God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 554: Measuring Strength

"Finally.... a worthy one."

Gabriel's gaze remained fixed on the helmet, observing the faint red light within its depths flicker with the weakness of a dying ember. The glow was dim, lacking the vibrant energy of a living warrior.

With a slow, grinding sound from its neck joint, the knight's helmet turned towards him. The movement was stiff, indicative of age, yet not irreparably broken. Gabriel sensed that while the helmet had not fully awakened, the pressure emanating from it was enough to fill the entire chamber.

Beside the knight, its long weapon scraped against the stone as it shifted upright. The blade carved a thin line across the floor, its sound echoing through the chamber and making the air around Gabriel feel denser. Small waves of dust rippled outward from the knight's feet.

Gabriel held his ground, his right hand hovering near his own weapon. He refrained from drawing it, as the knight had chosen to speak rather than attack. This single act already distinguished it from every other monster he had encountered within this tomb.

The red light within the helmet steadied faintly. The knight straightened its posture slightly, its imposing frame no longer resembling a statue but that of an ancient guardian resuming its post. Its voice emerged next, a rough, slow cadence, as if each word had to be painstakingly dislodged from damaged vocal cords.

"Every group that came before you attacked immediately. Not one of them waited. Not one of them asked."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed behind the White Phantom mask. He maintained his silence, allowing the quiet to grant him precious moments to decipher the entity before him. The knight had no apparent reason to offer an explanation unless an underlying rule dictated its actions.

His perception swept over the knight's form. The reading was fragmented. Certain parts exuded a weighty, solid presence, while others felt hollow, as though the armor was merely containing the tattered remnants of a once-great warrior.

He looked back at the knight. Whatever this entity was, it was clearly far from its former strength. Nevertheless, Gabriel understood the dire predicament Broken Dawn would have faced had they attempted to force their way through.

This knight was no ordinary undead. The other denizens of the tomb had operated on simple, programmed commands, their eyes devoid of true sentience. This one possessed awareness, and even in its semi-awakened state, it observed him with a clear intent.

At last, Gabriel spoke. "What are you?"

The knight lowered its weapon slightly, not in a gesture of peace, but as if the question had triggered a specific protocol. The red glow within the helmet pulsed once, and a faint sound emanated from the depths of the ancient armor. Gabriel maintained a relaxed posture, though his fingers were poised for immediate action.

"I was a general," the knight responded. "I served the god entombed beneath this sacred place before the surface kingdoms were even conceived. I commanded legions, breached formidable gates, protected sacred temples, and stood steadfast by my master's side until the day the great seal descended."

Gabriel remained silent for a beat. The answer was direct, yet the mention of a deity introduced a layer of complexity to the situation. He displayed no surprise, as overt reactions to an unknown adversary were a folly often paid for in death.

The knight continued without prompting. "I was not stationed here as a mere trap. This chamber serves as a trial. My master commanded me to await the first intruder who entered and refrained from immediate aggression."

Gabriel's gaze briefly swept across the chamber walls. The room had always felt unusually sparse for a typical battle arena, and the reason was now becoming apparent. Its design was not intended to overwhelm intruders at first encounter.

"So, I gained something by doing nothing?" Gabriel inquired.

"Not by doing nothing," the knight retorted, its voice growing rougher. "But by exercising forethought before resorting to violence. Every group preceding you perished before I was compelled to utter a word."

Gabriel's eyes shifted subtly. He recalled Sophie's contingent, Ragnarok99's probing assaults, and the guide who had attempted to propel them forward. Had they advanced further, they would have undoubtedly elicited the same response as the others.

"How many groups preceded me?" Gabriel asked.

The knight paused. The red luminescence within the helmet intensified, burning with a more stable brilliance, and the lengthy halberd remained canted toward the floor. For an instant, the chamber fell silent, allowing Gabriel to discern the faint sound of small stones dislodging near the wall behind him.

"Nine hundred and seventy-two groups."

Gabriel froze for a single breath. His hand remained motionless, his stance unchanged, yet his mind rapidly calculated the implication of that number. This was no obscure chamber that only a select few had managed to discover.

Nearly a thousand groups had reached this point.

None had succeeded in traversing it.

Gabriel exhaled softly through his nose. "So, this tomb has claimed lives for a considerable duration."

"The tomb evaluates all who enter," the knight responded. "Some perish due to frailty. Others fall victim to their avarice. The vast majority succumb because they lack the patience to truly comprehend what lies before them."

Gabriel’s lips remained a stoic line beneath his mask. He felt no inclination to offer praise to a deceased deity for dispatching the foolish, yet he could acknowledge a regulation that penalized poor decision-making. A place such as this would never reward individuals who treated every chamber as a potential treasure trove.

"You mentioned that the first individual who abstained from combat could pose a question," Gabriel stated.

"Indeed," the knight affirmed. "A single inquiry. One piece of wisdom preserved within this sepulcher. No living soul on the surface world currently possesses it."

Gabriel’s digits finally made contact with the grips of the Twin Dragonfangs. His intrigue was piqued, though his expression remained unreadable. Knowledge left behind by a slumbering god carried inherent peril, but such dangerous commodities proved invaluable when wielded by capable hands.

"What nature of knowledge is it?" he inquired.

"You may ask following the assessment," the knight declared.

Gabriel inclined his head slightly, a flicker of bewilderment crossing his features. "Assessment?"

The knight elevated the halberd a short distance from the ground. Its blade bore the marks of age, yet its edge appeared pristine, and the shaft resisted any hint of a bend under the monstrous entity’s grasp. The crimson luminescence within the helmet intensified marginally.

"The wisdom is not conveyed solely through vocalization," the knight explained. "It is transmitted via confrontation. Not a duel to the death, but a genuine engagement. Should you prove incapable of holding your ground, my silence will remain unbroken."

Gabriel regarded the spectral warrior for a beat. The stipulation was irksome, yet hardly unexpected. Potent relics within such locales seldom came without a price, and if they did, they typically exacted a steeper toll later on.

"What is the significance of this assessment?" Gabriel probed.

The knight’s response was immediate. "Because the knowledge is perilous. Bestowing it upon one inadequate to utilize it correctly is tantamount to its squandering."

Gabriel’s gaze drifted to the halberd before returning to the helmet. The knight was diminished, fragmented, and ancient, yet it had once served as a general under a god. Even a compromised iteration of such a being was not to be trifled with carelessly.

His shoulders rolled once, a fluid motion to relax his frame. The Twin Dragonfangs were drawn free from their scabbards, their keen edges meeting the chamber's frigid atmosphere.

The knight raised its weaponized implement with both hands. Its archaic armor produced another resonant clang, and the internal crimson glow within the helmet ceased its intermittent flickering. Gabriel observed the scene with tranquil composure, his respiration measured and his eyes fixated upon the spectral guardian.

"Commence when you deem yourself prepared."