Fifteen minutes later, a group of government officials in black uniforms and armed with automatic weapons arrived. The officials looked stern and focused, with a no-nonsense attitude that spoke of their authority and power.
Their outfits were all identical, with dark black trousers and long-sleeved shirts that hugged their muscled frames. Their boots were polished and gleamed in the moonlight, while their belts were adorned with various pouches and tools. Each official wore a black cap that covered their heads, and their faces were obscured by dark night vision.
Despite their intimidating appearance, the officials moved with a sense of precision and discipline that suggested they were highly trained and experienced. They quickly scanned the area, assessing the situation and looking for any signs of danger. As they moved, their fingers rested lightly on the triggers.
The officials seemed to be prepared for anything, and their presence left no doubt that they were in control of the situation. Their expressions were hard and unyielding, and their eyes were fixed on their task. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the ruined buildings, and the air seemed to thicken with their presence.
Dozens of military Apache helicopters flew and prepared for assistance. They circled around the sky. Its long, slender wings were tipped with deadly weapons, and the cockpit was protected by a thick layer of bulletproof glass.
However, as prepared as they are, they only found destroyed homes, the dead bodies of the residents who lived there, and the dead Night Crawler corpse were scattered around. All the knights had vanished, hiding from the normie world.
Three days had passed since the incident. All the knights had returned to their respective places. Arman had been taken by a number of knights who would soon be heading to Eteria to bury him there. Although there were many knights who died, only Arman who had golden ranked knight. There were many knights who came home just to attend Arman funeral.
Edinburgh was initially quarantined. No one was allowed to enter or leave the house until the government understood the reason behind the attack. People were only allowed to leave their homes after they showed their id card to the military who guarded the streets. Some people from other cities came, hoping to make content videos and some of them even start to sell some merchandise.
At this stage, the military had transformed most of the area into a flat ground. There was a mass grave at the west end. Bulldozers came to dig up the rubble, and many people dissected the Night Crawler's body to make accessories, especially its large and poisonous fangs.
The government seemed to cover it up to prevent mass euphoria. They spread the news that there was a terrorist attack at the Edinburgh library. They had already begun to spin a false narrative, one that placed the blame squarely on the terrorist that dressed like a knight. Most people only know this event like the appearance of aliens in Roswell, just a hoax. But for those who witnessed it firsthand, they know the government totally misunderstands the situations.
They told stories about how the terrorist that dressed as a knight had gone rogue and attacked innocent people in Edinburgh. For the direct victims who witnessed and were present at the Night Crawler incident, they were quarantined and received counseling guidance. Because the incident was beyond rationality, seeing a giant creature with four legs and large fangs that could climb walls, almost everyone who witnessed became paranoid and needed medical drugs for their anxiety.
Nico and Arfin were still hiding with Fergus in a suburban apartment on the edge of Edinburgh. They were waiting for the military to finish quarantining the city and planning to go to Florence to search for clues about the curse.
The morning was bright. Nico woke up with dizziness in his eyes after watching football with Arfin all day yesterday. There was nothing they did, just eating and sleeping. If they want to go out to buy food, they just changed their facial features. Fergus himself had a special network to make fake identification that they could use to escape the government's surveillance.
The voice suddenly popped up in his head and said, "78 percent synchronization is complete. The blessing of guidance has been acquired."
Nico wondered whose voice it was.
"This is the voice that you received from the skill 'Guardian Blessing'," the voice replied.
"I don't understand what you're talking about," said Nico, confused.
"It means that you can ask anything and the blessing of guidance will provide advice that could benefit you," the voice explained.
Nico was taken aback. "Wait, can you answer my question?" he asked.
"Yes, I can. But the system cannot answer unnecessary questions. It can only answer basic questions," replied the voice.
Nico thought for a moment and then asked, "Is this blessing from Arman?"
"Correct," replied the voice.
Nico was surprised. The voice sounded like an artificial intelligence.
"What can you do for me?" Nico asked.
"I can give you a lot of advice," replied the voice.
"What? You can only give advice? There's no power I can get? Doesnt it only make you an advice center?" Nico asked, confused.
"Unfortunately, I can only give you advice," replied the voice.
Nico was somewhat annoyed. He thought he would get something super powerful. But all he got was advice center.
"What advice can you give me?" Nico asked dismissively.
"The system analyzed that you should start getting rid of your mind curse. After that, you should synchronize with your sword. After that, you should train your body. After that..."
"Wait... what mind curse? Do I have a mind curse?" Nico interrupted.
"Yes, you do. Your mother cursed your mind with an ancient curse, making you forget your past to protect you from a particular person who could harm you," explained the voice.
"Who is the person targeting me?" Nico asked.
"Sorry, the system cannot answer information that you do not have a link with your body and mind. You have no collection of memories about this particular person. So, by default, the system could not know who the person who could harm you is," said the voice.
Nico blinked. "Is it true? I had a mind curse? I have no idea."
Nico was amazed. The information was useful. He wouldn't know if he had a mind curse if there were no blessing of guidance.
After some reflection, Nico asked, "System, how should I train with my sword?"
"You simply need to fulfill the blood requirement for your sword. Current blood: 1/10," replied the system.
"What blood?" Nico asked.
"You acquire blood by killing worthy creatures. You killed one Night Crawler. After you kill nine more worthy living creatures, your sword will synchronize with your body and give you more power. You can see the count on your bead sword. Next to unlock new power: 9 kills. You can unlock the devastating wind skill," explained the system.
"Ah, so that's what the number on the beads means. Of course. I remember when I first got my sword, it only written zero," realized Nico.
"What's wrong with you, Nico?" Arfin asked, confused. "Why are you talking to yourself when you just woke up?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just talking to the blessing that Arman gave me," explained Nico.
"What? You can talk to your blessing?" asked Arfin, surprised.
"Yes. A moment ago, I received the blessing of guidance." Nico then told Arfin what the voice in his head was saying.
After some reflection, Nico couldn't believe how amazing the blessing from Arman was. With this incredible system, he could ask anything, and the system would provide him with the answers he needed. It was like having a personal guide that could help him with anything, anytime, anywhere.
The guidance even tells him about his sword's ability which Nico had no idea before. The more he killed worthy creatures, the more power he gained, and the sword would synchronize with his body to give him more strength. Nico had already killed one Night Crawler and was eager to kill more to see what other powers he could unlock.
It was like a whole new world had opened up to him, and he was excited to explore it. He had always dreamed of becoming a powerful knight and protecting his friends, and now he had the tools to do just that.
Nico couldn't help but feel grateful to Arman for giving him such a fantastic blessing. With this newfound power, he could finally become the knight he had always wanted to be and fulfill his destiny.
"Ah, i see. I thought you start hallucinating," Arfin said. "That's pretty cool. I wish I had one too."
"But still, Arman had to die. I'd choose for him to still be alive rather than have this blessing," Nico said.
Suddenly, the door to their room opened, and Fergus came in, saying, "This is bad."
"What's wrong?" Nico asked.
"We needed to go now," said Fergus.