Those time travelers that year

"And only I know how to open that hall, and the Golden Dragon Claw! Don't you want to know the secrets of this tomb? The treasure is just around the corner, and no one can stop us from getting it."

“Perhaps you’re right.” Charles gave the thief a meaningful look, then waved his wand. The spiderweb binding Avel instantly shattered, and the thief, caught off guard, fell to the ground.

"oh………"

"Now, take me to the end of this place!"

“…Uh…of course, of course…” The thief slowly got up from the ground and said, “Of course…of course I have to find the treasure, that’s right…but it’s just me!” Without saying another word, the thief started running wildly into the depths of the tomb.

"You fool, why would I share treasure with you!" It must be said that this self-proclaimed Swiftman Avel was incredibly fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye. However, the poor thief didn't see Charles's meaningful smile.

"What an idiot!" Charles mocked, watching the thief disappear into the distance. "I hope he won't regret it later..." Charles remained calm and continued walking into the tomb.

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23. Corpse Demon

Like all foolish thieves, the one who thought he was fast enough to escape, greedy for immediate gains, will remain forever in this tomb. Unlike the fast thief, he probably didn't notice that there wasn't a single cobweb in the passage he fled down. Unlike the collapsed areas outside the tomb, the structure from this point onward was much neater and more intact. If one thought more deeply, one would understand why the Frost Spiders didn't expand their nests further down, and why, among the Frost Spiders known for their social nature, only an old, weak, and disabled one remained.

Unfortunately, the thief named Avil's ideas didn't go that far.

Continuing unhurriedly through the passage, Charles wasn't in a rush. A group of guys who would be wiped out if they encountered even a wounded Frost Spider would only die even faster if they encountered the ghouls inside who had almost wiped out all the Frost Spiders. Besides, this was a tomb! He knew without a doubt that there were traps and mechanisms here.

bump!!!!

A clanging sound echoed through the passage ahead; a mechanism in the tomb had been triggered, and the poor thief was now doomed. The faint smell of blood emanating from ahead, along with other faint, fragmented sounds, further confirmed Charles's suspicions.

Turning a corner, the scene before him made Charles instinctively cover his eyes. The sight was truly graphic and disturbing. The thief who had thought himself clever was now lying on the ground, his body a bloody mess. While his body was largely intact, a closer look revealed that it was actually torn to pieces, with only fragments of muscle and bone still connected, barely maintaining its basic shape.

The ground and the walls beside it were stained with crimson blood. Add to that the moving zombie standing beside the unfortunate thief's corpse, and a perfectly good fantasy film was transformed into a Resident Evil... Yes, a moving zombie was standing beside the dead Avel's body, with bluish skin, wearing black armor, a domed iron helmet, and empty eye sockets that glowed blue.

In science fiction films, these things are called zombies or undead; in fantasy films, they're called ghosts or the undead. In short, they're corpses that have inexplicably resurrected for various reasons after death—some are useless, others incredibly powerful. The most famous example is the Scourge, the once-renowned army that infiltrated the planet Azeroth in the Warcraft universe. Of course, what Xia Er remembers even more vividly is the Frostmourne weapon that Blizzard made impossible to obtain, and the invincible mount that inexplicably appeared in the black market…

Okay, the old man was killed off in version 7.0, so let's stop criticizing him.

In Skyrim, these creatures are called wights. Theoretically, every wight is an ancestor of the modern Nords, but these wights, who spend countless years in the dark depths of the earth, show no mercy to any living person who enters their tomb, regardless of whether that person is their descendant from who knows how many generations back…

Even if the thief hadn't been killed by the traps in the tomb, Charles didn't believe he could have escaped the attacks of these ghouls. These creatures, who had wiped out a swarm of frost spiders, were far beyond the capabilities of these third-rate bandits who didn't even possess a single steel weapon.

These ghouls also carried weapons, swords forged using ancient Nord manufacturing techniques. While these blades might not be comparable to modern technology, they were still far more formidable than any iron weapon.

Blue skin, black armor, and black weapons. Combined with the dark passageway and the torches hanging on the walls, fueled by some unknown fuel that seemed to burn eternally, the whole scene looked like a zombie emerging from a pile of coffins during a tomb raiding expedition. Having read *Ghost Blows Out the Light* and *The Grave Robbers' Chronicles* before, Xia Er found it thrilling, especially when the zombie, upon discovering him, charged without hesitation, raising its weapon to strike Xia Er's head—that was even more exciting.

These ghouls aren't slow-moving zombies, nor are they easily defeated skeletons. In life, they were valiant ancient Nord barbarian warriors, and even after countless deaths, their resurrection here retains some of their former fighting abilities. At least these ghouls can still use their weapons, instead of mindlessly hacking and slashing. Furthermore, their creation involves a specialized process, so even though they've become withered zombies, their movement speed is anything but slow—definitely no slower than a normal person running at full speed.

The ghoul that had been beside Avel's corpse suddenly charged towards Charles. Covering the approximately 10-meter distance, the ghoul covered the distance in just over a second, arriving before Charles. Its right hand, holding a black short sword, slashed horizontally from left to right at Charles's head. Decisive, swift, and ruthless, it showed no mercy from the start. Its left hand, holding a shield, was slightly raised; if the horizontal slash was blocked or ineffective, the shield would be used to strike directly.

These ghouls have no souls at all. Yes, that's right, these ghouls are not like the Forsaken of Azeroth. Ghouls have no souls. Because the souls of the ancient Nords who died have either gone to Songgard or to the Oblivion Realm, leaving only incomplete combat skills in these bodies.

Although they are incomplete, these ghouls should not be underestimated. Some ghouls even possess ancient powers, and the resurrection of a ghoul lord is often the most terrifying nightmare.

The ghoul's slash failed, striking an invisible barrier. This time, it wasn't an incantation of obstacles, but rather magic from this world—a low-level protection. From Charles's left hand, a shimmering ripple spread out, forming a circular fan that blocked the ghoul's dagger. The magical barrier repelled the dagger, and even the subsequent shield bash was blocked, completely ineffective. However, the mindless ghoul didn't stop after its first failed attack, but continued its assault on Charles.

【combustion】

Only when the flames exploded on the ghoul's body, engulfing him completely, did the ghoul struggle unwillingly for a moment before breaking apart into a black, charred mess. Although these ghouls were cold-blooded and impervious to poison, their bodies were exceptionally easy to ignite.

24. Fire Opens the Way

Using ice magic against these ghouls is a mistake. The Nord barbarians living in Skyrim, whether ancient or modern, are almost all genuinely muscle-bound idiots, so their resistance to the cold is phenomenal. Even the most useless adult Nord barbarian warrior, like the Nord barbarian bandit blasted to smithereens by the Charr, possesses an extremely high tolerance for the cold. This means that apprentice-level ice spells are practically useless against these barbarians.

Moreover, these ancient Nord barbarians, turned into ghouls, have an insanely high resistance to ice! However, this same insane resistance to ice also results in an equally insane resistance to fire—a negative kind of insane resistance, of course. A mere spark can ignite these desiccated ghouls, so experienced Skyrim tomb raiders know that in ancient tombs, the most useful weapon isn't a sword, but a torch.

Regarding the humanoid walking lighter, Ciel said that these ghouls were utter trash. If he wasn't worried about burning the entire tomb down and getting himself trapped, he would have blown it open long ago.

That said, one advantage of undead creatures is their complete lack of fear of death, and another is their sheer numbers. While the ghouls in Skyrim can't possibly cause the same overwhelming calamity as the Scourge undead in Azeroth, the number of ghouls in this tomb is still considerable, at least far more than in the game. After Sharl killed one ghoul, it seemed to have alerted the others. Rows of corpses lay in a recess in the wall ahead, and at this moment, some of the better-preserved bodies all came to life, automatically rising to their feet.

The corpses that rose to their feet were all ghouls, their empty eye sockets gleaming with blue light. Some of these ghouls, like the one Sharl had killed earlier, wielded swords and shields; others carried two-handed swords, two-handed axes, or just a short axe. Not only were there melee fighters, but further afield, there were ghouls drawing bows and arrows. This was an entire army, and not just any army, but one whose tenacity rivaled that of elite soldiers. At least, those bandit kings who ruled the mountains couldn't match the prowess of these ghouls; this was because these ghouls actually understood teamwork.

Yes, teamwork. These ghouls, having risen from their slumber, automatically split into several teams and launched an attack on Xia Er within a short time. The passageway was limited in space; if these ghouls swarmed in, it would actually hinder their movement. The fact that these seemingly mindless ghouls could coordinate made Xia Er certain that reality and the game were fundamentally different levels. In the game, the level was at most Master, while in reality, the starting point was Hell level.

The ghouls didn't move as a group, but attacked the Shire in pairs, with the ones in front following behind. In such a narrow space, most people would simply be entangled by the ghouls, either waiting to be hacked to death or to be killed after their strength was exhausted. As for escaping? The ghouls shooting arrows from afar would show all those who tried to turn their backs to them what would become of them.

"What a nuisance..." He quickly blocked the entire passageway with barriers, stopping the ghouls. Watching the undead hack at the invisible barrier with their weapons, Charles hesitated. Would lighting a large fire in this tomb deplete the already scarce oxygen? The reason he hadn't dared to use magic directly was because he worried the flames would consume all the air in the tomb. He wasn't a superhuman; although a warlock, he was still just a human, not yet demonized. Without oxygen, he would still perish.

"I wonder if real-world curses would work on a bunch of skeletons?" Charles pondered for a moment before making a decision. "Never mind, let's be safe." After considering it, Charles figured that the torches hanging on the stone wall had been burning for so long without running out of oxygen in the tomb, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Reassured, he used a destruction sorcerer's spell to forcibly clear a path.

A blazing flame erupted from Ciel's hand, filling the air with heat and a strong smell of sulfur. Ciel then flung the flame forward.

Boom!! The flames split in mid-air, transforming into several balls of fire that flew towards each of the ghouls, exploding upon impact. The explosions weren't particularly powerful, only slightly cracking the surrounding stone walls. However, the flames that spread from the explosions instantly engulfed the entire passage.

"Damn it, I forgot about the Golden Dragon Claw!" Only after the flames spread did Charles realize he hadn't gotten his hands on the Golden Dragon Claw. If the flames melted it, how was he supposed to open the last door? He didn't believe a simple opening spell would do the trick, so he quickly cast a summoning spell to grab the Golden Dragon Claw. Fortunately, it wasn't affected by the flames; it was only blackened, not melted. He didn't know what it was made of, but Charles was certain it wasn't made of gold. The fire magic he used was definitely over a thousand degrees Celsius; ordinary gold would have melted at that temperature, not remained unscathed.

The Golden Dragon Claw was unharmed, but the ghouls were doomed. Under the intense heat and destructive power of the flames, these ghouls couldn't even withstand a second before being blasted to smithereens. Flames of thousands of degrees churned within the passage, surging forward under Charles's will.

When the flames disappeared, only a dark path remained. Everything in the path of the flames was reduced to ashes in the scorching destruction. Whether it was ghouls or ordinary corpses, they were all burned to ashes, even the weapons made by the ancient Nords, which, after countless years, could still rival steel weapons, were burned to ashes.

"Alright! Although the environment has gotten even worse, I think Skyrim's errand-running nemesis, the Dragonborn, probably won't mind..." Looking at the burned-out passage, Charles thought irresponsibly, "Perhaps that person should thank me..."

25. Corpse Demon Overlord

Whether the dragonborn who return soon will thank him for clearing the way is of no concern to Charles. He prefers to avoid places involving shady dealings, and at most, he'll only cause trouble for the dragon priests, and that's only for their masks with their magical properties. After dealing with the Frostfall Mountains, Charles decides to head straight to Winterhold. Although he knows the dragonborn will eventually wreak havoc on Winterhold, what does it matter to him? He'll just leave before that happens.

The method to kill the ghouls was simple: just set them on fire. This was also because he arrived at the right time. If it were any other Skyrim faction, they probably wouldn't have reached the deepest part of the tomb without paying a price. Along the way, he forcibly cleared a path using destruction magic, crushing every ghoul that rose to its feet. Although there were ghouls among them capable of casting spells, Shire hadn't seen any in this tomb so far.

Perhaps this beginner scenario doesn't even have a ghoul, since the highest level here is just one ghoul overlord...

And so, smoothly... well, I mean, flames spread all the way, and Charles burned every moving corpse that appeared before him to ashes, until he reached the very end. If he hadn't gotten lost in the tomb.

This is the end, a straight passage with many small holes in the wall ahead. If you're not paying attention, many people would probably instinctively forget about them. However, these are the truly deadly traps. Once triggered, they will fire numerous arrows coated with a chilling poison, turning anyone into a pincushion. The poison on these arrows will show tomb raiders what despair truly means.

In the middle of all this is a door, or rather, a wall, a wall with a disc carved into it. If you hadn't played Skyrim and knew the story, Charlegh would really think it was a real wall, but in fact it's a door, a door that needs a specific key to open.

The key was already in his hands; all that remained was to solve the puzzle on the gate… a puzzle for idiots… It seemed that the person who built this thing didn't value the password, but rather the key. Aside from truly brainless Nord barbarians, any normal person should be able to figure it out.

"Turn the outer ring... then the middle ring, um... and finally the innermost one, all done!" After turning that silly-looking disc, Xia Er inserted the tip of the golden dragon claw into the keyhole in the center of the disc and turned it left and right.

With the sound of the mechanism's rotating wheels, the wall in front of him began to creak and sag, clearing the way. Seeing the passage open, Charles casually tossed the golden dragon claw aside. It was useless to him except for opening this door; he'd rather leave it for the Dragonborn to scavenge and bring back to Riverwood to exchange for money.

——————————Divider Line——————————

At the end of the ancient Nord tombs in the Coldfall Mountains, lies a vast natural cave. A stream, originating from an unknown underground river, flows around one end of the cave, heading towards an unknown destination. At the center of this encircling stream, in the very center of the cave, stands a rather simple stone bridge.

The ground and stone walls were covered in moss, and the cave was dimly lit due to the lack of torches. However, an opening at the top, connecting to the outside world as if deliberately carved out, allowed light to stream in, creating a halo that illuminated the altar in the center of the cave. On the altar, a black iron coffin stood solemnly and sacredly bathed in the halo.

The bats that had nested there were startled when Charles entered, and they flew around in all directions. Then, a burst of flame appeared from mid-air, inadvertently turning most of the bats into ashes, forcing them to flee in panic through a crack in the cave ceiling.

"Is that the rune for the Dragon Shout?" Charles paid no attention to the original inhabitants, instead focusing his gaze on the stone wall on the high platform in the center of the cave. The wall was inscribed with mysterious runes, and at its top was a lifelike dragon head sculpture, making it immediately clear what kind of creature the ancient Nords worshipped.

Dragon.

Dragon Roar...

The runes carved on that stone wall should be one of the runes from the Unyielding Power. Even standing at the entrance of the cave, Xia Er could sense the mysterious power that filled that stone wall. It was ancient and full of majesty, and even made people feel that those inexplicable runes were the truth of this world.

In the game, Dragonborn can automatically learn the runes of Dragon Shout simply by standing there. Once these runes are activated with Dragon Souls, they can easily master the magical art of Dragon Shout, which originates from the power of the creatures that once ruled the entire sky.

“But unfortunately, I am not a dragonborn…” Standing before the stone wall, he reached out and touched the ancient inscriptions. “Some dragon roars are truly powerful, almost like roars that change the rules of the real world, but alas…” It was not surprising that he could not learn or even obtain the runes of the dragon roars. After all, this power was specially prepared for dragonborn. Even Greybeard, who had been obsessed with it for several eras, could only grasp the superficial aspects of the dragon roars… This was, after all, the power of dragons. Apart from dragonborn with dragon blood, humans and other humanoid creatures could not possibly control these powers, not even those demon gods who stirred up trouble.

Just as Charles was lamenting his inability to learn the Dragon Shout, a metallic scraping sound came from behind him, and with a whoosh, the black iron coffin bathed in a halo behind Charles was opened.

"This is really troublesome..." Charles turned around. "I'm not a dragonborn, so how am I supposed to trigger storylines and fight dungeon bosses?"

Buried here is the ghoul overlord, perhaps a world-renowned warrior in life, or a valiant lord of the ancient Nords, but all of that is now irrelevant. What remains here is merely a corpse resurrected from the dead…

【Fiercefire Curse: Flame Demon】

The flames surged at Char's summons, and the Balrog, which had slaughtered the bandits keeping watch outside the tomb, reappeared. The mysterious power on the altar protected it from external influences, so the Balrog's appearance did not damage the altar.

The ghoul overlord, much smaller than the Balrog, crawled out of the coffin, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. White frost clung to the blade of the sword in his right hand; it was an enchanted weapon.

"Let's send this poor wretch on his way!" Charles said, tilting his head.

"Roar!" The fire demon born from the [Fiercefire Curse] roared, lunging at the ghoul overlord who had just crawled out of the coffin, its flaming greatsword slashing down at the ghoul. The greatsword fell, striking the ghoul overlord's left-hand shield, which the ghoul precisely blocked with its shield. Strangely, the shield wasn't destroyed as Sharl had expected, but instead firmly blocked the attack, though at the cost of being sent flying by the fire demon's blade.

Boom!

The Corpse Demon Overlord was smashed against a stone pillar and slid down.

But the undead seemed unaffected, ignoring the cracked stone pillar behind it as it stood up.

26. Dragon Roar - Unyielding Power

There's a huge difference between games and reality. Like this: a monster in the Skyrim beginner map, a pushover who could be easily killed the moment it crawled out of its coffin, is actually a formidable opponent in real life. This guy alone far surpasses those easily wiped-out bandits, and this wight, supposedly weak to fire, is fighting a Balrog born from the Fiendfyre spell to a standstill.

Although Sharl knew that the Balrog he summoned was actually a complete waste—all show and no substance, easily destroyed with a set of fire-resistant gear—at least it looked decent and had been quite formidable when slaughtering the bandits. But the fact that he couldn't defeat this Nord barbarian who had been dead for who knows how many years was truly embarrassing for Sharl. However, to test the power of his Dragon Shout, he refrained from intervening in the battle.

Originally, ghouls were immune to frost and weak to fire, but this ghoul overlord fought the Balrog to a standstill. Most of the credit goes to the one-handed sword in his hand, which was wrapped in frost. Like the ghouls they had encountered before, that weapon was made by ancient Nord craftsmanship. Although it was comparable to steel weapons forged with modern technology, it should theoretically be unable to withstand the [Fiendfire Curse] that had been modified.

However, the truth was that the one-handed sword did indeed neutralize the Balrog's flames. And this demon was no longer a mindless computer AI from a game; it was like a real, battle-hardened warrior. Compared to its former self, its current body was no longer bound by physical limitations, giving it a greater advantage against the Balrog. The Balrog's flaming greatsword certainly possessed the power to cleave the ghoul overlord, but it was all blocked.

The Balrog roared in fury, its flaming greatsword slashing down, but the ghoul overlord deftly deflected it with a shield bash, before the frost-covered blade cleaved its leg open. Although the wound would be filled with flames—after all, it wasn't a true living being, but rather an elemental creature similar to a fire servant—the frost-covered blade undeniably damaged the Balrog, extinguishing some of its fiery power.

As for the flaming whip lashed out by the Balrog, it was simply severed in two by the ghoul overlord's sword. Although it had died and become an undead creature, it had retained its fighting instincts from life, even more so than the previous ghouls. The previous ones wouldn't dodge, but this one could evade the Balrog's attacks, its advances and retreats all perfectly organized. Charles even felt that this creature still retained a certain degree of intelligence.

Without Charles's intervention, the battle gradually turned in favor of the ghouls. Moreover, he was no longer maintaining the mana consumed by the [Fiendfire Curse], and now the Balrog's power was being drained every moment.