room had become choked with smoke. Flames flickered from beneath the smoke, and the rising fire not only blocked the undead's intrusion but also obstructed human vision. The rising temperature was burning their backs, the hot smoke made their eyes sting, and their throats and noses were irritated, but Lin Fei's heart remained icy.

What should he do?

"What's wrong?"

"Give me the hammer." The young man finally extended his hand back. He listened intently, and besides the crackling of flames, he faintly heard a distinct sound echoing through the mountains—the bell of Butchi.

Marsa above, he hoped the village's guards were smart enough, Lin Fei silently prayed. As for the militia, he had little hope; they were just a bunch of hot-headed youths. He only hoped they could survive the night.

These people were the seeds of Eluin's future.

He immediately wondered if he was thinking too much—perhaps he wouldn't even make it through this ordeal.

"Are there enemies outside?" The merchant's daughter blinked, handing over the hammer.

"It's hard to say, but better to be prepared." Lin Fei tried to think positively, but the more he hoped for the best, the worse things seemed. He had to prepare thoroughly. As an experienced warrior, he didn't rely on luck but on careful preparation.

"Charlotte."

"Hm?" She stopped her motion to open the door.

"You seem a bit different today."

Has my cover been blown?

Lin Fei's heart tightened. But that didn't make sense; he had inherited Charlotte's memories and traits. How could it be noticed so quickly?

"Why...?" he asked, feeling a bit nervous.

"Well, I can't quite say. It's just a feeling." The future merchant's daughter thought for a moment and then answered seriously, "You'll protect me, right, Charlotte?"

"Isn't that a given?"

"No, thank you."

"There's no need to thank me, Miss Roman—"

"Huh?"

Lin Fei smiled slightly and didn't answer. His tension eased considerably. He took a deep breath, tensed his body, gently slid the door latch, and placed his hand on the cold door handle.

It's time to open it.

What kind of fate awaits him outside? A whole new world? Or sudden death? Oh heavens, you wouldn't play me like this, would you?

But speculating about Lord Marsa's intentions was a serious taboo.

"Miss Roman, when I count to three, you follow me out."

"Alright."

"One… two…"

"Um."

"Oops."

"Sorry, I was too nervous. I should have counted more slowly…"

"It's fine, Charlotte…" Roman couldn't help but cover her face, blushing and her heart racing from bumping into the young man's solid back.

She hadn't been this shy before.

However, Lin Fei didn't have time to ponder the girl's feelings. The mix-up made him feel awkward. He remembered he was supposed to be calm. After all, it was just a few small skeletons.

He gritted his teeth, opened the door, and before the smoke cleared, a gleaming longsword thrust in.

As expected, there was an ambush.

Lin Fei's heart was calmer than ever, as if his thirty-one years of experience as a warrior in the game had merged with his current life. The emblem of the black rose of Bromanto stood out vividly in his eyes—Mardala's sword drew a brilliant line.

Rigid, Lin Fei knew the opponent's weakness—

He also understood that his strength could not match directly, so he quickly pulled Roman aside, narrowly avoiding the icy blade that cut his cloak.

Then, Lin Fei swung the hammer forward. As the smoke cleared, he saw a skeleton's chest, and with a crack, three ribs snapped backward.

The skeleton staggered back, and the young man seized the opportunity to charge out of the fire.

He immediately surveyed the battlefield: four skeleton soldiers. He couldn't help but gasp. If there were only one or two skeletons, he might have cursed, but now his mind was completely cold.

It seemed that fate was well aware of his nature.

He had only one thought: The enemy truly underestimated him, likely considering him a scout.

That was true. Lin Fei considered his performance comparable to that of any human scout. In such a small place, scouts were usually just ordinary hunters.

However, standing out too much didn't seem to be a good thing…

He felt Roman gripping his hand tightly from behind. The girl's subconscious action revealed her nervousness. He wanted to say something comforting but didn't know how to start.

Looking up, the dark forest was just below the hillside, but how could he cross that distance? He didn't have wings.

The mountain wind blew, making his damp forehead feel icy.

Four skeleton soldiers had surrounded them.

What to do, close his eyes and wait for death? Lin Fei could only instinctively protect the merchant's daughter behind him, wishing he were still that level 130 warrior from the game, dealing with these skeletons would be a matter of a single strike…

But there are no "what-ifs" in this world.

Reality was truly frustrating—

Wait, levels? The young man suddenly realized he might have overlooked something. A shiver ran through him. Yes, the Wind After Ring! He had used it to kill a corpse necromancer and two skeletons before, plus the skeleton Charlotte had killed before her death—six experience points!

In the game, it only took five experience points for a swordsman to level up from one to two, let alone for a militia?

The only hope was that this world didn't differ too much from the game—six experience points. All-knowing and omnipotent Marsa, as long as there was a new level, he would have a chance to escape.

Lin Fei knew he didn't have much time. The four skeletons were closing in, and he might only have a breath's time—four seconds—life or death.

He imagined the fastest data overlaying his retina—

p: 6 (Civilian Level 1: —, Militia Level 1, o/3)

Thank heavens!

He understood what he needed. Although investing experience in a militia seemed a waste, he couldn't care less at the moment.

Better to waste it than to become a cold corpse, right?

"Militia, 6 experience points, quickly, let me level up!" He silently chanted in his mind, as the four skeletons raised their swords. He felt the merchant's daughter tightly clutching him.

"Charlotte, they're coming!"

But the data quickly changed.

p: o (Civilian Level 1: —, Militia Level 2, 6/10)

A warm current flowed through Lin Fei's entire body. He understood that he would now receive a 0.1 level increase in strength and 0.1 in constitution from the militia profession, though these were minor compared to—

A swordsman received a 0.2 level increase in strength and constitution, not to mention extra boosts in agility and perception, making the militia seem like a weak profession.

But none of that mattered.

What mattered was that Lin Fei knew that reaching level two would grant him one of the three unique talent skill choices in his life.

Yes, this was the first time.

The fairest time.

And it would be the one bringing him rebirth.

He anxiously waited. One second felt like an eternity, but finally, the emblem representing personal talent glowed brightly on his attributes panel—

"Talent Skill: Unyielding." A fiery determination lit up in Lin Fei's eyes. With four longswords at his back, he only raised his stone hammer symbolically, avoiding critical areas like his head, heart, and abdomen.

Thud, thud, thud.

At least three swords plunged into the young man's body. He only felt one thing—pain, excruciating pain!

But Lin Fei knew that with his newfound resilience, he wouldn't lose consciousness from blood loss within five minutes and wouldn't die from physical blows within half an hour.

Now he had only one chance: to escape with Roman and find a life potion in the remaining time.

He didn't know if such things existed in this world, but he had to believe they did.

Because he had no other choice.

"Charlotte!" Roman's voice was filled with fear.

"Hold on to me, Roman."

"I…"

"Hold on!" The young man had no time for explanations and felt an unexpected surge of anger. Charlotte, bloodied and battered, resembled a true hero at this moment, causing the girl to stare in stunned silence.

"I understand. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Charlotte."

Lin Fei took a deep breath. He wasn't sure how many times he had done this, but he needed to calm down first. Although breathing caused intense pain in his wounds, he understood that at this moment, pain was just an illusion…

The three skeletons withdrew their swords. They paused, sensing that this human was losing the warmth of life, and a different power was spreading from his body.

The power of the soul.

Unyielding talent delved into the soul's fire, akin to controlling the undead.

Thus, the undead mistook Lin Fei for one of their own. But there was a misunderstanding. Lin Fei didn't see it that way. He gritted his teeth, swinging his hammer and sending the four skeletons flying.

It wasn't because of a sudden boost in strength but purely because it was completely unexpected for the enemy.

Lin Fei grabbed Roman's hand and took the opportunity to dash out.

"Miss Roman." He ran, speaking with effort.

"Yes, here."

"Listen carefully…" Lin Fei panted. The resilience didn't exhaust his stamina, but the surroundings were starting to blur.

All he could hear was the rushing wind from running.

"Hm?"

"If I lose consciousness, take me to Butchi, avoid Mardala… go to the town's temple, find… a life potion. Do you understand?"

"I… I understand, Charlotte… You won't die, right?"

"I don't know. Cough cough… Let's leave it to Marsa's will…"

Lin Fei wasn't sure if the merchant's daughter truly understood, but he had the strength for nothing more. The rest was as he said—left to fate.

He couldn't help but look back. Amidst the blur, the hillside was ablaze. He sighed, feeling exhausted, and closed his eyes—was he really that obsessed gamer?

Perhaps the past truly felt distant at this moment.

It was hard to believe that he could be so brave and decisive. Maybe even if he died now, he'd feel some peace.

"Because I am no longer a useless person…"