The Skeleton Overseer paid no attention to Nolan’s words. In truth, aside from rare caster units like corpse liches, most Bronze-tier undead below level 25 possessed little to no self-awareness. Only a single directive was etched into their soul flames: destroy all living beings. Its crimson eye sockets locked onto Nolan. Heavy footsteps crunched over gravel as the massive curved blade dragged across the ground, carving a long groove and throwing off sparks. It advanced step by step, the oppressive presence enough to throw any novice player into panic.
But Nolan was no novice. A Skeleton Overseer? He knew it all too well.
Players called it a “gatekeeper” that drove beginners away. Its attack power left no margin for error against a novice’s pitiful health—one strike, one kill.
However, it was a low-level elite, riddled with flaws. Its weakness? Being too slow. Most importantly, its right arm was its primary weapon arm. Its turns and attacks to the right were just a fraction slower than to the left. That tiny delay, in the eyes of a top-tier expert like Nolan, was a death sentence.
As the blood-stained heavy blade came crashing down toward his head, he moved. He did not attempt to block or parry. With this level-one, fragile body, taking the blow head-on would shatter his bones instantly. Pushing off the ground with his boot, he slid swiftly to the left, evading the powerful strike with the least effort possible.
Boom! The heavy blade smashed into the spot where he had been standing, sending shards of stone flying.
Nolan had yet to fully regain his footing, but muscle memory guided his wrist. The militia iron sword in his hand flipped and shot forward, precisely striking the Overseer’s elbow joint through the gap in its arm bones.
A crisp fracture rang out. Crack!
He did not overcommit. The moment the strike landed, he withdrew, widening the distance. Only novices rushed blindly and lost control of the battlefield. As expected, the Skeleton Overseer’s movements faltered for a brief moment. Its injured right arm became noticeably sluggish when it swung. The damage might not have been high, but such precise strikes were devastating.
From then on, Nolan began circling it, always staying to its left. The vast difference in attributes was an unbridgeable gulf, but Nolan was a master swordsman. When the Overseer swept horizontally, Nolan angled his blade upward, bracing it with his left arm and sliding along the opponent’s heavy weapon.
Clang!
Amid a burst of sparks, the heavy blade was deflected upward by a clever application of force, exposing a wide opening. Nolan’s sword followed through, carving a deep mark into its knee joint. When another skewed slash came, he reversed his grip and thrust into the gap at its hip. In just five minutes, the Skeleton Overseer was like a clumsy spinning top being toyed with—possessing brute strength, yet unable to touch Nolan at all. More than a dozen fine cracks now marred its frame, its movements growing increasingly sluggish.
Now!
Nolan seized a perfect opportunity. He deliberately exposed a flaw, slowing his shift to the left by half a beat—a feint.
Just as in the game, the Overseer followed its behavioral pattern. It immediately poured all its strength into its right arm, the curved blade howling through the air as it smashed down toward Nolan.
This was exactly what Nolan had been waiting for. Instead of retreating, he surged forward, crashing into its chest and stepping into its blind spot. The heavy blade slammed into the ground, missing completely. Before he even steadied himself, Nolan twisted and stomped hard onto the broad back of the blade.
The Overseer tried to lift its weapon again. The immense force, instead of harming him, became the boost that propelled him upward. Nolan leapt high, twisting midair. The militia iron sword traced a cold arc of light as he aimed at an unremarkable bone at the back of its neck, toward the junction between thoracic and cervical vertebrae. The pivot of its entire skeletal frame, and its critical weak point in the game’s design. A hit here would not only deal 1.5 times critical damage, but also trigger a three-second “kneeling stun.”
Perfectly precise.
The Overseer’s soul flame shuddered violently as its towering body lost control and crashed to its knees.
Nolan landed steadily in front of it.
Normally, its height made the soul flame—its fatal weakness—hard to reach. Now, that was no longer the case.
He did not hesitate for a second. Strike while it’s down. The plain, unadorned standard iron sword in his hand spun lightly under his wrist. The next instant, it drove straight into the eye socket.
Pfft! The crimson soul flame swelled violently, held for a brief moment, then extinguished in an instant. The massive skeletal body collapsed, scattering into a pile of bones.
【Skeleton Overseer (Elite) defeated. EXP +1200】
“Hah… hah…” His body was exhausted, yet it could not suppress the incomparable thrill of taking control of everything once more. Looking at the scattered bones, Nolan couldn’t help but smile. “Good thing you don’t have a brain. Otherwise you’d be cursing me for cheating.”
Not far away, atop the watchtower, the red lion banner of the Elfin Kingdom hung limply. For a moment, Nolan seemed to see again the final scene atop the royal capital—the bloodstained hem of Princess Flina’s dress fluttering alongside a tattered war banner.
In the half-elf princess’ backward glance, there had been no plea, only sorrow and trust.
“Live on. Remember that we once existed,” she had said.
And he could only watch helplessly as she was swallowed by the tide of undead. It was the greatest failure and deepest regret of his twenty years in the game.
At this moment, the banner had never looked so vivid. Because everything could still be changed.
His greatest weapon was not the sword, but the hidden quests that could overturn entire battles, the god-tier items once buried, the heroes who would one day rise to power, and every turn of the story… he knew them all.
Nolan’s gaze passed over the shattered bones and fixed firmly on the lion banner swaying in the wind. He tightened his grip on the cheap iron sword, the rough texture of the hilt starkly real in his hand. If this was another possibility granted by fate, then it was a path he would never walk wrong again. He slowly raised his fist holding the sword and pressed it against his left chest, performing the Elfin knight’s salute he had not used in years.
“Elfin… I’m back.”
No longer a detached player, no longer a powerless passerby. This time, it was a true return home.
After scanning his surroundings and confirming that no new undead had appeared for the moment, Nolan steadied himself and opened his status panel. There was something he urgently needed to confirm.
The Skeleton Overseer’s base experience was 300. The difficulty bonus for killing an enemy fourteen levels higher capped at twice that amount. And yet, what he had received was 1200 EXP.
Before he could even feel happy, Nolan noticed a small tag next to his name.
【BOSS Template】
Huh?
He knew this well. It was the power template used for NPCs: Normal, Elite, Hero, and then Boss, with World Boss at the top.
Among them, the Boss template granted a base attribute multiplier of up to 2.5 times. This meant that not only could he possess up to four main classes like a player, he would also benefit from the compensation mechanics granted to NPCs by the game system.
In an instant, he understood why his experience gains had doubled—that was only the surface. More importantly, it meant he would have base attributes and growth far beyond players of the same level, and could even unlock those NPC-exclusive classes that players had long coveted. This template would be the most solid cornerstone for rewriting history.
It felt incredible. The only regret was that there was no forum where he could show it off.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. Since things had come to this, the priority was to grow stronger. Suppressing the surge of excitement, Nolan poured all his experience points into the “Militia” class without hesitation.
【Militia level increased to 2…】
…
【Militia level increased to 10!】
【Total Level: 10 (Militia Lv.10, EXP: 178/5000)】
The fatigue and soreness from the recent battle vanished instantly. Explosive strength surged through his muscles and bones. This was the thrill of gaining nine levels at once. His health fully recovered, the maximum soaring to 260. With his experience spent, level 10 marked a threshold. Beyond this point, the required experience would spike sharply, but even so, this rate of leveling was already astonishing.
Next, Nolan eagerly opened his passive abilities panel. This was crucial.
The moment he saw the familiar data, the fingers gripping his iron sword trembled slightly. He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to suppress the surge of emotion rising in his throat.
【Combat Skills】
Elfin Military Swordsmanship (Lv.14/15, Grandmaster)
This was where everything had begun—the foundation he had forged over twenty years and countless swings of the sword, etched into his soul. Though his current power tier was only Bronze, in terms of swordsmanship alone, he was an undisputed Sword Saint in this world.
Horsemanship (Lv.7/15, Proficient)
The blood-red sunset of the breakout at the Malta Plains, the final roars of his comrades, the mournful cries of warhorses… that failed escape remained an unhealed wound in his heart. This time, it would be different.
Tactical Command (Lv.10/15, Master)
This was the honor and distinction he had built while leading the Radiant Sun regiment across countless battles, forged through victory and bitter defeat alike.
【Continental Knowledge】
Basic Knowledge (Lv.10/10, Max), Geography (Lv.5/5, Max), Local Knowledge (Lv.4/5), Dungeon Knowledge (Lv.9/10)
【Life Skills】
Cooking (Lv.8/10, Expert), Camping (Lv.10/10, Master), Lockpicking (Lv.3/10, Beginner)
…
They were all still there.
This was his true trump card—the accumulation of twenty years, the foundation for defying fate. He no longer had the devastating, god-tier active skills from his previous life, such as his signature sword technique, “Falling Star Blade.” But these most fundamental and hardest-to-raise passive abilities, the path he had walked step by step, had all come with him intact.
These were not just numbers. They were proof that he had truly lived in that virtual world.
The path ahead was now crystal clear: he would save the legendary heroes fated to fall, save Princess Flina, and save this kingdom. And to save the kingdom, he had to grow stronger as quickly as possible—not only his personal combat power, but also by building his own forces.
In the game’s original design, “Militia” was only a starting class, capped at level 15. He needed to advance into “Kingdom Guard” as soon as possible, and then rise further to “Kingdom Knight.” He could also take on “Mercenary” as a secondary class. The nearest adventurers’ guild was in Rosenberg. That would let him quickly raise his total level and power tier, and serve as a stepping stone toward returning to his most familiar profession—“Warrior.” With some effort, he could likely reach entry-level Silver rank there.
And then there was the temple.
He needed to find a way to obtain a cleric class, even the lowest-tier one. At level 15, it could provide two practical aura abilities, offering tremendous early-game combat boosts for exceptional efficiency. As for magic…
Nolan glanced at his 0/0 mana and shook his head with a wry smile.
“A magic-null constitution… that hasn’t changed at all.”
In his previous life, he had been hopeless with spells, but it wasn’t a major issue. He still remembered several locations from version 1.0 that held top-tier accessories granting magic resistance and magical abilities. But those were matters for later. For now…
Nolan turned his gaze into the distance, toward Rosenberg—the key city of Veli Province, where Shire Town was located.
The Shiva Empire’s border invasion had only just begun.
In his memory, Rosenberg had fallen due to poor response and collapsing morale, breached by a detachment of undead. The soldiers and civilians within suffered devastating casualties, and the land was filled with grief.
Within the province, all territory south of Rosenberg had been seized by the Shiva Empire.
He had to get there immediately. Inside that city were two figures who would one day shake the continent, now waiting for their turning point under the famous questlines: “A Veteran’s Death Wish” and “Flames of Vengeance.”
Nolan tightened his grip on the iron sword. The first step in changing fate—he would not allow that city to repeat the tragedy etched in his memory.
Sign up to join the discussion...
Already have an account? Log in
No comments yet. Be the first to discuss this chapter.