You can clear the game with just one life by relying on a useless person!

Chapter 76 The Alarm at Watchtown

Earlier, at Watchtown.

Within the labyrinth, temporarily sealed off due to an anomaly, on the deepest level, on a battlefield shrouded in darkness, two figures are in pursuit.

The two were naturally Yu Che and Gareth, and this chase had been going on all day.

Yu Che fled, Gareth chased, the two running around the edge of the battlefield again and again, seemingly able to run forever. But suddenly, Gareth, who was chasing behind, stopped.

【Gareth, the Wandering Knight Commander】

[HP: 0/1600]

The necromancy finally consumed his last bit of health.

With a clang, he threw the flagpole in his hand to the ground, then looked at You Che, who had also stopped in front of him, and said, "It's over."

You Che was also looking at him when he heard this, and replied, "It really has been dragging on for quite a while."

Indeed, it had been a long time. Facing the Knight Commander Gareth who had recovered his full strength, even with Yu Che's skillful maneuvering, it was impossible for him to fight him head-on; the numerical difference was too great.

So he only had one option: to run.

They skipped all the formalities and went straight to the marathon.

Even so, this marathon was the most difficult one yet.

Gareth, at level 48, can unleash a barrage of high-level knight skills, any one of which could be fatal to Youche. Youche must perfectly dodge every single move, leaving no room for him to even turn around and apply an abnormal status.

Fortunately, if they maintain a sufficient distance, Gareth doesn't have many skill options, and Youche knows the effects and cooldowns of these skills very well.

As for not being able to die, it's not a big problem. The undead poison will continue to cause damage if it is not removed, and it can also reduce the agility of the poisoned person. Therefore, this magic is the key to clearing this maze.

However, as a high-ranking knight and dungeon boss unit, Gareth also has a passive ability to automatically regenerate health. After calculation, the rate at which the undead poison depletes health is as slow as a tortoise crawling.

However, at least it drops faster than it returns.

So, Yu Che ran a marathon with him all day long, eventually dragging Gareth's health to zero.

Yu Che only has two words to say about this.

The first thing I said was that you can't outrun me, now you believe me?

The second sentence I said was, I can do this all day.

—Of course, he didn't actually say it out loud.

Hearing You Che's sigh, Gareth twitched his lips and revealed that sinister smile again, saying, "To me, this whole day's chase is like the blink of an eye compared to the countless years of waiting in the past."

"That's true."

With his health bar depleted, Gareth had completely lost his will to fight—or rather, he never had the will to fight to begin with. In any case, he wouldn't make a move now. Yu Che no longer kept his distance and approached him.

Gareth looked at him, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, and asked, "How much do you actually know about what happened back then?"

Yu Che replied, "If the history of this world is not much different from what I know, then I know what I need to know."

"—You are indeed very interesting, and so is what you said." Gareth smiled. "But I won't delve into the meaning behind it; to me, those things are no longer important."

You Che didn't say much.

He was well aware of the background story of this labyrinth. Although the name of the knight commander was different in this world, all other settings were the same.

During the last Dark Turmoil, the Knights of Dawn did indeed hold their ground and repel the advance of the dark races. However, the reason they didn't receive reinforcements wasn't because the kingdom's reinforcements were truly too late to arrive.

This world is not lacking in strong individuals; even if the dark races launch a surprise attack, they are fully capable of responding. For frontline strongholds like Watcher's Fortress, reinforcements can arrive in a maximum of two days.

However, the Knights of Dawn held out alone for a whole week, fighting to the last man.

As for why the reinforcements arrived so late, it's not hard to guess that it was due to the political struggle between different factions within the kingdom at that time.

With the dark races' army at hand, this is clearly a crisis for the Western Kingdom and even for all races on the continent. But for some people, nothing is as important as securing their own immediate interests.

This sounds absurd, but even throughout real-world history, there have been numerous cases of people cutting off their own limbs, so it's even less surprising in this fantasy world.

Because those people always believed that even if they suffered defeats at the front, even if they lost an entire knightly order, their position would not be shaken.

—Just like some nobles in the capital of the Western Kingdom now. People never learn from their past experiences.

After the dark turmoil ended, the unyielding spirit of the Dawn Knights and the conflict between the holy light and darkness gathered at the fortress ruins transformed this place into a labyrinth.

The kingdom's approach was also quite unique; they dispatched two top experts to seal off the entire area using secret techniques, turning it into a rare, fixed maze.

The specific reasons why the kingdom handled things this way are unknown, but in any case, the warriors, represented by Captain Gareth, were transformed into "wandering spirits," a special kind of existence, and remained in the labyrinth for a long time.

The so-called "wandering soul" is a special kind of life that possesses pure holy light power but is corrupted by darkness, eventually becoming neither alive nor dead.

To break this state, the power of the undead must be used to disrupt the unstable balance between light and darkness, thus making them truly die.

So yes, the necromancy that was originally almost taboo and hated became the only antidote for these warriors.

These are all stories written in the setting book. Of course, if you want to save time and only look at the content related to gameplay, it can be summarized in one sentence:

Ghost units can revive from the dead and can only be completely killed by undead attacks.

This is why the necromancy toxin could unlock Gareth's hidden phase, disrupting the balance within his body. He regained his past power but also lost his ability to regenerate infinitely.

For Gareth, this was the right to embrace death that he had longed for.

If he could, he would have liked to commit suicide after entering the hidden third stage, but unfortunately even then he was bound by the labyrinth rules set by the powerful figures of the past kingdom and had to fight with all his might.

Only then did he finally break free from all his shackles.

"—I just feel sorry for my brothers from the past. I can die, but they are still trapped here with no end in sight."

Gareth chuckled self-deprecatingly: "But their form of existence is different from mine. After dying too many times, even a wandering ghost will lose its self-awareness and become a pure zombie."

"So actually, they should be considered to have been freed earlier than me."

You Che nodded: "From what I've seen, they really have lost all awareness of their past; they've even forgotten their names long ago."

Upon hearing this, Gareth shook his head and sighed, not continuing the topic, but instead looking at You Che: "I must say, everything you have accomplished is completely beyond my imagination."

"You are my benefactor. If I could, I would like to leave all the treasures in this labyrinth to you as a token of my gratitude."

"Unfortunately, the maze operates according to its own rules. Even if I disappear, it will continue to function. Therefore, I can only give you two perfect quality items as a reward."

"As for what I can do, it's to give you the freedom to choose, rather than having it randomly selected."

As he spoke, he pointed in front of him, and a selection interface immediately appeared on Yu Che's personal panel, displaying all the perfect-level items that could be obtained in this maze.

Looking at the full page of various powerful items, You Che was naturally very tempted, but he had already decided which one he should choose.

So he simply scrolled down the page, selected a very inconspicuous piece of equipment, and took it into his hand.

It was a simply decorated amulet, only the faint emanating holy light indicating that it was a high-level item.

The Nameless Knight's Amulet

Category: Jewelry

[Quality: Perfect]

[Item Description: There was once a knight who had made great contributions in battle, but was forced to wander the world because he was marked with the power of darkness.]

In the final moments of his life, while still retaining his human form, he crafted this amulet and left it to his former comrade, praying for his friend's triumphant return from the battlefield.

[Trait: Perception +3. Holding the amulet and performing a devout prayer generates a blessed aura that suppresses most of the dark power surrounding the wearer and blocks its corrosive effects for twenty-four hours.]

Gareth seemed somewhat surprised: "You want to choose this?"

You don't look like someone who believes in gods.

You Che didn't explain much, he just took off his headband.

The moment Gareth saw the mark between Yu Che's brows, his zombie-like face contorted in agony: "Bronya's mark—!?"

"Yes, it's a pity that I caught her attention, so she marked me." Yu Che didn't say much, he just put the headband back on.

"This amulet can suppress the power of darkness, preventing me from being forced to wander the wilderness—this way I can go to larger villages and even cities. As for the remaining locking effect of this mark, it's relatively not a problem."

This amulet is the relic of another NPC knight in history who was marked with the mark of the Dark Favorite, as mentioned by You Che before.

The comrade mentioned in the item's description is none other than Gareth, who is right in front of You Che.

In other words, this amulet is an item that can only be obtained with a certain probability in this maze, and it is one of the reasons why Youche came here.

Hearing Yu Che's words, Gareth's anger subsided, and he sighed, "So—it's yet another dark upheaval?"

"Yes, I reckon the battle in Juventus should be starting soon. To be honest, I'm not very optimistic about the situation."

Yu Che replied, "I wrote to a friend before, giving him some instructions, but I don't know if he can persuade those in real power to provide assistance to the northern front—but that was all I could do at that time."

Gareth shook his head and said, "If the kingdom can't even hold the Obsidian Line and has to rely on a Level 10 like you to plan and strategize, then I think the current royal family and noble class really have no reason to continue existing."

Gareth's viewpoint was inevitably somewhat biased, and Yu Che did not refute him, only saying, "As for the last item I want, it's not here."

Gareth paused slightly, "Oh? Then you are—"

You Che pointed to the broken longsword hanging at his waist: "This is what I want."

Gareth: "!?"

He glanced instinctively at the sword in his hand, then looked at You Che: "Are you sure? This sword is—"

"It's a cursed weapon, right?" Yu Che smiled. "That's exactly what I need. After all, when paired with a powerful curse, it also has corresponding power, allowing me to fight against enemies that I couldn't normally contend with."

In the game, this sword is a fixed drop from the Knight Commander's hidden form, but in this world, the details are obviously different.

Upon hearing this, Gareth glanced again at the cracked longsword in his hand, and finally sighed, "Since you've had this in mind all along, then take it. From another perspective, this sword can be seen as a testament to the past of our knights. Entrusting it to you—that's fine too."

As he spoke, he unsheathed his sword and handed it to You Che.

You Che solemnly accepted the longsword.

He finally got it—his even more important and crucial goal for this trip!

Gareth said, "It's almost time. My conscious limit is up."

"Mysterious adventurer, thank you for your help. I pray that you will never suffer again in the future."

A gentle light began to emanate from Gareth, dispelling all the dark power. His face returned to its former appearance—he was a man in his early thirties with a slightly gentler appearance.

Gareth gave Yu Che an encouraging look before his entire body, enveloped in light, instantly transformed into large clusters of light that drifted away and merged into the world.

Goodbye, Commander.

You Che gestured with his eyes until the points of light completely disappeared before turning his gaze away.

He then looked at the longsword in his hand, took a deep breath, and drew it out in one swift motion!

In that instant, his body began to tremble violently!

"Ugh—Ughhhhh!!"

Watchtown, Watchers Inn.

Qingling was sitting quietly in her old hotel room, lost in thought.

With You Che temporarily away, she had nothing to do.

Although Qingling also wanted to find You Che, or rather, if You Che had told her to stay at the hotel while he went to the maze, she would have definitely followed him secretly.

But the situation is different now. Having come from a labyrinth herself, she knows very well that the labyrinth is now impossible to enter, and she can only wait for Yu Che to come out on his own.

That's why she remained quiet, entering a semi-dormant state in the room, her eyes half-closed, looking as if she hadn't woken up yet.

But at that moment, she suddenly noticed several footsteps approaching the door, which made her open her eyes.

The newcomer was not You Che, but someone I had met before, and there was also a guy with a different aura mixed in with him.

It wasn't the smell of any physical entity, but a special aura that only she could perceive, somewhat similar to You Che's.

Qingling immediately perked up.

Then there was a knock on the door, and Luna's voice came through: "Qingling? Are you there? Could you open the door—"

She had barely finished speaking when the door was pulled open, and Qingling skipped and hopped to the doorway.

Standing outside the door were Luna and Liss, but there was also a blonde girl I had never seen before.

"Hello, it's been a day." Luna greeted her with a slightly subtle expression. "Do you have a moment? Well, I'd like to introduce you to this person, she is—"

But she didn't continue speaking, because Qingling's gaze had already passed over her and Liss and landed on the blonde girl.

"Hmm?"

Seeing that she was looking at her, the blonde girl took the initiative to speak: "Excuse me for bothering you, but I've come to ask if you are related to that adventurer named You Che—"

However, she couldn't finish her sentence, because at that very moment, a loud horn, imbued with magic, suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire town!

Everyone: "!?"

The horn sounded long and urgent, and rang out three times in a row. This meant only one thing: a terrifying enemy was approaching the town, all civilians had to take refuge immediately, and combat personnel had to assemble immediately!

"How could this be—!? At this time?"

Everyone was incredibly surprised, but they had no time to think about it anymore. Luna looked at Qingling and said, "I'm afraid we don't have time to wait for Mr. You Che to return. Come with us!"

7

Qingling glanced at her, then at the blonde girl, and nodded:

Um"