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Chapter 5: The Knight and the Maiden
"Master Marshall, my soldiers have opened the door, but it's already been set ablaze inside. My skeleton soldiers are hesitating in front of the grimy flames; they need a moment to acclimate."
The skeletal wizard hunched its body, burying its head deeply, green flames flickering cunningly in its eye sockets. Yet, it expressed absolute obedience by placing its withered arm over its chest.
Madara had a strict hierarchy, instilling fear deep within the souls of anyone attempting to transgress, especially necromancers who were naturally adept at manipulating and tormenting souls behind the veil of the dark codex.
The necromancer apprentice lightly tapped his own dark silk robe with pale and slender fingers as he stood on the hill overlooking the village below. In the darkness, the Buchi bell tolled, signaling the depths of fear engulfing human society.
But this nightmare had only just begun. Not far off, the skeletal army disappeared into the darkness in rows, with a reserve force hidden in the nearby woods. He ordered them to unleash their arrows, preparing for the next wave.
The next wave would use flaming arrows.
Azure flames, icy soul fire.
The raging fire in the darkness would throw all creatures into panic. He wanted to sow some chaos before the skeletal soldiers launched their attack.
"How much time?" The future necromancer's voice was cold and sharp.
"Uh," the skeletal wizard lowered its head, estimating, "eight minutes, no, at most five minutes."
"I don't have that time, but I can leave a squad behind for you. Eleven skeletal soldiers, is that enough, Kabuka?"
"More than sufficient, master."
The future necromancer chuckled coldly. "Be careful not to let any rats slip out through the back door."
"Please rest assured, master. I have already made arrangements at the back door as instructed."
"Then, I hope to receive good news upon my return, Kabuka," the necromancer apprentice pointed forward, casting a meaningful glance at his subordinate. "Now, I shall go and accept the submission of this village, to savor the eternal death enjoyed by humans in fear. But let's hope my decision to launch the attack early doesn't cause any trouble for Sir Enstallone."
"As you wish, my master," the skeletal wizard bowed deeply.
...
Inside the house, thick smoke filled the air, flames licking out intermittently from beneath the haze. Not only did the raging flames ward off the invasion of undead, but they also obstructed the vision of humans.
The rising temperature had already made the backs of the two young individuals hot, the scorching smoke stinging their eyes and throats. Yet, Su Fei's heart remained cold.
What should he do?
"What's wrong?"
"Hand me the hammer." The young man finally reached back with his hand. He listened intently, aside from the crackling flames, he faintly heard a unique sound echoing among the mountains—the sound of Buchi's alarm bell.
Oh Marsha, I hope the village's guards are clever enough. Su Fei silently prayed. As for the militia, he didn't count on them; they were just hot-blooded youngsters. He could only hope that they would be able to survive the night.
After all, those people were the seeds of Eruin's future.
But then he immediately felt like he might have been thinking too much, considering he might not even be able to overcome the hurdle he was currently facing.
"Are there enemies outside?" The merchant girl blinked, handing over the hammer.
"It's hard to say, but it's better to be prepared." Su Fei tried to think positively, but the more optimistic he tried to be, the worse the situation seemed, forcing him to prepare more. He was a seasoned warrior, relying on caution rather than luck.
"Brandon."
"Huh?" He paused in opening the door.
"You seem a bit different today."
Busted? Su Fei's heart tightened. It shouldn't be like this; theoretically, his personality was quite similar to Brandon's, and he had inherited the latter's memories. How could he be exposed so soon?
"How...?" He couldn't help but ask nervously.
"Hmm, I can't quite put my finger on it, just a feeling." The future merchant girl thought for a moment, then answered earnestly, "You'll protect me, won't you, Brandon?"
"Yeah? Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Nothing, thank you."
"If you're trying find to find an excuse to friend-zone me, Miss Roma, there's no need to do that…"
"Huh?"
Su Fei smiled faintly, not answering directly but feeling much of the tension dissipating in his mind. He took a deep breath, tensing his body, gently unlocking the door latch, then placing his hand on the cold door handle.
It was time.
What fate awaited him outside? A brand new world? Or a sudden death? Surely, Goddess wouldn't play him like this, right?
But speculating on Marsha's intentions was a grave taboo.
"Miss Roma, I'll count to three, and then we'll rush out."
"Okay."
"Three..."
"Ugh."
"Ouch."
"I'm sorry, too nervous, I should have counted from one..."
"It's okay, Brandon..." Roma couldn't help but cover her face, blushing from accidentally bumping into the young man's solid back, her heart pounding rapidly.
She wasn't usually so shy.
But Su Fei didn't have the mind to appreciate the girl's feelings. Causing such an embarrassing misunderstanding made him feel awkward. It was just a few skeleton soldiers; he should've stayed calm.
He gritted his teeth, opened the door, but before the smoke cleared, a gleaming long sword had already thrust in.
Sure enough, there was an ambush.
Su Fei's heart had never been so calm. It was as if the thirty-one years of warrior experience in the game blended with the life of this world at this moment. The emblem of the blossoming Black Rose of Brovento, emblazoned on the iron plate, caught his eye vividly as Madara's sword drew a dazzling line straight through it.
Stiffness. Su Fei knew where the opponent’s weakness lay.
He also understood that he couldn't match the opponent's strength head-on. Without hesitation, he pushed Roma aside and narrowly avoided being struck in vital areas—only narrowly escaping, his clothes sliced open by the cold blade.
As Su Fei swung his hammer forward, the smoke cleared, revealing a skeletal chest cavity. With a crisp sound, three ribs snapped backward.
The skeleton soldier couldn't withstand the force and staggered backward, giving Su Fei a chance to rush out of the inferno.
He immediately surveyed the battlefield. Upon spotting four skeletal soldiers, he couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. If there were only one or two skeleton soldiers, he might still have the mind to curse, but at this moment, his heart felt nothing but coldness.
It seemed that Goddess understood his nature very well.
He had only one thought: the opponent must have regarded him highly, probably considering him a scout.
That would make sense. Su Fei believed his performance wasn't inferior to an average human scout. After all, in such a small place, even if there were scouts, they were mostly just ordinary hunters.
It seems like standing out too much isn't a good thing...
Feeling Roma tightly gripping his hand from behind, revealing her inner anxiousness through her subconscious gesture, Su Fei wanted to say something to comfort her, but for the moment, he didn't know how to begin.
Lifting his head, the dark forest in the distance lay below the slope, but how would they cross this stretch of distance in between? He certainly didn't have wings.
As the mountain breeze blew, his sweating forehead felt icy cold.
The four skeletal soldiers had already closed in.
What to do, close his eyes and wait for death? Su Fei could only instinctively shield the merchant girl behind him, unable to suppress the thought of wishing he were still that level 130 warrior, capable of dealing these skeletons with a single move...
But there were no "ifs" in this world.
Reality was truly loathsome—
Wait, level?
Su Fei suddenly realized he had overlooked something, feeling a shiver run through him. Yes, the Ring of the Wind Sovereign! He had previously used the Ring of the Wind Sovereign to take down a skeletal wizard and two skeletons. In addition to the one Brandon defeated before dying, there should be a total of six experience points!
In the game, it only took five experience points for a swordsman to advance from level one to level two, let alone a militiaman.
The only hope was that this world wouldn't differ too much from the game.
Six experience points. Oh, praise the all-knowing Marsha! Once I reach the next level, I'll surely have a chance to escape.
Su Fei knew he didn't have much time. The four skeletal soldiers were already closing in. He might only have a moment, four seconds at most, to decide between life and death.
At the fastest speed he could imagine, he projected a vivid green data on his retinas—
XP: 6 (Civilian Level 1:—, Militiaman Level 1, 0/3)
Thank goodness!
He knew what he needed. Although investing experience in a militiaman was a blatant waste, at this moment, he didn't have the luxury to consider that.
Even wasting it was better than becoming a cold corpse, wasn't it?
Militiaman, 6 experience points, quickly, let me level up! He silently prayed in his heart. The four skeleton soldiers were already upon him, raising their swords. He felt Roma gripping his hand tightly behind him.
"Brandon, they're coming!"
However, the data quickly changed.
XP: 0 (Civilian Level 1:—, Militiaman Level 2, 6/10)
A warm current flowed through Su Fei's limbs and bones. He understood that he could now gain 0.1 units of strength adjustment and 0.1 units of constitution adjustment from the militiaman class, but those were irrelevant.
After all, a swordsman would gain a 0.2 units adjustment in strength and constitution when advancing from level one to level two, not to mention the additional improvements in agility and perception. So compared to that, a militiaman was practically useless.
But none of those mattered.
What mattered was that Su Fei knew when a character advanced from level one to level two, they would have the opportunity to choose three unique talent skills in their life.
Yes, this was the first time.
Also, the most fair time.
It would be a chance for him to start a new.
He anxiously waited, every second feeling like an eternity. But finally, the emblem symbolizing personal talent skills shone brightly on his attribute panel.
Talent skill, Indomitable. Su Fei's eyes lit up like a blazing flame. With four longswords aimed at him, he merely symbolically raised the stonemason's hammer, avoiding vital areas like the head, heart, and abdomen.
At least three swords pierced his body simultaneously, leaving him with only one sensation: damn, it hurt like hell!
But Su Fei knew that with the Indomitable ability, he wouldn't faint from blood loss for at least five minutes, and he wouldn't die from any physical blows for at least half an hour.
Now he only had one chance: to get Roma out of here first, then find a health potion within the remaining time.
He didn't know if such a thing existed in this world, but he could only believe that it did.
Because he had no other choices.
"Brandon!" Roma's voice trembled with fear.
"Hold on to me, Roma."
"I..."
"Hold on to me!" Su Fei had no time to explain, his anger rising. Covered in blood, Brandon resembled a true hero at this moment, leaving the girl staring in awe.
"I understand. I'm sorry, Brandon."
Su Fei took a deep breath. He didn't know how many times he had done this before, but he definitely needed to calm down first. Even though each breath caused him intense pain, as if his wounds were tearing apart, he understood that at this moment, pain was merely an illusion to him...
The three skeletons withdrew their swords, falling into a momentary daze. In their eyes, this human was gradually losing the warmth of life, while another kind of power emanated from his body.
The power of the soul.
The talent skill, Indomitable, tapped into the soul fire within, similar to the magic of controlling undead yet with a different twist.
So, at this moment, the undead perceived Su Fei as one of their own. However, there was a misunderstanding because Su Fei didn't share the same belief. With a swing of his hammer, he sent all four skeleton soldiers flying.
This wasn't because his strength suddenly surged; it was purely because it caught the opponent completely off guard.
Su Fei grabbed Roma's hand, taking the opportunity to rush out.
"Miss Roma," he said laboriously as they ran.
"Yes, yes."
"Listen to me..." Su Fei gasped for air, his Indomitable ability didn't drain physical strength, but he felt the scenery around him blurring.
Only the whistling wind surrounded his ears as they ran.
"Huh?"
"If I pass out, take me to Buchi, avoid Madara... go to the temple in the town, find... a health potion. Do you understand?"
"I... I understand, Brandon... you won't die, will you?"
"I don't know, cough... it depends on Lady Marsha's arrangements..."
Su Fei wasn't sure if the merchant girl truly understood, but he could only say so much. The rest was, as he said—up to fate.
He couldn't help but turn his head back. In the blurry distance, flames rose from the hill. He sighed, feeling somewhat weary, closing his eyes.
Was he really still the nerd who obsessed with playing games?
Perhaps his past life had truly drifted away in this moment.
It was really unbelievable; he actually had such a brave and decisive day. Even if he died now, he would probably feel at peace, because he was no longer a useless person...
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