Sword Of Dawn

Chapter 0001: What the Hell is This Perspective?

On a certain day, at a certain hour, minute, and second.The world below remained as usual—clear skies, no wind, and thin clouds.Gao Wen quietly observed the distant land from an absolutely overhead perspective, pondering life—since he couldn't do anything else.He had lost track of how long he had been in this state, nor did he know what he even looked like now. Although he could roughly gauge the passage of time by the alternation of day and night, to be honest—after several hundred thousand cycles, he had stopped bothering to keep track.Did this count as a "crossing" (time travel)?Honestly, Gao Wen was quite open-minded about the whole "crossing" business, not because he had any profound enlightenment to view life and death indifferently, but because during the plane crash in his previous life, he realized how unpredictable life was, and that death was in the hands of fate. After all, if he had the chance to "cross" rather than falling to his death, he'd take it. What he couldn't accept was why, after crossing, he ended up floating in the sky...And had been floating there for countless years.Gao Wen didn't know what state he was currently in. He couldn't change his perspective, nor did he feel his body. In fact, aside from his vision, he had completely lost any perception of the external environment. So he couldn't even be sure if he was a lingering soul or a floating corpse in space. But one thing was certain: he was definitely not in a normal human state.Because he was certain that a normal human mind wouldn't be able to stay sane after floating in the sky for tens of thousands of years. They would have gone mad by now.But he hadn't gone mad. In fact, his memory was exceptional.Despite tens of thousands of years passing, Gao Wen could still clearly recall the events of his final moments in his previous life—the piercing scream, the alarm, the violent shaking of the cabin, the spinning world outside the window, the neighbor who couldn't fit the oxygen mask, and the deafening crash when the plane broke apart.All of it was as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. He could even clearly remember, after the crash, when he opened his eyes again and found himself floating in the sky over this strange new planet. The shock he felt at that moment was unforgettable.From the moment he opened his eyes, Gao Wen knew he was no longer gazing upon Earth's land and oceans. So he spent some time deducing and accepting that he had crossed into a different world. Then he spent an even longer time trying to figure out how to stop floating.Unfortunately, he failed at the second part.He discovered that he was "fixed," or perhaps his current form had no mobility. He had become a fixed perspective, unable to change his position, unable to do anything except look down upon the land. His vision was limited to a specific area—a landmass surrounded by oceans—but beyond that, he couldn't see anything else.He couldn't turn his vision left or right, so he couldn't tell whether there was more land beyond the ocean. For the same reason, he had never seen the stars in this world.He didn't even know if other celestial bodies existed in this world. Who knew, if he could just turn his gaze, he might see an old man with a white beard holding a spotlight shining down upon everything.D*mn, he really wanted to float on his back…Even if all he saw was some old man with a spotlight shining down, he'd still be content.But alas, that was all wishful thinking. This fixed perspective couldn't be altered.However, after trying for a long time, Gao Wen discovered a slight point of operation in this fixed view—although he couldn't move his perspective left or right, he could zoom in and out.After realizing this, he was overjoyed for a long time, and began experimenting with various zoom levels. Though even at maximum zoom out, he couldn't see anything beyond the surrounding oceans, at least he could zoom in and observe the land more closely.The land was lush and vibrant, clearly home to life.If he could observe the daily lives of the inhabitants of this strange world, it would at least help with the boredom, right? Though he was still stuck floating here, at least seeing their culture and customs might pass the time.So, he zoomed in as close as he could, until he could see every blade of grass and every tree.That day, he despaired. The mammals on the land…None of them had figured out how to walk upright yet…But it was okay. Gao Wen had a lot of patience—maybe in his past life, he didn't have much patience, but after becoming a fixed viewpoint, he realized he had a lot of time to spare.He waited for those monkeys to learn how to walk upright.Then, many more years passed, and he witnessed the birth of the first human fire.It was the fire produced by striking flint.After that, change came.Gao Wen didn't know what happened, but after the first fire was created, everything suddenly seemed to "speed up," or maybe his sense of time was playing tricks on him—events on the land began to evolve rapidly, like a video being played at an accelerated speed. He saw the humanoid races quickly build primitive villages, then turn into early city-states. He watched as they mastered extraordinary abilities and used magic-like powers to expand their territories. But before he could figure out what exactly was happening, those early kingdoms would turn to ruins, and new humanoid races would emerge from the ashes…Humans and various other races began to fight for space on the continent, building kingdoms, creating religions, shouting the names of gods, and battling each other, only to quickly disappear.The process accelerated. Gao Wen gradually found it harder to keep up with the vast amounts of information he was seeing. He saw giant dragon-like creatures suddenly appear in his view, but he couldn't tell if they were native to the land or came from beyond the ocean.He saw war erupt, nearly burning the entire land to the ground, but in the blink of an eye, new civilizations would emerge.It wasn't until later that he realized it wasn't that things were accelerating on the land—it was that he had "skipped" large chunks of information.His "observation" had become intermittent. Initially, he could observe continuously, but now, several years or even decades would pass without him seeing anything, and only when those fragmented images were pieced together did he feel the illusion of time moving faster.He hadn't realized this before, because during the gaps in his observation, his thoughts were also frozen.When his observation resumed, his thoughts seamlessly continued as if nothing had happened.So he never realized the problem with his situation.But now, as he clearly saw the land's changes—his mind exploded with the realization: he was running out of time.His brain started to become more chaotic. His thoughts felt like they were decelerating, moving at a glacial pace. He couldn't escape this situation, and despite how hard he tried, it seemed like his thoughts had become stuck at a crawl, so slow that it felt like centuries passed for a single frame of information.But before he could fully process the situation, the world around him went black.Suddenly, a voice came from nowhere:"Energy failure. Mainframe restart failed.Escape program initiated."In an instant, the fixed perspective disappeared—Gao Wen's vision was engulfed by darkness.But his thoughts didn't stop.For the first time in countless years, when Gao Wen "closed his eyes," his mind remained active.He didn't know how long he stayed in that darkness. It felt like he was tumbling, falling, entering a cold and confined space. His senses became a confusing mess. Amid the confusion, he faintly heard a young woman's voice, clearly anxious:"Don't… don't kill me yet! The coffin lid of your ancestor's tomb won't hold up!"

Chapter 0002: What is this after crawling out of the coffin?

As the heavy stone door slowly closed under the power of the ancient magical incantation, the magic energy coursed along the grooves in the walls and the ground, forming a closed energy loop. The nightmare world outside seemed to be completely cut off.There was no longer the sound of the captain's furious shouts, nor the agonizing screams of the dying, nor the terrifying growls and roars of the monsters. All sounds were blocked by the thick stone and steel, and although everyone knew that this barrier was only temporary, in this brief moment of peace, Rebecca couldn't help but let out a long breath—how wonderful it would be if the hell outside were just a nightmare.But the next moment, Rebecca shook her head forcefully, pushing the weak thoughts that had emerged in her mind aside. The heavy rock and steel could not bring true and lasting safety; rather, it might weaken her resolve and make her fall into the illusion of temporary safety. Thinking of this, the young heir of the Cecil family couldn't help but grip her now-dull magic staff tightly, hoping it would give her more courage.The voice of family knight Byron Kirk came from behind her: "My Lady, the passage is sealed. The monsters should not be able to break in for now."Rebecca glanced back at this loyal knight, noting the numerous scratches on his steel armor, with a noticeable dent on his chest plate. On his short gray-white hair, she could see clear burn marks—a result of Aunt Hetty's fireball spell meant to rescue him from a monster's jaws. The situation had been incredibly dangerous, as the fireball had exploded almost right against the knight's scalp. If not for the favor of luck, this knight who had sworn allegiance to the family for twenty years would have likely been dead.Of course, Rebecca wasn't entirely sure whether this had anything to do with Aunt Hetty's infamous "magic never hits people" trait…"Thank you, Knight Byron," Rebecca lowered her eyelids to hide the weariness in her eyes. "At least we can catch our breath for a moment."After confirming the condition of the few remaining people, Rebecca couldn't help but take a moment to examine the stone hall around them.This was an ancient place, with cobwebs and thick dust scattered throughout the long rectangular stone hall. Some decayed items were piled at one end of the hall. Despite their poor condition, they still revealed the former beauty and grandeur of the objects. On the walls of the hall, intact murals and reliefs could still be seen. Although the murals had faded and the reliefs were slightly worn, they were still impressive to view.Aunt Hetty Cecil had been carefully examining the murals and reliefs for a long time. In contrast to the flashy and superficial styles that had recently emerged in the northern kingdoms, everything in this hall's decorations was solemn and simple, carrying a distinct "First Dynasty" atmosphere. The murals depicted heroic figures or local customs, while the reliefs carved scenes from myths and abstract symbols of deities. As a knowledgeable spellcaster, Hetty was very skilled at interpreting useful information from these ancient images.Looking at the murals and reliefs, Hetty couldn't help but place her left hand on her chest, murmuring, "May the ancestors forgive...""Aunt Hetty," Rebecca approached Hetty, her face showing signs of nervousness. It was only now that she seemed to realize the gravity of the place they had entered and became a little uneasy. "This place...""This is where the ancestors of the Cecil family rest," Hetty said solemnly. "Do not act disrespectfully."Rebecca swallowed, looking around: "It seems like no one has entered here in a long time...""Ever since Marquis Grumman took a sacred artifact from the ancestral tomb a hundred years ago and participated in that rebellion that nearly destroyed the family, this place has been sealed. The descendants of the Cecil family all know how to open it, but due to the family edict, no one dares to enter unless it's a matter of life or death," Hetty looked at Rebecca deeply. "We are the first to step into this place in a hundred years.""Well, it's definitely a 'life-or-death' situation now..." Rebecca took a deep breath. "Will the ancestors forgive us?"Hetty gave a stiff smile. She couldn't answer that question, so she simply continued to search for the mechanism to open the deeper tomb chamber.Without much effort, she found the special stone pillar and pressed down on the top with her hand.Immediately, the stone door leading to the deeper chamber trembled slightly, and then slowly rose with the sound of grinding.But just as the stone door opened, Rebecca heard an unusual sound coming from behind it—something falling to the ground, followed by a suppressed gasp."Is there someone inside?!" Hetty immediately reacted, whispering, "Byron!"Without waiting for more orders, the knight Byron grabbed his sword and rushed towards the door, followed closely by the other three soldiers. Rebecca, after a brief moment of shock, quickly followed, shouting without looking back, "Betty! Find a place to hide!"As soon as they entered the tomb, Rebecca saw Byron swinging his sword at a small, agile figure.The figure darted around Byron like a gust of wind, occasionally turning into a cloud of black smoke to vanish into the shadows that filled the tomb. Rebecca was impressed by how this figure, seemingly a master of shadow magic and swift movement, could keep up with Byron, a mid-tier knight. But as the remaining three soldiers surrounded the figure and Hetty blocked the door with a fire-wreathed hand, the figure was left with no room to escape and collapsed to the ground in a disheveled heap.Only when the figure stopped did Rebecca clearly see the intruder's appearance—it was a young girl, about the same age as Rebecca, though slightly shorter. She wore tattered leather armor and had short hair that reached her ears. Her face was beautiful, despite the dirt covering it. The most striking feature was her pointed ears, not as long as an elf's, which indicated her mixed bloodline: a half-elf.However, it was hard to determine her other half-blood origin. Given the powerful elf heritage, a half-elf's features often blended with those of humans or other races.The half-elf girl, now on the ground, was immediately met with Byron's sword pressed to her neck, and the other three soldiers surrounded her, blocking every possible escape route."Who are you?! How dare you break into the Cecil family's ancestral tomb?!" Hetty marched forward, her voice filled with uncontrollable anger. For a noble like her, the idea of grave robbers desecrating the ancestral tomb was enough to make her furious—if word of this got out, the Cecil family's reputation would be ruined.Rebecca also glared at the half-elf girl—though still stunned by the situation, she was now extremely angry at the intruder for appearing in this sacred and forbidden place.The half-elf girl, seeing the sword at her neck and the furious glares from Hetty and Rebecca, immediately trembled and stammered, "Wait... wait a minute! I haven't stolen anything!"Byron pressed his sword down a little harder, "You've got a lot of guts!"Before he could finish, a strange sound rang out from the center of the tomb, coming from a black steel coffin. The eerie noise immediately caught everyone's attention, and all fell silent.After a moment, Rebecca was the first to react. A fireball the size of a fist appeared at the tip of her staff, aimed at the half-elf girl, "What have you done to our ancestors?!"The half-elf girl, nearly crying, shouted, "Don't... don't kill me! Forget about that—your ancestor's coffin lid can't hold up much longer!"As her panicked voice echoed, the strange noise from the black steel coffin grew louder, and the lid of the coffin began to visibly tremble."Ancestors!" Hetty's face turned pale, for the first time losing her composure, "Please rest in peace! Those who disturb you will be punished..."The half-elf girl, now frantically yelling, "Who cares about that right now?! Quickly, stop your ancestor's coffin lid from popping open!"The three soldiers looked at each other in confusion, and even Byron was momentarily dumbfounded. But at that moment, Rebecca reacted quickly, dashing towards the platform holding the coffin. Meanwhile, the lid of the coffin had already been pushed open, and a hand reached out from the gap.Seeing this, Rebecca immediately swung her staff down hard, shouting, "Please rest in peace, Ancestor!"The hand was immediately smashed back into the coffin, and a cry of pain came from within, "Who the hell smashed my hand?!"Rebecca froze, then looked up to see Byron, Hetty, and the three soldiers staring at her, wide-eyed.Rebecca looked down at her staff, her face flushing with embarrassment, "Aunt Hetty, was that disrespectful to the ancestor?"But before Hetty could answer, she suddenly screamed, "Rebecca! Get away from there!"Rebecca was startled, "Aunt Hetty?""It could be a resurrection of the dead!" Hetty's face was deathly pale. "It might be those monsters from the surface... corrupting our ancestors' sacred bodies!"This possibility immediately made Rebecca break into a cold sweat, and just when she was about to jump off the platform and hide behind the soldiers, the heavy cover of the black steel coffin was pushed up again - and this time the people in the coffin used their full strength, and the entire coffin lid was pushed directly out!Then, a man with short light brown hair, a majestic face, and ancient noble clothes sat up from inside.The half-kneeling half-blood elf girl turned her head and saw this scene, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "Look, your ancestors have completely faked the corpse this time."

Chapter 0003: Finally... I Can Move!

After sitting up from a suspicious black metal box, Gawain found himself in a state of complete confusion. In fact, even the action of "sitting up" had been done unconsciously.

An unprecedented sense of chaos and dizziness assaulted his brain. His ears were ringing with a constant buzzing, and his entire body was overwhelmed with a mix of wild, indiscernible sensations. Everything around him seemed to have at least four overlapping images, two of which were black-and-white—yet amidst this confusion, his mind hadn't completely deteriorated.

Perhaps he should thank the unknown person who had struck his hand with a cane; in that moment, when he was on the brink of being consumed by the chaos, he gained a fleeting moment of clarity.

But that cane strike really hurt...

As his mind gradually regained focus, Gawain finally remembered what had happened before—the sudden interruption in his vision, the activation of an escape program, the sensation of constantly falling, and now… this very real, tangible, and movable body.

His body!!

After who knows how many thousands of years of being stuck in a third-person perspective, Gawain finally got a body!

The dizziness in his mind was understandable, and the chaotic sensations throughout his body made sense too. It had been far too many years since he had any sensory ability besides sight. Even though his mind had somehow remained intact, it was still incredibly difficult for him to adapt to this new state of feeling temperature, pain, and touch.

However, Gawain could feel that he was rapidly adjusting to this body, to the myriad of sensations in the physical world. As the dizziness in his brain slowly faded, his quadruple-vision finally returned to normal, and the surroundings gradually became clear.

What he first saw were four armed, burly men not far ahead. One of them, a middle-aged man with graying hair, was wearing what appeared to be sturdy steel armor, with muscles so big they almost touched his forehead. He held a silver-gray longsword, while the other three wore simpler armor and wielded less impressive weapons.

A petite girl was kneeling on the ground, with a sword held to her back by these four big men. Her face was hidden by her hair, but Gawain could see a pair of sharp, pointed ears peeking out from beneath the strands.

In the distance, a woman dressed in a red gown stood, radiating an air of elegance and maturity. Her beautiful face and curvaceous figure caught Gawain's eye, and he couldn't help but glance at her. But what truly drew his attention was the unmistakable anxiety and fear in her eyes.

But then, the sound of movement beside him pulled his focus back. He turned just in time to see a young girl, no older than sixteen or seventeen, hurriedly jumping down from the stone platform. The girl was holding a metal rod that looked like it could hurt if it hit someone...

Connecting the girl's previous position with the rod, Gawain's expression turned strange. "Wait... Was it you who hit me?"

As soon as he spoke, he froze: he realized he had not spoken in his native language, but in a completely unfamiliar tongue. Yet this foreign language felt almost instinctively familiar.

Rebecca, the girl who had struck him, didn't know what was going on in Gawain's mind. The newly inherited young noblewoman, who had just received her title and was now facing a huge upheaval in her life, was on the verge of tears. "Ancestor, I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry..."

"I…" Gawain still hadn't figured out what had happened. Even though he had watched this world from above for countless years, experiencing it from a first-person perspective was a first for him. His confusion was no less than anyone else's at the scene.

"Who are you?" he finally managed to ask.

The woman in the red gown seemed to be the calmest one at the scene. When Gawain sat up and spoke, her fear and tension visibly eased. She stepped forward—still cautious but much more composed—and spoke coldly. "Do you know who you are?"

"Me?" Gawain paused, and before he could instinctively say his own name, he froze, realizing that he should be someone else entirely.

Looking at the strange box beneath him—it clearly resembled a coffin—and the surroundings, which seemed to be a large burial chamber despite being more spacious than his previous home, Gawain slowly pieced it together.

He had risen from the dead.

If he said a name that didn't belong to the body he now inhabited, it would certainly result in being immediately killed, accused of being a demon or evil spirit. The girl had just called him "Ancestor." From this, he boldly deduced that he must have possessed the body of her ancestor. Forget the strange fact that this ancestor had somehow remained uncorrupted after so many years—what mattered was that he, as an outsider's soul, had taken over someone else's body, slept in their tomb, and just kicked off the lid of their coffin... That revelation alone would be utterly embarrassing if exposed.

He tried to think of an excuse—perhaps he could say that he was disoriented after a long sleep—but just as he was concentrating, another wave of dizziness hit.

After finally adjusting to the new body and shaking off the initial dizziness, he was struck by a second wave of it, causing him to nearly collapse back into the coffin. The woman in the red gown, noticing Gawain's unsteady movements, instinctively raised her staff, preparing to cast a spell. But before she could do anything, Gawain's deep voice interrupted her.

"I am Gawain Cecil, the founder of the Kingdom of Ansou... What year is it?"

As he spoke, he slightly raised his head, his eyes calm and deep.

In his mind, however, waves were crashing.

The memories belonging to Gawain Cecil were flooding in, like data being retrieved from a computer's hard drive. In that brief moment of dizziness, he had processed the most basic parts of those memories, and he now understood his identity.

What shocked him the most was the name of this body: it was also Gawain.

But this Gawain was not from his original family—he was a Cecil.

Was this a coincidence?

At that moment, Gawain had no time to consider the strange coincidence because the memories were still rushing into his mind. He had to focus all his energy to keep himself from fainting or revealing his confusion. As he concentrated, he barely heard the girl, who had struck him with the metal rod, answer him in a clear voice.

"It's the year 735 of the Ansu Calendar, Ancestor. You've been asleep for over seven hundred years…"

Hearing this, Hetty, the woman in the red gown, visibly relaxed. As a scholar of magical theory, she had some knowledge of the resurrection of the dead. These blasphemous beings had a fatal flaw in their souls. When they first awakened, they could barely speak or think. Even those who were stronger could regain their abilities quickly, but they would usually forget everything about their past lives.

And they could never speak their own names. Regardless of whether they regained their memories on their own or were reminded, once the deceased spoke their name, it would cause their soul fire to burn and consume them in agony—though they wouldn't die, the pain was unbearable for any undead.

The burning soul fire would be impossible to hide.

Therefore, Hetty was now more at ease, but also even more confused: how could this ancestor wake up after being dead for so long?

Despite the confusion, she knew she had to maintain the proper etiquette. So, she stepped forward, bowing with a mix of nervousness and reverence. "Ancestor of the Cecil family, I am your descendant, Hetty Cecil. This is also my cousin, Rebecca Cecil. Please, forgive her reckless behavior earlier, and we beg you to pardon our disturbance of your eternal rest."

Gawain could barely absorb the whirlwind of new memories flooding in, but he was more concerned with understanding his surroundings. He used the coffin for support and began to rise, muttering, "It's alright, it's alright. I don't even know how I woke up. Could someone help me out?"

He quickly realized he had overestimated his ability to adjust to this new body. As he tried to push himself up, he couldn't sit up straight and felt awkward.

Rebecca, who had been nervously holding her staff, noticed it was finally her turn to act. She hurriedly stepped forward, supporting his arm while saying, "I'll help you out of the coffin. I'll help you out…"

It sounded weird.

"Seven hundred years, huh…" Gawain stiffly got out of the coffin, looking down at his clothes, and mumbled, "What's this material?"

"Maybe it's elven moonlight cloth?" Rebecca replied, uncertain.

"Truly black tech…" Gawain muttered.

"Eh?" Rebecca was confused.

It was an odd, cryptic comment, but Gawain felt grateful to finally be standing on his own two feet.

After so many years of watching from above, he had finally achieved the first challenge that every human should be able to do: walking upright.

But before he could fully celebrate, he remembered the girl who was still surrounded by the four burly men.

Chapter 0004: Waking Up in a Mess

Gawain felt his condition improving rapidly. His mind was slowly clearing up, and he had regained full control of his body, so he finally had the energy to focus on the girl still being held captive. "So... what's going on here?"

The half-elf girl had been doing her best to lower her presence and was hoping that the huge shock of "meeting the ancestor" would make the Cecil family forget the matter of someone digging up their ancestor's tomb. But before she could find an escape route, Gawain turned his gaze toward her. The unlucky thief girl could only shrink her neck and appear pitiful, "I just wanted to find a place to hide..."

"Did you really need to crawl all the way into the deepest part of the tomb to hide?" Hedi immediately glared at her and said to Gawain, "Ancestor, this despicable tomb raider has desecrated your resting place and disturbed your slumber!"

Gawain blinked in confusion and looked at the half-elf girl with a strange expression, "So... you woke me up?"

If not for the limitations of human anatomy, the thief girl probably would have tried to hide her head in her chest, trembling as she spoke, "I really didn't do anything! I just wanted to find a safe place to hide at first, but when I got inside, I accidentally got caught up in my professional habits and ended up in the tomb's deepest chamber... but once I was in the tomb, I didn't do anything...!"

Gawain thought for a moment, then seriously said, "Well, anyway, thank you."

Thief girl: "…Huh?"

Everyone, including Rebecca and Hedi, was confused: "…Huh?"

"Cough, cough, let her go. It doesn't look good for you four big men to be holding a little girl like that," After thanking her, Gawain realized something was off but didn't know how to retract his statement, so he just awkwardly pressed on. "Not in line with the spirit of chivalry, yes, the spirit of chivalry."

Hedi hesitated, a conflicted expression on her face: "But Ancestor, she is..."

"I'd like to thank her for waking me from my slumber," Gawain waved his hand and said, "Let her go. If I have no objections, why are you still arguing?"

Knight Byron gave a strange look at the "Cecil Ancestor," but after receiving Hedi's signal, he sheathed his sword, and the three soldiers by his side also stepped back.

The half-elf girl looked around carefully to confirm that this situation wasn't a prank, then cautiously stood up and glanced at Gawain. "Um, you're an elder, so you need to keep your word, right? Don't go back on it!"

Hedi's eye twitched, and with years of noble training, she restrained herself from beating this tomb raider into a pulp.

Gawain curiously observed the girl. From the memories he inherited, he could tell she was a half-elf. "What's your name?"

The half-elf blinked her eyes: "Amber."

Gawain stroked his chin: "Amber? That does sound like something a forest elf would name their kid..."

At this point, Hedi suddenly interrupted, cutting off the conversation between Gawain and the half-elf named Amber. "Ancestor, I have to interrupt you—now's not the time for small talk. We're not safe!"

Gawain made an effort to step into his new identity. He turned to Hedi with a serious expression. "What's going on outside?"

"It's monsters!" Rebecca, who had been silent, suddenly shouted. "Monsters are pouring in from the Selin Pass and the mines! The local troops and the security force can't hold them off—it's likely those monsters have already taken over outside..."

"We've organized a resistance as best as we could, and before the situation completely collapsed, Sir Philip led a group of soldiers to cover the civilians and help them escape," Hedi continued. "But just before the second batch of refugees could depart, the monsters destroyed the drawbridge."

Rebecca continued, "Hedi and I did not bring shame to the Cecil family's name, and neither did these brave soldiers. We fought until the last moment in the castle. But when the inner gates were breached, we had no choice but to retreat to the ancestor's tomb."

After asking a few more questions, Gawain pieced together the details of the situation:

This was the ancestral land of the Cecil family, passed down since the first ancestor. The girl holding the iron staff, looking like a high school student, Rebecca, was actually the current lord of the land. When the monsters attacked, this young lady had tried to organize a defense, but it was clear that they had failed—the monsters eventually destroyed all defenses and slaughtered everyone in their path. After the first group of survivors was evacuated, Rebecca, bound by her lordly duty, stayed behind with the remaining soldiers to defend the castle. They fought until the castle was breached and were forced to retreat to the tomb.

And that was when Gawain... came back to life... or rather, took over.

As for Hedi, the beautiful noblewoman, she was actually Rebecca's aunt.

But these family ties meant little to Gawain, as they were all great-great-great... granddaughters anyway—whether there were one more "great" or one less didn't matter.

As for Amber, the half-elf thief, she was indeed a thief, but this time she was simply seeking refuge. However, her professional skills were so good that she ended up deep inside the tomb of the Cecil family.

"A mess like this right after I wake up..." Gawain rubbed his forehead, thinking about how to solve the current crisis while scanning his memory banks for any useful information. "So, the monsters have completely taken over above, and going out is a dead end. By the way, what exactly are these monsters?"

"I suspect they're some kind of demon subspecies," Hedi said. "But demons haven't appeared in the material world for many years, and to show up in such large numbers, I can't be sure."

Rebecca, holding her staff, looked at Gawain with a hopeful gaze. "Ancestor, is there no way for you to deal with these monsters?"

Gawain froze for a moment. "Me?"

"Yes! Aren't you the most powerful knight in the Kingdom of Ansu, and even in the entire northern continent?" Rebecca's eyes almost sparkled. "I heard that you once slew the barbarian general Gulg with a single sword..."

Gawain quickly checked his memories and was shocked: Gawain Cecil was a legendary figure!

He was one of the greatest heroes of the Ansu Kingdom's expansion period and was one of the first settlers during the "Second Expansion."

When the ancient Gondor Empire collapsed, and its people returned to the chaos of the wilds, the light of human civilization was slowly devoured by the chaotic magical tides from the depths of the continent. Gawain Cecil led a group of heroes, escaping the ruins of the fallen empire and marching in four directions. One group went north, and they founded the Ansu Kingdom, with Gawain Cecil as one of the first settlers.

His life was short but glorious: He started at fifteen as the youngest knight in the expansion force, and in just ten years, he helped establish a new kingdom in the north. He became one of the kingdom's seven generals and held the southern border against the dark magical tides. He was undefeated.

However, such a brilliant life burned too brightly and ended prematurely—he died at the age of thirty-five in the final battle against the magical tides.

And that's where the inherited memories ended.

That was the life of this legendary hero.

Gawain felt a throbbing at his temples.

He had taken over the body of someone incredible!

After the brief shock, he wasn't feeling overly proud or frightened. His biggest reaction, however, was... a sense of uncertainty.

Rebecca was looking at him with hope, Amber shared the same expression, and even Hedi, who seemed the most composed, had an expression full of expectation and trust when she looked at him.

But they were looking at Gawain Cecil, not just Gawain.

Gawain looked down at his hands. They were the hands of a warrior—broad, strong, with thick calluses—but he wasn't sure how much power he could actually wield in this body.

However, this uncertainty didn't last long. His memories started to stir. They were memories that spanned tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years—although the substance of those memories might not offer much help, it was enough to steady his mind and fill him with confidence.

He admitted that he was a bit overwhelmed by the legendary life of Gawain Cecil, but in this situation, what he needed wasn't shock or hesitation, but self-assurance.

The source of this confidence was simple—

Long before the intelligent beings of this world even learned to walk upright, he had been watching over it!

He knew these memories wouldn't provide any substantial assistance, but at this moment, all he needed was to bolster his own confidence.

And with that confidence, he would figure out a way to survive.

Once he calmed down, the solutions would come naturally.

Soon, he found something useful within Gawain Cecil's memories.

"It is unrealistic to fight all the way," Gao Wen touched his chin and said seriously. "I have been sleeping for too long and may not be able to exert much strength, and we cannot be sure how powerful the monsters outside can be. So the best way is to find a way to bypass those monsters and run to a safe place."Rebecca: "But the suspension bridge has been destroyed, and several other roads have also been blocked..."Gao Wen waved his hand and interrupted the unknown great-granddaughter: "Underground, Cecil's leader was once part of the southern defense line of the kingdom. There is a secret tunnel system underground here, and its main body is blessed by the earth element. , even a thousand years will not collapse, and the entrance to this secret tunnel is just below the castle.""There is such a thing?!" Rebecca suddenly showed a surprise expression, "What are you waiting for? Let's go find the tunnel! Master Ancestor, come and lead the way!""But there is a problem," Gao Wen spread his hands, "I only know how to get off from the castle, but I don't know the way to get from the tomb."Rebecca looked surprised: "Did you not know the way here after living for so long?"Gao Wen: "…"Byron Knights and Soldiers: "…"Hetty's face was pale, feeling that his ancestors were extremely likely to be angry to death by this incompetent descendant...

Chapter 0005: The Role of the Thief Lady

Gawain wasn't sure if the young girl named Rebecca had been knocked out when she was fighting the monsters earlier, but he still patiently said, "Although I've 'lived' here for many years... I was already dead at that time! Can you see your own tomb after you die?"

Rebecca thought for a moment, wanting to remind her ancestor that the tomb of the founding king of Ansu was actually built while the king was still alive, and he even participated in its design. But after thinking for a while, she realized that if she kept talking, Aunt Heddy would probably kill her on the spot, so she swallowed the words back and awkwardly laughed, "Ah, hahah... You're right."

"We can't go back the way we came," Heddy sighed and analyzed calmly, "The central courtyard and the entrance to the ancestral tomb have already been occupied by those monsters. Going back that way is a dead end."

"We must find another route," Gawain said while recalling the memories he inherited, "Seven hundred years have passed, so the castle in this territory is probably not the same as it was back then, right?"

"The upper structure has undergone several renovations, but the foundation hasn't changed," Heddy hurriedly replied, "The entrance you mentioned should still be in its original location."

"Is that so? Well, that's good," Gawain said as he reached out to one of the soldiers nearby, "Lend me your sword."

After receiving the long sword from the soldier, Gawain began sketching on the ground. He first drew a bird's-eye view of the castle's layout, and then a rough side view divided into three floors. Although the drawings were hastily made, the general division of blocks was still clear.

"The entrance is here, two floors underground, next to the wine cellar and the granary—those were the wine cellar and granary back then. There are two passages that lead inside, but both require going through the ground, so they're probably unusable."

Rebecca looked at the rough map Gawain had drawn, her curiosity piqued. "It's still a wine cellar and granary now, but I never knew there was a third room between them…"

"It's not a room, but a hidden layer, created with some architectural tricks, concealed between the walls and supporting beams," Gawain smiled, "Back then, this land wasn't peaceful. It was a border area, and monsters from the remnants of the Gondor Empire and crazed old imperial soldiers would almost storm the place every ten to fifteen days. The original Cecil domain was almost built like a war fortress, and in such a situation, secret passages and hidden spaces were essential for quick evacuation and supply transport."

Knight Byron carefully examined the simple map and then drew something at the bottom corner with his sword. "So, we're heading for the entrance on the second floor... and we can't use any above-ground routes, including the central courtyard. Here is where we are now. The ancestral tomb is built in the southeast underground section of the castle, and about a third of it overlaps with the castle's foundation…"

"Right in that overlapping area, there should be a passage," Gawain interrupted Byron. "The tomb was built seven hundred years ago, when the craftsmen were from the same group that built war fortresses. These structures were built according to the standards and rules of that time, and backup passages must have existed."

Gawain then gave Rebecca a curious look. "You really don't know anything about this? This should be knowledge passed down through the generations of the Cecil family."

Rebecca lowered her head in embarrassment. "I…"

"Ancestor, we have failed to live up to the glory you brought to the family," Heddy bit her lip and said with difficulty, "The Cecil family has gone through many things over the past seven hundred years…"

"Alright, I understand," Gawain waved his hand, signaling that this wasn't the time for stories. "Once we get out of here, I'll ask you all about what happened over these seven hundred years. Right now, the priority is to find the way to the secret passage from the tomb."

Rebecca, Heddy, and Byron huddled around the simple map, but although they knew the castle, they were not familiar with the tomb's structure. After all, this tomb had been around for seven hundred years, and it wasn't a tourist spot. Even when the tomb hadn't been sealed off a century ago, the family heir could only visit the tomb a few times in their life—and they weren't allowed anywhere near the resting place of their ancestors.

Who knew where the secret passage was?

Faced with this problem, even Gawain's memories were useless. After all, when he died back then, he certainly didn't expect that one day he would have to get up and figure out how to escape...

But just when everyone was at a loss, Amber, who had been silently standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Well... I might know the way…"

Immediately, everyone in the tomb turned their attention to the half-elf thief.

Amber shrank her neck.

Heddy furrowed her brows. "How do you know?"

"I..." Amber hesitated but, seeing Gawain's encouraging look, she gained some courage and continued, "I kind of came in from over there… the direction should be about right, and I guess that's the secret passage."

Gawain nodded. "Good. Lead the way."

Amber patted her chest. "As long as you don't bring up the fact that I dug up your family's ancestral tomb…"

Heddy shot a glare at the outspoken half-elf, lifted her staff, and turned to walk toward the tomb's entrance. Gawain, however, paused just before stepping forward.

"Ancestor?" Rebecca looked at him curiously.

"I should get a weapon too," Gawain said. Although he wasn't the legendary Duke Gawain of seven hundred years ago, it was still common sense to grab a weapon for self-defense in such a dangerous place.

His eyes scanned the tomb, and one soldier proactively unbuckled his sword and offered it to Gawain. But Gawain waved it off, declining the soldier's good intentions. Guided by his memories, he walked over to the black steel coffin and peered inside.

He found a heavy black sword with faint red markings near the guard, and when he held it, a familiar and comfortable feeling surged through him, as though every line on the sword matched his own palm perfectly. He instinctively swung the sword a couple of times, and each movement felt honed and perfect.

He knew that this was the memory left by his former self—although his soul had changed, every muscle still remembered how to use the weapon.

It was a pleasant surprise, but not unexpected.

In addition to the remnants of his body's memories, Gawain also had access to all the battle knowledge from Gawain Cecil's past life, including basic swordsmanship, horsemanship, and even supernatural powers that almost felt like magic. This part of his knowledge was undeniably enticing, but now was not the time to experiment or learn.

First, he needed to get out of this dire situation.

Rebecca's eyes widened as soon as she saw the black sword. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Is that... the legendary Ansul Pioneer's Sword?"

Upon hearing Rebecca's words, Heddy, who had already reached the door, immediately turned around. She stared at the sword in Gawain's hand, her face barely concealing her excitement. "The Pioneer's Sword?!"

"Right now, it's just a sharp sword," Gawain sighed. "Seven hundred years, and although a weapon blessed by the elves doesn't corrode, the magic inside has already dissipated. Recharging it... who knows how long that will take."

Gawain then turned to look at the area in front of the coffin. There was a small stone platform, but it was empty. This made Gawain frown. "Wait a second, I should have had a shield I never left behind, shouldn't it have been buried with me? Why isn't it here?"

Heddy's expression immediately darkened. "Ancestor... your shield, the Ansul Kingdom Guardian's Shield, was taken from the tomb a hundred years ago by your descendant, Grumman Cecil. It was lost on the battlefield…"

Heddy spoke hesitantly, clearly leaving something unsaid. Perhaps she was afraid that if she mentioned the events from a hundred years ago, their ancestor would collapse from anger right on the spot—though it would be easy to just bury him back in the coffin...

Gawain sensed Heddy's hesitation, but didn't point it out. Instead, he cursed under his breath, "Wasting things... At least the sword was still in the coffin. That Grumman didn't have the audacity to steal the old ancestor's coffin to complete a set!"

Heddy and Rebecca could only lower their heads, cold sweat forming as they listened. The sight of their ancestor popping out of the coffin and cursing their great-grandfather was already beyond the realm of fantasy... as juniors, they really felt the pressure!

Luckily, Gawain was only upset about the missing equipment, and after a brief curse, he didn't dwell on it further. He led everyone out of the tomb.

As they reached the stone hall outside the tomb, Rebecca looked around and then waved toward the corner of the room. "Betty! It's safe now!"

Gao Wen looked over curiously and saw a thin, small girl who looked a little younger than Rebecca, walking out of the shadows in the corner, wearing a coarse cloth dress and face There were also a few pubertal freckles on it, with flax-colored hair spreading behind the head, and a pan tightly held in his hands.After seeing Gao Wen, the little girl called Betty showed a look of hesitation and nervousness on her face. With her not very smart mind, she would probably never imagine where this stranger suddenly appeared..."This is the maid in the castle. We don't know how she was left behind by the first team to break through. Anyway, she just followed her in a confused manner," Rebecca briefly introduced the little girl, "Betty, this is …"A slight vibration from above the tomb interrupted Rebecca's words."It's not the time to speak," Gao Wen raised his long sword and looked at Amber, "Now, lead the way."

Chapter 0006: What is This Thing?

Miss Amber, an expert in stealth techniques, a specialist in shadow magic, and a lover of grave robbing, has a piece of profound wisdom: "The path is there, and the door is just a fanciful decoration. As long as you let go of psychological barriers, even the Royal Treasury's gate can be opened with a single celery stalk."

Well, this world might not have celery, but for Amber, opening a tomb door in an ancient grave doesn't require any celery.

With a small shadow trick, some knowledge of ancient restrictions, and a bit of luck, this half-elf thief easily disabled the magical wards in the ancestral tomb of the Cecils, revealing a hidden passage that even Hetty and Rebecca didn't know about.

Then, everyone followed Amber into the passage.

The tomb's corridor, made of stone and soul-binding bricks, was far more spacious than expected. Even towering knights like Gawain and Byron, who stood nearly two meters tall, didn't feel cramped. The enchanted lampstands on the walls had long run out of power, but after Hetty cast a few basic spells, these ancient lampstands—over seven hundred years old—lit up one by one, guiding them forward.

"I'm really just a little thief, just enough to get by," Amber said humbly, walking at the front. "I'm a descendant of forest elves, and I respect the souls of the departed. How could I ever dig up graves?"

Gawain scoffed at her statement. "You've mastered it this well, and you still have the nerve to explain?"

Perhaps confirming that her life was safe, the half-elf, who had no racial modesty, was as thick-skinned as the tomb door she had just opened. "Lockpicking and spellbreaking are standard skills in our trade. My basics are solid, no mistakes here!"

At this point, Rebecca, walking in the middle of the group, suddenly asked, "Are you a subject of the Cecil territory?"

Amber frowned and thought for a moment. "I've lived here for a few years, but I never formally applied to become a subject. But according to your Cecil laws, if you've lived here for more than three years and pay your taxes, you're considered a subject... So, do you think I qualify?"

Rebecca shook her head. "If you didn't apply, it doesn't count."

"Oh," Amber drawled, "Then why are you asking me this?"

"I am the lord of the Cecil territory," Rebecca said seriously. "So if you're my subject, I have the duty to protect you."

Amber: "...You should have said that earlier! Can I change my mind now?"

Rebecca said, with a serious expression, "It's too late."

Gawain looked at Rebecca's serious face, then at Amber's complete lack of shame, shaking his head with a slight smile.

Although he woke up in such a mess, the feeling of being human again was much better than the cursed state he had been in before.

He glanced at Hetty, who had been stealing glances at him. She had already looked at him more than once. He had been waiting for her to speak, but since she still hadn't broken the silence, he took the initiative and asked, "If you have something to ask, just say it."

Hetty was slightly startled but quickly calmed herself with a deep breath. She looked at Gawain's face, identical to that in their family portraits, and carefully chose her words. "Ancestor... I still find it hard to believe that you really are..."

"Yes, I am indeed Gawain Cecil, the pioneer from seven hundred years ago. I can recite my entire life story to you, or perhaps I can tell you about the second expansion era? But honestly, even that might not prove anything. A good historian might be more convincing than I am since I'm not very good at speaking," Gawain shrugged. "You just want to confirm if I'm real, right?"

"Please forgive my doubts," Hetty said hurriedly, "but this is really... Although stories of the resurrection of heroic spirits have existed for centuries, seeing it firsthand is completely different. I've heard that some paladins and Silvermoon elves can fake death for years, even decades, using holy light and elven magic to preserve their souls and vitality. But I've never heard of a human knight doing the same, especially... when you've been dead for seven hundred years."

"Honestly, I don't know how it happened," Gawain shook his head. Although he wanted to make up a logically sound and convincing explanation to impress Hetty, neither his own knowledge nor the memories of Gawain Cecil had anything useful to offer. So, he simply admitted that he couldn't explain it all. "Maybe it's related to the things I went through before I died. As you know, when I led the first settlers to open up the wilderness, I received a blessing from the elements. That probably changed my body."

"Is that so..." Hetty said noncommittally, then suddenly looked up and gazed ahead.

"There's airflow," she whispered. "And there's a different magical reaction. We should be at the end of the tomb area."

Gawain nodded, gripping the Pioneer's Sword tightly. A feeling of unease surged in him, warning him that the path ahead might not be safe.

"Stay alert," said Byron, who was walking at the front with Amber, as though he too had sensed something. He drew his steel broadsword, and with a sweep of his hand, a faint silver light appeared on the blade. "You three, make sure the rear is protected."

The sound of metal scraping filled the air as three soldiers prepared for battle. Although they were only basic combatants, they were the elite warriors cultivated by the Cecil family, having survived battles against monsters. Their fearlessness and composure quickly reassured Amber and Betty, who were more nervous and huddled in the middle of the group.

The tomb's passage, though long and deep, eventually had to come to an end. Every ten meters, soul-binding bricks embedded in the stone walls marked the tomb area. As these bricks disappeared, they arrived at a slightly wider place resembling an intersection.

This was the junction between the tomb area and the castle's underground area, a transportation hub leading to the ancient secret passages.

Amber pointed to one of the paths at the "intersection." "I came in from there. It leads to a dried-up well outside the castle, but it's probably been taken over by monsters by now."

Gawain looked at Hetty. "Which way is west?"

Hetty raised her hand, sketching a simple magical rune in the air. The rune turned into a glowing ribbon, swaying and pointing to a specific direction.

"That way," Gawain said, but just as his words fell, a sudden sense of crisis hit him.

There was no time to think further. His battle-hardened body reacted faster than his thoughts. Gawain instinctively raised the Pioneer's Sword to block, and immediately felt a hammer-like impact from the sword.

His body staggered but quickly stabilized, and the attacker finally appeared before them. With a garbled, almost murmuring sound, three towering, unsteady figures emerged from one of the dark corridors!

They were not creatures of nature, but more like monsters created from the twisted creativity of necromancers and demon sorcerers. Standing nearly three meters tall, they resembled withered, deformed giants, but their bodies were made of a flowing, shapeless substance, like sludge. The foul, slime-like matter wriggled across their bodies, occasionally revealing massive hollow spaces in which blood-red bones could be seen.

"Ah!" Rebecca let out a short scream upon seeing the monsters, while Betty quickly bit her lip, seemingly on the verge of crying. Hetty raised her staff and slammed it heavily into the ground, casting a low-level dispelling spell that negated the fear effect the monsters caused, then quickly said to Gawain, "Ancestor, it's these monsters!"

At this point, Gawain had recovered from the shock of seeing non-human creatures. A memory popped into his head. "These things?!"

The three monsters had already launched their attack. They murmured incomprehensively as two of them charged towards Gawain's group. The third raised its arm, and a ball of dark energy gathered in its hand before flying straight towards Amber, who stood at the front of the group!

"Wow!" Amber let out a short cry, immediately retreating into the shadow behind Byron, and in the next moment, she reappeared ten meters away in another shadow. Byron raised his silver-glowing broadsword, and with a roar, he charged toward one of the attacking monsters.

"Hetty, Rebecca, take care of the one shooting shadow arrows! Try not to use arcane magic—arcane spells are almost useless against these things! Amber, protect the casters with the warriors!" Gawain shouted, then swung his sword and charged ahead.

He had never fought with a sword.

He had never seen such non-human monsters.

Although he had experienced reincarnation, this was the first time he was standing on this foreign land with his own legs.

So, he had no idea what he could do with the remnants of his battle instincts, the combat knowledge in his head that didn't belong to him, and an ancient sword with no magic power left.

But often, fate doesn't give you a choice.

You stand here, and the monsters stand there. There's no way out, no escape. All you have is a seven-hundred-year-old antique sword. You had a shield, but it was ruined by a fool a hundred years ago. What can you do in this situation?

Fight, d*mn it!

Aren't they just mutants?

Gawain Cecil from seven hundred years ago could take on a hundred of these!

There are only three now. Can't we deal with them?

Chapter 0007: The Old Tales

As Highwen charged toward the strange, terrifying monster with his sword in hand, there was no tension, no hesitation, and no fear in his heart. If anything, it was a fleeting sense of daze and unreality.

He still vividly remembered the moment when the plane crash happened.

He still remembered those tens of thousands of years hanging in the high skies of this world.

He hadn't fully adapted to the identity of Highwen Cecil, the one who had fallen from the sky.

Yet, in that moment, he gripped an ancient family sword and lunged at a creature, uncertain whether it was a demon or an undead.

Bang!

The tremendous shock from the blade wiped away all the thoughts in his mind.

Reacting almost instinctively, he dodged the monster's sweeping claws, twisting his upper body slightly, his sword slicing through the air with a flash of light. He brought it down with all his might on the monster's shoulder. As the blade cut through, he focused his energy, channeling the strength within his body and directing it to his sword.

A faint red glow appeared at the sword's hilt, and under the surge of power, it burst into brilliant red light, spreading quickly along the blade like flames. The surrounding air warped under the intense heat.

The three-meter-tall monster sensed the threat from the heated blade. Moving with an agility that seemed out of place for its size, it suddenly leaned back, narrowly avoiding Highwen's strike.

Releasing this supernatural power, which felt almost magical, Highwen couldn't help but feel a moment of excitement and exhilaration. Perhaps this brief rush of excitement made him lose rhythm on his first attack, but he quickly adjusted and focused once more, channeling his energy into the sword.

The skills and knowledge from Highwen Cecil's memory were indeed available for use, and his body wasn't so degraded that it couldn't perform at full strength. While uncertain about how much power he could muster, Highwen now had a newfound confidence.

He immersed himself in the battle, quickly turning memories and skills into usable strength, which improved his command over his new body. The process was satisfying, and by the time he emerged from his immersion, he realized that he had already gained the upper hand on the monster.

The twisted "sludge" body of the creature was not invincible to blades; it could be injured and ultimately killed. Despite its immense strength and size, as long as the right method was applied, a human body could still defeat it.

This was the lesson passed down seven hundred years ago.

The monster's claws grazed above Highwen's head. He crouched, quickly thrusting his sword into its thigh. The monster let out a guttural scream and staggered to the side. Seizing the opportunity, Highwen called out to Byron, "Focus on the abdomen and lower limbs, don't bother with the chest! These creatures don't have hearts!"

As the monster lost its balance, Highwen pivoted and struck at its rear flank. "Apart from the abdomen, their other weak spot is the back!"

Hearing this from the ancestor of the Cecil family, Byron's spirits lifted. With the help of three soldiers, he quickly restrained the monster's movements. He sacrificed part of his armor to pass under the monster and then struck its fatal point.

A moment before Byron struck the final blow, Highwen's monster also collapsed heavily.

Once the enemies were defeated, Highwen looked up at the distant creature, still clashing with Rebecca's fireball. However, just as he was about to rush toward it, the creature suddenly let out a tragic scream and spasmed, falling to the ground.

Amber appeared behind the monster, twirling two poisoned steel daggers in her hands. "Stabbing the rear, my specialty."

Rebecca lowered her staff, her cheeks slightly flushed from the exertion of casting multiple spells. She took a deep breath to regain composure and sternly corrected, "The ancestor said the back, not the rear."

Amber quickly spun her daggers twice before concealing them somewhere and stepping over the creature's corpse. "Hmph, no sense of humor."

Once the creatures died, their bodies rapidly disintegrated. The sludge-like substance that flowed from them stopped moving, dried, hardened, and cracked. As the corrupted flesh fell away, they quickly turned into large, twisted blood-red skeletons.

Highwen stood beside the monster he had slain, watching this process as he muttered to himself, "So these were the ones who attacked the Cecil domain…"

Heddy looked at him curiously. "Ancestor, do you know where these monsters came from?"

Highwen, having already shown profound knowledge of these creatures during battle, couldn't hide his familiarity with them. He didn't intend to either.

"Staying here could bring more of them. Let's move to the underground passage; there's something down there that suppresses these creatures, they won't enter easily," Highwen said as he started walking ahead. "I'll explain the details on the way."

After traveling through the ancient underground tunnel for a while, Highwen broke the silence. "I did deal with them back then—actually, they were our main target. You must have heard of the fall of the Gondor Empire and the history of the Second Expansion, right?"

"Of course," Rebecca immediately nodded. "As the daughter of nobility, it's part of my education. Over seven hundred years ago, the only human kingdom on the Loren continent was the Gondor Empire, located in the center of the continent. It was the most powerful empire at the time, even the Silver Empire of the elves in the south dared not challenge it. But then, turmoil broke out in the Ether Sea surrounding the world, triggering a catastrophe called the 'Dark Magic Tide.' The epicenter of the disaster was Gondor's heartland. Almost overnight, the capital and a third of the empire's territory were consumed by the magic tide and decomposed by overwhelming elemental forces…"

"It didn't happen overnight. In fact, it lasted for nearly a month. The court mages of Gondor didn't just stand by," Highwen interrupted briefly, signaling for her to continue. "But in the end, the result was similar. Please continue."

"Ah… yes," Rebecca flushed slightly, as though being reprimanded by a parent, and continued cautiously, "Afterward, the magic tide continued spreading out from the heartland of Gondor and ultimately destroyed the entire empire. With the Ether Sea settling, the magic tide's strength waned, and the surviving Gondorians began rebuilding civilization. Since the center of the continent was a ruin and no longer suitable for humans, they left the ruins of the empire and expanded in all four directions, which is known as the Second Expansion. Ancestor, you were one of the most famous expansion knights at that time."

"Mm, your history is good," Highwen casually complimented. "Then you should know that even though the magic tide ended, the ruins of Gondor still housed many creatures born from the tide. These creatures were one of the biggest threats humans faced during the Second Expansion."

Heddy's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Exactly. The creatures we fought back then were those things," Highwen sighed. "They were born from the magic tide, with shapes resembling humans, but they were definitely not human. After the fall of Gondor, these creatures poured out from the ruined empire's heartland, spreading in all directions and hunting the survivors. So, the first half of the Second Expansion was more about fleeing than actually expanding. Even after we left the empire's ruins and established new kingdoms on the continent's edge, these monsters didn't stop. They constantly emerged from the ruins, attacking the defenses of the civilized world… For the first ten years after Ansou was founded, I was practically dealing with them every day."

Rebecca's eyes widened. "So, after the first ten years, the monsters stopped appearing?"

Highwen chuckled, ruffling her hair and giving her a look that seemed to say "you poor thing." "Silly child, that was when your ancestors passed away…"

Rebecca: "…"