The grotesque gargoyle, standing at two meters tall with demon-like wings spanning over five meters even when half-folded, charged forward, nearly filling the entire space. The violent gusts from its approach left Charlotte breathless; he immediately realized he had nowhere to escape.
He quickly raised his right hand and shouted with all his might, "!"
A sharp whistle pierced the air—
In the confined space, the air expanded forward, producing an ear-splitting shriek. Immediately after, four loud crashes followed as the dimly glowing crystals embedded in the tomb walls shattered one by one. The vortex-like wind blast struck the winged beast head-on, with the blade-like winds clashing against the monster's iron-hard surface, scattering in all directions. However, the force of the impact sent the gargoyle's upper body flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground like a kite with a broken string.
A heavy thud echoed from afar, and the passageway was instantly filled with dust.
Charlotte coughed in the thickening smoke, then grabbed his sword and charged forward. From his gaming experience, he knew that the gargoyle had 60 health points—there was no way a single wind blast could easily defeat it.
Sure enough, as the dust settled, he saw the heavily injured gargoyle. Its half-shattered wing was bleeding a deep blue liquid, leaving a bright trail on the ground. The creature opened its mouth, letting out a series of shrill screams, while one of its claws hung limply, clearly injured.
"Strike while the iron is hot!"
Without hesitation, Charlotte stepped forward, raising his sword with both arms and slashing down with all his might. The first strike hit the monster square in the chest, catching it off guard and forcing it to take a step back.
The second strike followed quickly, but the now-alert gargoyle swiftly unfolded its wings, shielding itself. The sword struck the iron-hard wings, creating a bright spark.
Despite putting all his strength into the attack, Charlotte's efforts seemed to have little effect. He felt as though every wound on his body was about to burst open from the pain. However, he didn't lose heart, knowing that his previous attack was only to force the gargoyle into a defensive state—this was the opportunity he had been waiting for to bypass the creature.
But just then, the gargoyle let out a piercing scream, and with a powerful flap of its wings, a tremendous force swept over him like a tidal wave. The sword in Charlotte's hand was instantly torn away, clattering against the tomb wall, sending sparks flying before landing far off in the passageway.
The force threw Charlotte against the opposite wall with a groan, feeling as though every bone in his body was about to shatter. Yet his mind remained clear—he realized that the gargoyle's unexpected move had brought him dangerously close to Guissant's tomb chamber.
This thought was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly clearing his mind. With a roar, he gathered his strength, ignoring the excruciating pain, and scrambled to his feet, sprinting toward the chamber.
Gargoyles were mechanical creatures, typically used as tomb guardians, so there had to be something controlling it. The Gargoyle Amulet!
Now or never!
The light ahead grew increasingly bright, the soft white glow radiating warmth that seemed to soothe the soul, filling one with peace and serenity. But Charlotte's heartbeat only quickened—he had mere seconds, success or failure would be decided in this moment.
Just then, he heard the sound of something heavy cutting through the air behind him, and his heart clenched. Drawing on his battle-hardened instincts, he leaped forward, but it was too late. Mid-air, he felt an icy grip on his ankle—the gargoyle had extended its long claw, dragging him back with brute force.
Charlotte crashed heavily to the ground, coughing up blood. He had faced worse situations in the game, but never had he felt this sense of urgency before. Failure meant death—what should he do?
He had ten seconds left on his "Indomitable" talent—should he risk it? The thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Gritting his teeth, he flipped over, almost as if guided by a divine instinct, and once again raised his right hand, aiming the coldly glimmering ring on his index finger at the gargoyle—
Eight seconds.
The gargoyle's green eyes flickered with fear; it let out a shriek and flew backward, instinctively loosening its grip on Charlotte's ankle. The wizard artisans of Bouga were undoubtedly among the smartest in the world, creating war beasts that were both powerful and cunning. Yet Charlotte had just exploited that very trait—
Intelligence is a double-edged sword, like an apple hanging from a tree, tempting one to fall. But once a creature gains intelligence, it learns to think, fear, and protect itself.
Just like now.
Charlotte panted heavily, closing his eyes as a shudder of relief washed over him. But he knew he couldn't relax for even a moment—time was running out.
Six seconds.
The young man almost willed himself to turn over and crawl toward the sanctified tomb chamber. His eyes immediately locked onto the sword displayed atop the stone coffin: the Holy Light Piercer. But he had no time to focus on the sword—he was looking for something else.
Three seconds.
His gaze fixed on a tomb niche to the left, second layer, second slot. He tore away the cobwebs and reached inside—as a swarm of insects scurried out, he pulled out a bottle.
This was a custom-made Number Twelve long-necked flask from the temple, marked with a flame symbol. Charlotte flipped it over, clutching it tightly to his chest, breathing deeply as if trying to absorb all the luck in the world.
Time was almost up, the pounding of his heart a stark reminder. Charlotte shakily removed the wooden stopper, then tilted the bottle back, gulping down the liquid that sloshed inside. At first, a bitter taste filled his mouth, but the flavor was so pure it made him praise the gods—
Holy Water No. 7 (16z), created during the Year of the Frostflower under the orders of the White-Robed Priestess Tamara to counter the increasing demand on the frontlines. It was a substitute for Holy Water No. 5, capable of restoring 25 health points, but only effective on non-lethal injuries.
Charlotte was more than familiar with this common item from the game.
The holy water took effect immediately, healing the abrasions on his limbs first, almost visibly closing the wounds. Then it mended the sword wounds, the tingling sensation lasting several minutes before gradually fading. Charlotte took a deep breath, realizing the difficulty in breathing had completely disappeared.
He opened his eyes and saw that the gargoyle hadn't followed him into the chamber. It wasn't that it feared the Wind Empress Ring to such an extent. Charlotte guessed that the creature simply couldn't enter the tomb chamber. From his gaming knowledge, he knew many knight tombs had holy barriers that prevented evil beings from desecrating them.
Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief and sit up to check his injuries.
The only wound left was the earlier sword wound to his chest, a fatal injury that the No. 7 Holy Water couldn't fully heal.
But it was enough. Charlotte stood up, feeling a surge of excitement. This was the best he had felt since arriving in this world. The pain was gone, the weakness had vanished, and his strength was readily available. The young man exhaled deeply, a sense of pride swelling in his chest—by Martha, he had survived such a dire situation, even he could hardly believe it.
What a feeling of pride, what a sense of glory.
He clenched his fist, barely containing his excitement. He still remembered Freya and Aeson—it was time to carry out the next part of his plan.
But first, he turned back to the stone coffin, his gaze falling on the gleaming sword atop it—the Holy Light Piercer. The sword's leaf-shaped blade was uncommon in the human world because it was an elven sword.
Charlotte traced the silver-threaded hilt upward and, sure enough, found two lines of fine Elvish script engraved on the blade:
"From the light, the sword is born, and all enemies shall tremble—"
He had never seen this sword before, but he knew its name. Legend had it that the Holy Light Piercer was an ancient-level sword, not only incredibly sharp but also capable of enhancing its wielder's strength, willpower, and constitution by one rank. At low levels, an increase in strength and constitution by one rank meant—if Charlotte wielded this sword, his strength and constitution would directly double that of an ordinary person.
And the most crucial part? It was said that the Holy Light Piercer had the ability to detect undead; whenever an undead creature approached, the sword would emit a brilliant light, hence its name.
As Charlotte gazed at the sword, a wave of emotion washed over him. In the game, the elves had made seventeen swords of this type, but by the end of the First Age, most had been collected and destroyed by the Dark Lords of Madara, leaving only three.
And this was one of them.
He reached out and grasped the hilt, feeling a surge of power flow into his body. He felt stronger, his arms lighter and more agile. But before Charlotte could fully appreciate this change, a voice echoed in his mind:
"Young one, will you take up my path—?"
What?
Charlotte's eyebrows shot up, immediately understanding what this was. A Job Certificate! In the game, Job Certificates weren't hard to come by, but it was exactly what he needed right now. However, Charlotte hadn't expected that the Job Certificate of the great hero Guissant would be attached to this sword.
His mind raced. Should he choose this now? If he were to choose—
Suddenly, a "boom" sounded in the distance, followed by a chilling scream that sent shivers down Charlotte's spine.
The gargoyle hadn't been fully subdued; instead, it had gotten up again and was smashing its iron-hard head against the wall outside the tomb chamber.
The tomb walls were beginning to crack, as the gargoyle howled frantically, leaving deep gouges with its claws.
As expected, the tomb chamber's defensive measures were only delaying the gargoyle. Once it broke through the holy barrier, it would tear him to pieces.
Charlotte suddenly felt an unprecedented pressure. He had to make a decision, and fast.
The gargoyle howled again, its head impacting the wall once more, making Charlotte feel the vibration under his feet. The barrier was about to be breached.
No time!
Gritting his teeth, Charlotte made a split-second decision—
"I accept!"
The next moment, a surge of divine power washed over him, filling his entire body with energy. The sword's light became blinding, forcing him to close his eyes.
When he opened them again, the gargoyle was frozen in its final charge, its claws mere centimeters from his face. But it couldn't move any further, as the sword's light had formed an impenetrable barrier, protecting Charlotte.
The young man exhaled deeply, his heartbeat gradually slowing. He had survived, and now he wielded the power of a legendary hero.
But he knew this was only the beginning. The path ahead was fraught with danger, and he would need every ounce of his newfound strength to face it.