Are the undead here able to avoid becoming wandering souls even if they keep dying?

Lann couldn’t quite understand this.

But he knew very well that he couldn’t figure everything out. Time was tight now, and he had to act.

"Hello."

Lann, accompanied by You’Er Xia, greeted a Losric Knight sitting in a pile of treasure.

The half-dragon girl was evidently not good at socializing; her calm face likely didn’t know what expression to show.

Fortunately, Lann hadn’t planned on relying on her to negotiate.

Being able to traverse this far unimpeded due to her half-dragon lineage was already a significant contribution from You’Er Xia.

The Losric Knight lifted his head slightly, looking up at Lann but not responding.

Clearly, he was the silent type, waiting for Lann to continue speaking.

"We came from Ilyushil in the Cold Valley. Something very bad happened there."

Lann carefully chose his words, speaking while observing the Losric Knight’s reaction.

Although he was fully armored, covering his entire body, subtle movements, the depth and frequency of his breathing—details difficult for ordinary people to notice—were all captured by Lann’s senses and Mentos.

These then became the basis for emotional analysis.

And according to the analysis... there was no significant psychological fluctuation in him.

Even if Ilyushil was Losric’s most important ally, there was no psychological fluctuation in this Losric Knight.

Lann’s brow furrowed slightly, but he wasn’t surprised.

After all, he had vaguely guessed the state of those who reached the ancient dragon’s peak, and now it was just a confirmation.

On the other hand, he had just learned something else from the sporadic conversations among these people... The Nameless King had set up a bell-ringing challenge like a stage here.

And these people did not reject someone ringing the bell.

So Lann smoothly shifted the conversation, as if he wasn’t the one discussing the origin and Ilyushil crisis just now.

"I want to try ringing the bell. Which way should I go?"

This time, the Losric Knight sitting among the treasures seemed to have truly listened.

He lifted his arm, pointing to an exit, the metal joints of the iron gauntlet making a sound of metal friction as he extended a finger.

The others were unfazed, continuing to talk in low voices among themselves or organizing their equipment.

Lann turned to look at that exit: "Is it just one road, straight to the end?"

The Losric Knight’s helmet nodded up and down.

"Understood, see you again."

Lann stepped over the resting undead knight on the ground, accompanied by the careful You’Er Xia lifting her skirt as she walked.

The half-dragon girl rarely went out; Gwendolin had protected this only relative by his side too well.

So even though You’Er Xia followed Lann’s steps closely, her expression still confused and calm, she couldn’t help but look around.

Walking out of the exit pointed out by the Losric Knight, the first sight was a closed iron gate, beyond which lay a broad plaza, now covered with dark clouds and even a storm.

It was completely different from the sunny scene at the ancient dragon’s peak.

However, after just a moment, as soon as Lann and You’Er Xia stepped out for a look, the dark clouds and storm disappeared without a trace, for some unknown reason.

And You’Er Xia’s gaze was fixed on a spear on the iron gate.

The spear was a beautifully crafted cross spear with a gold handle, lodged at mid-height on the iron gate, as if thrown in a spear-throwing motion.

The junction of the spearhead and shaft had a horizontal grip, better aiding force application during thrusting.

The spearblade structure was more like an awl, the whole spear focusing entirely on thrusting rather than slashing.

"...The Dragon Hunter Spear?"

You’Er Xia’s murmured voice was caught by Lann in front.

The Demon Hunter tilted his head, thoughtfully asking: "Do you recognize this spear?"

"This is the renowned weapon of Knight Ongstein, one of the Four Knights of the King, the Dragon Hunter."

As You’Er Xia approached the iron gate, reaching towards the spear stuck above, a gold electric arc burst from the spearblade before she could touch it.

You’Er Xia had to immediately retract her hand.

"He was the last of the Four Knights to leave his brother, leaving behind the Lion Ring symbolizing his identity before bidding farewell. But..."

"The knight renowned for dragon hunting, why is he now... pursuing the Path of the Ancient Dragon?"

"Questions can be asked later."

Lann grasped You’Er Xia’s wrist as she attempted to reach for it again. His amber cat eyes met the half-dragon girl’s gaze.

"Our most urgent task now..."

"Is to find and rescue my brother," You’Er Xia continued Lann’s words, retracting her arm. "Thank you for your reminder, Knight. I am in a state of chaos here, leaderless."

Lann understood the panic of a girl forced to leave home for the first time in a crisis. He gently patted You’Er Xia’s pristine arm as a gesture of comfort.

"Leave it to me."

The Half-Dragon Girl bit her lip, bowed her head slightly to the Demon Hunter, and silently expressed her gratitude.

There were still Snake-men patrolling as guards along the way, but under You’Er Xia’s lineage, they had no intention of attacking the two of them.

Atop the Ancient Dragon, there were many gigantic flying dragons, each much larger than those of the Losric Knight Order.

If they had to break through forcefully, even though Lann was confident that nothing would happen to him, it would likely take several days to reach the destination.

Unlike now, except for a few brainless, stone-hard insects lying on the ground, they encountered no enemies along the way.

Soon, Lann and You’Er Xia reached the end of the road without any hindrance.

Just as that Losric Knight sitting on a pile of treasure had indicated, on the gatehouse at the other end of the steel-barred plaza they had just seen.

A lever connected to a giant clock was there, and it looked like pulling the lever would activate the clock trapped by the mechanical device.

For some reason, although they had reached this point safely, Lann felt a sudden chill when his eyes fell on the lever that would activate the giant clock...

It was as if something terrifying would happen if he triggered the mechanism.

So even though the lever was right in front of him, Lann found it difficult to place his hand on it.

"You’re feeling it correctly, young man."

Lann subtly withdrew his slightly extended hand from the lever and looked to the side.

This gatehouse with the lever was connected to a small room on the other side, and the clanging sound of metal boots hitting the ground accompanied the words coming from inside.

The newcomer was a knight in lavish gold armor.

His gold helmet was crafted into the face of a lion, with a crimson plume trailing behind.

The whole figure appeared heroic and arrogant.

But the plain-looking lance he held in his hand was completely mismatched with his ornate and exquisite armor.

[Dragon Hunter] Ongstein.

Even someone like Lann, who had only recently entered this world, had seen portraits of him in many places.

A legendary figure who, along with the Divine Beings, won the Ancient Dragon War and was the foremost of the Four Knights of the King.

This armor was so recognizable that if it wasn’t a replica made by a fervent follower, it had to be the real person.

But You’Er Xia had just said: Ongstein submitted his identification as one of the Four Knights of the King to Gwendolin, the Lion Ring. And they had just seen the famous weapon of this knight, the Dragon Hunt Spear.

So there’s hardly any need for other guesses.

"As soon as you ring that bell, the Nameless King will respond to your challenge, to the death."

Ongstein calmly stated the rules here, and although he was a knight famous even before the start of the Fire Age, his voice surprisingly did not sound old.

Moreover, if not sensitive enough, one might almost think he was friendly in tone.

But Lann could feel it... Ongstein carried an arrogance soaked into his bones by the long passage of time.

So much so that others might mistake him for being easy to get along with.

"Your body is still full... interesting. To have grown all the way to the top of the Ancient Dragon as a Warrior without being Undead, that luck is certainly commendable."

"But since you’re not Undead, cherish this one and only life. The Nameless King will not hold back for anything."

"Or you can wait until you’ve honed this one life to the point where you can defeat the Nameless King?"

As he finished speaking, Ongstein’s voice carried a hint of amusement beneath his helmet.

As if telling a joke that would never come to pass until the world’s end.

But before Ongstein could finish laughing, from behind Lann, You’Er Xia came forward with the sound of her white dress brushing over the ground.

Lann stood at the base of the lever, elevated above the ground, and due to Lann’s full, strong build.

Even though You’Er Xia had Divine Race blood, she was completely obscured standing behind him.

When the Half-Dragon Girl appeared before the Dragon Hunter Knight, the laughter beneath his golden lion helmet abruptly ceased.

"You’Er Xia... Princess?! What are you doing here?"

"Knight Ongstein."

You’Er Xia first bowed in salutation and then turned her puzzled face toward Lann.

And with You’Er Xia’s appearance halting Ongstein in his tracks, the scraping ’clatter’ of the golden lion faceplate shifted toward Lann.

For some reason, the Demon Hunter now felt as though an invisible yet very sharp spear was poised before his throat.

But fortunately, the Demon Hunter was adept at adjusting his emotions.

Lann ignored the chilling sharp sensation seeping into his skin at his throat and casually walked to Ongstein.

"About the matter below the Ancient Dragon, the Princes of Losric betrayed, making the Fire Transmission Ceremony difficult to advance. And in the Cold Valley of Ilyushil..."

Lann paused here, allowing Ongstein a moment to absorb this reaction.

After all, from small movements, Lann could perceive that just after finishing the first part of the sentence, the Dragon Hunter Knight seemed a bit dazed.

"Pope Shalivan betrayed, colluding with the resurrected Lords of Cinder, [Profound Saint] Elderidge, who plans to devour the Shadow Sun!"