Chapter 39: I Gave You A Chance
The ghoul scrambled up awkwardly, let out a low roar, raised the Necrotic Sword high, and charged forward with large strides.
His eyes showed no fear, only icy killing intent.
Nolnos let out a shrill cry, changed direction at a small angle again while galloping wildly, and in the moment they crossed paths, scorching Dragon Breath swept across.
The ghoul was prepared, but the Dragon Breath was too fast and covered too wide an area to dodge; the flames scorched the Leather Armor until it curled, flesh sizzled and smoked, filling the air with a stench.
These superficial wounds were far from lethal, but they made the ghoul increasingly frustrated; it couldn’t catch up, nor could it escape.
This made him even more furious, raging impotently.
While the Dragon Breath spell hadn’t ended yet, Anse lightly patted Nolnos and charged again.
This time the ghoul learned its lesson and rolled to dodge in advance.
Anse had anticipated this and deliberately delayed casting; after it dodged, he turned his head to breathe, giving it another round of incineration service.
I predicted your prediction!
The ghoul rolled to extinguish the flames on its body, its skin and flesh charred black, limbs twitching, its strength greatly affected.
It turned its head to glance at Anse, took two quick steps, leaped into the Lake, and disappeared.
After a good while, he finally surfaced from the distant lake surface and swam toward the center of the Lake with a strange doggy paddle stroke.
“Uh… you can even dive and swim; you’re learning fast.”
Anse looked at the three figures swimming desperately, one far and two near, feeling somewhat helpless.
Water was a natural barrier; when attacked, they could shrink into the water, and spells with weak Lethality had little effect.
But it had pros and cons; fighting in water was extremely stamina-draining, making it hard to exert strength or cast spells—without special training, entering the water meant losing most of one’s combat ability.
The ghoul had infinite stamina, but would its decayed body rotting in the water be okay?
‘Block them.’ He lightly patted the horse’s back.
Nolnos galloped forward, far faster than swimming; the Amn people trying to escape in the chaos hadn’t reached shore before Anse arrived.
The two were in poor Status, shirtless with numerous wounds on their bodies, all soaked white and swollen; they probably couldn’t hold out much longer.
Anse didn’t approach but watched them quietly from the Lakeside, his indifferent gaze scaring the two into not daring to come ashore.
They could hide in the water, but coming up meant open Wasteland, where even with two extra legs they couldn’t outrun a horse.
Moreover, they had seen the entire battle clearly from the water: this Sorcerer was very strong, his mount unusual, with proficient Combat and Spellcasting Skill; in their condition, they had no chance of winning.
After a brief standoff, the middle-aged Captain shouted, “Your Excellency, as long as you let us go, I’m willing to give you all my possessions; this is the Deposit.”
With that, he stretched his hand out of the water and forcefully threw a small item onto the shore.
Nolnos trotted over with small steps; under the glow of the Staff, a silver Wine Glass lay quietly on the grass, shaped like an hourglass, emanating faint white radiance.
“This is the Guardian Holy Grail, a Rare holy relic; do I need to say more about its value?” The middle-aged man looked at the Holy Symbol glowing on Anse’s chest, his heart uneasy.
“Me too.” The Black Dragonborn raised his hand pointing toward the Cloak Forest. “Our Camp is at the Forest Edge; I can take you there.”
Anse didn’t go to pick it up, pretending to be indifferent, and pointed at the ghoul in the center of the Lake, shouting:
“Go, kill it. This is your only chance; I don’t compromise easily—seize the opportunity.”
As he spoke, he deliberately touched the hot Holy Symbol on his chest.
“You’re clearly sending us to our deaths.” The Black Dragonborn said through gritted teeth.
“You have the right to choose.” Anse wasn’t in a hurry; he could wait until dawn.
Greyhawk hadn’t warned, meaning the Undead horde showed no signs of returning; everything was under control.
“Let’s do it! I hope you keep your promises.” The middle-aged Captain didn’t trust Anse, but he trusted that Holy Symbol.
Followers of the God of Justice always had high Moral Standards, and for them, eliminating Undead was indeed more important than killing two Slavers.
“Captain?” The Black Dragonborn looked shocked.
“Listen to me, go.” The middle-aged Captain turned and swam toward the ghoul.
The Black Dragonborn hesitated for a moment, then followed.
At the center of the Lake, a cruel smile appeared on the ghoul’s charred face; it understood the Common Tongue, but it wasn’t afraid.
Undead didn’t need to breathe and wouldn’t suffer Exhaustion; they had an innate advantage in water combat.
It also needed two new Zombies to get it out of this predicament; two Professionals were undoubtedly the best Materials.
The two sides quickly closed in; the Amn Captain attacked first, thrusting with his sword, but his movements were sluggish and easily blocked by the ghoul.
The melee began; the violently churning water surface indicated an extremely fierce battle, with splashes of blood-tinged water flying up occasionally.
Anse sat on his horse, watching all this calmly.
‘Am I being too cruel?’
He clearly remembered that he wasn’t like this before.
But he really didn’t want to wait until dawn; too many variables—this was the best solution he could think of.
‘People have to learn to adapt, right? I’m not intentionally torturing them to death.’
He shook his head, shaking off these messy thoughts; the water battle was about to be decided.
The ghoul was indeed strong and in good condition, but not smart enough.
After the Black Dragonborn closed in, he took a sword hit head-on, locking the ghoul’s arms and Necrotic Sword with both hands, legs wrapped around its waist; no matter how the ghoul struggled, it couldn’t break free.
The ghoul’s Strength was decent, but its Attributes were average; Strength wasn’t its forte.
The middle-aged Captain seized the chance to attack, forcing his Longsword into the ghoul’s mouth and straight into its skull, then twisted hard; the ghoul went completely still.
【Target Death, gained 101 Combat Experience】
‘Not bad.’ Anse raised an eyebrow, a hint of smile in his eyes.
The two Amn people dragged the ghoul to the Lakeside, climbed ashore with great effort, threw down their Weapons, and lay on the ground panting heavily.
This defenseless posture wasn’t trust, but resignation; since they couldn’t run, better to act magnanimous.
“My valuables and Breastplate are at the bottom of the Lake; go down along the north shore, you should find them.” The middle-aged Captain panted.
Anse didn’t approach: “Where are you from? What are you doing here?”
“Arallon Island, here for some small Business…” The Black Dragonborn replied with his eyes closed.
A sharp Draconic word suddenly interrupted him; three Magic Missiles flashed through the air and struck the Black Dragonborn’s chest in succession.
“Bang bang bang—”
The Black Dragonborn’s mouth half-open, blood gushing out, head lolling to the side, empty eyes staring at the Captain beside him.
【…Target Death, gained 23 Combat Experience】
“You don’t keep your word, you promised—” The middle-aged Captain was shocked, flipped over prone on the ground, alarmed expression, tone somewhat hysterical.
“Amn people, what did I promise you? I never made any promises from beginning to end; you imagined it yourself.” Anse touched the scorching Holy Symbol on his chest.
He would have been brainless to let them go; they might have transferred their hatred of Undead onto him.
The middle-aged Captain was stunned: “You knew all along? You’ve been deceiving us; the Nahshival Family won’t let you go…”
Responding to him was a red energy orb trailing a small tail.
With a boom, the man was blasted away, skin charred and twisted, completely unrecognizable.
【…Target Death, gained 61 Combat Experience】
“I gave you a chance, but I knew you couldn’t seize it.” Anse said calmly.
He looked toward the Cloak Forest, a dark mass; it seemed they had accomplices—”Nahshival” sounded somewhat familiar.
D&D 5R（Fifth Edition Revised）’s Alignment system continues the classic nine Alignment framework, but compared to earlier versions（like 3R）, its actual rules Influence has been greatly weakened, with higher flexibility in character behavior.
Alignment change is not determined by a single Event, but reflects long-term behavioral tendencies.
Motivation takes priority over Result.
Thanks to all Reader lords for your support and Suggestions!
