Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 5: Victory

Teest’s sense of ease that he had always carried disappeared, and he glared at the skeleton beside him with a blank expression.

“What?” He could barely hold down his voice.

“We need to get married—the kind with a sacred covenant,” Nol said. “You must have brought the small idol, right?”

Activities like reshaping people, establishing covenants, managing guilds, and other significant tasks needed to be completed in front of an idol. However, for things like wedding ceremonies or forming guilds, some would like to conduct them in special places.

In this case, portable small idols were very handy. They were about the size of an egg and were for one-time use. Although they were game shop items, one only cost less than ten yuan.

Plus, registering for the game granted three small idols. Players with any sense of gaming wouldn’t use them up too early.

“I brought one.” Sure enough, Teest reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a small wooden idol.

For some reason, Nol always felt his tone was a bit cold.

But soon, his attention was completely attracted by the little idol. Looking at the small idol close at hand, Nol couldn’t help but frown.

It was different.

The idols in “Tahe” had a style similar to “The Legend of Zelda“. They had a rough and simple appearance, more like mascots than “gods”. But the little idol in front of him was clear and elegant, with distinct features.

It was a beautiful woman with downcast eyes and a slight smile. She had long, loosely braided hair that was adorned with flowers and fruit. Her figure was slim and graceful, dressed in a classical gown, standing barefoot in dense shrubs.

Nol was sure that there had never been such an image in “Tahe”.

“Here’s the small idol you asked for.” Seeing that Nol kept staring without responding, Teest raised his brows. “It’s the small idol of the Goddess of Life, Tilia. That’s all I have.”

…Huh? Who?

Nol skeptically took the idol, which felt similar to the ones they designed. Turning it over, he indeed found the game’s logo.

There was no time to be picky now. Nol shoved the idol into Teest’s hand. “Pray to it and say you want to marry me.”

Teest: “.…..”

Teest: “Isn’t there another way?”

“There are, but none with a greater chance of success. I’m not even sure if it’s 100% certain. You try first,” Nol said. “If it works, we can divorce right after we win.” Anyway, if he lost, there would be no afterwards.

Originally, to leave room for things like “a love story between a dragon and a human”, the system didn’t entirely prohibit Players from marrying monsters. If a highly intelligent special monster was willing, they could enter a marital relationship with Players.

As for which monsters one could marry, the system didn’t lock specific species but rather judged by “monster intelligence level”—high-intelligence monsters weren’t weak and could mostly transform into humans.

Nol was betting on his unique situation affecting the “intelligence level”.

Teest sighed, eventually flicking his wrist and tossing the small idol onto the steps before the throne.

The idol transformed into countless platinum-colored sparkles before it even landed. They danced in the air, forming a giant virtual image of that beautiful goddess.

Accompanied by a comforting rustling sound, a translucent covenant appeared before Nol and Teest. Floating in mid-air like feathers, the words emitted a warm glow—

During the marriage, you will gain the skill “Telepathy” that only affects your partner.

During the marriage, your money and items will be unconditionally shared with your other half and divided equally until the end of the marriage.

During the marriage, you and your partner will be in a special team state where attacks on each other are ineffective. 

Note: Quests and experience are not shared, and you may form normal teams with others separately.

……

At the bottom was the signature space. Nol stretched out his finger, signing his name neatly and decisively.

The marriage contract in the game was originally just a variant of team rules, involving only property and skills. Its existence was solely to allow couples—or even close friends—to play more conveniently and happily.

It wasn’t a big deal—not like they were actually getting married. If the Player wanted, they could marry and divorce eight times a day, and no one would care.

Teest, on the other hand, wasn’t so nonchalant. He looked at the blank signature bar for a long time before carefully writing down his name. Nol glanced at it and saw that the spelling of the name was “Teest.”

What a strange name.

After Teest signed the last letter, the contract burst into flames and turned into two beautiful diamond rings. A gentle smile appeared on the phantom of the statue, and it gradually disappeared, revealing a baffled Lich behind it.

Nol hung the diamond ring on his thumb bone, and instead of opening his mouth, he sent his voice directly to Teest’s mind:

[Done.]

Teest shoved the ring into his waist bag, not hiding the doubt on his face.

Without further explanation, Nol threw an image at him. Teest seemed to realize something, and his eyes widened slightly.

[“Telepathy” is perfect for command,] Nol silently conveyed. [It’s inappropriate to shout in front of the Lich.]

[You want to command me?] Teest intuitively understood the skill.

[I know all of this guy’s moves and can help you judge safe spaces. I’ll just tell you where it’s safe; reaction and evasion depend on you alone—this is your only defense,] Nol stated calmly.

[Also, if you can master the timing of the counterattack, you can disrupt the Lich’s spellcasting, causing magic backfire—this will be your offensive means. The opportunity to counterattack lasts only a fraction of a second, and it must be faced head-on. Like defense, I judge, you execute.]

A smile appeared on Teest’s lips.

[Oh, I get it. If you judge wrong or if I react too slowly, I’m done,] he concluded. [Very exciting. What about my weapon?]

[Use my leg bone,] Nol replied. [I’ll mostly be in the safe zone, and it can regenerate. Since attacks between us now have no effect, using my bone won’t harm me.]

His bones were products of the Dragon Tomb—extremely durable. Although durability wasn’t considered a monster attribute, Nol decided to construct his body with “high-quality material”. Indeed, they came in handy now.

[…Wait, did you say you’ll “mostly be in the safe zone”?] Teest caught the critical point.

[With my current condition, I can cast a small healing spell every five minutes. But it only relieves fatigue. The healing power is limited.]

[That means you’ll have to frequently leave the safe area, and the Lich will undoubtedly attack you first.]

Nol didn’t answer immediately. He reached out, pulled Teest’s chest strap, and while Teest was stunned, Nol took off his head, tied it tightly, and swung it like a meteor hammer—

His head left the safe zone and flew back in less than two seconds.

[The small healing spell can be cast instantly. I won’t let it catch on.] Nol reattached his head. [Any other questions?]

For a moment, both Teest and the Lich had particularly complicated expressions.

[No,] Teest answered. Though his expression said otherwise.

Nol could guess what Teest was wondering about—

Undead monsters couldn’t possibly use healing spells. Furthermore, healing spells were light magic and could harm the undead. Even if Nol were the caster, he would still get hurt.

With Nol’s current mana, a small healing spell could restore Teest’s 100 HP. Considering the defense of a skeleton soldier, Nol would lose 80 HP himself, with his total HP being 81.

Luckily, HP would regenerate in the safe zone. As long as he carefully controlled the casting rhythm, he could barely act as a healer.

During this time, Nol had to constantly observe the battlefield.

Calculate status values, prepare spells, convey attack and defense instructions. He had to multitask without a flaw.

The plan was very extreme, and Nol even prepared comforting words for Teest. But Teest didn’t ask anything. As if facing an ordinary enemy, the white-haired knight touched the leg bone in his hand and leaped down from the throne.

The Lich had had enough of these two on-the-spot schemers, who were flirting with each other, and raised his hand to unleash an AOE spell.

Nol sat on the throne, overseeing everything. The moment the Lich raised his hand, he imprinted the attack trajectory into Teest’s mind.

Teest pivoted on the spot, his long hair sweeping through the air. The red bursts of light exploded around him like tiny fireworks. It didn’t look like Teest was dodging; it looked like they were intentionally avoiding him.

The Lich was clearly unsatisfied and forcefully cast another AOE spell. Water in the hall churned, and hundreds of arm-length ice spikes formed in mid-air, stabbing at Teest from all directions.

The Lich seemed like an experienced and skilled performer. As the ice spike spell took shape, it pressed down with both hands, and a huge rock fell from the ceiling with a rumble.

The ice spikes scratched Teest’s arm, and blood gushed out in an instant.

At the same time, a healing spell’s glow flashed, and the deepest wound vanished without a trace. Teest acted as if he felt no pain. He elegantly spun backward, and the huge rock landed right by his heel.

AOE spells, physical attacks, magical attacks, AOE spells…

The Lich’s attacks were getting faster and faster. The white-haired knight was like a snowflake in a gust of wind, seemingly able to melt at a single touch, yet it remained elusive.

Always just a bit short, always missing by that little bit.

Worse still, the knight would occasionally flash in front of him, accurately dealing magical backfire. It was nothing but a filthy insect, daring to harm his noble body.

Between his attacks, the Lich would pause and glance at the throne.

A shabby skeleton was sitting up straight, with its will-o’-wisps eyes burning fiercely in its eye sockets. Just a skeleton soldier; an insignificant minor character. But the Lich had an intuition that everything was connected to it. The knight was only human, tender as a young grapevine in early autumn. There should not be a human in the world—at least not a living one—who could understand his fighting style so well.

Since those two guys conjured rings out of thin air, his once imminent victory had become uncertain.

“Who are you?” Valdorlock yelled at the skeleton, looking past the knight.

He searched his lengthy memories, trying to find a match, but found nothing.

Nol ignored him, busy directing Teest’s movements. After more than an hour had passed, they had whittled the Lich’s HP down by about 5%.

At this rate, Teest would have to attack non-stop for over thirty six hours. “Tahe” utilized the principle of dreams; an hour in the game was only ten minutes in reality. Even so, the length of this battle was still frightening.

Their fight had only just begun.

The Lich withdrew his gaze unhappily. No answer was necessary; once he had dealt with the knight, there would be plenty of time. Yes, he couldn’t catch that slippery little knight, but the Lich was merely annoyed, not panicked.

Wounds could be healed, stamina could be recovered, but human concentration had its limits. The knight had to maintain focus during high-intensity combat; one mistake would cost him his life. The question then arose: How long could a fragile living person endure?

Six hours.

A mocking smile hung from the Lich’s lips. Teest was bombarded by AOE magic, and blood started to blossom on him.

Twelve hours.

Teest stood above the water with small wounds covering his body. His coarse shirt was soaked with blood, and the blood mingled with the cold water, dripping down his pale fingertips. His silver hair was also stained with blood, making him look like a handsome ghost drifting there.

But he was still standing; his golden eyes sparkling with excitement.

Eighteen hours.

The Lich felt uneasy. The skeleton on the throne made it worried, and the knight before it filled it with doubt.

For eighteen continuous hours, with countless judgments made in fractions of a second, apart from the unavoidable scratches, his opponent hadn’t made a single mistake. Whether it was the skeleton’s control over the knight’s state or the knight’s mental power, all could be described as “terrifying”.

What exactly was their background?

……

Teest shook the leg bone in his hand, splattering blood into the standing water so it wouldn’t be so slippery.

Another flash of white light enveloped him, erasing the cold and fatigue from blood loss. Teest didn’t even look at his own condition; his eyes were fixed on one place—

The Lich’s skin was peeling off, exposing the dark red, shriveled flesh, and his HP was down to 23%.

Now his anger was visible to the naked eye.

Unlike his initial casual approach, the Lich’s casting speed was approaching its limit. Countless brutal spells followed one after another, enough to kill him hundreds or thousands of times in an instant.

“How about it? Ready to let us go?” Teest dodged a series of black magic circles and spoke for the first time in the battle. “Honestly, we didn’t mean to provoke you. e just got lost—”

“Sacrilege against the throne, insulting me. Either one is a capital offense!” the Lich shouted sternly.

Teest shrugged. “So not letting you kill is an insult to you, alright then.”

“A knight without a master naturally doesn’t understand what ‘honor’ is.” The Lich grinned, revealing his rotten teeth.

“So you have a master then?”

“I am forever loyal to my king.” The Lich spread his hands, and two head-sized balls of black light appeared in his palms, crawling with dark red arcs like lightning. A chilling power spread, continuously creating ripples on the water’s surface.

“How loyal.” Teest smiled. “What’s your king’s name?”

“A foolish question. Listen well. The owner of this throne, the ruler of my life, his name is—”

The Lich’s voice stopped abruptly, and even the attacks from his hands halted.

“…I don’t remember,” he muttered dreamily a few seconds later. “I can’t recall.”

Teest burst into mocking laughter. With his body covered in blood, it made his laughter seem particularly scornful.

“You’re no better than me, a Lich that forgets his master,” he said cheerfully, even casually stuffing a piece of jerky into his mouth.

Lich Valdorlock raised his hand, erupting into an angry scream.

Thousands of shadow bolts, torrents of ice spikes, and ominous black light charged straight at Teest.

Nol gritted his teeth, racked his brains, and calculated the evasion space with all his might. If he weren’t so far away, he would want to grab Teest by the collar and shake him—why did you deliberately provoke him?

He almost instantly gave the location to dodge, but Teest didn’t move.

The white-haired knight lowered his hands and stood still. His pupils reflected the rapidly approaching magical brilliance.

A chill ran down Nol’s spine. Was Teest tired and trying to forcefully log out?

The blood-streaked figure was engulfed by light and shadow. The lich bent its mouth into a mocking smile, and the next moment, its whole face froze.

“You…”

In the blink of an eye, the Lich Valdorlock’s HP rapidly depleted, and countless cracks appeared on his surface. He had no time to voice his question before he exploded into ashes in an instant.

Black ashes drifted, and a palm-sized black box fell into the water, causing ripples to spread in circles.

The battle ended without warning; the noise of fighting that filled the hall vanished instantly, leaving the entire space eerily empty.

In a rare moment, Nol was stunned.

Teest wobbled as he stood in place. His exposed skin—including his face—was all torn and bloody. Nol hurriedly cast a healing spell. Teest lifted his bloodstained face, smiled nonchalantly, and tossed a small brown object to him.

“For you,” he said.

Nol caught it instinctively; it was a piece of jerky—

[Monster Jerky [Homemade]: After consumption, the user’s HP drops to 1, reflecting all damage received within 5 seconds.

※ The rebound damage will be calculated based on the enemy’s defense.]

Nol was momentarily speechless.

For intelligent opponents, this kind of trick would, at most, work once.

To defeat the enemy with one blow, Teest had to understand the Lich’s defense reduction, spell power, and remaining HP like the back of his hand and ensure that the opponent attacked him like mad within five seconds.

To estimate the Lich’s attributes, Teest had patiently fought for over twenty hours. To force the Lich to attack heavily, he had also deliberately provoked him with words… Thinking about it, this guy had been talking to the Lich even before the fight officially began.

“What’s that saying again? Husband and wife should help each other.” Teest unevenly walked towards the throne. “I can’t always be your puppet, honey.”

He panted as he stepped on the stairs, not standing steady, and fell forward. Nol rushed over to catch him, but unfortunately, the skeleton soldier wasn’t robust, and the two ended up in a heap on the stairs.

Hot blood soaked Nol’s bones.

Up close, Teest’s various wounds were incredibly horrifying. There shouldn’t be such injuries in the game, Nol thought, but so far, too many “things that shouldn’t exist in the game” had appeared.

However—

[Lich Valdorlock has been slain.]

The system prompt sounded normally, and a soft female voice once again entered their heads.

[You have completed the special quest: The Fallen Guardian.]

[Beginning reward calculation.]

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The author has something to say:

<<Shocking, a man is actually flirting with a skeleton in the underground! The only witness was silenced!>>

The Lich, in heaven, resentfully submitted.

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Though not very important, a brief explanation is still needed:

The Lich quest was accepted by the two of them separately. When they started the fight, they were in a special team-up status, and the damage was counted as team damage.

So, even though Nol didn’t directly attack the Lich, he still completed the mission.

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