Chapter 158: Peace Proposal & Mission

Having been torn apart by the Sea God’s Trident, only a single head remained on the ground.

Had it not been for the flickering flames, it would have been impossible to guess that it belonged to the previous majestic Undead Knight.

With its current state, Aurelius would have been able to finish it off even without the Sea God’s Trident and the Divine Phantom to help him.

...Or at the very least, that was what one would think.

The next instant, however, something unexpected occurred.

Under Aurelius’ eyes, the Undead Knight’s body began to reform.

Black mist emerged from its broken neck and raised the head into the air before weaving it into a skeletal body.

Click! Click! Click!

Each bone neatly fell into place.

In a single instant, the damaged body of the Undead Knight had been reforged, as though it had never been shattered,

The skeleton raised its head and placed it on its neck, producing a clicking sound.

It shook its head.

"Your senses are quite acute."

"To be able to sense the curse in my body, even Rank 4 Awakeners would find it difficult. To be able to do so at Rank 2..."

"However, it makes sense."

As it spoke, the skeleton raised its head to look at the Divine Phantom protecting Aurelius, as well as the Sea God’s Trident in its hand.

Although it couldn’t recognize this Epic Relic due to its missing memories, their previous confrontation had made its rank clear.

Recalling the pain of being torn apart, the Undead Knight remained apprehensive.

It didn’t approach Aurelius but maintained a delicate distance from him, ensuring that the Sea God’s Trident couldn’t reach it without it having any time to react.

Observing its cautious movements and listening to its words, Aurelius’ frown grew deeper.

He knew that he had almost been tricked!

Although he didn’t understand what the Undead Knight meant by the word "curse," he could be certain that it would be nothing good for him.

’Would a terrifying curse burst out if I were to kill it?’

Ordinary curses wouldn’t work on someone like him, who possessed several light-based skills and an Epic Relic.

But since the Undead Knight had witnessed his strength and sensed the Sea God’s Trident’s rank, yet still believed it could cause him harm, it was obvious it had some confidence.

’I’d rather fight against stupid people like Edward and Selene. All these old monsters and cultists are terrifying...’ Aurelius cursed inwardly, recalling that the Goblin Warlock had been the same.

Wave after wave of trump cards had been taken out, pushing Selene and Aurelius to the limit.

For a moment, the two beings—one man and one skeleton—remained in a stalemate. Neither of them talked.

They both stared at each other with caution, unwilling to be the one to make the first move.

In the end, the one to break the silence was the Undead Knight.

Its gaze moved from the Divine Phantom to Aurelius before it opened its mouth to speak.

"In fact, there is no reason for the two of us to be enemies."

"I already know why you came here. It’s for no other reason than to obtain my inheritance."

The Undead Knight paused briefly.

"Giving it to you is not impossible..."

Having said that, the skeleton pointed toward the throne.

Despite their previous battle, it had remained intact, without the slightest scratch.

The moment the Undead Knight pointed at it, several streams of light emerged from it.

They quickly transformed into several items.

Books. Weapons. Precious materials.

All shone with an extraordinary light, evidence that they were not mortal objects and could be useful to Awakeners.

"This hall contains all my belongings. As long as you’re willing to leave, I’m willing to hand them over to you."

Its words were enough to make Aurelius slightly excited.

What was the thing he lacked most at the moment?

Skills—something directly related to his next advancement.

Among the items shown by the Undead Knight, Aurelius could see dozens of "Skill Books." The sight of them made him greedy.

But soon, Aurelius suppressed the instinct to agree.

He had already witnessed the fate of Edward obtaining such a book not long ago. He didn’t want to become the next victim.

The Undead Knight saw through his thoughts.

Knowing what he was worried about, it surprisingly took the initiative to explain.

"I know what you’re afraid of. However, that person’s death has little to do with the books themselves."

"It’s all because of the ancient agreement his ancestors signed."

"He was tainted with my karma. From the very beginning, he was destined to such a fate."

"As for you, you won’t have to worry about it."

The Undead Knight made a convincing case.

If it had the ability to instantly kill a Rank 2 Awakener, it would have done so long ago. It wouldn’t have fought against him so fiercely, nor would it have been arguing with him like this.

Even so, though part of his worries had been relieved, Aurelius still did not dare to agree.

"You mentioned that you only want me to leave, but I doubt you would be so kind."

"Tell me."

"What do you want me to do before you give these items?"

He didn’t believe that there was such a thing as a free meal in the world. Most likely, the Undead Knight had something to request from him.

Sure enough, the moment his words fell, the flames in its eye sockets rumbled.

"You’re quite smart." It nodded.

"It’s simple. All I want is for you to help me with something..."

As the Undead Knight went to explain its request, Aurelius appeared lost in thought.

In reality, he was focused on something else.

The instant the skeleton made its request, the silent Player Panel, which had not appeared in a while, finally reemerged.

"Ding! Mission Issued!"

"Mission—Last Wish: Help the Undead Knight resolve its last obsession. By doing so, you will not only be able to obtain the promised rewards, but also discover some of the Dryad Forest and Blood Sun City’s secrets."

"Rewards: 50000 EXP, Unknown Race Favorability, Unknown Title, ???"