CH13

"Deep Blue, activate combat assistance."

Helag was unsure of the skeleton warriors' strength and remained extremely cautious, ready to flee if necessary.

The skeleton warriors clattered their jaws and brandished rusty swords as they charged at Helag.

"Fortunately, they're not fast," Helag noted, constantly assessing their capabilities.

One skeleton warrior raised its sword high and swung it down at Helag's head.

To Helag, the movement was slow, and the sword missed him completely.

After the swing, the skeleton warrior was momentarily stiff.

Helag seized the opportunity, swinging his sword and easily shattering the skeleton's skull.

The skeleton collapsed into a heap of bones and armor with a clattering sound.

Turning, Helag saw that Emil had also dispatched his skeleton warrior, leaving bones scattered on the ground.

"Is that it?" Helag was surprised at how weak the skeletons were, breaking apart with a single hit.

Three more skeleton warriors emerged from the lake and attacked, but Helag and Emil quickly dealt with them.

"These were castle guards, our predecessors. Let's gather their bones and bury them," Emil suggested.

Helag nodded and bent down to pick up the bones.

Suddenly, the bones began to move on their own.

The fragments floated into the air, reassembling into complete skeletons, which then picked up their swords and attacked Helag again.

"Be careful, they're not dead yet," Helag warned Emil, blocking an incoming strike.

Emil's skeletons also revived, but they were no match for knights.

No matter how many times Helag destroyed them, the skeletons kept reassembling and attacking.

"Deep Blue, analyze the skeletons!"

[Each target is attached to an unknown radiation energy thread.]

"A thread?" Helag couldn't see any threads. "Mark them in blue."

[Marking complete.]

In Helag's vision, each skeleton had a long blue thread extending from it, leading to the lake's bottom.

"Deep Blue, analyze the lake."

[Analysis complete. An unknown radiation energy source detected at the lake's bottom.]

Helag destroyed another skeleton and pondered, "An unknown radiation energy source?"

He looked at the lake and had a bold idea.

"Emil, I'm going to check the lake's bottom," Helag announced.

"The lake's bottom? Are you crazy? There's clearly something dangerous down there."

Helag replied seriously, "It might not be as terrifying as we think."

"Are you sure?" Emil asked.

Helag was uncertain. "I can only try."

He had reached a dead end on the knight's path. The mysterious and eerie presence at the lake's bottom might be his breakthrough, worth the risk.

"Deep Blue, block my hearing." Helag, determined, removed his heavy armor and dove into the lake.

The water was freezing, but Helag endured it with his strong physique.

In his vision, five blue threads extended from the lake's depths.

Identifying his target, Helag swam deeper.

The five threads converged into one, leading to a blue light at the lake's bottom.

"Deep Blue, monitor my body continuously. Alert me to any abnormalities."

[Comprehensive monitoring initiated. No abnormalities detected.]

Reassured, Helag swam towards the blue light, which grew larger as he approached.

"A pocket watch?" Reaching the bottom, Helag found a pocket watch encased in blue light, the source of the unknown radiation energy.

He picked up the watch, and the pale face reappeared, now showing anger and a wide-open mouth as if screaming.

The scream had no effect on Helag, who had blocked his hearing.

[Unknown radiation energy detected. Absorbing and storing in the body.]

Helag watched as the blue energy transferred from the watch to his body.

The face's expression changed from anger to panic, then to extreme fear.

Helag saw a hint of pleading in its eyes but continued absorbing the energy without mercy.

Five guards had died in this lake, and even Emil had nearly succumbed. This was no benevolent entity, and Helag felt no pity.

As he absorbed the energy, he swam back to the surface.

[Absorption complete. Mental strength increased by 1.0]

By the time Helag reached the surface, the absorption was finished.

The blue threads on the skeleton warriors vanished, and they collapsed into piles of bones, no longer reanimating.

Emil sighed in relief as Helag emerged from the lake.

"I found this at the bottom," Helag said, climbing ashore and showing Emil the ornate pocket watch.

The watch was gold and blue with a pure gold chain.

"A pocket watch? This caused all the trouble?" Emil was surprised that such a sinister event originated from a valuable-looking watch.

He examined it closely. "This is pure gold. I can't identify the blue material, but the watch is seamless, a remarkable piece."

Helag found a small gold button on the watch's bottom and pressed it, opening the watch.

Inside, the watch was like any other, with golden hands still ticking.

Checking the time, Helag found it accurate.

The watch's background was a painting of a hexagonal tower, its significance unknown.

At that moment, a stream of information flowed into Helag's mind.

"This pocket watch is the first enchanted item I made as a wizard apprentice. It holds great sentimental value. I've enchanted it with a Holy Healing spell, which can heal most injuries and dispel most curses and nightmares. You only need a bit of magic to use it. Good luck, my friend."

Signed: "Nicholas Carlos Camby."

The message wasn't conveyed in any language but directly imparted its meaning.

Helag's heart raced as he processed the information.

"Wizard apprentice, enchanted item, magic, Holy Healing spell…"