《Why reincarnate as a useless skeleton?》


 Chapter 1 - The Room

    "So... Have you calmed down?"


    "Yes, I''ve calmed down a bit... I''m sorry I insulted you a moment ago."


    Somewhere in the multiverse, there was a room.


    It was in typical 19th-century English style. The left wall was occupied entirely by a huge rack full of books, while on the right wall there was an elegant white marble fireplace and a couple of pieces of furniture including an old pendulum clock.


    In the middle of the room was an antique desk, on which sat a typewriter, some papers, and a cup of hot tea that exuded a fragrance of wild berries.


    In the main seat was a man who, despite having completely white hair, did not look at all senile and on the contrary, together with the black suit he was wearing, gave him an aura of vitality and elegance.


    "Don''t worry Mr. Marcus, your previous behavior is understandable given your current situation".


    On a seat on the other side of the desk was a white figure in the shape of a human being. The figure was the soul of Marcus, an ordinary person who liked fantasy novels, manga, and anime (i.e an otaku). Well, at least until he died.


    "Well honestly speaking, I thought I would have a long and peaceful life.... but did I have to die like that?!"


    Marcus had started his day normally, the only difference was that today he had to go to the hospital for a routine check-up. But before he could get to the hospital he was hit by an ambulance.


    Then he appeared in the room with a man who looked like a butler from a British TV series. In that situation, Marcus was very confused and all he could do was insult the man and demand answers about it.


    "Well... I won''t deny it, it was certainly a rather ironic and ridiculous way to go, but I can''t do anything about the means used by the agency''s field agents. I only work in the administration and assignment department. " said the man indifferently.


    "Wait for a second...What field agents and what agency? And, where am I exactly?"


    "Oh, how thoughtless of me, I haven''t even introduced myself!"


    The elegant man took a sip of tea, adjusted his tie, and then spoke.


    "My name is Edward, I am a member of the Reincarnate Administration and Assignment Department, which belongs to the Agency of Transmigration, Invocation, and Reincarnation, commonly known as A.T.I.R."


    "The what of what thing?!"


    Edward took another sip of tea and looked at the clock on the wall.


    "Well, since it looks like we still have time, I''ll tell you about A.T.I.R and what we do here."


    ****


    The multiverse is a space where different universes or parallel worlds coexist with almost no interaction. But in some special circumstances, some of these parallel worlds could interact with each other.


    These interactions were usually caused by spontaneous cosmic phenomena, but could also happen by the interference of a third party such as a god or other being with powers capable of breaking or altering the space separating one universe from another.


    These cosmic phenomena allowed different entities such as souls to travel from one universe to another and in some cases, the souls retained memories of their past lives or underwent some kind of reconstruction that endowed them with unique and special powers.


    The gods were beings made of pure energy who lived in their dimensional planes or realms but still monitored, administered, or ruled one or more worlds. If a problem arose, some gods would have to step in to solve it.


    The downside was that if a god intervened directly to save the world, their presence alone could end up causing unimaginable disasters, as well as costing them a great deal of divine power that would leave them vulnerable to external threats. Other gods simply lacked sufficient power to intervene directly or were forbidden to do so.


    For all these reasons, gods and other entities found it much more profitable to abduct/summon beings or souls from other dimensions to solve their problems for them.


    Unfortunately, the constant abduction of souls/beings from other worlds ended up generating anomalies and cosmic catastrophes or triggered wars between gods from other universes destroying multiple worlds and almost led to the collapse of the entire multiverse.


    To prevent this from happening again, a group of Interdimensional entities created the Agency of Transmigration, Invocation, and Reincarnation (A.T.I.R.) to regulate the traffic of souls to other worlds so that no more catastrophes would occur that could endanger all of creation.


    ****


    "In short, we regulate who or what travels from one corner of the multiverse to another and prevent any disaster that could destroy the multiverse."


    "Any disaster? Like what?"


    "Well, for example... there is the case of Earth GDR 6-98."


    Earth GDR 6-98 just like the Earth where Marcus came from, was a world without magic or any kind of paranormal energy and was only habited by a single race with enough intelligence to create an advanced civilization. But the most important thing about this world was that it was not under the supervision of any god or similar being.


    Having no one to monitor them, the habitants of GDR 6-98 became the target of cosmic entities from other worlds to use them as pawns to solve their problems.


    One day more than 10,000 people were abducted simultaneously by different gods! They promised them that if they could save their universes, they would return them to their homeworld.


    Of the 10,000 people only 6,524 survived, but the gods kept their word and returned them to GDR 6-98 where they belonged. The only downside was when these ''''heroes'''' returned to their homeworld they discovered that they had been missing for almost 80 years and had lost any chance of regaining their old life.


    If that had been all, nothing would have happened. No one would care about the lives of a couple of thousand people who were left homeless or who lost family and friends. But the ''''heroes'''' had brought back one very important thing from the other worlds they were sent to: supernatural powers.


    This, together with the pain of having lost practically everything, turned the 6,524 returnees into weapons of mass destruction. In less than six months the entire civilization of GDR 6-98 was annihilated. After that, some of the remaining ''''heroes'''' attained divinity, thus managing to become gods and left their world to go to other universes to conquer or destroy them.


    "At least four universes were destroyed, another dozen worlds were almost annihilated, and a war ensued that left more than 7,000 gods wounded or dead!.... But that happened millions of years ago and hasn''t happened since."


    Edward grabbed the teapot to his left and poured himself another cup of that wild fruit-scented tea, took a sip, and then continued speaking.


    "Anyway, to prevent incidents like this from happening again, the agency dispatches field agents to different universes, then to select and collect capable individuals to then be sent to other worlds."


    "About that, why me? From my point of view I''m just an ordinary person."


    "You were selected because you meet the requirements, you are persevering, hardworking, and do not give up despite the problems. Plus you have read and watched over hundred fantasy and science fiction series so you are very knowledgeable on the subject. Well, although compared to other people selected for reincarnation, the amount of fantasy novels and anime you have read and watched hardly meets the requirements you still have other qualities that..."


    "Wait a minute, you''re telling me... that the only reason I was chosen for this... was just that I''m an otaku!"


    Although Marcus didn''t know it, the agency was responsible for the creation and distribution of at least 70% of the fantasy stories on Earth (many of which seemed to be based on real events), to ''''train'''' and inform humans to then send them to other worlds.


    "Basically, yes.... but I have to say it''s rare to see someone like you here."


    "Why do you say that?"


    "You''re American, aren''t you?"


    Marcus nodded by way of reply, though he didn''t understand what was so odd about that.


    "It''s just that usually 80% of the people who come from your world and are selected for reincarnation are Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. They adapt very well to the new environment and are always very excited about the mission to save the world and fulfill god''s will. In fact, our agency is responsible for more than 40% of the traffic fatalities in those three countries."


    Marcus was shocked. While he knew the agency was impressive, he didn''t expect the agency to be so embedded in his world to the point of being responsible for thousands of people''s deaths a year.


    But before he could say anything about it, the typewriter on Edward''s desk started typing on its own.


    Five minutes later, a sheet full of strange words was in Edward''s hand who, after reading the contents of the sheet, couldn''t avoid looking at Marcus with sadness.


    "I''m very sorry Mr. Marcus, but it seems that the entity that requested you does not wish to give you any kind of ability or benefit and wishes for you to be reborn in an incredibly hostile and dangerous environment."


    "What, this is a joke right?" asked Marcus. There was a certain tone of disbelief and nervousness in his voice.


    "I''m afraid not. I''m very sorry... but these things sometimes happen."


    "Are you sure there''s nothing you can do! Anything is fine.... please."


    Edward looked at Marcus, he had seen the life this soul had on Earth and it wasn''t the best, so when he heard that this soul''s second chance would be hell, he couldn''t help but feel sorry for him.


    Edward decided not to stand idly by, he snapped his fingers and suddenly a screen and a blue holographic keyboard appeared in front of him. He started typing on the keyboard at a frighteningly fast speed. A couple of minutes later, when he finished, the screen and keyboard disappeared and a light appeared out of nowhere.


    The light went to where Marcus'' soul was and merged with it, but there was no apparent change.


    "I just installed an "upgrade" to the stat system you were supposed to have in the world you''re going to and added an "inventory" although it''s not the best of them all. Unfortunately, it''s not much, but it''s the least I can do.." Edward said with a bit of pity.


    ''''Sigh... okay, this is better than nothing... Thank you. I know we didn''t know each other for very long, but I hope we can meet again."


    They both stood up from their seats and shook hands by way of farewell.


    "Emmm... Mr. Edward, is it okay if I can ask one last favor of you?"


    "Don''t worry Marcus, I''ll take care of your P***web account."


    "Thank you very much!"


    Marcus'' soul began to glow and in a few seconds, he disappeared into thin air.


    Edward sat back down, drank some tea, snapped his fingers making the same blue holographic screen appear, and started typing on the keyboard.


    "Oh my...I have to admit you have good taste Marcus.... hmmm, I think out of respect for your good taste I better blow up the computer."


    And just like that, Marcus'' last unfinished business on earth was resolved without a trace of his existence.


    ****


    Marcus woke up startled, he wondered what happened, where was he, what happened to Edward?


    But before he could answer those questions, he heard a robotic sound, and then, something popped into his mind.


    Ding!


    ...


    [User status completed]


    ================================


    Name: Marcus Edevane


    Race: Undead


    Species: Common skeleton


    Rank: 0.5


    Level: 1 (0/10 xp)


    ================================


    HP: 30/30


    MP: 0/0


    Strength: 9 Stamina: max


    Defense: 7 Intelligence: 0


    Vitality: 3 Wisdom: 20


    Agility: 10


    Stats points: 0


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Poison Immunity][Necrotic Immunity]


    [Disease Immunity][Cold Immunity]


    [Dark Resistance lv:1][Evil Resistance lv:2]


    [Primary Sense lv:1][Inventory lv:1]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Blunt damage lv:8][Solar/light damage lv:10]


    [Magic damage lv:4][Aura damage lv:4]


    [Spiritual Damage lv:10][Fire Damage lv:9] [Sacred Damage lv: Max]}


    ================================


    Marcus was speechless, a black status screen with white borders appeared in his mind.

 Chapter 2 - Useless

    Marcus was so surprised that he froze for a while. From his experience reading manga and web novels on Earth, he knew how the system worked and that in situations like this he had to remain calm. After a few minutes, he finally calmed down and began to check his status meticulously.


    ''Hu... Looks like the hours I wasted on the manga and anime are finally paying off. Apparently, Edward wasn''t lying about recruiting otaku for reincarnation... Wait, I''m a skeleton!... Why the hell am I a skeleton?!''


    The first thing he noticed was that for some reason his race had changed and he was now a skeleton. Although Marcus had been shocked at first, he calmed down very quickly.


    The truth was that he wasn''t too worried about his sudden change of race (except for the baldness and the loss of his reproductive organ).


    The undead were Marcus'' favorite monsters. Somehow he felt that a fantasy story would never be complete without the inclusion of these walking corpses that envied and hated living. Therefore, when it came to the undead, he considered himself an expert on the subject.


    Skeletons did not need to eat or breathe, did not tire, were immune to multiple negative status effects such as disease, poisoning, and were resistant to environments with hostile climates such as freezing tundras or places filled with toxins and radiation. If one thought about it, trading some hair and all the organs for an immortal body didn''t sound so bad (or at least until one saw the weaknesses of the said body).


    ''Well...I knew that as a skeleton it would have weaknesses... But this is too much! And I think I lost my 5 senses along with my ability to speak. Sigh...this just keeps getting worse and worse''


    The characteristics of the skeletons were not all the same in the stories Marcus read when he was on Earth. Some would be able to keep moving even if their skulls were destroyed, while others turned to ash if they were hit by sunlight.


    Marcus not only didn''t have night vision like most of the undead he knew, but he also couldn''t use any of the senses he had when he was human. From his perspective, he was in a void where he was still conscious but could do nothing but stare at his status screen.


    But he wasn''t worried. If he couldn''t use his senses from when he was ''''alive'''' he could technically use something else to know what his surroundings were like, otherwise, he would just be a pile of bones.


    After a few minutes of checking his character status, Marcus realized that he only had two skills that were not of the passive type like his immunities, resistances, and weaknesses. The first was the [inventory] he had received from Edward.


    ''Okay, let''s give it a try... Open inventory''


    Instantly a transparent checkered window appeared before him. The inventory was divided into square boxes, currently, the skill was level 1 and only had 9 boxes so one would not be able to store many things. But the storage capacity would increase as he leveled up so Marcus wasn''t worried about this.


    He then closed his inventory and focused his attention on his second skill, [Primal Sense]. Although Marcus didn''t know what this skill was, he deduced that it was a replacement for the 5 human senses, so without much thought, he activated it.


    A second after activating the ability, everything went from being dark to having certain defined contours. It was different from sight, if it could be compared to any other sense of the body it would be a mixture of touch and hearing.


    Of course, Marcus still couldn''t hear or feel any kind of texture, it was more like he could perceive white lines of different shapes and sizes that formed the edges of the objects around him.


    That way he could tell he was in a cave with rocks and stalactites all over the place. He could also tell that its body was all bones, he couldn''t see colors, but from his point of view, it looked like a black skeleton with white lines marking every part of its body.


    ''It feels a little weird, but at least now I can feel something more than just emptiness, I can''t believe I''m a skeleton. Well... for the time being I''ll try to figure out how to get out of this cave and then I''ll see what to do. Can I also evolve into a superior monster?''


    In fantasy novels that included systems, it was normal for the main character to get abilities after performing one or several actions a certain amount of times, completing quests, fulfilling some requirements, or leveling up.


    Also if the main character was reborn as a monster, it was normal that after reaching a certain level, he would evolve to a higher species. Marcus hoped that if so, he could become something stronger than just a common Skeleton, such as a [Skeleton King] or a [Lich].


    Once Marcus finished checking his character status, he started to walk around and explore the cave where he was. Also since he didn''t have a weapon, he tried to find something to defend himself against possible enemy monsters.


    Since his body was nothing more than a pile of bones, he didn''t think he could defeat someone empty-handed. But the only useful thing he found was a stone little bigger than his hand. Though under the circumstances it was better than nothing.


    ****


    After walking for about 30 minutes, Marcus'' [Primary Sense] detected something moving in the darkness of the cave. It was a skeletal figure dressed in old rags full of holes and with his right hand, he held what appeared to be a battle mace, with a handle about 50 centimeters long, and at the end was a metal ball 15 centimeters long with worn and broken spikes.


    Even if it looked like a typical weak tutorial monster, Marcus didn''t think he could beat the skeleton in a head-on battle, so he opted for the safest option: attack the enemy from behind as stealthily as possible and end the fight quickly.


    He began to approach as cautiously as possible trying not to be noticed by his opponent, he was only a few steps away ready to attack, with the stone aimed at the skull of an unprotected skeleton, when without warning...


    ''Huh?!''


    The skeleton turned around and with its battle mace attacked Marcus'' left arm, causing a fracture in it. The force of the blow caused him to fall back against the rocky ground and he was now totally defenseless.


    The skeleton was ready to deliver the coup de grace, but Marcus was faster and hit his opponent''s leg making him lose his balance causing the mace to hit the ground. He did not waste this opportunity, he got up, took the stone, and hit as hard as he could the skull of his enemy, making him fall.


    But Marcus didn''t stop, he then kicked the skeleton''s head with all the power that his strength statistics could give him so that the skeleton''s mandible flew off and he kept hitting him without giving him the chance to counterattack.


    *Crack, Snap, Crack, Snap!*


    After 10 minutes of beating him relentlessly, the skeleton''s head finally broke into pieces and it stopped moving. Marcus was mentally exhausted so after defeating the skeleton he laid down on the ground.


    ''Huf...That... was more difficult than I thought it would be, but at least I did it. It honestly seemed a lot easier in the novels.''


    Marcus wanted to reflect on what happened so he wouldn''t make similar mistakes in the future. This time he was lucky and had only broken his arm, but if he hadn''t kicked the skeleton in the leg at that moment he would have been the one who would have been dead!


    But at that moment the system flooded him with notifications.


    Ding!


    ....


    {The user has obtained the skill [Melee Combat]}


    ....


    {The user has defeated a [Common Skeleton] for the first time, 5 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You gained 5 XP.}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 12 stat points.}


    ....


    When Marcus finished reading the system messages, he was more than satisfied with the result.


    In just one fight he managed to level up and gained a new passive skill, as well as 12 stat points. The only bad thing was that even after leveling up his HP had not regenerated.


    [HP: 27/30]


    Even though the skeleton''s mace attack seemed to lack much strength, Marcus was still weak to blunt damage, so even a simple hit like that nearly destroyed his arm and took away 10% of his HP.


    ''Humm... I think I can fix that if I add more stat points in vitality. Now... How should I distribute them?''


    The number of points Marcus could get was limited. Also, since skeletons have no organs or muscles, they could not increase their stats through training like living beings. So he would have to choose very carefully how he would distribute them.


    So after a while, he decided to try putting two points into intelligence.


    Marcus'' current intelligence was at 0 as was his MP. If this system worked just like fantasy novels, intelligence represented an individual''s magical potential.


    So if he could increase his intelligence stat he could gain MP and hopefully gain magic-related skills. But when I try to place the points for the stats...


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform this function}


    This did not surprise Marcus in the least. As a common skeleton, the likelihood that he could use magic was very low. After all, he was just a weak monster and probably couldn''t acquire mana until he had reached a higher level or achieved a specific skill. So he decided to increase his other stats.


    But what happened next almost made his mandible drop to the floor. He tried to distribute his points in strength when...


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform this function}


    Marcus was very surprised by this. He thought it might be a bug in the workings of the system and tried to increase his other stats. But...


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform this function}


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform this function.}


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform this function.}


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform this function.}


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform...


    {ERROR, the user does not...


    {ERROR¡­


    After trying to distribute his stat points for about 10 minutes, Marcus had only managed to increase his Wisdom by 2 points. But since he wasn''t sure what function this had, he decided to leave it at that.


    How Marcus managed to increase his wisdom, it was clear that it was not a system error.


    After thinking about it for a while, Marcus came to two possible conclusions as to why his system was not working properly.


    The first was that this was the work of some unknown being interfering with the system''s functions. But since he had no proof and could still increase his wisdom and gain skills, he dismissed this option.


    The second possibility had to do with his racial change.


    ''As a skeleton, I have no muscles or organs, so I can''t increase my physical stats, I also can''t increase my MP because I have no magic potential and I can''t recover the HP I lost''


    Since there was nothing he could do to fix this, Marcus just lay down and "watched" the ceiling of the cave.


    But one thing was for sure.. He was a weak skeleton with a useless system, by definition, he was useless.

 Chapter 3 - Undead Killer

    Marcus put the battle mace on the ground, took out a rock from his inventory, and aimed at the skeleton''s head.


    *Whoosh... Crack!*


    The rock traced a curved arc in the air for 8 meters(26ft) and then ended up embedded in the forehead of the target. The skeleton staggered and Marcus didn''t miss the opportunity. He grabbed the mace and ran straight at the skeleton.


    He was ready to hit it in the ribcage, but the skeleton was faster and blocked the attack with his rusty sword.


    *CLANG!!! Crack!*


    Both weapons clashed, but only a moment later the skeleton''s old rusty sword broke in two caused by the impact. Instantly Marcus swung the mace in an upward swing aimed at the skeleton''s mandible.


    *Crack!*


    The blow shattered the skeleton''s jaw causing it to stagger, just long enough for Marcus to deliver another left blow to the skeleton''s head.


    *Crack Crash*


    The mace hit the skeleton''s skull destroying it into pieces. Consequently, the skeleton''s body, now headless, collapsed, scattering bones all over the floor.


    ...


    {You gained 5 xp}


    ...


    {Skill [Throwing] leveled up}


    ...


    ''Seems like it was a little easier this time than the last one. I think I''m finally getting the hang of it, but¡­''


    Marcus opened his status.


    ================================


    Name: Marcus Edevane.


    Race: Undead


    Species: Common skeleton


    Rank: 0.5


    Level: 4 (145/280 XP)


    ================================


    HP: 22/30


    MP: 0/0


    Strength: 9 Stamina: max


    Defense: 7(+10) Intelligence: 0


    Vitality: 3 Wisdom: 27


    Agility: 10 (-1)


    Stats points: 29


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Poison Immunity][NecroticImmunity]


    [Disease Immunity][Cold Immunity]


    [Dark Resistance lv:1] [Evil Resistance lv:2]


    [Primary Sense lv:1] [Inventory lv:1]


    [Melee combat nv:1] [Throwing nv:2]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Blunt damage lv:8][Solar/light damage lv:10]


    [Magic damage lv:4][Aura damage lv:4]


    [Spiritual Damage lv:10][Fire Damage lv:9]


    [Sacred Damage lv: Max]}


    ================================


    ''Sigh... I still have a long way to go. It seemed so much easier in the novels.''.


    It had been 10 days since Marcus'' reincarnation in this new world and since then he had faced over 70 undead.


    At first, Marcus simply wanted to give up. After all, if he couldn''t increase his physical stats and couldn''t recover his HP, there was no chance he would make it out of the cave alive.


    From Marcus'' point of view, it looked like he had started a game on hard mode and suddenly the difficulty went to hell mode and he was barely at the tutorial stage!!


    But it wasn''t like he could just sit there and do nothing. If he did that it would be like despising the second chance he had been given. Besides, he still wasn''t sure what the ''''upgrade'''' Edward gave him was, so maybe he still had a chance of surviving.


    So after a while, he started to think about what other alternatives he had to survive and get stronger.


    Marcus wasn''t exactly the smartest person in the world, but he was someone capable of learning from his own mistakes and finding a solution to problems.


    The first thing he had to do was to find out why his surprise attack with the first skeleton didn''t work. He thought about it for quite a while until he finally came up with the answer.


    What had happened was that, like him, the skeletons lacked the cognitive senses that living beings normally have and instead had the ability [Primary Sense]. But because he was so anxious to find a way out of the cave, it had never crossed his mind that the skeleton had that ability.


    [Primary Sense] was different from vision or any other sense, the ability allowed the user to detect anything within a certain range (in Marcus'' case only a radius of 5 meters) which meant that as long as his opponent had this ability it would be impossible to attack without being noticed.


    The only solution Marcus could think of was to take advantage of the skeletons'' weakness to blunt damage by throwing rocks at them to hurt or confuse his opponents and then finish them off with a blunt blow.


    As for how to get stronger there were only two options. Get more combat-related skills or find the equipment he could use.


    So, Marcus spent the next 10 days using the same hunting strategy. Weaken the enemy by attacking from a distance and then close in to deliver the final blow with the battle mace.


    This strategy had proven to be incredibly effective and after several days he gained the skill [Throwing], which improved his aim and it seemed that the objects he threw reached a higher velocity with less force.


    Also, his [Primary Sense] skill went up a level and he could now detect things within a 10-meter radius, which gave him a greater advantage when attacking from a distance.


    As for equipment, he had only been able to get a somewhat rusty steel breastplate, and an old slightly dented helmet that covered the top of his skull.


    Thanks to this, Marcus'' defense went up to a total of 17 points, but he lost a bit of agility. He had found more pieces of armor and weapons, but they were all in such bad shape that they were not worth using.


    With this, he was able to adapt much better and avoid sustaining fatal injuries.


    As for the broken arm, Marcus took one of the bones from a skeleton, along with some worn-out cloth that it wore, and tied it to his arm as a support.


    After checking its condition, Marcus bent down to pick up something the sword-wielding skeleton had on its arm.


    ''A metal glove in good condition! With this, I can finally solve the problem of my bony hands.''


    Another problem Marcus had been having was his hands. As a skeleton, he no longer had flesh on the palms of his hands and this meant that he couldn''t grip his weapon properly when fighting.


    He had been able to solve this problem by tying up some cloth around his palms to improve his grip, although it only partially worked. But now that he had a glove, the problem was solved.


    Marcus took the glove, shook it a bit to get out the bones that remained inside, and put it on. Immediately his defense went up another two points, bringing his total to 19.


    ****


    Marcus continued walking through the cave for a couple of hours until he finally stumbled upon a small, very dilapidated hut.


    ''Humm... This is already the fourth hut I''ve found. Does this mean there was some kind of subway town or city in the past?''


    When Marcus found the first hut a week ago he thought he had finally made it out of the cave he was in. But then he was surprised to realize that he still hadn''t surfaced.


    Although [Primary Sense] was useful, it was still inferior to sight or other senses, as it lacked range and also could not distinguish colors or textures. Using it was practically like trying to see through the fog. For this reason, Marcus had not realized the true size of the cave he was in.


    The size of the cave was colossal and the large number of tunnels made the whole place look like a huge subterranean maze.


    Marcus went on high alert. The three previous times the huts he had encountered were empty, but he couldn''t afford to let his guard down. One mistake and he could be severely injured or killed.


    In his right hand, he held his weapon, prepared for whatever might come out of it. Then he grabbed the door handle and slowly pulled it open.


    *Creack*


    "Grrrr?"


    "Aaarrr"


    "Rroo"


    ''This, I seem to have the wrong house... Sorry for the inconvenience...''


    Marcus closed the door as fast as he could and started to run. Behind him, the walls of the hut collapsed as a horde of humanoid creatures rammed them intending to chase him.


    ''SH*T, SH*T, SH*T! WHY WERE THERE SO MANY ZOMBIES?!''


    In the first few days of Marcus'' aimless wandering he had only encountered skeletons, but that didn''t mean they were the only undead in the area.


    He had already crossed paths with a zombie once and learned two things that (besides having rotting flesh on their bodies) set them apart from skeletons.


    Zombies instead of having the [Primary Sense] like skeletons, had the five senses of when they were alive although more impaired. The other major difference was, zombies were a little slower than skeletons but had greater vitality and defenses.


    When Marcus encountered one the first time, he tried to use the tactic of attacking from a distance. Not only had the rocks not worked, but the zombie had detected him. He then tried a melee battle, but the mace didn''t seem to do much damage.


    After that Marcus ran away, planned how to defeat the zombie, and came up with the idea of trying a sneak attack. Later, when he met the zombie again, he hit it hard in the head killing it instantly.


    Marcus was sure he could beat a zombie in a 1vs1 as long as he was careful of the attacks and aimed for the head. But this time there were too many of them and it was more than he could chew.


    Fortunately, Marcus was a bit faster and was able to keep a good distance from his pursuers. The problem was that the zombies didn''t seem to give up and probably, with their unlimited stamina, wouldn''t do so until they lost sight of their prey. Therefore, the only option left was to run until they were out of sight.


    But after running for quite some time, [Primary Sense] spotted a huge crack ahead on the path that seemed to be more than 5 meters wide. Without much thought, Marcus ran towards the crack and jumped as far as he could...


    Although he crashed into the edge on the other side of the crevice, he managed to cross it and used all his strength to avoid falling into the abyss, he was finally able to climb up to the other side.


    A few seconds later his pursuers caught up with him, Marcus was ready to run again, but then the zombies, who hadn''t slowed down, fell to the bottom of the cliff.


    "GRRRrrrrr...!"


    "AAARRRrrrrr...!"


    *THUD! SPLAT! THUD! SPLAT!*


    As they fell, the sound produced by the screams of the zombies, which spread throughout the cave, slowly faded to nothing, followed by the sound of something crashing as it mashed itself to mush. Of course, Marcus couldn''t hear any of this.


    Finally, when all the zombies fell, Marcus lay down on the ground to get some rest. But at that moment the system flooded him with notifications.


    ...


    {You gained 150 XP}


    ...


    {You leveled up}


    ...


    {You gained 12 stat points}


    ...


    {Skill [Primary Sense] leveled up}


    ...


    ''Did that count as killing them?! But those guys did commit suicide...literally!''


    Even though Marcus hadn''t killed them directly, he still received a huge amount of experience, but even if it seemed a bit strange, he wasn''t going to complain about this. After all, he almost died, but the risk was worth it and he managed to go up a level and his skill had improved a lot.


    But just when Marcus thought it was all over, the system gave him a few last notifications.


    ...


    {User has killed a large number of undead monsters in a short time}


    ...


    {The Conditions have been met}


    ...


    {You have obtained the title [Undead Killer]}


    ...


    {Undead Killer: Attacks against undead enemies is increased by 10%}


    ....


    ''Did I get a title too?!''

 Chapter 4 - The Village

    The house, like all the others, was one floor. The ground was dirt and there were three rooms, which meant that, despite its small size, it had enough space for a family of four to fit comfortably.


    But it was now so deteriorated that no one could live in it. The few remaining pieces of furniture were almost destroyed, the wooden ceiling had holes all over it, and of the interior walls, only a few pillars remained to keep the house from collapsing.


    In the main room, a skeleton dressed in a few pieces of poorly maintained armor was sitting and waving his arms while looking at a dusty human skull. If anyone else saw this scene, it would look like they were having some sort of conversation.


    ''You know Willson... in fantasy stories when someone reincarnates or is summoned to another world they usually receive cheat abilities, are born the heir to a rich family, and then make a harem with pretty girls. But instead, I received a useless system and also lost all chances of getting a girlfriend!''


    "..."


    ''I know it sounds like a bad joke. The goal was supposed to be not to die a virgin, not to live eternally a virgin!!''


    "..."


    ''HEY!.... It''s not all about sex. You know sometimes one just wants a little company. But ever since I came into this world it seems like I''m trapped in a B horror movie!''


    "..."


    ''Pff, hahaha... Let me tell you Willson that despite my looks I''m quite the romantic!''


    ****


    It had been almost a month since Marcus transmigrated from the Earth.


    After getting the title [Undead Killer], Marcus continued to roam the cave and kill skeletons. Although he wasn''t sure what the logic behind the system was, the effect of the title had proven to have some efficiency.


    Sometime later, Marcus had found a passageway with a sort of ramp that spiraled downward. This was connected to a tunnel about 40 meters(137ft) long which led to the entrance of a village.


    Marcus was very surprised by this.


    The more time passed, the stranger it all became. How big was the place where he was? Who built this town? Why did everyone become undead? Did his arrival in this world have any relation to this?


    All these questions were just piling up and since Marcus couldn''t find an answer, he decided to put these thoughts aside to go deeper into the town.


    At first, the place seemed to be abandoned, the streets were empty, the houses had holes in them and there were even some that were missing walls or had long since collapsed, and the makeshift log wall that surrounded the town was also destroyed.


    As Marcus walked through this ghost town, more and more questions were forming in his non-existent brain. How did the town collapse? Was it because of a war or a monster attack? How long had this place been abandoned?


    But strangest of all was that even though the town was so dilapidated, none of the wooden structures showed any signs of putrefaction.


    If the wood was so old, it would normally have some fungus on it, it would have been degraded by the passage of time, or it would have been fossilized. But this one seemed to be in a strange state of preservation and decay that could not be explained.


    But something brought Marcus out of his thoughts.


    When Marcus reached the main square, something tripped him up. At that moment multiple houses started to collapse one after another, followed by a "rain" of rocks. And as if that wasn''t enough, multiple zombies started to come out of the ground! It looked like I was in the middle of an end of the world scenario.


    Marcus got up and started running in the direction of the tunnel. But when he got there, it was blocked by a pile of rocks. Then he finally understood what was happening.


    It wasn''t that the town was abandoned, it just turned out that all its inhabitants had died and turned into zombies, but were "asleep" underground. Until a few moments ago, when they were awakened by an earthquake.


    Unable to escape from there, Marcus chose to hide in a house that, compared to the others, was still in good condition.


    ****


    Since then, Marcus had been "living" in the village without any possibility of escaping. Nor was he able to make any progress in finding a way out or leveling up.


    The skeletons were beings very similar to a video game mob that only moved in a certain area and did not attack unless Marcus attacked them first. He could even walk next to them and they didn''t even react. But zombies were very different.


    Unlike skeletons, zombies attacked anything that moved (except other zombies). They also almost always moved in groups, which made it more difficult to hunt them down.


    Occasionally, Marcus would come out of hiding to try to kill some lone zombie that was unsuspecting, but he was never successful because the noise always attracted others.


    So, after two weeks of hiding and running, the skill [Primary Sense] was raised to level 8 reaching a range of 640 meters(0.39 miles) radius. In addition, Marcus gained his second title.


    {Light-footed coward: When running away from a fight, agility is tripled until the enemy loses sight of you}


    Although it seemed more of an insult than a title, it was thanks to this title that Marcus was able to survive for all that time.


    "....."


    ''You''re right, I can''t stay here forever. But there''s no way I can hunt a zombie without attracting the attention of the rest!''


    Except for the few times he ventured into the streets of the town, Marcus spent most of his time in his hideout. To keep himself from getting bored, he had found an old human skull and kept having conversations with himself. If anyone else saw him, they would probably think he was crazy, but to him, it was like role-playing, and, in a way, it distracted him from the problems.


    "...."


    ''Wait... Actually that... Sounds like a good plan.OK, let''s try it!''


    ****


    In an alleyway in town, a zombie shuffled its feet lazily as it walked aimlessly. Since there were no other beings to hunt besides his kind, he had no choice but to follow his instinct and continue wandering around the area.


    *Clank!*


    "Grrrrr?"


    Something had hit his helmet, he turned around only to find a skeleton with some worn pieces of armor.


    "Raaaag!"


    Wasting no time, he began to chase after the skeleton. They made several twists and turns through the alleys of the village until they finally entered one of the houses.


    *Bam!*


    As the zombie entered the house he received a heavy blow that ended up shattering his rotting face and he fell backward to the ground. The armored skeleton didn''t waste the opportunity and continued punching the zombie until its skull turned to mush.


    ...


    {You gained 35 xp}


    ...


    ''OH, this one gave me more experience than all the other undead I''ve killed so far!... Could it be because its level was higher?''


    Marcus was very satisfied with the result. After two weeks of being trapped in the village, he finally managed to make some progress.


    The plan he had devised consisted of attracting the zombies roaming the alleys. These were the width of two people, so not many could enter at once. He would then lure them to a house and kill them by making as little noise as possible.


    Marcus'' biggest problem so far was that the " villagers" always went in groups, but the second problem was that, for some unknown reason, all the zombies in the village had armor.


    This only made things more problematic. Since the zombies had armor they were more resistant to Marcus'' blows, causing his attacks to miss and the sound would attract others.


    But if he set up an ambush he would have a better chance of success and the walls of the house would muffle the sound of the blows.


    Or that was the idea...


    As Marcus was about to inspect the corpse to see if he could find anything useful, a rotting hand came through the outer wall. Then multiple hands and heads started tearing the house apart trying to get inside.


    ''I screwed up...!!!''


    Marcus left the corpse and started to run. More and more zombies began to fill the alleys blocking any possible escape route. Finally, he had no choice but to take to the main streets of the town.


    Thanks to the effect of [Light-footed Coward] Marcus was able to keep a safe distance, but soon he was being chased by hundreds or maybe thousands of undead.


    But when he reached the central square of the town, Marcus spotted a house that was larger than the rest and unlike the other houses in the town seemed to be made of stone. It was probably the mayor''s house or the town hall.


    Without thinking Marcus began to climb the town hall using the holes in the wall until he reached the roof.


    The situation didn''t look good, the building had three floors and they were all made of rock, but the doors and windows were made of wood. At the rate things were going it wouldn''t take long for the zombies to shatter them and get to the roof.


    ''I never thought my second death would be this way... But if I''m going to die again, this time I''m going to do it in the most epic way possible!''


    In just a few minutes the zombies broke down the door and started to enter the town hall. Marcus pulled out his battle mace and was ready to fight, when suddenly...


    "Groooowl!"


    *BAM!*


    ''HOLY SH*T!''


    The front door, along with almost the entire second-floor wall collapsed and a giant worm came out of the building.


    The worm''s body appeared to be 2 meters(6ft) wide and over 10 meters(38.8ft) long! Then, nine other smaller worms ''but as big as an average grown man'' came out and all rushed at the zombie horde.


    ****


    Marcus was dumbfounded. Even all the battles he had read about in books or watched in movies and TV series on earth could not compare to the scene that had taken place just moments before.


    The battle had lasted almost an hour. Both sides were virtually evenly matched, the worms were superior in terms of individual strength, but outnumbered by a ratio of 1:100.


    The larger worm was furious and every time it moved its gigantic body dozens of zombies were crushed and turned into chunks of meat. On the other hand, the zombies could only bite and claw at the worm''s body, but could not do much damage to it.


    The smaller worms swooped down and closed their mouths filled with circular rows of sharp teeth on the heads of the undead, crushing them as if they were a rotten watermelon.


    Half an hour later, the zombies had lost almost 60% of their "soldiers", but of the smaller worms, only four remained. As for the larger worm, it was full of wounds and cuts all over its body.


    Something that surprised Marcus was the fact that in the zombie army there were some capable of using weapons and, even if they were not the best, they could penetrate and cut the worm''s flesh.


    The battle continued for another thirty minutes. The larger worm had thrown blows with its huge tail and had chewed through a large number of enemies, but finally died from the large number of cuts caused by the "elites" of the undead.


    Of the zombies, only a few remained, but they no longer posed a threat because they all had broken legs or arms. As for the lesser worms, only one remained and he was on the verge of death.


    Marcus was "watching" this incredible battle the whole time from the roof where he was. Surprisingly, even after the confrontation between these two "armies" of monsters, the town hall had not collapsed yet.


    Marcus was very relieved. Regardless of who would win the confrontation, he could be next and he didn''t have the strength to survive. To his luck, the confrontation had resulted in victory for the dead, but they no longer posed a threat.


    But even though Marcus was alive, instead of being happy about the outcome, he only felt weak and powerless. Even after almost a month of coming to this world, he had not made much progress.


    After all this time, he was still useless.

 Chapter 5 - Kill A Wizard

    "Grrrraaa!"


    *Slash!... Pack*.


    The head of the last remaining zombie in the village was cut off and fell to the ground, and a dark green liquid began to pour out of the severed neck.


    ...


    {You gained 35 xp}


    ...


    {You leveled up}


    ...


    {You gained 12 stat points}


    ...


    After the battle was over, Marcus climbed down from the roof where he was and started killing the few remaining zombies. These guys no longer posed a threat to him. Most of them could no longer fight and the rest were distracted by eating the corpse of the larger worm.


    Finally, Marcus approached the lesser worm that was in agony and plunged his sword into its head, ending its suffering.


    ...


    {The user has defeated a [Necrophagous Worm] for the first time, 93 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ...


    {You gained 934 xp}


    ...


    {You leveled up}


    ...


    {You gained 12 stat points}


    ...


    Marcus couldn''t believe that he spent over two weeks stuck in the village unable to progress, and today in just two hours he had gained over 1,400 exp, managing to level up to level 7 almost level 8!


    This only made it more obvious how weak and useless he was. If it wasn''t for the fact that he probably used all the good luck he had left from his previous life, he would be dead by now.


    After having slain all the remaining enemies, Marcus decided to survey the battlefield to see what benefits he could reap. Currently, his equipment consisted of a few pieces of armor, the battle mace he got from the first skeleton he defeated, and a somewhat sharp sword he picked up from the ground after the battle.


    But this equipment was of very poor quality and at the rate, things were going Marcus would need to change his weaponry if he wanted to have a better chance of survival.


    After more than three hours of searching, Marcus only managed to find two more swords with their respective scabbards. But he decided to discard them because neither seemed to be sharp enough to cut anything.


    Marcus was disappointed, he had hoped that with so many corpses of soldiers he could get better equipment. But all the pieces of armor and weapons had been destroyed by the worms.


    Unable to find anything else that would be of use to him, Marcus opted to enter the only place he had not yet checked, the town hall.


    When he entered, he noticed that both the entrance floor and the upper floors had been destroyed. It turned out that when the negrophage worms chose the building as their nest, in the process almost reducing the place to rubble, how it was still standing was a mystery.


    Marcus carefully walked along the few wooden planks that remained around the edges and proceeded down into what was once the basement.


    Originally the basement was a bit smaller, but the worms seemed to have "remodeled" it to suit their needs. In one of the walls was a huge circular hole nearly 2.5 meters (9ft) long, it was obviously where the worms had entered.


    Marcus was inspecting the basement in search of any object that could be of use to him. But after several minutes, he couldn''t find anything.


    Finally, just as he was about to give up, he found a metal hatch under a pile of rubble in a corner of the basement. To his surprise, it was open.


    Marcus pondered for a moment before deciding. On the one hand, he could venture down the tunnel made by the necrophagous worms or he could climb down the ladder from the hatch.


    For a moment, Marcus remembered that major necrophagous worm and how terrifyingly powerful it was. Even if he only encountered one of the little guys, it was certain he couldn''t beat them.


    Half a second later, Marcus was climbing down the ladder...


    ****


    The ladder was incredibly long. Marcus estimated that he had descended about 200 meters (656ft) until he finally reached the bottom. The further he went down the cave, the deeper he got.


    ''If I remember correctly... On Earth, the deepest depth that humans have ever gone was over 40,000 ft (12,000 m). But this place seems much deeper than that.''


    Marcus found himself in a small square room in which there was only a thick steel door. Fully prepared he grabbed the door handle and slowly opened it.


    It turned out that behind it was a long corridor.


    Thanks to [Primal Sense] Marcus could tell that the corridor was no more than 50 meters(164 ft) long and the width of six people, as well as possessing a total of 21 doors, 10 on each side and one at the end.


    Marcus began to walk down the corridor and also decided to check each of the doors. The doors appeared to be made of wood, each leading to a small single room.


    The rooms were all the same, a single-sized bed, a medium-sized closet, and a chest at the foot of the bed. Surprisingly, most of the chests were full!


    After going through all the rooms, Marcus got a total of 200 coins of different shapes and sizes, 13 swords in perfect condition, 2 triangular shields made of metal, a ring, several pieces of armor including 5 helmets, some pairs of gloves, and boots, chain mail and steel breastplates.


    Seeing this, Marcus was more than satisfied and proceeded to equip himself with the best things he could find. With this, his defense went from 19 to 53 (although his agility was reduced to 5).


    But the best thing he had found was the ring. At first, it didn''t seem very useful, but when Marcus tried it on, his agility went from 10(-5) to 10(+5).


    Marcus was very excited. He had finally gotten his first magic item. At first, he thought that, after miraculously surviving the incredible battle that took place a few hours before, he had used up all his luck, but after seeing the results of this "harvest" it seemed that he still had some left.


    Once he finished checking all the rooms, Marcus wrapped all the weapons and armor in two sheets and then stored them in the [inventory].


    The [inventory] only had nine storage spaces, and no matter how identical or similar the items were, they could not be stacked in the same storage space. But in the two weeks that Marcus was "living" in the village he took the opportunity to experiment with the capabilities of his ability.


    He then discovered that if he kept similar objects in a bag, the [inventory] would take it as a single object. Technically he had found a bug in the skill.


    Currently, Marcus'' [inventory] contained a bag of armor, a bag of coins, another bag of weapons, a shield, a sword, and Willson. That meant he still had 3 more slots left.


    When Marcus finished equipping himself and confirming that everything was in order, he proceeded to open the last door he had not yet checked.


    This time Marcus was a bit calmer, he was wearing full armor, a sword at his waist, a shield on his right arm, and carried his trusty battle mace on the other.


    *Creack*


    When Marcus opened the door he found a huge square room. This room didn''t have any particularly interesting features, other than the fact that it had a door on each of its walls.


    But then, Marcus focused his attention on the figure sitting in the middle of the room.


    It was a skeleton, this one was dressed in a somewhat worn tunic that had a huge hole in the back and torn cloth pants. He was also carrying some sort of rectangular leather bag slung over his right shoulder.


    When the skeleton realized that Marcus was there, it stood up but did nothing else.


    Marcus was fully alert, even though the robed skeleton didn''t look like a threat, he didn''t dare let his guard down. For some reason, his instincts told him that, except for the larger worm, this guy was the strongest monster he had ever encountered.


    In that case, it would be best to avoid a confrontation, so he slowly made his way to the door on the left side of the room. After all, the skeleton would only attack if he attacked first... Or that was the logic with the other skeletons.


    When Marcus was only a few meters away from the door, the skeleton raised his right arm, and a sphere of energy shot out of his hand.


    *Bang!*


    Marcus was able to react in time, managing to block the attack with his shield, but he was pushed back by the force of the impact and crashed into the wall.


    ''Son of a... It''s a f**king skeleton mage!''Marcus was very shocked. After all, this was his first encounter with a magic user since coming to this world.


    Even if it was a skeleton, just by being able to use magic, the skeleton mage was on another level compared to ordinary skeletons like Marcus.


    Truth be told, the situation didn''t look good.


    Marcus had managed to block the attack, but still lost 5 HP points, and the shield had been almost destroyed.


    Moreover, Marcus still had the weakness of [Magic Damage], if he happened to receive a direct hit from that energy projectile, he was done for.


    *Bang!... Boom!*


    The skeleton mage raised his arm again and aimed at where Marcus was.


    Marcus took off his shield and threw it at the skeleton mage, but it was destroyed when it hit the energy projectile. Without wasting another second, Marcus stood up and started running around the room while dodging the skeleton mage''s energy attacks.


    *Bang!..Bang!..Bang!..Bang!*


    ....


    {Conditions have been met.}


    ....


    {The effect of the title [Light-footed coward] has been activated.}


    ....


    ''Nice timing, system!'' Marcus smiled inwardly.


    At that moment, the effect of the title [Light-footed Coward] activated and Marcus'' agility went from 10(+5) to 30(+5) and he was now as fast as an Olympic athlete.


    ''If I try to escape the way I came I might get hit in the back. I can''t attack either because his projectiles are so fast.''


    With his options so limited, the only plan Marcus could come up with was to evade the skeleton mage''s attacks until he ran out of MP. It wasn''t the best plan but at least it was something.


    Fortunately, Marcus had unlimited stamina.


    *Bang!..Bang!..Bang!..Bang!*


    Several minutes passed and in that time the skeleton mage had launched more than 90 energy projectiles. As a result, the walls of the room were full of cracks, holes, and gaps.


    Marcus sensed that it wouldn''t be long until the skeleton would run out of MP, he just had to hold on a little longer.


    ....


    {An error has been detected in the system.}


    ....


    {The effect of the title [Light-footed coward] has been disabled.}


    ....


    ''What?!!''


    But at that moment, Marcus'' title ceased to have any effect and he was hit by a shockwave caused by an energy projectile and fell to the ground.


    Originally Marcus'' title only activated when running away from an enemy, but he had been running around the room avoiding the skeleton mage''s attacks.


    Although the title effect was activated at first, it was because of a bug. When the system detected that Marcus wasn''t really running away and was just running in circles, the ability was canceled.


    *Bang!... boom!*


    Marcus rolled on the ground avoiding another energy projectile, stood up, unsheathed his sword, and charged towards the skeleton mage.


    Marcus was aware that, without the effects of the title, it would be impossible for him to dodge another attack, and he only had 13 HP left. So he decided to risk everything in a last desperate attack. It was all or nothing.


    *Bang!*


    The skeleton mage raised his hand and fired again. The projectile shattered Marcus'' left arm and almost made him fall. But he hit the ground with all the power his 9 points of strength could give him and managed to get a few centimeters away from the skeleton image.


    *SLASH!*


    The sword made a diagonal cut damaging the skeleton''s rib cage and knocking him to the ground in the process. Marcus lunged at the skeleton mage and began punching him in the skull with all his might.


    *CRACK! SNAP! CRACK!*


    With each blow Marcus delivered, the skeleton mage''s skull cracked more and more. Until finally, it cracked into pieces and stopped moving.


    Marcus was mentally exhausted, so after defeating the skeleton mage he lay down on the ground.


    ''Haaaa... I think I''m having deja vu.''


    The scene reminded Marcus of the day he arrived in this world and had his first fight with a common skeleton. Although it had only been a little over a month, to Marcus it felt like years had passed.


    ''Looks like I''m not so useless after all. But I guess this is game over for me.''


    Marcus'' HP was at 5, he had almost every bone cracked or fractured and was missing an arm. He clearly couldn''t fight again.


    But he didn''t care anymore, after all, he never had much of a chance of surviving. But at least he had finally been able to overcome his limits and defeat an enemy much stronger than he was.


    Seconds later, the system flooded him with messages.

 Chapter 6 - The Upgrade

    Ding!


    ....


    {The user has defeated a [Skeleton Mage] for the first time, 375 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You gained 3,750 xp}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 36 stat points}


    ....


    Marcus didn''t even bother to read the system messages. He knew he would gain a great deal of experience just for slaying the Skeleton Mage, but leveling up and stat points would do him no good.


    He had almost no HP left and no way to get it back. Besides, his left arm, his battle mace, and the magic ring (which didn''t even last twenty minutes) were destroyed by the Skeleton Mage''s last attack.


    Ding!


    ...


    {The user has reached level 10}


    ...


    {The conditions have been meet}


    ...


    {List of available evolutions}


    ===========================


    1) [Skeleton Soldier]


    2) [Skeleton Mage]


    3) [Large Skeleton]


    4) [Skeleton Stalker]


    5) [Magic Skeleton Soldier]


    ===========================


    ...


    ''Eeeh?!... Evolution List?!... I forgot about it!''


    Normally in the fantasy novels that Marcus read on Earth, monsters could evolve as long as they met the requirements. And the undead could do so as well.


    Marcus had forgotten about this due to his inability to increase his stats and all the events of the last month. But now that he could see the list he was much more relaxed, maybe he still had a chance to survive.


    Marcus spent almost 20 minutes looking at the options before finally making a decision. He had to choose wisely as once the decision was made there would be no turning back.


    ''I chose option 5 [Magic Skeleton Soldier]!''


    Marcus had ruled out options 1 and 3 as they seemed to be the weakest and option 4 had many disadvantages. As for option 2, it was incredibly powerful, but it was useless if he ran out of MP.


    For these reasons, he chose option 5 as he could attack from a distance and was proficient in close combat.


    ....


    {Selection confirmed}


    ....


    {Starting Evolution}


    ....


    {Resetting user status}


    ....


    {User obtained the skill [Sword Technique]}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill [Energy Magic]}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill [Necrotic Manipulation]}


    ....


    {The skill [Melee Combat] leveled up]}


    ....


    {The skill [Primary Sense] leveled up}


    {The skill [Primary Sense] leveled up}


    ....


    {User status completed}


    ================================


    Name: Marcus Edevane.


    Titles: [Undead killer]; [Light-footed Coward].


    Race: Undead


    Species: Magic Skeleton Soldier


    Rank: 2


    Level: 10 (40/2520 exp)


    ================================


    HP: 250/250


    MP: 491/491


    Strength: 20 Stamina: max


    Defense: 17(+47) Intelligence: 49


    Vitality: 25 Wisdom: 27


    Agility: 19 (-4)


    Stats points: 0


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Poison Immunity][Necrotic Immunity]


    [Disease immunity][Cold immunity]


    [Dark Resistance lv:2][Evil Resistance lv:2]


    [Primary Sense lv:10][Inventory lv:3]


    [Melee combat lv:2][Throwing lv:2]


    [Sword Technique lv:1][Energy Magic lv:1]


    [Necrotic Manipulation]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Blunt damage nv:7][Solar/light damage lv:9]


    [Aura Damage lv:3][Spiritual Damage lv:9]


    [Fire Damage lv:8][Sacred Damage lv: Max]}


    ================================


    It took Marcus a good amount of time to process all the information. When he was done, he was more than impressed by the results. He then removed his armor to appreciate the changes his body underwent as he evolved.


    As a skeleton, Marcus was 1.65 m(5.4ft) tall, but he had suddenly grown to 1.85 m(6ft). His bones became a little more robust and his left arm was regenerated.


    But the most noticeable physical change was his bony hands. Now his hands were made up of small bony plates that formed a palm and his fingers were a bit more robust and pointed at the ends. But his physique was not the only thing that changed.


    When Marcus evolved, all his unused stat points were automatically distributed. He also gained many abilities, others leveled up and except for [Sacred Damage] all his weaknesses dropped a couple of levels. And [Magic Damage] was gone!


    But before checking his new abilities, Marcus opted to check what the Skeleton Mage brought in the bag. When he opened it, he found a small ancient book and a necklace with what appeared to be a huge gem.


    Since Marcus was blind he couldn''t read the book, so he decided to put it aside and started checking the necklace. But the moment he picked it up, he received a notification from the system.


    ....


    {The artifact [Eye of Arragas] is compatible with the system}


    ....


    {System upgrade is possible}


    ....


    {Do you want to upgrade the system?}


    {Yes/No}


    ....


    ''Edward!!.... So you didn''t lie after all. I''m sorry I doubted you!''


    Marcus had lost all hope in "Edward''s Gift" because he never knew how to use it, to the point that he thought that the upgrade didn''t exist and that Edward only said it to motivate him. But now he was sure that this was the upgrade he was talking about.


    Without hesitation, Marcus chose to upgrade the system.


    Immediately, the necklace began to glow and turn into particles of light that vanished into thin air.


    ....


    {Update in progress}


    ....


    {[Primary Sense nv:10] ? [Energy Sense lv:1]}


    ....


    [The user obtained the skill [Analysis lv:1]}


    ....


    {The user acquired the senses: Sight, Hearing, and Touch.}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill [Night Vision lv: Max]}


    ....


    {Intelligence is increased by 11 points}


    ....


    {Upgrade completed}


    ....


    When the upgrade ended, the [Primary Sense] shut down and Marcus'' entire perspective changed completely. He could now hear every sound in the environment, he could feel the hard, cold concrete floor with his bony feet, and he could see as clear as day even though the room was completely dark.


    ****


    Marcus stood in the corner of the room reading the book that the Skeleton Mage brought in his bag.


    After the upgrade, Marcus had decided to test his new skills and physical abilities now that he had evolved to Magic Skeleton Soldier.


    Thanks to the fact that Marcus'' palms now had no gaps it was much easier to grab objects and swing his sword.


    He had also become much faster and stronger than before. When he was a common skeleton, he was comparable to a slightly weaker than average human, but now he was on the level of an Olympic athlete.


    Although he was still weak by the standards of this world, Marcus felt that the growth of his strength was explosive. And now he could use magic!


    As for his other Skills...


    [Energy Sense] allows the user to detect any being possessing some kind of energy within a certain range. But unlike [Primary Sense], [Energy Sense] required MP to function.


    And [Analysis] allowed Marcus to get information about creatures, objects, people, and all sorts of things. But this ability was limited not only by it''s own level, but also by the user''s level.


    Thanks to all the knowledge Marcus gained from the fantasy stories he read on Earth, he was more than familiar with [Analysis]. So when he learned he had this skill he felt like he had won the lottery.


    Finally, Marcus turned the last page of the book and closed it.


    ''Humm... As I suspected. I can''t read this book''


    Marcus had tried to read the book to see if he could find some information about where he was or anything else about this unknown world. But it turned out that the book was in another language and he couldn''t read it.


    ''Wait a minute... How about... Analyze the language!''


    ...


    {Command confirmed}


    ...


    {Starting language analysis}


    ...


    {Guerrmanic writing detected}


    ...


    {Would you like to learn the language?}


    {Yes/No}


    ...


    ''The book was in German!?... Wait, yes, yes I want to learn the language!''


    At that instant, a large amount of information about an unknown language (which was not German) suddenly entered Marcus'' head. When he finally finished processing all the information, Marcus went back to reading the cover of the book.


    [Introduction to Magic. Vol.1


    ( Pocket edition)]


    ''A magic book? Isn''t this too convenient?!''


    ****


    ....


    {Wisdom increased by 8 points}


    ....


    ''Did my wisdom go up just from reading this book?... In that case, I''ll have to be more attentive and try to find more books like this one.''


    After almost five hours, Marcus finally finished reading the book and now had a greater understanding of how magic worked.


    According to the book, in this world magic is the art of creating or manipulating the elements that are present in nature and using them to suit the needs of the thaumaturge.


    In this world, there was energy called "Rehi", which was present everywhere.


    To use magic, one first had to condense the "Rehi" in the heart and brain by creating ring-shaped layers around it, using different meditation techniques. The "Rehi" accumulated within these rings was known as "Mana".


    The user would then have to use the "Mana" in his body to form a connection with the element present in nature that he wanted to manipulate. These elements could be divided into two groups: primary and secondary.


    The primary elements were fire, water, earth, air, and energy. On the other hand, the secondary elements were derived from the other five.


    Some examples of derived elements were light, darkness, ice, lightning, arboreal, metal, illusion, sound, etc...


    The book also said that there were other types of magic besides elemental magic, such as sacred magic, blood sorcery, elemental sorcery, and a group of forbidden magics called evil arts.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the book only covered the basics of using magic and a little bit of elemental magic. If Marcus wanted to know more about the evil arts and the other types of magic, he would have to find the other volumes.


    Marcus closed the book and put it away in his inventory, then stood up and began to equip himself again. This time he was only carrying a sword in his right hand and left his left arm free to cast spells.


    In addition to reading the book, Marcus had spent the last five hours learning how to use spells and what his MP''s capabilities were.


    Thanks to the book, he learned three element-related spells he could use including the [Energy Missile] he had already seen. So, after almost two hours of practice, Marcus was able to cast the spell correctly.


    ''A single energy missile costs 10 MP. My current mana is 600, so I only have 60 missiles.''


    Once the preparations were finished, Marcus walked towards the door that was on the left side of the room.


    Earlier when Marcus had tried [Energy Sense], he discovered much undead behind the doors that were connected to the room. There were five on the left door and fourteen on the right door.


    Unfortunately, Marcus didn''t know what kind of undead they were, so he opted to open the door with fewer enemies.


    Finally, he stopped three meters from the door, unsheathed his sword with his right hand, raised his left arm, mentally sighed, and...


    ''Energy missile!''


    The energy sphere came out of Marcus'' bony palm and impacted against the hinges of the door.


    *BANG!... THUD!*


    The energy sphere destroyed the hinges and the metal door fell with a thud. In the darkness of the hallway, a figure slowly approached Marcus.


    It was a skeleton, but it was wearing a helmet, chain mail, leather gloves and boots, worn pants, a sword, and a round wooden shield. Marcus immediately used his analysis...


    ================================


    Race: Undead


    Species: Skeleton soldier.


    Rank: 1


    Level: 10


    ================================


    ''Eeh... So a skeleton soldier? Seems to be stronger than regular skeletons or zombies. But it''s weaker than the mage. Energy missile!''


    Certainly, this skeleton soldier was weaker than the skeleton mage that Marcus had previously faced. But that was no reason for him to let his guard down, so he attacked before his opponent could get close.


    *Bang!*


    The skeleton soldier managed to block the attack. But the projectile was too powerful and his shield ended up becoming a pile of splintered wood.


    The skeleton soldier staggered from the power of the attack, but he stood up and tried to run towards Marcus so he could attack. Marcus wasn''t going to give him that chance and fired another energy missile.


    *Bang!*


    The attack hit the skeleton in the chest, destroying his chainmail and ribs in the process. The skeleton recoiled from the impact.


    *Bang!*


    Just as the skeleton was about to try to attack again, an energy missile hit it in the face destroying it on the spot. The Skeleton Soldier''s body (which now had no head) collapsed to the ground.


    ....


    {The user has defeated a [Skeleton Soldier] for the first time, 62 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You gained 625 xp}


    ....


    Although Marcus was impressed with how easily he defeated the skeleton soldier, he didn''t let his guard down.


    Soon more footsteps were heard coming from the corridor and a few moments later there were four more armored skeletons similar to the previous one in the room.

 Chapter 7 - Clearing The Path.

    The four armored skeletons surrounded Marcus. There were two skeletons on his left, one with a long sword and one with a spear.


    While the other two were on his right. One was equipped with metal plate armor along with a huge battle-ax, and the other wielded two short swords.


    Immediately, Marcus used analysis on his opponents.


    ''Three level 10 and one level 15... Looks like this is going to be a little harder than I thought.''


    *Bang! Bang!*


    After what seemed like an eternity, Marcus fired two missiles that hit the skeletons to his right straight in the skull. But then the skeleton soldier to his left charged at him and swung his sword.


    *Clang!*


    Marcus managed to block the attack and both swords clashed with a thunderous sound.


    *Bang!*


    Marcus deflected the skeleton''s sword and fired another energy missile at point-blank range. The skeleton soldier was pushed by the force of the projectile and ended up crashing into the wall.


    Then the spear-wielding skeleton stabbed towards Marcus'' head. But when the tip of the spear was only 5 centimeters from the skull, it hit something hard in the air and bounced off.


    *Crack!*


    The metal tip of the spear fractured on impact.


    At that moment, Marcus grabbed the enemy''s weapon by the end and swung his sword, cutting the spear in half.


    Without his weapon, the skeleton soldier was helpless and could do nothing when his adversary placed his hand on his face and fired another energy missile.


    *Bang!*


    The skeleton''s skull exploded scattering bone splinters through the air and his body eventually collapsed.


    After killing the skeleton, Marcus jumped backward evading the blow of the skeleton''s huge battle-ax to his right.


    *Clash!*


    The ax hit the ground with a deafening noise creating multiple cracks in the ground.


    ''Holy Crap! ....If that thing hits me even once... Even if I use the energy shield I''m dead.''


    Marcus knew that in terms of physical stats he was far inferior to any of the skeleton soldiers and the only reason he could defeat them so easily was that he could use some spells. But if his MP ran out before he could defeat his opponents he would be screwed.


    Marcus checked his mana pool and realized that he only had a little over half of it left.


    Aside from [Energy Missile], Marcus had been using two other energy element spells.


    One was [Energy Shield] which created a barrier that blocked enemy attacks to a certain extent, and the other was [Self-Reinforcement] which enhanced the user''s physical capabilities.


    But unlike [Energy Missile] which had a fixed expenditure, the other two spells consumed MP constantly and although the battle had only started about fifteen seconds ago, they had already consumed over 100 MP.


    Originally the [Energy Shield] was to be activated only before receiving an attack. But since Marcus was a noob as far as magic or combat was concerned, he had no choice but to keep the shield activated at all times.


    Even if Marcus had unlimited stamina, he was dependent on magic to win the fight. If the battle dragged on any longer than necessary, he would run out of MP and would have no choice but to run away again.


    *Bang!*


    Marcus fired another energy missile.


    The skeleton soldier blocked it with his huge ax, recoiling from the impact. But when Marcus was about to fire again, the skeleton using two short swords attacked him.


    The skeleton with two swords and the skeleton with the ax had taken a direct hit from Marcus at the start of the fight that partially shattered their skulls, but even if their heads were cracked or had a hole in them they could still move without any difficulty.


    *Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*


    The swords clashed generating sparks from the friction.


    Marcus was in trouble, the other two skeletons had already recovered from the previous attacks and charged towards him.


    *Clang! Bang!*


    Marcus deflected the skeleton soldier''s attacks and shot him again. The short-sworded skeleton was pushed back and collided with the single-sworded skeleton.


    *Bang! Bang!*


    Two more energy projectiles were fired.


    *Boom!*


    The energy missiles collided at the same time and exploded when they hit both skeletons destroying them and scattering their bones all over the room.


    But at that instant, the last remaining skeleton soldier attacked. Marcus jumped backward to evade the ax blow, but...


    *Crash! Slash!*


    The ax not only destroyed the energy shield as if it was made of glass but also severed Marcus'' left arm which flew to the other side of the room.


    ''YOU''RE KIDDING ME! THAT ARM WASN''T EVEN FIVE HOURS OLD!!!''


    Marcus only had 9 MP left so he could no longer cast another energy missile and could not generate another [Energy Shield] either. As for the [Self-Reinforcement] spell, he could only maintain it for another 30 seconds more.


    In a normal situation, Marcus would run away, wait for his mana to recover, and try again. But right now he was ... Too angry to run away!


    ''You know what... F**K YOU!!''


    Marcus grabbed his sword and threw it with all his might like a boomerang. The sword embedded itself in the ax handle, almost cutting it in two. But the attack was strong enough to make the skeleton soldier stagger.


    Marcus closed his fist, charged towards his opponent, jumped up, and with all his might punched the skeleton soldier in the face.


    *Crack!*


    The blow was so hard that it fractured the skeleton soldier''s skull, making him fall to the ground. The skeleton tried to stand up again, but Marcus grabbed his head and smashed it against the floor destroying it as if it were an old china plate.


    ....


    {You gained 3,751 xp}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 17 stat points}


    ....


    ''Ooh!.... The amount of points increased. Is it because of the evolution or is it because of the update?.... I wonder.''


    Marcus immediately tried to distribute his free stat points, but the result was the same as before. But when he tried to distribute them in intelligence, his MP reached 777.


    As to why this happened, Marcus assumed that since intelligence didn''t count as a physical stat, it could be increased with system points without any problem.


    After a moment, Marcus began to check the corpses of the five skeleton soldiers, but apart from the level 15 skeleton armor, there was nothing worthwhile. The rest of the equipment had been destroyed in the battle.


    Since Marcus found nothing, he decided to try his luck in the corridor where the skeletons had come from.


    The corridor turned out to be the same as before, long, dark, and ten rooms of modest size on each side. The same went for the bedrooms, a single bed, a closet, and a chest at the foot of the bed.


    The result was not the best either.


    After searching for an hour, Marcus had only found a few coins, gems, precious stones, jewelry, and pendants, but none of them were magical or useful for combat.


    Once he finished checking the rooms he put everything he found in the inventory and returned to the largest room.


    Marcus had only three options. Option one, open the door to the right and face fourteen other unknown undead monsters. Open the door opposite and see what he encountered and option three, go back the way he had come and explore the hole made by the necrophagous worms.


    ****


    "...."


    ''Okay Willson, let''s go through the front door.''


    Marcus spent about 10 hours with nothing to do (except talk to Wilson), before finally deciding on option two. Although he had made his decision in less than 20 minutes, he preferred to wait for his MP to fully regenerate before doing anything.


    Marcus could certainly use magic, but he did not know any technique for absorbing rehi from the environment and regaining his Mana. He couldn''t even understand how he was using spells in the first place if that was supposed to require having a heart and a brain to store rehi in.


    "...."


    ''Yeah, I didn''t forget about that, Wilson. Sigh... I hope this works.''


    Marcus was sitting on the floor and in front of him was a skeletal forearm. This was the left forearm that the skeleton soldier had cut off in the fight a few hours ago.


    After he finished looting all the rooms in the place, Marcus had been searching and collecting all the body parts he lost in the fight. Fortunately, the cut was pretty clean and the arm was mostly intact.


    In the hours that Marcus had waited for his MP to fully recover, he had come up with a way to recover the arm and HP he had lost during the previous confrontation.


    When Marcus evolved and gained the ability to use energy element magic, he had also gained the ability [Necrotic Manipulation]. This ability allowed the user to imbue spells with corrupted energy which was the essence of the undead.


    However, since all the monsters Marcus had encountered so far were immune to necrotic energy he never thought of using it.


    But as an undead expert, Marcus remembered that in the fantasy stories he read on Earth, there were necromancer wizards capable of using that negative energy not only to summon and create undead but also to strengthen and even heal them.


    Based on this information, Marcus hoped that by casting [Self-Reinforcement] along with [Necrotic Manipulation] he could regenerate his HP and if he was lucky, maybe he could get his left arm back.


    Marcus took his forearm, placed it where it had been cut, and cast the spell imbued with necrotic energy. Immediately the cracks in the arm began to heal and in less than two minutes it was completely healed.


    Marcus took his left palm and repeated the same process until it was attached to his arm and did the same with all his fingers. All this had taken almost half an hour, but when he was done both his arm and his HP were back to normal.


    Marcus made some movements with his arm to check that it was completely healed. Once that was done, he put Wilson in the inventory, unsheathed his sword, and once he was fully prepared, he opened the door.


    ****


    ''JESUS CHRIST!''


    The door opposite was connected to a long corridor a little wider than the previous ones and at the end of it was a double door made of wood.


    When he got there, Marcus didn''t even have to use his [Energy Sense] to know what was on the other side, as the door was so worn to the point of being full of holes through which the room on the other side could be seen.


    The door was the entrance to what appeared to be some kind of common room or dining room, with some fairly long tables, some simply designed chairs, and other furniture. But the real reason Marcus was impressed was that the place was filled with skeletons.


    Immediately Marcus used his analysis on all the skeletons he could see and was calmed by the realization that they were all between levels 1 and 9, which meant that none of them were superior monsters. Also, only a few of them were armed.


    Marcus took a moment to think about it. His options were to go back and face the fourteen unknown undead or fight a horde of common skeletons.


    Marcus immediately cast [Self-reinforce], pulled another sword from his inventory, kicked in the dining-room door, and charged straight at the skeletons.


    *Slash!*


    Marcus swung his swords and instantly three skeletons were cut in half. The other skeletons noticed his presence and immediately ran to attack him.


    ''Hahaha... Hundreds of you against me alone! It doesn''t seem fair but who the f**k cares?''


    *Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!*


    Marcus continued to slash at anyone who got in his way.


    Bone splinters, fractured skulls, ribs, and broken swords flew across the room as Marcus continued to attack mercilessly.


    Fortunately, the skeletons were free of blood and organs, otherwise, the room would have changed color within minutes of the battle starts.


    ****


    ....


    {You gained 2,688 XP}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 17 stat points.}


    ....


    Twelve minutes later, Marcus'' swords were nearly destroyed, his armor had multiple cuts and dents, and the floor of the room was littered with broken bones and weapons.

 Chapter 8 - Four Doors

    ''All right, all preparations are complete. Okay Wilson, let''s get started!''


    Marcus left the dining room and headed for the room where his most difficult fights had taken place. But now he was much calmer than when he had faced the mage or the skeleton soldiers. After all, this time he had made all the necessary preparations.


    Marcus stopped in front of the door to the left of the room and used his [Energy Sense]. As he expected the fourteen presences he detected last time there.


    Following the process of the other time, he raised his left arm and fired an energy missile that ended up hitting the hinges of the door.


    *Bang!... THUD!*


    The energy sphere destroyed the hinges and the metal door fell forward with a thud.


    "Gyaaakhh!"


    "Kyaaagh!"


    "Grrrr"


    In the corridor on the other side of the door, shouts, grunts, and shrill screams could be heard. Suddenly a humanoid figure rushed out the door trying to pounce on Marcus.


    *Bang!*


    But an energy missile slammed into the creature''s chest sending it back the way it came. Marcus quickly used his analysis.


    ================================


    Race: Undead


    Species: Ghoul.


    Rank: 2


    Level: 13


    ================================


    ''So they were Ghouls... well, we''d better start with the second stage of the plan.''


    The Ghouls Marcus had encountered so far were relatively similar to those in the stories he had read on Earth.


    Their skin was a pale shade of brown and they possessed no noses or ears. Their muscles, though well defined, showed a gaunt appearance and they had a mouth full of sharp teeth from which dripped saliva with paralyzing effects.


    And just like zombies or necrophagous worms, Ghouls attacked any being that was not of their species, so after catching their attention, Marcus began to run back the way he had come.


    Following his instinct, the Ghouls came out of the corridor and began to chase him.


    *Slash*


    But when the first of them reached the dining hall, he was immediately decapitated by a sword that had come flying out of nowhere. The ghouls stopped dead in their tracks for a moment.


    In the center of the room was a huge pile at least 5 meters (16.4 ft) high that almost touched the ceiling, which was made up of furniture and the remains of multiple undead including some zombie corpses and ghouls. At the top of it, there was a skeleton in armor with a sword in his right hand.


    Marcus made a slight movement with his left hand and suddenly dozens of swords, spears, and axes started levitating around him.


    ''Hey, guys! Do you like my new spell? It''s called [Psychokinesis].''


    "Gyaaakhh"


    "Kyaaagh!"


    The ghouls charged towards the pile of corpses, but before they could get there Marcus made another slight movement with his left hand and the weapons flew straight towards the undead.


    *Shik, Slash, Slash*.


    Instantly one ghoul was pierced by a spear and impaled on the ground, another had an ax embedded in his head. Two other ghouls had their limbs severed by spinning blades.


    The weapons flew and every time they did, some undead with very bad luck lost a limb and there were even some who were impaled or cut in half. Soon the room was no longer a neutral gray color but a putrid green.


    ''11,12,13... Where''s 14?!''


    "Gyaaakhh!"


    At that moment, the last remaining ghoul scaled the pile of corpses from the right side and within seconds came within inches of Marcus.


    *Slash!*


    But before he could attack, Marcus made a horizontal slash with his sword cutting through the lid of the ghoul''s skull. The undead began to stagger and fell from the mound but not before being impaled by the swords that remained in the air.


    ....


    {You gained 19,221 xp}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 17 stat points}


    ....


    ''It''s over pal, I have the high ground...Ah! I should have said that before I killed him... Shit, I ruined a good reference.''


    ****


    It had been almost three weeks since Marcus had arrived at the strange facility below the abandoned village. In that time he had turned the dining room of the place into the base of his operations and had slowly been clearing the place out.


    The subterranean facilities were incredibly extensive, not only were there more individual sleeping quarters like the ones he had come across earlier. The place also had a food storage room, an armory, two training rooms, a small treasury, and what had once been a greenhouse.


    Of course, after exploring the whole place, Marcus had reaped so many benefits that he couldn''t complain about his current situation. Except for just one thing¡­


    ....


    {ERROR, the user does not meet the requirements to perform this function}.


    ....


    ''Sigh...I think I''ve officially reached the pinnacle of the first realm.'' he thought.


    In the days he had been exploring the facility, Marcus had encountered multiple monsters among them were skeleton soldiers, warrior zombies (a higher form of zombie), ghouls, and some other undead.


    Thanks to all these fights, Marcus went from level 12 to 19 and had managed to accumulate more than 100 stat points!


    But when his INT reached 99, the system wouldn''t allow him to increase it any further. However, after some research, Marcus found the cause of the problem.


    According to the introductory book on magic, magic users ( Wizards, warlocks, and sorcerers) measured their power by the number of rehi layers/rings they had on their bodies.


    The more rehi rings the thaumaturge had, the more mana he could store and also the more powerful and complex spells he could cast.


    According to this unit of measurement, there were a total of 12 levels, commonly known as rehi realms. Realm zero being the lowest and eleventh realm being the highest.


    But Marcus used the system to skip the stage of realm zero, directly reaching the first realm and reaching the so-called "realm pinnacle" in less than a week. If a native of this world heard about this, he would think Marcus was a genius among magic users.


    Unfortunately, while the system might go against some of the natural laws of this world, it still had its own rules and logic that could not be altered by mere mortals.


    So, Marcus deduced that he had finally reached the limit of his species and if he wanted to progress in magic, he would have to follow the logic of the system and evolve again.


    ''Well Wilson, that was the first one, which means we still have 3 more gates to go.''


    "...."


    ''Yeah, I''d like to pick up the pace too, but we have no choice but to wait for my MP to fully regenerate... Sigh, I''m seriously starting to doubt my mental health.''


    Although Marcus had cleared the subterranean facilities almost completely, he still had four rooms left that he hadn''t checked.


    This was because by using his [Energy Sense] he had determined that the entities inside those places were much stronger than ordinary undead.


    The only exception had been the door where the ghouls were, but he had not opened it because there were too many of them to face without first being fully prepared.


    Also, the reason it took Marcus three weeks to kill most of the monsters in the place was his slow mana regeneration. Just for his 999 MP to fully recover, he had to wait almost 17 hours!


    But since there was nothing he could do about it, he just used those hours to plan his next moves (along with Wilson) to increase his chances of getting out of there alive.


    ****


    After 17 hours and once it was confirmed that everything was fully prepared, Marcus began to walk through the installations until he stopped in front of a huge rusty iron door.


    Finally, after a few minutes of hesitation, Marcus grabbed the handle and slowly opened the door.


    *Creack*


    The room was another training room, but this one seemed to be intended for archery practice, as it was quite a bit longer than the other two training rooms that Marcus had found in the facility. There were also some practice dummies at the end of the room that still had some arrows in their bodies.


    But what caught the eye was the skeleton standing at the end of the shooting range.


    The skeleton was incredibly sturdy and stood nearly 3m (10ft) tall. Even if he wasn''t using [Analysis], Marcus already knew what being he was dealing with.


    ================================


    Race: Undead


    Species: Large skeleton.


    Rank: 2


    Level: 17


    ================================


    Large skeleton.


    This had been one of Marcus'' options for evolving, but he turned it down because it appeared to be one of the weakest undead on the list.


    Marcus deduced that the large skeleton was an undead focused on the stats of strength, defense and possessed great vitality, but also lacked speed.


    When the large skeleton finally became aware of Marcus'' presence, it began to walk towards where he was.


    The higher skeleton monsters, unlike ordinary skeletons, were a bit more sensitive to danger and while they did not attack immediately, they still went on alert when an unknown being came within their detection range.


    *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*


    But before the skeleton could get any closer, it was greeted by a hail of magical projectiles.


    Marcus was no idiot and knew that if he wanted to win while suffering as little damage as possible, he had to keep the skeleton from getting too close. So he immediately fired 10 energy missiles.


    However what happened next almost made Marcus'' mandible drop to the floor.


    ''??Huh?!''


    The large skeleton not only survived the projectiles but also seemed to be almost unharmed.


    ''Don''t tell me... this motherf**ker has [Magic Resistance]!!''


    Marcus had originally ruled out the large skeleton as a possible evolution since, aside from his great strength and defense, he didn''t seem to have any special abilities and would also be an easy target if he encountered another skeleton mage who could attack from a distance. He didn''t expect this guy to be resistant to magic.


    The skeleton staggered a bit from the impacts, but recovered quickly and charged at his attacker at full speed.


    Marcus immediately put away his sword in the inventory, pulled out a battle mace he had gotten from the armory, and ran towards the skeleton at the same time casting [Self-Reinforcement].


    When the huge fist was only a few centimeters away from his skull, Marcus ducked to dodge and hit the skeleton''s femur with all his might.


    *Crack!*


    A cracking sound was heard and a few seconds later a small fissure appeared in the area where the battle mace had impacted. But then the large skeleton''s fist hit the floor.


    *Baam!*


    The sound of the large skeleton''s blow spread throughout the room and the force of the fist caused the floor around him to crack.


    Marcus was currently only using [Self-Reinforcement], the reason for this was because [Energy Missile] didn''t seem to have much effect and [Psychokinesis] required a lot of concentration and practice. The only reason Marcus was able to use it earlier was that he had prepared in advance.


    He also didn''t activate [Energy Shield] because it consumed a lot of MP.


    With the mana Marcus had at the time, he could only maintain the spell for 5 more minutes, but if the big skeleton hit him it would be game over.


    Marcus ran at the skeleton and hit it in the spine, then attacked its right femur, and continued to its ribs, humerus, tibia, fibula, and scapulae.


    *Crack! Crack! Crack!*


    Soon the damage caused by Marcus'' attacks began to affect the large skeleton making it slower than it already was.


    Although the skeleton was resistant to magic it was still weak against blunt damage.


    Marcus had been incredibly careful when striking, when his opponent attacked he would dodge the huge fist and counterattack with the battle mace. But he was running out of time.


    The [Self-Reinforcement] would only last another 60 seconds, after that Marcus would lose his advantage and would have no choice but to retreat.


    Marcus ran towards the skeleton to attack again, but then he stumbled on one of the cracks in the ground due to the constant attacks of the big skeleton, causing him to lose his balance for a second and...


    *Baam!.. Crack!*


    The skeleton''s right arm hit him in the ribs with such force that it sent him flying, only to then end up crashing into the wall of the room.


    [HP: 89/250]


    ''Ugh... That bastard... he sure hits hard. If he hits me again... I''ll be seriously screwed.''


    The situation was not good, Marcus only had 24 seconds left before the spell stopped working and he also had all his ribs broken and his armor was almost destroyed. But the other guy didn''t have much HP left either.


    In short, Marcus was between a rock and a hard place.. Either he killed the large skeleton in what time he had left, or his MP would reach zero and he would die.

 Chapter 9 - The Stalkers

    The stalkers


    In the three weeks Marcus spent at the facility, he didn''t just waste time with Wilson but also practiced his skills.


    In that time he managed to acquire [Acrobatics lv:1] and [Mace technique lv:2]. He also managed to get [Sword Technique] up to level 2, but after that Marcus was stuck.


    In fantasy novels that included video game systems, it was normal for skills to level up with constant use and practice. But in Marcus'' case, if he wanted his skills to reach a higher level, he also had to increase his stats.


    A clear example of this was the case with [Energy Magic lv:1] which, even after learning and using multiple spells an infinite number of times, did not level up and probably wouldn''t until Marcus got past the pinnacle of the first realm.


    But this didn''t mean that Marcus didn''t make any progress in magic.


    After much practice and effort, Marcus had learned that by concentrating the [Self-Reinforcement] only on specific areas instead of the entire body, he could maximize the effects of the spell.


    Marcus quickly got to his feet and charged towards the large skeleton at full speed.


    Just as the skeleton was about to hit him again, he concentrated the spell only on his legs and jumped over the skeleton''s head, somersaulted in the air, strengthened his right arm, and hit the back of his opponent''s nape.


    *Crack!*


    The skeleton''s nape broke and he fell face-first to the ground, but he was still alive.


    Marcus wasted no time and immediately strengthened his arm and unloaded a barrage of blunt blows on his opponent.


    *Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!*


    Each time the battle mace struck the large skeleton, a bone fractured until finally the undead''s spine broke into pieces and he collapsed.


    Marcus finally dropped the mass and fell as his legs broke.


    ....


    {User has defeated a [Large Skeleton] for the first time, 275 experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You gained 2756 xp}


    ....


    ''Huuu... OMG !, that was close... I only had 2 MP left!''


    ****


    Four days after the fight with the large skeleton, Marcus found himself in front of the third door. But he was still a little unsure if he should go in.


    Marcus had suffered too much damage in the previous battle. Almost all of his ribs had been shattered. In addition, both his legs and his right arm suffered an enormous amount of damage from the spell''s recoil.


    Although Marcus had learned to maximize the effects of [Self-Reinforcement] by concentrating mana on specific areas of his body, these were unable to withstand the pressure caused by the accumulation of energy and ended up breaking.


    Therefore, Marcus decided that he would only use that move if he found himself in a desperate situation from which he could not escape.


    ''Wow... ! Really, what were they supposed to do in this place?!'' thought Marcus, he was dumbfounded.


    When he opened the door, he couldn''t help but be surprised. Even though it had been almost two months since he had arrived in this world and he had seen all sorts of things, this subterranean installation was like a box full of surprises.


    The room was quite large, but what caught the eye were the huge birdcages hanging from the ceiling. There were also a large number of square cages stacked on top of each other on the floor. Although from the size of them, it didn''t look like their purpose was to contain only animals.


    Some cages had deformed bars, others were rusted and there was even a melted cage as if someone had poured a bucket of acid on it.


    Marcus was fully alert. Although a couple of minutes had passed since he entered the room he still hadn''t found any traces of the undead he detected last time.


    As time passed Marcus was getting more and more nervous and anxious. He had gained a bit of confidence after facing several enemies, and although the circumstances seemed unfavorable, he had always managed to survive.


    Tired of searching and waiting for something to happen, Marcus decided to activate his [Energy Sense] to search the room. But when he activated it¡­


    ''Huh?... No one''s here? But I did feel a presence the first time I walked by... Something''s wrong!''


    Marcus was on high alert. His detection ability had never failed him before and he was sure that there was something strange in the room.


    Just as Marcus was about to retreat, something hit him from behind and knocked him to the floor.


    *Bang!..Boom!*


    Quickly Marcus turned around and fired an energy missile, but it missed and the projectile ended up hitting the ceiling. But then his ability detected a presence and he turned his attention to one of the cages hanging from the ceiling.


    The attacker was holding onto the bars of the cage while it was upside down. But despite the darkness in the room, Marcus could see it very well thanks to his [Night Vision].


    It was a skeleton, but this was the strangest one Marcus had encountered so far.


    Its height was no more than 1.4 m (4.59 ft), its hands were a pair of sharp claws and it had a row of spikes protruding from its spine. Its forearms appeared to be covered with small semicircular blades of bone and the teeth in its mouth more resembled those of a ghoul than a human.


    When Marcus used [Analysis] on the skeleton, he finally understood what was going on.


    ================================


    Race: Undead


    Species: Skeleton Stalker.


    Rank: 2


    Level: 14


    ================================


    The Skeleton Stalker was a superior skeleton variant that seemed to be more specialized in speed and sneak attacks but lacked defense.


    When Marcus was about to evolve he rejected this option because, while the Skeleton Stalker was fast and stealthy, it did not have sufficient defense or vitality. If by chance the sneak attack failed, the skeleton would lose its advantage and be at the mercy of enemy attacks.


    ''That thing probably evaded [Energy Sense] thanks to some concealment skill. But at least it lost its advantage'' Marcus smiled inwardly.


    Even if the skeleton possessed a stealth skill, it would probably be low level and would have to meet certain requirements to activate it. Besides, while the sneak attack cut through Marcus'' armor, the damage wasn''t that bad and he had only lost 3 HP.


    *Bang!*


    Marcus aimed and fired another missile, but the skeleton dodged it and jumped another cage.


    *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*


    More magic projectiles flew around the room, but the undead was very fast and always managed to evade his attacks. However, Marcus wasn''t wasting his MP haphazardly either.


    * THUD! BAM! THUD!*


    Every time the skeleton stalker evaded a projectile from Marcus, the attack would hit a cage, knocking it off the ceiling. If he couldn''t get up to where the skeleton was, then he would just have to make the skeleton come down to him.


    The skeleton was cornered, there was only one cage left on the ceiling. Then the skeleton stalker jumped up as the cage was knocked down by the magic projectile and aimed its sharp claws at Marcus'' head.


    *Bang!*


    But Marcus didn''t hesitate and simply fired another energy missile, as the skeleton was in the air it couldn''t dodge the attack and ended up turning into a pile of splintered bone when the projectile hit it.


    ''Well... That was easier than the last one!.... Wait...why didn''t I get XP when I killed it?''


    At that moment, Marcus saw something moving out of the corner of his eye sockets and quickly cast [Energy Shield] blocking an attack that came from his left. The skeleton stalker''s claws slammed into the energy shield causing it to crack.


    But it wasn''t fast enough and ended up getting decapitated by Marcus'' sword.


    ''This one didn''t give XP either?...Sh*t, there''s more of these!''


    A special feature the system had was that it would not award combat experience until all entities that had hostile intentions towards the user were eliminated or neutralized in such a way that they did not pose a danger to the user.


    Therefore, if Marcus was not receiving XP it meant that there was still one or multiple stalkers left in the room.


    He immediately put away his sword and pulled a shield and battle mace from his inventory.


    Marcus did not possess the ability to detect the stalkers, and neither did he have enough agility to shoot them while they were on the move. He, therefore, determined that the best option was to stay on the defensive and wait for his enemies to make the first move.


    *Slash!*


    A few seconds later another stalker attacked him from behind, managing to cut through his armor. Marcus spun quickly to hit him but missed. His opponents were very agile.


    *Slash! Slash!*


    Two other skeletons came out of nowhere, slashed and stabbed at Marcus'' legs managing to cut through the armor and sever the bones. If Marcus wasn''t a skeleton he probably would have lost the ability to walk by now.


    Another stalker tried to stab his head-on but was blocked by Marcus'' shield and while the attack certainly managed to pierce the shield, it also left him still long enough for the battle mace to destroy his skull.


    It seemed that slowly Marcus was dominating the battle, but the stalkers jumped from cage to cage, hiding and attacking steadily bit by bit destroying the armor.


    And even though Marcus had cast [Self-Reinforcement] and imbued it with necrotic energy, he was taking more damage than the spell could repair.


    *Slash...Shik...Slash...Shik*


    The stalkers continued to attack, cutting and penetrating Marcus'' armor and shield over and over again.


    *Slash...Shik...Slash...Shik*


    A few minutes into the battle, Marcus'' armor was a mess and he had already changed shields at least four times. But the stalkers were not unscathed either, and only three of them remained.


    Marcus dropped his battle mace to the ground, removed what was left of his armor, and concentrated all his mana on his four limbs only. A stalker jumped out of a cage and aimed for the ribs on the right side. But just as he is only inches away ¡­


    *Crack!*


    Marcus defended himself by throwing a knee to the stalker''s solar plexus destroying him on the spot. Although his defense was reduced, by removing his armor and strengthening his limbs, Marcus'' agility exceeded his limits, being able to keep up with his attackers.


    Skeleton stalkers might be fast, but they were much more fragile than other undead of the same level. With this technique, Marcus increased his agility and attack power to the maximum. But he had to hurry, as the skill had a time limit.


    The stalker jumped and tried to bite Marcus'' left arm, but managed to catch it, then grabbed it by the head and smashed it into the ground. The stalker''s skull shattered as if it were made of glass and collapsed.


    The last skeleton stalker realizing he was at a disadvantage, decided to retreat. Seeing this Marcus jumped towards the cage where the skeleton stalker was.


    The skeleton tried to run away, but Marcus managed to catch it before, grabbed it by the leg, and threw it against the wall so hard that the skeleton ended up becoming a pile of inert bones.


    A few moments later, messages came in from the system.


    ....


    {The user has defeated a [Skeleton Stalker] for the first time, 150 experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You gained 14,269 xp}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 17 stat points}


    ....


    The spell deactivated and Marcus'' limbs began to crack and fracture. He then dropped to the ground.


    ****


    ''Finally after all this time... I made it this far.'' Marcus thought with a bit of fear and excitement.


    He was standing in front of a huge double metal door nearly 4 meters (13ft) high.


    It had been almost a week since his last fight, and while he had recovered fairly quickly since then, Marcus decided to delay this moment until he was fully prepared.


    Because, even if he didn''t use his [Energy Sense], he could sense that whatever was behind that door was terrifyingly strong, perhaps even stronger than the larger necrophagous worm.


    Finally, Marcus plucked up his courage and opened the last of the four doors.

 Chapter 10 - Dungeon Master

    The man walked down a white hallway lined with doors, each one different in some way. Some were very plain, while others had very detailed engravings, others had a futuristic look, and some looked so old they could be relics from a museum.


    The man was tall, his hair was dark, as were his eyes and the elegant suit he wore. But what was most striking were the two small curved horns on his forehead.


    The man stopped in front of a green door with a style characteristic of 19th century England.


    *Knock, knock, knock....*


    The man knocked on the door three times, but entered before the person on the other side could answer.


    "§±§â§Ú§Ó§Ö§ä (Privet)1 Edward! How have you been...? Wow, you''ve remodeled the place?!"


    Edward was at his desk, working as usual, but his office was filled with piles of documents and papers to such an extent that the room was very cluttered.


    Edward looked up from his desk and looked at the tall man who had entered without his permission.


    "Ah, it''s you, Ivan. What brings you here? As you may have noticed I''m a bit busy."


    Ivan walked to the chair in front of the desk, sat down in the position he found most comfortable, and then spoke.


    "Well... I hear you got in trouble for violating the reincarnation contract by going against the client''s wishes. But from what I see, the matter was no big deal." said Ivan. There was a certain sarcasm in his tone of voice.


    "I was lucky the client didn''t press charges. But the superiors didn''t like my intervention and gave me a ''light punishment'' for my actions. I feel like I haven''t slept in centuries because of this paperwork. ", said Edward. As much as he tried to disguise it, the tiredness showed in his words.


    Edward had huge dark circles under his eyes and his appearance was that of a sad and tired man after a long day''s work.


    Since receiving his punishment, Edward had no time to rest even once. Although he was a far superior being to a mere mortal, he needed to have a few moments to rest.


    "Can I ask you something?" Said Ivan.


    Edward said nothing and merely nodded his head as he continued to go through the documents on his desk.


    "Why did you give him "the upgrade"? That soul was reincarnated in a very dangerous place and the client didn''t give him the blessings... Besides, the bastard blocked the physical statistics distribution function and access to the system store. He was doomed from the first moment he reincarnated... Why did you risk it?"


    Edward had been working at the agency since long before Ivan and had always proven to be an exemplary employee. But one day he simply decided to break the rules for a soul who was nothing special.


    "You didn''t read that soul''s file. When I saw his past, I felt pity for him..... "


    "§¹§å§ê§î(Chush'')2!!!"


    But before Edwar could finish speaking, Ivan interrupted him. There was anger in his voice


    .


    "You''re lying, Edward!!! ... I''ve known you for over two million star cycles, I''ve seen you send children and crippled old men into the battlefield without the slightest hint of remorse or hesitation and slaughter entire planets for the sake of the rules... And you expect me to believe that you pity this useless soul?! ... No, no, there''s another reason for your actions, isn''t there? Something big enough for you to break agency rules."


    Edward didn''t respond. He took a moment to think things over.


    "And if I did feel pity this time... Sigh... Forget it, you wouldn''t understand Ivan. Marcus may not be an intellectual genius or a martial arts prodigy. But he is a survivor, I am sure he can overcome anything if he puts his mind to it. I''ve made the right decision. "


    Ivan was speechless - had this man felt pity after all this time? Be that as it may, Ivan still had his suspicions.


    "Say what you will, but that soul is still screwed, he''ll never be able to use the system to its full potential. He will be lucky if he manages to achieve his first evolution."


    "Well, I wouldn''t say that." Edward said. There was a smirk on his face.


    "You... Wait, now what did you do?"


    "Well, let''s just say I made a bet with an old friend of mine." Edwar had to make a great effort not to laugh.


    "Okay, you seriously expect me to believe that you just felt sorry for... You know what? Forget it, I''m just wasting my time. I didn''t come to visit you, Edward, I came for work." Ivan said and his face became serious.


    Ivan pulled out a USB stick from his suit and handed it to Edward.


    "It''s an order from the higher-ups, they want you to take care of this matter."


    Edward snapped his fingers causing a screen and a blue holographic keyboard to appear, he inserted the flash drive inside the hologram and a large amount of information appeared on the screen.


    When Edward finished reading the information he was so perplexed that his eyes widened like saucers.


    "Are you kidding-?"


    "§Õ§à §ã§Ó§Ú§Õ§Ñ§ß§Ú§ñ (Do svidaniya)3 Edward, have fun!"


    But before he could finish speaking Ivan was already out the door.


    "SON OF-!!... Sigh... You better survive Marcus, you''ve got harder things to come."


    Edward turned off his holographic display and continued working.


    ****


    The room was huge, probably the largest in the facilities, with tall stone columns, and was incredibly spacious. There were also some strange engravings and figures on the walls of the room.


    The floor was littered with papers, glass, and other metal instruments whose purpose was unknown. At the far ends of the room were some glass cylinders resembling the cultivation tanks that Marcus had seen in the movies.


    But his attention was more focused on the being at the far end of the room.


    It was a mummy that was all skin and bones, dressed in black robes, a tattered cloak, and, in his right hand, he carried a wooden staff with a triangular gem embedded at the top.


    ================================


    Name: Bairus


    Titles: [Dungeon Master]


    Race: Undead


    Species: Semi-lich


    Rank: 4


    Level: ??


    ================================


    ''Semi-Lich Rank 4?!! Oh hell no, I''m out of here!!''


    Marcus knew that if he faced that guy he would die. Even if he could deal with other monsters of his own rank with relative ease, this Semi-lich was on a completely different level.


    But just before he could turn around to escape, Bairus raised his staff and a large black shadow expanded across the room sealing the exit.


    In a desperate attempt to escape, Marcus struck at the shadow blocking the door, but it was useless.


    ''Shit! Is darkness magic?!''


    Darkness magic was a derivative of the energy element that Marcus used and consisted of manipulating or creating shadows. It also had other capabilities, but only magic users above the fifth realm could use such spells.


    Even if Marcus was resistant to darkness magic, he would still take a great deal of damage if he was hit by a Semi-lich attack.


    *Tack*


    Bairus knocked his staff against the floor and a huge magic circle appeared in the center of the room. From within the circle, 12 shadows emerged and soon began to take humanoid form.


    ================================


    Race: Undead


    Species: Corpse soldier.


    Rank: 1


    Level: 10


    ================================


    The monsters that came out of the circle were zombies with rotting skin, with some bones and organs exposed. They were also all equipped with weapons and armor.


    ''Why do DMs always have the skill to summon minions?''


    Marcus unsheathed his sword and pulled a shield from his inventory. It was clear that if he wanted to get out of the room alive he had to defeat Bairus first.


    Full of resolution, Marcus charged towards the first undead minion.


    *Clang!..Shik*


    Marcus blocked the minion''s sword with his shield and quickly stabbed him in the head. At that instant, the corpse soldier turned into black smoke and disappeared into thin air.


    Marcus hurriedly jumped backward evading the attack of two minions coming from the sides and kept his distance.


    ''Eeh... These guys aren''t as strong as I thought.''


    Just in terms of physical stats, Marcus was a bit weaker than a normal Skeleton Soldier. The only reason he could kill them so easily was that he could use magic.


    But right now Marcus couldn''t afford to spend his MP carelessly. So when he attacked Bairus'' first minion he wasn''t using the [Self Reinforcement] spell, but still, the minion had died too easily.


    The only conclusion Marcus could come to was that summoned monsters were much weaker than natural undead. He could kill them without much effort, as long as he aimed for the head.


    *Clang!.. Slash!*


    Marcus blocked the attack of another undead and immediately decapitated it, and just like the previous one, it vanished into thin air.


    Marcus turned his body managing to dodge the attack of two other undead and with a swing of his sword, he cut off the heads of both of them.


    *Clang!..Slash*


    Marcus'' sword deflected the minion''s attack and with a vertical slash cut his head in two. In just a few minutes, the number of undead had fallen by half.


    In his time at the installation, Marcus'' combat skills had increased dramatically. Although these corpse soldiers were stronger than the average person, they lacked coordination and their movements were very crude.


    They were no match for him.


    But then, Bairus raised his staff once again, and immediately all the remaining corpse soldiers turned into black smoke.


    More black smoke began to pour out of the staff and merged with the smoke left behind by the minions until it formed a large dark fog.


    The fog started to swirl like a small uncontrollable tornado and began to take shape.


    "Guooooh!!!"


    Finally, the fog dissipated, but in its place was a huge undead wolf. Its head, like its limbs, was pure bone and the rest of its body was covered in decaying green flesh.


    ================================


    Race: Undead


    Species: Corpse beast.


    Rank: 2


    Level: 24


    ================================


    ''Tch... This guy is smarter than the others.''


    The undead Marcus had fought so far didn''t show any kind of intelligence or reasoning, they just followed their instinct. But Bairus was different.


    He had first summoned the corpse soldiers to test Marcus'' abilities, but seeing that he was strong enough to take care of them without a problem, he decided to summon a stronger servant.


    "Guooooh!!!"


    The undead wolf didn''t wait for another second and charged towards Marcus and tried to destroy him with its gigantic jaws.


    *Slash!!!*


    Marcus dodged it and slashed the rotting green flesh from its body, but it had no effect. The undead ended up biting the pillar behind Marcus and ¡­


    *Crunch!... Crack!*


    Part of the pillar was shattered by the power of the wolf''s bite. The undead, annoyed at having missed its target, jerked and attacked again.


    Marcus quickly discarded his sword and pulled the battle mace from his inventory.


    Since the cut he had made had no effect, he decided to aim for the parts that weren''t covered by flesh since they were weak against blunt damage.


    Marcus dodged the wolf''s charge and struck one of its hind legs making a small crack in it.


    *Crack..Snap..Crack..Snap..Crack..*.


    Every time the undead wolf attacked, Marcus dodged it like a professional bullfighter, only to hit it in the legs.


    Little by little, the undead''s legs were filling up with cracks. Marcus had a feeling that it wouldn''t be long before one of them would break.


    *BAM!*


    But then the wolf slammed into a column causing it to collapse.


    *THUD!*


    Marcus jumped to the side and managed to evade the pillar. But in that second it took him to dodge it, the undead wolf charged at him and caught him with its huge jaws.


    Although Marcus had managed to cast [Energy Shield] around his body before the wolf caught him, it had shattered as if it were made of glass. Even with [Self-Reinforcement] activated the undead''s jaw was destroying both the armor and his bones.


    At that instant, Marcus thrust both hands into the wolf''s eye sockets.


    ''ENERGY MISSILE!''


    *BOOM!*


    Both projectiles collided and exploded inside the wolf''s skull destroying it into hundreds of pieces.


    The decapitated body of the undead staggered until it finally collapsed to the ground, only to turn into black smoke and disappear without a trace.


    Marcus rolled across the floor until he collided with one of the columns. He quickly got to his feet and while repairing his hands with necrotic energy, he grabbed his weapons and looked at Bairus.


    The Semi-lich didn''t move, even after his corpse Beast was annihilated he didn''t seem to show the slightest hint of concern or anger.


    *weng weng*


    Bairus raised his staff and at that instant dozens of shadows appeared behind him. The shadows began to take the form of weapons such as knives, swords, and spears.


    ''So... You''re telling me you finally recognize me as a threat?... Alright Bairus, let''s get this over with!''


    ****


    1)Hello in Russian.


    2)Means Bullsh*t in Russian.


    3)Goodbye in Russian.

 Chapter 11 - Cutting Through Adversity

    Bairus swung his staff and all the shadow weapons rushed forward.


    *Clang Clank Clang!*


    Marcus cast [Self-Reinforcement], jumped aside evading the semi-lich''s attack, and hid behind a column. The weapons pierced the ground and embedded deep into the column filling it with holes.


    Bairus summoned more weapons and hurled them towards Marcus.


    *Clang Clank Clang!*


    The column he had been hiding in was almost destroyed, so he ran and hid behind another column.


    Marcus'' strategy was very simple: make Bairus spend all his mana and then kill him. Although the plan seemed very simple, it was not easy at all.


    First of all, Marcus didn''t know how much mana Bairus had or how many spells the undead could use. And, secondly, he didn''t know how long he could hold out while enduring the semi-lich''s continuous attacks while being careful not to expend his precious MP.


    *Clank, Bang!*


    Marcus evaded a spear made of shadows while hiding behind another column.


    He had no idea how many weapons Bairus had summoned, but in the few minutes, since the confrontation began, the undead had already destroyed three of the twenty columns in the room!


    At this rate, Marcus would run out of places to hide and be exposed to the semi-lich''s attacks before his mana ran out.


    ''Seriously, how much MP does this motherf**ker have?!... Huh?''


    But then, Bairus'' attacks suddenly stopped.


    ''Did he run out of mana?.... No, the spell blocking the exit is still active... So what''s he doing?'' Marcus was perplexed and used the full potential of his non-existent brain in an attempt to predict his opponent''s next attack.


    From the first moment he entered the room, Marcus had realized that, unlike the other undead, Bairus had a certain degree of reasoning. As a result, he found it very difficult to predict the semi-lich''s actions.


    *Tack!*


    Bairus'' staff touched the floor again, creating a gigantic magic circle that spread across the room, and from within the circle, dozens of shadows began to emerge and transform into corpse soldiers.


    ''Sh*t! He was preparing a large-scale spell?!''


    Marcus put away his weapons as fast as he could, pulled out two more swords from his inventory, cast [Self-reinforcement], and started slashing at all the minions that appeared in the room.


    *Slash, slash, slash!*


    Marcus ran around the room and every time he swung his swords, many undead were decapitated only to then go up in smoke.


    The semi-lich''s minions were no match for Marcus before and even less so now that his stats were boosted thanks to [Self-Reinforcement].


    But there was a problem.


    ''These guys are very weak, but there are too many of them and I''m running out of MP.''


    The main objective of the minions wasn''t to kill the opponent directly. Their purpose was to exhaust the opponent and then finish him off more easily.


    Although Marcus was undead with infinite stamina, his MP was very limited. At this rate, his mana would soon run out.


    *Slash!*


    Two more undead soldiers were decapitated and instantly went up in smoke.


    Marcus looked at his blades and noticed that they were already badly worn from stabbing and slashing so many minions.


    Fortunately, Marcus had gotten a large supply of weapons when he checked the facility''s armory and was now armed to the teeth. So he discarded his worn-out swords, pulled two more from his inventory, and continued decapitating the undead.


    *Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!*


    But, although Marcus managed to kill over 40% of the corpse soldiers, it had cost him a great deal of MP. He was close to reaching his limit.


    [MP: 335/999]


    ''Goddamn it, at this rate!... I have no choice, I''ll have to take my chances and try to cut off the snake''s head.''


    Marcus was sure that if he wanted to defeat Bairus, he had to wait for the semi-lich''s MP to run out. But he couldn''t wait any longer, if things continued like this, he would be the one to run out of MP and die.


    So, if he wanted to survive, he would have to take the risk and try to attack Bairus directly.


    He immediately stopped attacking the minions, pulled two more swords from his inventory, and charged straight at the semi-lich.


    Marcus ran across the room ignoring the remaining undead and in a matter of seconds, managed to get within inches of Bairus.


    *Slash...*


    But just as Marcus'' blades were about to cut Bairus'' mummified body...


    *Tack!*


    The staff hit the ground again, creating a huge dark shadow that spread out below Bairus.


    *Clang!*


    The shadow blocked Marcus'' attack. Then, it began to expand and split until it formed multiple tentacles of shadows.


    The tentacles began to writhe and quickly rushed forward.


    *BAM!*


    Marcus managed to evade the attack by jumping backward, however, the power of the tentacles was so great, that it ended up creating a crater where they had impacted.


    ''Well... at least I know what kind of fetishes this guy had when he was alive.''


    Marcus was in trouble.


    As long as Bairus had those shadow tentacles, he couldn''t get close and attack. That spell was practically good both offensively and defensively.


    At that moment the tentacles rose again and began to coil around the columns that were still intact.


    *Crack!... Crack!... Crash... Thud! *


    Finally, the columns began to crack due to the pressure exerted by the tentacles, and a few moments later they collapsed.


    Marcus quickly ran to get out of Bairus'' reach, while dodging the debris. Unfortunately, the corpse soldiers were not so lucky and were crushed by the columns.


    ''That bastard! Is he trying to leave me with no places where I can take cover?!!''


    Without the columns, Marcus had no chance of blocking the shadow weapons created by the semi-lich. Although he didn''t want to admit it, Bairus turned out to be smarter than he had expected, to the point of leaving him completely cornered.


    ''Tch, at this point all that''s left for me to do is try that.''


    Marcus opened his inventory, pulled out two huge sacks, ran to the center of the room while dodging the tentacles'' blows, and, when he was close enough, threw the sacks with all his might.


    The sacks rose until they almost touched the ceiling of the room and when they were about to fall, they opened revealing their contents.


    They were weapons!


    Dozens of spears, axes, swords, and daggers. All the weapons Marcus had collected from the armory and the other undead were stored in those sacks. But instead of falling according to the laws of physics, the weapons began to levitate.


    Although his inventory space had increased from 9 to 27 squares, Marcus didn''t have enough room to store all the weapons individually. So after filling as many boxes as he could with weapons for quick access, he stored the rest in sacks and put them in his inventory.


    But, when Marcus learned [Psychokinesis], it had occurred to him that he could use the sacks to control the weapons and attack from a safe distance. But he had never used it in actual combat as this technique required a lot of MP.


    Marcus concentrated as hard as he could and with a wave of his arms, the weapons began to move in the air heading straight towards where Bairus was.


    The weapons began to fall from the ceiling as if they were a rain of arrows raining down on the semi-lich.


    But instead of being completely impaled, the semi-lich moved his staff and all the shadow tentacles joined together to create a shield over his head, managing to block Marcus'' attack.


    *BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*


    But while Bairus was distracted, Marcus fired multiple energy missiles straight at the semi-lich''s mummified face.


    Marcus'' original plan was not to kill Bairus by impaling him, his goal was to distract him to create an opening in his defense, long enough for him to launch a decisive attack.


    Fortunately, he succeeded.


    The energy missiles hit Bairus'' skull one after another, causing it to explode like a rotten watermelon.


    Bairus'' decapitated body began to wobble as if it was going to fall over at any second. But suddenly, the semi-lich''s body began to twitch and writhe.


    The shadow shield covering Bairus started to split creating multiple shadow tentacles larger and longer than the previous ones.


    Seeing this, Marcus had a bad feeling and quickly backed away from being crushed by the tentacles.


    ''What the fuck is going on, why is it still alive?!''


    Marcus didn''t understand what the hell was going on. All the undead he had encountered had died after inflicting a great deal of damage or decapitating them.


    But for some reason, Bairus was not only still alive, but also seemed to have lost control of his movements after his head exploded.


    ''huh?!''


    But, in between the frantic attacks of the decapitated semi-lich, Marcus had noticed what appeared to be a small black sphere inside Bairus'' chest. The sphere radiated a black light that beat rhythmically as if it were a human heart.


    Marcus didn''t hesitate a second longer and quickly pulled a javelin from his inventory. He aimed straight for the undead''s chest and threw the javelin with all his might.


    *Shik!*


    The javelin drew a curved arc in the air, hitting the target piercing and piercing through the undead''s chest. Finally, the tentacle attacks stopped and Bairus fell to his knees.


    ''Phew, It finally stopped... Wait... Why didn''t I get any notification from the system?''


    At that moment, the room began to shake and both the shadow tentacles, as well as the spell blocking the door, began to contract until they finally pushed themselves inside Bairus'' chest.


    The undead''s body began to shake and swell uncontrollably.


    ''Oh sh*t!''


    Marcus didn''t wait for a second longer and immediately ran towards the exit, he was only a few inches away from the door when¡­


    *BOOOOM!*


    The semi-lich''s corpse exploded creating a dark shockwave that hit Marcus in the back, destroying his legs, his left arm, many of his ribs, and sending him flying into a wall.


    [HP: 12/250]


    ''Ouch...F**k...That was a close one...I''d better stop abusing the power of luck for a while or next time I''ll die for real.''


    Ding!


    ....


    {User has defeated a [Semi-lich] for the first time, 10,050 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You gained 100,503 xp}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 170 stat points}


    ....


    ''Huh... isn''t that a lot of points for only five levels?''


    Previously Marcus had only gotten about 110 stat points after going up 8 levels, but this time he managed to get even more points for only 5 levels which meant that, for some reason, the amount of points had increased.


    But he didn''t have much time to think about this before the system flooded him with notifications.


    ....


    {User survived a certain death situation}


    ....


    {Conditions have been met}


    ....


    {The title [light-footed coward] has been removed}


    ....


    {You have obtained the title [Adversity Overcomer]}


    ....


    Marcus was surprised. He was a little upset that he had lost [Light-footed Coward], after all, that title had saved his life on several occasions. But, seeing the effects of the other title, he finally felt that all his effort had paid off.


    {Adversity Overcomer: When you face adversity, your stats temporarily increase by 5%}


    Although it didn''t seem like much at first glance, Marcus knew that this temporary 5% increase could make the difference between life and death.


    ''This would be great... If only my body wasn''t all messed up!!''


    Unfortunately, Marcus'' entire body was fractured and both of his legs had been destroyed by the blast. Even if he used [Necrotic Manipulation] to heal, he had no guarantee that his legs would grow back.


    But, as if the universe had heard his complaints, the system sent a final notification.


    ....


    {The user has reached level 25}


    ....


    {The conditions have been met}


    ¡­

 Chapter 12 - Bairus Diary

    ....


    {List of available evolutions}


    ===========================


    1) [Magical Skeleton Warrior]


    2) [Magical Skeleton Archer]


    3) [Semi-lich]


    4) [Semi-lich Warrior]


    5) [Skeleton Hunter]


    ===========================


    ....


    Marcus was looking at the list of evolutions for quite a while before he could make a decision.


    Option 5 was instantly discarded as it seemed the weakest. Options 1 and 2 seemed to go more along the lines of close combat but didn''t seem to focus much on magic.


    After his battle with Bairus, Marcus had realized that if he wanted to survive in this world, he had to focus more on magic.


    But mages were restricted based on the amount of mana they had, so he also ruled out the third option.


    ''I choose option 4 [Semi-lich warrior]!''


    Immediately, Marcus was surrounded by a dense layer of dark mist, which enveloped him completely.


    The mist began to repair and modify Marcus'' body as the system flooded him with messages.


    ....


    {Selection confirmed}


    ....


    {Initiating Evolution}


    ....


    {Resetting user status}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill [Mental Immunity]}


    ....


    {The skills [Poison Immunity], [Necrotic Immunity], [Disease Immunity] [Cold Immunity] and [Mental Immunity] have been merged}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill [Corpse body]}


    ....


    {[Necrotic Manipulation]? [Necromancy lv:1]}


    ....


    {The skill [Energy magic] leveled up}


    ....


    {[Throwing lv:4]?[Marksmanship lv:1]}


    ....


    {[Night Vision lv: Max]?[Dark Vision lv: 3]}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill[Darkness Magic lv:1]}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill [Automatic MP recovery lv:1]}


    ....


    {The user obtained the skill [Fear Aura lv:1]}


    ....


    {User status completed}


    ================================


    Name: Marcus Edevane


    Titles: [Undead killer]; [Adversity Overcomer].


    Race: Undead


    Species: Semi-lich Warrior.


    Rank: 3


    Level: 25 (7/75,850 exp)


    ================================


    HP: 625/625


    MP: 2130/2130


    Strength: 75 Stamina: max


    Defense: 57 Intelligence: 213


    Vitality: 62 Wisdom: 34


    Agility: 74


    Stats points: 0


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Corpse body][Fear Aura lv:1]


    [Dark resistance lv:3][Evil resistance lv:4]


    [Energy Sense lv:2][Melee Combat lv:3]


    [Marksmanship lv:1][Sword Technique lv:3]


    [Mace Technique lv:2][Acrobatics lv:1]


    [Energy Magic lv:2][Necromancy lv:1]


    [Darkness Magic lv:1][Analysis lv:2]


    [Inventory lv:4] [Dark Vision lv:3]


    [Automatic MP recovery lv:1]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Blunt damage lv:6][Solar/Light damage lv:9]


    [Spiritual damage lv:9][Fire damage lv:7]


    [Sacred damage lv: Max]}


    ================================


    After a few minutes, the mist disappeared and only Marcus'' body was left lying on the ground, as he writhed in pain.


    ''Uuuugh...My head hurts. If I could, I would want to vomit... I hope I don''t have to evolve for a long time.''


    Marcus had received too many messages from the system in a short amount of time which, along with the changes that had occurred to his body as he evolved, caused him to suffer an enormous amount of pain comparable to being stung by a thousand wasps.


    But when he checked his status, he thought that at least the pain had been worth it.


    Many of his skills had leveled up, others were transformed into superior skills, he managed to gain new ones, and he had finally lost another of his weaknesses. But the most drastic change was his body.


    First, his spine had thickened and the bones in his back became harder and more robust.


    The bones of his legs and arms were strengthened and changed their structure. They now appeared to be made of ossified muscle tissue, as if all the muscle in his limbs had turned to bone. But what caught Marcus'' attention most was his chest.


    Both the bones of his rib cage and his ribs became a little more robust, and on the right side of his body was a small sphere radiating a sky-blue light, which beat rhythmically as if it were a human heart.


    ''Is this my heart?... It''s very similar to the one Bairus had...But, it feels very natural,''


    Marcus was not surprised by the sudden appearance of his new "heart" and, on the contrary, felt very comfortable with it, as if it had been there.


    DING!


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] smiles at the sight of your accomplishments}.


    ....


    {The restrictions have been partially removed}.


    ....


    ''Huh?!... What?!!''


    Marcus was petrified, he didn''t understand what had just happened. Who was this monarch? Had he been watching him since he reincarnated? Was he the one responsible for locking him in that subterranean cave? What restrictions and why had he removed them just now?


    Marcus did not like this. From the moment he arrived in this world he had only gotten more unanswered questions and every time he seemed to be making progress, he only found more mysteries.


    After a few minutes of standing around thinking and getting nowhere, Marcus decided to think no more about it and put it aside.


    He wanted to know more about this [Monarch of the Eternal Garden], but first, he had to find a way to get to the surface. Once he was out of the subterranean installations, he would try to research more about the monarch and why he had brought him to this world.


    Once Marcus got his thoughts in order, he pulled a new suit of armor from his inventory, a shield, and a sword, equipped himself, and headed for the room he had flown out of a few moments before. He walked a few steps and finally reached the room.


    After Bairus exploded, the room had been completely ruined. The pillars were destroyed, the cultivation tanks had turned to dust, and both the walls and ceiling had cracks all over them.


    Honestly, it was a miracle that the room hadn''t collapsed after the explosion.


    Marcus walked around the room to see if he could find anything of use but gave up soon after seeing that everything had been destroyed.


    ''OH! Is this thing still good?''


    Marcus had walked over to where the semi-lich had been when it died and, although he hadn''t expected to find anything, it turned out that both the top end of Bairus'' staff and the gem embedded in it had survived the explosion.


    Marcus decided to use analysis to see if he could get some information about the object.


    ================================


    Name: Dark Potentiator Staff.


    Artifact: Magic item


    Tier: Medium


    ================================


    Durability: 1/900


    Attack Power: -/-


    Description: A staff crafted from


    black Jaracan wood and a


    Rehi crystal from a [Night Shadow Wolf].


    Abilities:


    Casting time reduction 10%.


    Darkness element boost 9%


    Mana cost reduction(only darkness spells)20%


    ================================


    Marcus finished reading the information on the staff and had been quite impressed with the item. However, he was more surprised by the fact that he managed to defeat Bairus even when he had this item with him.


    But at least now he could understand how the semi-lich was able to cast so many spells without running out of mana.


    ''Looks like I''m seriously going to need magic items if I want to survive.''


    Marcus was aware that in this world an individual''s power was not just about brute strength, but also about the items, resources, and artifacts one had.


    In fact, if the speed ring he had obtained a few weeks ago had not been destroyed, Marcus could have defeated the semi-lich much more easily.


    But there was no use lamenting about that. All Marcus could do now was to get out of the cave and try to be a little more careful with his things.


    Marcus was about to leave the room when he noticed a hole in the right wall of the room. As he got closer, he realized that the hole was an entrance that connected to stairs that spiraled down.


    It seemed that the entrance had originally been constructed so that only certain people would know how to open it. But after the explosion, the wall of the room had been destroyed and the entrance was exposed.


    Marcus used his [Energy Sense], and once he was sure that there were no more undead left in the place, he descended the staircase.


    ****


    ....


    [Wisdom increased 5 points]


    ....


    When Marcus finished the book, he got up, put it down on the desk where he had found it, picked up another book, and again sat down on the bed to read.


    The book he grabbed was green and, although it was a bit worn, he could see the title that read "Introduction to Alchemy vol.3". But, after turning a few pages of the book, Marcus had noticed that this book was not about alchemy.


    ''A book about necromancy, disguised as an alchemy book... But why?'' Marcus was very curious about all this.


    The stairs he went down led to a room. This one was very similar to the single rooms he had found all over the facility, only this one was a bit larger.


    But rather than a room to sleep in, it looked more like a hermit''s research office. There were papers strewn all over the floor and the place was cluttered with books, many of which were so worn that it was practically impossible to read them.


    But, after tidying the room, Marcus had been able to find a small number of books that he could read. And since he had all the time in the world, he decided to go through them.


    So after almost 8 hours of entering the room, Marcus had read about four books and as a consequence, his wisdom had doubled. But the most important thing was that he was finally able to get information about this world.


    On the desk in the room was a map which showed a total of six continents. Two of them were located at the north and south poles of the planet, two more to the west, one in the center, and the last one to the east.


    The continent that most caught Marcus'' attention was the eastern continent, as it not only appeared to be larger than the other five continents combined but also had a peculiar shape.


    At least to Marcus, the eastern continent appeared to have been the result of Africa colliding with India, thus merging with the Eurasian continent.


    Unfortunately, the map only showed a few reliefs and was very worn, making everything written on it illegible.


    In fact, much of the information Marcus got was unreliable because he had no idea how outdated the content of the books was. But it hadn''t all been a waste of time.


    Thanks to the books in the room, Marcus was able to glean bits of very important information. Like that the days of this world had 26 hours instead of 24, that humans were not the only intelligent race in this world or the fact that this universe was controlled by multiple deities.


    But most importantly, Marcus had been able to find some papers on how to use spells related to darkness magic and the book of necromancy.


    This suited him like a glove since, while he could use such magic items, he did not know any spells he could use, making these skills almost useless. But now that he had these documents, the problem was solved.


    A few hours later, Marcus finally finished reading all but one of the books he had found in the room.


    Marcus walked over to the desk and picked up a small diary. This vintage-style notebook was lined in tan leather and was closed by a leather strap around it.


    Marcus had found this small notebook inside one of the desk drawers along with the necromancy book but had decided to save it for last as some of the yellowed pages of the diary were stained with some strange fluids.


    Marcus unwrapped the leather strip around the diary, opened it, and began to read the first few words of the diary.


    {To whom it may concern:


    If you''re reading this, I am probably already dead.


    Whoever you are, if you happen to get to the end of this diary, I ask that you do not destroy it so that at least there is a record of what happened.


    My name is Bairus Derteniam, third son of Dorian and Clarias Derteniam, and these are my last words}

 Chapter 13 - Intertwined Paths (Part 1)

    A ray of sunlight came through the window of the room and fell on the face of a young man who was sleeping comfortably. The young man opened his eyes, proceeded to stretch while yawning, looked at the crystal sphere to his left, on which it read 04:59 a.m., and turned it off before 05:00 a.m. and the alarm began to sound.


    "Tch... Seriously, what''s the point of setting an alarm if I wake up before it goes off?"


    But even if the young man complained about the clock, he wasn''t going to stop setting the alarm.


    After all, summer was coming to an end, which meant the nights would be longer and colder. And since he had too many responsibilities, he wasn''t going to risk oversleeping to mess up his schedule.


    The young man jumped out of bed and began to prepare for the long day ahead.


    First, he opened the closet on the left side of the room and pulled out his uniform. This one was white, with gold embroidery both on the sleeves and on the collar and shoulders.


    The young man did not like this outfit very much, it was too tight and ostentatious for him. He preferred to wear something more comfortable that would not hinder his mobility.


    But, given his position, he didn''t have much choice. After all, he was one of the academy''s model students and had to set an example worthy of his position.


    "Sigh... At least it will be just for today. "He said to himself.


    The young man proceeded to get dressed, once he was done, he took the ceremonial sword that had been given to him the day before, placed it around his waist, and walked over to the full-length mirror that was next to the window on the right wall.


    He looked at himself in the mirror and, although the uniform certainly made both his dark blue eyes and golden hair stand out, the reality was that, because of his toned muscles, the uniform was a bit tight on him.


    Once he had finished his preparations, the young man left the room and, as he walked down the hallway, began to go over the day''s itinerary.


    "Let''s see... The graduation ceremony starts at 09:00 and ends at 11:30, then there''s the post-ceremonial banquet which ends at 14:00 and lastly I have to pack my things to be home by 20:00. Hmm... If I hurry maybe I''ll have time left for training."


    The young man continued walking down the luxurious white hallway, which was finely decorated with artwork. With huge glass windows on the right side and many doors on the left side.


    Until, suddenly, he stopped in front of a double door that was ajar.


    ****


    The library was immense. It was two floors high and filled with bookshelves full of all kinds of books. There were also multiple individual tables and a huge table in the center of the room.


    In the middle of the center table, under the light of a reading lamp, was a young man with brown hair and gray eyes, who looked to be no more than fourteen years old.


    He seemed to be very focused on his reading when someone appeared out of nowhere, snatched the book he was reading from his hands, and used it to give him a light smack on the forehead.


    The brown-haired young man adjusted his glasses only to find himself confronted by a blond boy his age, a little taller than him.


    "Hey! Give that back Lieon. I haven''t finished reading it yet."


    "Good morning to you too, Zarich. Did you stay up all night reading?"


    Lioen looked at the cover of the book that read {Anatomy and Morphology of the Undead} and then handed it back to the bespectacled young man.


    Zarich took the small gold-colored pocket watch on the table and looked at the time.


    "What are you talking about? I''ve barely been here for an hour."


    Hearing this made Lieon raise an eyebrow. He could tell that both Zarich''s dark circles under his eyes and the sheer number of books on the table were not the product of just "an hour of reading."


    "Wait, can you tell me the exact date we''re on?"


    "Sure...ehm...today is the 15th day of the 9th month!"


    *Plaf!*


    Lieon slapped his forehead. Clearly, he had to expect something like this from Zarich. After all, he knew his best friend was a bookworm who always lost track of time when reading a book or concentrating on researching a particular topic.


    This had happened before and there were even times when the gray-eyed boy went days on end without sleep because he was researching a topic he found interesting.


    "Sigh... Zarich... It''s 05:30 on the 16th day of the 9th month. You''ve been reading for almost 27 hours!"


    "Oh! I hadn''t noticed. I guess I lost track of ti- OUCH!"


    Lieon gave Zarich a light jab with his index finger in the middle of his forehead and, although it seemed rather light, the reality was that the young blond''s strength had already far surpassed that of a normal human, so the blow was a bit painful.


    "What do you mean you lost track of time for 27 hours! Do you know what day it is today?!"


    "But I don''t want to go to the ceremony! There will be too many people and it makes me anxious. Honestly, I''d rather stay here for another 27 hours than go to that silly ceremony."


    "Well, others don''t care what you''d rather. Remember that you''re not only the second-best student in the academy, you''re also the son of the "Regent of the Towers" and you should behave like one. Which reminds me...Arsurth"


    After Lieon said the code word, the ring he was wearing on his right hand emitted a slight glow, and immediately a small red envelope with gold lettering appeared in his hand and he handed it to Zarich.


    "What is this?"


    "That is proof that you were selected to fill one of the 100 vacancies at the Imperial University. I wanted to give it to you yesterday, but I couldn''t find you anywhere. Although I honestly don''t know how I didn''t think to check the library."


    "OOH! Did I get in? Haha, this is great."


    The imperial university was the most prestigious Institution in the entire world, where only the elite of the elite was chosen to attend. The selection time was once every four years and there were only a total of 500 vacancies.


    But, the agreement established by the six great empires dictated that each of the five races could only have 1/5 of the vacancies. This made the competition very tough.


    Especially for the humans, since, of all the races created by the gods, they possessed the most population and kingdoms.


    However, Lieon could not understand why Zarich was so surprised. After all, not only was he an outstanding student at the academy, but he was also the son of the "Regent of the Towers" the current ruler of the Tanebriz Empire.


    With all his background, it was more than obvious that he would succeed in getting a place at the Imperial University.


    "Yeah well... Oh and congratulations on achieving the wind element manipulation stage."


    "Pfff, that''s old news. I passed the manipulation stage a week ago and currently dominate the wind element up to rank 2," Zarich said with a proud tone.


    Truth be told, Lieon wasn''t surprised by this.


    Zarich''s talent with magic was more than outstanding, he hadn''t even turned fifteen yet and had already reached the pinnacle of the third rehi realm.


    Lieon was certain that Zarich was the strongest arcanist of his age. Even some elementalists older than him were no match for the gray-eyed youth.


    "Although I technically cheated, thanks anyway. Hum... I guess I should congratulate you on awakening your light aura then. OUCH!... And what was that for!?"


    Lieon once again smacked Zarich on the forehead causing it to take on a reddish hue.


    "For spying on my status. Don''t play dumb, besides me no one else knows about my elemental awakening. I''m sure I told you not to use your [Sage''s Eyes] to check my skills."


    "Okay, I get it, just stop hitting me, or I''ll get a bruise on my forehead."


    "Sigh...Well okay. But anyway I think I''ve reached a bottleneck in my training, do you want to join me on a monster hunt next week?"


    "I''m sorry but I can''t, I have to go back to Druumais to settle some business."


    The academy Lieon and Zarich attended was located in the Solar Empire, which was far removed from the Tanebriz Empire.


    But the "Regent of the Towers," Zarich''s father, had decided to send his son to the Solar Empire as an exchange student. This for him to see the world from another point of view and to demonstrate the good relationship between the two nations.


    So Zarich only returned to his country every ten months, when the academy students were on vacation.


    "Oh, I see. Then I guess I''ll see you at the university once the vacation is over. But changing the subject, put down those books and get ready. We still have 3 hours before the ceremony starts, use them to bathe and eat breakfast."


    Lieon pulled Zarich by the arm, forcing him to stand up from the chair and leave the library.


    "Hey! But what about my research?"


    "Your research will have to wait until tomorrow. Besides, it''s not like the king of the undead or a fire dragon is going to fall from the sky or something just because you fulfilled your duties for one day."


    The young men walked out the door, leaving the library in complete silence.


    ****


    *Whooosh*


    A light breeze blew through the forest, the sun was setting on the horizon, painting the sky with reddish and golden hues.


    The breeze passed through the white marble pillars covered in vines echoing down the long hallway. The wind gently ruffled the young lady''s hair causing it to move gracefully.


    Enid turned, leaned against the vine-covered marble balcony, and looked out at the forest stretching beyond the horizon.


    "Spring is coming... It will be nice to have a little warmer weather. "She said with a tone of drowsiness.


    The winter that year had been incredibly cold, the coldest she had experienced since her birth fourteen years ago.


    Enid arranged her hair, which, although it was mostly golden, had some emerald and ruby-colored locks, along with some of a more coppery shade and some sapphire-colored ones.


    But this, along with the black dress and her eyes the same color as her hair, far from making her look ridiculous, only enhanced her beauty.


    Although Enid could have stayed and admired the sunset for the rest of the day, she couldn''t afford to, after all her father had sent for her to tell her something important.


    She continued walking down the hallway until she came to a huge oak door that had multiple engravings depicting all sorts of exotic plants and trees.


    There were two soldiers stationed on either side of the door. The soldiers were wearing exquisite golden armor with multiple runes engraved on them, as well as being equipped with a leaf-shaped shield and a long spear.


    Seeing the young lady approaching, the two guards bowed their heads and curtsied. Then the guard on the right spoke.


    "Greetings, your highness. His Imperial Majesty is waiting for you in his dispatch."


    *Tack!... Creack..*


    Immediately both guards stepped aside, tapped the floor lightly with their spears and the massive oak door opened and closed a few seconds after she passed through.


    The throne room was simply a work of art in itself.


    With its high ceilings, its white marble floors and columns with exquisite white vines carved into them, the beautiful stained glass windows depicting the divinity of the seven great gods of creation, and the throne.


    At the end of the room, on a stepped platform, was a magnificent white tree whose branches reached up to almost touch the ceiling. And at the end of the platform, carved in the middle of the tree trunk, was a magnificent throne decorated with gold and silver.


    Enid had been to the throne room in the past, but no matter how many times she came, she always found herself awed by the beauty and magnificence of the throne. Only the supreme ruler of the great Empire of Aurar had the right to sit on it.


    Enid forced herself out of her state of astonishment, crossed the throne room, and came to a white wooden door in the wall on the right, just below the tree platform.


    *Knock, knock, knock.*


    Enid knocked on the door three times and a few seconds later, the door opened.

 Chapter 14 - Intertwined Paths (Part 2)

    Contrary to the throne room, the emperor''s study was quite humble and cozy. A small room with a couple of wooden furniture, a desk, some decorative plants, and a fireplace to keep the place warm on cold winter days.


    "You wanted to see me, Your Imperial Majesty? "Enid asked with a respectful tone.


    In the middle of the room, seated behind the desk, was a man with long silver hair with a few emerald locks, who looked no older than thirty and, although he was dressed in a modest gray robe and simple reading glasses, he exuded an aura of power and wisdom.


    "Come on Enid. I am your father, not some random stranger. You can speak to me with a little more familiarity."


    The emperor looked up from the documents he was reading, removed his reading glasses revealing his bright green eyes, and motioned for the young woman to take a seat.


    Enid took a seat, but could not help but glance at the black envelope with the seal of a white owl on it on her father''s desk.


    "Another report from the Whistlers? Is there a problem with the border? "There was a tone of concern in Enid''s voice.


    "What?... Oh no, no, no, no, there''s no problem. Just some strange movements on the part of the church of the deadly plagues, but nothing troublesome. I called you because I wanted to give you this."


    The gray-robed man moved some papers around on his desk until he finally found a red envelope with gold lettering and handed it to Enid.


    "Congratulations on getting into Imperial University, although being the best Elemental Sorceress of your age, it was unlikely that those bitter old men wouldn''t choose you."


    Enid was overjoyed and excited. Although she was talented, she had worked very hard for this, and today her effort had finally been recognized.


    "Thank you so much. I swear I won''t let you down!"


    "Haha... You look like me when I was young. I still remember like it was yesterday when I got my letter from Imperial University. Even though it''s been like three hundred years since that." The man said nostalgically as he reminisced about his younger days.


    "So...When do I leave for the central continent?"


    "In two months. Once our neighbors in the Naria Empire are done with the Selection Test, they will send their chosen hundred to the capital and join our candidates to go to the Solar Empire."


    "Selection test? I thought all students were chosen based on their achievements, aptitude, and potential."


    "Well, normally yes. But you know how the Rasslings are. They always prioritize individual strength above all else. Which reminds me, it looks like this year all the descendants of the six emperors will be attending Imperial University."


    "All of them!? "Enid was surprised to hear this.


    The Imperial University was extremely strict when it came to choosing their students and they always prioritized the growth potential of their candidates and not their family background. That was why it was incredibly rare for all descendants of Imperial families to attend at the same time.


    This could only mean one thing: that all the imperial descendants were geniuses with enormous potential.


    "Well I say all, but the Rasslings are still selecting their candidates. But I''m 100% sure those two will make it, especially Prince Runan. That boy sure is a real beast." Said the emperor as a smile formed on his face.


    ****


    *Whoosh...Whoosh*


    Two shadows, a crimson bear and a large brown wolf were running through the pine forest at a great speed. Although the terrain of the forest was very uneven and full of snow, this did not seem to be a major obstacle for them who knew the forest like the back of their hand.


    A few moments later, both animals slowed down and slowly their forms began to change into human beings dressed in simple fur clothes.


    The crimson bear transformed into a man over 2m (7 ft) tall, with fur and a thick crimson beard. The wolf transformed into a young man with brown hair and brown eyes, and although his muscles were well defined, they were not as bulky as those of the red-haired man.


    Both men continued walking until they came to a small clearing.


    "Well, I guess we can call the test over. Though I honestly expected better from the prince." Said the brown-eyed man as he looked at the scenery in front of him.


    In the middle of the forest clearing, there was a small mountain made of multiple beast corpses piled on top of each other. On top of the mountain, there was a dark-haired boy, who seemed to be distracted in his thoughts as he gazed at the beautiful starry sky.


    "Sigh...Clark, sometimes I don''t know if you''re distracted or just an idiot." Said the crimson-maned man.


    "Hey, why are you insulting me! It''s clear that his performance on the test is only average. Even the other nobles had a better result than him."


    "Have you sniffed the air yet?"


    The brown-eyed man looked at his red-haired companion with a bit of hesitation. But he did what the latter told him anyway. But after a few seconds, his face went from doubt to astonishment.


    "There''s no smell!"Clark was in shock.


    "Exactly, there''s no blood in the place, neither from the beasts or the young master. "Said the red-haired man. There was a hint of pride in his tone of voice.


    "But how?!"


    The red-haired man advanced a few steps, picked up the corpse of a giant panther, and threw it in front of his companion. Clark began to check the beast''s corpse and soon his eyes widened like saucers.


    "He has no external wounds, but all his bones and organs are completely shattered!"


    "Exactly, he killed them all with his fists alone and without suffering any injuries! Besides, I''m pretty sure he didn''t use his hybrid form!"Said the red-haired man. Even he was impressed.


    Clark had been speechless. He had heard that the prince was a genius blessed by the goddess of the night, but he didn''t think his abilities were so overwhelming.


    "Is he really only fourteen years old...what kind of monster has our emperor raised?"


    "HAHAHAHA...Well, I guess this ends the selection test."


    The red-haired man took out a small notebook, began to write and when he finished he seemed to be more than satisfied with the results of the evaluation.


    "39 nobles and 61 scions - yes, this year''s candidates look promising! Let''s just hope they measure up to the chosen ones from the other races."


    ****


    The original purpose of the rock hall was to serve as a room where young disciples could train and interact with each other, strengthening their bonds together and refining their combat techniques.


    But today, the huge training room had a different purpose. In the middle of the hall, 100 young disciples, dressed in white K¨¡?¨¡ya1 were kneeling neatly in ten rows.


    "THE DISCIPLES SHOW THEIR RESPECT TO THE GREAT ELDER!"They all said in unison.


    At the end of the huge room, seated atop a stepped platform, was an old man with white hair and beard, and unlike his disciples, he was wearing a black K¨¡?¨¡ya which represented the highest authority among the great masters of the temple.


    But the most striking thing about the old man was not his clothes, his long beard, or his slightly pointed ears, but his horns and his long white tail of almost 1.4 m(4.6ft) long that gave him the appearance of a powerful and wise millennial dragon.


    The old man placed a long pipe to his lips and then exhaled a large amount of smoke whose aroma denoted the mixture of different exotic herbs.


    A few seconds later, the old man''s golden eyes with vertical pupils began to check each of the disciple''s presents. Some of them had characteristics similar to those of Eastern dragons, but others looked more like Western dragons.


    But suddenly the old man''s gaze stopped on two young disciples who were closest to him. One was a girl, whose hair was blue like water and the other was a boy with red and golden scales.


    Like the old man, the young girl''s ears were slightly pointed, her horns and long tail were very similar to those of oriental dragons and she exuded an aura of calm and beauty.


    On the contrary, the boy (whose muscles were very developed for his age) looked like a powerful warrior, raised on the battlefield. His hands, feet, and neck were covered with red and golden scales, which, together with his horns and tail, gave him the appearance of a mighty fire dragon.


    "Young disciples!!... I will not waste the air in my lungs on unnecessary words!! You know why you are here, you know what your purpose is, what your responsibility is, and what you have to do!! Now go and prepare yourselves, may the glory of the great Havall be with you!! Demonstrate the honor of the empire!!"


    "GLORY TO THE GREAT HAVALL AND THE EMPIRE!!!"


    The disciples began to rise and one by one left the training room.


    Once everyone left, the white-bearded elder pulled out a small crystal sphere from his robes, tapped it with his finger three times, and a few seconds later, the sphere began to glow and a voice sounded from inside it.


    [Great Elder Zagrin! What is the call about!]


    "I''m sorry to disturb you, your majesty, I''m just calling to inform you that the candidates have already been selected."


    [OH That''s great! And what were the results?]


    "37 Mystics and 63 Warriors. Both of your sons have also been selected and....although I haven''t heard from the Asrakians of Arabor, it looks like...All the princes of the four remaining empires will be among the 500 chosen this year. "


    [Hmmm... This year''s batch of chosen ones sure is inusu-]


    [ROOOAAAAARR!!!!]


    [Sh*t!!]


    "Your majesty, what''s going on?!"


    [That f**king volcanic dragon woke up in a really bad mood! Sorry Zagrin, it looks like I have to hang up...]


    At that instant, the voice coming from the sphere faded and the sphere stopped glowing leaving the room in complete silence.


    Elder Zagrin took his pipe and exhaled a good puff of smoke.


    "It seems that the forces of calamity have been becoming more active over the past few years... Fuuuh... I just hope that this generation can face the coming danger. "


    ****


    *Clang!...Clang!!!*


    "Damn, this junk." Reitus cursed under his breath.


    The workshop was small and always cluttered with all sorts of metal parts such as loose gears, springs, screws, bolts, tools, some other junk, and half-finished artifacts.


    All of these things made getting around the room a bit difficult. Especially for someone like Reitus, who, at ten feet tall and with his four muscular arms, couldn''t help but bump and knock over just about anything in his path.


    "Hey, be more careful! A lot of this stuff is still half-finished!" a voice shrieked.


    "Huh? Your Highness Thalia! Where are you? There''s so much stuff in this place I can''t see anything."


    "Are you blind or are you mocking me? I''m right underneath you."


    Hearing this, Reitus looked down. Right in front of him was a young girl no more than fourteen years old, her skin was a coppery color and her hair was snow white.


    "I''m sorry your highness, I just didn''t see you. I mean... It''s not that I''m making fun of your height or anything, in fact, your height is quite normal within the other ra-"


    "Reitus... do me a favor and shut up until I finish adjusting this thing."


    Reitus stopped talking and just watched as the young woman put the finishing touches on the nearly two-meter tall pendulum clock she had been working on for over a week.


    Although the clock was a piece of art, Reitus was more focused on how the young girl''s four arms moved in perfect synchronicity as she adjusted the clock''s gears.


    ''It''s amazing. So young and yet she already has the same skill and technique as a master craftsman.'' Reitus thought impressed by the young girl''s skills.


    "And done!...and tell me what you think?"


    The artifact was made of crimson Huran, a tree almost as hard as wrought iron, which only the most experienced artisans could carve. The inside of the clock was replete with gears that moved the clock''s ten plus hands.


    "That''s impressive! Does it also mark the days of the week?"


    "Yep... It marks the 26 hours, of the 360 days, the twelve months, and the four seasons of the whole year!" Thalia said proudly.


    "It''s magnificent, it''s as if Saerich himself had done it in person!"


    "Hey, you''re exaggerating too much... So... what was it you wanted to tell me?"


    "What?...AH! Right, I was asked to give this to you."


    Reitus reached into his pockets, pulled out a red envelope with gold lettering, and handed it to Thalia who immediately began to read it.


    "I got into the imperial university? But I thought I didn''t meet the requirements."


    Thalia honestly never thought she would be among the candidates that year despite being the daughter of one of the six emperors. After all, while she was good at using earth magic and mineral magic, her talent was only slightly better than average.


    Furthermore, her height hovered around 1.70m(5.5 ft), so compared to the other Asrakians who easily surpassed 2.5m(8ft), she was incredibly short and therefore not good in close combat.


    "Don''t say that your highness. Your skills with magic are excellent and your gole-"


    "Automatons." Thalia interrupted with a cutting tone.


    " Right... Your automatons and other artifacts are as good as they were in the golden age. It''s more than clear that you would be chosen."


    "Sigh... When do I leave for the surface?"


    "In a month."


    "A month... hmm... I think that''s enough time to finish my backlog of projects."


    ****


    1) k¨¡s¨¡ya: Clothes are worn by Buddhist monks.

 Chapter 15 - What Was Writen

    Year 55,680 of the 4th era (year 5,331 of the Imperial Guerrmanic Calendar).


    16th of the 7th month- I decided to start writing this diary so that I can organize my thoughts for the duration of my journey.


    Yesterday afternoon I received a message from my master that I would soon be sent to a small town in the middle of nowhere to investigate the local flora and fauna, which seemed strange considering that I am not specialized in that particular area.


    But, since it was a direct order from the ministry of development, I couldn''t refuse. Besides, it wouldn''t hurt to get some fresh air and rest from all the hustle and bustle of the capital.


    25th of the 7th month- This morning I said goodbye to my friends and family. I don''t know how long this "Research Trip" will last, but I''m sure I won''t be back in the capital for quite a while.


    Lys didn''t seem very convinced about this trip. But when I told her it was more of a vacation than real work, she seemed to calm down a bit, but not before making me promise that we would get married once I''m back.


    Today I will spend the night in the city of Vaslser. Since the town I''m going to doesn''t have a teleport bridge, I''ll have to make the rest of the journey by carriage. I think that''s it for today.


    4th of the 8th month- As with the last nine days, there is not much to say.


    The autumn forest scenery is quite pleasant, although I am beginning to miss my bed in the capital.


    Just as I thought, fieldwork is not my thing. But it looks like it won''t be long before I reach my destination. Then I can finally take a bath and sleep in a decent bed.


    5th of the 8th month- My teacher is probably laughing at me right now. "Researching flora and fauna" my ass.


    I arrived at my destination at 8:30. At first, it appeared to be a typical walled village in the middle of the forest, whose population was no more than 5,000.


    But I found it rather odd that about 50% of the villagers were aura warriors and there were also many elemental mages.


    Normally this would not have caught my attention, after all, it was common for villages of this type to have soldiers and mages trained to defend against monster attacks.


    But in the ten days of my journey here I was not able to find or see a single monster in the area.


    I was greeted by Drake, the village overseer, who turned out to be a wizard of the 7th realm who specialized in fire magic. He invited me into his home and once inside, he explained the situation to me.


    It turned out that this "village" is a facade and is actually a development center, funded by the high command of the imperial capital. Which explained why there are so many strong people in this place.


    My master was in charge of manufacturing a new type of enchanted armor, which was designed to be mass-produced to increase the combat power of the army''s lowest-ranking soldiers.


    Unfortunately, my master had more pressing matters to attend to and decided to leave me in charge of the project until further notice.


    Once that was cleared up, Supervisor Drake showed me around the subterranean facilities and assigned me where I was to work. I then spent the rest of the day meeting my work assistants and getting up to speed with the project.


    12th of the 9th month-It''s been a while since the last time. But this is normal, considering the enormous amount of work I have had this last month.


    Thanks to the teachings of my master in the area of enchantments, I have been able to continue with the project and I think that in a month we will be able to have the prototype finished.


    I am happy that I will soon be able to return home. Lys has certainly been planning our wedding with a lot of enthusiasm.


    Unfortunately, as the whole project is a state secret, I am not allowed to use any kind of communication device and I am not allowed to receive or write letters either. I guess I will have to come up with some excuse so I can calm her down once I get home.


    27th of the 9th month- Good news and bad news.


    The good news is that the prototype was approved and we will soon be able to finish the project. The bad news is that in addition to the armor we had already prepared, I received an order to create two other armor. One designed to resist magical attacks and the other to increase the agility and stealth of the troops.


    While I''m quite proud that my work was recognized, I''m not so happy with the fact that I have to extend my stay here. But, there''s not much I can do about it.


    So, once we finished the main armor, I agreed with my colleagues and we decided to split the projects.


    Since I specialize in darkness magic, we decided that I would be in charge of creating the stealth armor. I just hope I can finish this quickly, so much work has me exhausted and I have become very pale from staying underground for so long.


    13th of the 11th month- I have not been able to write lately due to the events of the last few weeks. Since "The Southern Cities Alliance" declared war on us, things have been a bit complicated.


    Due to the war, we had to speed up the project, so the armor prototypes are already finished and soon we will receive new orders from the army.


    I want to return to the capital and see my family as soon as possible.


    29th of the 12th month- Many of my colleagues (including Supervisor Drake) have been reassigned to new areas by order of the government. As for me, it looks like I will have to stay here until further notice.


    Not much to say, the place feels a bit lonely, but at least I''m allowed to go out for a walk around the outskirts of the village, although it''s already started to snow quite a bit and it''s very cold, so besides reading a bit, I have nothing to do.


    Year 55,681 of the Fourth Era (year 5,332 of the Guerrmanic Imperial Calendar).


    15th of the 1st month- I finally got news from the capital! Although I would have liked to go home after being almost five months in this town, it looks like I will have to stay a little longer because of the war.


    Since the great kingdoms of Lamruia, Neren and other smaller nations joined the war, the empire has been at a disadvantageous position of having to fight several armies at the same time.


    Because of this, I have been assigned to a new project, which is focused on creating elixirs and potions that will improve the efficiency of our troops on the battlefield.


    Although I don''t specialize in alchemy or potion-making, it seems that the reason I was assigned to this project was because of my knowledge in enchantments and my ability to use darkness magic.


    I hope this will be over soon. My family must be very worried. When the war is over I plan to get married as soon as possible and take a long vacation.


    26th of the 1st month - What the hell is the emperor thinking, have they all gone crazy?


    A little over a week ago, the personnel assigned to the "Eclipse" project arrived. They were led by a wizard from the 9th realm named Baal, which shows how important this project is to the empire.


    When I first saw them, they looked shady and suspicious to me. But I thought nothing of it and thought that their behavior was like that because of the war.


    The next day, the facilities began to be modified to meet the needs of the new research equipment, including huge cultivation tanks.


    Among the personnel assigned to the project were many people who had been sentenced to death or who had committed other crimes, but instead of killing them, it was decided to use them as test subjects in the project.


    This didn''t seem strange to me either, after all, because of the war we didn''t have time to test the elixirs on animals and had to go straight to human testing.


    But today I found out what the project was all about and I could hardly hide my horror when I learned the truth.


    It turned out that the "researchers" in charge of the project, were not alchemists as I thought, but necromancers belonging to the church of the living corpses and that the real purpose of "Eclipse", was to create soldiers with similar characteristics to the undead to turn them into the ultimate weapons.


    Unfortunately, now that I know the truth I can''t leave or I''ll probably be killed... No, I''ll probably be killed once I''m no longer useful to them to hide the truth.


    For the moment all I can do is cooperate with them and then I''ll see if I can escape from here.


    May the gods forgive me for what I am about to do!


    7th of the 5th month-It has been almost eight days since my last escape attempt. At this point, I have given up all hope of getting out of town and simply stick to working all day.


    This is almost four months since the project began and we have yet to make any significant progress.


    The test subjects were first introduced to the cultivation tanks and then subjected to massive amounts of necrotic energy, but in the early stages of starting the process, the subjects began to lose their sanity and hours later ended up becoming ordinary undead.


    Although I knew this would happen, my superiors are beginning to lose patience after so many failures.


    Baal seems to be calm and has said that in a few days an artifact will arrive that will help us move forward with the investigation.


    As for me, my necromancy practices have advanced significantly in the last few days. Baal says that I have a natural talent for necromancy, since, in only three months I have been able to reach rank 2 and soon my elemental domain will reach rank 3.


    This growth is even superior to that of my dark magic which has been stagnating at rank 5 for 9 years!


    That''s all I have to say for today.


    14th of the 5th month- The artifact Baal was talking about finally arrived. It turned out that it was an ancient book of necromancy that belonged to Adam.


    I honestly almost fainted when I saw it, and I wasn''t the only one. The energy emanating from the book was too powerful. Of everyone present, Baal was the only one unaffected by the book''s power.


    As for me, there''s not much to do but work and I haven''t surfaced or seen sunlight in months.


    I''m still thinking about my family, my friends, and Lys. I don''t know if I''ll ever be able to see her again.


    That''s all for today.


    24 of the 7th month- It''s been almost a week since my last entry, but since writing in this journal helps me a bit, I decided to do it again.


    Tomorrow is one year since I left the imperial capital. I don''t know how things will be on the surface, but the war has reached a stalemate. Which is good for us.


    Finally, the project was successful.


    The test subjects who emerged from the cultivation tanks after nearly 28 hours in contact with the necrotic fluid have begun to show certain characteristics.


    The need to sleep or eat almost disappeared, their regeneration has also increased to the point of being able to heal serious wounds in a matter of minutes and there was an incredible improvement in all physical aspects, along with an increased capacity of all senses.


    But the test subjects have shown a total aversion to sunlight and also have complaints about a constant thirst. Honestly, I think I''ve helped create a new kind of monster that I shouldn''t have.


    But none of that matters anymore, may the gods punish me if necessary but I will soon escape from here and leave this cursed continent forever!!


    15th of the 8th month-Four days have passed since the troops of the Neren kingdom attacked us and today we finally finished burying those who died in the battle.


    Although the necromancers insisted on reviving them, the remaining soldiers chose to bury the fallen according to army tradition.


    Baal, as well as the church members and the successful test subjects, left the village after the battle and headed for the capital along with the book of Adam.


    Although I wanted to leave as quickly as possible, I stayed to help bury the fallen soldiers. There were currently less than 700 of us left, but we decided to stay together and leave for the city of Vaslser.


    Before leaving, Baal left me a few magic items so that I could protect myself. I think it''s his way of telling me "I hope you survive".


    I honestly don''t know what will happen from now on, since the enemy troops reached the village, it means that it won''t be long before they reach the Imperial capital.


    That''s all, we will leave in three days.


    18th of the 9th month- Today marks one month since the Imperial capital fell and the continent was covered by a blanket of darkness.


    I still can''t believe how lucky (or unlucky) we were to be able to return to the facility right after the incident occurred. Thanks to the fact that we are underground, the poisoning caused by exposure to necrotic energy seems to be milder than on the surface.


    Currently, the supplies we had been depleted, so we plan to expand the greenhouse. But thanks to the fact that many have decided to try to survive on the surface, our numbers have been reduced quite a bit and now we are less than 500.


    Apart from me, there is one other guy left who is a wizard, but he is only a mere apprentice. I honestly don''t know how he ended up in this dastardly place. So, since I''m the strongest of the group, I became the "temporary leader".


    I will try to write regularly to keep a record in case something happens to us.


    Year 55,682 of the Fourth Era (Year 5,333 of the Guerrmanic Imperial Calendar)


    1st of the 1st month- Happy New Year! Well, it''s been two days since I last wrote but not much has changed!


    Another group decided to leave and try their luck on the surface, so there are now less than 300 of us. Here in the "bunker", we are still surviving thanks to the greenhouse, but the "Farmers" are still monopolizing the food, so from time to time I have to intervene.


    I feel like I''m a king solving the problems of his mindless subjects.


    Honestly, I never realized when we stopped being one group and started being small tribes. "The treasurers", "The gunsmiths", "The loner" That''s a lot of names... It''s annoying. Maybe I should kill them? No... they are still useful.


    For my part, I hardly need to sleep or eat or anything else anymore.


    I can hear their voice more and more clearly in my head, resonating like the blows of a hammer ... Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum...


    23rd of the 3rd month- This morning I found them all dead, all the tribes.... annihilated.


    Perhaps I killed them or it was the necrotic energy. Whatever the case, there is no doubt that I will soon die and join them in the next life.


    My body has deteriorated to the point that I almost look like just skin and bones.


    It''s strange, I see my life passing in front of my eyes and all I can think about is that I would have liked to see my family and Lys again.


    It''s sad...I''m cold....I think I''ll go out of my room for a walk to warm up a bit.

 Chapter 16 - Blessed New World

    ''Sigh... Every time I read this it just creates more questions and makes me doubt the answers.''


    Marcus had already read the Bairus diary several times and even though many of its pages were stained with strange fluids or worn out, he was still able to glean enough information about what happened at the facility. But even so, the journal didn''t explain too much about the church of the living corpses or how it was that the whole place ended up underground.


    Marcus was also curious about the results of the project or this Baal guy. But most striking of all was the powerful book of necromancy and who was this Adam that Bairus mentioned.


    The only thing for sure was that, in a way, the project ended up destroying the Guerrmanic empire and, although Bairus had managed to survive the catastrophe, he couldn''t help but go insane from the necrotic energy and ended up becoming undead along with all the other survivors.


    ''Tch... It looks like I can''t stay here any longer.''


    After the Battle with the semi-lich, Marcus decided to stay at the facility a bit longer practicing both his darkness magic and necromancy, and finally, after a few weeks of practice, both skills reached level 2. But since he only had two rehi circles, it was unlikely that his skills would continue to increase so he no longer had any reason to stay.


    ''Well... I think I''m ready now.''


    Marcus got out of bed, equipped himself with plate armor, and left the room. He walked for several minutes until he finally reached the stairs he had entered and made his way to the basement he had been in almost two months ago.


    *Whoosh*


    ''Oh, you''ve got to be f**king kidding me!''


    After Marcus exited the facility, he was immediately greeted by a faint howl of wind coming from the tunnel made by the necrophagous worms.


    When Marcus was just an ordinary skeleton, he had rejected the idea of going out through that tunnel because there was a possibility that more worms were living there. But at that time he only had [Primary Sense] so he never realized that there was a draft and that the tunnel probably led to the surface.


    ''All this time looking for a way out...and I had it right in front of me...Sigh, well at least it wasn''t all a waste of time.''


    Certainly, Marcus could have chosen to go through the tunnel and not enter the facility but had he done so he would not have been able to reach rank 3 and would still be the same useless skeleton as when he arrived in this world a few months ago.


    So, after using [Energy Sense] and confirming that there were no monsters nearby, Marcus ventured down the long narrow tunnel.


    ****


    After walking for about two hours, the tunnel reached its limit and ended in a clearing in the middle of a dead forest shrouded by a thick black fog.


    * Whoosh... Whoosh*


    The forest was completely silent, only interrupted by the sound of the wind. There were no animals or insects, the trees were so dead they turned black and the ground was so gray it seemed to be covered by a layer of volcanic ash.


    ''There''s nothing... I can''t even detect other undead.''


    The only explanation Marcus could come up with to explain the state of the landscape was that the necrotic energy enveloping the forest had eradicated all life forms including the fungi and bacteria that decompose corpses and the remains of dead matter. So the whole place had become a desolate wasteland.


    But just because Marcus couldn''t detect anything didn''t mean he should let his guard down, after all, beings like skeleton stalkers could still hide and attack before they were detected.


    Marcus walked through the clearing and slowly made his way into the forest of dead trees. Even though it was night and the forest was covered by a blanket of black mist, he was able to see as clearly as if it were daytime.


    After several minutes of walking, Marcus reached a huge crevasse, but it wasn''t until he finally approached the edge that he realized it was not just a cliff.


    Tens of kilometers beyond where he stood, hundreds of islands of varying sizes floated solely illuminated by the light of the three moons and the stars in the night sky.


    ''A f**king floating island!! Are you serious?!!''


    Marcus frantically ran in circles through the forest trying to find a way to escape, but it was all futile. No matter how much he ran he always reached the edge of the island.


    Finally, after running and running for hours, Marcus ended up running all the way around the island.


    ''Sh*t!... I don''t get it, Bairus never mentioned anything about a floating island in his diary! So it just got off the ground and started floating?... Aaaah... I don''t understand anything anymore!!!''


    Marcus was desperate. Ever since he arrived in this world he had been searching for a way out to the surface and when he finally found it it was only to learn that he was trapped on an island in the sky, with no way to escape.


    *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*


    ''F**K, F**K, F**K, F**K!! This sh*tty world and this f**king floating island. F**king Reincarnation Agency... F*****k!!''


    *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!*


    In an attempt to blow off some steam, Marcus began firing magical projectiles, destroying and knocking down the dead trees in the forest, many of which fell down the cliff. When he finally calmed down, he sat down on a rock and tried to see what other possibilities he had left.


    ''Tch... Throwing myself into the void is not an option... Come on think, what options do I have?''


    Marcus started walking in circles over and over again trying to find a way to escape without dying trying. Until...


    ''Huh?!... What the hell?''


    In an attempt to calculate how far he was from the ground, Marcus approached the edge of the island. But when he did, he noticed that the trees he had knocked down a few minutes earlier were still falling.


    After about thirty minutes had passed, the trees got farther and farther away from the island, and when they were far enough away, their falling speed began to increase until they disappeared.


    ''The gravity around the island is less than normal?!.... Then...''


    ****


    "...!"


    ''Yeah, I know it''s crazy, but I''m out of options!... Besides who knows, maybe the trees below will help cushion my fall.''


    After wracking his non-existent brain for quite some time, Marcus came up with a way to get off the island. The plan was to take advantage of the low gravity zone around the island and somehow try to slow his fall speed while using [Self-Reinforcement] to resist the impact.


    With this idea in mind, Marcus went back to the facility, took all the blankets and clothes he could find, and began to tie them together to try to use them as a parachute.


    But this plan was so risky that even Marcus wasn''t sure if it would work. So to calm himself down a bit, he decided to pull out the human skull ( AKA Wilson) he had in his inventory and have a conversation.


    ''Okay, I think that''s it! Now comes the hard part''


    Once the ''parachute'' was finished, Marcus took off his armor to reduce its weight, tied the webbing on his four limbs, and approached the edge of the chasm.


    ''Okay, Marcus... Remember what your father used to say "Ideas are only bad if they don''t work"... I hope this is one of the good ones.''


    After what seemed like an eternity, Marcus jumped off the island and started to fall. Minutes passed and slowly the island got farther and farther away. But suddenly, the sky began to light up and change color, and the night gave way to the dawn of a new day.


    At that moment, as the sun''s rays bathed the trees, mountains, and rivers of the continent with their golden light, Marcus remembered the moment when he arrived in this world.


    Only a few months ago, he appeared in the darkness totally naked, alone in a hostile world, and against all odds, he managed to survive. This was the first sunrise Marcus had seen in this world and, for the first time since his transmigration, he was grateful to be reborn in this new world.


    ''Maybe... Things won''t be so bad from now on.''


    ...


    {The user has been exposed to solar energy}


    ¡­


    {Strength, Defense, Agility, and Intelligence stats have been reduced by 90%.}


    ¡­


    {The efficiency of all necrotic energy-related skills decay by 60%}


    ¡­


    {The user will receive sun damage for every minute he is exposed to sunlight.}


    ...


    Or maybe not.


    ****


    Somewhere unknown, in the middle of a huge white room, there was a large rectangular table which was made of black material with light gold tints on the edges. On the table there were a total of thirteen seats, seven on the left side and five on the right side, each had a different being sitting in them.


    The seven beings occupying the seats on the left side were surrounded by an aura of light that was almost blinding and endowed with a divine presence. In contrast, the five beings occupying the right side of the table were covered by a cloak of darkness like a bottomless abyss capable of swallowing all the light of creation.


    ''Where the hell is he! These guys have been waiting for a long time already and at any moment they could start fighting! If you''re going to kill each other, at least wait until I get out of here!!''


    In one corner of the room, there was a woman with Asian features, dressed in a black suit who could not stop trembling in the presence of these beings.


    At first, the woman was a little calmer, after all, even though these powerful entities hated each other, they had managed to come to a ceasefire. But still, these beings could not stand the presence of the others and it seemed that a conflict could break out at any moment.


    ''Why was I assigned this job?!... Weren''t superiors supposed to be in charge of doing these things?!! Uhh... This is so much worse than fieldwork.''


    But just when it looked like the woman was about to have a mental breakdown, a dark crack formed in the wall and an elegant English-looking man suddenly appeared in the room.


    "Hello, Naoko!... Why are you shaking, did I miss something?"


    "Edward-san! Where were you?"


    Naoko was on the verge of tears and almost looked like she would faint at any moment. But when Edward arrived she managed to regain her composure and keep her cool.


    "Hahaha... I''m sorry I''m late, I just had a lot of paperwork backlog, but why are you here? I thought you were in the soul selection and collection department."


    "Orders from the higher-ups. There was a level 5 catastrophe and we''re short-staffed. But to tell you the truth I''d rather be running over people than solving this problem."


    "Hm, I see... How have you been doing lately?"


    "Fine, I guess. But it''s getting harder to find candidates in some universes and the people on Earth FTZ-34 already have autonomous vehicles so we''re looking for other collection methods than traffic accidents."


    Edward and Naoko began to have a pleasant chat as they walked towards the center of the room where the light and dark beings were located. When they arrived, they both stopped chatting and their faces became serious.


    "I would like to thank you all for gathering here and offer my sincerest apologies for being late." Edward said as he bowed.


    The thirteen entities didn''t seem to mind this and soon, the hostile atmosphere in the room disappeared as if it had never existed.


    "I thank you for your understanding. Before we begin, allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Edward and I am a member of the reincarnate administration and assignment department."


    "I am Naoko, from the soul selection and collection department ."


    "Now that we have finished the formalities, let''s move on to the main topic."


    Edward snapped his fingers making a chair appear at the end of the table, sat down, and began to speak.


    "While I''m sure you all already know the rules, let me make it clear that as "witnesses", both Miss Naoko and I possess the authority to intervene if the rules of the agreement previously established by both parties are violated. Is that clear?"


    Although the thirteen entities did not seem to agree with this condition, they knew they had no right to complain about this, so they merely nodded in response.


    "Good... And now, without further ado By the power vested in me by the A.T.I..R. as "witness", I hereby declare the event open! Good luck to all and may the best win!"

 Chapter 17 - The Curse Of The Sun.

    It was dawn. Soon, the sun''s rays would cover the sky, the night would give way to the day and the lords of the jungle would run to hide in their burrows until darkness would reign again. But one of them decided to wait to devour its prey before returning to the dark nest from which it emerged.


    The giant man-eating spider climbed down from the tree and approached the creature that had been trapped, wrapped in its web, only moments before.


    The spider had been lucky. That night no matter how patient she was, no creature had fallen into her trap and it looked like she would go hungry again that day. Fortunately, things had changed when her prey dropped like a gift from heaven.


    The spider approached the silken cocoon, ready to inject its corrosive venom to liquefy and slurp up its victim. But just as it was about to sink its fangs...


    *Shik!*


    The silk cocoon broke and a sword stabbed her in the abdomen. The spider shrieked in pain as the weapon pierced and sliced through its entrails.


    In a desperate attempt to survive, the spider lashed out at its attacker.


    *Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik!*


    But before it could even land a blow, multiple dark spears shot out of the silken cocoon impaling the spider.


    A few seconds later, the spears disappeared leaving huge holes in the spider''s body from which a green goo began to ooze out.


    *Thud!*


    Unable to stand due to the loss of blood, the spider fell to the ground with a thud.


    In an attempt to free himself, Marcus began to cut the silken cocoon, only to then fall face-first to the ground.


    ''...Ouch... For a minute there I thought I wasn''t going to make it. I guess the parachute worked better than I expected.''


    Although the plan to escape the island didn''t have much chance of success, Marcus had gambled that with his physique as a superior monster, along with his ability to use strengthening magic he could survive the fall.


    But as he was about to leave the low gravity zone of the island, the sun came out, his stats suffered a penalty from the solar energy and the spell''s ability declined noticeably.


    Fortunately for Marcus, the jungle trees along with the spider webs managed to cushion his fall and although he was nearly devoured by a giant spider, he managed to survive with relatively minor injuries.


    Marcus got up and walked over to the spider that was still agonizing on the ground.


    ''You know, I don''t like spiders or their webs and even though you tried to eat me, I can''t deny the fact that you saved my life. So as thanks, I''ll put you out of your misery.''


    *Shik*


    Marcus'' sword embedded itself in the head of the huge spider and it finally stopped moving.


    ...


    {The user has defeated a [Hargarn Spider] for the first time, 1733 additional experience points will be awarded.}


    ....


    {You gained 17336 xp}


    ...


    ''Okay, now where can I hide from the sun?''


    Although it was still quite dark, it wouldn''t be long before the sun would cover the jungle and when that happened, Marcus'' stats wouldn''t be much different from a common skeleton and he would suffer damage from the sunlight. So he needed to find a place to hide until it was dark.


    At that moment, Marcus focused his attention on the base of a huge tree, which had a hole just below its base and was covered in spider silk.


    ''Hey, do you mind if I use your lair for the rest of the day? I mean, it''s not like you''re going to use it anyway.''


    Marcus pulled his sword out of the corpse and without much thought, stepped into the spider''s lair.


    Even though the spider''s lair was covered in silk, one couldn''t deny that it was quite spacious and while there were a couple of giant snake and insect corpses, the place was dark enough to meet Marcus'' needs.


    But something about the corpses in the lair caught Marcus'' attention. When he approached to see what it was, it turned out to be some white silk balls the size of a basketball, which had something moving inside them.


    ================================


    Race: Beast


    Species: Hargarn Spider (Larva)


    Rank: 0


    Level: 1


    ================================


    HP: 10/10


    MP: 11/11


    Strength: 5 Stamina: 3


    Defense: 3 Intelligence: 1


    Vitality: 2. Wisdom: 1


    Agility: 19


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Poison resistance lv:1][Poison secretion lv:1]


    [Silk secretion lv:1][Superior touch lv:1]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Fire damage lv:6][Pointed damage lv:5]}


    ================================


    ''Spider eggs?..... Great, I just left hundreds of babies without their mother. But this seriously is awesome, this thing wasn''t even born yet and it could already be a threat to a normal human.''


    Although they were still larvae, once the eggs hatch, the spiders would be strong enough to kill an average-sized animal without the need to weave a trap. Moreover, since the growth rate of spiders was much faster than that of humans, it would not take long for them to reach maturity.


    Even if most larvae did not survive to adulthood, there would still be enough spiders to create a small army. This terrifying ability to reproduce and develop was the main reason why the monsters were so dangerous to races like humans.


    ''Mmmm...Although I should feel guilty, I can''t pass up the opportunity to get free XP, so...''


    Marcus set the egg on the ground, unsheathed his sword, and proceeded to stab the huge silk egg killing the larva in the process.


    ...


    {You have gained 1 xp}


    ...


    Although the spider larvae didn''t give much, Marcus continued destroying all the eggs in the nest. When he was done, he got a total of 584 XP.


    ''Tch... I''m still another 58000 points short of leveling up. Looks like this won''t be as "easy" as before.''


    After Marcus went through his second evolution, the amount of XP needed to level up had tripled compared to when he was at level 20. So now the amount of monsters he had to kill had increased drastically.


    Ding!


    ...


    {User has killed a large amount of arachnid beasts in a short amount of time.}


    ...


    {Conditions have been met}


    ...


    {You have acquired the title [Arachnid Genocider}


    ...


    {Arachnid Genocider: When you face arachnid monsters, your attacks generate 10% more damage}


    ...


    ''Oh... At least I got something good after all. Well, I guess I''ll just wait until the sun goes down... Ah... Forget Willson on the island!''


    Marcus had been so focused on his suicidal plan to escape the island, that he had forgotten to put away his precious ''talking partner'' before he jumped. But as Marcus was about to find out, forgetting his partner would be the least of his problems.


    ...


    {The user has been exposed to solar energy.}


    ...


    {Strength, Defense, Agility and Intelligence stats have been reduced by 90%.}


    ...


    {The efficiency of all necrotic energy-related skills decay by 60%}


    ...


    ''Huh?''


    Marcus was shocked, he was clearly in a place where sunlight couldn''t reach, so why was the system saying otherwise?


    A few minutes later, Marcus saw a small beam of light coming from the entrance of the den and, after pondering for a moment, decided to expose his arm to the sunlight.


    ...


    {The user has been exposed to direct sunlight.}


    ...


    {The user will receive sun damage while exposed to sunlight.}


    ...


    The instant Marcus touched the sunbeam, his HP began to decay and his arm began to smoke. Seeing this, he immediately moved away from the sunbeam and his HP soon stopped dropping.


    ''Hum...So, as long as I don''t expose myself to direct sunlight, I won''t suffer any damage, but, anyway I will still be affected by the ambient solar energy until it gets dark or something neutralizes it... Is it just me or are the undead in this world very nerfed?''


    Normally in Earth novels or video games, many undead were affected by sunlight, but it was always enough for them to hide in a dark place or be under a shadow to avoid the effects.


    But in Marcus'' case it was much worse, because, should he find himself in a dangerous situation, he would not be able to do anything while there was still sunlight even if he was in a dark place. Therefore his only option was to wait and pray that nothing would go wrong until it was dark.


    Fortunately for him, the spider''s lair turned out to be an excellent shelter so he made it through the rest of the day without much trouble and before he knew it, it was night again.


    ''Okay let''s see... one battle mass, three swords, two spears, and six sets of armor... Tch, damn it Bairus if you were the final Boss at least you could have left me some magic item as a reward.''


    In his time on the floating island, Marcus had managed to get his hands on a lot of weapons and armor, but almost all of them were destroyed in the confrontation with the semi-lich, and although he still had Bairus'' staff, it was so destroyed that it was practically useless.


    And even though Marcus still had some weapons and armor, he didn''t know how long he would be in the jungle or how long those weapons would last.


    But since there was no point in complaining about that, Marcus could only make do with what he had and try to get out of the jungle as quickly as possible.


    Once Marcus finished his preparations, he exited the burrow and the first thing he noticed was that, although it was a bit eaten away, the corpse of the huge spider was still in the same place where it died.


    ''Oh, it''s still mostly intact... I wonder if it still has that thing inside.''


    Without wasting any more time, Marcus approached the corpse and began to check the spider''s entrails until after a few minutes he managed to pull out a crystal from inside it.


    The crystal was the size of a tennis ball and, although it was covered in a disgusting green fluid, it still emitted a faint glow of light.


    ================================


    Name: Rehi Crystal [Hargarn Spider].


    Grade: 2.1


    ================================


    Durability: 70 /70


    Energy: 1200/1200


    Description: A Rehi crystal


    from a [Hargarn Spider].


    Contains poisonous energy.


    ================================


    ''Phew... For a minute there I thought they''d taken it away. Looks like my luck isn''t so bad after all.''


    In many of the novels Marcus read in his past life, it was fairly common for monsters to be able to use magical or special skills.


    But unlike humans or other intelligent races that use magic through spells and complex techniques, monsters did so through a condensed energy core or crystal in their bodies.


    At first, Marcus doubted this idea because all the undead he had encountered didn''t have any kind of crystal. But his doubts were cleared once he learned that Bairus'' staff was made of a crystal from a monster.


    But, as Marcus was more concerned with finding a place to hide than checking the spider''s corpse, he hadn''t noticed this.


    Fortunately, Marcus was able to obtain the core and, although he had no idea how to use it, he decided to take it anyway. After all, maybe it could be useful later on.


    ''Well now, where should I go...Mmm...There are mountains to the west, so I guess I''ll follow the moons and go east...Sigh, it''s at these times when I''d really like to have a minimap or a GPS.''


    Without much choice, Marcus started walking through the dense jungle.


    Although Marcus'' current strength was enough to defeat a monster of his own rank with relative ease, he opted to hide his presence as much as possible and move forward without attracting the attention of predators.


    After all, his current strength was mostly due to his ability to use magic so he could not risk running out of MP and becoming vulnerable to monster attacks.


    ****


    ''Seriously what''s up with this jungle?! This is a thousand times worse than the subterranean facilities!''


    After a few hours of walking, Marcus had already made quite a bit of progress, but to tell the truth, it didn''t seem like he was making much progress.


    He had also had multiple encounters with many jungle monsters including car-sized lizards, giant frogs, and salamanders, dragonflies as big as elephants, and some snakes over 10 meters (33 ft) long.


    Many of these monsters were between rank 3 and 4, so Marcus didn''t dare fight them and although he was nearly eaten a couple of times, he had somehow managed to escape, suffering a couple of fractures in the process.


    *tremble, tremble... Creack... Thud, Thud*


    But at that moment, out of nowhere and without warning, the ground began to shake and dozens of trees began to be knocked down with a thud.


    Marcus immediately unsheathed his sword, prepared some defensive spells, and hid behind some bushes to try to hide his presence.


    *tremble, tremble, tremble*.


    A few seconds later a huge centipede the size of a train appeared just inches from where Marcus was standing.


    ================================


    Race: Beast


    Species: Titanic centipede.


    Titles: [Lord centipede],[Destroyer],


    [Reptile hunter].


    Rank: 6


    Level: 62


    ================================


    HP: 11830/11830 MP: 25470/25470


    ================================

 Chapter 18 - Jungle Battle

    ''Rank 6!!! What the f**k is up with this jungle?! I haven''t even walked for two hours and I''m already encountering the final boss?!! This guy makes Bairus look like a random mummy mob!!''


    In the hours that he walked through the jungle, Marcus had encountered several giant insects, amphibious monsters, and colossal reptiles. However, they were all within rank 3 or 4. But the Titanic centipede was on a completely different level.


    At this point, all Marcus could do was stand as still as possible, pray not to be found, and wait for the titanic centipede to leave.


    The huge myriapod stopped and began to scan its surroundings as if it was looking for something specific. Immediately, the giant centipede stretched its body and pounced on the top of a tree.


    A squeal of pain was heard and a few seconds later, the centipede returned to the ground with what appeared to be the car-sized corpse of a lizard.


    *Crunch! Munch! Crunch!*


    Marcus watched in utter amazement as the Titanic centipede''s jaws shredded the lizard''s body like a crunchy cereal bar.


    *tremble, tremble, tremble, tremble*.


    ''What the f**k is going on now?!''


    But while the centipede was concentrating on its meal, the ground trembled once again and hundreds of roots and vines as thick as a human head started coming out of the ground.


    A second later, the vines began to coalesce into a torso and arms of a giant humanoid whose head was a giant carnivorous plant.


    ================================


    Race: Plant


    Species: Carnivorous Treant Lord.


    Titles: [Jungle lord][Living calamity]


    [Insect Killer][Herbal King].


    Rank:?


    Level: ??


    ================================


    ''Seriously, where the f**k do these guys come from?! It''s so strong I can''t even see their rank!''


    After his battle against Bairus, Marcus'' [Analysis] skill had increased to the point where he could see some of his opponents'' statistics. But, the stronger a creature was, the less information he could get.


    In fact, this was the first time Marcus couldn''t see a creature''s rank and this only made it more obvious how strong the Treant lord was.


    "Groooaalh!"


    The Treant roared and immediately more vines came out of the ground and began to envelop the huge Centipede.


    "KYYYYEEEH!"


    The Centipede shrieked as it was strangled by the vines surrounding its body and it looked like it wouldn''t be able to hold on for long.


    *Fsssssssss*


    But at that instant, the centipede began to release a purple gas, which came out from all parts of its body and a few seconds later the vines enveloping it began to dry up and wither.


    Under the effect of the purple poison, the vines began to gradually weaken and a few moments later the huge centipede was completely freed from its bonds.


    "KYYYYEEEH!"


    Once free the Titanic centipede did not hesitate and immediately lashed out at the huge mass of weeds.


    *FSSSSSS*


    When it was only a few feet away, the centipede opened its maw exhaling its corrosive poisonous breath on the trant lord who was quickly covered by a cloud of corrosive purple gas.


    When the vines and roots that formed the body of the Treant lord came in contact with the purple cloud they quickly began to wither and dry up.


    But contrary to what the centipede expected, the Treant did not die and soon began to regenerate at such a rapid rate that the poison ceased to affect his body.


    *FSSSSSssssss¡­*


    Seeing that its venom no longer seemed to have an effect, the huge centipede stopped its attack, but it didn''t look like it was going to give up.


    *Bzzz... Bzzz...*


    At that instant, the air around the titanic centipede began to vibrate, its body changed to a gray color and its texture became rocky. When the skill finally reached its peak, the gigantic centipede lunged at Treant Lord at a speed truly abnormal for a creature of its size.


    *Baaam!*


    The entire jungle shook as the two colossal monsters collided. The Titanic centipede used its powerful jaws to bite and hurt the Treant''s body. The Treant wasn''t going to stand still while its prey tore it apart, so it swung its arms and used the vines on its body to attack its adversary.


    *BUM BUM BUM*


    But no matter how hard they were, Treant lord''s blows didn''t seem to have any effect on his opponent''s body, as if he was trying to break a concrete wall with a rubber hammer. Apparently, the Titanic centipede had used his innate skill to increase his defense, making his body almost indestructible.


    *Chomp!


    "Groooaalh!"


    The centipede used its maw managing to sever Treant lord''s right arm, and although the latter began to regenerate in no time, it seemed that the outcome of the battle was more than decided.


    Marcus remained hidden in the bushes a few meters away from the two monsters and although he knew that staying there was too risky, the incredible scene unfolding in front of his "eyes" didn''t allow him to move his body.


    He simply couldn''t stop watching, until a system message snapped him out of his trance


    ...


    {Huge amounts of solar energy have been detected in the area}


    ...


    {The user has been affected by solar energy}


    ...


    {Strength, Defense, Agility, and Intelligence stats have been reduced by 30%}


    ...


    ''How, if it''s not even dawn yet?!''


    Marcus was confused. It hadn''t been long since it had gotten dark and yet he was already suffering from the negative effects caused by solar energy.


    *Weng Weng*


    But at that instant, just as the great lord Treant finished regenerating, the air around him started to vibrate and distort. At that moment the herbal creature''s chest began to radiate a white light that soon spread throughout his body and then focused on the carnivorous flower on his head.


    ''Oh sh*t!''


    Marcus immediately jumped out of the bush he was in and broke into a run in the opposite direction of where the monsters were. He didn''t know why but he had a feeling that if he stayed any longer he would die. And he was not the only one.


    Seeing that his opponent was about to use a powerful skill the titanic centipede tried to run away from the battle, but it was too late.


    *BOOOOOM!*


    A great flash of light covered the jungle, followed by an explosive sound that made everything around it shake like an earthquake. Although the sound was deafening, trees and rocks in the jungle could still be heard being destroyed and pulverized by the shockwave.


    *BOOooom... Thud, Thud!*


    Gradually, the glow that illuminated the jungle area dimmed, the explosion stopped and was replaced by the sound of nearby trees being blown down, and a few seconds later everything calmed down.


    *Aaagh, Sh*t!!It burns me, it burns too much!!*


    [HP: 246/625]


    Although he managed to escape the impact area, Marcus was hit by the powerful shockwave product of Lord Treant''s attack, which caused his body to fly a few yards from its original position and end up with several broken bones. But that was not all.


    The Treant lord''s destructive beam of light contained enormous amounts of solar energy and as Marcus was undead, the attack had caused severe burns all over his body as well as causing him extremely unbearable pain.


    ''This is f**king insane!! His attack just grazed me and I already lost more than half of my HP!''


    Marcus immediately circulated necrotic energy throughout his body causing his wounds to start healing and slowly his HP started to recover. But perhaps because the damage to his body was mostly from sun damage, his wounds were recovering slower than normal.


    Although in his current state it was extremely painful and difficult, Marcus tried to get up from the ground to run away as fast as possible before the Treant lord attacked again.


    However, curiosity made Marcus turn around to find out the outcome of the battle between the two colossal monsters. But, when he saw the scene in front of his empty eye sockets, his jaw almost dropped.


    The first thing he saw was a path of destruction and devastation that was over 100 meters (109 yards) wide which only got wider and wider as it stretched for several miles along the jungle until it was lost from sight.


    The trees that had been hit by the light attack were completely disintegrated, those that were still standing were instantly charred and both the ground and the jungle rocks were melted, turning into magma.


    But then Marcus'' attention was diverted to the center of the path.


    The mighty Titanic centipede failed to escape the terrible attack and now lay there, in the center of the path of destruction, completely charred and it seemed that even the slightest blowing of the wind could crumble it.


    ''I-impressive, wi-with just one attack... that thing is almost like a living nuclear bomb! It could easily destroy a whole city if he wanted to!''


    Marcus thought that after evolving twice he had become strong. But in the face of this powerful being that could destroy a mountain with a single attack, he was still completely powerless.


    A vine from the Lord treant began to spread and in one swift motion pierced the chest of the now charred centipede. Unable to withstand the force of the blow, the body of the Titanic centipede crumbled into a pile of black dust.


    All that was left of the centipede was a huge shiny brown and purple crystal nearly 2 meters (6.5 ft) tall that the Treant lord''s vine was holding.


    ================================


    Name: Rehi Crystal [Titanic Centipede].


    Grade: 5.4


    ================================


    Durability: 783 /2005


    Energy: 18349/25470


    Description: A Rehi crystal


    from a [Titanic Centipede].


    Contains earth energy and poison energy.


    ================================


    The carnivorous flower of the herbal monster opened up and in one bite ate the huge crystal of the giant centipede, erasing all traces of its existence. But once it finished eating, the Treant''s head turned to the direction where Marcus was.


    Marcus was petrified and if he still had flesh on his body he would probably be trembling from the fear he felt.


    Quickly thousands of thoughts raced through his head, trying to find a way to survive. But, it seemed that no matter what he did, he was screwed. In the face of such overwhelming power, all resistance was useless.


    But then, the hundreds of vines and roots that made up the Treant''s body began to separate and bury themselves underground. And just like that, the Lord Treant disappeared as suddenly as when he appeared and the jungle was completely silent once again.


    ''Haha...I guess skeletons are not part of its diet.'' Marcus thought jokingly, as he tried to calm down and process everything that had just happened. ''What the f**k am I saying? This doesn''t make sense! None of this makes sense!''


    ****


    ...


    {User has been exposed to solar energy}


    ...


    {Strength, Defense, Agility and Intelligence stats have been reduced by 90%}


    ...


    {The efficiency of all necrotic energy-related skills decayed by 60%}


    ...


    {The skill [Automatic MP recovery] leveled up}


    ...


    {The skill [Energy Sense] leveled up}


    ...


    {The skill [Energy Sense] leveled up}


    ...


    {The skill [Analysis] skill leveled up}


    ...


    {The skill [Marksmanship] leveled up}


    ¡­


    {The skill [Marksmanship] leveled up}


    ...


    {The skill [Marksmanship] leveled up}


    ...


    {The skill [Acrobatics] leveled up}


    ...


    {The skill [Acrobatics] leveled up}


    ...


    ''Ugh... At this rate, I''ll die in less than a week... Really, who designed the difficulty level of this place?''


    Despite being undead, Marcus was extremely exhausted so he decided to lie down on a nearby tree to protect himself from the sun and recover from his mental fatigue.


    After the battle between the two colossal monsters, Marcus continued walking through the jungle for several hours.


    Miraculously his luck wasn''t too bad and although he encountered a couple of rank 4 monsters, he had managed to slip away unseen.


    But, when dawn finally came, Marcus didn''t stop and kept moving through the dense jungle.


    After the incident, Marcus did not dare to go out at night and even though all his stats were reduced to those of a common skeleton, it was still better than facing the night monsters.


    As for the damage caused by sunlight, the floating islands and trees made the jungle full of shadows, so there were enough dark spaces to hide from the sunlight. Also, his plate armor covered much of his body, so as long as Marcus was careful, he wouldn''t be burned by the sun''s rays.


    The first few hours were fairly uneventful.


    Marcus had been walking without encountering many monsters, except for some large reptiles and amphibians, but they were all rank 1 so he only had to use a couple of spells and his weapons to kill them.


    After a while, it became more evident that the nocturnal jungle monsters were stronger and more dangerous than the diurnal ones who barely reached rank 2.


    However, as Marcus progressed, his mana became more and more depleted and under the effects of solar energy, he soon became vulnerable to predator attacks.


    The hours passed and soon the sunset came.


    In that time, many of Marcus'' skills leveled up and he managed to get a total of 69,642 XP points along with a large number of monster cores, which was good enough in itself.


    ''Just a few thousand more points and I''ll be able to level up!.... But for tonight I have to take shelter, then I''ll see what to do.'' Marcus thought.


    While he had certainly made good progress, Marcus couldn''t deny the fact that he took a considerable amount of damage as he went along. He had even lost a set of armor and a couple of weapons in the process!


    Clearly, he was in no condition to stay out any longer.


    It was already getting dark, so Marcus started looking for a place where he could spend the night safe from predators.


    *rustling, rustling*


    But then, Marcus heard the sound of nearby bushes moving, and not because of the wind. A few moments later, an ant-like creature a little smaller than a pony appeared a few steps away from him

 Chapter 19 - Night Swarm

    ================================


    Race: Beast


    Species: Arsenis Ant [Explorer].


    Title: [Loyal Vassal].


    Rank: 2


    Level: 20


    ================================


    HP: 607/607


    MP: 269/269


    Strength: 100 Stamina: 55


    Defense: 54 Intelligence: 30


    Vitality: 63 Wisdom: 10


    Agility: 39


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Poison resistance lv:?][Collective mind lv:?]


    [Hormone secretion lv:?][Iron jaw lv:?]


    [Explode lv:?][Hunter''s Sense lv:?]


    [Exoskeleton lv:?]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Fire damage lv:?]}


    ================================


    ''...F**k''


    "Kiiiih!"


    Upon noticing Marcus'' presence, the Arsenis ant wasted no time and immediately charged towards him at full speed.


    Marcus rolled on the ground managing to dodge the giant ant''s powerful jaws, which embedded themselves in the tree where he had been resting a few moments before.


    *Chomp!...Crunch!*


    Due to the pressure exerted by the powerful jaw of the Arsenis ant, the wood of the trunk was destroyed, leaving deep bite marks in the tree.


    ''Damn, if that thing manages to bite me it will snap me just like a branch!''


    Marcus evaluated his options. While it was still daylight the ant would be superior to him in every way so he couldn''t run away and since his Mp was already depleted he couldn''t use magic. But he didn''t have much time to think either.


    "Kiiiih!"


    After crashing into the tree, the Arsenis ant shook its head and resumed its attack. This time Marcus was unable to dodge and was shunted by the huge reddish beast.


    *Chomp! Crush!*


    ''Argh, my arm! You son of a ¡­!''


    In a desperate attempt to stop the ant''s powerful jaws, Marcus used his covered left arm as a shield, but both his arm and the armor protecting it were shattered in an instant, as well as generating a lot of pain.


    But that instant was more than enough. In a split second, Marcus opened his inventory, took out a short spear, and with all his strength stabbed the horrible insect''s mouth in front of him.


    *Shik!*


    "KIIIIIIHHH!"


    The Arsenis ant shrieked in pain as the spear that entered its mouth penetrated past its brain and exited through the top of its head and a nasty yellow slimy liquid began to flow from its wound. But the insect was still alive.


    "KIIIIIIHHH!"


    In a desperate attempt to remove the weapon from its body, the Arsenis ant thrashed violently, knocking Marcus to the ground, trees, and rocks in the area.


    But despite the giant insect''s violent movements, Marcus had no plans to let go of his spear until one of the two finally died.


    ''Seriously, do me a favor and just f**king die already!!!''Marcus thought as he clung to the weapon with all his might.


    The minutes ticked by and slowly, Arsenis ant''s movements became weaker and calmer.


    ''Phew, finally it... Huh!''


    Just when Marcus thought it was all over, he noticed that the ant''s abdomen was swelling to almost triple its original size and only continued to get bigger.


    Marcus immediately dropped his spear and hurried to free himself from the grip of the huge insect, but only managed to walk a few steps when the ant''s swollen abdomen exploded, staining all around him with viscous yellow blood very similar to pus.


    ....


    {The user has killed an [Arsenis ant] for the first time, 587 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You gained 5873 xp}


    ...


    {You leveled up}


    ...


    {You gained 34 stat points}


    ...


    ''Iugh... No f**king way, this sucks! Now how am I going to clean this sh*t up?!.... Ugh, it even got into my joints!''


    Marcus didn''t manage to escape in time and got caught in the explosion so he was also covered with the sticky pus released by the ant. But besides getting completely dirty nothing else happened.


    ''Wait... If I remember correctly, I saw a documentary where some ants exploded their abdomens to release poison or acidic substances...Hu, good thing I''m immune to poison.''


    Without paying too much importance to what had just happened, Marcus extracted the core from the dead ant''s corpse, wiped off the yellow mucus covering its body as best he could, and set out to find a place where he could rest until his wounds were fully recovered.


    ****


    ....


    {The levels of solar energy in the environment have decreased.}


    ...


    {All user''s stats and skills return to normal.}


    ...


    ''Ha finally, I was getting tired of having only one hand,'' Marcus thought as he circulated necrotic energy through his body to recover from his wounds.


    He was currently huddled inside a hollowed-out tree, 5 meters(16.4ft) above the ground.


    After his encounter with the giant ant, it wasn''t long before the sun began to dip below the horizon and the nocturnal predators came out to hunt.


    Fortunately, Marcus had been able to find shelter and was now recovering from his injuries.


    ''Okay... System, open only my general stats.''


    ================================


    HP: 625/625


    MP: 2000/2130


    Strength: 75 Stamina: max


    Defense: 57 Intelligence: 213


    Vitality: 62 Wisdom: 78


    Agility: 74


    Stats points: 34


    ================================


    ''Alright... For now, let''s put 10 points in INT and then...''


    [INT 213?223];[MP:2130?2232]


    Marcus looked at his stats and immediately began to distribute his points, but after raising his INT he hesitated for a while before continuing.


    ''Please let this work...''


    [STR 75?83]


    [DEF 57?65]


    [VIT 62?66];[HP:625?666]


    [AGI 74?79]


    ''It worked?!''


    After Marcus evolved into a combat semi-lich, he received a strange notification from the system that his restrictions had been removed by the [Monarch of the Eternal Garden].


    At first, Marcus didn''t know what these "Restrictions" were, but after thinking about it for a while he deduced that it was about his inability to raise his stats.


    But, as Marcus had been several weeks without leveling up, he had not been able to corroborate this hypothesis until now.


    Although Marcus had no idea who the [Monarch of the Eternal Garden] was, he was more than sure that it was responsible for his arrival in this world.


    In fact, it was only after Marcus learned of the existence of this mysterious being that things began to make sense.


    At first, Marcus thought that his inability to increase his stats was because he was undead. But that didn''t fit his situation either.


    From what little knowledge Marcus could glean from Bairus'' book of necromancy, most of the undead in this world were incapable of evolving or gaining more power through their own means. Of course, there were exceptions, but common skeletons were not one of them.


    However Marcus had the system with which he could evolve, gain new abilities, and, despite having some restrictions, it was more than clear that the system was using certain powers to go against the natural laws of the world.


    This only became more evident after the restrictions on his status were removed. But this was not necessarily a bad thing.


    Sure, Marcus still had his doubts about the [Monarch of the Eternal Garden], but at least now he didn''t have to wait to evolve to increase his stats.


    Also, because of the solar energy, Marcus'' combat ability was dropping to the level of a common skeleton as long as it was daytime, not to mention the damage from being exposed to sunlight. But now he could increase all his stats and thus raise his strength level during the day which increased his survival rate significantly.


    ''Although I''m still weak, I''m no longer a useless skeleton!... Well at least at night. But with a 90% decrease...It will take quite some time until I can have the ability to fight properly during the day.''


    *Tremble, tremble, tremble*.


    At that instant, the entire jungle began to vibrate and the trees began to shake. As the tremors became stronger, the sound of hundreds of footsteps could also be heard, as if it were a great stampede.


    *Tremble, tremble...*


    But from one second to the next the tremors stopped.


    ''What was that... Sigh, I hope it''s not another Titanic Centipe-''


    *BAAM! Creack! BAAM!*


    *Cranch! Crunch! Cranch!*


    ''What the hell?!''


    Suddenly, the tree Marcus was standing in had begun to tremble and shake violently as if someone was trying to chop it down with an ax.


    But when Marcus looked through the gap in the tree to see what was happening he couldn''t help but be surprised.


    5 meters(16.4ft) down, on the jungle floor, was a swarm of hundreds of Arsenis ants trying to take down the tree he was standing on. But that was not all.


    At the end of the swarm of hundreds of insects was also an ant that was three times the size of normal sentinels.


    ================================


    Race: Beast


    Species: Arsenis ant [Warrior].


    Title: [Loyal Vassal][General]


    Rank: 3


    Level: 32


    ================================


    HP: 1288/1288


    MP: 1040/1040


    Strength: 212 Stamina: 109


    Defense: 201 Intelligence: 104


    Vitality: 128 Wisdom: 15


    Agility: 71


    ================================


    ''But what the...?! That thing has almost twice my stats! Aaaaah, I don''t have time for this!''


    *BAAM! Crack! Creack!*


    *Cranch! Crunch! Cranch!*


    The ants charged and bit the base of the tree over and over again until the trunk was so destroyed that it could no longer hold it and slowly began to fall backward.


    With no time to think, Marcus used all his strength and jumped as far as he could, trying to reach the branches of the nearest tree.


    But the distance was too great and, just when it seemed that he was about to fall in the middle of the army of ants...


    ''Shadow Whip!''


    Marcus cast a spell and instantly a long dark shadow came out from his right arm. The shadow stretched out until it reached and curled around the nearest tree branch.


    The shadow whip began to shorten and thanks to his acrobatic skills, Marcus managed to reach the tree branches without any trouble.


    *THUD!*


    The other tree made a thud as it was finally shunted, but the ants only resumed their attack by ramming and biting the tree where Marcus was currently standing.


    *BAAM! Creack! BAAM!*


    *Cranch! Crunch! Cranch!*


    Why are they attacking me?! Wait... is it because of the other ant I killed today?''


    Marcus clearly remembered the moment he killed the giant ant and how he was covered in yellow pus. What he didn''t know was that even if they were the same species, not all Arsenis ants were the same.


    When the larvae of the Arsenis ants were born they immediately formed a mental link that connected them to the queen and the entire colony. With this bond, the queen of the hive was able to choose how each larva would evolve to meet the needs of the colony.


    In a way, Arsenis ants were a species with a complex caste system and each caste possessed its own set of special skills.


    The ant that Marcus had killed belonged to the Explorer caste, whose role was to survey the territory for threats. But when the Explorers were killed they would explode, releasing a mixture of pheromones in the process.


    These pheromones were intended to guide the rest of the ants to the killer in order to eradicate any possible threat that might be a risk to the colony.


    *BAM! Creack! BAAM!*


    *Cranch! Crunch! Cranch!*


    The ants attacked the tree once again, but Marcus wasn''t going to stand idly by and wait for this swarm of insects to kill him.


    ''Okay, motherf**kers, you messed with the wrong skeleton... Shadow Lances!''


    *Weng Weng*


    The air around Marcus distorted and five long shadows appeared behind him. In an instant, the shadows changed shape and became five dark long spears.


    After his battle against Bairus, Marcus had obtained some documents about darkness magic, and necromancy. So after many weeks of practice, the mastery of his magical abilities had increased and he was now able to use multiple level 2 spells.


    And now that it was night, Marcus was finally able to make use of his magical abilities to their fullest.


    *Whoosh!... Shik, Shik, Shik, Shik, Shik.*


    Marcus swung his hand and in a second the dark spears rushed down penetrating the heads of five Arsenis ants impaling them on the ground.


    Marcus continued to create more shadow spears and before long several ants were skewered into the ground.


    But the ants didn''t seem to mind the fact that their comrades were being killed and continued their attack.


    [MP: 1751/2232]


    ''Tch... At this rate, I''ll run out of mana before I''ve killed half of them!''


    Although attacks like energy missiles and shadow lances were incredibly effective, their mp consumption was huge and, while they certainly worked in 1vs1 battles, the ant numbers were more than Marcus could handle.


    ''I''ll have to change tactics... Dark Swords''.


    Two shadows came out of Marcus'' hands. The shadows began to compress and solidify into a pair of incredibly sharp black swords.


    ....


    {The conditions have been met.}


    ....


    {The effect of the title [Adversity Overcomer] has been activated}


    ....


    ''Not enough... Self-reinforcement, Necrotic Mantle, Negative Blade, Minor Undead Reinforcement.''


    Marcus cast all the Buff-type spells he knew and, along with the effect of the title [Adversity Overcomer], his physical stats were doubled and both he and his black swords began to emit a dark purple glow.


    *BAAM! Crack! Creack!!!*


    *Cranch! Crunch! Cranch!*


    Finally, under the continuous attacks of the colossal ants, the tree gave way and was knocked down.


    But before the tree hit the ground, Marcus jumped up, circled in the air, and landed on the back of an Arsenis ant.


    *Slash!*


    The giant insect''s head flew through the air as the dark swords flashed with a cold light forming a horizontal slash, splattering the creature''s internal fluids everywhere.

 Chapter 20 - Fear Aura

    *Thump*


    The lifeless body of the decapitated Arsenis ant collapsed and its disgusting yellow blood gushing from the wound soon pooled and formed a small puddle on the ground.


    *Pack!*


    By the time the Arsenis ant''s head hit the ground Marcus had already moved and cut through the first monster that entered his field of vision.


    *Slash Slash Slash Slash*


    At that moment, Marcus finally let go. Every time his blades landed a blow, some unfortunate ant was cut down or lost some part of its body.


    *Slash Slash Slash Slash*


    Under the light of the moons, Marcus'' swift figure was like a gale cutting through everything in its path, and each of his blows was charged with powerful rage and killing intent. He wouldn''t stop.


    With his current capabilities, Marcus was sure that he could easily run away from this huge swarm. But even if he escaped, the Arsenis ants would not stop until he was exterminated.


    Also, unlike the undead, the Arsenis ants would not be affected by the sun''s energy, so they would not suffer any negative status effects. That being the case, Marcus had to exterminate this swarm before dawn or he would be doomed.


    *Shik!*


    Marcus jumped and with his two black swords covered by a layer of necrotic energy pierced the brain of an Arsenis ant killing it instantly.


    ''Hahaha, holy sh*t! This is more fun than I thought''


    Every time he killed an enemy, Marcus felt a sense of ecstasy along with a myriad of emotions welling up from deep within his soul.


    Anger, hatred, contempt, deep resentment, an emotion like he never felt before invaded his body, mind, and soul, and only the thought of killing remained in his consciousness along with the pleasure he felt every time he killed an enemy.


    *Slash, slash, slash*


    As if everything he had suffered from his sudden death to his intense battle to survive on the floating island were within each of his attacks whose only purpose was to exterminate every living thing around him until only a pile of corpses would remain.


    *Slash, slash, slash!*


    In a few minutes, the battlefield was covered with yellow fluid and multiple bodies of severed giant insects.


    *Bang!*


    Just as the dark blades were about to decapitate another enemy, Marcus heard an explosive noise to his left followed by a powerful blow and a crushing pain in his ribs.


    The force of the blow sent Marcus flying through and shattering multiple trees in the process until finally crashing into a large rock.


    ''Ugh...what...what just happened?''


    Marcus looked at where the blow had impacted, he noticed that five of his left ribs were broken, and what followed was a horrible feeling of pain.


    After he regained his sense of touch and went through his second evolution, Marcus had also regained his ability to feel pain, but being an undead lacking nerve endings his perception of pain was a little less than that of a normal person. This except for solar, sacred, and spiritual damage.


    However, the amount of pain he felt from having broken his ribs was enough to wake him from his murderous trance. But even though he had regained his consciousness he still didn''t understand what was going on.


    Marcus'' attention then turned to the largest ant in the group who had not made any move so far.


    *Weng Weng*


    The giant Arsenis ant opened its huge jaws and strange ripples of energy began to form around it causing the air around it to distort.


    *Bang!*


    The giant Arsenis ant closed its jaws causing a powerful wave of energy to shoot out at great speed destroying everything in its path.


    *Boom!*


    Immediately Marcus stood up and jumped to the side managing to evade the ant''s attack and the energy wave hit the rock behind him, causing it to explode into pieces.


    Marcus was shocked. Just one attack from the lead ant was enough to reduce the huge rock he had been standing on moments before to a pile of rubble.


    If it hadn''t been for Marcus having multiple reinforcement spells activated he probably would have ended up with more than just five broken ribs.


    [HP: 403/666]


    [MP: 1357/2232]


    ''Damn it. If I get even one more hit from that thing I''ll be dead!... Looks like if I want to get out alive I''ll have to kill the swarm boss first.''


    *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*


    The lead Arsenis ant seemed to get impatient and began to unload a barrage of attacks on Marcus. But thanks to the effects of the Buff spells, his AGI had surpassed 150 points making him so fast that one could only see residual images of him.


    *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*


    Despite his opponent''s great speed, the giant ant continued his rain of attacks, knocking down trees and destroying everything in his path. Of course, due to this large number of destructive attacks, the jungle environment soon changed.


    Within minutes all the trees within a 50-meter (54 yards) radius were knocked down and the areas on the ground where the energy waves impacted became craters about two meters long and wide (6.5ft), and one meter deep (3.2ft).


    ''Damn, this guy sure is persistent. But seriously, it''s a fool for killing his subordinates.'' Marcus thought as he surveyed the disastrous battlefield littered with corpses.


    Many Arsenis ants who had been left in the middle of the bombardment were unable to escape and ended up being torn apart by the giant Ant''s attacks or were crushed by the trees that were knocked down during the fighting.


    Because of this, the number of Arsenis ants that made up the huge swarm was reduced by almost half.


    But that didn''t seem to matter to the lead ant. After all, from his point of view, regular ants only served as collectors or cannon fodder.


    So what if he lost a few dozen soldiers? The main colony had tens of thousands of ants and could always raise more. A hundred soldiers? The queen could produce that many in a matter of days. However, all was not well.


    [MP: 0/1040]


    From the moment the giant ant attacked him, Marcus knew that if he wanted to get rid of the rest of the swarm he would first have to kill the leader. But that was easier said than done.


    In addition to being able to shoot energy waves that had enormous destructive power from a great distance, the lead ant also had an army capable of coordinating and with a simple command could turn it into a meat shield to defend against any enemy attack.


    And if that wasn''t enough, the giant Arsenis ant''s level turned out to be higher than the [Analysis] skill could handle, so Marcus didn''t know how many skills the lead ant had in its arsenal.


    But despite the giant Ant''s stats being much higher than his, Marcus was still superior in terms of the amount of mana available to him and as expected, after firing almost 50 energy waves, the Ant''s MP was completely depleted.


    For his part, Marcus still had over 1000 MP available and could continue casting spells! But he had to act fast.


    Although Marcus possessed the [Automatic MP Recovery] skill, his mana recovery rate was still very slow. So even if he eventually managed to defeat the swarm of ants, if his mana ran out it would take several hours for him to recover and in that period, he was at risk of being exposed to attacks from other predators.


    Marcus stopped running, stood a few meters away from the army of ants that had already regrouped, and looked at the giant ant at the back of the swarm.


    Dark shadows began to emerge from Marcus'' skeletal palms until they formed a pair of glowing black swords that glowed with a dark purple glow from the necrotic energy.


    ''Alright, now it''s my tur-''


    "KIIIIIIIIIIH!"


    But before Marcus could even react, the giant Arsenis ant opened its jaw and grabbed one of its subordinates by the thorax causing it to let out a shrill shriek of pain.


    *Crunch!*


    Without much effort, the giant ant''s powerful jaws snapped the subordinate ant in half like a piece of tofu.


    ''But what is it doing?'' .... wait a minute, [Analysis]!''


    Marcus used his skill and immediately checked his opponent''s MP.


    [MP: 182/1040]


    "KIIIIIIH"


    *Crunch*


    "KIIIIIIH"


    *Crunch*


    [MP: 225/1040]


    Two more Arsenis ants were torn apart by the giant ant''s jaws and soon their MP exceeded 50% of their full capacity. Seeing this, Marcus didn''t wait any longer and immediately charged towards the huge swarm of hundreds of ants.


    It was a miscalculation. He didn''t expect that the giant ant would be able to recover its MP by devouring the rehi crystals of its soldiers, even if it meant killing them in the process.


    If this continued, the giant ant would once again have the advantage and, as time went on, Marcus'' MP would be depleted. For its part, the lead ant still had an almost inexhaustible supply of magical energy.


    *Whoosh! Whoosh!*


    Marcus'' figure was like a shadow as he passed through the army of Arsenis ants and in a matter of seconds he arrived in front of the giant ant. He didn''t have time to worry about the swarm soldiers, if he wanted to survive, he had to finish off the leader first.


    Marcus jumped and his dark blades formed two vertical slashes as they flashed with a deadly glow ready to stab the colossal ant''s head. But before the blades penetrated its brain, the Lead Ant''s body took on a metallic gray glow that spread to its head.


    *CLANG, CRASH!*


    A tingling sensation ran through Marcus'' body as his dark blades, unable to penetrate through the colossal ant''s defense, ended up shattering into hundreds of pieces, only to turn into shadows and finally vanish into thin air.


    ''A-an hardening skill?!''


    "Puit!"Before Marcus touched the ground, the ant spat out a thick yellow substance. Being so close he was unable to dodge the attack and it hit him right in his ribcage.


    The force of the impact sent Marcus flying in a curved arc through the air, past the swarm of Arsenis ants, and finally crashing into the trunk of a tree about a hundred meters away.


    The yellow substance that was as thick as tar hardened in a matter of seconds leaving Marcus stuck to the tree trunk.


    ''Argh! What the hell is this?! Quick-drying glue?!''


    *Bang!*


    Immediately an explosive sound was heard and a wave of energy was sent into position towards the tree where Marcus was standing.


    ''Sh*t, Dark Wall!''


    Marcus cast the spell and quickly dozens of shadows came out from under his feet spreading out and joining together to form a wall of shadows.


    *BOOM!*


    The wave of energy slammed into the Dark wall causing a deafening explosion, destroying the ground, and creating a curtain of dust in the process. After the collision, the dust dissipated and the Dark wall was still intact.


    "KIIIIIIEEEH!"


    Seeing that his attack was ineffective, the giant ant screamed a command, and the remaining hundreds of Arsenis ants began to move. In front of a colossal number of ants, the jungle floor shook as if an earthquake was occurring.


    Just as the ants were about to attack the dark wall, it came apart revealing the skeleton behind it. Marcus was fully attached to the tree, with his right hand trapped in the hardened yellow substance, and in his left hand was a black flame the size of a human head.


    ''...Negative flame.''


    *BOOM!*


    Marcus threw the flame at the roots of the tree and immediately there was a huge explosion of black flames that engulfed the tree and scorched the nearest ants.


    In the face of the powerful black flames, the ants were powerless and began to retreat to a distance where the fire could not burn them.


    *Crackle Crackle... Thud!*


    The flames soon consumed the trunk of the tree, which couldn''t take anymore and fell with a thud.


    ''Hahaha, a destructive power worthy of a rank 2 spell! Too bad activating it cost me almost 300 MP.''


    As if he were a demon from hell, Marcus'' skeletal figure emerged from the sea of black flames completely intact. Despite being weak against fire, the flames were charged with necrotic energy so he had taken no damage.


    Marcus stopped and looked at the huge swarm in front of him. Although many ants had been killed throughout the battle, it seemed that this was far from over.


    ''Sigh, I''d better get this over with. Oh, maybe this would be a good time to try out my new skill....[Fear Aura]!''

 Chapter 21 - A Fleeting Shadow.

    *Weng Weng*


    When Marcus activated the skill, the air around him distorted and a blanket of dark energy began to emanate from his body giving him a truly sinister aspect.


    ...


    {The skill [Fear aura] has been successfully activated}.


    ...


    {All living beings with hostile intentions within a 20m(65.6ft) radius of the user suffer the effect of fear}.


    ...


    {Under the effect of fear, the stats of all living creatures at rank 2 decreases by 20%. The stats of living creatures in rank 3 decreases by 10%}.


    ...


    {As long as the skill is activated, the user''s MP will be continuously drained}.


    ...


    Wow... If I had known that the effects were so good, I would have activated the skill at the beginning of the battle. I feel like an idiot for not trying it earlier.''''


    [Fear aura] was one of the skills Marcus gained from evolving into a Semi-lich Warrior. But since he never had the chance to test it, he didn''t know what effects the skill had until now. And apparently, the effect of the skill was better than he expected.


    Under the effects of fear, the Arsenis ants immediately began to instinctively and uncontrollably recoil and tremble. Even the colossal Lead Ant over 2.5 meters(8.2ft) tall seemed to be frightened.


    "KIIIIIIEEEH!"


    The Lead Ant was scared because of fear, so it began shouting orders to the rest of the swarm to mobilize.


    Although the effect of the fear was strong, it seemed that the authority of the leader was much more powerful, so quickly the ants stopped retreating and charged towards Marcus.


    [HP: 329/666]


    [MP: 584/2232]


    ''I don''t have too much Mp left. So I''d better hurry up and get this over with for good. Shadowy claws, Negative edge.''


    Shadows emerged from Marcus'' palms and soon spread to cover his forearms, transforming the fingers of his hands into dark sharp claws more than 10 centimeters(4 inches) long that emitted a purple glow.


    *Bam, whoosh!*


    Marcus stomped the ground so hard that he created a cloud of dust and like a gale ran headlong into the swarm of Arsenis ants.


    *Slash Shik Slash Shik!*


    Under the effects of the Buff, Marcus'' speed had already far exceeded the limits of a human, and thanks to the aura of fear, the Arsenis ants became much weaker making the slashes and stabs from his claws even more effective.


    *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*


    Seeing this, the Lead Ant was not going to stand idly by and resumed its bombardment. But Marcus was so fast that the energy waves couldn''t hit him and only ended up cratering the ground, shattering dozens of Arsenis ants in the process.


    Marcus got through the rest of the swarm without much difficulty and in a matter of seconds was only a few steps away from the Lead Ant. Although he could annihilate the swarm easily, he was running low on mana so he had to defeat the leader while he still had the advantage.


    ''Hello again, ready for round two?''


    "KIIIIIIEEEH!"


    *Weng Weng*


    The colossal ant shrieked and opened its massive jaws causing ripples of energy to begin to form around it.


    ''Oh no, don''t even think about it!''


    But before the Lead Ant could fire, Marcus'' dark claws grabbed the massive jaws and ripped them off their owner''s body.


    "KIIIIIIEEEH!"


    The Lead Ant shrieked in pain begging for help from its minions as huge amounts of yellow fluid poured out of its wounds. But before they could even do anything, Marcus'' left claw was thrust into the ant''s grotesque mouth.


    ''You know, I was planning to say something epic when it''s going to kill you. But whatever, I can''t talk anyway. Energy missile!''


    *BANG!*


    The Lead Ant''s head exploded and both its internal fluid and yellow brains stained jungle soil. The corpse of the now decapitated Lead Ant staggered and finally fell to the ground with a thud.


    Seeing their leader brutally murdered, the rest of the swarm did not wait for a second longer and began to retreat deep into the sea of trees.


    Before long, all that was left of the great battle was an area littered with ant corpses, craters more than two meters deep, and the trees that had been burned or felled.


    ....


    {You earned 250,320 xp}


    ...


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    ...


    {You gained 68 stat points}


    ...


    ''Just that?! I went through this whole mess and I didn''t even get a title?!... Sigh...Anyway, I guess I''ll collect the ant cores and then find a shelter where I can get my mana back.''Marcus thought as he wiped off the ant remains that were left on his body. ''Ugh, I need to take a shower immediately.''


    ****


    In a cavern deep in the jungle, there was a crystal clear freshwater pond teeming with small fish, amphibians, aquatic plants, and all sorts of fluorescent mosses.


    From the depths of the pond emerged a skeletal figure and on the left side of its chest was a small sphere of sky-blue energy.


    ''Haaa...My first shower in months. Although this feels a bit strange considering the fact that I''m a skeleton.''


    Naturally, this skeletal figure was Marcus.


    It had been almost three months since he escaped from the floating island and arrived in the jungle. In that time he had been trudging through the jungle day and night almost without rest until he finally found this little pond to wash up a bit.


    Marcus stepped off the pond and approached one of the walls of the cave. He stood up imitating the karate processes he had seen in the movies, closed his fist, and punched the rock wall with all his might.


    *Baam! Crack!*


    ''Ouch, sh*t!''


    But despite the great noise generated by the blow, the cave wall suffered no damage and on the contrary, Marcus broke his hand. But immediately necrotic energy began to flow through his fist causing all the cracks in it to begin to heal and soon disappear as if they had never existed.


    ================================


    Name: Marcus Edevane


    Titles:[Undead Killer][Adversity Overcomer]


    [Arachnid Genocider].


    Race: Undead


    Species: Semi-lich Warrior.


    Rank: 3


    Level: 31 (32,156/225,000 exp)


    ================================


    HP: 1001/1001


    MP: 3557/3714


    Strength: 94 Stamina: max


    Defense: 77 Intelligence: 371


    Vitality: 100 Wisdom: 78


    Agility: 96


    Stats points: 30


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Corpse body][Fear aura lv:5]


    [Dark resistance lv:3][Evil resistance lv:4]


    [Energy Sense lv:5][Melee Combat lv:4]


    [Marksmanship lv:4][Sword Technique lv:5]


    [Mace Technique lv:4][Acrobatics lv:7]


    [Energy Magic lv:2][Necromancy lv:2]


    [Darkness Magic lv:2][Analysis lv:4]


    [Inventory lv:4][Dark Vision lv:9]


    [Automatic MP recovery lv:3]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Blunt damage lv:6][Solar/Light damage lv:9]


    [Fire Damage lv:7][Spiritual Damage lv:9]


    [Sacred Damage lv: Max]}


    ================================


    ''I guess I still can''t destroy rock walls without using my spells... I should have increased my defense more?'' He thought while checking his status.


    After the attack caused by the Arsenis ants, Marcus was able to advance through the jungle at a steady pace, although he suffered some difficulties.


    One of the main causes was the continuous nightly assaults by the Arsenis ants, which continued for a couple more weeks until he finally made it out of their territory.


    In those cases Marcus had managed to kill the swarm leaders first, causing the rest to retreat until the next night. After that things were a bit calmer.


    At night Marcus would make use of his [Fear aura] to keep most of the high-level predators away and during the day he would use his remaining equipment to take on the rest of the daytime animals. Of course, he also had his complications.


    During all his battles he had suffered multiple wounds, fractures and his limbs were broken a dozen times which slowed his progress on multiple occasions. In addition, after three months of continuous battles, all the equipment from the floating island had been destroyed.


    This fact added to the negative effects caused by the solar energy caused Marcus to be unable to hunt the daytime predators and as the amount of XP required was much higher now, his level had not changed much.


    Also, many of the night monsters were too powerful for him, so hunting them was out of the question.


    The good news was that, after so many fights, many of his skills had leveled up and he was now stronger than an average rank 3 monster.


    Also, once Marcus reached level 30 the amount of stat points he received doubled, making him able to increase his strength to the point where he could destroy trees and large rocks with his bare hands. Well, as long as he used his boosting spells.


    ''HUh?''


    At that moment, a strange tingle ran through Marcus'' entire body.


    '' Someone is killing my soldiers?!''


    ...


    {The user has defeated a [Nargor Parasite Worm] for the first time, 650 additional experience points will be awarded}.


    ...


    {You gained 6501 xp}


    ...


    Hearing the system notification, Marcus summoned a dark sword along with a shadow shield and quickly made his way to the entrance of the cave. When he arrived, he found 4 skeletons equipped with dark weapons and armor, all of which had some broken bones.


    The ground at the entrance of the cave was covered with bones, broken weapons and in the middle of the four skeleton soldiers was a naked creature whose body looked just like a normal human being but was covered entirely with brown scales and its neck branched into multiple brown worms of varying sizes, the largest ones were as wide as a human leg.


    ================================


    Race: Monstrosity


    Species: Naragor parasitic worm. (Human)


    Rank: 3


    Level: 23


    ================================


    HP: 0/1001


    MP: 620/681


    Strength: 60 Stamina: 62


    Defense: 53 Intelligence: 68


    Vitality: 100 Wisdom: 7


    Agility: 105


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Parasitism lv: Max][Incubate lv:8]


    [Body control lv:5][Superior touch lv: Max]


    [Venom secretion lv:4][Regeneration lv:2]


    [Poison resistance lv:6]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Acid damage lv:7][Fire damage lv:6]}


    ================================


    ''Out of my 10 skeleton soldiers 6 were destroyed and the rest seem to be almost out of combat... But, for having faced a monster two ranks higher than them, the result was pretty good.''


    Marcus looked down at the pile of bones that soon turned to black smoke and then the skeleton soldiers still standing also collapsed, scattering into the air.


    A few days ago Marcus'' INT had exceeded 3oo points, so his mana increased to the level of a mage of the third rehi realm. Because of this, he was now able to use level 3 necromancy spells with which he could summon multiple types of undead such as zombies or skeleton soldiers.


    Although individually the attack power of the skeleton soldiers wasn''t great, one couldn''t deny the fact that if summoned in groups the skeleton soldiers became a fighting force to be reckoned with.


    In addition, the summoner could decide what weaponry the summoned skeleton would have, which made each undead in the group have its own role in the battle and this certainly increased their combat potential.


    But since they were too weak for a full-scale fight anyway, Marcus only used them as bodyguards when he took refuge to recover.


    ''Now that I think about it, where does the equipment of the summoned soldiers come from...? Well, I''ll think about that later, but more importantly...''


    Marcus turned his attention to the parasitic worm lying dead mere inches from him, he cut into the creature''s abdomen and began to poke around inside its innards.


    ================================


    Name: Rehi Crystal [Naragor parasitic worm].


    Grade: 1.6


    ================================


    Durability: 50/50


    Energy: 620 /681


    Description: A Rehi crystal


    from a [Naragor Parasitic Worm].


    Contains energy and poisonous energy.


    ================================


    After searching for several minutes, Marcus pulled out a pile of worm eggs along with a purple crystal the size of a human heart. Although he was pleased with the core, he was more fascinated by the parasite itself.


    From what Marcus could gather from its biology, the Naragor parasitic worm seemed to have some sort of skill that allowed it to alter the structure of the animals it infects.


    In its developmental stage, the parasitic worm would choose a host and slowly change it into an incubator to reproduce. But more important was the host this parasite was using.


    ''This guy was a human before he was infected, which means there could be some kind of human settlement not too far from here!''


    After scouring the jungle for three months, Marcus was beginning to despair at not being able to find any trace of advanced civilization. But now he could at least find a clue that would lead him to a settlement.


    Even though he was an undead considered the natural enemy of the living, Marcus still wanted to find some town or place where he could resupply himself with resources and get some information even if it meant running the risk.


    Once he finished putting his things away Marcus looked up at the jungle sky which was beginning to light up with reddish tones. It wouldn''t be long before dawn.


    ''Well, I''d better get going, with any luck I can make it to some town just by nightfall.''


    "Hiiisss."


    But before he could even move, Marcus saw a large shadow out of the corner of his eye sockets and a second later, everything went dark

 Chapter 22 - The Port City

    It was getting dark in the jungle and as the sun dipped below the horizon, the last rays of light tinged the sky with a reddish-orange tint. This was a truly beautiful and peaceful sight that would make anyone forget about the dangers that remained hidden in the calm sea of trees waiting for the night to come.


    But this evening the atmosphere in the jungle was much more raucous than usual.


    *Tremble tremble tremble*


    "HIIISSAAAAA!!!"


    The colossal horned snake over 20 meters (65ft) long hissed in pain as it destroyed everything in its path. Whether it was bushes, trees, rocks, or other animals and monsters that were crushed and destroyed by the passage of the huge creature whose mere presence made the earth tremble.


    Normally nothing could stop his advance, after all, he was the king of this area. But today things were different


    "HIIISSAAAAA!!!"


    The king was suffering, agonizing in pain as huge amounts of scarlet blood dripped from his mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth impregnated with poison.


    "HIIISssaa..."


    *THUD*


    Finally, as it breathed its last breath, the snake dropped its gigantic body with a thud that spread throughout the jungle and caused the surrounding trees to tremble. Slowly the snake''s amber eyes took on a glassy look, losing their last glimmer of life.


    But at that moment, in the stomach of the gigantic creature, a lump was visible and began to move. Slowly the lump moved from the stomach to the neck and soon reached the snake''s mouth.


    The maw of the huge snake would have revealed an arm that appeared to be formed of calcified muscles. Soon, a skeletal figure covered in saliva and blood emerged from the creature''s corpse, dropping to the ground as if it wanted to vomit.


    ...


    {The user has defeated a [Horned Basilisk] for the first time, 2,535 additional experience points will be awarded.}


    ...


    {You earned 25,351 xp}


    ...


    ''Oh MY GOD!! How f**king disgusting! There are really people who have this kind of fetishes?!... uuuh, I''m going to need a lot of therapy to forget this... how disgusting... And I had just taken a bath!!''


    Naturally, that skeletal figure was Marcus, who a couple of hours ago had been attacked by the horned basilisk while he was off guard. As a result, he had been devoured and imprisoned in the creature''s stomach.


    Normally Marcus could have used some of his spells or skills to escape from the snake''s large stomach, but just at that moment, the solar energy had begun to take effect, causing all of his magical skills to weaken.


    On top of that, the basilisk possessed an incredible regenerative ability and ridiculously high stats so shadow weapons and low-level spells were ineffective against it.


    In this situation, the only thing Marcus could do was to use [Negative Touch], a level 1 necromancy spell that served to drain the vitality of all living things while poisoning them with necrotic energy.


    In this way, Marcus was able to reduce the basilisk''s HP steadily and continuously while preventing the creature from regenerating.


    Even if the efficiency of the spell was affected by the solar energy, its MP consumption was very low so Marcus was able to keep it active all the time. And so, after almost 15 hours the basilisk died.


    ...


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] laughs at your misfortune}


    ....


    ''But what a son of a... Doesn''t this guy have anything better to do besides spying on me?'' thought Marcus as he struggled to stand up. Although this was normal since he had been inside the stomach of a giant snake most of the day, so he was feeling a bit disoriented. ''Seriously, who is this guy?''


    Aside from his skills and stats, one of the things that changed the most in the last three months that Marcus spent in the jungle was the fact that he was now receiving notifications from the [Eternal Garden Monarch] on a regular basis.


    Marcus didn''t like the fact that someone else was spying on him all the time. But since there was nothing he could do about it, he just ignored it as much as possible.


    After wiping the horned Basilisk''s fluids from his body, Marcus started walking through the jungle while trying to figure out where exactly he was. He walked for a couple of minutes until he passed through some bushes, when he finally passed them, he saw something that filled him with joy.


    Marcus was on a small hill at the end of the dense sea of trees that made up the jungle. But beyond the jungle, to the east, an area free of trees with tall green grasses stretched down to a blue-water beach.


    Between the middle of the beach and the tall grass, next to a river that flowed into the sea, a city surrounded by an imposing gray rock wall over 6 meters (20 ft) high, stood imposingly as dozens of carriages and people entered through its massive iron gates.


    I finally did it! I found a city! .... Now, how am I supposed to get in?''


    ****


    "Tch... Damn, there''s no end to this. "Astor complained.


    He honestly didn''t like the afternoon shift because it was always when all the clan groups and merchants arrived at the last minute before the city closed.


    The only good thing about the afternoon shift was that his metal armor didn''t get hot from the sun''s rays so he would suffer less heat. Especially since it was summer.


    Astor adjusted his metal helmet and approached a carriage that was loaded to the brim with corpses of insect monsters and reptiles.


    "Hello Astor, everything okay?" The man driving the carriage saw him approaching and gave him a friendly wave.


    "Hello Tomas, good to see you''re still alive. And it looks like you''ve been doing quite well today." Astor said as he looked at the contents of the wagon.


    "Haha, well my group had a couple of injuries but other than that, today''s hunt was pretty good. A total of 5 insect beasts and 7 reptilian monsters. I''m sure I''ll get good money for them."


    "Tch, you lucky bastard. You better not waste it all at the tavern this time."


    "Hahaha... Relax, this time I plan to replace my equipment and buy some potions. But who knows, there might still be some left for enjoyment. You too should come to Dalia''s bar to relax once in a while."


    Astor and Tomas chatted for a few more minutes, after agreeing to meet for a drink sometime they said goodbye, and each continued with their business.


    Little by little the wagons of the merchants, farmers, and mercenaries were entering the city, while the color of the sky was getting darker and darker and both the city and the wall were filled with the lights of torches and candles.


    "Yaaawn" Astor let out a big yawn. He was tired, but at least it was only an hour until the city gates would close.


    "Hm?!" But then, a strange man standing in the entrance line caught his attention.


    The man was really thin and despite being a little hunched over one could tell he was taller than the average person. But the strangest thing was that the man had his arms wrapped in gauze and was dressed in multiple layers of clothing along with a hooded cloak covering his face.


    "You, the hooded one! Come here for a moment!"Astor ordered.


    The hooded man seemed to be a bit nervous, but obeyed anyway and walked over to Astor.


    ''Ugh... but what a horrible stench.'' Astor thought as he covered his nose. The hooded man smelled really bad. Like a rotting corpse that had been exposed to the sun for several days.


    Astor tried to disguise his disgust towards the hooded man as much as possible and then spoke.


    "Is- cough, cough... Is this your first time in Neima?" Astor asked. The hooded man said nothing and thought for a moment before nodding by way of reply.


    "So, do you carry any weapons with you?"


    The hooded man shook his head in reply.


    "If you don''t mind me asking. What is your business or reason for coming to town?"


    Seconds passed and the hooded man said nothing.


    "Tell me, why are you wearing so many layers of clothing when it''s the middle of summer? Aren''t you hot? And why are you wearing gauze? Did you suffer an injury or is it because of a particular illness?"


    Astor continued to ask questions but the hooded man did not answer any of them and as the unanswered questions piled up, his demeanor became more anxious and erratic.


    Of course, this did not go unnoticed by Astor who slowly moved his hand to the hilt of the sword at his waist.


    "Sir, if you don''t mind, I''d like you to come with me to..."


    "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"


    But just before Astor finished speaking, something caused a commotion among the line of carriages and passersby waiting to enter the city.


    A little farther down the road from the entrance, there was a long, large carriage. This was drawn by a dozen war horses and was guarded by at least twenty armed men. On the wagon lay the carcass of a gigantic horned basilisk over 20 meters (65ft) long.


    The armed men seemed to be very happy with their booty, as they received the applause and praise of the crowd that looked at the colossal creature, with great astonishment on their faces.


    The group was led by a burly bald man over 2 meters (6.5 ft) tall. This one had a huge scar above his left eye and was equipped with leather armor made of some beast which together with his sword, as big as a door, gave him a truly fierce and imposing appearance.


    Seeing the burly man approaching, Astor stopped everything he was doing and hurried to greet him.


    "Hans! It''s good to see you again... "Astor said as he looked at the corpse of the colossal beast "...and from what I see today you''ve really outdone yourself. There aren''t many people who can slay a horned basilisk of this size. But how did you manage to kill it?"


    Astor was impressed. Hans was one of the few elite rank mercenaries in the port city of Neima and as the leader of one of the strongest mercenary clans in the area, he had a very good reputation.


    "Hmm" Hans did not respond.


    At that moment Astor noticed that, unlike the other members of his group, Hans was not celebrating or bragging about his accomplishments, and on the contrary, he was very serious, as if something had him really worried.


    "Did something bad happen?"


    "Unfortunately yes. Astor, neither I nor any member of my group killed this creature, we just picked up its corpse on our way back."


    "What!!" Astor was dumbfounded.


    The horned basilisk was a truly dangerous creature. Its scales were harder than steel and, together with its great regenerative ability, made it really hard to cause it an injury.


    In addition, the horned basilisk''s teeth were incredibly sharp to the point of being able to cut through the best shields and armor as if they were made of paper.


    But what was terrifying was the fact that the horned basilisk had a powerful toxic breath, as well as multiple magical skills. Among them was the ability to use [Stealth] and its [Lethal Stare], which was capable of petrifying its opponents just by looking at them.


    For all these reasons, the horned basilisk was even stronger than monsters of the same rank.


    "Astor, I of all people am aware of my own strength. But even if I were fully prepared, I doubt I could have taken this bastard down without suffering some injury. The same can be said for my leader or the other clan leaders."


    Astor was truly shocked. In the entire Neima city, people who could stand up to a creature like the horned basilisk could easily be counted on the fingers of one hand and Hans was one of them!


    "But, if you didn''t kill it... then who did?"


    "Not who, but what. The basilisk''s body is almost intact, only its rhei crystal was removed. If a person had done it, they would have at least taken the horns or the eyes."


    The body of a monster like the horned basilisk was truly a gold mine. Its horns as well as its scales and teeth were used to make all kinds of weapons and armor. In addition, its blood and eyes were high-quality ingredients used in the manufacture of elixirs and potions of the highest level.


    Therefore, no person would be so stupid as to abandon such ingredients worth hundreds, if not thousands of gold coins.


    On the other hand, high-ranking monsters were beings that had already surpassed the limits of normal beasts, so they needed a large amount of energy to continue to develop and grow.


    Under these circumstances, such high-ranking monsters could only satisfy their developmental needs by consuming the rehi crystals of other creatures. Therefore, they tended to ignore the other parts of their prey because the energy level they provided was very low.


    For these reasons, it was normal for Hans to think that the cause of the horned basilisk''s death had been a monster and not a person.


    "Damn it!... You wouldn''t happen to know what could have killed this thing?"


    "Honestly, I have no idea."

 Chapter 23 - What Happens In The Dark.

    The jungle of Ranemal was so vast, to the point that no one had been able to fully explore it. This was not only due to the immense area that the jungle-covered, but as one went deeper and deeper into the jungle, the monsters would become stronger and stronger.


    The main reason for this was because the concentration of Rehi was much greater in the center of the jungle than in the surrounding areas. This large accumulation of Rehi made the central areas of the jungle the perfect environment for high-grade resources to form naturally.


    This vast concentration of energy and resources was what allowed the jungle monsters to grow and develop. But it also caused fierce competition for territory.


    Thus the high-ranking monsters ended up occupying the central areas where the concentration of Rehi and high-grade resources were most abundant. While the weaker monsters that were unable to compete for resources tended to be displaced from the central areas and ended up occupying the outer areas of the jungle.


    It was therefore normal that in the peripheral areas of the jungle where the monsters were weaker, a being such as the horned basilisk was the Alpha predator of the territory.


    However, the fact that a creature of such a level was killed could only mean that a monster equal to or even stronger than the basilisk had appeared nearby.


    "What do you mean you don''t have a clue?! You seriously don''t know any creature that can kill a horned basilisk?!"


    "I didn''t say that Astor. Look, I''ve hunted monsters most of my life, so I know a few creatures that would be capable of slaying a horned basilisk of this size. But none of those creatures leave wounds like these."


    "Wounds, what wounds?" asked Astor as he scratched his head.


    To the naked eye the large snake only had a huge jagged gash where its core had been located, but other than that single gash, the creature had no other wounds.


    "I''m not talking about the external wounds, but the internal ones. The horned basilisk''s skin is incredibly tough and its regenerative ability is a real pain in the ass. Even I would need an enchanted weapon of at least medium tier to deal with it. But whatever killed this bastard over here managed to ignore his defense and killed it by damaging its vital organs."


    "What?!... You''re telling me... it killed it from the inside? "Astor was truly dumbfounded.


    The horned basilisk was a very powerful creature that thanks to its magical abilities was ranked as the strongest among monsters of the same rank. For something to be able to murder him like that, it would at least have to be a monster with the ability to destroy a town on its own.


    "Sh*t!... If a monster like that is on the loose in the area it''s sure to cause trouble... What do you suggest we do?"


    "Hmm" Hans thought for a few moments in silence before answering.


    "Hum. Let''s keep this under wraps for the time being. I don''t want people panicking about an unknown threat. Also, have them double the number of night patrols. Tomorrow I''ll summon the other clans and the governor to an emergency meeting to resolve this."


    "Very well... What are we supposed to do with the basilisk corpse?"


    "For the time being, I''ll take it to the syndicate warehouses to be butchered. Tomorrow I might have some clues after the autopsy and hopefully, we can figure out what we''re dealing with. I''ll let you know when everything is ready."


    Astor nodded and once everything was settled he took his leave as Hans and his group entered the city along with the corpse of the colossal creature.


    "Tch, I can''t get a moment''s peace... Huh?! Where did that guy go?!"Astor looked around but was unable to find the strange hooded man he had been interrogating only moments before.


    Astor asked the other guards in the city if they had seen him, but they had all been so focused on the corpse of the colossal creature that they did not notice the presence of the hooded man, but all indications were that the man had made it into the city.


    ****


    Even though it was night, the port city of Neima was wide awake and lively. People were strolling along the cobblestone streets, which were illuminated by the lights of the lighthouses, which gave the city a really warm and lively atmosphere.


    The bars were full of workers, mercenaries, and adventurers, who were just looking to have fun and share their anecdotes after a hard day''s work. While others were just flirting with women, who were dressed very provocatively.


    In the main square, people strolled around while observing the various merchant stalls and food carts that gave off many aromas capable of whetting anyone''s appetite.


    Tonight the square was very busy. News of how a group of the Giant clan, led by "the master of the great sword" Hans Renier, had defeated a huge horned basilisk had already spread throughout the city and everyone was eager to see the corpse of the enormous creature.


    But a hooded figure, however, did not seem to be very interested in the corpse of the great beast and tried to pass through the large crowd, who were walking in the opposite direction to him and despite being very hunched over, the figure walked at a very fast and erratic pace.


    The figure was tall and thin. His arms were wrapped in gauze and despite the unbearable summer heat, he was dressed in multiple clothes with a hooded cloak covering his face.


    The figure walked through the crowded streets until finally arriving at the pier. The hooded figure entered a dark alley and continued walking.


    A few moments later, the hooded figure reached an area where the houses were in a truly pitiful state. The streets in this area were unpaved and due to the humidity in the air had turned into a muddy heap.


    And if that wasn''t enough, the streets were dotted with puddles of vomit and other bodily fluids, between the alleys there were small bonfires fueled with dung and animal fat from which emanated foul-smelling steam, covering the buildings in the area with a layer of black and sticky grease.


    These were the slums.


    At first, they were built with the idea of creating a second residential area to house people who migrated to the city in search of better working conditions and safer life than that offered by the villages in the surrounding areas of the jungle. But due to multiple cases of corruption and embezzlement of funds by the nobles of the city, the infrastructure of the district was built with cheap materials of very poor quality.


    Over time, the buildings deteriorated and the city guard stopped patrolling the area to the point of becoming a lawless land. Now, the only people who inhabited the slums were low-income people, people with criminal records, and the members of the local gangs.


    The hooded man walked down a few more streets, until he entered another small alley between two three-story wooden houses, which looked as if they might collapse at any moment.


    At the end of the narrow alley, there was a pile of wooden crates, which were being used as seats by a thin man wrapped in a cloak and whose figure was illuminated only by a small hand-held lantern.


    The man appeared to be deep in concentration as he used a small knife to remove the gunk that had accumulated under his fingernails but stopped when he became aware of the presence of the cloaked figure.


    "You''re late." the man said with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice. Apparently, he had been waiting in that alley for quite some time.


    The hooded figure said nothing. Then he reached into his clothes and pulled out a small triangular medallion.


    *Bzzz Bzzz*


    At that instant, the medallion began to vibrate and emit a slight crimson glow. Shortly thereafter a somewhat distorted voice could be heard from inside the medallion.


    [I apologize, it seems my puppet had some trouble getting in. And it looks like the patrols will start getting more rigorous from now on. I''m afraid I must ask your boss to take it upon himself to reduce them before next month].


    "Don''t worry, I''ll let him know- Ugh, this guy smells terrible!"


    [Hehehehe...I apologize on his behalf, it''s a little side effect of his illness. But relax, he probably doesn''t have more than ten minutes to live. Although it could be less than that].


    Hearing this, the thin man had a sudden shiver and couldn''t help but tremble from the fear he felt. He also felt a bit sorry for this hooded bastard, who had fallen victim to such a heinous spell.


    "Cough cough... Okay, but getting to the important stuff. Do you have what we asked for?"


    The hooded man reached back into his robes, pulled out a leather packet, and held it out to the thin man who took it with a grimace of distaste. The man looked at the package and hesitated for a moment before opening it.


    Inside the package were at least three dozen small glass vials which were filled with a green luminescent substance.


    "Where''s the rest of it?! This is only half of what you promised!"


    [You will receive the other half next month, when everything is ready].


    "That''s not what we agreed!!"


    [Plans have changed a bit. Tell your boss that, if the information he gave me is correct, I will naturally keep my end of the bargain. I''ll even throw in extra for the trouble]


    *Crack Crash*


    Suddenly, the voice inside the medallion went dead.  A few seconds later the medallion began to crack until it finally turned to dust and vanished into thin air.


    *Thump*


    Once the medallion was destroyed, the hooded figure fell to the ground and began to convulse. His constant movements caused his bandages to shift, thus revealing his arms covered in dark protrusions. And it wasn''t just his arms.


    "But what the sh... Bleeegrh!"


    Finally, the man was able to see the hooded man''s face which was covered in nasty black lumps so large and swollen that they looked like they would burst at any moment. It was so unpleasant to look at, that the man began to vomit after a mere glance.


    *Tssssss.*


    The hooded man''s convulsions became more violent, and a strange white gas began to come out of his body. Then the hooded man''s body began to bubble and corrode until only a pile of white bones remained.


    Soon, the white bones took on a striking yellowish color and began to crack until they finally turned to dust.


    "But what the¡­ Bleergh... Cough, cough... Ugh, poor wretch."


    The thin man stopped vomiting, picked up the leather pack, and left the alley as fast as he could while trying to forget the horrifying scene that had taken place in front of his eyes only moments before.


    When the man left, the dark alley was completely silent. Aside from a pile of tattered clothes and soiled gauze, there had been no evidence left of what had happened that night.


    ****


    Approximately 23 kilometers(14 miles) north of the city, there was an old town. In the past, this town had been able to house over 5000 inhabitants, along with some farm animals.


    But due to a sudden displacement of multiple monsters from the surrounding jungle areas, the town had been abandoned and the residents were forced to move to the nearest city in the hope of being able to survive.


    As a result, the place had ended up becoming a typical ghost town. But even though the entire town was overgrown with plants, vines, and weeds, some houses were still standing.


    Inside one of the wooden huts, a middle-aged man wearing black robes was sitting in front of the table of what was once a family dining room.


    The man picked up the crystal ball he had been talking to a few moments earlier, put it in his storage ring, and walked out of the hut.


    When he came out, the first thing he saw were dozens of huge compound eyes, which glowed a reddish hue in the darkness of the night.


    " Let''s go guys, we''ve got a lot of work to do."

 Chapter 24 - Inside The City

    The port city of Neima had two storage areas. One was located on the east side of the piers and was mainly used by merchants looking to store their precious goods or fishermen who needed a place to organize their catch of the day.


    The other warehouses were located on the west side of the pier. But unlike those on the east side, these warehouses were much larger and had multiple layers of enchantments to prevent the goods from being stolen.


    These warehouses were privately owned by the syndicate and were used as places to butcher the corpses of monsters hunted by the various mercenary clans and adventurers in the city.


    One of these warehouses was specifically rented by the Giant Clan, one of the three most powerful mercenary clans in the port city Neima. Inside were multiple corpses of monsters such as giant spiders, bus-sized reptiles, or some deadly amphibious beast.


    But the most striking creature in the warehouse was the huge black horned snake, which was over 20 meters(65ft) long. This was the horned basilisk that the giant clan had brought in a couple of hours ago.


    Every part of the horned basilisk''s body was a real treasure worth hundreds of gold coins. Even if its Rehi crystal had been extracted before the clan members found it, the creature''s corpse was still in perfect condition so its total value was still quite considerable.


    However, each part of the horned basilisk had to be extracted through a series of extremely delicate processes and required the use of several specific tools. All with the objective that the extracted materials would suffer as little damage as possible to make the most of their characteristics.


    Of course, this whole process was incredibly long and tedious to the point that it could take almost a whole day of work. Unfortunately, by the time the horned basilisk arrived it was too late, so none of the workers were in a position to perform such a delicate complex dissection.


    Therefore, the warehouse workers decided that it was best to wait until the next day to begin the dissection process.


    So, after applying some spells on the corpse to prevent further deterioration, the workers closed the warehouse and went home.


    Of course, none of the workers were worried that someone would try to steal the corpse. After all, no one would be foolish enough to try to steal from one of the most powerful mercenary clans in the city.


    Even if someone was that stupid, the warehouse had multiple layers of defensive spells and an alarm spell, so it was practically impossible that someone would be able to break into the warehouse.


    Unless of course, they were already inside.


    ...


    {The solar energy in the environment has disappeared}.


    ...


    {All of the user''s stats and skills}


    ...


    {All of the user''s stats and skills return to normal.}


    ...


    ''Finally!!''


    At that moment, the lump in the snake''s stomach began to move. Slowly, the lump crawled out of the stomach and soon reached the snake''s mouth.


    The basilisk''s jaws opened revealing a skeletal-looking being. Marcus crawled out of the creature''s carcass and when it finally emerged he dropped to the ground.


    ''Iugh... Even if it worked, this was a bad idea. A wooden horse would have been much better than this.''


    ...


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] is impressed with your good luck}.


    ...


    ''Ugh, go f**k yourself.'' Marcus got up from the floor, grabbed a piece of cloth he found in the storeroom and began to wipe off the saliva and stomach fluids of the giant snake that remained on his body. ''But that certainly was a stroke of luck. If just one thing had gone wrong I would surely have died... Again.''


    After nearly six months of arriving in this world, Marcus had finally been able to find and infiltrate inside a city.


    A few hours ago, while the sun was still dipping below the horizon, Marcus had made it through the jungle of Ranemal and finally found traces of a civilized society. But there was a problem.


    In this world, the undead were creatures considered the natural enemy of all living things. The moment Marcus set foot inside the city he would be seen as a threat and eliminated. But despite all that, he still wanted to go inside.


    Therefore, at the same time that Marcus was struggling to extract Rehi crystal from the horned basilisk, he was also devising a plan to enter the city undetected.


    The only drawback was that Marcus had no information about the structure of the city or its defenses, so all options for infiltration had a high-risk rate. But it wasn''t like he could just walk in the front door like a normal person either.


    Then just as Marcus was planning to delay his infiltration for a couple of days to gain more knowledge about the city, his [Energy Sense] had detected a group of people approaching.


    The group seemed to be composed of about twenty armed men, which were being led by someone who was at least as strong as the horned basilisk.


    As it was not yet night, Marcus is still suffering from the negative effects of solar energy. Therefore, his chances of fighting or escaping from the group of armed mercenaries were practically nil.


    Faced with this situation, Marcus panicked and without much time to think about it, he ended up hiding inside the corpse of the huge basilisk.


    Of course, as Marcus was not an inhabitant of this world he did not know that the corpse of the horned basilisk was a real treasure for this group of armed men.


    When the mercenaries found the corpse, they had their suspicions. But they immediately assumed that the basilisk had been killed by a monster that after devouring Rehi crystal abandoned the rest of the corpse.


    After that, the armed men took the corpse of the horned basilisk, put it on a large cart, and by the time Marcus finally realized what was happening, it was already inside the city.


    Then, he just had to wait for the workers to leave the warehouse and for the solar energy to disappear from the environment to regain his skills. Once it became dark, Marcus finally came out of hiding.


    ''Although I didn''t expect to use the Trojan method to infiltrate, I certainly must admit that it was a miracle that this worked. Now, the first thing I should do is get out of this horrible slaughterhouse, find some clothes and a place where I can shelter from the sunlight.''


    Even if Marcus made it into the city he was still a skeleton. If anyone saw him walking the streets of the city they would surely kill him. Besides, he still needed a place where he could hide during the day.


    So once Marcus got his thoughts in order, he headed towards the exit of the warehouse.


    But, just as he was a few inches away from opening the door, his arm touched the air and was hit by a sudden shock of energy that knocked him back. At that instant, a glow of blue light appeared in the air revealing a wall of energy that was in front of the door.


    ''A protection enchantment?''


    Monster corpses were incredibly valuable. The price of the Rehi crystals of these monsters alone could be worth anywhere from a few hundred silver coins and up to thousands of gold coins in a case like the horned basilisk.


    For these reasons, the syndicate had spent a lot of resources just on the infrastructure and defense of the warehouses in the western area. If someone wanted to destroy the defenses, they would at least have to have the strength of a wizard of the 4th Rehi realm.


    ''Sigh, I honestly wanted to try to get out without breaking anything, but it looks like that will be impossible...Deteriorating mist.'' Marcus raised his left arm, cast the spell, and a few seconds later black smoke began to emerge from the palm of his bony hand.


    The black smoke made contact and soon, it began to spread until it covered the entire wall of blue energy.


    *Weng Weng... Crack...Crack!


    Within seconds, the wall of energy began to vibrate and crack, producing a sound similar to glass shattering.


    Currently, Marcus'' magical abilities were comparable only to those of a wizard at the beginning of 3ird Rehi realm. So, if he had been a normal magic user he would never have been able to break the protection enchantment.


    However, Marcus was also a necromancer.


    The reason why necromancy was considered the most dangerous magic among the magic users of this world was not only because it was taboo to revive and control the dead.


    While elemental magic spells required Rehi as a source of energy, necromancy spells and incantations used necrotic energy for their proper activation.


    But unlike Rehi which formed naturally in the environment, necrotic energy did so through contamination and corruption of energy.


    This allowed necromancers to use the properties of necrotic energy to create spells and incantations specially designed to contaminate and destroy the Rehi of elemental magic spells.


    These spells gave necromancers an overwhelming advantage against other magic users and were the reason they were so hated and feared.


    If it were not for the fact that necromancy was weaker in the day and that there were people who specialized in countering necromancy spells, necromancers would have been considered the most powerful magic users and would be the supreme rulers of this world.


    *Crack... Crack... Crash!*


    Under the effects of the black smoke, the protection spell finally reached its limit and shattered like a china plate. The black smoke continued to spread, rusting the metal and rotting the wooden door of the warehouse.


    A few seconds later, the door collapsed into a pile of dust and rotten wood.


    *WANG-WANG-WANG-WANG!*


    ''Whups. Time to go...Shadow Mantle.'' Marcus cast the stealth spell and his entire body was enveloped in a cloak of dark shadows.


    The moment the warehouse door was destroyed, the alarm spell was activated and the guards were quick to notice. But by the time they reached the warehouse, Marcus was already gone.


    ****


    *Whoosh*


    A shadow moved between the rooftops of the buildings, hidden by the darkness of the night.


    After escaping the warehouse, Marcus stealthily moved through the city until he reached the commercial district located in the central area of the city.


    Marcus wandered the streets of the city as he looked at every sign on every storefront and listened to every word of the conversations of the people of the city. He deduced that currently, it must be two in the morning, so the streets were deserted except for a few drunks and guards patrolling the streets.


    ''[Analyze language]''


    ....


    {Command confirmed}


    ....


    {Renmani language detected}


    ....


    {Do you want to learn the language}


    [Yes/No]


    ....


    [Yes]


    ....


    {ERROR}


    ....


    {The user''s Wisdom is too low to perform this action }


    ....


    ''Tch... I should have known this would happen.''


    In the nearly six months since his transmigration, Marcus had been analyzing and studying the capabilities of the system, as well as its restrictions and operation.


    One of the things he understood was how his statistics influenced the rest of his physical and mental capabilities.


    It turned out that, of all his stats, wisdom was the one that encompassed the most capabilities. For it represented not only accumulated knowledge, but also the ability to memorize and learn, as well as one''s perception and intelligence.


    In this way, Marcus could increase his wisdom through constant learning and accumulation of knowledge. However, if he wanted to learn something more quickly such as a language, he would have to use stat points to increase his ability to process information and increase his space to store new memories.


    Marcus'' current problem was that his memory and learning ability had already reached their limit after learning the Guerrmanic language, the different types of magic spells, and combat skills.


    ''I guess I have no choice... System, put all my remaining stat points into wisdom and analyze the language again.''


    ....


    {Command confirmed}


    ....


    {WIS 78?108}


    ....


    {User''s Wisdom meets requirements}


    ...


    {Downloading language information.}


    ....


    A few seconds later, Marcus was able to understand every word he heard and read every letter on all the posters and signs in the city.


    But immediately, Marcus'' eye sockets locked onto the sign for one particular store.


    [Oscar Batier''s Tailor and Accessory Shop].

 Chapter 25 - Auction House

    "Yawn... Even though I''m still physically fine for someone my age, I''m starting to find it hard to get up this early in the morning."


    It was already six o''clock in the morning and as it was early summer the first rays of the sun were already peeking over the horizon slightly illuminating the city sky.


    Oscar was walking leisurely through the cobblestone streets of the city''s residential district and following his usual routine for the day, he had woken up early to open his store at seven in the morning.


    Although the hair on his head was now completely white, Oscar was still working as energetically as the day he opened his store 35 years ago.


    Back then, Oscar was still an inexperienced and na?ve young man who, after saving for more than ten years as a tailor''s apprentice, had finally managed to open his own store in the city''s commercial district.


    In the beginning, Oscar had made many mistakes and almost lost his store. But through hard work and effort, he had managed to pull through.


    Today, while Oscar''s store was not the best in town, it did have a certain amount of reputation and affection among local shoppers. But that was good enough for him.


    Oscar walked for a couple more minutes, turned a corner, and finally came to a small store. On the wooden sign, which hung above the door, one could read the words [Oscar Batier''s Tailoring and Accessories Shop.] carved and written in perfect Renmani.


    On the right side of the store, there was a glass display case, in which some suits, dresses, and other products of the store could be seen.


    Oscar reached into his pockets, pulled out a bunch of keys, and headed for the store door. But just as he was about to open it...


    "Huh?"


    Oscar noticed that the wooden door was not only ajar, but the door frame, as well as the hinges and doorknob, were broken. Seeing this, he immediately pushed the door open and went inside.


    The entire store was upside down. Sample fabrics and various pieces of clothing were lying on the floor and some of the glass display cases were broken.


    Realizing that someone had robbed him, Oscar immediately went behind the counter, bent down, moved a couple of loose floorboards, and looked in the gap underneath.


    When he saw that all the money bags were inside, Oscar breathed a sigh of relief and checked the drawer where he kept the rest of the money. When he opened it, he noticed that not even a copper Rael1 was missing.


    ''They just stole the clothes?'' Oscar was puzzled. Although normally the security in the shopping district was good, thefts still tended to happen and his store had been no exception. However, this was the first time someone had only stolen clothes and not money.


    ''Hm?.... What is this?''


    Once he calmed down, Oscar had finally noticed the bundle of cloth that someone had left on the counter. On it was a piece of old paper that had an inscription on it.


    Oscar took the note and began to read it aloud. "To whom it may concern: Broke your door and other things. Needed clothes urgently. I think this will be enough to cover the damage and the things I take."


    After reading the note, Oscar unwrapped the cloth package and when he saw what it contained, his eyes widened like saucers.


    The package was filled with gems such as emeralds, rubies, and a few common diamonds. Enough to make up for the damage to the store and maybe more.


    ****


    ''Hmm... Did I go overboard with the damage money?'' Marcus wondered as he recalled the events that had taken place a few hours ago.


    After infiltrating the city, Marcus had gotten his hands on some clothes and although he could have stolen them, he pondered a bit before deciding.


    As someone who had lived with a lousy quality of life, Marcus knew what it was like to work to try to live from day to day and have someone else take the fruits of his labor without having made the slightest effort.


    So after appealing to his last ounce of conscience and human compassion, he decided to drop off some valuable gems to make up for the damage and then left the store. But he was beginning to regret it.


    ''I have to abandon that thought. I am no longer on earth, I am in another world where there are other rules and I am no longer human. The standards no longer apply to me!'' He said to himself.


    At that moment, Marcus defined what would be his new line of thinking and decided that if necessary he would stain his hands with blood, no regrets, no looking back. All for survival.


    But the changes that occurred in his mind were not visible on the outside as he walked through the streets of the technical district of the city, observing the houses and buildings which were made of rock, bricks, and wood. The whole city had a typical 13th-century European style, although it seemed a bit more modern than that.


    It was seven o''clock in the morning, the sun''s rays were already illuminating the sky and the cobblestone streets were crowded with people getting ready for another day of work.


    But for some reason, every time someone saw Marcus, they hurried to let him pass and bowed as if he were someone important. This had already happened several times in the last hour and even the district guards treated him like a noble!


    ''Mmm... This is starting to get uncomfortable. But why this reaction? Even if I have a mask on, I thought I chose a normal set of clothes.''


    Marcus was dressed in a pair of brown leather boots and gloves, pants, and a long-sleeved black gambeson, along with a black cloak covering his skeletal nape.


    He was also wearing an all-black mask that had no holes but had a minor enchantment which gave the wearer a full panoramic view. This had been the most expensive item in the store with a value of 5 gold Raels1.


    After having "bought" some clothes, Marcus had spent the last five hours gathering information and familiarizing himself with the structure of the city.


    The port city of Neima had a population of approximately 200,000 and was divided into multiple districts or special zones.


    The city was guarded by huge rock walls 6 meters(20ft) high. Outside the walls, the city was surrounded by houses and farms, which were intended for the agricultural industry.


    Inside the walls, the city was divided into five districts, not counting the pier and the two warehouse areas, which were located in the northern area of the city.


    In the northeastern area were the slums, as well as the headquarters of multiple local gangs and some illegal businesses such as the city''s black market. To the southeast was the residential district, which housed the majority of the inhabitants.


    The commercial district was located in the center of the city and was mainly occupied by street merchants, artisans, and other types of businesses such as bars and restaurants. The noble district was located in the northwestern part of the city and was home to all the wealthy and powerful people of the city.


    The technical district, where Marcus was currently located, was situated in the southwestern part of the city and was considered to be the economic center of the city.


    This district was home to most of the branches of large mercantile companies, schools, high-class businesses, as well as the headquarters of the syndicate and the city''s main mercenary and adventurer clans.


    The reason Marcus was here was very simple. He needed money.


    As undead, Marcus didn''t need to eat, sleep, or any of the other basic needs of living beings. But, since he planned to stay in the city for quite some time, he needed a place to stay, and that required money.


    Fortunately, Marcus had looted the treasury of the subway facility, so even after spending a lot of money on buying clothes, he still had a good amount of financial funds.


    There was also the option of selling the Rehi crystals he had obtained by killing monsters the last two months he had spent in the jungle. But since Marcus still didn''t have much information on these, he decided to sell only treasury items.


    A few minutes later, Marcus stopped in front of an impressive building, the facade of which was covered with white marble and had large burnished bronze doors guarded by two pairs of guards in enchanted armor on either side of it.


    On the entrance could be read the words [T.M.S Company''s Auction and Pawn Shop].


    When the guards on either side of the door saw Marcus, they bowed and let him pass as if he were a regular customer of the place.


    Behind the huge doors was a foyer, which connected to a long black and white marble hall, with tall columns, crystal chandeliers on the ceiling, and over 50 people sitting on stools behind long wooden desks on both sides of the hall. On the walls of the hall, there were multiple bronze doors over 2 meters(6.5ft) high.


    At the end of the long marble hall, there was a large line of people waiting to be served by a white-bearded old man with a monocle, who stood behind a tall black wooden desk.


    ''Wow... This looks just like the *ringotts bank from the movie!'' Marcus was impressed by the architecture of the place. In his past life, he had only seen such buildings in movies and tv series or internet images.


    Once he had finished admiring the architecture of the place and following common sense, Marcus stood at the end of the line and waited for his turn. But not even two minutes had passed, when one of the employees of the place, a blonde woman in a white suit approached him.


    "Excuse me, sir, is there something I can help you with?"


    ''Uh....is she talking to me?" he thought.


    Marcus didn''t understand why this woman was talking to him. Had he made a mistake without realizing it? Was her appearance odd? Had something given him away?


    "This... Are you coming for next month''s auction or do you wish to buy a specific product? Our branch has a lot of enchanted items, elixirs, and magic scrolls for people of your status."


    ''But what the f**k is she talking about?!!... Someone of my status? Even the employees look nobler than me! ... I better say something before some misunderstanding happens... ''I hope this spell works... Minor Telepathy.''


    "Actually, I came because I need to pawn some things. "Marcus replied.


    "Eh?!... Excuse me but, did you just..."


    "Ah about that, my vocal cords were severely damaged, so I can only communicate through Telepathy. I hope that doesn''t inconvenience you."


    As a skeleton, Marcus possessed no vocal cords, so he could not speak.


    Fortunately, the introductory magic book Marcus had gotten in the subway facility after killing the skeleton mage had several level 1 spells of the energy element including [Minor Telepathy].


    This spell only served for the thaumaturge to transmit his thoughts directly into a person''s mind, but could not read minds. But with this Marcus was able to communicate with others.


    "Uh, no, it doesn''t bother me at all! If you wish to sell any products you can accompany me to the adjoining rooms and we''ll send someone to assess the price of the items."


    "Okay."


    Marcus followed the white-suited woman to one of the huge bronze doors. Behind the door was an elegant marble room, which looked like a luxury suite in a 5-star hotel.


    In the center of the room, there was an expensive red carpet with gilt edges. On this, there was a luxurious hand-carved square wooden table and a pair of white armchairs on either side of it.


    "Please take a seat and in a few minutes, someone will come to attend to you.....Is there anything else I can offer you sir?"


    "No, I''m fine."


    The woman bowed and left the room. Marcus sat down in one of the armchairs next to the table, took some bundles out of his inventory, and waited for the appraiser to arrive.


    But although he seemed calm on the outside, the truth was that he was very confused.


    ''But what the f**k just happened?... At what point did I become a VIP?.... ''Wait, let''s not jump to conclusions, maybe this is a simple misunderstanding.'' He said to himself in an attempt to calm down.


    A few minutes later, Marcus was still deep in thought when two men entered the room.


    One of them was a fat brown-haired man, dressed in smart clothes and had a large mustachioed mustache over his lips.


    The other was a black-haired young man, about 20 years of age. This one wore a suit just like the woman a moment ago, the only difference being that this one was black.


    But for some reason, there was a strange energy emanating from the younger man.


    ***


    1) Rael: Currency used by some of the kingdoms and cities of the eastern part of the Austra continent.


    100 copper Raels = 1 silver Rael.


    1000 silver Raels = 1 gold Rael.

 Chapter 26 - Elemental Mastery

    ================================


    Name: Winston Folghs


    Race: Human


    Profession: none (Subsector manager)


    Rank: 1


    Level: 9


    ================================


    HP: 135/135


    MP: 181/181


    Strength: 12 (+50) Stamina: 13(+50)


    Defense: 14(+50) Intelligence: 18


    Vitality: 13 Wisdom: 50


    Agility: 17(+50)


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Igneous Manipulation][Sixth Sense lv:2]


    [Evaluate lv:3] }


    ================================


    ''A magic-user?... It looks like he''s only in the zero realm, but judging by his stats he must have some magic item with him.''


    Marcus looked at the black-suited young man''s stats and while they weren''t too high they were still quite impressive. Especially his wisdom which was far superior to that of a normal human.


    The fat man with a mustache hurried to the center of the room and sat down in the white armchair on the other side of the table.


    "Good morning. I''m sorry to have kept you waiting Mr. Wizard. My name is Paul Gerson and I will be your appraiser. The young man next to me is Winstons, anything you need you can ask him."


    ''Mr. Wizard?.... Is that why everyone was treating me like a VIP?!''


    As someone who had transmigrated only six months ago, Marcus was not yet familiar with the common sense or hierarchy of this world.


    Therefore, he did not know that in this world people capable of using magic were rare and therefore treated as nobles. Although this could vary depending on the country and continent one was in.


    The port city of Neima had a population of over 200,000, but the number of magic users within that population was less than 0.5%.


    Moreover, most of these magic users were found only in the zero Rehi realm, those in the 1st Rehi realm barely numbered a hundred and those in the 2nd realm numbered a few dozen.


    As for the magic users of the 3rd realm, there were only four in the entire city including the city governor himself.


    Even though he had currently been weakened by the solar energy, Marcus still radiated certain magical energy that gave him away as a wizard of the 1st Rehi realm, so he could easily be considered someone of noble status.


    ''I have to figure out how to hide the fact that I can use magic or they might find out that I''m undead.''


    "Excuse me, but how should I address you, sir...?"


    "Just call me Edevane."


    "Very well. So, Mr. Edevane, as I understand it you wish to sell some items of great value, is that not so."


    The obese appraiser didn''t seem to be bothered by the fact that Marcus was communicating via telepathy and focused his attention on the bundles Marcus had pulled from his inventory a few moments earlier.


    "That''s right."


    Marcus picked up one of the bundles and began emptying its contents onto the living room table. Soon the table was cluttered with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and fancy jewelry such as pearl necklaces, gold rings, silverware, and other valuable items.


    At the sight of all these valuable objects, the eyes of the obese appraiser reflected certain greed. Paul took a small magnifying loupe out of his pockets, picked up a large ruby from the table, and very calmly began to inspect.


    When he finished inspecting the gem, the appraiser placed it on the table and picked up a silver plate. When he finished inspecting it he placed it back on the table and picked up another item.


    This process had continued for a few minutes until Paul picked up a gold bracelet that had several jewels embedded in it and strange patterns engraved on it.


    When Paul looked at the bracelet more closely, his eyes widened like saucers and he began to breathe with slight difficulty.


    "By the gods...These patterns...These engravings...This is Guerrmanic craftsmanship!!"


    Paul was shocked, even Winston who hadn''t said a word since he came in couldn''t hide the surprise on his face.


    "Excuse me Mr. Edevane, but if you don''t mind me asking...But how did you get this?"


    Marcus pondered for a moment before answering.


    "I got them in some ruins a few weeks ago." Marcus replied with complete indifference.


    "A ruins? Have you ever been to the dark lands?!"


    At that moment, Marcus noticed that both de Paul and Winston had an expression of amazement and fear on their faces as if he had discovered something that was both truly incredible, yet terrifying.


    ''The dark lands?.... What the f**k is that?! ... I better get some information about the geography of this world once I get out of here.''


    "The dark lands? Do I really look like a suicide? No, I simply found some ancient Guerrmanic ruins on a floating island. These treasures are the result of said exploration."


    Although Marcus had no idea what the dark lands were, one could deduce from the name alone that it was an incredibly dangerous place. In that case, it would prove to be very strange for someone who was only a wizard of the 1st Rehi realm to go and come out of there alive.


    Therefore, Marcus acted as if he knew what Paul was talking about and simply told the truth. Although he left out the fact that there were undead on the island.


    After all, Marcus had already made a mistake by revealing his identity as a magic-user. If he had said that he had faced a horde of undead on his own, it would surely draw a lot of people''s attention, which would increase the likelihood of being discovered.


    "Oh... I see."


    After that, Paul seemed to lose interest, stopped asking questions, and continued going through the rest of the objects and relics.


    But just when the obese appraiser thought he had seen it all, Marcus emptied the other bundles which were full of jewelry and ornamental pieces. There were even some daggers whose blades were made of silver and the hilt was covered with gems.


    "This... This may take longer than I thought."


    ****


    "Then I''ll be on my way out. It was a pleasure doing business with the T.M.S Company."


    After saying this, the hooded wizard left the room accompanied by a female employee of the auction house. In the room, only the appraiser Paul Gerson and the young black-haired Winston remained.


    Once the wizard left, Paul let out a sigh of relief. Even Winston, who had remained serene for most of the appraisal process, seemed to relax a little and even a few beads of sweat could be seen on his face.


    ''That man... But what a terrifying aura.'' Paul thought to himself. Just remembering what he had been through made his skin crawl.


    The appraisal process had taken almost an hour. Normally the process wouldn''t have taken this long, but the situation had gotten out of hand.


    After a thorough appraisal, Paul had concluded that the items the masked wizard had brought were priceless heirlooms, so they could not be sold.


    Upon hearing this, the wizard had become angry and ended up letting out a powerful wave of magical energy that made the whole room shudder. Fortunately, the wizard had calmed down very quickly and apologized for his behavior.


    But since Paul was just a normal man, he had been quite affected by the magical power released by the wizard to the point that he almost fainted. As for Winston, he was a wizard of the zero realm, so the magical energy had not affected him as much.


    After that, Paul had rushed to explain the situation better.


    It turned out that many of the objects the wizard had brought were relics of a fallen civilization that had existed a hundred thousand years ago, so they were priceless. For this reason, Paul had not been able to estimate their price accurately and could not buy them.


    So after discussing it for a while, Paul and the masked wizard had agreed.


    The auction house bought most of the gems and other items of lesser value at a reasonable price. As for the items that possessed some artistic value or were considered priceless, the auction house would set a suitable price for them and then sell them at the next auction.


    After this, the wizard seemed to be satisfied and after receiving his payment he had retired.


    "So, what do you think about him, Mr. Winston?" Paul finally looked up and looked at the black-haired young man.


    Although at first glance he looked like an ordinary employee, the truth was that, as a wizard, Winston held a position far superior to that of the obese appraiser.


    As a reputable company, T.M.S Company had enough power and money to hire a few wizards. Even the branch manager was a wizard from the 2nd Rehi realm.


    In a place like the port city of Neima, wizards and aura warriors represented the highest authority.


    To a wizard, peasants or nobles were no different than ants. So if a wizard killed a person by accident, the most the authorities could do was to force the wizard to pay a fine.


    Although situations like that were not that common, they still happened. So the T.M.S Company had begun to hire strong, trained people to ensure the safety of all its customers and employees.


    Winston wiped the sweat from his brow and after a moment''s hesitation replied. "He is strong. Just from his magical energy alone, I can determine that he''s a wizard from the 1st Rehi realm and specializes in darkness magic...But I think his elemental mastery has already reached rank 2."


    "What! Are you sure?.... No, if you say so I''m sure it''s true. "Hearing this, Paul was completely dumbfounded.


    Despite being a wizard of the zero realm, Winston had a skill that allowed him to gauge the strength and elemental specialty of other wizards just by sensing the magical energy they gave off.


    Normally the strength of magic users was measured by the number of Rehi rings they had on their bodies. The more rings the thaumaturge had, the more mana he would be able to store and thus be able to cast more complex and powerful spells.


    However, although Rehi rings indicate the amount of mana that magic users could store, a wizard''s true strength was based mostly on the power of his spells.


    In turn, the power of a wizard''s magic spells and incantations was determined not only by the amount of mana they required but also by the rank of elemental mastery.


    Elemental mastery rank could be described as the level of control a magic-user had over a particular element. As the elemental mastery rank would increase, the wizard would be able to use higher-level spells, and the overall power of his lower-level spells would also increase.


    To put it in perspective, if two wizards of the 1st realm of Rehi were to have a duel, the wizard with the higher elemental mastery would win because the power of his spells would be stronger than those of his opponent.


    Therefore, even though the masked wizard belonged to the first realm, his elemental mastery rank made the power of his spells similar to that of a wizard of the second Rehi realm.


    However, for the elemental mastery rank of a 1st realm wizard to be so high, it could only mean that either the wizard was incredibly talented, or had the resources to achieve such a rank.


    Therefore, it wasn''t that Paul was suspicious of Winston''s evaluation abilities, but that the case of the masked wizard was very rare.


    "Do you think we should keep an eye on him, sir? "Asked the obese appraiser as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a silk handkerchief.


    "For the time being I will report this to the superiors and then we will see. From the strength, this man has shown it is likely that he belongs to a powerful clan or organization. "


    In this world where monsters and magic existed, power was everything. The strong were the ones who imposed the rules and those who ruled, while the weak submitted.


    In these kinds of circumstances, it was normal that some organizations and powerful mercenary clans had even more power than many kingdoms and nations of the world.


    If possible, the T.M.S. Company would cooperate with any person or organization as long as there was profit involved. And as far as possible, they would try not to offend any force that might be detrimental to the company.


    Even if Winston was a wizard of the zero realm, he did not have the authority to make such decisions. Therefore this issue was really sensitive and required the top management of the branch to discuss it.


    That day the T.M.S. Company''s auction and pawnshop closed its doors at 10:00 A.M. Later, it was learned that the auction house had acquired a large number of antique relics for its next auction.


    Obviously, this news did not take long to spread and before long all the major organizations and clans of the city were aware of the matter.


    Everything indicated that the next auction was going to be something big.

 Chapter 27 - The History Of The Eras.

    While the mansion was not the largest or most luxurious in the noble district, it was still quite impressive.


    The dwelling had a gothic style and featured a large front garden with a fountain where various fish and aquatic plants could be seen.


    The mansion had a total of two floors and a basement. On the first floor were the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, some rooms and a huge library that reached the second floor. On the second floor there were two other larger rooms and a large white marble bathroom in a style very similar to that of the Roman baths.


    The bathroom was filled with steam as the hot water flowed into the huge bathtub. Inside, a skeletal being was floating in the water as if relaxing after a long day''s work.


    ''Haaaaaa... This is what it''s like to be rich?.... Not bad. But I still think this is a waste of money.''


    It had already been two days since Marcus arrived in the port city of Neima.


    After having sold most of the treasury''s relics, Marcus had asked the obese appraiser, Paul Gerson, where he could get a place to stay for the time he was in town.


    Since the auction house considered him an important client, they had been more than willing to help Marcus find a suitable place for him to stay for as long as he wanted.


    Although Marcus originally planned to stay somewhere in the residential district, his position as a wizard did not allow him to do that. After all, if someone whose status was higher than several nobles in the city would be staying next to commoners, it was sure to draw attention.


    In his past life, Marcus had been born as someone of low economic means, so the idea of spending so much money on lodging simply created conflict for him.


    But since he had no choice, Marcus had simply chosen the cheapest and most isolated house in the district. Even so, the rent for the mansion was 30 gold Raels a month!


    In the port city of Neima, a farmer''s monthly salary was 2 silver Raels. Even if the mansion was the cheapest, the rent of the place was equivalent to the salary of 15000 farmers!


    Marcus decided not to think about this anymore, got out of the bathtub, put on a bathrobe, and headed for the library.


    Another reason Marcus had chosen this mansion was the huge library that took up almost 25% of the interior of the house. With so many books, he could surely get all the information he needed about this world.


    Marcus walked through the gigantic library, took a thick red-covered book from one of the shelves, sat down on a couch that was in the library, and began to read.


    Although the curtains blocking the windows of the library made the room dark, this was no problem for Marcus who had [Dark vision].


    Marcus looked at the cover of the book and read the title which was written in golden letters.


    [The History of the Ages. Myths, legends, and truths of Genaerrsis.


    By Cristopher Naifus]


    ****


    ...


    {Wisdom has increased by 5 points}


    ...


    The history of this world was really long and extensive.


    Genaerrsis was a universe almost 4 million years old and the various periods were divided into five eras or ages.


    The first age, also known as the age of origin, was the longest period of this world and lasted almost 3.6 million years. This time began with the creation of this world and ended with the arrival of the gods of creation.


    To tell the truth, there was not much information about the age of origin since at that time no living being or divine entity was inhabiting the universe. So historians could only speculate that the universe had been created by a set of unknown forces, but that it never became a space where life could develop on its own.


    But 3.6 million years later, things changed and the second age began.


    The second age was known as the golden era and lasted about 120,000 years.


    In the second age, beings from another world, led by the 7 great gods of creation, had arrived in this world, transforming it into their image and likeness.


    These great gods were: Solaeris god of light, sun, and day; Satrris goddess of darkness, moons, and night; Harios god of nature and king of elemental beings; Arragas god of wisdom and knowledge; Raums goddess of spacetime and magic; Yhalene goddess of reincarnation; and Saerich god of blacksmiths and craftsmen.


    Together, the gods and the 7 great gods made Genaerrsis a habitable world, thus creating the first three races, each with their characteristics.


    The humans, who had a great capacity for adaptability and reproduction.


    The Asrakians, beings with four arms and coppery skin, who despite their great stature, which exceeds 3 meters (10ft), were excellent craftsmen and blacksmiths who preferred to live underground.


    Finally, there was the Alument. A race with a long life expectancy and a great affinity for elemental beings.


    This was the most peaceful and harmonious period in the entire history of Genaerrsis, where war was almost non-existent and the civilizations of the earthly world experienced constant development and progress.


    And then... then it all went to sh*t.


    By the end of the second age, five powerful cosmic entities known as the five calamities, arrived on Genaerrsis bringing an army of interdimensional creatures known as demons with them.


    These interdimensional creatures had a single purpose: to cause pain, death, and suffering.


    Thus it was that the third age, commonly called the dark era or the age of chaos, began and in a short time, the landscape of Genaerrsis changed completely.


    The skies turned red and the air became toxic. Corpses piled up to form mountains, monsters roamed the world destroying everything in their path and the dead rose from their graves to kill the living.


    This war between the demon gods and the gods of creation had lasted almost 30,000 years!


    Finally, the war came to an end when both the five calamities and the demons that made up the base of their army were defeated and imprisoned in a dimensional plane called Onur, now known as the demonic realm.


    Then there was the fourth age or the age of legends, which began shortly after the five calamities were imprisoned in Onur and lasted approximately 150,000 years.


    After the third age, the earthly plane of Genaerrsis had been devastated and, although the demons had been imprisoned, there were still many monsters roaming the world.


    Unfortunately for the people of Genaerrsis, both the 7 gods of creation, as well as the other gods who served them, had suffered heavy casualties and were greatly weakened. So they could not intervene to help the mortals.


    According to some historians, at the beginning of this era, it was more likely to be killed by a dragon or other mythical creature than by natural causes or disease. Faced with this situation, the inhabitants of Genaerrsis had to fend for themselves to try to survive.


    Thus it was that various groups of people created multiple meditation techniques and methods to channel and utilize the power of the Rehi of the environment.


    Thus learning to use the power of magic and aura as a weapon for combat, which until then was only used as a tool.


    This was a true age of legends, where warriors could destroy mountains with their fists alone and wizards could freeze or dry up seas with a simple spell. In fact, many magic users and aura users of this age had managed to achieve divinity and had ascended to the heavens becoming gods.


    Finally, there was the fifth age, which was the current period and was only about 20,000 years old. But unlike the previous ages that began abruptly, the fifth age began differently.


    At the beginning of the fourth age, the number of dangerous creatures, warriors, and high-level wizards was quite abundant. But as time went on, things changed.


    By the middle of the fourth age, many meditation techniques, cultivation techniques, magical artifacts, and high-level spell formulas had been lost due to the fall of great civilizations and empires caused by wars over time.


    Also, the resources and high-level monsters that were the power base of many nations became extinct without a trace. Even dragons who were once very common became beasts of myth and almost disappeared from the face of the world.


    All these factors combined caused the power of the inhabitants of Genaerrsis (People and monsters alike) to gradually and steadily decline.


    By the end of the fourth age, all-powerful monsters, wizards above the eighth realm of Rehi, and elemental aura warriors had disappeared without a trace.


    Because of this, it was that today, at least among humans, magic users and aura warriors were truly rare. To the point of being treated as nobles in some countries and nations.


    After reading this, Marcus was very perplexed.


    After a moment, he put down the book he was reading and picked up a blue book that was on the table to his left.


    On the cover of the book, it could be read that the title of the book was [The Fall of an Empire and the Rise of Darkness].


    One of the first things Marcus had done after moving into the mansion was to look for information about the Guerrmanic Empire and the Dark Lands that Paul Gerson had mentioned.


    And after searching the library for almost two days, he had finally been able to find this book that told the whole story in great detail.


    The Guerrmanic Empire had been a powerful nation, whose creation dated back to around the year 50,000 of the fourth age.


    In its early years, the empire had enjoyed great wealth and power. But after nearly 5,000 years, the state of the empire had increasingly deteriorated.


    By the year 55,600, the emperor of the Guerrmanic Empire was desperate to restore his nation''s former glory, so he began a series of large-scale military campaigns.


    At first, the empire was successful, managing to conquer much of the continent. But this rapid expansion of territory caused many neighboring kingdoms to fear the empire.


    In the year 55,670, the empire had stopped its expansion with the excuse of organizing the newly annexed territory and rebuilding the cities that had been destroyed during the war. But the reality was very different.


    After almost 70 years of war, the state of the imperial troops had become very worn out and the financial situation of the Guerrmanic Empire was terrible. Therefore, the empire needed time to solve all these problems.


    This gave the other nations that had not participated in the conflict time to form alliances and prepare for the future. When all was ready, the nations that considered the Empire a threat began to counterattack.


    At that point, the worn-out troops of the Guerrmanic Empire could not withstand the sudden onslaught of the forces of the allied nations and quickly lost ground.


    But just as the allied forces were about to invade the capital of the Guerrmanic Empire, a powerful necromancy spell burst forth from the imperial capital, turning everyone into undead.


    The necrotic energy of the spell spread across the continent, covering the sun and turning it into a land plagued by the undead. Years later, that continent would become known as the Dark Lands.


    At that moment all the dots connected in Marcus'' mind.


    Faced with the desperate situation of being cornered by the forces of the allied nations, the ruler of the Guerrmanic Empire had turned to the church of the living corpses for help.


    The church of the living corpses was one of the main dark churches that worshipped the five calamities. More specifically Ramauris, the demon god of the undead.


    Together, the empire and the church of the living corpses created the Eclipse project. But something had gone wrong and an entire continent was destroyed in the process.


    This was a cataclysmic event that had not taken place since the end of the third age!


    Even today, more than 100000 years after the fall of the Guerrmanic empire, the Dark Lands were still contaminated with necrotic energy and the undead still roamed the continent freely.


    ....


    {The solar energy in the environment is gone.}


    ...


    {All of the user''s stats and skills return to normal.}


    ...


    After listening to the system messages, Marcus put the books back on their shelves and left the library. He walked through the corridors of the mansion until he came to a small square room with no windows.


    The room was empty and there was only a thick iron door. Marcus took out a set of keys from his [Inventory] and unlocked the door.. Behind it was a staircase leading down to the basement of the mansion.

 Chapter 28 - Necrotic Suppressive Array.

    The basement of the residence was made of solid rock and was quite spacious. But it had recently been remodeled and there were several runes and inscriptions carved on both the walls and floor of the room.


    All of these runes and patterns were carved in such a way as to form a large circular spell formation. Marcus placed some Rehi crystals at six different points in the formation and walked to the center of the formation.


    ''Alright, attempted activation of necrotic suppression array number one hundred and I don''t know how many times I did this... Okay, what was it like?'' Before continuing, Marcus went over the words of the incantation one last time, to avoid making any mistakes that would ruin the array activation. ''Sacrad necrot balsur harat del yarad!''


    *Weng Weng*


    The entire spell formation vibrated. At the six points of the formation, the Rehi crystals began to emerge a bright light that was permeating the runes and inscriptions at the ends of the room.


    Slowly the light from the crystals spread from the ends of the formation toward the runes in the center. A white light emerged from the center runes and immediately enveloped Marcus'' skeletal body as a layer of white energy.


    A few minutes later, the light emanating from the runes dimmed and the blanket of white energy merged with Marcus'' body. Finally, the necrotic suppression array was extinguished as if nothing had happened.


    ''Will it have worked?.... Detect corruption''.


    Marcus activated the detect spell. He looked around and then looked at his skeletal arm which looked the same as before.


    ''No necrotic energy! Haha...it worked!''


    After his arrival in the port city of Neima, Marcus had made a mistake and now everyone knew that he was capable of using magic, becoming a focus of attention. However, the real problem occurred at night.


    By day, Marcus'' powers and necrotic energy were suppressed by the sun''s energy, making him look like a simple wizard from the 1st Rehi realm. But by night, Marcus'' magical energy would become more intense, along with the necrotic energy radiating from his body.


    If anyone noticed this, Marcus would be discovered and would have no choice but to flee the city. To avoid this, he had been searching for a way to suppress the necrotic energy emanating from his body.


    Fortunately, in the book of necromancy that belonged to Bairus, there were many incantations on how to manipulate, purify and suppress necrotic energy.


    Unfortunately for Bairus, the necrotic energy that had caused the fall of the Guerrmanic Empire was too dense, so these low-level spells had been useless to him. But they served Marcus'' purposes.


    After searching for a while, Marcus had found a spell array that could block necrotic energy from his body for several weeks. The only problem was that to activate the array required an amount of energy equivalent to that of a wizard of the 5th Rehi realm, which was equivalent to ten wizards of the 3rd realm.


    Marcus was a wizard of the 3rd realm, so he could never have activated the suppression array on his own. Fortunately, he had a large amount of Rehi crystals that he had obtained after three months of survival in the jungle.


    Shortly after moving to the noble district, Marcus had searched the library for information about Rehi crystals such as their properties, their value, and how to use them.


    It turned out that these crystals were the basis of magical civilization, as they could contain and store magical energy. They were basically rechargeable magical batteries.


    Marcus spent day and night carving and fixing the suppression array to use the energy from the crystals and finally, after a series of failures and using many Rehi crystals, the array had worked.


    Now even if it was at night no one would notice that Marcus'' body was radiating necrotic energy and as a side effect, his magical energy fluctuations were reduced to those of a wizard of the 2nd Rehi realm. The only way he could be discovered was if he used his necromancy spells.


    Once he confirmed that everything was in order, Marcus collected the empty Rehi crystals, put all his things in order, and left the basement, locking the door behind him.


    ****


    Marcus closed the front door of the mansion and walked through the huge garden as he made his way to the barred entrance of the residence.


    He was wearing a long black hooded robe that had some white striped patterns, leather boots, and gloves, a cloak, and was wearing his black enchanted mask without holes.


    That night two of the three moons were full so the front garden was bathed in a whitish silver light, giving it a truly beautiful aspect.


    In front of the mansion''s barred entrance, there was a luxurious carriage pulled by two large black horses. The carriage was escorted by a group of six armed horsemen.


    When the group of riders saw Marcus exit they bowed and the one who appeared to be the leader of the group approached to greet him.


    "Good evening Lord Edevane. My name is Cristian Viel and I will be your escort tonight. If you need anything you can ask my men and they will do it."


    ================================


    Name: Cristian Viel


    Race: Human


    Profession: Warrior apprentice. (Chief of escort)


    Rank: 1


    Level: 15


    ================================


    HP: 480/480


    MP: 10/10


    Strength: 46 Stamina: 58


    Defense: 5o(+30) Intelligence: 1


    Vitality: 48 Wisdom: 20


    Agility: 40(-13)


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Swordsmanship lv:2][Horsemanship lv:3]


    [Melee combat lv:2]


    [Overcoming physical limits lv:1]}


    ================================


    ''Hmm... Although he is only slightly stronger than me when I was a Magic Skeleton Soldier, he is still stronger than an average human.''


    After activating the suppression array, Marcus had spent most of the week seemingly wandering around the port city of Neima, but in reality, he had been analyzing the power level of the humans in this world.


    After a week, Marcus had come to a few conclusions.


    The first thing he noticed was that, unlike monsters who were classified according to their species, humans had professions that changed as their level increased. These professions seemed to be related to each person''s skills and stats.


    From level 1 to 9, humans were classified as unemployed or unemployable and from level 10 to 24 they were apprenticed to a profession. After level 25 an official profession was acquired.


    Although after a while, Marcus realized that these Professions were just a method of classification by the system and were of no use. But what was important was the difference between ranks and levels.


    On the one hand, rank represented the total combat ability of an individual, while level represents the total value of that individual''s stats. The higher a person''s stats, the higher his or her level.


    This theory also explained why Marcus received stat points every time he leveled up or why these points increased every few levels.


    Anyway, with this Marcus was able to determine the standard average strength of a person.


    A normal adult human-like a farmer or a craftsman had an average level of between 5-6 and, each of their physical stats would be around 13-15 points.


    But all of Cristian''s physical stats averaged 50! This meant that his strength, stamina, speed, and resilience were more than triple that of a normal human. As for why this was so, Marcus attributed it to the Rehi.


    Somehow, just as wizards or aura users meditated to channel ambient energy and strengthen themselves if a normal person undertook some kind of mental or physical training that would force them to overcome their limitations, their body would end up absorbing a slight amount of Rehi.


    Over time, the Rehi would gradually modify the individual''s body, endowing him with abilities that would normally be considered superhuman, but only to a certain extent.


    ''Even if he''s not a wizard or aura warrior, with those stats he could still defeat a hundred people without breaking a sweat. If he was on earth this guy would have been some kind of supersoldier.''


    "Is everything alright Lord Edevane?" Seeing that Marcus had been silent for quite some time, Cristian became a bit alarmed. After all, wizards were very strange people and one never knew how to react.


    "What?... Ah! Sorry, I was distracted in my thoughts. We''ll go straight to the auction house." Marcus replied with a telepathic message.


    "As you command."


    Marcus climbed into the carriage, which was even more luxurious inside and when everything was ready, he and the group of six riders left the entrance of the mansion.


    As the carriage drove through the cobblestone streets, Marcus noticed that there were many more carriages on the streets of the noble district than usual. Some were more luxurious than others and there were even some that had wizards as escorts.


    Every four months, the T.M.S Company branch would hold an auction in which they presented all sorts of enchanted objects, valuable relics, and works of art.


    Although the auction was supposedly a few weeks away, due to the large number of relics Marcus had brought, the T.M.S Company had decided to move up the date to tonight.


    This sudden decision had drawn a lot of public attention. So almost all of the city''s political and business elite, as well as representatives of various powerful clans and organizations, would be attending the auction.


    Marcus had originally not planned to attend the event, as his presence would surely attract attention. But due to certain circumstances, he had ended up participating in the auction.


    ****


    ...


    {Wisdom has increased by 2 points}


    ...


    ''Humu. A bit of a clich¨¦ story, but very interesting! So that''s why almost the entire continent is a jungle.'' thought Marcus as he put the book away in his [inventory].


    Since the trip to the branch would take a few minutes, Marcus decided to make the most of the time and had started reading.


    The name of the book was [The Rise of Rhaiel the Great]. It told the story of an important event that had occurred on the continent of Austra, where he was currently located.


    According to the book, in the year 23,111 of the fourth age, a horde of monsters was ravaging the continent and decimating the population to the point of nearly destroying all the settlements and cities on the continent.


    Just when all seemed lost, a powerful sorcerer from the 11th kingdom named Rhaiel had arrived on the continent. Making use of his magic Rhaiel exterminated all the horde monsters and saved the continent.


    After that Rhaiel had ascended to the heavens becoming the god of the forest. But the story did not end there.


    Due to the powerful spells, Rhaiel used, the entire continent of Austra became tainted with arboreal magical power, causing the plants to grow at a terrifying rate. As a result, in less than 100 years about 85% of the continent was covered by a dense tropical forest.


    Moreover, after the battle, most of the monsters had disappeared from the continent and only a few weak creatures remained that possessed a great capacity for adaptability, such as insects, amphibians, and reptiles.


    Today, almost 150,000 years later, thanks to the resource-rich ecosystem, these creatures had mutated and developed to become the rulers of the jungle. But despite all this, the people did not hate Rhaiel and on the contrary, he was one of the most worshipped gods of the entire Austra continent.


    After all, most of the high-ranking monsters tended to stay in the central areas, so they hardly ever attacked human settlements. Which made the Austra continent relatively safer than the other continents of Genaerrsis.


    In addition, thanks to the jungle environment, the continent was full of resources that could not be found anywhere else in the world so it represented a great source of economic income for many kingdoms and renowned merchant companies.


    All these factors made the quality of life on the continent of Austra one of the highest in the world.


    ''But to change the ecosystem of an entire continent... What kind of monsters were the wizards of the fourth age?!''


    At that moment, while Marcus was still deep in thought, the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Outside, it could be heard that there was a crowd of people gathered.


    "My lord Edevane, we have arrived!"


    ''Sigh...I seriously hate these formal events. Okay, Marcus, you can do it!''


    A moment later, the door opened and Marcus stepped down from the carriage.


    ****


    The auction house of the T.M.S Company was packed with people, all belonging to the higher social classes of the city and there were even some representatives of powerful forces from other countries and organizations.


    At the entrance of the marble building, there was a long red carpet that was guarded by a dozen armed guards with enchanted equipment on both sides of it. In addition, a few Zero Realm wizards were guarding the branch entrance.


    The sub-sector manager, Winston Folghs stood at the front door of the branch as he greeted all the people walking along the entrance carpet. But he didn''t seem to be very interested in the common nobles.


    "Good evening, manager Winston! Things seem to be very lively tonight.. "Hearing this voice, Winston snapped out of his thoughts.

 Chapter 29 - The Auction (Part 1)

    A few steps from the entrance, Winston saw an old man with white hair and beard wearing silver robes. His collar was embroidered with golden patterns, and his eyes flashed with a cold blue light. The old man was also accompanied by two burly men in black robes who exuded a strength comparable to that of a wizard in the pinnacle of the zero realm.


    "Good evening Mr. Makroft. I didn''t think you were coming tonight."


    "Haha... And miss the chance to get fourth-age relics? Come on Winston, I thought you already knew me."


    ''Yeah, I know you pretty well you old piece of sh*t. I honestly didn''t want you to come here you old creep.'' Winston thought to himself.


    Although the old wizard seemed to be a nice person, the reality was different.


    After the fourth age, many meditation and cultivation techniques had been lost to oblivion causing the level of Genaerrsis wizards to decline greatly.


    Even if a person had the talent to become a wizard if they did not have a good meditation technique or enough resources they would be stuck in the lower realms for a long time and perhaps forever.


    For this reason there were people who having no meditation technique and no appropriate resources had tried to advance to a higher realm by their own means. But they failed and were injured for life.


    Many of the wizards in the port city of Neima were people whose affinity for magic was rather mediocre and they were too old to continue cultivating, or they had been injured and stagnated in their cultivation.


    These wizards who now made a living from selling enchantments or magic potions had retired to the noble district.


    The old Makroft was one of these wizards who, while trying to advance to the 2nd realm, had injured himself and got stuck at the pinnacle of the 1st realm.


    But the reason Winston did not like this old man was because despite being injured he was still a wizard and abused his position to bully the common people.


    In fact, old Makroft was notorious among the local wizards for exercising indiscriminate violence on almost any commoner in town just for fun.


    There were also rumors that the old wizard was connected to the black market, the slave trade, and the city''s gangs. Other rumors said that the old man along with other wizards frequented the slums of the city to kidnap people to use for their experiments or to arrange some twisted entertainment.


    But since the old wizard had a high status and surely bribed several nobles, the city authorities only made him pay some fines for his lighter crimes and concealed the more unpleasant deeds.


    "Hohoho, though to tell the truth I''m more curious about that wizard Edevane. He must be quite talented enough to be able to obtain so many ancient relics."


    ''Tch, this old man sure heard that Mr. Edevane is just a lone wizard of the 1st realm and thinks he can easily take advantage of him.'' Thought Winston. "Well about that..."


    But just as Winston was about to speak, a luxurious carriage guarded by six armed horsemen pulled up to the edge of the street, right in front of the carpet.


    At that moment, everyone present moved out of the way and even old Makroft had a straight face. The reason for this was because everyone sensed that inside the carriage was a person with power comparable to that of a wizard of the 2nd realm.


    The coachman of the carriage got down from his seat and went to the carriage door. When he opened it, a tall man wearing a dark robe with white striped patterns and wearing a full black mask got out of the carriage and walked down the red carpet straight towards the entrance.


    When Winston saw the man step down from the carriage, he was truly dumbfounded. ''Impossible, when I saw him last time he was just a wizard from the 1st realm! Did he manage to make his way to the 2nd realm in just a week?!... If so, this man must have a powerful meditation technique.''


    Winston had a natural gift for determining the strength and elemental rank of a wizard just by sensing the magical energy he emitted. So he was sure that Marcus was just a wizard of the first realm who had not even reached the pinnacle of that realm.


    Of course, it never occurred to Winston the possibility that Marcus was hiding his true strength as he was too confident in his evaluation abilities that had given him a high position in the T.M.S Company branch.


    "Good evening Lord Edevane, I don''t know if you remember me....? I am Winston Folghs we met last week. Allow me to lead you inside." Winston quickly snapped out of his state of surprise, hurried to greet Marcus, and together they entered the building.


    But before entering the building, Winston turned to see the stupefied look on old Makroft''s face, which filled him with satisfaction.


    Old Makroft was really confused.


    Until just a few moments he was planning to take advantage of this lone wizard so that he could make as much profit as possible. After all, he had status and position in the city while Marcus was a nobody. But now things were different.


    For the wizards, the difference in power between each realm was immense and in the port city of Neima where there were only four wizards from the 3rd realm, the wizards from the 2nd realm were the real masters of the city.


    Sure, there were some exceptions where a wizard from a lower realm could be as strong or even stronger than a wizard from a higher realm. But old Makroft was not one of those exceptions.


    Even if the old wizard had all kinds of contacts and dealings with all the elites and underground organizations in the city, he still had to be careful who he provoked. After all, Makroft valued his own life more than any profits he might make.


    ****


    Winston, along with four employees dressed in white suits led Marcus through a series of white hallways with various extravagant artwork and paintings hanging on the side walls. Finally, they walked up a marble staircase to a large wooden door with gilded engravings.


    The hall where the auction was to take place was very similar to a theater and was divided into different areas. At the bottom were the seats where the merchants and lower-ranking nobles were seated.


    Above, there were three floors with different box seats and halls where the true elite of the city gathered, the representatives of prestigious companies and powerful organizations. This wooden door led to the VIP box seat of the auction house where only the highest ranks of society gathered.


    Originally Marcus could not be here, since in the eyes of others he was just a lone wizard from the 1st realm who did not belong to any organization. But the auction house had made an exception as many influential people had expressed their desire to meet him.


    *Creack*


    The employees opened the door. The third floor was a long semi-oval hall with shiny wooden floors and white ceilings. The hall must have been about 6m (20 ft) wide and at the end of the balcony was a row of 50 red leather seats set behind the railing from which a large wooden stage could be seen.


    There were only about 100 people in the hall, but most of them were bodyguards, escorts, or branch staff. Of all those people only 30 were important. But of those 30, Marcus only focused on 10.


    Those 10 people gave off an aura that gave them away as powerful. Some were representatives of local clans or large organizations. It didn''t take Marcus to use his [Analysis] to determine that these people were between rank 3 and 4.


    When Marcus entered, everyone present focused their attention on him and many were shocked. They had all heard that although the one responsible for getting all the ancient relics was a talented wizard, he only belonged to the 1st Rehi realm and was not affiliated with any clan or organization.


    This led them to think that they could persuade Marcus to join their forces or they could easily take advantage of him. After all, this was a world where if one was weak they would be trampled by others.


    The only way to stay on top was to have power. Whether it was financial, political, or personal, power was everything. Now everyone knew that Marcus was a wizard of the 2nd realm with a mastery over the dark element of rank 2. Even if he was a lone wizard, he already possessed a power that easily placed him as one of the strongest in the city.


    "Mr. Edevane I presume. A pleasure, my name is Hans Renier, vice leader of the Giant Clan."


    At that moment, a burly bald man over 2m (6 ft) tall and sporting a huge scar above his left eye, approached Marcus.


    The guy was wearing a black suit that was fitted because of his large muscles. Although Hans looked a bit ridiculous in that suit, no one dared to laugh at him. If they did it would be like signing his death warrant.


    ================================


    Name: Hans Renier


    Titles: [Master of the Great Sword].


    Race: Human


    Profession: Warrior (Vice clan leader/Mercenary)


    Rank: 4


    Level: 37


    ================================


    HP: 2222/2222


    MP: 1203/1203


    Strength: 223 Stamina: 197


    Defense: 230 Intelligence: 120


    Vitality: 222 Wisdom: 35


    Agility: 156


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Swordsmanship lv:?][Sixth Sense lv:?]


    [Aura control lv:?][Melee combat lv:?]


    [Battle cry lv:?][Commando lv:?]


    [Bloodlust lv:?][Magic resistance lv:?]


    [Aura resistance lv:?] }


    ================================


    ''What the f**k?! Who is this guy, the f**king H*lk?! I guess he''s not an elite rank mercenary for nothing.''


    Marcus was impressed. According to his status, Hans'' physical stats were almost 15 times higher than a normal person. If this guy was on Earth he would have easily been categorized as a superhero. But if one considers his background, it makes sense.


    Hans was the vice leader of the Giant clan, one of the main mercenary clans in the port city of Neima. In addition, he was one of the few mercenaries classified as elite rank in the city.


    It was also rumored that Hans had killed a horned basilisk last week. Although Marcus knew this wasn''t true, that didn''t mean he underestimated the man''s strength.


    According to his calculations, the horned basilisk was superior to Hans not only in terms of stats but also in general skills.


    But humans could also use weapons, artifacts, and magic potions, so if one took all this into account, Hans was more than capable of killing a horned basilisk on his own.


    Hans approached Marcus and extended his arm implying that he wanted to make a formal greeting.


    ''Ah, if we shake hands he''ll realize I''m a skeleton, but if I don''t greet him I might end up offending him. Well, let''s do this... Shadow hand.''


    A dark shadow spread out from under Marcus'' robes, the shadow took the form of a dark hand and shook Hans'' outstretched arm.


    At that moment, everyone in the VIP box was stunned. For some, what Marcus had done was the equivalent of challenging one of the strongest people in the city as being on his own level.


    The only ones who looked at Marcus with seriousness and respect were the other nine people who were above rank 2. Even Hans had a smile on his face.


    To them, what Marcus had just done was a simple demonstration of skill. This was also a way for the high-ranking mercenaries to show their respects for the other side. Something like a friendly greeting. Of course, Marcus knew nothing of this.


    His only thought at the time was that since almost all human wizards were weird and eccentric types, Hans would think he was one of those antisocial wizards or something like that. After all, it was better for people to think he was a weirdo than for them to find out he was undead.


    ''Hum. His mastery of dark magic is even better than an average 2nd realm wizard. Well, it would be rude of me if I didn''t respond to his greeting.'' Hans thought.


    *Weng Weng*


    At that instant, a strong energy began to emanate from Hans'' body causing the air around him to distort and causing the entire box to shake.


    *Crash Crash*


    The energy emanating from Hans gradually increased causing glasses and other crystal objects to explode. Many of those present could not resist the pressure of the atmosphere and began to faint.


    "Oh boy, here we go again."


    "Hans always gets too excited every time he meets someone talented."


    "But I must say that Edevane is pretty impressive, being so close to Hans and he''s not even shaking."


    On the other hand, the other people who knew Hans knew this was a normal thing so they weren''t worried. As for Marcus, he appeared to be quite calm but was actually in an internal struggle to control his emotions.


    ''Hum. Compared to the Treant lord this is nothing. I wonder Hans, how much experience would you give me if I killed you?'' Marcus smiled inwardly.


    Instead of being scared or nervous, Marcus felt a deep desire to kill this man. But he restrained himself, after all, there were a lot of people watching him and they weren''t the only ones.


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] is looking at you closely.}


    ¡­.

 Chapter 30 - The Auction (Part 2)

    "Don''t you have anything better to do? "Marcus thought as he read the system notification. He didn''t have time to worry about his stalker though, as he was currently doing his best to avoid ripping the head off the man in front of him.


    Slowly, the aura radiating from Hans began to diminish until it disappeared and all the people who had fainted began to pull themselves together. In turn, Marcus also managed to regain his composure.


    "HAHAHAHA...You have talent, I like you! Why don''t you join the Giant clan?"


    "Sorry, but I''m not a mercenary. I can always do business with the Giant Clan though. "Marcus replied through telepathy.


    "Hahaha. That''s good, I''m sure the leader would like that." Hans said with a big smile on his face. "By the way, why are you talking through telepathy?"


    "It''s just that I''m mute. My vocal cords were destroyed because of an accident."


    "Oh I''m sorry, that was thoughtless of me." Hans said with a slight tone of embarrassment.


    "Haha... Don''t worry, it happened many years ago. By the way, I heard that your clan had hunted a horned Basilisk last week. You sure got a lot of valuable materials."


    "Sigh, about that..." When Marcus spoke about the Basilisk, Hans'' face changed to a state between anger and concern.


    "Did something happen?" Marcus asked.


    "Well, it''s normal that you don''t know since I understand that he arrived in the city shortly after...Someone tried to raid one of our warehouses and in the process, they damaged part of the basilisk corpse and other monsters in the warehouse. Tch, we lost thousands of gold Raels because of that."


    "Oh... I''m sorry to hear that." Marcus said, feigning a concerned tone. ''It sounds like he''s trying to hide the fact that the corpse was damaged by necrotic energy... Although that makes sense.'' He thought inwardly.


    When it was devoured by the basilisk, Marcus had used [Negative Touch] to kill the creature, plus he also used [Deteriorating Mist] to break the protection enchantment and escape from the warehouse. But the necrotic energy from the spells had damaged the corpses of the monsters.


    But even though they lost a large amount of income, the Giant clan decided to hide the fact that the corpses were damaged because of necrotic energy. After all, the fact that the clan had fallen victim to necromancy was an extremely sensitive topic, so it required as much discretion as possible.


    "And the authorities already have the perpetrators?" Marcus asked.


    "We''re still working on that. But..." Hans was quick to change the subject of the conversation and did not speak of the incident again.


    After exchanging a few words with Hans, Marcus greeted and talked to almost everyone in the VIP balcony. In general, they were trying to invite him to join their organizations or future meetings.


    So for people not to suspect that he was undead, Marcus had prepared a whole script and backstory about it as if it were a role-playing game.


    According to his story, Marcus was a wandering wizard who was dedicated to the exploration and study of ancient civilizations, and that a few weeks ago he had found some ancient ruins on a floating island where he had obtained a large number of relics.


    This also gave him an excuse for turning down almost every invitation he received, saying that he was very busy with important research and had no free time.


    "OH! So you''re saying that the fall of the empire was related to an experiment on the part of the higher-ups and not just the necromancers?!" The wizard''s eyes lit up with utter intrigue.


    Marcus was talking to a blonde-haired man named Hawat Manur, who was the leader of the Gale clan, one of the three major mercenary clans in the city, and was also a wizard of the 3rd realm specializing in wind magic.


    "I''m not entirely sure, but if what I found in the ruins is true, then this could change what we know about the fall of the empire!"Marcus said, pretending a tone of excitement. He was playing his role to perfection as if this was nothing more than a simple role-playing game between friends.


    ....


    {The user has been affected by powerful sacred energy}.


    ....


    {All stats are reduced by 10%}


    ....


    Before Marcus could finish reading the messages, a sudden stinging sensation invaded his body. As if each of his bone fibers was warning him of imminent danger.


    At that instant, all the people present looked in the direction of the door of the hall that had just opened.


    Four silver-armored guards passed through the doorway, each of them radiating energy comparable to that of a wizard at the pinnacle of the 1st realm. The four knights escorted three people dressed in magnificent robes of white silk with vines embroidered in gold threads.


    Two of them were men, a young brown-haired man, and a middle-aged man. Both radiated magical energy that gave them away as wizards of the 2nd realm.


    But no one was paying attention to these two. Instead, the gazes of everyone on the balcony seemed to be directed at the beautiful silver-haired, emerald-eyed woman in the group.


    She was being escorted by the two wizards and although her stature was shorter than the average person, her presence was so large that even Hans was dwarfed by her.


    In a way, the woman emanated a warm aura of peace and tranquility, as if her presence alone could cure all the ills of the world and heal people. But not everyone felt the same way.


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] shares his hatred with you}.


    ....


    When Marcus saw this woman, he felt a deep hatred for her and anger invaded every fiber of his being. The very sight of this woman made him nauseous. His only thought was that he wanted to torture her, to rip off her head and every limb, to erase her from existe...


    *Crack!*


    ''Argh, F**king sh*t!... That was close.'' Marcus mentally gasped.


    Without realizing it, Marcus had been squeezing his left arm so hard that he ended up breaking it. But it was thanks to the pain caused by the wound that he was able to snap out of his trance before the anger overcame him completely.


    Fortunately, this abrupt change in his behavior had only lasted a couple of seconds and everyone present was busy greeting the white-robed woman, so no one had noticed him.


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] is very disappointed in you}.


    ....


    ''And I asked for your opinion?!'' Marcus ignored his annoying stalker and immediately used analysis on the silver-haired woman.


    ================================


    Name: Catalin Janeva Rostass


    Titles: [Saint]; [Priestess of Rahiel];


    Race: Human


    Profession: Sacred Mage (Deacon)


    Rank: 4


    Level: 40


    ================================


    HP: 411/411


    MP: 9892/9892


    Strength: 15 Stamina: 26


    Defense: 133 Intelligence: 989


    Vitality: 41 Wisdom: 182


    Agility: 23


    ================================


    ''F**k... She''s a sacred mage from The Forest Church!'' Marcus felt a sudden shiver down his spine and was relieved that he had regained his consciousness before it was too late.


    Even if the great clans of adventurers and mercenaries were powerful to the point of having greater authority than some nations, their power was still nothing compared to the power of faith. In Genaerrsis, where gods and magic were real, the churches possessed the greatest authority, power, and influence.


    The port city of Neima had a total of 2,500 soldiers. If one added the mercenary clans and adventurers that number rose to 7,500. But The Forest Church had a total of 6,0000 troops, many of whom were elite soldiers and Wizards, as well as possessing a large number of faithful believers.


    If The Forest Church wanted to, it could stage a coup at any time and take control of the city without any resistance. No, in a way the church already dominated the city.


    But the real reason the church was so powerful was because of holy magic.


    Unlike ordinary wizards whose power came from the elements present in nature, users of holy magic obtained it through a link with a divine entity. This practically made them the representatives of the gods on the material plane.


    This link with the gods endowed holy magic users with all kinds of miraculous spells and skills that the spells and incantations of conventional magic could not match.


    But people with the aptitude to use holy magic were very rare, even more so than regular magic users. In fact, Catalin was the only holy magic user in the entire city.


    This scarcity of holy magic users meant that the churches had almost total control over holy magic and its miraculous properties which made them the greatest superpowers in the entire world.


    ''And I almost attacked the most powerful woman in the city! It seems she still hasn''t realized that I''m undead.'' Marcus thought in relief.


    Just like the novels of Earth, the undead of Genaerrsis were weak against holy magic. If by any chance someone found out that Marcus was a skeleton, Catalin would eliminate him with a single move. Fortunately, the necrotic suppression array was doing an excellent job.


    "Excuse me, respected guests, but the auction is about to begin." Said one of the black-suited employees.


    All the people present stopped chatting amongst themselves and began to sit down to take their seats. Marcus walked around the balcony and sat down in the seat that was on the far right of the room, as far away from Catalin and his back guard as possible.


    On the seat was a bidding paddle with the number #451 noted on it. Marcus took the paddle and handed it to the branch subsector manager, Winstons Fholgs who was standing behind him.


    Since he was unable to speak, Marcus had asked Winston to stay with him to bid on his behalf.


    Further downstairs on the first floor, a middle-aged man walked up to the stage, went behind a small desk, and pulled out an enchanted voice amplification item.


    "Good night ladies and gentlemen. "The auctioneer''s voice was heard throughout the amphitheater with perfect clarity. "First of all, I want to say that all of us at the T.M.S Company auction house are proud that you are all here tonight and we apologize for bringing this event forward a few weeks earlier than stipulated. As I''m sure you are aware, certain circumstances led to this occurrence. And now, without further ado...let the auction begin!"


    *Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap!*


    When everyone in the audience stopped clapping, two men in suits came out from the side of the stage carrying a huge green jade vase with oriental dragon engravings on it and placed it on top of a wooden table in the middle of the stage.


    "Our first item tonight is this beautiful jade vase which is estimated to have been crafted by Asrakian artisans from the kingdom of Murrias before its sudden fall in 972 of our era. Bidding starts at 190 gold Raels!"


    ''What?!!... Wait, if each coin weighs about 0.7 ounces(20 grams) and if I remember correctly, the last time I checked the price of gold on Earth was almost 1,700US$ an ounce... that means...Almost 230,000US$ for a vase?!! That thing is worth more than my Earth apartment!!'' The exorbitant price of the first item shocked Marcus so much that his mandible almost dropped.


    He remembered how in his childhood his father went out of his way to make sure he and his younger brother could have a plate of food on the table every day and how they always had trouble paying the bills.


    The biggest luxury Marcus was able to afford was on his 15th birthday, when he used almost all of his savings to buy his first Laptop.


    But these guys were spending an exorbitant amount of money on a damn ornament!


    Before his emotions got the better of him again, Marcus forced himself to put these thoughts aside and come back to reality. By the time he calmed down, the bidding for the jade vase had reached its climax.


    " I offer 350 Raels!" shouted someone downstairs.


    "400 Raels!"


    "430 Raels!"


    "465!"


    "I bid 500 gold Raels!" someone said.


    "500 gold Raels. Anyone bid more?" The auctioneer asked, but no one answered.


    *Tack*


    The auctioneer picked up the wooden hammer to his left and banged loudly on the desk, producing a sound that spread throughout the amphitheater.


    "Sold to buyer number #43 for 500 gold Raels! Congratulations sir."


    The two black-suited employees took the jade vase and placed a small painting on the display table. The painting on the picture depicted a man in armor fighting a huge black dragon.


    "This work of art is titled "Herios leaift temps." The hour of the tempest. It is estimated to have been painted in 19,531 of our era by an unknown artist. The starting price is 14 gold Raels."


    ****


    The auction had started almost an hour ago and already more than 120 items had been dispatched.


    After the jade vase, the other items at the event had been rather more normal and had ranged in price from hundreds of silver Raels to a few dozen gold Raels.


    Apparently, the auction house always cleared the lower value items first and saved the best for last making the whole process more dynamic.


    Of course, almost none of the people in the balconies participated in the first bids as they were not interested in such common items. The same was true for the people in the VIP sector. As for Marcus, he was not interested in any of these common items as they were of no use to him, so he did not participate either.


    "360 Raels!" Someone said.


    The item currently being bid on was a gold and ruby necklace.


    "360 gold Raels! Anyone bid more?" no one responded.


    *Tack*


    The auctioneer tapped his wooden hammer, closing the bidding.


    "Sold to the lady with the number #12 for 360 gold Raels!"


    At that moment, the two black-suited clerks took the ruby necklace away and placed a small glass display case on the table. Inside the display case was a long knife, the blade of which appeared to be made of metal with a silvery sheen, and both its hilt and sheath were made of gold and decorated with all kinds of jewels.


    "Our next item is quite particular. This ceremonial knife was found in some ancient Guerrmanic ruins.. Its blade is damascened silver and is believed to have been crafted around the year 50,000 of the fourth age. Bidding starts at 600 gold Raels!"

 Chapter 31 - The Black Book

    *Tack*


    The auctioneer tapped the desk with his gavel closing the bidding.


    "Sold to the gentleman with the number #179 for 1,130 gold Raels!"


    It had been almost two hours since the auction had started and all indications were that it wouldn''t be long before it was over.


    In the time that had elapsed since the event began, the T.M.S Company had auctioned off over 500 items including works of art, extravagant jewelry, ancient relics, elixirs, and magical artifacts.


    Of the nearly 500 items auctioned 41 were fourth age relics that Marcus had obtained from the floating island facility. These had sold for a very good price and although the T.M.S Company kept 30% of the money raised, he still made a profit of over 74,000 gold Raels.


    Marcus was in shock at this.


    The money he had managed to raise that night exceeded the profits that some mid-sized mercenary clans and lesser feudal lords made in an entire year. But as the auction progressed Marcus''s recent wealth diminished drastically.


    In the days he toured the city, Marcus had tried to get magic items and some spell books to raise his combat power, but there was a problem.


    The port city of Neima was part of a small kingdom and wasn''t even the largest city in it. So, both the number of mages and magic-related items were scarce. This scarcity of magical goods caused the price of these items to be almost 10 times higher than in other cities.


    Even if Marcus had found some enchanted items or magic elixirs, he did not buy them because they were too expensive or useless for him. Thus, Marcus had been left with no choice but to attend the auction to try to get some magical artifacts.


    Fortunately, the T.M.S Company had dispatched a good number of magical items, among them some were healing potions provided by the forest church and magical scrolls containing some high-level spells.


    Of all the items in the auction, Marcus had gotten a wand that boosted his energy element spells, an orb of dark amplification, rings, necklaces, and bracelets that boosted his physical stats and some enchanted charms.


    ''Uuugh... I can''t believe I spent over 20,000 gold Raels in just one night. That''s almost 24 million dollars! If my father or brother found out about this they would probably kill me!'' Despite getting what he needed, Marcus still regretted spending so much money.


    In his past life, even if he had worked for the rest of his life it was unlikely that he would even get 20% of what he had spent tonight. But he soon shook off these thoughts by saying that this was a necessary investment.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my duty to inform you that tonight''s auction is drawing to a close. But before we conclude with the event, we have one last item to present." said the auctioneer.


    At that moment, the two black-suited employees emerged from the side of the stage and placed a small glass case on the display table. Inside the glass case was an ancient black book that appeared to be surrounded by magical energy.


    "According to our experts, this book is made from the skin, blood, and scales of a black wyvern. We also believe it was written somewhere around the year 200 of our era. The book is written in ancient Arsequian dialect and, such seems to contain information on some level 2 or even level 3 elemental spells!"


    Hearing this, all the people in the amphitheater were dumbfounded.


    One of the biggest problems the wizards of Genaerrsis had, aside from the lack of meditation techniques, was the shortage of high-level spell formulas.


    Although level 0 and 1 spell formulas were expensive, it was still possible to get them. But spells above level 2 were another story.


    After the fourth age, many incantation formulas and magic spells were lost or destroyed and, although over time some wizards developed their spells, they rarely shared the results of their research or did so for a very high price.


    This caused the major superpowers of Genaerrsis to monopolize most of the magical incantation books so that if a wizard did not belong to a prestigious clan or organization, he had little chance of gaining access to powerful spell formulas.


    In fact, it was common for the level of wandering wizards to be much lower than wizards affiliated with an organization because even if their talent was extraordinary, they could not demonstrate their full power because they did not have a good repertoire of spells.


    To put it in perspective, even if a wizard of the 3rd realm is capable of using level 3 spells, the wizard could not conjure the spell if he did not know the spell formula and therefore could not use his full power in combat.


    Marcus was no exception to this rule either.


    ''If they''re auctioning that spell book it must be because they can''t translate it or because it''s of no use to them... I can''t pass up an opportunity like this!''


    Although he had many level 3 spells at his disposal, these were only necromancy spells. As for his elemental magic spells, Marcus only knew 5 spells between level 0 and 1 for the energy element and some level 2 spells of the darkness element. But this was not enough.


    Even though his necromancy was powerful, Marcus could not use it in public and also not when it was daytime. So if he wanted to increase his chances of survival in this world, he needed to improve his repertoire of elemental spells.


    As for the dialect in the book, Marcus had the [Analysis] skill and still had plenty of WIS left over to learn the language so he didn''t worry about this.


    "I see everyone is very excited. Bidding starts at 3000 gold Raels!"


    *Tack*


    The bang of the gavel echoed throughout the amphitheater and a few seconds later, the price for the book skyrocketed.


    "I bid 3560 Raels!"


    "3690 Raels!"


    "3820 Raels!"


    "4150!"


    "I bid 4425 gold Raels!"


    "5000 Raels!"


    "5700 Raels!"


    The seconds ticked by and the value of the bids got higher and higher. Not even two minutes had passed since the bidding started and the value of the book had already risen to 10,000 gold Raels.


    "15,000 gold Raels!"Old Makroft who was in the second balcony of the amphitheater made his bid. Although the old wizard had been stuck at the pinnacle of the first realm he still harbored hope that this book held a clue as to how to heal his wound and if he was lucky he might even be able to advance to the 2nd realm.


    But just when it looked like no one else was going to bid...


    "I bid 20,000 Raels."


    Everyone present was surprised to hear this large sum of money. The person who had bid had been none other than the highest representative of the forest church in the port city of Neima, Catalin Janeva Rostass.


    Although old Makroft wanted that book of spells, he did not have enough money or authority to compete against the most powerful person in the entire city. So he reluctantly withdrew from the bidding.


    "20,000 gold Raels! Anyone bid more?" no one responded "Then, sold to his holiness Catalin Janeva Rostass for..."


    "21,000 gold Raels!" A trembling voice responded before the bidding closed.


    Everyone present turned in surprise only to see Winston who had the bidding paddle in his hand and the masked wizard in front of him, who remained calm.


    Everyone in the amphitheater and VIP balcony was amazed at the audacity of this wandering wizard, even Catalin arched an eyebrow. What Marcus had just done was the equivalent of challenging the greatest force not only in the entire city but in the entire Austra continent.


    "24,000 gold Raels" Although Catalin was surprised that someone else would challenge her, she soon lost interest and upped the offer. Even if Marcus was stronger than an average wizard, he was still no match for the church.


    " Twe...25,000 Raels!" But regardless, on Marcus'' orders, Winston raised the bid again, though he stammered a little.


    ''Is he crazy?! Does he think he can compete against the church of the forest?! All he''s going to do is make a fool of himself in front of all these people!'' Winston approached Marcus and spoke quietly " Mr. Edevane, I think it would be best..."


    "Winston, if you want to tell me what you think you can wait until the auction is over. Until then, keep bidding!" replied Marcus in a stern tone.


    At such a response the manager kept his comments to himself and just followed Marcus'' orders.


    "29,000 Raels!"


    "Thi-32,000!"


    "37,000 Raels!"


    But despite the dumbfounded stares of the audience, the bidding continued and before long the price for the spellbook had reached the impressive sum of 50,000 gold Raels.


    Catalin bit her lower lip, she was furious. Since she had reached the pinnacle of the third realm, except for her superiors, no one had ever dared to challenge her. Losing this spellbook to some random wandering wizard would be an insult to her person.


    But just as the young woman was about to bid again, the middle-aged wizard standing behind her stopped her and whispered something in her ear.


    "Excuse me, your holiness, but if we keep raising the bid, even if we get the book, not only will we have spent all of tonight''s profits, but we will also be using the money we are supposed to give to headquarters."


    "You want me to retire after coming this far?" Catalin whispered with an annoyed tone.


    "Please your holiness, it''s only a second-level spell book. Even if we get it, it will still take a long time to translate and we don''t know if the spells are complete. It''s simply not worth the price."


    Although it bothered Catalin, he had to admit that 50,000 gold Raels for a mere second-level spellbook was an exorbitant price. Besides, it was better to have her pride hurt than to face the wrath of headquarters.


    So Catalina closed her mouth and withdrew from the bidding.


    "So... If no one else bids... "There was a certain nervousness in the old auctioneer''s voice. But since he noticed that no one else was bidding he simply went on with his work.


    *Tack


    The bang of the gavel against the desk echoed throughout the amphitheater.


    "Sold to Lord Edevane for 50,000 gold Raels. Congratulations sir."


    ****


    I''m an idiot! How could I be so stupid?! Even if it was a level 3 spell book, it wasn''t worth it!''


    As the luxurious carriage guarded by half a dozen horsemen moved through the cobblestone streets of the technical district, Marcus increasingly regretted his actions that night.


    After the auction ended, Marcus hurried to collect his winnings and the items he had gotten that night and 30 minutes later he was gone.


    At that point, he began to regret his decision. Even if the book contained some level 3 spells, 50,000 gold Raels was still a ridiculously higher price than normal.


    But in addition to having spent almost all of his money, he had also defied and offended the most powerful person in the city in front of all the great elites of the region.


    If Marcus'' presence before the auction was conspicuous after tonight everything would be even worse.


    ''Well, what''s done is done... I just hope things don''t get much worse. But...''


    Marcus put these thoughts aside and looked at the huge fracture he had made in his left arm. Very slowly a small amount of necrotic energy began to flow down his arm and within minutes the fracture was gone.


    ''This is no time to worry about stupid things...More importantly, I have to figure out how to control my emotions'' He thought and remembered that he had almost lost control that night.


    After Marcus reincarnated as a skeleton, the emotions he had from when he was a human were totally out of control.


    While trapped on the floating island, he had always been abnormally calm even in life and death situations. At the time he hadn''t paid much attention to it and thought he had simply adapted to the situation very well.


    But since he had escaped from the island, his emotions had become a mess.


    Sometimes when Marcus fought in the jungle, he would go into a murderous trance and not stop until all his enemies were dead or he suffered an incredible amount of pain that snapped him out of his trance. And since arriving in the city this had only gotten worse.


    Sometimes he would experience sudden panic attacks, have moments of rage, or simply feel hatred for any human being he passed on the street regardless of age, gender, personality, or social status.


    Although in his past life Marcus had not been the calmest person in the world, he was also not one of those people who would beat up any child or elderly person he met on the street just because he thought they were annoying.


    The only explanation Marcus could come up with was that after having encountered living beings, his undead nature had awakened, which caused him to feel deep resentment and hatred for all living creatures. And although it was not so serious at the moment, it was more than obvious that little by little his condition was getting worse.


    Even if Marcus was willing to do anything to survive, including killing people, he could not let his undead nature take control of his mind. If he did he would be no different than a rabid animal without the ability to reason.


    Furthermore, he was also unwilling to make himself an enemy of all mankind by not having self-control.


    "Excuse me Lord Edevane, but we have already arrived at the place you indicated."


    A few moments later, the carriage stopped and the leader of the riders, Cristian Viel, spoke.


    The coachman opened the door and Marcus stepped out of the carriage. In front of him was a huge red brick and wood building three stories high. At the entrance to the building hung a wooden sign which had the name of the place written on it.


    [Hadrif Treikar''s Blacksmith and Weapons Shop (Property of the Giant clan).

 Chapter 32 - Crystals And Magic Items.

    "Please wait here Lord Edevane, the clan leader will be with you in a moment. Is there anything else you need?" The clerk asked. A man who must have been in his thirties.


    "No, I''m fine. Thank you for your service." Marcus replied as he sat down in a red armchair. He then pulled out a silver Rael and handed it to the man.


    The store clerk accepted the tip and walked out, leaving Marcus all alone, who kept admiring the furniture in the room.


    The room was on the third floor of the building and was quite spacious, about 9x9 meters(29.5ft) and almost 5 meters(16.6 ft) high. But the room was not the only big thing.


    Except for the armchair where he was sitting, all the furniture in the room, including an armchair that could seat three people, was abnormally large. Even the table separating the armchairs was quite large.


    But despite its large size, all the furniture in the room was of exceptional quality indicating that it had been crafted by an exceptionally skilled master craftsman.


    ''What kind of person will this Hadrif be?... Sigh, I just hope they don''t charge too much for his services.''


    Earlier at the auction, Marcus had met the deputy leader of the Giant Clan, Hans Renier. Although they hadn''t talked too much, Hans recommended that if he needed to repair any items or get quality equipment he should visit the weapon store owned by his clan.


    From what little Marcus knew of the place, this store was the best in the entire city and the quality of the weapons produced here could easily compete with the best weapons in the kingdom. But that was not all.


    Apart from the large mercenary clan that ran it, the port city of Neima was ruled by two medium-sized clans and one small clan.


    These clans were: the Red Axe Clan, the Gale Clan, and the Giant Clan. But each of these clans had a characteristic that set them apart from the other clans in the city.


    The Red Axe Clan was the largest of the three and had a fighting force of over 400 members. The Gale Clan had the largest number of wizards and had an almost absolute monopoly on potions, elixirs, and spell scrolls in the city.


    As for the Giant Clan, they were few but all their members were mercenaries of high rank or above. But the reason why the Giant Clan could compete with two clans that outnumbered them was because of the equipment they produced here.


    *Stomp...Stomp...Stomp...Stomp...Creack.*


    Loud footsteps were heard from outside the room and a few moments later, someone opened the huge door over 4 meters (13.12 ft) tall and entered the room.


    "Seriously who the f**k is coming to bother me at this hour?.... Tch, I need a drink."


    Marcus had his back to the door, so he couldn''t see what the person who had entered looked like. But there was a certain authority in the tone of his voice and just by the energy radiating from his body, this person was at least a wizard on the pinnacle of the 3rd realm.


    The person walked over to a large cabinet in the corner of the room, pulled out a cask of wine, and sat down in the huge armchair in the room.


    When Marcus saw the person in front of him, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.


    The person in question turned out to be a woman over 3 meters (10 ft) tall and was quite muscular. Her white hair was short, her skin was a bright copper color and her eyes were completely blue without a hint of white in them.


    The woman was wearing only black pants, a pair of black boots and a tank top that highlighted her six-pack and prominent breasts.


    But the most striking thing about the woman was her four arms, which were thicker than a human head.


    ================================


    Name: Hadrif Treikar


    Titles: [Great Blacksmith] [Relentless Warrior].


    Race: Asrakian


    Profession: Master Blacksmith (Clan Leader/Mercenary)


    Rank: 4


    Level: 51


    ================================


    HP: 3812/3812


    MP: 9930/9930


    Strength: ??? Stamina: ???


    Defense: ??? Intelligence: ???


    Vitality: ??? Wisdom: ???


    Agility: ???


    ================================


    ''Holy cow! I had heard that Asrakians were big, but this woman is even bigger than the large skeleton!'' Marcus was a bit shocked by the clan leader. After all, this was his first encounter with a non-human.


    Not counting the monsters, the total population of Genaerrsis was composed of almost 65% humans and the rest were members of other races. While it was not that uncommon to see these races in other parts of the world, their population in the port city of Neima was so low that there were only a handful of them.


    Hadrif glanced at Marcus but quickly lost interest in him. She pulled the cork out of the wine cask and began to drink as if she didn''t give a damn.


    Although it annoyed him a little, Marcus understood the clan leader''s behavior. Clearly, she would show no respect for someone who had come to bother her so late at night and who was also just a wandering wizard much weaker than she was.


    "Huff... There''s nothing like this stuff to lift my spirits! Would you like a drink too?" Hadrif asked. Unlike the people in the VIP box Marcus met that night, there was not a hint of elegance or respect in her voice.


    "I''m sorry but I don''t drink. Besides I''m not sure it''s a good idea to drink when we''re about to do business."


    "Hmph, how boring of you. I''ll guess, you''re one of those bitter people who are committed to their work and don''t know when to relax. As for the drinking thing, don''t worry about it, it takes more than this to cloud my judgment." Hadrif said as she took another drink from the cask.


    ''Did she just insult me...? ''F**k it, I better get this over with before the sun comes up... Shadow Hand.''


    At that instant, a dark hand reached out from Marcus'' shadow and stopped in the middle of the high table separating the two seats.


    "I''m sorry to have disturbed you at this time of night. My name is Edevane and I came here on Hans'' recommendation. He said you could do any equipment I requested."


    Seeing her guest''s greeting, Hadrif smiled and shook the dark hand. A few moments later the giant woman released some of her magical energy causing Marcus'' spell to destabilize and forcibly cancel.


    Hadrif leaned back in her seat and took another drink from the wine cask.


    "All right, you have my attention. Now tell me, what was so important that you would bother me at this time of night."


    ****


    "So let me get this straight, you want me to make you an armor that is resistant to fire, blunt force, doesn''t affect your mobility, can resist decay from necrotic energy, plus you want a sword that you can imbue with magical reinforcement spells?"


    Marcus and Hadrif had been chatting for several minutes and although the Asrakian drank about three casks of wine for the duration of the conversation, they had finally gotten to the main topic.


    Although Marcus had great skill with magic, he was a Semi-lich Warrior so it would have been a waste if he didn''t take advantage of his physical abilities and only focused on magic.


    So by using special equipment Marcus would be able to reduce his weaknesses and increase his combat strength at the same time.


    "Can you do it or not?" he asked.


    "Who do you think I am, a fourth-rate blacksmith?! Of course, I can do it! It''s just that what you''re asking me to do is a bit unusual. I thought you were a wizard and not a warrior. Also, if I may ask.... why the resistance to necrotic energy?"


    "I''m not exactly a warrior, but unlike other wizards, I have a bit of experience in weapon combat. As for necrotic energy, it''s because I tend to encounter undead quite often in the ruins I explored."


    In the days practicing his magic, Marcus had learned multiple spells with which he could infuse necrotic energy into his body to strengthen himself or his weapons so that his attacks would generate necrotic damage.


    The only drawback was that exposing common equipment to concentrated necrotic energy caused it to deteriorate much faster than normal. The only way to solve this was for Marcus to obtain equipment that could resist his spells.


    "Hmm... Very well, I will make your equipment. As it happens, I happen to have the materials needed to make it." Hadrif leaned forward and her face became serious. "But what I''m wondering is can you pay the price?"


    "How many gold Raels is it going to cost me?" Marcus asked. Part of him didn''t want to hear what the huge woman was about to say.


    "Gold raels? HAHAHAHA... Oh, you wish. The price of the equipment is one hundred grade 1.5 Rehi crystals or sixty grade 2 Rehi crystals, and they have to be freshly extracted crystals."


    "Sure, one hundred... WHAT?!!"


    *scrunch*


    Marcus was so shocked by the price of the equipment, that he had unintentionally applied force to the armrest of the armchair he was sitting on and ended up destroying them.


    "Wow, you''re pretty strong for just a wizard of the 2nd realm. But I''m going to charge you 80 silver Raels for breaking that armchair." Hadrif said nonchalantly as she took another swig of wine.


    "I apologize for my behavior..... But a hundred freshly extracted grade 1.5 Rehi crystals?! What you''re charging me is almost 3000 gold Raels!"


    In Genaerrsis Rehi crystals were the basis of magical technology as they could collect and store magical energy from the environment. Their use ranged from energy sources for arrays and enchantments to the crafting of potions and magical artifacts.


    These Rehi crystals were classified into grades according to the amount of energy they could store and the number of times they could be recharged before their life span was exhausted. While the lowest grade could be recharged only a couple of times, the highest grade could be recharged hundreds or thousands of times and could last for years.


    Therefore, the newer a crystal was, the higher its value, but that was not all.


    When a crystal was extracted, it still had a certain amount of residual magical energy stored from the monster in question. Such energy had an infinite number of uses, so even a freshly extracted 0.1 grade crystal was worth tens of silver Raels on the market.


    Hadrif finished her fourth cask of wine, opened another one, and continued drinking. What was most impressive was that the woman wasn''t even a little drunk.


    "Gasp...And what did you expect... What you''re asking me for is practically a High Tier enchanted artifact. A price like that is quite acceptable."


    After hearing this, Marcus understood why the price and calmed down a bit.


    In Genaerrsis artifacts with magical characteristics used to be divided into two types: Enchanted and magical items.


    Enchanted items were objects to which one or multiple spells had been incorporated during their manufacture.


    These spells could be activated by anyone and their effect was almost instantaneous, but they had a time limit, and once the spell was exhausted one would have to wait for it to recharge before using it again.


    There were also cases such as spell scrolls which were of one-time use.


    On the other hand, magical items were objects which were imbued with multiple magical abilities in their manufacture. The abilities of these items had no cooldown time and their effects were usually much better than enchanted items.


    In addition, magical and enchanted items were categorized into 10 tiers according to their magical capabilities. These were: Inferior, Low, Medium, High, Royal, Imperial, Legendary, Mythic, Semi-divine and Divine.


    But, since magical items were more powerful than enchanted items, even if both items had the same category, the magical item would be stronger by at least one tier.


    ''That means I would get an item with similar power to the staff of Bairus... Considering the circumstances, this is the best I can get for now.'' Marcus thought.


    After the fourth age, many production methods and magic items had been lost, which caused the level of manufactured magic artifacts to drop to such an extent that even a magic artifact of Royal-tier was considered a national treasure in some kingdoms.


    Although Marcus had obtained many magical and enchanted items at the auction that night, they were all below medium tier. So this equipment would cause an incredible increase in his combat strength.


    *Pack*


    Marcus reached into his robe, opened his [inventory], pulled out a bag and threw it on the table. The bag was filled with grade 2 Rehi crystals from Arsenis ants and other jungle monsters.


    "How much time do you need to finish the equipment?"


    Hadrif saw the bag full of crystals, stopped drinking, and a smile formed on her face. For the first time since she started the conversation, the Giant Clan leader showed some interest in Marcus.


    ****


    ''Wow, no matter how many times I come to this place, this is still very surreal.''


    Marcus was in a dark space that distorted, stretched, and contracted all at the same time and apart from the absolute darkness, there was nothing around him.


    He walked around for several minutes trying not to get dizzy and lost by the strange composition of the space around him until finally, he managed to see something glowing in the darkness. As he got closer he saw the glow more clearly.


    Several meters above his head were three rings of transparent energy set at different angles, surrounding three spheres each the size of a tennis ball.. One was white, the other black and the last had a purple color, but this one radiated cold, sinister energy.

 Chapter 33 - About The Undead

    ''Okay, now I just have to transfer the mana from the rings to the elemental links, while absorbing the Rehi from the environment to supply energy and develop the rings... Easy peasy.''


    Following the instructions written in the book, Marcus focused his mind and started to transfer the energy from the rings into the black-colored sphere while drawing energy threads from his spirit form to pass it to the rings in his body.


    But just as the strands of energy were about to touch the energy rings, the purple sphere began to tremble and spin out of control, expelling gusts of cold and sinister energy.


    In that instant, the energy threads returned to his spiritual body, and Marcus was forced to leave his spiritual unconsciousness and before he could do anything he was back in the basement of the mansion.


    ''SH*T!... Tch, I was sure I would make it this time... I don''t understand, I followed the instructions to the letter. So what am I doing wrong?''


    Marcus got up from the floor and went to the desk on the other side of the basement, on which there were dozens of books, papers, and documents, all related to the magical arts of this world.


    From among all those documents and writings, Marcus picked up the black book of spells he had gotten at the auction.


    ''Let''s see... Enter a state of total calm and harmony... feel the Rehi of the environment...cultivate where the gap with the element is the least... enter the spiritual unconscious... distribute the Rehi...'' Marcus turned page after page as he went through the meditation technique as it was in the black book.


    It had currently been three days since the auction had taken place.


    After his meeting with the Giant Clan leader, Marcus went straight to his mansion, took some books and a desk from the library, and locked himself in the basement.


    In that time, Marcus had spent his time reading all sorts of books related to the magical arts of this world and had managed to translate the black book he had found at the auction.


    Mostly the book contained formulas and models of level 2 and 3 elemental spells, but in addition to that, there was also an incomplete meditation technique related to the dark element.


    Magic in Genaerrsis was incredibly complex and complicated. Not only was there more than one type of magic user, but each magic had its specific logic and rules. However, all of these magics had one or two things in which they were similar and one of them was "mastery".


    It didn''t matter if it was elemental magic, sorcery, holy magic, or evil arts, if a person wanted to use some kind of magic, he or she first had to collect Rehi from the environment and store it in the body.


    Once a person collected enough Rehi in their body they would have to use their internal energy (mana) to create a bond with the source of their power. As the bond strengthened the "mastery" would increase and therefore the user''s power and control over his spells would be greater and, in some cases, the energy consumption of certain spells would also be reduced.


    But while theoretically, this may sound easy, in practice it was a different story.


    Each time a person ascended a realm, they would need to create a new Rehi ring to move on to the next one. But as the number of rings increased, so did the amount of energy needed to create them. In addition, as the person''s magical power grew, their internal energy would generate a rejection effect that caused their rate of growth to slow down.


    Another fact to note was that even if a magic-user belonged to a higher realm if his "mastery" was too low then his spells could not demonstrate their full potential or simply could not be conjured because that person would not be able to control the power of the spells.


    For all these reasons magic users studied and created various meditation techniques that would allow them to increase their strength by absorbing the energy of the environment more efficiently. Among these meditation techniques were some that were created to generate a synergy effect so that both a person''s internal energy and "mastery" would increase simultaneously.


    Of course, since Marcus had the system he only needed to practice his skills and level up to become stronger, so he did not need to go through such a tedious process to increase his strength and it was much less effective than the system. However, he decided to try it anyway for two reasons.


    The first was because Marcus didn''t know when the point would come where the amount of experience required to level up would be so high that it would be almost unfeasible and the second was because he didn''t have full control of the system.


    As far as Marcus knew, the [Monarch of the eternal garden] had almost absolute control over the system. If this mysterious being wished, it could restrict both the user''s freedom to distribute their stat points, as well as other features. In the worst-case scenario, it could control the user''s mind or block the ability to gain XP to level up.


    To avoid this Marcus had decided to try practicing the meditation technique from the black book. Although the meditation technique was incomplete, he was still able to deduce the rest after going through every book related to the magical arts, and after a couple of failures, he had finally managed to enter the so-called spiritual unconscious.


    But whenever Marcus tried to meditate something prevented him from completing the process and he was kicked out of his spiritual unconscious without any progress.


    ''What am I doing wrong...? I don''t think it''s the fault of the system because I didn''t get any notification... Let''s see.... [The History of the Wizards]...[The Sorcerers Alument].... [The Sorcery of the mystic Drauns]'' Marcus started going through every scroll and book about all the types of magic used by all the races of the world and their respective basic theories. '' Huh? [Anatomy and morphology of the undead]? I hadn''t seen this one.''


    Marcus picked up the red-covered book and began to turn the pages while reading the contents that were written. About 30 minutes later, he put the book down half-read, leaned on the desk, and entered a state of comprehension as he tried to analyze and connect the cause of his problem.


    ''The problem is my race and ... perhaps my tainted life force'' Marcus thought to himself believing he had found the source of his problem.


    From among the writings related to the magical arts that Marcus had read over the past few days, many had an explanation and information from basic studies on souls.


    According to these writings, when a person was reincarnated into this world their soul would merge with a new body in the developmental stage. In this state the soul would be in direct contact with the Rehi of the environment, so the soul would begin to collect energy and then transform it into life force.


    The amount of life force that a soul could create varied greatly depending on the environment and the species in which it was reincarnated. This life force also determined things like certain genetic characteristics of the body and the abilities of an individual.


    But more importantly, the life force was the energy that kept a person''s soul attached to his or her body on the earthly plane. When an individual''s life force was depleted, the body died and the soul returned to the cycle of reincarnation once again.


    Of course, there were also ways in which a fully developed individual could increase the amount of life force they possessed as was the case with meditation techniques or cultivation techniques used by magic users and aura users.


    However, when a person was killed or died from disease or unnatural causes, the individual''s soul would return to the cycle of reincarnation but the life force would remain on the earthly plane where it would slowly fade into the environment until it became ordinary Rehi. But there was an exception to the rule.


    Being in direct contact with the soul, it was normal for the life force to be influenced by emotions. If a person at the time of an untimely death felt emotions such as fear, anger, envy, or hatred, his life force would be contaminated by these negative emotions and would take longer to dilute in the environment.


    But when this contaminated life force accumulated in large quantities, after a while it would eventually corrupt and transform into necrotic energy. If the necrotic energy was not purified it would begin to attach itself to the corpses of other creatures, thus creating the undead.


    ''In theory, ordinary undead can''t increase their power because they don''t possess a soul... But that shouldn''t be the case with me!'' Angry and frustrated Marcus picked up the red book and continued to search for answers to his questions.


    For an undead to maintain its existence it needed a constant supply of necrotic energy, which could be easily obtained by contaminating life force and environmental energy.


    So when an undead radiated necrotic energy it was contaminating the energy of the environment and the life force of living beings. This was also the reason why places, where there was a high concentration of undead and necrotic energy, ended up becoming dead land.


    However, the low-level undead were only corpses reanimated by necrotic energy that possessed neither soul nor will of their own and only had a basic instinct.


    Not possessing a soul, the common undead were unable to control their corrupted nature so they could not collect the Rehi without corrupting it.


    Even if they could use special skills or magic as was the case with skeleton mages or semi-liches, they would still be unable to increase their magical power on their own because they did not possess a soul and thus could not control their power.


    The only exception to this rule were the high-ranking undead such as liches, zombie kings, superior ghouls, or vampires as these did possess souls and powers that defied the natural laws of this world.


    ''Then I simply don''t have enough control over my body''s energies... F**k!''


    *scrunch*


    In one of his sudden fits of rage, Marcus punched the desk so hard that he ended up making a hole in the middle of it. He then grabbed the desk and threw it against the basement wall scattering all the books and documents all over the floor.


    ''SH*T!... Sigh, that desk must have cost about 500 silver Raels.'' Once Marcus calmed down, he put the desk back where it was and began to pick up all the papers and books he had thrown on the floor.


    When he finished tidying up, Marcus opened his [Inventory] and pulled out two small wooden boxes. One was square and the other elongated rectangular. He opened them and used [Analysis] on the objects inside.


    ================================


    Name: Dark amplification Orb.


    Artifact: Magic Item


    Tier: inferior


    ================================


    Durability: 200/200


    Attack Power: -/-


    Description: An orb created by melting


    Sadar''s black sand and a Rehi crystal


    from a [Obsidian Skin Spider].


    Abilities:


    Darkness element boost 5%.


    Mana cost reduction (Only darkness spells) 9%


    ================================


    ================================


    Name: Wand of Malerich


    Artifact: Magic Item


    Tier: inferior


    ================================


    Durability: 190/190


    Attack Power: -/-


    Description: A wand crafted from combining


    synergistic willow wood and a Rehi crystal


    from a [Malerich Fox].


    Abilities:


    Energy element boost 6%.


    Mana cost reduction (Only Energy spells) 10%


    ================================


    ''I honestly wanted to keep them, but I think they''ll be more useful this way.'' Marcus thought as he picked up the baseball-sized black orb.


    ....


    {The artifact [Dark Amplification Orb] is compatible with the system}


    ....


    {System upgrade is possible}


    ....


    {Do you want to upgrade the system?}


    [Yes/No]


    ....


    [Yes]


    ....


    {Upgrade in progress}


    ....


    {The efficiency of the skill [Dark Resistance] increases slightly}


    ....


    {The power of the skill [Dark Magic] increases slightly}


    ....


    {Intelligence increases by 1 point}


    ....


    {Upgrade completed}


    ....


    Once the upgrade was finished, the dark crystal sphere began to glow and disintegrated into particles of light. Then, Marcus took the wooden wand about 20 cm (7.87 inches) long and repeated the process.


    ....


    {Update in progress}


    ....


    {The power of the skill [Energy Magic] increases slightly}


    ....


    {The efficiency of the skill [Automatic Mp recovery] increases slightly}


    ....


    {Intelligence increases by 2 points}


    ....


    {Upgrade completed}


    ....


    ''Hmm. I was hoping to get more, but I guess this is for the best considering they were lower-level items.'' He thought as he watched the wand transform into particles of light and vanish into thin air.


    A few days ago when he attended the auction, Marcus had bought some magic items. But when he touched them the system had warned him that these two items could be used to upgrade the system. So after a few tests, Marcus had concluded.


    The upgrade was a type of special system ability or code which allowed the user to gain and increase their abilities by consuming magic items. But it had its flaws.


    In addition to the orb and the wand, Marcus had 3 other magic items but none of them could be used for the upgrade. This meant that if the items were not compatible with the user or the system then they could not be used for the upgrade. Also, the system did not seem to work with enchanted items or Rehi crystals.


    Originally Marcus wanted to save those items for use in battle, but since the meditation method had failed he decided to use them for the upgrade. After all, as far as he knew the [Monarch of the Eternal Garden] had no control over the upgrade, or else it would have already been removed.


    ''Very well... If I can''t meditate then I''ll have to use plan B.''


    Once the upgrade was over, Marcus put away all the books and documents on a shelf in the basement, opened his [Inventory], took out an old and worn parchment, and spread it out on the table.


    On the parchment were several words and runes written along with a drawing of what appeared to be light armor made of leather.


    ''Okay Bairus, it''s time for me to finish what you started 100,000 years ago.''


    ****


    Please read the author''s thoughts.

 Chapter 34 - Uroboros & J?rmungandr

    It was a quiet summer evening in the port city of Neima. It was currently seven o''clock PM, now when almost all the residents of the noble district were finishing their chores and preparing to have dinner and call it a day. But...


    *BOOM!*


    A loud boom coming from one of the mansions of the district interrupted the quiet atmosphere of the afternoon and disturbed the residents and this was not the first time this happened. To be exact these continuous explosions had started almost three weeks ago and occurred with a frequency of two to three times a day.


    But although the residents of the noble district were very upset about this, none of them dared to do anything about it. The explosions were coming from the old gothic-style mansion that had been rented by a wandering wizard who had arrived in the city a little over a month ago. Since the wizard hardly ever left the mansion, many people in the noble district had never seen him and what little they knew of him was little more than hearsay.


    Some said he was a wandering wizard and others that he belonged to an organization powerful enough to challenge the forest church. Others believed he was just a wizard of the 1st realm and others that perhaps he was of the 3rd realm. Some said he was an archaeologist and others said he was a half-crazed alchemist.


    But be that as it may, because the guy was a wizard about whom little was known, no one in the noble district had filed a complaint regarding the explosions. After all, no one wanted to meddle with a wizard and his weird experiments.


    ****


    The basement of the mansion was almost torn apart. There were holes in all the walls, part of the ceiling had fallen in and there were cracks all over the room. How the place was still standing was a complete mystery.


    ''Ugh... Ouch, that didn''t go well.''


    Marcus was partially embedded in one of the walls of the room and because of the explosion had every bone in his body cracked or broken. He circulated necrotic energy through his body and his wounds began to heal, but since it was still daylight it would take a while to heal.


    About 30 minutes later, when he was fully recovered, Marcus stepped out of the wall and walked towards the center of the room. In the middle of the basement was a large smoking crater and inside it was a piece of metal with runes written on it that was partially melted.


    Marcus bent down, picked up the piece, and began to examine it in detail.


    ''Tch, God damn it... I seriously thought I could at least stabilize the enchantment this time... Why is it so f**king complicated?!''


    Angry and frustrated, Marcus threw the piece of metal against the wall, walked out of the basement, and locked the door. He then entered the library and walked over to the long table in the center of the room. On it was a large stack of documents, pieces of metal with runes engraved on them, and the plans for the enchanted armor that the researchers of the Guerrmanic Empire had developed 100,000 years ago.


    Marcus sat down, picked up a journal and pen that were on the table, and began to write down all the details of the latest failed experiment.


    ''If the pattern of the "shadow" and "darkness" runes are mixed with the "energy" and "mantle" runes then the energy distribution changes to a more stable one. But if I try to incorporate the blocking runes and the conservation runes, the magical energy concentration of the enchantment becomes more volatile because the runes do not distinguish solar energy from other magical energy. So...''


    A few months back when he was exploring the subterranean facility, Marcus had stumbled upon Imperial researcher Bairus Dertemian''s room and the documents of all his research. Among these documents were the blueprints for the stealth armor Bairus had designed.


    The purpose of this enchanted armor was to temporarily enhance the wearer''s stealth abilities and agility through the use of darkness element enchantments. For all the abilities it possessed, the armor could easily be categorized as a high-level enchanted item.


    But of course, since Marcus was a dark element user and could use spells to enhance his physical abilities, he didn''t need the armor. But that was no longer the case.


    As an undead Marcus suffered damage every time he was exposed to the sunlight and although at first covering himself with clothing to avoid sun damage was helpful, things had changed more than a month ago.


    Perhaps because it was summer or because the sun was at its zenith, the concentration of solar energy increased more at midday to the point that mere layers of clothing no longer served as protection. Therefore, the only times of the day when Marcus could leave the basement without getting burned were either very early in the morning or at dusk.


    Faced with this situation the only idea Marcus could come up with was to use the stealth armor blueprints and based on the darkness enchantments create an enchanted object that could block the sunlight and protect him from sun damage. But it wasn''t that simple.


    To create enchanted items a person needed to have an understanding of enchantments, a great mastery of skills such as smithing and craftsmanship, as well as a deep knowledge of magical theory. Unfortunately, Marcus possessed none of these qualities so he could only learn by trial and error until he got it right.


    And although after three weeks Marcus obtained the skill [Craftsmanship lv:2], the truth was that he had not made much progress and every time he tried to apply the enchantment, things just ended up exploding.


    ....


    {Solar energy in the environment has disappeared}


    ¡­.


    {All the user''s statistics and skills return to normal}


    ¡­.


    ''Sigh, I guess that''s it for today.''


    When he saw the system messages, Marcus stopped everything he was doing, left the library dressed in a set of black hooded robes, put on his mask, and left the mansion.


    ****


    The weapon store was divided into three floors. The first floor was where the more common and cheaper weapons and armor made of iron, bronze, or steel were located. On the second floor were weapons made of better quality metals and enchanted equipment or made from monster parts. On the third floor were different rooms that were used for various purposes.


    Normally only the lowest ranking adventurers and mercenaries bought the equipment on the second floor since they did not have enough money to buy something of better quality.


    However, those who did buy this equipment tended to change it quite a bit more frequently. This was because many of the monsters in the jungle had high defensive capabilities that damaged common weapons or could also tear through shields and armor like paper.


    But despite all this, there was not much that low-level mercenaries could do about it.


    Even though the job of hunting monsters left more money than that of a farmer or an average craftsman, all that money went to buying potions and renewing equipment among other basic expenses, so they couldn''t afford to buy better equipment.


    Sure, they could save up to buy better equipment, but that would take quite some time and most mercenaries and adventurers had families to support so they couldn''t do that. After all, a person needed to eat every day, not a week or two from now.


    Others simply couldn''t stand their situation and tried to hunt stronger monsters to receive better earnings, but most of the time things didn''t end well.


    ''Hm. I guess the life of mercenaries and adventurers is not as fantastic as they describe it in the novels. Unless you''re strong enough.''


    Marcus stood on the second floor of the store looking at the weapons hanging on some of the walls. Some were enchanted weapons and others were made from monster parts or with metals that didn''t exist on Earth.


    But instead of looking at the weapons, Marcus was looking at the price of these as even the cheapest of them cost several hundred silver Raels.


    ''15 gold Raels for an Inferior-Tier enchanted sword?! Ugh, with these prices I''m not surprised that people choose to buy lower quality equipment instead of trying to save.''


    "Excuse me Mr. Edevane, the clan leader is waiting for you." Said one of the store employees.


    Marcus stopped looking at the weapons on the wall and the employee guided him to the room that was located on the third floor of the store where he had met Hadrif three weeks ago.


    *Creack*


    Marcus entered the room and saw that the clan leader was sitting on the huge armchair in the room while drinking a cask of wine. He walked to the center of the room and noticed that the armchair he had broken last time had already been replaced. He also noticed the chest sitting on top of the living room table.


    "Gaps... It''s about time you got here. Do you have any idea what time it is?" Hadrif said in an annoyed though not so stern tone.


    "Sorry I stayed late working on an experiment."


    "Hmph, yes I do. I heard the explosions as did everyone in the damn noble district. I''m surprised no one has complained so far." Hadrif said and took another sip from the cask again.


    "Haha... I apologize for that. But more importantly, are they finished?"


    "Look for yourself." Hadrif set the wine cask aside and opened the chest on top of the table.


    Inside the chest was a full suit of armor with a hood included and a longsword.


    The armor was black and looked like it was made of leather, but if one looked more closely one would notice that the armor was composed of thin strands of metal and unknown material, woven together as if it were carbon fiber cloth.


    The sword was double-edged and 100 cm(39 inches) long, its sheath was black and its hilt was wrapped in the same leather as the sheath. When Marcus unsheathed it he noticed that the blade of the sword was black as well, but it had a pair of runes inscribed on it and had a marbled pattern similar to Damascus steel.


    ================================


    Name: Nameless armor


    Artifact: Enchanted Item


    Tier: High


    ================================


    Durability: 1950/1950


    Defense Power: 350


    Description: An armor imbued with


    spells created from the use of **********


    to combine the scales of a [Horned Basilisk]


    and Galadium fiber.


    Abilities:


    Fire resistance lv:3


    Necrotic resistance lv:2


    Physical Atk resistance lv:4


    Self Repair (Cooldown time: 3D)


    Increased Def (Cooldown time: 1D)


    ================================


    ================================


    Name: Nameless Sword


    Artifact: Magic item


    Tier: Medium


    ================================


    Durability: 1,500/1,500


    Attack Power: 140-210


    Description: A sword created from


    the use of ********** to combine the


    horn of a [Horned Basilisk], Ilectrum


    and ground Rhei crystals.


    Abilities:


    Conductivity and magical empowerment 17%.


    Energy conservation 10%


    Reduction of mana cost: 15%


    ================================


    When Marcus saw the stats of the items he was quite impressed.


    Although the armor resistances were listed as abilities, they were not magical but simply features of the equipment itself. But Marcus remembered that almost all armor made of metals and normal materials he had seen had no elemental defenses and only had [Physical Atk. Resistance] between levels 1 and 2.


    The second thing he noticed was the materials that had been used.


    From what little Marcus remembered about the materials of this world, Ilectrum was a metal used in the manufacture of magical weapons because it was an incredible conductor of energy. Galadium on the other hand was a metal that was incredibly resistant to physical attack and had some resistance to magic. But casting and molding these metals was no easy task.


    But most striking of all was how the equipment was manufactured.


    ''How did she do it...? ''According to the system this armor has scales from the basilisk, but it looks like she processed them and turned them into threads. And how did she combine the basilisk''s horn with the metal?'' Marcus'' mind was a sea of unanswered questions.


    Although the civilization of this world seemed to be far behind Earth, the truth was that thanks to magic and other factors, technology, techniques of creating and processing some materials, this world had already surpassed Earth in multiple aspects.


    "So what do you think? "Although she couldn''t see his face, just by seeing how he had reacted, Hadrif knew that the equipment had exceeded Marcus'' expectations. She smiled and took another drink from the wine cask.


    "This is amazing... But why is the sword a Magic item and not an enchanted one? Are you going to make me pay another extra for it?" Although Marcus said this in jest the truth was that he didn''t want to waste any more of his Rehi crystals.


    Besides, when he realized that the equipment had been created from the untainted parts of the horned Basilisk he got a little upset. The Giant Clan had practically made a profit from a monster he killed and not only did he not make any profit but they were also charging him!


    "Gasp... Don''t worry, I won''t charge you extra. Consider it a thank you for giving me such an interesting job after so long. Besides, you already paid extra, remember." She said as she opened another barrel of wine.


    Originally, Marcus had paid sixty grade 2 Rehi crystals for the equipment, but according to Hadrif, it would take her six weeks to make it. Since he didn''t want to stay in town for too long, he paid a little more to have it finished in half the time.


    "The sword can boost reinforcement spells and the armor has two enchantments. The first one activates automatically when the durability decays to 40% or you can activate it manually just like the second one. But once you activate them you''ll have to wait a few days to use them again." She took another sip of wine and then asked "What name are you going to give them?"


    "Do I have to name them?" He asked as he put the sword back in the chest.


    "Not if you don''t want to. But it''s normal for equipment like this to have names." She replied.


    ''I was never good at choosing names... But...''Marcus tried to come up with a good name for the sword and armor. After thinking about it for a moment he chose two that seemed fitting for the equipment. " The sword is Uroboros and the armor is J?rmungandr." He finally said ''Hm, it sounded better when I thought of it in my head.''


    Ding!


    ....


    {Objects have been successfully named}


    ....


    {Nameless sword ? Uroboros}


    ....


    {Nameless armor ? J?rmungandr}


    ....


    {Item names cannot be changed and will be permanent}


    ....


    Unexpectedly the system reacted to the objects and when Marcus checked them again, the name of the sword and armor had already changed. But apart from the name the equipment did not undergo any other changes.


    "What strange names. Do they have any meaning?" she asked.


    "No. They''re just the names of some giant snakes." She replied. Marcus had only chosen those names because the armor and sword were made of a snake-like monster. Though he knew there was no point in explaining something that the people of this world wouldn''t understand.


    ****


    After their meeting was over, Marcus took the chest with the equipment, said goodbye to Hadrif, and left the room.


    A few moments later, Hadrif drank the last of the wine in the cask and got up from his seat. But just as she was about to leave the room...


    *BOOM!*


    A loud explosive sound spread throughout the city.


    "What the hell?!"


    Quickly Hadrif made her way to the window of the room that was in the direction of where the sound had come from. When she looked out, she saw a large plume of smoke rising right where the entrance to the city was.


    *Clang! Clang! Clang!


    Loud chimes began to ring unceasingly.


    "SH*T...!! GRAHAM!!!" She shouted.


    At that instant, a man in his thirties rushed into the room. But Hadrif interrupted him before he could say anything.


    "Gather all the clan members! I want everyone to get ready and head for the main entrance-"


    *BOOM!*


    Another explosion sounded.


    "Hurry!" Hadrif looked out the window again and watched as the number of smoke plumes steadily increased "The city is under attack."

 Chapter 35 - The Red Ax

    It was 8:30 in the night so it was practically dark, however, the city was still quite lively and would most likely continue to be so for a couple of hours.


    At the entrance to the city, on the south side of the wall, the evening shift guards were still patrolling in a rather monotonous manner. Look at the horizon, walk a couple of meters along the wall, stop, look at the horizon, walk along the wall, stop, and so on.


    Some of the guards were so bored that they simply stayed inside the watchtowers on the wall where they got to drinking, chatting, playing dice or cards. None of them were too worried that an attack might occur.


    After all, their kingdom had not been at war for decades, so they enjoyed a long and lasting peace. The only thing that posed a threat to the city were the jungle monsters, but this didn''t worry the guards either.


    The wall surrounding the city was 6 meters (19.68ft) high and 7 meters(23ft) wide. One of its sides was next to a river so the monsters could not attack from there. In addition, all the monsters living in the outlying areas of the jungle were too weak to even break through the city''s defenses.


    Even if the monsters would attack, the city had plenty of people capable of exterminating them. So everyone guarding the wall was very relaxed. Well, all except one.


    Astor was leaning against the parapet of the wall with his eyes fixed on the horizon as he was deep in thought. Something had been bothering him for quite some time.


    About a month ago the Giant Clan had found the corpse of a horned Basilisk, a monster listed as a threat capable of wiping out a small town on its own. Although the citizens believed the monster was killed by the mercenaries, Astor was among the few who knew the truth.


    To prevent people from knowing that the monster had been killed by another creature, the city leaders and the Syndicate administrators had agreed to keep the matter secret. After that, the number of soldiers on the night shift on the wall increased, and groups were organized to explore the surrounding areas of the jungle. That''s when things started to get strange.


    First, the Giant Clan''s warehouse had been raided. This created quite a commotion, causing patrols within the city to become more rigorous and there was a total inspection of the slums. The number of arrests in recent weeks had increased so much that the city jail was overcrowded.


    Secondly, although several scouting parties were sent out, none of them could find anything. But not only was there no sign of the monster that killed the basilisk but there was also no sign of any creature in the proximity of the city. For some reason, all the monsters in the area had disappeared and there had been no sightings of them in almost a month.


    This had caused many low-level mercenary groups to lose their source of income and many industrial sectors that depended on the monsters to function to lose large sums of money. If things continued this way the city would suffer an unprecedented economic disaster.


    Under these circumstances, the city government and the Syndicate provided financial assistance to the low-level mercenaries and promised that they would do everything possible to solve this problem as soon as possible.


    Under these circumstances, Astor believed that the most sensible thing to do would be to increase the number of night shift guards and had even proposed a curfew. But instead, the city leaders reduced the number of soldiers on the walls with the excuse that they needed to worry about internal security.


    But while the order had been given more than a week ago, the number of internal patrols did not undergo much change and the arrest rate became almost nil and not because there would be no more people left to arrest or no more crime.


    "SIGH..."


    "Damn it, Peter! If you want to talk about your problems just do it and don''t be sighing near me every 20 seconds like a poor wretch!" shouted Astor.


    Next to Astor stood a young guard who looked no more than 17 years old. The young man was 1.68 m (5.51ft) and had a slim build. To tell the truth, he didn''t look like the type of person who should be working as a guard.


    "I''m sorry Sr. Astor, it''s just..." Peter hesitated a little.


    "Let me guess, you have problems with your girlfriend, again." Astor said in exasperation.


    Peter said nothing and just nodded his head.


    Peter wasn''t exactly the most athletic and to tell the truth the boy had little self-esteem. How he had managed to get into the city guard had been a miracle. But he was a good person and was quite a hard worker, which was why he had endeared himself to many of his peers.


    But despite all the affection he had for him, Astor had enough of listening to Peter''s complaints about their love affair. But perhaps because he had nothing better to do he always listened to him.


    "Well, what''s the matter?"


    Peter hesitated a bit before finally answering. "Well, it''s just that...Jenna''s been being a little "active aggressive" these days...and she wants me to be a little more...how shall I put it... "Dominant" in that sense...But I don''t think I can."


    "Oooh...I see."


    An awkward silence formed between the two.


    "Uuum... So... Aaah... What exactly is the problem?" asked Astor while trying not to make eye contact with the boy. The situation was a little weird.


    "I think it''s my physique... I have low stamina... sir."


    "Oh, right." This didn''t surprise Astor in the least. But he knew that the problem was not the boy''s lack of stamina. It was the girl''s excessive stamina.


    Jenna, Peter''s girlfriend, was an 18-year-old girl who worked in a small mercenary group. But unlike Peter, who had a very slim build, Jenna was 1.80 m (6ft) tall and had a much more developed physique than Peter. How they had ended up together was a mystery.


    "Okay... Look I can''t help you with your problem, but..." Astor pulled a small notebook out of his pocket, tore a page from it, and handed it to Peter, without making eye contact. " There''s an apothecary on Fourth Street in the business district. Give this to a guy named Jonas and don''t say I gave it to you."


    "Thank you... Sir." Peter took the paper, put it in his pocket, and said goodbye to Astor.


    *Tremble...Tremble...Tremble...Tremble*.


    "Wait."


    Peter stopped in his tracks and looked at Astor.


    *Tremble...Tremble...Tremble...Tremble*


    Astor rested his hands on the parapet. He felt the wall vibrate. Soon after, noises were heard coming from the jungle, as if a large horse army was charging at full speed.


    " Do you feel that?"


    *Tremble...Tremble...Tremble...Tremble*.


    The trembles were getting stronger by the second and the sound that started as a soft whisper of the wind grew into a great storm.


    *Tremble...Tremble...Trem.*


    Suddenly, both the vibrations and the sound stopped as if they had never existed.


    "Wh-what was that?!" Peter asked. Astor noticed that there was anxiety and fear in the young guard''s voice.


    Before he could answer, a column of smoke, coming from the farms surrounding the city, rose into the sky and fire began to spread across the wheat fields. Soon the screams of people could be heard, along with strange shrieks and noises that would make anyone''s skin crawl.


    Astor''s face turned pale and a shiver ran through his body.


    "Oh no. PETER, RING THE BE...!!"


    *BOOM*


    Peter didn''t get to hear the whole sentence when suddenly something hit the wall right where Astor was standing and caused an explosion.


    The shockwave from the explosion hit Peter and pushed him several meters down the wall walk, until he finally crashed into the floor of the wall. He tried to get up from the ground but the shockwave had left him very disoriented. His ears were ringing, his vision was blurred and he could feel the blood flowing from his head wound that stained his face.


    When he finally recovered, Peter could barely understand what was happening. In the place where the explosion had occurred, there was a cloud of dust, the product of the destroyed rock. Alarmed guards rushed from place to place, sounds of swords being drawn, the unintelligible screams of his companions, and the pungent smell of blood flooded his nose.


    A few seconds later the cloud of dust vanished and Peter watched in horror the scene unfolding before his eyes. The part of the wall where the explosion occurred was destroyed and there was a large hole, 2 meters (6.56ft)long and wide by 3 meters (10ft) deep, separating the wall walk in two.


    On the other side of the wall walk, Peter watched as his fellow guards fought desperately against spiders as big as a horse, ants the size of ponies, and other large insects.


    At the edge of the hole that separated him from his companions, Peter saw a man wearing his same armor leaning against the parapet of the wall. The man was missing an arm and his left leg. His breastplate had been destroyed and his abdomen had been ripped open revealing his internal organs as his blood formed a puddle that trickled over the edge of the hole.


    Peter got up from the ground and ran to Astor who despite his severe injuries was still alive.


    Unlike ordinary people, the experienced guard had undergone severe physical and mental training, which had pushed his body to its limits and eventually endowed him with abilities superior to those of a normal human. But despite his superhuman abilities, he could not survive much longer with those injuries.


    "S-Sir Astor!" Peter bent down and saw the mangled body of the man he had spoken to only moments before.


    Astor still conscious grabbed Peter by the arm and used his last strength to speak "Cough cough...Peter...Cough...The bell...Cough" Astor coughed up blood, moved his arm, pulled out a 20 cm(7.8 inches) long red cylindrical staff, and handed it to Peter. "The wall array...the key is...Cough...Nabstok..."


    As the life drained from his eyes, Astor finally took his last breath and succumbed to his wounds, causing his soul to return to the cycle of reincarnation.


    With no time to mourn the man''s death and with tears in his eyes, Peter ran along the wall walk until he finally reached the tower of the wall where the bell stood.


    Peter grabbed the thick rope hanging from the ceiling and pulled it with all his might.


    *Clang! Clang! Clang!*


    The bell rang again and again. Peter kept pulling on the rope, praying that reinforcements would arrive in time. But at that moment...


    *BOOM!*


    An energy projectile hit the bell tower, generating an explosion that destroyed the tower and toppled the bell, which fell from the other side of the wall, crushing and killing two guards in the process.


    Fortunately, Peter had managed to get out of the tower before it collapsed and was almost unharmed.


    Just as Peter struggled to get to his feet, a large tarantula the size of a full-grown man scaled the wall and reached the wall walk a few steps away from where he was standing.


    Upon seeing the young guard, the tarantula did not hesitate and immediately charged towards the boy. The wall walk was very narrow, so Peter could not dodge when the enormous tarantula charged him.


    The monster''s fangs flashed with a cold light as it raised its fangs to drive them into its prey. But Peter was faster. Before the tarantula could sink its fangs into him, the young guard unsheathed his short sword and pierced the arachnid''s head from the bottom up.


    The tarantula didn''t even have time to scream when Peter pulled out the sword that was embedded in it and, with all his strength, pierced the monster right in the face. The tarantula''s repulsive internal liquid flowed from its wound and stained the young guard.


    A few seconds later, the creature fell dead. Peter used all his strength to pull the creature''s corpse off his back and stand up.


    "AAAH!"


    "AAARGh....!!!"


    "NO, NO, WAIT waaaaaa...!!!"


    Just as he managed to remove the tarantula''s corpse from on top of his body, the sound of his companions'' screams reached his ears. When the boy saw what it was about, his knees began to shake like two pieces of jelly.


    Several meters on the other side of the rampart from where he stood, Peter saw a gigantic centipede, 1.5 meters (5 ft) wide and at least 8 meters (26.24ft) long. The centipede was holding one of the guards with its huge jaws.


    *CRACK! CRUNCH!*


    Without much effort, the centipede monster closed its jaws and split the guard''s body in half, spreading his blood and intestines all over the wall. The metal armor hadn''t done the poor guy much good, as the centipede''s jaws had destroyed it as if it were paper-mach¨¦.


    *Woosh!*


    Despite its large size, the centipede was agile and with a movement that lasted as long as a blink of an eye, the creature pounced on another soldier and had devoured his head on the spot. At that instant, the monster''s eyes focused on Peter.


    The young guard wanted to run, but his legs did not respond. He was paralyzed with fear.


    "BRAT, GET DOWN!!!"


    Before the centipede rammed him, a voice charged with power, made Peter drop to the ground in a second.


    *Woosh CRASH!*


    A huge ax passed over Peter and flew towards the creature''s head. The centipede hadn''t even been able to react when the battle-ax sliced its head and part of its body in half, killing it instantly.


    *THUD*


    The creature''s body slumped over the adjoining ridge with a thud and stopped moving. At that moment Peter finally saw the weapon that had finished off the creature. It was a large double-bladed battle-ax, as big as half a door.


    The most striking thing, however, was not its large size, but the blades of the ax, which were a brilliant emerald red.. As if the weapon had been forged in blood.

 Chapter 36 - Chaotic Defense

    At that instant, the red ax that was embedded in the centipede''s body detached itself from the creature and began to levitate in the air only to return to its owner''s hand. Peter stood up and quickly turned in the direction in which the huge red ax had flown.


    There, standing on the rubble of what until a few moments ago was the bell tower, was a man. He was at least 1.90m (6.23 ft) tall, of stocky build, and had an abundant grayish-black beard. The man was wearing a pair of black boots and was equipped with full armor made from the scales of a reptilian monster.


    "Lord Wildur!"


    Just having seen the large red battle-ax he carried, Peter recognized the man even before he saw him. This man was Edwin Wildur, leader of the Red Axe Clan and one of the few Elite-ranked mercenaries in the city.


    Edwin was not only the leader of one of the three main Clans in the city but also an inspirational figure. He had grown up and lived his whole life in the port city of Neima. He was a truly committed person to the city and even used to oversee the training of the city''s soldiers among other things.


    Peter was also among the soldiers who had received training from Edwin although he never stood out above the rest.


    "Peter, is that you? " Edwin stepped down from the rubble and approached the young guard "Thank the gods you''re fine. I came as soon as I heard the explosions, but the situation is a mess."


    Peter looked around and saw several members of the Red Axe Clan helping the wounded soldiers, while others were fighting the monsters and trying to stop more of them from continuing to climb up the wall.


    But even with the mercenaries'' help, the monsters still had an overwhelming advantage.


    "I just hope we can hold out until the others arrive. Where is Astor?" asked Edwin.


    Peter tried to answer the mercenary''s question, but the words caught in his throat and his eyes filled with tears. He was still having trouble processing everything that had happened. Just 25 minutes ago he was asking the guard captain for advice and only an instant later he entered a nightmarish world where smoke covered the sky and the blood and guts of his comrades adorned the rocks of the wall.


    Without being able to say a word, Peter raised his arm and pointed in the direction of the huge, three-meter (10ft) deep hole that separated the wall''s path in two.


    Seeing the young guard''s reaction, Edwin didn''t wait for a second and ran in the direction Peter pointed. The young guard followed, albeit at a slower pace.


    *Slash*


    At that moment an Arsenis ant who had been climbing the wall reached the parapet but was immediately decapitated by the mercenary leader''s ax. To a man like him, there was no difference between a common Arsenis ant and a random insect.


    "By Rhaiel, Astor!"


    Edwin approached Astor''s body but didn''t even bother to check if he was still alive, for just by looking at the wounds the guard had suffered he knew that the man''s soul had already left the material plane.


    "Sorry old friend, I was too late." Edwin said with regret in his voice.


    The mercenary leader and the guard captain had had a long history together. In the past, they had been brothers in arms and although overtime each took a slightly different course, they still had time to drink a beer at the bar from time to time and chat about the good times.


    "May Yhalene light your way down the path of infinite emptiness into the cycle of eternity, so that your immortal soul may be reborn into this world once." Edwin lowered his friend''s eyelids and rose from the ground. " Perhaps we will meet in the next life... Peter!"


    "Sir!" Peter wiped the tears from his eyes and waited for the mercenary''s command.


    "There are still people outside the walls, they are our priority. Go to the control post and have them open the gates."


    "Open the gates?! But Sir, the monst-!"


    "KIIISH!"


    Before Peter could finish what he was saying, a Hargarn spider reached the parapet of the wall.


    *SLASH*


    But in less than a split second, Edwin swung his ax, chopping the huge spider in two. One half remained inside the wall, covering the parapet with the creature''s entrails and fluids, while the other half fell back the way it had come.


    " You see to it that they open the doors and activate the damn wall array!" said Edwin as he wiped the spider fluids off his face. "I''ll take care of the monsters."


    Peter didn''t even have time to protest, for before he could articulate a single word the mercenary leader had already jumped off the wall, landing on top of a huge beetle monster.


    Edwin concentrated his internal energy around his body, pushing it beyond what was humanly possible, and then coated his ax with a layer of energy.


    *CRACK!..SLASH!*


    When Edwin landed, the creature''s exoskeleton shattered like a shard of glass, and the ax embedded itself deep into the beetle''s brain. The monster didn''t know what happened until it was too late to do anything.


    "GROOAAAH!"


    *Slash! Slash! Slash!*


    Edwin roared and began a massacre. Slashing monsters like there was no tomorrow.


    * Slash! Slash! Slash!*


    Every time the mercenary swung his ax several monsters were split in half, their entrails and body fluids watered the ground becoming nutrients for the earth.


    For Peter, this was a scene worthy of being sung by bards and minstrels. From his point of view, it was as if the monsters were nothing more than sticks of butter and the mercenary leader''s red ax was a red-hot knife.


    But the young guard forced himself to snap out of his state of awe and concentrate on what he had to do. Every minute that the gates of the wall would remain closed meant that at least one more person would die. At that moment Peter remembered what Astor had told him and the red cylindrical staff he had given him before he died.


    Peter held up the red staff and spoke the activation key to the wall array. "Nabstok!"


    *Weng Weng*


    The red staff began to glow and the whole wall shook. Runes and inscriptions radiating white light began to appear from where Peter was standing and spread out to cover the entire wall with a thin layer of white light.


    At that moment the monsters that were climbing the walls lost their grip and began to fall down the wall. Others tried to climb again but were unable to do so because of the layer of energy covering the wall.


    *BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*


    Peter watched as more energy projectiles slammed into the watchtowers and the wall, but this time the wall suffered no damage.


    When the wall''s array activated, the guards and mercenaries fighting the remaining monsters on the wall quickly gained the upper hand and began to overpower the monsters.


    Seeing that the array had been activated, the young guard breathed a sigh of relief, they still had a chance to win. But it was still too early to celebrate. Peter put away the red staff and started running along the wall walk, heading for the command post.


    He had to open the gates so that those still outside could enter the city. But even if opening the gates was dangerous Peter had complete confidence that all would be fine. If Edwin was here, that meant the others would not be far behind, or perhaps they were already fighting. The city would not fall, not as long as they were present.


    ***


    "GROOAAAH!"


    *Slash! Slash! Slash!*


    Edwin threw his great battle-ax. The weapon spun through the air slicing and decapitating at least half a dozen monsters before returning to his master''s hand.


    "Quick, get into the city, hurry!" shouted Edwin as he drove his ax into the head of a tarantula twice his size.


    A group of guards were helping the farmers and those who were wounded to get up and guide them to the city gates. Edwin looked around and saw how the fire was spreading across the fields, burning the farms and consuming everything in its path, while he and his men were doing everything they could to protect those who had not yet entered the city.


    The battle had begun only 40 minutes ago, but the situation was in chaos.


    Thanks to the fact that the wall''s protective array had been activated the monsters were unable to climb up the wall or damage it, which made the situation more stable. As Edwin was no longer worried about the defenses he could now give his all to exterminate the monsters and save as many people as he could.


    *Slash!*


    Edwin''s ax traced a semicircle in the air and embedded itself in the head of a large millipede nearly 9 meters (29.52ft) long. Then the weapon detached from the creature and returned to the mercenary''s hand.


    ''Sh*t! There are too many of them. Where the f**k are the others?''


    Although for the moment the mercenaries of the Red Axe Clan and the soldiers of the city had the upper hand, the number of monsters was more than they alone could handle. If this continued any longer, slowly the mercenaries would be outnumbered and forced to retreat.


    "AAAAH!"


    "AAARGh....!!!"


    "RUN! AAH!"


    Hearing the shouts of his men, Edwin turned around and his eyes widened like saucers.


    About 30 meters (32 yards) away from where he stood was a huge spider the size of a truck. The spider''s body gave off a fluorescent green glow and from its mouth, it spat puddles of acid that melted everything in its path regardless if it was metal armor, or the mercenary wearing the armor.


    ''Sh*t, a Clormhaur spider! Why is there a beast from the 3rd realm here!'' Edwin cursed `inwardly when he saw the creature.


    Although the Clormhaur spider was not much stronger than other monsters of the same category, its body was covered with a layer of acidic oil that melted almost all weapons. This coupled with the fact that the spider could attack from a distance was what made killing it a headache for melee fighters.


    But Edwin couldn''t stand still as he watched the monster expel its acid that melted his comrades into puddles of steaming black fluid.


    "Need help, old man?"


    *SLASH! BOM!*


    Just as Edwin was about to order a retreat, a familiar voice reached his ears and a second later a huge energy slash split the Clormhaur spider in two. The energy slash caused an explosion and left a large slash mark on the ground.


    "You''re late Hans!" Edwin said when he saw the vice leader of the Giant Clan. "Where''s your boss?! The situation here is a complete mess!"


    "She'' s on the east side of the wall with the governor and some knights from the church! The situation there is almost as bad as it is here!" replied Hans as he slashed a monster with his large sword." Those of the Gale Clan and reinforcements from the church are on their way!"


    "Then we''ll hold out until they arrive! Wanna bet who kills the most monsters!"! The loser pays for the other''s drinks for the whole month!" Said Edwin


    "Are you sure you want to bet, old man? Since you''re too old you''re likely to get short of breath halfway through."


    "Age is a mental thing and not a physical thing!" Replied Edwin "You call me old man, but while I''m 62 and only have a couple of gray hairs, but you''re 35 and already bald!"


    "It''s because I shave my head. My girlfriend likes it!... Fine, I''ll take the bet!"


    "HAHAHA... Don''t regret it later! Now, let''s send these motherf**kers to the next life!"


    ****


    ''Wow, this is better than the special effects in the movies.'' Thought Marcus, who was perched atop a tree outside the city wall as he watched the battle unfold from a completely safe distance.


    Marcus was one of those people who firmly believed that one could not expect to gain something without giving anything in return and that the greater the risk the greater the rewards. But even he knew that it was not worth getting into this battle, for even if he gained a few XP points, he ran the risk of being discovered to be undead or dying amid the chaos.


    So when the attack started, Marcus wasted no time, he equipped himself with his new armor and escaped through the west side of the wall where the surveillance was much less, only moments before the wall''s protective array was activated.


    ''They seem to be doing quite well though. I must say that the aura warriors are better than I thought.''


    The aura warriors of this world were very similar to the martial artists of the Wuxia genre novels Marcus had read on Earth.


    Unlike the magic users who stored Rehi around their heart and brain in the form of rings, aura users stored it in their dantian and then circulated the energy throughout their body to strengthen their physique.


    More advanced aura warriors could materialize their internal energy to use it as a weapon and it was even possible for the warrior''s aura to gain an elemental characteristic. But that depended not only on the person''s talent but also on the cultivation technique they used.


    But just like magic-users, aura-users were also categorized into different realms, but apart from them according to the amount of internal energy they were also categorized according to their physique.


    ''Well, what happens to the city is not my problem. But...'' Marcus climbed down from the tree and looked at the Hargarn spider agonizing on the ground.


    After reaching the edge of the jungle, Marcus had encountered this spider and several other monsters, though he killed them all with relative ease. But this one he just cut off its limbs and left it agonizing on the ground. The reason for this was that Marcus had noticed something strange about the monsters.


    ''Let''s see what''s wrong with you... [Energy Sense]''


    The moment he activated his skill, Marcus was able to see the creature''s internal energy. But for some reason, there was a thread of energy that was connected to the spider''s core.


    Looking more closely, Marcus noticed that the energy thread that was connected to the creature extended beyond the range of his skill, in a northwesterly direction.

 Chapter 37 - Inside Attack

    The port city of Neima was almost 300 years old and had originally been built near the sea to serve as a trading post for traders from the Central Continent and the Austra Continent. But for certain reasons, the city never progressed as planned and never reached its heyday.


    But like many cities and settlements around the world, the city had been built with a huge defensive wall to protect against invasions from enemy nations and monster attacks.


    At the time of its construction, the ruler of the kingdom at the time had decided to spare no expense and ordered that a protective array be installed in the wall so that it could withstand all attacks whether they were of normal siege weapons or magical nature.


    The structure of the array was quite simple but effective.


    13 meters (42.65ft) below the city walls was a corridor that connected to a square room, which was covered with inscriptions and runes. In the center of the room were three cylindrical pillars made of Ilectrum and each had a grade 4.5 Rehi crystal embedded right in the center.


    These pillars were connected to the city wall through a series of energy-conducting runes so that the energy from the crystals would cover the wall with a layer of protection when the city was under attack. Once activated, the array would be able to withstand the constant attacks of at least a dozen wizards of the 4th realm and could remain active for 3 days or more.


    However, if the pillars or crystals were destroyed the entire array would collapse and the wall would no longer be able to defend itself from magical attacks. For this reason, it was that both the corridor and the room were always guarded by 15 guards all with a strength comparable to that of a wizard of the 1st realm.


    Thomas had always considered himself lucky to have been assigned to protect the array. To others, it might seem incredibly boring or a waste of time, but he liked it there. The hallway was quiet and had never been attacked in the last 300 years.


    Plus, the place was awesome for napping and if he was bored he could always play cards with his buddies. Anything was better than standing guard on the wall and running the risk of getting hurt or killed during an attack.


    In that place he was completely safe... or so he supposed.


    Thomas''s whole body ached, he could no longer feel his limbs and he didn''t know why but he was very cold. His head was spinning and his vision was blurred. A few moments later, Thomas was able to regain consciousness and despite the poor lighting offered by the torches, he could see with horror the scene in front of his eyes.


    The walls of the corridor were covered with blood and remains of gray matter, entrails, limbs and severed heads covered the floor along with the corpses of his fellow guards. At that moment, Thomas noticed the puddle of blood he was sitting in and finally saw the large hole in his chest.


    Thomas wondered. At what point did it all go to hell?


    Just two hours ago he and his companions were enjoying the night and a second later the city was under attack. Of course, Thomas wasn''t worried. After all, he had complete confidence in the city''s defenses and wasn''t going to get involved in the battle. His job was to protect the core of the array and nothing else.


    ''Ulysses!" said Tomas in his mind. He had finally remembered what happened.


    Almost an hour and fifty minutes after the array had been activated, his fellow guard, Ulysses, had started screaming and writhing on the floor, complaining about his excruciating headache and the stinging he felt in his body.


    At that moment Thomas regretted not having paid attention to the ailments his companion had been suffering from two weeks earlier when they returned from inspecting the surrounding areas of the jungle.


    Thomas did not know how, but while he and his partners were inspecting the jungle, Ulysses had complained of having swallowed an insect or a worm by accident. At the time everyone took it funny and Thomas remembered saying to his friend, "It''s no big deal. Think of it as extra protein." and no one else worried about the matter.


    A week later Ulysses was suffering from sudden headaches, itching in his body and proved to be hungrier than usual eating about three times the usual amount of food.


    Within two minutes after his sudden headache began, Ulysses'' eyes turned blood red, his skin turned black and the muscles in his body began to swell, destroying his armor in the process. In less than 30 seconds, Ulysses had grown to a height of 2.5 meters (8.2ft).


    A few seconds later, Ulysses'' head exploded and a dozen worms as thick as a human arm and over a meter (3.2ft) long began to emerge from his neck, his body was covered in thin black scales and where his fingernails used to be, there was a pair of sharp claws.


    It didn''t take long for the creature to start attacking and killing the guards in the hallway. Smashing their heads against the walls of the corridor, dismembering them or piercing their bodies with the worms coming out of its neck.


    Although the guards reacted quickly and attacked the creature, all their attempts to kill it were futile. The creature''s skin was so tough that normal weapons could not penetrate the scales of its skin.


    These guards were considered the elite among the city''s soldiers. Each of them could fight a wizard of the 1st realm on equal conditions and perhaps kill one. But in the face of this creature, they were nothing more than mere ants waiting to be trampled.


    *Stomp, Stomp, Stomp!*


    Thomas heard heavy footsteps approaching his position.


    *Stomp, Stomp, Sto.*


    The footsteps stopped and Thomas looked up only to find himself facing the horrifying creature staring at him with the worms on its body. The worms had no eyes, but he could still feel as if they were looking at him with strong killing intent.


    "HuH? So YOU''RE still ALIVE? I HAVE to GIVE you credit FOR that." Said the worms at the same time. Their voices were very distorted and their pitch changed between a low and high pitched one."I GUESS there''s a REASON why you''re CALLED elite SOLDIERS. Let ME reward YOU with A quick DEATH for putting UP with SO much." [1]


    *Whoosh Cruch*


    One of the creature''s worms moved and in what seemed like a split second pierced Thomas'' skull staining the wall with another smear of blood and gray matter. The guard''s limp body slid down the wall and finally collapsed on the floor.


    The creature removed the worm from Thomas'' skull and walked into the room where the core of the array was located.


    ''The power of this subspecies has indeed exceeded my expectations. It''s almost on par with a wizard from the beginning of the 3rd realm! Hmm... Too bad I have to detonate it, with what it cost me to create this little guy. Well never mind, this worm is nothing compared to the honor of fulfilling Meiragas'' will. Hahaha... Glory to the eternal plague.''


    The Creature entered the core room and a few seconds later an explosion occurred causing both the room and the hallway to collapse. In less than a minute the entire hallway collapsed, crushing and burying the corpses of the soldiers 13 meters (42.65ft) underground.


    ****


    [The city wall, South Zone. 5 minutes before the collapse of the protective array.]


    *Slash*.


    Hans swung his sword, as big as a door, creating an energy slash that severed 5 Arsenis ants on the spot.


    "That''s 177 with those! How are you doing over there old man?"


    *Whoosh*


    Edwin''s ax traced a semicircle in the air and decapitated 2 praying mantises that were over 4 meters (13ft) tall and generated gusts of sharp wind just by moving their limbs. The ax made one last spin in the air decapitating another six monsters before returning to the mercenary''s hand.


    "Hahaha, you''re falling way behind baldy. I already killed 234! A nice number isn''t it?"


    "Tch, you f**king geezer! I''m not gonna lose!"


    "Hahaha, that''s the spirit! Huff, but I''m starting to get tired." Edwin said as he took a moment to catch his breath.


    Although the battle had started over two hours ago, this one seemed far from over.


    Shortly after Hans and some members of the Giant Clan joined the fight, the situation on the south side of the wall improved quite a bit. Members of the Gale Clan and reinforcements from the forest church did not take long to arrive either, and together they took control of the battle.


    Thanks to the efforts of the Red Axe Clan, all the people who were outside the walls at the time of the attack were successfully evacuated and brought inside the city. This allowed the mercenaries and soldiers to fight freely.


    The wizards of the Gale Clan positioned themselves at the top of the wall and together with the soldiers who were armed with bows and arrows specially made to penetrate the monsters'' armor, unloaded a barrage of attacks on the battlefield.


    Fireballs, lightning bolts, ice spears, giant rocks, and arrows of light pierced the sky and impacted against the horde of monsters who, unable to defend themselves from the attacks coming from the wall, had no choice but to be destroyed by the magic of the wizards.


    While the mercenaries, with the help of the soldiers of the city and the knights of the church, were in charge of killing the monsters that were out of range of the magical attacks and the rain of arrows.


    The mercenaries, soldiers, and knights would form groups of three to finish off a monster. One of them would distract the creature so that the other two could successfully attack from the sides. However, this tactic only worked on monsters below the 2nd realm.


    The only exceptions were the High-rank mercenaries and the elite knights of the church whose abilities were enhanced by a spell of holy magic, courtesy of Catalin. As for the mercenary leaders, they were in charge of the strongest monsters of the 2nd and 3rd realms.


    *WHOOSH*


    At that moment, a large wind blade passed close to where the two men were standing, shattered a dozen monsters, and left a huge mark on the ground over 10 meters (32ft) long and 2 meters (6.5ft) deep.


    "You two could stop playing and concentrate on what''s in front of you! The battle is far from over yet."


    The two men stopped and looked to where that voice they already knew had come from.


    Hovering several meters above the ground, the leader of the Gale Clan Hawat Manur was throwing wind blades and creating small whirlwinds that sliced and shattered the monsters into pieces.


    Hawat rummaged through his clothes, pulled out a small vial containing a blue liquid. The blond wizard popped the cork of the bottle with his teeth and proceeded to drink the blue liquid until the bottle was empty. Thereupon, the man recited a spell and created dozens of air bullets that pierced through half a dozen monsters, leaving them with as many holes as if they were Swiss cheese.


    "Huff... That was my last mana option! I don''t know how many the rest will have left, but they probably won''t be able to keep conjuring attacks for much longer. If the battle drags on for another hour I''m afraid we''ll start losing ground." said the wizard as he conjured multiple wind lances and threw them at the monsters.


    Hans thought about what the blond wizard said and realized that he too didn''t have many options left to recover the internal energy he had expended and had already used all the spells of his enchanted items. Edwin seemed to be doing a little better as his ax was a magical item and only required a small amount of the user''s energy to function.


    At the start of the battle, the city forces that were fighting the horde of monsters numbered about 11,000 people. There were also about 2,000 more men who were not participating in the battle because they were trying to keep the situation inside the city under control.


    Although at first, it seemed that the mercenaries and soldiers had the advantage, as the battle dragged on things changed.


    By Hawat''s estimate, the horde consisted of at least 25,000 monsters. They were mostly monsters from the 1st realm. But there were also many creatures from the 2nd and 3rd realm that the common soldiers could not handle.


    Two hours had passed since the battle began and the number of slain monsters amounted to almost 14,000. But the forces defending the city were not unscathed either. Potions, spell scrolls and normal ammunition were almost exhausted and the city had lost almost 3,000 troops during the confrontation.


    If the situation continued like this, Hans and the rest of those still fighting would have no choice but to withdraw from the battle and wait for their forces to recover. All they could do was wait and pray that the protective array would keep the monsters at bay.


    " Old man! I don''t think we can hold out much longer!" said Hans as he cut down another giant beetle.


    "What do you suggest?"


    "Let''s retreat to the walls and wait for us to recover!"


    Although Edwin didn''t seem to like the idea of a retreat very much he had to admit that they couldn''t hold out for much longer and certainly not if they continued to lose soldiers.


    "RETREAT! EVERYONE, GET INTO THE C-!"


    *BOOM!*


    Before Edwin could finish speaking, an explosion occurred just below the city gates and a few seconds later the energy layer covering the wall went out. The wall''s protective array had collapsed.


    "The arra-!"


    *BOOM!*


    Hearing the explosion, the leader of the Gale Clan couldn''t help but turn in the direction of the city wall, only to see the array collapse. But before the wizard could even say a sentence, a powerful energy projectile hit him, turning him into a cloud of blood.


    "HAWAT!!"


    The collapse of the array and the sudden death of the wizard had caused Hans to lose focus of the battle for only a few seconds. And that was a fatal mistake


    *Shik*


    When the mercenary reacted, the first thing he noticed was a stabbing pain shooting through him from his back to his chest. When he looked down, Hans noticed the huge black sting coming out of his chest, which was covered with a purple liquid and his blood.


    ****


    [1]: The paragraph is written in this way to represent the distorted voice of the worms .

 Chapter 38 - Priest Of Disease

    *Thud*


    Hans'' huge sword fell to the ground with a thud. His hand, numb from the poison, could no longer maintain its grip and had ended up dropping the weapon.


    10 seconds. Although Hans had the power of a warrior of the 3rd realm, his body was not able to withstand the poison that took only 10 seconds to spread throughout his body and take his life. The poison that affected the mercenary contained magical energy so it was much more lethal than ordinary poisons.


    In the first 5 seconds that the poison entered his bloodstream, the mercenary''s senses became weaker and his surroundings became more confused. His vision became blurred and dim, his heartbeat slowed and the muscles in his limbs were paralyzed. 3 seconds later, the poison had corroded Hans'' internal energy and destroyed his dantian.


    In his last seconds of life, all Hans could see was Edwin shouting something he didn''t understand and how wizards and soldiers on the wall were being slaughtered by the horde of monsters. Finally, the mercenary closed his eyelids and stopped breathing.


    In that instant, Hans'' corpse was dragged and lifted from the ground as if it were a sack of potatoes. Two huge black pincers came out of the darkness, closing over the lifeless body of the mercenary, grabbing him by the chest and hip.


    *Crack Snap!*


    The pincers began to exert pressure, twisting and snapping Hans'' corpse like a twig.


    *CRUNCH!*


    Finally, under the force exerted by the pincers, the mercenary''s body split in two. All his blood and internal organs fell on the burnt wheat fields. Then, the pincers that still held the two halves of the corpse, began to retreat into the darkness, heading towards the mouth of the creature.


    *Munch Crunch Munch*


    In that instant, a shiver ran down Edwin''s spine. The mercenary leader had finally recognized the monster that was still eating Hans'' corpse.


    The creature was a huge black scorpion over 2 meters (6ft) tall and 6 meters (20ft) long. At the tip of its tail, which was as long as its body, was a large stinger from which a purple venom was dripping. The entire body of the monster was covered with long black spikes. In addition, the creature had eight tentacles protruding from behind its head.


    "A Sanacran scorpion! In the name of the forest god, what the hell is a creature from the central areas doing here?" shouted Edwin.


    The Sanacran scorpion was a beast of the fourth realm that was only found in the deeper areas of the Ranemal jungle and was very difficult to kill. Not only did the creature possess a sting with deadly venom, but its body was protected by a powerful spiny armor and retractable tentacles with which it could kill a man with a single blow.


    If that wasn''t enough, the creature also had multiple magical abilities, including the ability to create energy projectiles whose power was comparable to that of a 3rd level spell. In terms of power, the Sanacran Scorpion was one rank above the Horned Basilisk.


    Edwin''s brain was working at full speed as he tried to figure out how they could get out of this situation alive. Killing a Sanacran Scorpion required the combined strength of several elite-ranked mercenaries or, at the very least, a Master-ranked mercenary.


    "My divine protection! AAGH!"


    "Not my spell of... KEAAAGH!"


    "NO! Rahiel''s Blessing! why...? AAAAhh!"


    In that moment, the screams of the men being slaughtered by the monsters reached Edwin''s ears. When the mercenary turned around, he saw that the elite knights of the forest church had lost the golden aurora that covered their bodies. For some reason, the divine spell that enhanced their combat abilities had stopped working.


    ''If the knights'' divine spell has stopped working, it means something has happened to Catalin! What the hell is going on? '' Thought Edwin. After all, the mercenary leader had been worried for some time.


    The first thing Edwin had noticed was that all the beasts in the horde were insects, arachnids, or arthropod monsters. In the two hours since the attack had begun Edwin had not seen a single amphibious or reptilian monster.


    Moreover, during the early stages of the attack, only 10% of the monsters belonged to the 2nd and 3rd realms, all the rest were from the 1st realm. But now that ratio had been reversed. It was as if the monsters had first sent the weaker ones as cannon fodder to deplete the city''s defenses and then annihilate them with their main force.


    On top of that, there was the collapse of the protection array, the cancellation of the divine spell, and the appearance of the Sanacran Scorpion. All this couldn''t be a coincidence.


    *Weng Weng*


    Suddenly, the air began to tremble and the surrounding energy became distorted. Everyone on the battlefield felt these changes along with a shiver running down their backs. Edwin immediately turned his head towards the giant Scorpion.


    *Weng Weng*


    The space around the creature''s mouth began to distort, forming a sphere of energy that grew to the size of a beach ball.


    "OH, SH*T!" Edwin reacted and immediately jumped to the side, evading the trajectory of the energy sphere.


    *BOOM*


    The energy sphere continued its trajectory for another 100 meters (109 yards) until it finally collided with a house. A split second later, the energy sphere exploded, destroying the house and creating a small mushroom cloud in the process. When the smoke from the explosion cleared, there was a large smoking crater 10 meters (32 feet) in diameter and 4 meters (13 feet) deep where the energy sphere had impacted.


    "Everyone, retreat to the wall!!" shouted Edwin. Despite the situation, the mercenary leader didn''t lose his composure and started giving orders. As strange as the situation was, he had no time to think about it. The only thing that mattered was to concentrate on the enemy in front of him.


    After telling the others to stand down, Edwin pulled out a small vial he had strapped to his belt. He uncapped the vial and drank the silver liquid it contained.


    What Edwin had just drunk was a medium-grade physical enhancement potion, brewed with holy magic. The potion could increase all physical abilities and the user''s healing capabilities by 30% for 25 minutes.


    Unlike elixirs and potions brewed by conventional alchemy, the sacred potions of the churches were brewed from the use of divine energy. Many of these potions had far superior effects to conventional elixirs and were also the reason the churches were the greatest superpowers in the world.


    But they were also incredibly expensive. Just the small vial Edwin had consumed cost over 100 gold raels. Still, one had to admit that its effects were truly impressive.


    A few seconds after Edwin drank the potion, his body was enveloped in a silvery light. His muscles tripled in size and his wounds began to heal at an abnormally fast rate.


    Once his body felt the effects of the potion, Edwin took his red battle-ax and charged straight at the giant scorpion.


    ****


    [Sanctuary of the Church of the Forest. 25th Street of the technical district. 7 minutes after the collapse of the protective array].


    The forest church sanctuary was a huge two-story white stone building with a pair of towers and was very similar in style to the Christian churches. It had a huge reinforced steel double door and large stained glass windows in the front of the building.


    Behind the sanctuary doors was a hallway leading to a semicircular room and in the center was an apple tree whose branches reached to the ceiling. The hall was surrounded by beautiful white marble pillars covered with vines and flowers. The pillars were the supports for the balconies on the second floor, also covered with vines.


    At the end of the hall was the altar where the priest on duty gave his routine sermon and blessed his followers with the fruit of the tree containing the blessing of the forest god.


    Although the church had sent most of its knights and wizards to help with the city''s defenses, there were still 50 knights and 6 wizards from the first realm guarding the sanctuary. In addition, Catalin had also stayed there. But not because she was a coward.


    Shortly after the attack began, Catalin had used a special spell to strengthen 300 elite knights to help with the wall''s defenses. Although it had a wide range, the spell required deep concentration and an enormous amount of energy.


    Fortunately, Catalin had a high-Tier magic item that increased the spell''s power and reduced its energy cost. But despite all this, the pressure the spell placed on Catalin was overwhelming, so if anything interrupted her state of concentration, all her effort would go down the toilet.


    But the church had made a big mistake.


    When the attack began, the church had let some faithful believers take refuge inside the sanctuary and pray to their god in this time of need. After all, at those times the sanctuary was much safer than the streets of the city.


    But, when the city''s protective array fell, the forest god''s sanctuary went from a haven to a chaotic slaughterhouse.


    5 minutes before the array collapsed, 9 of the refugees started to suffer terrible headaches and began to writhe on the ground.


    A few seconds later, their skin was covered with black scales, their muscles swelled and their bodies grew to 2.5(8.2ft) meters. Finally, their heads exploded and dozens of worms over a meter long (3.2ft) began to burst from their necks.


    The creatures soon began to dismember and mutilate the rest of the people. Ten minutes later, the entire floor of the sanctuary was covered with the corpses, blood, guts, and gray matter of refugees, wizards, and knights.


    Of course, thanks to the combined effort of the knights and wizards of the church, 8 of the 9 creatures had died and the last remaining one was missing an arm. However, all the effort of knights and wizards was in vain, as the last creature had achieved its goal.


    The highest representative of the church in the city, Catalin Jevana Rostass, was sitting at the base of the sanctuary tree. Unfortunately, one of the creatures had pierced her abdomen with one of its worms, interrupting her spell and leaving her on the verge of death.


    "Hahaha... This is AN amazing scene! The GREAT FOREST CHURCH, reduced TO this deplorable state! Well, though I would have preferred to use a MORE... practical method to do this. Like spreading a plague of flesh-eating locusts throughout the city and watching them devour the citizens. Ooh, just thinking about it makes me horny! But HEY, one HAS to WORK with what''s at HAND, don''t you THINK, your HOLINESS? " Said the creature worms at the same time. Their voices were high-pitched and low at the same time.


    Catalin looked up and faced the foul creature in front of her. "You... Cough... You''re f**king insane."


    "I know, isn''t it GREAT?!" Replied the creature as it walked around the tree " Well, YOU say this IS insanity. But actually, I think YOU''RE missing MY point of view. It''s NOT that I''m insane. Everything I DO is just a product of MY devotion to my GODDESS. We''re NOT so different ON that point."


    "Cough... That we are not so different? Don''t make me laugh. I am a faithful servant of Rahiel and was recognized by him. But you''re just another demented bastard in the bunch. Your goddess even gave you her divine blessing, didn''t she?"


    *BAM! THUD! *


    The creature''s fist slammed into the shrine tree, splitting the trunk in two and sending it crashing down with a thud.


    "Don''t you dare compare ME to a pusillanimous FANATIC from the pile!! I am A PRIEST OF DISEASE, chosen by the PLAGUE LORDS themselves to please the Meiragas'' will!" Shouted the creature angrily. "When I AM done with this TASK, my GODDESS will recognize ME, then I will ascend to HIGH PRIEST and then to CARDINAL. Then I will become one of the chosen ones and then I will be able to see the DAWN of a NEW world!"


    "Cough... That new world you speak of will never come, and even if it did, you''ll never be able to see it! Do you think the forest church will stand idly by after this?" replied Catalin in a proud tone. Even if this bastard was strong, he could not stand against the full power of the forest church.


    "Oh, I''m COUNTING on it." The creature leaned over and looked Catalin straight in the eye. "Do YOU really think it''s JUST ME and a small faction doing this? The Church of the Deadly Plagues and the other four great Dark Churches have received a DIVINE message. A GREAT WAR is about to begin. And I intend to do my part." The creature raised its claws and pointed directly at Catalin''s face. "To tell you the truth, I would have liked to have kept you as a test subject... BUT orders are orders. Any LAST words, your HOLINESS?" the creature asked in a mocking tone.


    Catalin did not say a single word. Even being so close to death, she felt no fear, did not shed a single tear, and did not beg for her life. She was not going to give this bastard that satisfaction. She was going to stand proud to the end. She simply closed her eyes and waited for the goddess of death to take her to Yhalene, so that her soul could go towards the cycle of reincarnation.


    "She will say nothing. But I''m sure your next words will be "Huh! Who said...?" " Said a female voice coming from somewhere.


    "Huh! WHO said...?"


    *Woosh, Slash Slash Slash Slash Slash!*


    Before the worms could finish speaking, a shadow appeared behind the creature and made a series of slashes, so fast that they were imperceptible to the normal human eye. 3 seconds later, the creature''s body was sliced into dozens of chunks of flesh and collapsed to the ground.


    When Catalin finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a figure wrapped in a black cloak and the dismembered body of the creature on the ground.


    ****


    The paragraphs in this chapter in which the creature speaks have been intentionally written to represent its distorted voice.

 Chapter 40 - Evil Arts

    Marcus quickly recovered from his dazed state. With a leap, he picked himself up off the ground, unsheathed his sword, and assumed a combat stance. ''This guy is more perceptive than I thought. How did he figure me out?''


    [Shadow Camouflage] was a darkness element spell of the 2nd level, which allowed the user to blend in with the surrounding shadows. In addition to significantly increasing stealth, the spell also concealed the user''s fluctuation of magical energy. This spell was so effective that even if the thaumaturge was 5 centimeters(Two inches) away from a person, they would not have noticed the difference between him and a normal shadow.


    Thanks to this spell Marcus had been able to infiltrate through the chimney of the house and had managed to get so close to Aylinor. In addition, Marcus'' mastery of the darkness element had almost reached rank 3, so the effectiveness of his spell was more powerful than average.


    However, Aylinor had not only been able to detect Marcus'' presence but was also able to determine the exact spot where he was and attack him. This only proved that both the perception ability, as well as the priest''s senses, had already transcended those of a mere normal human.


    "If you thought you could kill me with that poor concealment spell, then you are underestimating me or you are very stupid."Aylinor said as he approached his attacker. When he was finally able to visualize Marcus'' figure, the priest couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. "Who the f**k are you?".


    "I''m the guy who will kick your ass until you die."


    "...Pfff, Hahaha... You''re going to kill me? Are you stupid or did your brain get damaged by the energy blast?"Aylinor wasn''t impressed that Marcus would use telepathy. But still, the priest could not believe what he had heard. How a measly wizard from the 2nd realm was going to kill him?


    Just by the magical energy he was giving off, Aylinor was able to determine that Marcus was just a magic user from the 2nd realm. To him, Marcus was nothing more than a small ant that he could kill with a single move.


    For magic users, the difference in power between each realm was like the distance between heaven and earth. Just the strength of one wizard from the 4th realm was equivalent to the combined power of a dozen wizards from the 2nd realm. Besides, Aylinor had been a 4th realm wizard for quite some time, so his strength was superior to that of an average 4th realm wizard.


    "Well, I''ll never know if I can kill you unless I try." Although he sounded confident, the truth was that Marcus had no f**king idea how to kill the priest. ''But seriously, this guy''s stats are no joke.''


    Almost an hour and a half ago, Marcus had discovered that the monsters attacking the city were being controlled by someone else. Furthermore, each monster had an energy trail that linked them to the thaumaturge that was controlling them. If he followed the energy trail it was highly likely that he would meet the one responsible for the attack on the city.


    After some thought, Marcus had decided to follow the energy trail. So after traveling more than 20 kilometers and killing more than a dozen monsters, he had finally made it to the abandoned town. But Marcus had not done this to save the city. His only goal was to be able to reap the most benefits and increase his strength.


    No sacrifice, no reward, no effort, no progress, no pain, no gain. Marcus was very clear that if he wanted to level up and increase his strength, he could not stand idle and would have to take the risk of facing opponents stronger than him.


    This sudden attack on the city was a one in a hundred thousand chance.


    Controlling an army of over twenty thousand monsters was no easy task. No matter how powerful or skilled the person behind the attack was, he still needed to use a large amount of energy to control such an army. So he would be very vulnerable and weakened.


    If one thought about it a bit, it was much safer to kill a weakened boss than to take on a whole horde. Also, since the guy controlling the horde was strong it would surely give more experience than killing a dozen of low-level monsters. Of course one also had to recognize one''s limits.


    If the opponent turned out to be stronger than he could handle or was protected by dozens of monsters, Marcus would immediately opt to walk away from the village and escape. After all, Marcus was not one of those who would throw his life away without thinking. If the risks outweigh the benefits, then it wasn''t worth the risk.


    So once he entered the village, Marcus used his [Energy Sense] to search for any possible enemies. Once he determined that Aylinor was alone, Marcus only had to get close enough to assassinate the priest before he noticed.


    But now that that plan had failed, the only thing Marcus could do was to engage Aylinor in direct battle.


    ''His MP is below 30% and he has yet to maintain control of the horde, so he is unlikely to use high-level spells. This guy is a wizard, so if I use my reinforcement spells and force him into a melee battle...'' Marcus squeezed his non-existent brain to the max to formulate a plan that would guarantee him victory, or at least escape the village alive.


    "Hmph. You''ve got balls to stand up to me. I''ll give you that," the priest replied with disdain, "But since I''m a kind soul and in a good mood, I''ll be merciful and give you a chance. If you kneel before me and plead long enough, then I might consider giving you a quick and painless death. What do you say?"


    "...Do you have sh*t for brains or did you hit your head when you were a baby? I mean, who in their right mind would choose that? I told you, I''m going to kick your ass until you sh*t blood and die."


    "You...How dare you...You...You...You f**king heretic!"Aylinor shouted. The moment he heard those words, the priest''s face turned red, the hair all over his body bristled and the blood vessels on his forehead swelled to the limit. " How dare you despise my goodwill?!! Die like the rat you are!"


    In that instant, Aylinor raised his left arm and a green-colored magic circle appeared in the palm of his hand.


    ''Here we go... Acrto, Nesso, Clarmo, Mheric, Klarru!'' In a split second, Marcus activated all of his magical artifacts and enchanted artifacts; thus gaining over 50 points of temporary physical stats. Although it would have been much more effective to use reinforcement spells, they require more time to activate.


    But just as Marcus was about to lunge at the priest...


    Ding!


    ....


    {Monarch of the eternal garden: Don''t start yet. I''m going to get some popcorn and soda. I''ll be right back}


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] has gone AFK}


    ....


    ''What the f...?! Come on bro, read the room!''


    "Poisonous Javelin!"


    Aylinor finished conjuring his spell and a flash of green light shot out from the magic circle on his palm. Marcus didn''t even have time to react when the priest''s spell hit him squarely.


    *Bam!*


    The poisonous javelin struck its target with a loud boom, creating a cloud of green poisonous mist in the process. Aylinor rejoiced at how his attack had hit its target and a horrible grin formed on his face.


    [Poisonous javelin] was an extremely lethal and terrifying 2nd level spell. The spell''s poison caused the target to suffer from terrible convulsions, dizziness, vomiting, abrupt temperature changes, and muscle paralysis.


    Although the poison only took 20 to 35 seconds to kill the target, the spell also caused the victim to experience a distortion in their perception of time; so from their point of view, the person affected by the poison would suffer from excruciating torture for up to an hour or two.


    "Hehehe, you silly heretic. You should have taken my kind offer when you could. Now suffer the excruciating pa..."


    Before Aylinor could finish his sentence, a shadow stepped out of the poisonous mist and charged towards him at full speed. In less than a second, the shadow traveled more than 15 meters(16.4 yards), closing the distance between them and when it was only a few steps away from the priest, the shadow jumped, rising almost 4 meters (13.12ft) in the air.


    *Slash!*


    Marcus leaned forward, swung his sword, and made a downward slash towards Aylinor''s head. However, the priest raised his left arm to block the blade before it could even cut a hair from his head.


    Just as Ouroboros was about to sever the priest''s arm, something strange happened.


    *Clang!*


    The sword and Aylinor''s arm collided with a metallic clang, generating sparks in the process. The priest''s arm that was supposed to have been cut off was almost intact.


    "Get off!!!"Aylinor shouted. His eyes flashed with hatred and madness.


    The priest shook his arm hard, pushing Marcus back, forcing him to back away and distance himself from him.


    ''What the hell, how did he block it?'' Marcus was truly shocked. Even if he hadn''t used any spells to increase Ouroboros'' edge, the sword''s attack power was around 200! That was more than enough to cut through steel armor like paper.


    At that moment, Marcus focused his attention on Aylinor''s left arm.


    The priest''s arm was covered by a red exoskeleton, similar to that of a lobster. On the forearm, where Marcus'' blow had impacted, there was a cut a little less than 4 centimeters (1.57 inches) long and a centimeter (0.39 inches) deep from which a greenish-blue liquid was dripping.


    The moment he noticed the wound on his arm, Aylinor burst out in anger.


    "Bastard! How dare you harm my precious body!! My body belongs only to her!!!"The moment he noticed the wound on his arm, Aylinor burst out in anger and his eyes turned red." I will have my insects dismember, ****, and devour you!!!"


    In that instant, Aylinor''s right arm began to fracture and deform, until finally splitting and transforming into six worms, each as wide as a grown man''s fist. Their mouths were filled with circular rows of sharp teeth that reflected a metallic sheen.


    The six worms on Aylinor''s arm began to writhe and stretch as if they had a life of their own and, in the blink of an eye, they lashed out at Marcus.


    Marcus reacted quickly; he swung his body to the right and dodged the attack.


    *Bam*


    The worms didn''t stop their charge and slammed into the wall of a house, shattering it into hundreds of pieces.


    ''I see. So this is a user of evil arts.''Marcus thought as he regained his balance and immediately jumped backward, to distance himself from the worms.


    Evil arts were not just one type of magic, but multiple types of magical arts such as demonology, curse magic, destruction magic, plague magic, and necromancy. Its origins date back more than 140,000 years to the beginning of the Third Age.


    Originally the only types of magic that existed in Genaerrsis were elemental magic, which consisted of manipulating the elements present in nature; elemental sorcery, whose power was based on forming a bond with a being of the elemental plane to borrow its power; and sacred magic, with which the gods lent their powers to mortal beings.


    However, the inhabitants of the first age never intended to use these powers as an instrument of war and only used magic as a tool to build and develop their society.


    On the other hand, the evil arts were magics from another dimension, brought to this world by the five calamities and demons at the beginning of the age of chaos. But these magics were only created to kill and destroy.


    Even when the demons and the five calamities were sealed in the demonic realm, the existence of the evil arts had already become deeply rooted in the earthly plane and could not be removed.


    The wizards of the church of plagues specialized in the use of plague magic; a group of evil arts among which stood out the manipulation of poisons, the creation of diseases, entomancy, among others.


    In that instant, the worms moved and attacked Marcus once again.


    Making use of his acrobatic skills, Marcus again dodged the worms, while swinging his sword to counterattack.


    *Clang! Clang! Clang!*


    The clashes between the sword and the worms echoed throughout the village. Unlike what Marcus believed, the worms'' skin was tougher than steel, so their attacks hardly left any marks.


    However, Marcus could not afford to waste his precious MP, so he had decided not to use any spells. So he could only continue to dodge and block Aylinor''s attack.


    But while Marcus was an undead with infinite stamina and was not consuming his MP, Aylinor was spending a lot of energy on maintaining control of the horde and his active shapeshifting. So the longer the battle dragged on, the greater the chances of Marcus winning.


    *Clang! Clang! Clang!*


    As Marcus dodged and blocked the worms'' attacks, the anger and hatred the priest felt reached a new level.


    ''Why isn''t he dead?! It''s been more than 30 seconds and the poison still hasn''t taken effect! Does he have any resistance against the poison?... In that case... let''s see how you survive this!'' Aylinor took out a vial from his clothes, uncorked it, and drank the yellow liquid it contained.


    In that instant, yellow veins began to appear on the priest''s face. The yellow veins soon spread all over his body until they finally covered the worms on his right arm.


    "Yellow plague fog."


    A few seconds later, the maggots began to vomit a yellow gas that spread in all directions. Soon after, the entire village was covered by a layer of yellow fog.


    [Yellow plague fog] was a long-range 3rd level spell. When used, everything in a 300-meter (328 yards) area around the thaumaturge would be covered with a yellow fog which contained a large number of viruses and pathogens. These viruses would enter the victim''s body, causing him to become sick and his body to weaken instantly.


    Normally, if a person was poisoned, all they had to do would be use magic or consume a potion to dispel the poisoning. But [Yellow plague fog] could not be dispelled as easily as poison.


    The reason was that even if someone tried to use a potion or magic to dispel the negative effects on the affected person, the fog viruses would simply re-enter their body.


    A person''s body could not generate antibodies to defend against a normal virus that quickly, let alone generate antibodies against a virus that was created from magic. The only way to repel the disease was to use a dispel spell of 5th level or higher.


    After about 10 seconds, the worms stopped spitting out the yellow gas and began to contract. Then the worms merged, and Aylinor''s arm regained its original shape. At that moment, the priest''s eyes shone with jubilation.


    "Hehehe, you should be grateful. This Yellow plague fog is a modified version that I invented myself. The sickness caused by the spell is seven times more painful than normal! You can die happy knowing that it was me, Aylinor Danul Kalgar who sent you to the next life!"Aylinor said as he began to laugh maniacally.


    *Whoosh*


    In that instant, Marcus jumped with all his might, managing to get out of the yellow mist and rising several meters in the air. A white magic circle had formed in the palm of his hand.


    The moment he saw Marcus, Aylinor stopped laughing and his eyes widened like saucers.


    "WHY THE F**K ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!!!"

 Chapter 41 - Overwhelming Necromancy (Part 1)

    "As if I''m going to tell you!" Marcus raised his right arm and pointed the white magic circle on his palm to the priest. " Hey Aylinor, I return the favor to you! Energy Blast!"


    *Bang!*


    In an instant, a blinding white light shot out from the magic circle with a powerful explosive noise. The recoil from the spell caused Marcus to be propelled backward. He managed to control his body, flipped in the air, and landed on the roof of a house.


    Simultaneously, the [Energy Blast] traveled the distance separating Marcus from Aylinor in the blink of an eye, scattering the yellow mist in its path. But when the white light was about to hit its target; the priest whispered a few words and a silver energy barrier covered his body. The moment the spell hit the silver barrier, it dispersed as if it had never existed.


    *Weng Weng*


    Immediately after the spell dissipated, the energy barrier began to tremble and a second later, a white light was expelled from the barrier to where Marcus was.


    Marcus reacted quickly and jumped off the roof to the side, evading the attack.


    *Boom!*


    The white light impacted where Marcus had been standing only moments before, creating a loud explosion and destroying the roof of the house.


    ''Did he reflect my attack?!... So, let''s see how about this! '' While still descending in the air, Marcus raised his arm pointing it to Aylinor, and quickly started casting another spell. In that instant, an even larger white magic circle than the previous one appeared in the palm of his hand. ''Missile rain.''


    Immediately after Marcus finishes reciting the spell, the magic circle in his palm began to glow brighter and dozens of Baseball-sized energy spheres shot out towards Aylinor.


    Unlike [Energy Blast] which relied on a single concentrated energy attack, [Missile rain] distributed the energy to create multiple magical projectiles so that they could overwhelm the opponent with a series of rapid and continuous attacks over a wider area. In addition, each energy missile had far greater power than a regular [Energy missile]. For these reasons [Missile rain] was listed as a 3rd level spell.


    Although the power of a spell could vary according to the mastery rank of the thaumaturge, the truth was that it was very difficult for a lower-level spell to surpass a higher-level spell.


    Magic spells were categorized into twelve different levels according to their complexity, their destructive power or area of effect, and the amount of magical energy they required. And the difference between each spell level was abysmal.


    Typically level 0 offensive spells required a minuscule amount of energy to activate and in terms of power were only comparable to the same power a normal person could wield with a weapon such as a bow and an arrow or sword.


    1st level spells required an average of 10-90 MP to activate and their power was comparable to that of a grenade, shotgun, or other firearms of similar caliber. 2nd level spells consumed an average of 100-700 MP and their power was sufficient to destroy large boulders or thick concrete walls.


    3rd level spells consumed an average of 800 - 1,300 MP and even the weakest of them were capable of reducing a normal-sized house to nothing more than rubble. As for the 4th level spells, Marcus didn''t know anything about their energy consumption or power.


    But even though the MP consumption of [Missile Rain] was huge, Marcus had still decided to use it for various reasons.


    Aylinor was currently using a lot of energy to keep the horde of monsters attacking the city under his control, so he couldn''t afford to use spells that consumed a large amount of MP. Therefore, even if his protection spell reflected magical attacks, he surely had a limit to the number of attacks he could block or the level of spells he could reflect.


    The rain of energy missiles fell on Aylinor impacting the energy barrier covering his body.


    *Boom Boom Boom


    At that instant, the dozens of energy spheres that didn''t hit the priest hit the ground, destroying the earth, creating huge craters around him, and raising a dense cloud of dirt and dust.


    When the bombardment ended, Marcus finally landed on the ground; the whole process had only lasted a couple of seconds. However, he did not let his guard down. Since the system had not yet given a notification about his death then it meant that the priest was still alive.


    *Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu*


    A second later, dozens of energy spheres shot out from the dust curtain everywhere.


    Marcus reacted immediately and moved his body to avoid the energy spheres. But although his agility momentarily exceeded 100 points, he was still unable to evade the entire barrage of attacks.


    *Bam!*


    Marcus was hit by an energy projectile that sent him flying several yards away until he crashed into the wall of a house, which collapsed a few moments later. Burying him in a pile of rubble.


    *Boom Boom Boom*


    The other projectiles that did not hit Marcus followed their trajectory destroying everything in their path. As a result, many houses and trees in the town had been destroyed or reduced to piles of splintered wood.


    With some difficulty, Marcus climbed out of the pile of rubble in which he was buried and stood up once more. Fortunately, he was wearing the enchanted armor J?rmungandr, so the damage from the spell was significantly reduced and he only lost 200 HP.


    A second later, the cloud of dust enveloping Aylinor cleared. The priest was not only intact, but the silver energy barrier around him had become brighter than before.


    At that moment, Marcus noticed the object Aylinor was wearing around his neck, which emitted a faint silver glow.


    ================================


    Name: Moonlight reflector pendant.


    Artifact: Magical Object


    Tier: High


    ================================


    Durability: 2,600/2,600


    Defense Power: 525(+89)


    Description: A pendant created from


    a Rhei crystal from [******] and *****


    ******************.


    Abilities:


    Magic Atk. Resistance lv:5


    Energy conservation and absorption: 20%


    Magic damage reflection: 70%


    ================================


    ''What the sh- that''s cheating!'' When Marcus saw the stats of the Moonlight Reflector Pendant, he couldn''t help but curse inwardly.


    The moonlight reflector pendant could absorb all magical attacks directed at the wearer; once the spell was absorbed, the pendant reflected the opponent''s magical attack with 70% of its original strength. In addition, with its defense power and resistance to magical Atk, the necklace was capable of resisting and reflecting magical spells up to the 4th level.


    In fact, the moonlight reflector pendant could also absorb some of the power of its opponent''s magical attacks to strengthen the defense of the silver barrier by up to 20%.


    Even though Marcus'' armor and Aylinor''s pendant were listed as High tier Items; the difference in power between an enchanted item and a magic item was overwhelming. In terms of overall statistics alone the Moonlight Reflector Pendant was 50% stronger than J?rmungandr. Furthermore, while J?rmungandr''s spells could only be used once every couple of days, the effects of the Moonlight Reflector Pendant could be used as long as the user-supplied it with MP.


    ''Wait a minute. If that thing absorbs energy... So.''


    While Marcus was pondering how to counter the effects of the Moonlight Reflector Pendant, the anger and embarrassment Aylinor felt had reached such a point that the priest was almost spitting blood and foam from his mouth.


    Although he was clearly superior to his opponent, he had not only been unable to defeat or injure him but Aylinor had also been forced to use one of his trump cards.


    The Moonlight Reflector Pendant was an artifact that Aylinor had obtained after assassinating a senior member of the Church of the Starry Night. Supposedly, he would only use this artifact as a last resort to defend himself or escape from other wizards who were stronger than him.


    However, since he was currently very weak and none of his spells seemed to have any effect on Marcus, he had had to use the magic item against none other than a wizard of the 2nd realm. If others found out about this, Aylinor would not be able to bear such humiliation.


    "I''ve had enough of this." The priest''s voice trembled with rage. "For a mere heretic to force me to use this... it is truly humiliating. If I don''t kill you today... then I won''t be able to sleep peacefully!"Aylinor reached between his robes, pulled out a handful of live grasshoppers, and stuffed them into his mouth.


    *Crunch munch*


    Immediately after Aylinor had chewed and swallowed the grasshoppers, small lumps began to appear all over the skin of his body. Then, the lumps on Aylinor''s face and neck began to move and crawl down to his arms.


    At that moment, Aylinor raised his arms, which were so swollen that they looked as if they would burst. Beneath the skin of the arms, the lumps were moving and writhing as if they wanted to escape from the priest''s body to the outside world.


    "Locust storm!"


    After Aylinor finished his spell, the pores in the skin of his arms opened, and the faint buzzing of insect wings was heard as hundreds of thousands of locusts flew out from inside his body. Then the cloud composed of thousands of insects swooped down on Marcus and began to swirl around him.


    Unlike normal insects, the locusts created by Aylinor''s spell had certain special characteristics. Their skin was as hard as iron, they were resistant to fire and elemental spells. In addition, these locusts had powerful jaws that allowed them to chew and crush materials harder than steel.


    Once someone was trapped in the swarm of insects, the locusts would devour the victim''s skin, flesh, and organs until only their clothes and bones remained. Moreover, the locusts acted so fast that normal wizards would die before they even had time to conjure a spell.


    But even after Marcus was surrounded by the whirlwind of flesh-eating insects Aylinor did not let his guard down. After all, his opponent had already survived his lethal spells several times.


    Gradually the seconds ticked by. No sound could be heard in the village other than the buzzing of locusts.


    one second... two seconds... three seconds...


    "Kukuku... ahahaha... "After ten seconds Aylinor finally relaxed and began to laugh."What did you think of that?! That''s what you get for confronting me! If you want to blame someone, blame your stupidity! Now suffer the pain of being eaten alive; your flesh and skin will be ripped off bite by bite and only your bones will be left! Ahahahahaha..."


    *Boom!


    At that instant, an explosion occurred from within the swarm of insects; great black flames exploded, rising high into the sky and burning the swarm of insects.


    But, before Aylinor even had time to react, a black lightning bolt shot out from the firestorm and struck the silver barrier covering his body. But despite this, the priest was not fazed by this.


    "Hmph. You''re a fool! My silver barrier can reflect any... Huh?"


    *Crack Crack Crack Crack*


    At that moment, huge black cracks began to appear around the silver barrier and the moonlight reflecting pendant began to crack.


    *Boom!


    "Aaaargh!" A few moments later the silver light barrier turned completely black and exploded, sending Aylinor flying over 6 meters (6.56 yards) away until he finally crashed to the ground.


    When Aylinor reacted, he noticed that the reflective moonlight pendant hanging from his neck was broken, although it wasn''t totally destroyed it was clear that he would no longer be able to use the silver barrier.


    "Haha, your locusts sure scared me. But other than a couple of tickles I don''t think they caused me much damage."Finally, the black flames dissipated, and Marcus'' figure emerged from the necrotic fire. His left hand was emanating black sparks and in his right hand were remnants of the black flames.


    "Keugh. Impossible! This corrupted power... This is necrotic energy! You are a necromancer!"Aylinor said as he vomited some blue-greenish blood.


    "Great deduction Sherlock. But are you seriously a rank 5? By my count you don''t even qualify as a rank 4.." Marcus replied as he shook the black flame from his hand.

 Chapter 42 - Overwhelming Necromancy (Part 2)

    Ranks were the system''s way of averaging an individual''s overall combat ability. For this, the system took into consideration both the individual''s stats and his or her skills. However, ranks were not very accurate in determining the strength of an opponent.


    The first reason for this was that the classification of a rank was very broad; this meant that even if two individuals had the same rank their strengths might not be the same. As an example, if two swordsmen of rank 3 were to face each other, the swordsman who had the higher level or better combat skills would be stronger than his opponent even though they both had the same rank.


    The second reason was that the ranks of the system were based on a standard parameter of general power and not individual.


    Let''s take Bairus as an example. Originally the Semi-lich had been listed as a rank 4 monster because of his ability to use high-level magic and necromancy. In fact, his skill in controlling necrotic energy was what gave him an overwhelming advantage against the rest of his enemies.


    If a wizard or a warrior of the same rank had faced Bairus he or she would probably have been killed by the semi-lich''s spells which were charged with necrotic energy, which was deadly to living beings.


    However, being undead, Marcus was not affected by the necrotic energy, so Bairus was never able to make use of his full power. This made it much easier for Marcus to defeat the semi-lich.


    Aylinor on the other hand was ranked as rank 5 thanks to his high level of mastery in entomancy, which made him capable of controlling a large army of monsters. In addition, he could also use multiple spells related to poisons or diseases, making him more powerful than mages of the same level.


    In a normal situation, Marcus would never be able to defeat Aylinor so easily even if he was immune to the priest''s poison spells and diseases. But right now Aylinor''s MP was almost at rock bottom and he had no monster he could use to attack and defend himself.


    ''Why? What''s a necromancer from the 3rd realm doing here?!'' When Aylinor realized that Marcus was not only capable of using necromancy, but that he was also a wizard of the 3rd realm his face turned grim. Anger, madness, and pride left him and he was overwhelmed by a very different emotion.


    "You... Why does the church of the living corpses meddle in the affairs of the church of the deadly plagues? Do you plan to violate the agreement?" Aylinor asked. Now that things had turned this way his best option would be not to continue the confrontation.


    In Genaerrsis there were multiple dark cults and evil churches that worshipped demons and dark gods. All these churches and cults were controlled by the five great dark churches. Each of which worshipped one of the five calamities as its main deity.


    These churches were: the church of absolute destruction, the church of primordial chaos, the church of the endless abyss, the church of deadly plagues, and the church of living corpses. But even though each church had tremendous power and influence, there was still a clear gap between the strengths of each church.


    Among them all, the church of absolute destruction was the most powerful. As for the church of deadly plagues, they were only below the church of primordial chaos which in turn was below the church of living corpses.


    "Agreement? What are you talking about?"


    "Please don''t play dumb with me." Aylinor said as he stood up. This time his tone of voice sounded much more calm and cautious than before. " The non-aggression pact between the five great dark churches! Where we agreed to cooperate and not fight each other! By attacking me, you''re violating the agreement! Aren''t you afraid of the consequences?"


    Aylinor was only a priest of the disease, a lower-middle ranking member of the church hierarchy. So in such a situation, he would have to show respect for a member of a church that surpasses them in strength like the church of the living corpses, even if this person had a slightly lower rank than him in the hierarchy.


    However, Aylinor had already crossed the point where he could apologize or beg for mercy. Moreover, Marcus had already expressed his intention to kill him on more than one occasion. Therefore, the only thing Aylinor could do was to use the agreement between the churches to persuade Marcus to stop their confrontation.


    After all, the consequences for violating the non-aggression agreement were not something to be taken lightly.


    "Yeah, about that... I''m not a member of the church."Marcus replied nonchalantly.


    "What?!"


    "That I am not a member of the church of the living corpses. In fact, I never was very religious, to say the least. I told you before; I only came here to kill you. What the ''five great dark churches'' and you do is none of my business."After saying that Marcus began to prepare another spell. Now that the moonlight reflector pendant had been damaged by the necrotic energy Aylinor had no way to defend himself.


    The moment Marcus said those words; Aylinor turned completely pale. He began to tremble and a cold sweat broke out all over his body.


    The reason why out of all the five great dark churches, the church of the living corpses ranked second in power was not only due to their ability to control the undead, but also due to their capabilities to control necrotic energy, which gave an overwhelming advantage over other kinds of mages.


    In addition, almost all members of the church were high-level undead or powerful necromancers who had multiple spells and skills that made them immune to curses, instant death magic, poisons, and diseases.


    For all these reasons, it was that, although necromancy spells weakened during the day and that the undead were weak against holy magic or other types of skills, it was that the church of the living corpses was able to occupy the second place among the great dark churches.


    As long as his magic was not affected by solar energy or holy magic, a necromancer would be able to face an opponent from a higher realm than his own on equal terms and could even overcome him.


    Previously, although weakened, Aylinor was confident that he could kill Marcus with ease. But now things have changed.


    After Marcus used his necromancy spells, the layer of energy covering him that suppressed the necrotic energy emanating from his body had ceased to take effect. So Aylinor was able to determine Marcus'' true strength.


    Although Marcus was only a wizard of the 3rd realm, the fact that he could use necromancy spells gave him a great advantage over Aylinor who was a wizard of the 4th realm capable of using plague magic. Only now the priest had realized that his opponent could not only face him on equal terms but could also defeat him.


    Perhaps if Aylinor had realized this a little earlier things might have been different. But it was too late.


    Both his poison spells and magical diseases were ineffective against Marcus. Even his locusts that were capable of devouring a person in a matter of seconds and were also resistant against elemental spells had been consumed by the flames charged with necrotic energy.


    ''Is this how I''m going to die? Murdered by a mere vagabond necromancer?!! Without even fulfilling my mission. Without receiving the blessing of my goddess?!'' At the thought of this, the fear the priest felt vanished and a deep rage came over him. So much wasted effort. All the work took him months of planning. He was so close to completing it and it was all going to end like this? "No, no, no, no, no, no, no...NO! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT! I WILL NOT DIE LIKE THIS!!!"


    "GYAAAAAAAAH!!!" Aylinor''s mouth opened several times wider than was humanly possible and he let out a horrible shriek that could destroy the eardrums of anyone who heard it. Even Marcus was forced to interrupt his spell when he heard the priest''s cry.


    * Tremble tremble tremble tremble *


    The ground began to tremble and shake. A few moments later, tens of humanoid creatures over two meters tall (6.56ft) that had dozens of heads, which were worms as wide as a human arm, began to emerge from the ground.


    In a matter of seconds, more than a hundred Naragor parasitic worms had crawled out of the ground, interposing themselves between Marcus and the priest. Aylinor smiled and looked at Marcus; his eyes were bloodshot and his face was covered in sweat.


    "You actually forced me to use my minions... I was planning to use them to... Well, I guess at this point it doesn''t matter anymore."These were the religious zealots under Aylinor''s command, however, he had used them as test subjects so that he could create a new modified subspecies of Naragor parasitic worm.


    However, Aylinor was saving them to use for other purposes and had never intended to use them in combat, and especially not against someone like Marcus. " KILL HIM!!!"


    Hearing Aylinor''s order, the closest parasite worm wasted no time and immediately ran towards Marcus.


    ''Hmph. They finally arrived.'' Just as the parasite worm''s huge fist was about to hit Marcus'' face, he moved his body slightly to the side, and in that instant¡­


    *Whoosh Bam!*


    A gigantic centipede, 1,5 meters (5 ft) wide and at least 7 meters (20 ft) long, missing several body parts, came out of the darkness and charged at the parasitic worm, which flew several yards into the air until it crashed into the rubble of a house.


    A few seconds later, more than two dozen creatures emerged from behind Marcus, approaching the battlefield. The troop of creatures consisted of giant zombie spiders and ants, skeleton warriors and archers, corpse beasts, and there were even two large skeletons.


    "What?! Where did all those undead come from?!"Seeing the troop of undead Aylinor couldn''t help but be surprised. He hadn''t sensed the presence of this undead before. " Don''t tell me... You were hiding them outside of the village all this time?!"


    Earlier on his way to the village, Marcus had encountered a large number of monsters that were part of Aylinor''s army. But he had killed them quickly and without much difficulty. But it had not ended there.


    After killing more than two dozen monsters, Marcus had decided to turn the corpses into undead with the idea of using them to escape in case things got out of control.


    So after arriving in the village, Marcus had ordered the undead to stay nearby, to prevent Aylinor from detecting them. But now that things had turned this way Marcus had no reason to keep his undead hidden.


    "Hmph.So what if you have a couple of low-level undead as backup?! My modified parasite worms are superior in strength and numbers! Even if you put up any resistance, you will still die tonight!" Shouted Aylinor. The priest no longer felt fear for Marcus and instead, there was only hatred and contempt.


    Marcus had created his undead using the spells [Reanimate Corpse] and [Create Lesser Undead.], which, unlike spells that summoned undead using only pure necrotic energy, required corpses as raw material.


    The advantage of these spells was that their consumption of necrotic energy was much lower than summoning spells and that undead created from corpses were usually much stronger than summoned undead of the same level.


    However, the strength of the undead was limited not only by the type of corpse used but also by the strength of the necromancer.


    Although Marcus'' mastery of necromancy had almost reached rank 3, he could only create undead below his rank. So all undead under his control were only rank 1 and 2.


    On the other hand, Aylinor''s parasitic worms were all monsters of rank 3 almost 4. Furthermore, while the priest had over a hundred worms, Marcus had less than thirty undead.


    "Really? And what happens if I do this?... Reinforce Undead, Fear Aura!" At that moment, a torrent of necrotic power erupted from Marcus'' body, spreading across the battlefield and showering the undead under his control, who immediately seemed to become stronger and more aggressive.


    ...


    {The skill [Fear aura] has been successfully activated}.


    ...


    {All living beings with hostile intentions within a 50m(54 yards) radius of the user suffer the effect of fear}.


    ...


    {Under the effect of fear, the stats of all living creatures at rank 3 decrease by 30%. The stats of living creatures in rank 5 decrease by 1%}.


    ...


    {As long as the skill is activated, the user''s MP will be continuously drained}.


    ¡­


    After spending several months in the jungle Marcus had made use of the [Fear aura] repeatedly. As a result, the power and range of the skill had greatly increased compared to when he was at level 1.


    Thanks to this the strength of the parasitic worms had been greatly reduced so Marcus was able to narrow the gap between them and the undead under his control. Unfortunately, the skill level was still too low for a rank 5 like Aylinor to be affected.


    *Weng Weng*


    The air around Marcus distorted and a blanket of dark energy began to emanate from his body giving him a dark and sinister appearance. This change did not go unnoticed by Aylinor either.


    "Quickly kill them!" After Marcus activated the [Fear Aura], Aylinor immediately ordered his parasitic worms to move. Even if they were under the effect of fear, the worms did not hesitate and charged at the group of undead.


    '' Already Started? Whatever, I always wanted to do this... Attack!''


    In the next instant, both sides crashed into each other resulting in the start of a bloody battle. Marcus did not stand still either and immediately charged towards the army of parasitic worms. However, his target was not the worms, but Aylinor.


    Although he seemed to have the advantage, the truth was that Marcus was very close to reaching his limit.


    [MP: 1009/3735]


    "I have to get this over with as soon as possible." Marcus currently had less than 27% of his MP left, while Aylinor still had 15% left; So the priest still had almost 2,800 MP.


    From now on it was a race to see who would run out of MP first.. And Marcus was at a disadvantage.

 Chapter 43 - Entomorphosis

    The situation in the village was chaotic.


    The screams and roars of the monsters were all that could be heard, as the army of parasitic worms and the undead engaged in a battle to the death.


    *Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...*.


    Dozens of black arrows, shot by the skeleton archers, flew from the rooftops of the houses every second tracing curved arcs in the air before hitting the parasitic worms. Although the damage caused by the arrows was not too severe, it was still a problem for the worms as the arrows were poisoned with necrotic energy which weakened the living creatures.


    *Slash Slash Slash*


    The skeleton soldiers and skeleton warriors swung their swords, slashing and piercing the huge bodies of their enemies. With swift and agile movements, the undead severed the limbs and the worm-heads from the necks of their opponents.


    *Shik Shik Shik*


    "Griiaaaah!"


    The heads of a Naragor parasite worm roared in pain as its body was pierced by the blades of three black-armored skeleton warriors. A second later, a fourth skeleton warrior appeared from behind the creature, piercing it through its back and destroying its core.


    On the other side, the zombie centipede, the corpse beasts, and the other giant zombie insects pounced on Aylinor''s army of parasitic worms, dismembering them or tearing their bodies in half with their powerful jaws.


    Originally the skin of the Naragor parasitic worms was tough as steel, but thanks to the skill [Fear Aura] both the defense and strength of the worms dropped significantly, making them vulnerable to the attacks of the undead.


    *Whoosh*


    In the middle of the battlefield, Marcus ignored the enemies in front of him, running at full speed while dodging the attacks of the parasitic worms controlled by the priest.


    "Grrrooaaah!"


    The parasite worm''s heads roared as the creature''s massive black scale-covered fist approached Marcus'' face with a force capable of destroying a grown man''s skull with a single blow.


    *Bam*


    But before the creature''s fist struck Marcus, a large skeleton stepped between the two, parrying the parasitic worm''s attack. Immediately, the large skeleton clenched its fists and unloaded a barrage of blows at the creature, each with the force of a cannon.


    *Bum Bum Bum Bum*


    In the face of the great skeleton''s powerful attacks, the Naragor parasitic worm could only raise its arms to defend itself, but it wasn''t long before the skeleton''s blows finally broke through the creature''s defense and struck its body, causing it to stagger and fall backward.


    At that instant, the large skeleton lunged at its opponent and quickly grabbed all the worm heads that protruded from the creature''s neck. Then, the large skeleton used all its strength and ripped off all the heads of the parasitic worm, decapitating it with a single movement.


    The now decapitated parasitic worm began to writhe, spilling its dark green blood emanating from its severed neck onto the ground until it finally stopped moving.


    Marcus did not stay to delight in the creature''s death and immediately ran to where Aylinor was, as fast as he could.


    The battle between the two sides had only begun a minute ago and more than 15 worms had already been killed in combat. On the other side, of the nearly 30 undead controlled by Marcus only 2 had been destroyed and some had lost a couple of limbs or suffered injuries.


    Although Marcus wanted to join the battle and slaughter all the parasitic worms, he mustered all his willpower to control his bloodlust and refrained from joining the fight.


    Instead, Marcus was more focused on killing Aylinor who, seeing that his monsters seemed to be at a disadvantage, had taken the magic item he used to control the horde of insects besieging the city and began his escape.


    Although the parasitic worms were weakened by the [Fear Aura] they still outnumbered the undead. However, the undead had been strengthened by Marcus'' necromancy which together with their infinite stamina and immunity to pain gave them a great advantage over their opponents.


    Unfortunately, the [Reinforce Undead] spell would only last for a few more minutes; moreover, Marcus'' MP was constantly being drained by the [Fear Aura].


    If the undead were not able to annihilate all the parasitic worms or if he was unable to slay Aylinor before both the spell''s effect and his MP were exhausted, then Marcus would lose his chance to kill the priest and all his efforts would be in vain.


    ''That damned bastard! To force me to use my subordinates and make me run away like this... Once those three dies I''ll show you what real pain is!'' Thought Aylinor as he headed for the outskirts of town.


    At first, Aylinor believed that his parasitic worms really could take care of Marcus and the undead under his control. But after all his attempts to kill him failed, the priest had decided not to take any more risks and opted to retreat anyway.


    Besides, even if the worms could not destroy the undead, they would still be able to buy enough time for him to escape.


    Currently, Aylinor''s mission was almost complete. As long as he could hold out a little longer, the Sanacran Scorpion would kill the rest of his targets and then he could focus on annihilating Marcus.


    ''That''s okay, even if I don''t manage to kill that woman, I can still have the Black Lions take care of her. I''ll have to give them a few more options, but that''s an acceptable pri...''


    Just then, Aylinor felt a powerful bloodlust that forced him out of his thoughts. The bloodlust was behind him and with each passing second, it was getting closer.


    Knowing that his enemy was much faster than him and that he would not be able to escape, Aylinor quickly turned around and conjured a protection spell to deal with his opponent''s attack. Immediately a red, lobster-like exoskeleton began to cover the priest''s body.


    *Bam!*


    But before the protection spell finished activating, Marcus'' fist impacted against the priest''s solar plexus.


    "Kuuaaaagh!" Aylinor screamed as a blunt pain spread throughout his body, damaging his internal organs and causing him to spit blue-green blood.


    Aylinor''s body flew several meters in the air until it finally slammed into the wall of a house so hard that it ended up smashing through it.


    Marcus wasted no time and immediately unsheathed his sword and approached the house where the priest was. But just when he was only a few steps away from the house...


    *Whoosh*


    A black shadow came out from the hole in the wall and with a swift and fast movement hit Marcus. Fortunately, he managed to react in time and raised his sword to block the attack.


    *Clang*


    A loud metallic clang sounded as the shadow hit the Uroboros blade, generating sparks in the process.


    Although he managed to block the shadow''s attack, the power of the blow was so strong that it staggered Marcus and forced him back several steps. If he had been a normal human his arms would probably have been numb or broken from the impact.


    ''What the hell...'' When he recovered from the blow, Marcus was finally able to see the shadow that had attacked him.


    The shadow in question turned out to be a large scorpion tail fifty centimeters (19.68 inches) wide and over six meters (19.5ft) long. The tail had a brownish tint and at the end of it was a poisonous stinger as thick as a pencil.


    Quickly the scorpion tail retreated to where it had come out and a few moments later Aylinor emerged from the hole in the wall of the house. The scorpion tail that emerged from his lower back had reduced in length and was now less than two meters (6.5 ft) long.


    At that moment, the priest began to pull several handfuls of insects out of his clothes and quickly began to gobble them up.


    *Crunch Crunch*


    Locusts, scorpions, cockroaches, spiders, and dozens of other insects were devoured by Aylinor in seconds. When he finished, the priest exhaled greenish-brown vapor and his eyes turned black.


    A few seconds later his body began to make creaking and crackling sounds that sounded as if all the joints and bones in his body were rearranging and breaking.


    Aylinor''s face twisted, and his body muscles began to swell causing his clothes to rip and tear. In the blink of an eye, the priest became a three meters (10 ft) tall giant.


    ''What the f**k!'' Seeing this, Marcus instinctively widened the distance between him and the priest, standing on guard and preparing an offensive spell at the same time he activated his armor''s defensive spell.


    "Uuugh... WUUAAAAGH!" Aylinor shouted and in that instant four huge insectoid-looking arms grew from his body. Then all his skin began to fall off his body as well as his nails, hair, nose, and ears.


    When the metamorphosis was over the creature in front of Marcus was very different from how it originally looked.


    Aylinor was three meters (10ft) tall, its body was covered by a blue-green exoskeleton similar to that of insects, it had a scorpion tail and two extra pairs of arms. It also possessed a pair of cockroach-like antennae protruding from its head which looked just like a spider.


    "I see. So you decided to abandon your humanity for power... I mean, I know I''m not one to talk... but my situation is justified!"


    "You... Bastard..."The creature''s horrible voice sounded very thick and distorted as if it had come out of the deepest part of hell."LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!"


    "Yes you are very ugly, I can see that."


    "YOU''RE COURTING DEATH!!!" Aylinor roared as he prepared to lunge at Marcus.


    ''Negative lightning!'' Marcus raised his left arm and half-meter-wide black lightning shot out from the palm of his hand.


    *Boom*


    The black lightning traveled the distance between Marcus and the priest in the blink of an eye and hit his huge body with an explosive sound. In an instant, Aylinor''s body was covered in electric arcs and black sparks.


    But what happened next stunned Marcus completely.


    "AAAAH... Aha...Hahahahahaha, I feel tingly."


    [Negative Lightning] was a 2nd level spell that contained a large amount of pure necrotic energy. The corrupted power of the spell was so powerful that it was capable of destroying the Moonlight Reflector Pendant''s defense in one hit. But Aylinor received the spell''s impact directly and only felt tickled.


    ''...F**k.''


    "YOU ARE DEAD!"


    *Bam*


    Aylinor kicked the ground with his insect legs and jumped more than ten meters (32.8 ft) in the air. Marcus reacted quickly and jumped backward to distance himself from the priest.


    *BOOM*


    Almost a second later, Aylinor descended from the sky and his six huge arms struck the ground, raising a curtain of dust and causing the whole town to tremble.


    When the curtain of dust dissipated, Marcus was finally able to see Aylinor''s silhouette and despite being undead a cold sensation ran up and down his spine.


    At the place where the priest had landed there was only a huge crater almost four meters (13.12 ft) wide. The ground around the crater was cracked and the few trees and bushes that were near the impact zone were destroyed.


    *Whoosh*


    At that instant, Aylinor''s scorpion tail increased its length again and with a swift movement struck Marcus.


    He reacted quickly; he raised his sword again to block the attack while jumping backward to distance himself. But Aylinor didn''t stop and continued attacking.


    *Clang Clang Clang*


    The priest swung its tail in a series of quick, fleeting movements in an attempt to pierce Marcus with its poisonous sting.


    *Clang Clang Clang*


    Marcus could only use his sword to block and deflect Aylinor''s attacks, but every time he managed to fend off a stinging blow, he was forced to retreat a couple of steps. In just ten seconds, the sword and the poisonous stinger had collided more than fifty times.


    Finally, Marcus deflected the poisonous sting once again and charged straight towards Aylinor. But when he was only about five meters (4.37 yards) away, the priest opened its hideous maw and vomited a stream of green fluid.


    ''That''s not poison! Energy barrier!''


    Before the green fluid could hit him, Marcus activated a defensive spell and his entire body was covered by a transparent energy barrier.


    A second later the stream of green fluid hit the energy barrier with such force that it caused Marcus to stagger.


    Although the green fluid did not affect the [Energy Barrier] all the other objects or places where Aylinor''s vomit had landed began to emanate a white vapor as they burned and melted.


    ''Acid vomit?! But what kind of bugs did this guy eat?''


    After almost a month of reading and studying the books in the mansion''s library, Marcus'' understanding of the magic of this world had increased significantly. However, there was still much he didn''t know.


    This was especially true for any evil arts spells. Since the information about these spells was very limited.


    A couple of seconds later, the power of the acid vomit stream was slowing down to a stop. When Marcus was sure that Aylinor would not attack him again, he deactivated the [Energy Barrier] and stepped back several meters to move away in the areas where there were puddles of acid.


    [MP: 401/3,735]


    Ding!


    ....


    {The conditions have been met}


    ....


    {The effect of the title [Adversity Overcomer] has been activated}


    ....


    ''Sh*t, this doesn''t look good.''


    Currently, Marcus had already consumed too much energy and if things continued like this his MP could run out in a few minutes. The situation was such that he had been forced to deactivate the [Fear Aura] to reduce his MP consumption.


    In fact, the situation was so bad that the title effect [Adversity Overcomer] had been activated, increasing all of Marcus'' stats increased by 5%, which actually gave him a bit more MP.


    ''Now what do I do?''


    Marcus had no idea about how the shape-shifting spells worked or how long the effect would last. He had no way of knowing if the spell Aylinor used to increase his physical power and gain various superhuman skills had a short effect time, if his transformation was permanent or if it required some compound to nullify it.


    He also didn''t know if the transformation spell would cancel once the priest''s MP reached 0 or not.


    ''F**k it, at this point, it''s all or nothing... Negative Edge, Enhanced Edge...'' At that moment, the Uroboros runes began to glow and a layer of sharp purple energy wrapped around the blade of the sword. ''... Necrotic Mantle, Physical Power Enhancement, Agility Enhancement.''


    In a normal situation, Marcus would have chosen to retreat. But at this moment Aylinor had used his [Entomorphosis] and was bursting with power. With everything that had happened, it was unlikely that the priest would let him escape.


    Therefore Marcus decided to activate all his reinforcement spells and risk everything in a last desperate attack.


    Once Marcus finished his preparations, he gathered momentum and charged at the priest.


    Ding!


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] has re-entered the chat}.


    ....


    {Monarch of the Eternal Garden: What did I miss?}


    .....

 Chapter 44 - 44.0: Adaptability And Deception

    After activating his boosting spells and enchanted items, Marcus'' agility had surpassed 200 points, allowing him to move faster than humanly possible, and allowed him to close the distance between him and the priest in the blink of an eye, while leaving some afterimages in his wake.


    "Grrroooaaah!" Aylinor roared and immediately sent a series of blows with his three right fists towards Marcus. Despite the great speed of his opponent, the priest had superhuman senses which were amplified by the [Entomorphosis] which allowed him to clearly perceive Marcus'' movements.


    But before the fists could touch him, Marcus ducked his body, causing the fists to just hit his afterimage, and quickly performed a vertical slash towards the priest''s arms.


    *Slash*


    With an agile and smooth movement, the energy edge that covered the blade of the sword traced an upward arc and severed the priest''s middle right arm as if it were made of butter.


    Aylinor counterattacked and struck Marcus with his left upper fist. But before he could touch him, he raised his sword and launched a slash towards the huge fist. The blade of the sword sliced the priest''s flesh without any resistance, splitting the fist and forearm into two halves.


    "Aaaaargh!" Aylinor screamed in pain and immediately struck Marcus with his four remaining arms.


    *Bam*


    Before the arms could reach him, Marcus pulled out the sword that had become embedded in the priest''s forearm and jumped backward to evade the blows, which only impacted the ground with a loud clatter, creating a small crater in the process.


    "Son of a bitch!!!" Aylinor cursed as he saw the state his arm had been left in. "Garr...GAAAAAAh!"Without hesitation, he grabbed his damaged left arm and immediately ripped it off. The priest''s monstrous spidery face contorted in pain as his blue-green blood leaked from his severed limbs.


    Aylinor threw his severed arm to the side and the next second; he opened his hideous spider maw and spat out a strange yellow goo that flew towards Marcus at great speed.


    He reacted instantly; he bent the left side of his body backward and managed to dodge the priest''s attack by a hair''s breadth.


    The yellow goo continued its path until it hit a tree a couple of meters away from Marcus. In the instant that the substance touched the tree, it began to harden until it solidified completely.


    Seeing this, Marcus was immediately able to recognize the substance with which the priest had attacked him.


    It was the same substance used by the Arsenis ants, which he had encountered so many times in the three months he had been in the jungle, to immobilize and capture their prey. But this was not the only thing Aylinor spat out.


    Next, the priest opened his spidery mouth again and spat out a barrage of different substances. Acidic vomit, sticky saliva that hardened instantly, and liquid balls of purple poison flew towards Marcus at great speed.


    But instead of backing away or using the town''s trees and houses for cover, Marcus kicked the ground with all his might and ran straight towards Aylinor while dodging the barrage of attacks. When he was only a few steps away from the priest, he put all his strength into his legs and jumped several meters into the air.


    As he descended, Marcus raised his sword and made a downward slash towards Aylinor''s head. But before the sword touched his head, he raised his four remaining arms to block the sword''s attack.


    *Clang!*


    The energy edge of the sword slammed into the monstrous arms of the priest with a loud metallic clang, creating sparks in the process. This surprised Marcus.


    Until a few seconds ago, Uroboros'' blade was able to cut through Aylinor''s exoskeleton like butter. But now the blade had not been able to leave even a single wound on the priest''s skin.


    But upon closer inspection, Marcus noticed that the exoskeleton covering the priest''s body seemed to have taken on a more metallic hue. In addition, the wounds he had inflicted on him earlier were no longer bleeding and were even healing at great speed.


    At that moment, a horrible smile formed on Aylinor''s face. In a split second, he swung his scorpion tail and stabbed at Marcus'' head with his stinger.


    He tilted his head to the right, managing to evade Aylinor''s attack by a hair; then, he kicked the priest''s arms and jumped back several meters to get some distance.


    But just as he was about to hit the ground, Aylinor charged towards him and unloaded a flurry of blows so fast that a normal person would only be able to see the afterimages of them.


    *Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang*.


    Sparks flew as the sword and the huge fists clashed with a metallic sound. Only five seconds passed and Marcus had already blocked and deflected over a hundred of Aylinor''s blows.


    "HAHAHAHA... It''s useless! Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, USELESS! My body has already adapted to your attacks. From now on, that piece of junk you call a sword won''t be able to hurt me!" Shouted Aylinor and as the speed of his blows increased again.


    [HP: 782/ 1001]


    ''Tch...'' Marcus clicked his non-existent tongue internally. Even though both his strength and speed had already surpassed 200 points, the priest was even stronger. The force behind each strike was immense and every time he blocked an attack with his sword, his arms would fracture a little and he would be forced back a couple of steps.


    *Bam*


    ''Aaaagh!''


    Finally, Aylinor''s attack speed overcame Marcus'' defense. The huge fist slammed into his ribcage, pushing him over 10 meters (10 yards) backward. There were two long lines on the ground, tracing the path left by his feet when he received the force of the impact.


    Marcus fell to his knees and drove his sword into the ground to support himself.


    Aylinor smiled and his spidery eyes flashed a sinister killing intent. Seeing that his enemy was weak and wounded, he did not hesitate and charged Marcus at full speed. Every step the priest took was charged with an incredible power that made the earth rumble


    ''Field of bone thorns!'' When Aylinor was only about a couple of meters away, Marcus rested his left hand on the ground, and immediately, hundreds of sharp bone thorns over three meters (10 ft) long sprouted from the ground simultaneously covering an area of four meters (13ft) around him.


    Each and every one of the thorns contained a high concentration of necrotic energy; they were poisonous thorns for living beings that also threatened to impale, stab or maim anyone close to the thaumaturge, and Aylinor would be no exception.


    In just a few seconds, the priest was attacked and blocked by the wall of sharp white thorns, until Marcus could no longer see his figure. But when the thorns had finished emerging from the earth, Aylinor''s voice came from behind the wall of bone and it wasn''t his cries of pain.


    "Hahaha, didn''t I tell you it was useless? My body has already adapted to all your attacks. From now on, neither your sword nor your pathetic necromancy will be able to harm me!"Just as Marcus had stood up, Aylinor''s huge fist pierced through the wall of thorns and hit him in the chest.


    Marcus was sent flying, as if he had been hit by a truck at over 180 km/h, crashing into and destroying multiple houses, traveling over two hundred (200 yards) meters before finally falling into a house whose walls were in better shape than the rest, but now had a huge hole in it.


    [HP: 350/ 1001]


    ''Kghhh...F**k...this hurts like sh*t.'' Marcus cursed internally as he used some necrotic energy to repair his wounds. Almost his entire body was shattered; his ribs were a pile of splintered bones, and his legs were bent in an abnormal position and his arms had so many cracks that they could snap off with the slightest movement.


    Marcus was very perplexed by the damage his body had sustained.


    Despite being weak to blunt damage, he was wearing the enchanted armor Jormungandr and had activated the defensive spell imbued in it. In addition, Marcus had activated all his defensive enchanted artifacts and boosting spells so his defense had already reached 500 points.


    And yet, a single hit from Aylinor had taken away a little over 30% of his HP.


    ''I don''t understand. Why do my attacks have no effect?'' Marcus was startled, he was confused, annoyed, and, in a way, frustrated.


    ''Did he get used to my moves or did he get stronger while we were fighting...?No, it''s not that... There''s something else I''m not seeing...'' Marcus squeezed his inexistent brain to the limit and tried to think of all possible answers.


    At the beginning of the fight, Marcus had been able to damage and cut Aylinor''s body with relative ease, but after a couple of minutes, physical attacks had become ineffective against him, and not even the sharp bone thorns had been able to pierce through his hard armor.


    Even necrotic energy, which was deadly to living things, didn''t seem to have much effect on the priest.


    ''What is it that I''m missing?! How is it possible that my sword attacks can''t get through it...?! The increase in its attack speed and strength has something to do with it?''


    Initially, Marcus believed that Aylinor had gotten used to his fighting style as they fought. This thanks to his increased physical and sensory abilities after using [Entomorphosis].


    However, he quickly dismissed this idea.


    This was because even though Aylinor''s physical capabilities and senses were superior to his, he had still been unable to evade or predict all of Marcus'' attacks and movements.


    Even when they were exchanging blows at high speed, Marcus was still able to land a couple of blows on Aylinor''s body, though he had been unable to break through his hard exoskeleton. So the priest had not been able to predict Marcus'' movements.


    ''Even though he got a little faster during the fight, that still doesn''t explain why the necrotic energy no longer affects him. It''s as if... as if he gained resistance after I attacked him... as if he adapted.'' At that moment, Marcus thought he had found the answer and in fact, the more he thought about it the more it made sense.


    Marcus then reviewed all the events that had occurred during the fight. Aylinor''s improved attack speed, his increased regenerative ability, his resistance to physical attacks, and his resistance to necrotic energy; all indicated that somehow the priest''s body was adapting specifically to deal with him.


    ''If he can gain resistance by adapting to my attacks then I have to cause him more damage than his body can take so that he doesn''t even have a chance to adapt. But...'' Once he recovered from his more severe wounds Marcus stood up and checked how much MP he had left.


    [MP: 166 / 3,735]


    When Marcus saw his remaining MP he felt he was screwed. With the amount of MP he had left, even if he canceled all his physical boosting spells, he would only be able to conjure one 2nd level spell before he ran out of energy and was helpless against Aylinor.


    ''A 2nd level spell won''t be enough. I need something stronger, something more powerful... I need more power, more... energy!'' At that moment an idea crossed Marcus'' mind.


    He opened his [Inventory] and took out a fist-sized Rehi crystal. However, this crystal was black and gave off cold and sinister energy.


    ''I just hope this works.''


    An instant later, Marcus deactivated all of his reinforcement spells except those that increased his agility, sheathed his sword, and exited the house at full speed.. If he wanted his plan to work then he had to hurry.

 Chapter 45 - 44.5: Adaptability And Deception

    Aylinor walked through the town, following the trail of destruction that Marcus had left when he was sent flying away. His wounds had already healed, and his two severed arms were fully regenerated as if they had never been cut off.


    "Little raaat~Where are you...? Come out so we can play a little longer." Aylinor said in a playfully creepy tone. The truth was that although he had regained his calm, the priest was full of rage and exuded a strong killing intent.


    [Entomorphosis] was a special entomancy spell. By using it, one could increase its physical capabilities and acquire multiple skills that only monsters had, as well as the ability to adapt one''s body at an abnormal speed to acquire resistance against different threats.


    In addition, the spell required very little mana to work and its effect could last for a long time. If the mastery rank of the thaumaturge was high enough, then it might be able to maintain the spell for months or even years. Although if one wished, one could nullify the spell with the help of a nullifying potion.


    However, [Entomorphosis] had its flaws.


    When the spell was active, the thaumaturge would be unable to use any other spell except for a couple of special skills and his mental state would become very unstable. In fact, after transforming, Aylinor could barely maintain the spell he used to control the monsters that were attacking the city. If it wasn''t for the magical artifact he had, he would have already lost control over the horde.


    But the worst flaw of the spell was the side effects after using it. Once the spell''s effect ends, the user''s body would suffer a recoil that would paralyze him for a set amount of time, in addition to suffering a loss in his cultivation level.


    The only reason Aylinor had decided to use it was because he was in a life or death situation. At worst, he wouldn''t be able to move his body for a couple of weeks and his cultivation would be reduced a bit. But just suffering a 1% loss of his current cultivation was too much for him.


    The very thought of this had made Aylinor almost spit foam at the mouth. The shame and anger he felt right now were simply indescribable. If he didn''t kill Marcus that night, then he wouldn''t regret it for the rest of his life.


    "You little sh*t...Get the f**k out already, so I can butcher you!" Shouted Aylinor. In a fit of rage, the priest raised his massive arms and delivered a blow to the wall of a house knocking it down instantly.


    "Hey Aylinor, up here!"


    At that moment, Aylinor heard a voice directly in his head. He immediately looked up to the sky, only to see Marcus who was on top of the roof of a house a few feet away from him.


    "I don''t know if they ever told you, but you''re so ugly that you could even make an onion cry!"


    "YOU... GRAAH!" Just by looking at Marcus, Aylinor felt so much rage to the point where he could spit blood.


    *Bam*


    An instant later, Aylinor ran at full speed and rammed the house, knocking it down and turning it into a pile of rubble. However, before the house collapsed Marcus had already jumped and landed safely on the roof of another house.


    ''Well, I think I have his attention. Now I just have to get him to focus on me and get him there without him noticing. Easy peasy.''


    *Bam, Whoosh*


    Aylinor''s scorpion tail came out of the rubble of the house at high speed and swiped in his direction. But Marcus simply moved his body to the right and dodged the attack.


    An instant later, Aylinor retracted his long tail, put all his strength into his insect legs, and jumped several meters into the air.


    *Boom!


    Aylinor descended from the sky and his colossal body crashed into the house where Marcus was standing, raising a cloud of dust in the process. But he had already expected something like this, so when the priest landed on the roof of the house he had already landed safely on the ground.


    A few seconds later, the dust cloud dissipated and the monstrous figure of Aylinor emerged from the rubble.


    ''Necrotic sphere!'' Marcus raised his left arm and a black sphere the size of a baseball shot out of his palm. The sphere quickly flew into the air and impacted Aylinor''s body. However, the sphere had no effect against his hard exoskeleton.


    "Hahaha, I told you it was useless. No matter what you do you will die this ni-"


    ''Necrotic sphere!''


    *Bang*


    Before he could finish speaking, Marcus raised his arm again and shot another black sphere towards Aylinor''s hideous face.


    Although he had not hurt him, this only made Aylinor even more irate than before.


    "You, I''ll KILL YOU! I''ll butcher your corpse, turn your skull into a wine goblet and use your skin as a carpet!"


    "Yeah, that sounds really nice and all. But to do that you have to catch up with me first, asshole." At that moment Marcus turned around and started running at full speed.


    Blinded by anger, the priest didn''t even think twice about running after him. Every step he took, made the earth rumble and shake. As if it were a speeding train.


    "When I get my hands on you I''ll make mincemeat out of you!"


    "Oh, speaking of minced meat, I once knew a guy from Argentina, or he was from Uruguay, maybe Chile... Anyway, the point is that even though the guy''s personality wasn''t very good, the ''Empanadas de Carne'' that he made were awesome! I have to admit, South American food is really tasty!"


    "Shut up!" Every time he heard him, Aylinor became more and more furious. At that moment, the priest finally managed to reach Marcus and threw a powerful punch towards his back.


    *Bam... Thud!*


    But Marcus was faster and dodged the attack. Aylinor''s fist followed its path and hit a tree trunk, knocking it away in the process.


    "Wait... Now that I think about it, if all you''re doing is to impress that stupid goddess you worship, that means... Wait a minute you''re not a faithful devotee, you''re just a SIMP!"


    "YOU''RE COURTING DEATH!"


    At this point, Aylinor was completely blinded by rage and started throwing all kinds of punches and attacks against Marcus, but he always dodged them by a hair''s breadth.


    "For God''s sake, don''t you have any other wittier phrases to say? I''ll make mincemeat out of you, you''re dead, you''re courting death, I''ll chop you up... they''re all hackneyed phrases."


    After running for a while, Marcus finally came to a clearing in town and intentionally slowed down. He then turned around ready to face Aylinor, who had launched a stinger attack towards him.


    ''Ugh, this is going to hurt.''


    *Shik*


    The sharp stinger struck Marcus'' body, managing to pierce through his enchanted armor. He could even feel that the stinger had managed to embed itself deep into his spine. Then, he relaxed his body and stopped resisting.


    "HAHAHA...TAKE THAT! I told you that you will die tonight! HAHAHAHA." The moment he was pierced by the stinger, a smile of happiness, ecstasy, and excitement formed on the priest''s face as he laughed out loud.


    Aylinor swung his stinger and lifted Marcus'' limp body as if it were a potato sack. Then, the priest wrapped his tail around the body and brought it within a step of his face.


    "Oooh, this is really satisfying. How pleasurable, how exciting! Hahaha, I have to say, you have been a real splinter in my ass tonight. No one has ever managed to cause me as much trouble as you have...Oh, you''re still alive?!"Aylinor noticed that Marcus was still moving, though he was unable to feel his pulse or breathing.


    "Did you use a resurrection technique? Well, never mind." Aylinor stretched out his upper left arm and pointed his sharp claws towards Marcus'' head "Any last words, little rat?" He asked arrogantly and indifferently.


    "Actually, I just want to say that... Omae wa mou shindeiru."


    "What?"


    "That you''re already dead, you idiot. Activate!"


    *Weng Weng*


    At that moment, the surrounding air began to vibrate and distort. A few seconds later, the eight Rehi crystals, which Marcus had placed in a circular area of 7 meters (23ft) in diameter where they stood, lit up.


    *Weng Weng*


    The glow of the crystals intensified until they formed eight pillars of black light that rose into the sky. Then, the light from the pillars merged and formed a huge black magic circle, over 6 meters (20 ft) in diameter, that contained hundreds of runes and mystical engravings.


    "YOU...!!!" Finally, Aylinor realized that he had fallen into a trap. In a split second, his triumphant smile turned into an expression of stupefaction and fear. He immediately wanted to escape, but it was too late.


    "Let''s see you adjust to this, you f**king asshole. Tempest of death!"


    *BOOM!*


    A second later, the necrotic energy concentrated in the center of the magic circle, and huge black lightning, almost two meters (6.5 ft) wide , fell to the ground and impacted directly on Aylinor.


    ****


    [Ranemal jungle, 16 km (9.94 miles) from the port city of Neima. A few moments ago]


    *Whoosh*


    In the darkness of the night, an agile and swift shadow moved among the branches of the trees several meters above the ground. But despite its speed, the shadow was so stealthy that each step it took seemed as if a soft, gentle breeze had passed through the treetops barely brushing their leaves.


    Night Fox moved as fast as she could as she followed the trail of energy that led towards the abandoned town 8 kilometers (5 miles) from where she stood.


    It had been about 15 minutes since she had left the city to head to the whereabouts of the Priest of Disease to eliminate him and stop the horde of monsters attacking the city.


    But at that moment, Night Fox stopped abruptly and looked at her surroundings as if searching for something. But although her senses were more developed than those of a normal human, she was unable to detect anything. Except for the sound of the wind, the whole forest was silent, as if dead.


    ''This is strange. I''ve been following the trail for quite some time now and I still haven''t found traces of any creature in the vicinity.'' She thought as she resumed her mission.


    Until now, Night Fox had been extremely careful to move undetected, as there was a possibility that the Priest of Disease had left a couple of monsters in the area to serve as sentries.


    However, since leaving the city walls so far she had not encountered any creatures. This had seemed very strange to her and her instincts told her that something was wrong.


    ''Has someone arrived before me and eliminated all the monsters? No, if that were the case, I''d already come across some corpse. So, the priest really didn''t leave any sentries to guard the surroundings? Is he just relying on his power to protect himself or does he have an ace up his sleeve?''


    *Boom*


    Just that moment, a loud explosive sound spread throughout the jungle and forced Night Fox out of her thoughts. But what really caught her attention was that the explosion had come from the same direction in which the disease priest was standing.


    ''What was that?! But whatever it is, it doesn''t look like it''s good. I have to hurry.'' While thinking about all this, Night Fox took out a vial containing a light blue liquid from between her clothes and immediately emptied the liquid into her mouth.


    The instant the blue liquid passed down her throat she felt all the fatigue in her body disappear and her vigor recover.. Then she put the empty bottle away and ran at full speed through the jungle, in the direction of the abandoned town.

 Chapter 46 - The Eye Of The Scarlet Queen

    [Port city of Neima - City wall, South Zone]


    Unable to hold on any longer, Hadrif fell to her knees on the ground. In an attempt to stand, she leaned on her massive war hammer as she tried not to faint from fatigue. Her breathing was heavy, her head was spinning and her ears were ringing.


    She was almost at her limit.


    Both she and her two companions had been fighting the Sanacran scorpion for about fifteen minutes, but the beast turned out to be much stronger than they could handle.


    The leader of the Red ax Clan, Edwin Wildur, had been the first to fall.


    Only ten minutes after both she and the city governor, Orson Silverdward, had joined the fight against the scorpion, the effect of the potion Edwin used had worn off. So the mercenary leader was no longer able to stand up to the creature.


    Twenty seconds after the potion''s effect ended, Edwin had received a heavy blow from the creature. As a consequence, his magic battle-ax had been destroyed into hundreds of pieces and he was sent flying several yards away.


    At present no one knew whether the man was alive or not.


    Orson, who had been floating in the air and attacking from a distance, had also reached his limit. Throughout the entire confrontation, the governor had been launching magical attacks at the giant scorpion relentlessly until he ran out of mana.


    Moreover, despite being at a greater distance compared to Edwin and Hadrif who were melee attackers, Orson had also not come out of the confrontation unscathed and had multiple wounds all over his body. He had even lost his right eye to one of the scorpion''s attacks.


    As for Hadrif, her condition was far from fine.


    Her enchanted armor had been almost destroyed, so her body had been defenseless against the scorpion''s attacks. Although the poisonous sting had not been able to touch her coppery skin, the creature''s continuous blows and magical attacks had seriously injured her.


    At least five of her ribs were broken, she had multiple cuts, lacerations, and bruises all over her body. In addition, her left lower arm was so badly damaged to the point where her flesh and bone had been exposed.


    ''Damn it... If only I could hold on for a few more minutes... Just a couple more hits.'' She thought. She no longer knew if the pain she felt was a product of her injuries or the frustration she felt at having failed to exterminate the creature.


    One of her war hammers had been destroyed by the scorpion and she only had a little over 10% of her mana left.


    On the other hand, the Sanacran scorpion was also badly wounded. It had cracks all over its reddish spiny exoskeleton, the tentacles protruding from its head had been cut off, it was missing a pair of legs and its tail was almost severed.


    But despite its condition, the giant scorpion showed no sign of weakness and looked like it could continue fighting for another couple of hours.


    *Weng Weng*


    The space around the creature''s mouth began to distort, forming a sphere of energy that grew to the size of a beach ball.


    Hadrif wanted to get up, but she was so badly injured that even if she managed to stand up it was unlikely she could dodge the scorpion''s attack.


    "Kriiiiaaagh!"


    But just as she was about to be attacked, the Sanacran scorpion shrieked in pain, and the energy sphere dissipated before it was finished. A second later, the scorpion''s reinforcement skill was canceled, its reddish exoskeleton returned to its original black color and began to crack, releasing large amounts of purple fluid.


    *BAM!*


    Seeing this, Hadrif gathered all his strength and struck the ground with his huge war hammer.


    *SHIK SHIK SHIK SHIK*


    The moment the war hammer hit the ground dozens of sharp crystal spears emerged from beneath the scorpion, piercing and impaling it instantly. It all happened so fast that the Sanacran scorpion could only give one last shriek of pain before perishing from the loss of blood.


    When the scorpion finally died, Hadrif looked around and smiled in relief. All the monsters that were besieging the city had stopped attacking and began to retreat into the depths of the jungle.


    Only when all the monsters retreated did Hadrif stop resisting against exhaustion. She fainted and her body fell to the ground with a thud.


    ****


    [Abandoned town 23 kilometers (14.29 miles) northwest of the port city of Neima.At the same time.].


    *BOOM*


    The moment the black lightning hit the ground it created a shockwave that sent Marcus flying a couple of yards backward. But despite the enormous destructive power of the black lightning, he had not suffered any damage and even recovered some of his HP thanks to the necrotic energy it contained.


    After about five seconds, the magic circle in the sky disappeared and the black lightning stopped. When the spell ended, all that was left was a huge crater more than 4 meters (13 ft) wide and between 40 (15.74 inches) and 60 centimeters (23.62 inches) deep. In addition, the grass and all the trees and shrubs in the area began to wither and die at a frighteningly fast rate.


    Aylinor, who had been hit by the necrotic energy lightning, was right in the center of the crater. However, his body had turned completely solid and gray as if he had been petrified.


    Marcus quickly stood up and unsheathed his sword. But after waiting for a while he realized that Aylinor was completely motionless and didn''t seem to have any vital signs.


    Once he knew that the priest posed no threat to him, Marcus sheathed his sword and walked over to one of the eight Rehi crystals he had placed in the area just a few moments before. When he took it, the crystal cracked and turned to dust.


    ''Hmm...So I can only use it once. Too bad, if only I could extend the lifespan of the crystals I wouldn''t have to worry about using higher-level spells.''


    In the time he had been in the port city, Marcus had not only been practicing his magic, but he had also been trying to create a magical artifact to block and protect himself from solar energy.


    At the same time, Marcus had been experimenting with his remaining Rehi crystals to see how he could exploit their potential. One such experiment was to charge the crystals with necrotic energy. The idea was to use the necrotic energy stored in the crystals to recover his HP during battle.


    Unfortunately, although he had been able to charge the crystals, Marcus had not yet been able to find a way to absorb the necrotic energy efficiently. In addition, the necrotic energy stored in the crystals caused their lifespan to decrease considerably.


    So even if the crystals charged with necrotic energy could heal him a little, the amount of HP he regained was so minimal that it simply wasn''t worth the cost. The good news was that Marcus could use the contaminated Rehi crystals as an energy source for his necromancy spells.


    *Crack Crack*


    At that moment, Marcus heard a sound as if something was cracking. He quickly turned around and looked down at Aylinor''s petrified body.


    *Crack Crack Crack Crack*.


    In a matter of seconds, the priest''s body began to crack until it finally collapsed, turning into a pile of gray dust. Then, a small millipede emerged from the gray dust and began to run.


    But before the millipede could go even a yard, Marcus ran towards it and caught it in his hand.


    "You bastard, let me go or you will suffer pain worse than death!" Shrieked the millipede in a high-pitched voice.


    "Aylinor? Is that really you? "Even though both his appearance and voice were very different, Marcus instantly recognized the priest''s arrogant tone." Pfff... I see. So this is your last resort to escape. Hahaha... Sorry is just that... you look so pathetic. I mean, have you heard your voice? It''s so high pitched...'' Although he couldn''t speak or laugh, Marcus was able to use [Telepathy] to convey to the priest perfectly what his thoughts were, including how amused he was by his millipede transformation.


    "YOU BASTARD!" As irritated as he was, Aylinor could do nothing to free himself from Marcus'' grip other than squirm and shriek.


    "Well, whatever." he said with complete indifference when he was done "laughing". Then, he exerted force in his hand and began to crush Aylinor''s frail body.


    "Wait! Wait! Think well of what you are doing. Let''s negotiate! If you kill me not only will you gain nothing, but when the Church of Deadly Plagues finds out about my death they won''t leave you alone. But if you let me live, I can forget all this and I''ll even give you whatever you want! High-grade Rehi crystals, magic potions, money, enchanted and magic items, anything! You just have to let me live. What do you say?"


    "I''m sorry, but in my country, we don''t negotiate with terrorists... Well, maybe we do, but the government and the media hide it from the people. But the point is I don''t plan to negotiate with you." Marcus said as he put even more pressure on Aylinor''s body.


    "AAAAH! You motherf**ker! Do you plan to make the entire Church of the Deadly Plagues your enemy?! Are you out of your mind?!" shouted Aylinor in his shrill voice.


    "Come on. Do you really think the church will know it was me who killed you? And even if they did, I don''t care. If the church people want to kill me, let them try. But I won''t make it easy for them. Goodbye, Aylinor."


    *Scrunch*


    Finally, Marcus closed his fist, crushing Aylinor and making him pure. A few seconds later, the system notifications came in.


    Ding!


    ....


    {The skill [Energy Magic] leveled up}


    ....


    {The skill [Necromancy] leveled up}


    ....


    {The skill [Sword Technique] leveled up}


    ....


    {The user has killed a [Human/ Arthropod Chimera] for the first time. 18,990 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {User has killed a [Corrupted Wizard] for the first time. 9,450 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You earned 180,990 XP}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 68 stat points}


    ¡­.


    ''What, just one level?! Don''t f**k with me! This guy was a level 49 rank 5 and this is all I get for defeating him?!'' Marcus was upset about this.


    He hadn''t expected that after all the trouble he went through to kill the priest he would only get this. Even if his skills had leveled up, the reward didn''t seem to be up to par.


    But just then, the system sent him another series of notifications.


    ....


    {You earned 673,120 XP}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 136 stat points}


    ....


    {Conditions have been met}


    ....


    {The title [Arachnid Genocide] has been removed}


    ....


    {You have acquired the title [Arthropod Annihilator]}


    ....


    {Arthropod Annihilator: Attacks against arthropod beasts or similar monsters are increased by 15%}


    ....


    {The user has slain a great variety of monstrous creatures in a short amount of time}


    ....


    {Conditions have been met}


    ....


    {You have acquired the title [Monstrosity Slayer]}


    ....


    {Monstrosity Slayer: Attacks against monstrosity creatures are increased by 10%}


    ....


    ''And this...? Ah, my undead must have just finished annihilating all of Aylinor''s parasitic worms.'' Immediately after receiving the notifications from the system, Marcus used his necromancy to communicate with the undead under his control.


    And indeed, after connecting with the remaining undead, Marcus discovered that all the Naragor parasitic worms had died shortly after the priest''s body turned into a pile of ashes.


    On the other hand, of the nearly thirty undead at his disposal, only five remained. Four skeleton archers and the zombie centipede. The fact that so many undead had survived had surprised Marcus.


    After the priest had used his [Entomorphosis] Marcus had been forced to deactivate the [Fear Aura] so the undead had lost the advantage against the worms. But against all his expectations the undead had not only managed to defeat the worms but there were also some survivors.


    ''Okay, the title [Monstrosity Slayer] I should have acquired for killing off the parasitic worms... But what was the reason for acquiring [Arthropod Annihilator]? Is it because I killed Aylinor who was a chimera? Well, I guess it doesn''t matter... Open Status''.


    ================================


    Name: Marcus Edevane


    Titles: [Undead Killer][Adversity Overcomer]


    [Arthropod Annihilator][Monster Slayer].


    Race: Undead


    Species: Semi-lich Warrior.


    Rank: 3


    Level: 34 (248,021/357,000 exp)


    ================================


    HP: 502/1001


    MP: 26/3735


    Strength: 94 Stamina: max


    Defense: 77 (+350) Intelligence: 374


    Vitality: 100 Wisdom: 122


    Agility: 96


    Stats points: 204


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Corpse body][Fear aura lv:5]


    [Dark Resistance lv:3][Evil Resistance lv:4]


    [Energy Sense lv:5][Melee Combat lv:4]


    [Marksmanship lv:4][Sword Technique lv:6]


    [Mace Technique lv:4][Acrobatics lv:7]


    [Energy Magic lv:3][Necromancy lv:3]


    [Darkness Magic lv:2][Analysis lv:4]


    [Inventory lv:4][Dark Vision lv:9]


    [Automatic MP recovery lv:3][Craftsmanship lv:2]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Blunt damage lv:6][Solar/Light damage lv:9]


    [Fire damage lv:7][Spiritual damage lv:9]


    [Holy damage lv:Max]}


    ================================


    ''Holy Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!!! 357,000 XP?!'' Although he was happy with the progress he made, the moment Marcus saw the amount of XP he needed to level up he was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped.


    ''Sigh... Well, I guess there''s no point in complaining about that.'' While he had certainly been shocked at first, Marcus knew that as his level would increase, the amount of XP needed to level up would as well.


    But since there was nothing he could do to resolve this, Marcus simply ignored it and immediately began distributing his stat points.


    [INT 374?454];[MP:3,735?4,541]


    [STR 94?115]


    [DEF 77?107]


    [VIT 100?140];[HP:1,001?1,400]


    [AGI 96?112]


    [WIS 122?139]


    After distributing his stat points, Marcus felt a stream of power flowing through his body healing his wounds and regenerating his MP at an incredible speed. Once the process was over, he was more than satisfied with the results.


    Now even if it was daytime his stats would only be a little lower than an average human''s. But since his [Energy magic] had increased in level, his strength would be comparable to that of a wizard at the pinnacle of the 1st realm.


    ''Um? What is this?'' Just as he was about to leave town, Marcus noticed something glowing in the pile of dust that was once the priest''s body. As he got closer, he noticed that among the dust were two objects.


    One was a ring and the other was a dodecahedron crystal that emitted a faint glow and was attached to a small, triangular, three-legged obsidian platform.


    ''Where did he keep them? ''Forget it. I don''t even want to think about it. But...'' Without a second thought, Marcus immediately used [Analysis] on the objects.


    ================================


    Name: Eye of the Scarlet Queen


    Artifact: Magic Item


    Tier: Imperial


    ================================


    Durability: 13,020/13,800


    Capacity: 0/30,000


    Descripci¨®n:***********************


    *********************************


    *********************************


    Abilities:


    Entomantic Boost ***


    Reduced mana cost ***


    Mass Manipulation lv: *


    ================================


    ================================


    Name: Minor Space Ring


    Artifact: Magic Item


    Tier: low


    ================================


    Durability: 16/398


    Capacity: 10/50 (KG)


    Description: A ring created


    from the use of space magic, Rhei crystal dust


    and magical smithing techniques.


    Abilities:


    Space storage lv: 2


    ================================

 Chapter 47 - Ambush

    ''Holy crap! It''s really a magic item of Imperial Tier?!'' When Marcus read the information about the Eye of the Scarlet Queen he was quite surprised. He didn''t expect the artifact to be a magic item of Imperial Tier.


    On the Austra continent, the amount of top-tier magic items was quite scarce. Although magic items of medium and lower tier were still relatively easy to obtain, those of High tier and above were rare.


    The reasons were various, such as the shortage of materials for their manufacture, the lack of the designs and production methods, as well as skilled people to manufacture the artifacts. In the port city of Neima, the highest tier magic items were only of Medium tier and there was only one Royal tier item in the entire kingdom.


    Although some of the information from the Eye of the Scarlet Queen was inaccessible, Marcus was still able to draw certain conclusions about the magical item''s capabilities.


    The Eye of the Scarlet Queen could amplify the power of entomancy spells, as well as having the ability to allow the user to control a large horde of 30,000 arthropod monsters. However, if the user-controlled too many high-ranking monsters, the artifact''s control capability would be greatly reduced.


    ''Sigh, it''s a pity that the requirements to use it are so strict. I can''t even use it to upgrade the system.'' Marcus thought as he stored the Eye of the Scarlet Queen in his [Inventory]. If he could use a magic item of imperial tier, his strength and combat ability could reach a whole new level.


    However, for the Eye of the Scarlet Queen to work, the user''s entomancy mastery rank had to be quite high, so people who could use the item were few. Furthermore, the item was not compatible with him or the system, so it could not be used for the upgrade.


    Marcus then turned his attention to the Minor Space Ring, which probably contained all the belongings and valuables that the priest carried with him.


    Space Rings (also known as Storage Rings) were magical items that could store any inanimate object inside. Of course, this was as long as the object did not exceed the carrying capacity of the ring.


    Although Storage Rings were not particularly rare compared to other magic items, they were ridiculously expensive. Just one inferior Space Ring, which had a storage capacity of 10 kg (22 pounds), cost several tens of gold Raels.


    Marcus had originally been interested in acquiring a Storage Ring. But after seeing the exorbitant price of these he decided it wasn''t worth it. Besides, he already had the [Inventory] so he didn''t need the ring.


    But just as he touched the ring, he received a notification from the system.


    ....


    {The artifact [Minor Space Ring] is compatible with the system}


    ....


    {System upgrade is possible}


    ....


    {Do you want to upgrade the system}


    [Yes/No]


    Since the Minor Space Ring was almost destroyed and since it was of no use to him, Marcus didn''t think twice about using the ring to upgrade the system.


    ....


    [Yes]


    ....


    {Upgrade in progress}


    ....


    {[Inventory lv:4]>>> [Storage lv:1]}


    ....


    {intelligence increases 9 points}


    ....


    {Upgrade completed}


    ....


    ''Wow, I didn''t expect that.'' The effects of the upgrade had far exceeded Marcus'' expectations.


    As the ring was only a Low tier item he had only thought that his intelligence would increase a little and that his [Inventory] would improve a level or two. But he hadn''t even thought that he would get a superior skill.


    Immediately after the upgrade ended, Marcus opened his [Storage] and was more than surprised with the skill.


    The [Storage] turned out to be a small pocket dimension with a size of a couple of square meters. Moreover, the moment Marcus used the skill he noticed that both his belongings and the items that were stored inside the ring were also there.


    ''Hoho, the priest profession sure must be a lucrative one.'' Among the things that had belonged to Aylinor were items of great value such as spell scrolls, Rehi crystals, gold, some magic wands, the Moonlight Reflector Pendant, and other things that Marcus didn''t know what they were.


    Just out of curiosity, he took a small vial with yellow fluid and used [Analysis] on it. Only after using the skill, Marcus knew that it was a catalyst component.


    Spells of elemental magic and other magics from this world only required the thaumaturge to use the Rehi (mana) of his body for their proper activation. However, the spells of the evil arts were different.


    The evil arts were magics and techniques brought by the Five Calamities at the beginning of the third age from another dimension. Therefore, their basis and rules were different from those of the magic from Genaerrsis. Many of the spells of the evil arts required other components besides Rehi to be conjured.


    Necromancy was a perfect example of this, as many of its spells used corpses as components.


    ''Uh!'' Almost as Marcus was about to retreat from the town, his [Energy Sense], which he had activated after killing the priest, detected something moving at full speed and heading towards where he was.


    ****


    ''But what the hell has happened here?'' Thought Night Fox, who was hiding on the roof of a house as she observed the dozens of mangled bodies of Naragor parasitic worms and the state the town had been left in.


    Fearing that the loud explosion she heard in the jungle was something bad, she had completely abandoned her state of stealth and headed for the abandoned town at full speed, managing to arrive in only five minutes. However, the scene she encountered left her completely bewildered.


    In the town, which was supposed to be abandoned, there were traces of a great battle that had occurred just a few moments before.


    Houses reduced to rubble, craters of all sizes on the ground, felled trees, corpses of parasitic worms next to those of other creatures, and traces of sinister energy that withered all the plants in the town and made her break out in a cold sweat.


    ''This remains... and this sensation that gives me goosebumps, this is undoubtedly necrotic energy. Was it someone from the Church of the Living Corpses? But why would they attack someone from the Church of the Deadly Plagues? A territorial dispute perhaps? But, the reports I read from the Clan said that the "Five Great Dark Churches" had reached a truce. Something doesn''t add up¡­''


    Just as the Forest Church (which was directly under the control of the Great Church of the Natural Elements) was the main religious institution on the Austra continent, the Church of the Deadly Plagues and its affiliated sects had the most influence on the continent compared to the other Great Dark Churches.


    The mere fact that a member of a dark cult not affiliated with the Church of Deadly Plagues attacked one of its priests in its territory was an act of war declaration.


    Even the Church of the Living corpses, which was much stronger than the Church of the Deadly Plagues, had no reason to attack them and even less now that they had agreed to a ceasefire.


    ''If it wasn''t someone affiliated with the Church of the Living Corpses then¡­ Does this mean the priest was attacked by an unaffiliated necromancer?'' Night Fox began to think that possibility was quite logical.


    Even if the attacker was a necromancer, that didn''t guarantee that he or she was a member of the Church of the Living Corpses or the organizations under its control.


    The fact that someone practiced evil arts did not necessarily mean that they were associated with some demonic sect. Some only learned the evil arts because it was the easiest way to gain power.


    At that moment, Night Fox recalled the incident in which the Giant Clan''s warehouse had been raided. Although the Giant Clan had tried to hide the fact that they found traces of necrotic energy in the warehouse, she found out about it anyway and began to investigate the incident.


    However, after a while, there were no new reports related to the incident, and not much progress was made in the investigation. So Night Fox was forced to postpone the investigation due to the disappearance of monsters in the vicinity of the city.


    ''If a necromancer of this level infiltrated the city without anyone knowing, even if it''s not affiliated with the dark churches it can''t mean anything good. I have to contact Lord Silver-''


    *Xiu... Xiu... Xiu... Xiu...*


    Before she could pick up the communication sphere to contact the governor, Night Fox heard four whistling noises crossing the air and heading straight towards her.


    *Clang Clang Clang Clang*


    With a quick movement, Night Fox unsheathed her twin daggers and managed to easily block the four arrows. A second later, she noticed four skeletal figures in dark armor carrying bows and quivers full of arrows, which were on the roof of a two-story house a hundred meters (109 yards) away from her.


    The next second, the skeleton archers raised their bows and fired more arrows at her.


    ''Skeleton archers! How did they detect me?'' thought Night Fox as she dodged the skeleton arrows. Since she had entered the town she had made sure to move in such a way that no one could detect her presence and had remained hidden even when she confirmed that there was no one in the place.


    However, Night Fox had not only failed to detect the undead despite her keen senses, but they had detected her.


    Wasting no time, Night Fox climbed down from the roof and used quick footwork, managing to evade and block all the arrows as she approached the skeletons. Her movements were incredibly fast and agile, like a swallow in mid-flight.


    "Graaaakh!"


    But when Night Fox was just a few yards away from the skeletons, a huge centipede came out from behind the building and charged toward her at full speed. Although she was a bit surprised by the creature''s appearance, Night Fox did not lose her calm and ran towards the centipede without slowing down.


    Just as the large centipede was about to strike her, she used her left palm to press down on the creature''s head and curved her body, managing to climb onto its back.


    Then, Night Fox pulled out a cylindrical device from between her clothes, stuck it into the neck of the zombie centipede, and immediately put all her strength into her legs jumping off the creature''s body. She propelled herself skyward and landed right in front of the skeletons.


    *Slash Slash*.


    Night Fox swung her daggers nimbly and the four skeleton archers were decapitated in the blink of an eye. In the next instant, the decapitated bodies of the skeletons lost stability and became a pile of inert bones.


    *BOOM!*


    A moment later, the cylindrical device she had placed on the centipede''s neck exploded, destroying its tough skin and killing it instantly.


    All this had happened in just a few seconds. Both the reaction time and Night Fox''s movements and actions had been perfect.


    ''Tch, this guy knew I was coming!'' Due to the undead''s behavior, Night Fox deduced that somehow the person who had fought the Priest of Disease had become aware of her presence and had set up an ambush to kill her. Knowing this, she sharpened her senses and began to search for clues as to the whereabouts of the one who controlled the undead.


    *Creack Crack*


    But at that instant, the wood of the roof she was standing on began to crack and break. Upon noticing this, Night Fox immediately jumped off the building and landed on the ground at the same time as a black mist shot out from the roof of the house.


    The black mist soon enveloped the entire house and spread around it. Everything the mist touched quickly withered and died only to turn to dust and disappear.


    *Whoosh*


    When her feet finally touched the ground, a figure emerged from the mist. The figure wore light armor with a hood, a black mask, and in his right hand, he wielded a short sword that had multiple runes engraved on the blade.


    *Slash*


    The masked figure moved quickly placing itself behind Night Fox and launched a diagonal slash towards her back. She turned around and raised her twin daggers to parry the masked figure''s blade.


    *Clang!*


    The weapons clashed with a loud metallic sound flashing sparks in the process. But as soon as the weapons clashed, Night Fox''s twin daggers began to rust and deteriorate at an abnormally fast rate.


    ''Necrotic energy!'' At that moment, Night Fox noticed the layer of purple energy covering the masked man''s blade. She immediately dropped her twin daggers and used her footwork to distance herself from him.


    ''This guy! Does he know the techniques of the Death Executioners?!''


    The "Death Executioners" were a special unit of assassins affiliated with the Church of the Living Corpses, skilled in weapon combat and necromancy. However, unlike most necromancers who focused on resurrecting and controlling the undead, death executioners used spells specially designed for combat and destroying magical defenses.


    This style of combat made Death Executioners known as the worst nightmare of elemental wizards who were ranged attackers and whose spells were weak against necrotic energy.


    ''Even if he''s just imitating Death Executioners, this guy is too dangerous to let him live. I have to kill him!'' Although Night Fox specialized in sneak attacks and not direct combat, now that the masquerader had discovered her, she had no choice but to attack head-on.


    Although she could retreat, her instincts told her that if she didn''t kill the masked man that night, then she would regret it later.


    *Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...*


    Night Fox immediately took all her throwing knives and threw them towards the masked figure. Then, she cast a spell to increase her movement speed, unsheathed her short sword covering it with an edge of transparent magical energy, and charged towards the masked figure at full speed.


    *Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang*.


    The masked man swung his sword and easily deflected all of the assassin''s knives. But before he could realize it, Night Fox was already upon him.


    * Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang *


    In a few seconds, the energy blades of both swords clashed hundreds of times, flashing sparks in the air. Although at first, the masked man seemed to have the upper hand, he was soon overwhelmed by Night Fox''s movements and techniques and was forced to retreat.


    ''I see. So he''s an amateur!'' After exchanging a couple of blows, Night Fox realized that her opponent''s sword mastery was far inferior to hers. So it didn''t take her long to predict and get used to the masked man''s simple attacks.


    ''Now!''


    *Clang*


    With a swift and smooth movement, Night Fox struck the masked man''s sword, causing it to fly out of his hand rendering him completely defenseless.


    At the same time, she aimed her sword at her opponent''s heart, and the layer of energy coating the weapon became brighter and sharper.


    *Shik*


    A split second later, the energy blade penetrated the masked man''s chest, piercing through his armor without any resistance, until the sword blade exited through his back.

 Chapter 48 - Consequences

    [Port city of Neima - City wall, South Zone].


    The governor of the city, Orson Silverward, paced nervously from one side of the wall walkway to the other. Unlike Hadrif and Edwin, the wounds Orson had received were much lighter and had already been treated. If it weren''t for the bandages covering his damaged eye, no one could tell that the man had been injured during the battle.


    "Come on, come on... Come on, pick up." Orson said as he looked at the flickering communication sphere in his hand. "Come on Daniela... pick up, damn it!" The city governor finally stopped, raised his eyes, and looked at the scenery around him.


    The wheat fields on the outskirts of the city were burned and littered with corpses. The houses and farms were reduced to ashes. The city walls were riddled with cracks and holes, and were stained with the blood of both monsters and humans.


    The battle had ended almost ten minutes ago, resulting in victory for the city''s defenders as the monsters stopped their attack and retreated into the depths of the jungle. But despite everything, the situation was far from good.


    Although there was still no exact figure, Orson estimated that of the nearly 14,000 people who participated in the defense of the city at least 3,000 were seriously wounded and approximately 5,000 people, including the vice-leader of the Giant Clan, Hans Renier, and the leader of the Gale Clan, Hawat Manur, had died during the battle.


    In addition, the city had suffered extensive damage, including the destruction of the wall protection array, the burning of almost all farms and fields, the destruction of at least a dozen buildings, and the deaths of hundreds of civilians.


    "Sh*t... The clan Elders aren''t going to like this." From the total damage alone, Orson estimated that even if there were no further inconvenience, it would take at least a year for the city to recover from all the damage and the entire rebuilding process would cost a fortune. "At least I hope the leaders will approve the order to clean up and exterminate monsters."


    *Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz*


    At that moment, the communication sphere in his hand stopped flickering, began to vibrate, and glowed with a faint white light.


    "Night Fox, are you all right?" asked Orson impatiently. Although the attack was over, he hadn''t received any report from the assassin, so he feared that something might happen to her.


    [I''m fine sir. But things got a little complicated.] After a few seconds, a woman''s voice could be heard from inside the crystal sphere.


    "What''s the situation, have you killed the priest?"


    [Negative. Although I succeeded in destroying the artifact he used to control the horde, the Priest managed to escape. But I''m chasing him]


    "Stop, don''t chase him. It is too risky. You have already served your purpose, so return to the city immediately."


    [With all due respect sir, I''ll have to disobey your order.]


    "Excuse me?" Orson was quite surprised by Night Fox''s response. In all the years he had known, the assassin had never questioned his orders. This was very unusual behavior on her part. "I gave you an order.. Return to the city right now!"


    [The priest is very tired and weak. If we let him escape now then we will regret it later. So excuse my disobedience, my lord. I will accept any punishment once I return. Until then...]


    "Wait, Night Fox...!" But before Orson could protest against his subordinate''s actions, the sound of the orb was cut off and it stopped glowing. Sign that the communication had been cut off. "Damn it Daniela! Why is she acting like this...? Sigh, please be careful."


    ****


    *Crack Crack... Crash*


    Unable to withstand the pressure, the crystal sphere began to fracture and crack, until it finally exploded into a thousand pieces. Marcus lightly shook his hand to shake off all the shards of glass that had been left in his palm.


    I hope that will be enough to keep him from being suspicious for a while. But I seriously never thought [Ventriloquist Corpse] would be so useful.'' Marcus thought as he looked at Night Fox who was standing only a few steps away from him. But the woman was rigid and static as if she was a statue.


    He approached the woman and stopped in front of her. Then, he slowly removed her veil and the hood that hid her face.


    The woman''s face was magnificent. Fine red lips, aquamarine green eyes, and her wavy blonde hair that reached her shoulders. If one ignored the almost 3 cm (1.18 inches) hole in her forehead from which one could see her brain, then one could say that the woman was incredibly beautiful.


    Then Marcus gently caressed Night Fox''s pale face and began to closely examine the woman''s body, which could make almost any man drool. She was short, slim-waisted, her legs were long and she had large breasts. But even though her skin had taken on a pale bluish hue, the woman still had the body of a supermodel.


    ''F******k! There''s no reaction?! I mean, I know I lost my d***, but I also lost my emotions and desires? What''s the point of being next to a beauty if I can''t even appreciate her?!''But even though Night Fox was the most attractive woman he had ever seen, Marcus felt there was no difference between looking at her and looking at a wall.


    In fact, when Night Fox was alive Marcus only felt hatred for the woman and, even though she was the first human (Pure) he had ever killed, he felt no remorse or sadness whatsoever. Instead, he enjoyed every second of the fight and even more when he finally killed her.


    ''But on the other hand...'' Marcus examined the place where Night Fox had pierced him with her sword. Although he obviously had no wounds, his enchanted armor had been perforated and was broken.


    A moment later, Marcus activated J?rmungandr''s second incantation [Self Repair]. In that instant, the parts where the armor was broken began to repair and close up at the same time as the armor''s durability returned to its original state.


    When the armor was completely repaired, Marcus looked at Night Fox again and used [Analysis] on her.


    ================================


    Name: Daniela


    Race: Undead


    Species: Zombie Assassin


    Rank: 3


    Level: 26


    ================================


    HP: 671/671


    MP: 1311/1311


    Strength: 78 Stamina: max


    Defense: 55 (+100) Intelligence: 131


    Vitality: 67 Wisdom: 35


    Agility: 192(+20)


    ================================


    Skills:


    {[Poison immunity][Necrotic immunity]


    [Disease immunity][Cold immunity]


    [Dark resistance nv:2][Evil resistance nv:3]


    [Swordsmanship lv:1][Stealth lv: 3][Knife Technique lv:4]


    [Acrobatics lv:5][Energy Magic lv:1]


    [Night Vision lv:10]}


    Weaknesses:


    {[Solar/Light damage lv:10][Magic damage lv:1]


    [Aura damage lv:1][Spiritual damage lv:9]


    [Fire damage lv:8][Holy damage lv:Max]}


    ================================


    ''Even if her stats and skill level declined a bit, she''s still quite impressive.'' He thought as he looked at Night Fox''s status. Although Marcus had lost his remaining five undead, just getting a rank 3 Zombie Assassin under his control had been worth it.


    After his [Energy Sense] detected Daniela''s presence, he had decided it would be best to kill her.


    The reason for this was because Marcus still had some things to do in the port city and if anyone found out that he had been responsible for what had happened in the town, then he would have no choice but to escape into the jungle.


    Besides, Marcus had no guarantee that the person approaching the town would not track him down and pursue him even after he left the place. However, the assassin''s abilities far exceeded his expectations.


    Although in terms of overall power she was a bit weaker than Marcus, Daniela surpassed him in both speed and combat experience, as well as being an expert in assassination techniques. Therefore, it hadn''t taken her a minute to defeat Marcus and his undead.


    If Marcus had been a normal human he would have died the moment Daniela''s sword pierced his chest. But since unlike humans, his "heart" was on the right side, not the left, and since he was undead, he had suffered no damage.


    Fortunately, the assassin had not thought of this and when she saw that her sword pierced her opponent''s body, she let her guard down for a second. But although Daniela immediately realized that something was wrong, the second it took her to realize it gave Marcus enough time to pull a bone thorn out of his [Storage] and put it through her brain.


    Once Daniela was dead, Marcus immediately turned her into an undead. But a few minutes later, the woman''s communication sphere had begun to vibrate.


    This was a problem because if the governor had found out that something bad had happened to his subordinate, he would have immediately sent someone to investigate the matter, and maybe he could find the town which was contaminated with necrotic energy.


    Marcus, therefore, decided to use the low-level spell [Ventriloquist Corpse], to manipulate Daniela''s vocal cords to trick Orson. By the time the governor found out, it would be too late and he would think she had died at the hands of Aylinor.


    "All right, now... What should I do with you?" he thought as he looked at Daniela. Unlike undead summoned with necrotic energy, undead created from corpses only disappeared once their bodies were destroyed. So Marcus didn''t know what to do with the zombie.


    After all, he didn''t want to destroy an undead as high quality as Daniela, but he also didn''t know how to keep the body protected from the sunlight.


    After thinking about it for a while, Marcus decided to try storing the Zombie Assassin inside his [Storage], and to his surprise, it worked. He then proceeded to gather all the Rehi crystals from the parasitic worms and when he was done, he left town.


    ****


    [Port city of Neima- Slums. Two days after the attack].


    In the northern part of the slums were some buildings. These had been built as supplementary warehouses to the dock, however, when the level of crime in the area rose, the warehouses were abandoned and now were used by the city''s gangs.


    Inside one of these buildings was crammed with carriages and caged wagons which were filled with people dressed in ragged clothes and shackled in chains. Meanwhile, a group of armed men was making sure that everything was in order as they filled the rest of the empty cages with more people.


    Standing in a corner of the warehouse, an old man of white beard watched the whole process. The old man wore a black robe and carried a wooden cane. However, both the wooden cane and the old man''s face were stained with blood.


    "Hurry up you idiots! I want to finish this before the Eastern Lord''s fleet reaches the city!" John Makroft shouted as he wiped the blood from his face with a silk handkerchief. Then, the old man looked at the bite wound on his hand and averted his gaze to the motionless body of a girl lying on the floor.


    A few moments before, when she was about to be chained and locked in one of the wagons, the girl had stabbed one of the men with a piece of glass she had hidden in her clothes and had tried to escape. But Makroft had captured her before she managed to get out of the warehouse.


    However, in the process, the girl had bitten and wounded the old wizard. At that point, Makroft had exploded with rage and proceeded to beat the girl to death.


    "You piece of sh*t!" Remembering this, old Makroft''s face twisted in anger and he began to beat the girl''s corpse with his cane. After a few minutes, the old man calmed down and wiped his cane with the silk handkerchief.


    "Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t SH*T! That f**king priest! Things weren''t supposed to go like this!" Said the old wizard as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    After the monster attack, the city had slowly begun to recover. However, the amount of defense personnel remaining after the battle was not enough and the city''s criminality had skyrocketed, even the jails were overcrowded.


    At the time, many of the nobles who were connected with the underworld business thought that this was an excellent time to reap as much profit as possible. But unfortunately, only a day after the battle ended, the city governor''s request for an extermination and monster cleansing order had been approved.


    Upon hearing this, all the corrupt nobles and those people who had connections with the underworld had gathered all their belongings, sold all their properties, and fled the city. The old wizard was also no exception.


    He knew that as soon as the mercenary troops and kingdom soldiers arrived in the city, in addition to launching a full-scale monster hunt, there would be a purge to get rid of the corrupt and criminals in the city. Therefore, for the past two days, Makroft had been selling all his property and belongings as he prepared to escape to one of the neighboring kingdoms.


    However, the old wizard still had plans to continue his business in his new destination, so he had kidnapped a large number of people from the slums to then sell them as slaves as soon as he left the kingdom.


    *Xiu...Plaf*


    At that moment, a faint whistling sound was heard in the warehouse and a man on top of a carriage collapsed to the ground. In addition, the man had an almost three-centimeter (1 inch) wound on his head that ran from his forehead to his nape.


    *Xiu... Xiu... Xiu... Xiu... Xiu... Xiu..*


    A second later, dozens of whistles crossed the air and Makroft''s subordinates began to drop like dead flies. All of them had a three-centimeter (1 inch) wound on their foreheads from which blood and cerebrospinal fluid were pouring out.


    "We''re under attack!!!" In an instant, the situation inside the warehouse turned into chaos. Some men drew their weapons and tried to locate the attackers. Others hid behind carts or wooden crates lying around the place. But whatever they did, the attackers would not stop, and the death toll only increased.


    "The merchandise! Take care of the merchandise!!!" Shouted the old wizard who was hiding behind some wooden crates while preparing a defensive spell. If he lost the slaves, all his effort in the last few days would go down the drain.


    "F**k the merchandise, I''m out of here!" Many of Makroft''s subordinates ignored his orders, abandoned their tasks, and tried to escape. But before they could take a step out of the warehouse they all dropped dead.


    "Goddammit... What the hell is going on! What... what..." At that moment, the old wizard felt a heavy, sleepy feeling invade his body. "This is... magic... a numbing spell... I have to... escape..." Although Makroft recognized what was happening, he could do nothing against the spell, as its effects were far more powerful than he could withstand.


    Finally, the old wizard fell face-first to the ground and his protection spell was nullified.. Soon, his eyelids began to close and within seconds old John Makroft lost consciousness.

 Chapter 49 - Interrogation

    [Port City of Neima. Noble District. 11:00 P.M.]


    The effects of the numbing spell had already worn off and Makroft woke up anxious and disoriented. He looked around only to realize that he was in a darkened room.


    Then the old wizard tried to stand up but soon realized that his body was shackled and he could not move.


    "Hmph. Do they think mere chains were going to hold me down?" Makroft quickly calmed down and circulated the mana in his body to cast a spell. But when he tried to release the energy, it got stuck in his body. It was as if an invisible wall was blocking the outflow of his mana.


    "What the hell is going on? Why can''t I conjure?" Realizing that his magic had been sealed, the old wizard began to panic and tried desperately to free himself from the chains that bound him.


    "I recommend you stop. Those Nullifying Chains were forged specifically to prevent anyone below the 3rd realm from utilizing their internal energy. I must admit, Aylinor did have some good stuff stored in his ring."


    At that moment, a voice rang in Makroft''s head. He looked around trying to find the person who had said those words. Finally, the old wizard''s eyes stopped on a dark figure standing in the corner of the room a few steps away from him.


    The dark figure picked up a small hand-held lantern from the desk next to him and lit it. Consequently, the room filled with light, and the old wizard finally realized that he was chained to an armchair, in a stone basement that was so destroyed that it looked as if it might collapse at any moment.


    Then, the dark figure began to walk towards Makroft. Even though he was wearing a mask, the old wizard was able to recognize the person walking towards him immediately.


    "You, Edevane! What''s the meaning of this!" shouted Makroft as Marcus stopped right in front of him.


    "Hello, Mr. Makroft. I guess it''s been a while since our last meeting." He replied through [Telepathy].


    Marcus had previously met Makroft the night the T.M.S Company held the auction. However, the two had exchanged almost no words.


    Then, in the days following the auction, Makroft had visited Marcus repeatedly to purchase the black spellbook that was in his possession. In fact, the old wizard had even offered ridiculously large sums of money to get the book.


    But no matter what price the old wizard offered, Marcus had steadfastly refused to hand over the spellbook.


    Finally, after nearly three weeks of insisting, Makroft had lost his patience and decided to get the book by other means. One night, the old wizard hired a pair of assassins to steal the book and kill Marcus.


    At first, Makroft did not dare to provoke Marcus because he was a stronger wizard than he was. However, after learning that he was not affiliated with any organization or clan, the old wizard concluded that even if he was a slightly stronger than average wizard, Marcus was not powerful enough to retaliate against him.


    Unfortunately, neither Makroft nor the assassins were aware of the fact that Marcus had the strength of a wizard of the 3rd realm and that he had placed multiple magical traps and protection arrays around the mansion.


    The assassins were only comparable to a zero realm warrior or wizard, so they were not able to break through the mansion''s defenses. In the end, the assassins were seriously injured due to the magical traps and had to retreat.


    After that, Marcus was forced to increase the mansion''s defenses. Of course, it was not too difficult for him to deduce who had been responsible for that incident.


    "What did you do with my men and my merchandise?!!!" Makroft asked in an irate tone.


    "Your merchandise? Oh, you mean the people you kidnapped. Don''t worry I didn''t touch them, but they surely must have escaped shortly after I brought you here. As for your subordinates... Well, I think you already know the answer."


    "You... What do you want?" After Marcus said those words, Makroft forced himself to calm down and think things through clearly. First, he had to know why he had been kidnapped and if Marcus was alone or was there someone else with him.


    "Straight to the point, right? I thought you''d ask me things like, how I knew about the warehouse, about the slaves, where we are, or just demand that I free you, that you''d scream for help or something."


    "Hmph. And what good would that do? You blocked my ability to use magic and I''m chained to this damn armchair. So why don''t we get straight to the point and get this sh*t over with."


    "Hum. You know Mr. Makroft, I thought you were just a greedy, sadistic, cowardly old man and a complete son of a bitch. But I have to admit, I had the wrong idea about you. It turns out that you are capable of thinking like a normal person after all."


    Marcus put the hand lantern down on the floor, walked to one end of the basement, picked up a chair, placed it in front of the old man, and sat down.


    "That makes things a lot easier. Now, I want you to tell me everything you know about the Black Lions and their business dealings with the Church of the Deadly Plagues."


    "The Church of the Deadly Plagues? I have no idea what you''re talking about." Makroft''s expression did not change one bit as he said these words. His expression was utterly calm and composed, without a hint of hesitation.


    "Although while I did trade a couple of times with the Black Lions I have no recollection of having had business dealings with the dark cults."


    "Oh. So you don''t have any recollection about it, do you?" As he said that, Marcus reached into his clothes, opened his [Storage], took out an object, and showed it to Makroft. " Maybe this will jog your memory."


    The object in Marcus'' hand was a circular bronze plate. This had multiple symbols engraved on it along with the image of a creature that had the body of a snake, the wings of a dragonfly, and the head of a spider.


    "That''s it..!" The moment Makroft saw the bronze plaque, the calmness disappeared from his face and was replaced by a bewildered expression. "How do you have that?!" The old man asked in exaltation.


    The bronze plaque Marcus held in his hand was an identification token used by the high members of the Church of the Deadly Plagues. Each one was different and served to show the rank and identity of every member of the church. In addition, each token was created in such a way that it could not be falsified or copied, so each token was unique.


    "Come on, isn''t it obvious? Why do you think the monsters retreated from the city even though Aylinor was so close to accomplishing his goal? But, from your reaction, it seems that you were related to him after all. Now..." Marcus put the bronze token back into his [Storage] and leaned forward. "Are you going to talk or not?"


    "Hmph. And why should I do that? So you can kill me when I''m no longer useful to you?" said Makroft mockingly.


    "If you tell me what I want to know, you won''t die by my hand Makroft. I promise."


    When Marcus said those words, Makroft changed his expression and doubt appeared on his face. But just at that instant...


    *Puit*


    The old man opened his mouth and spat on Marcus'' mask.


    "Kukuku... I don''t believe you a sh*t. And I don''t plan on telling you sh*t." said Makroft with a smirk on his face.


    Marcus wiped the old man''s saliva off his mask, got up from his seat, stood next to Makroft, and took his right hand.


    "All right Makroft. The way I see it, you have only two choices. You tell me what I want to know or..."


    *Snap*


    "AAAAAAAAAh!"The old wizard screamed as Marcus fractured his little finger. Soon tears of pain began to gather in the old man''s eyes.


    "So, are you going to talk or not? What do you know about the Black Lions?"


    "F**K OFF!!!"


    *Snap*


    "KUUAAAAAAArh!!! MOTHERF**KER!!!"


    "Okay, how about another question? What''s one thousand minus seven? Ha, I always wanted to say that." Marcus said. To his surprise, he was enjoying this more than he thought he would.


    " F**K YOU!!!"


    *Snap*


    "AAAAARGh!"


    ****


    [Ten minutes later]


    "See, that wasn''t so hard, was it?" Marcus said as he swayed in his chair and looked at the old man''s bloodied and swollen face.


    Despite resisting and all the insults he said, Makroft could only endure a few broken fingers and bruises before giving up and telling Marcus everything he knew about the Black Lions.


    The Black Lions were a gang that had established their base of operations in the city only a couple of years ago. However, the gang grew quickly and in a short time took control of the city''s underworld and expanded its influence to two other neighboring cities.


    The Black Lions were also part of a larger organization known as the Continental Brotherhood. This organization was an alliance between the various criminal groups that controlled all the underworld businesses on the Austra continent.


    However, the continental Brotherhood was only a business alliance between criminals, so internal feuds and wars occurred quite often. Even so, the Brotherhood had enough power to oppose the major kingdoms and clans of the continent.


    "So, what was the business between the Black Lions and Aylinor?"


    "I... I''m not too sure about that. I was just a middleman. But, it had something to do with the siege of the city. The agreement was that the Black lions would provide information about the structure of the city among other things and in return the priest would pay them with chimera potions."


    "Chimera potions?"


    In Genaerrsis, alchemy was the art of creating potions and elixirs by using different ingredients such as monster parts, plants, and minerals and processing them through the use of magic.


    These potions were mainly divided into three types: Temporary effect potions, Immediate effect potions, and Permanent effect options.


    Temporary effect potions were those whose effects only worked for a limited amount of time. Examples of these would be potions to increase physical strength, potions to increase speed, enhance senses, increase regenerative ability, etc...


    On the other hand, potions and elixirs of immediate effect did not have a time limit since once consumed their effects disappeared in a matter of seconds. Among the potions of immediate effect were mana recovery potions, healing potions, nullifying potions, among others.


    Finally, Permanent effect potions were those that altered a person''s body. These potions could be used to increase a person''s physical abilities or cultivation level exponentially.


    Although within the Permanent effect potions some could alter a person''s DNA. These types of potions were known as Mutagenic potions.


    Chimera potions were a type of Mutagenic potion that endowed the person who consumed it with characteristics of other beings such as animals or even monsters.


    "Why would the Black Lions do all this for potions?"


    "I have no idea! The leader of the Black Lions is an ambitious guy. Maybe he''s planning to create an army to expand and take over other continental Brotherhood gangs, I don''t know, I swear!"


    For a moment, Marcus began to think that what Makroft said made sense.


    Chimera potions were seen as a product of forbidden alchemy by the churches that worshiped the gods of creation, so no one would dare use them unless they were affiliated with the dark sects and cults.


    The risks of consuming the potion were no joking matter. In the worst-case scenario if the individual could not withstand the changes to their body then they would die.


    However, if a person''s body was able to successfully assimilate the option then they might be able to acquire enormous power even without being a wizard or an aura user.


    Also, the success rate of assimilation was not too low, so if one thought about it, using the potion was much more feasible than trying to recruit wizards and aura users which were scarce in this part of the continent. All things considered, the benefits of creating an army of chimera soldiers far outweighed the risks.


    "What you say makes a bit of sense... Very well, thank you for the information. I''ll take what you told me into consideration." Marcus got up from his seat and started walking towards the basement door.


    "W-Wait! You can''t leave me here! You said you''d release me if I told you what you wanted!" Makroft shouted in fright.


    Hearing the old man''s cries Marcus stopped just at the foot of the basement stairs.


    "I think you are misunderstanding something Mr. Makroft. I said you would not die by my hand and I intend to keep my word. But I never said I would release you. After all, I can''t risk you revealing information about me. Goodbye Mr. Makroft."


    "Edevane. Edevane! Come back here and untie me! I told you what you wanted, now release me!! You son of a bitch!!"


    Ignoring the old wizard''s shouts of pleading and insults, Marcus climbed the stairs and opened the basement door. As he opened it, he looked at the girl standing in the corner of the square room that connected to the basement.


    The girl was wearing tattered clothes that were covered with dirt and blood. Her body was full of bruises and her skin was completely green.


    ''It''s all yours.'' The moment he said those words, the zombie walked towards the basement entrance and went down the stairs at the same time Marcus locked the door.


    ....


    {The user has killed an [Apprentice Wizard] for the first time. 500 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You have earned 5,004 xp}


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] applauds your actions with a smile on his face}


    ....


    Marcus ignored the screams coming from the basement as he walked through the corridors of the mansion and the system messages that came in shortly after he entered the library.


    Marcus walked through the library and stopped right in front of the central table which was occupied by all sorts of papers and books, among them some city plans, spell scrolls he had created during the day, and a huge map showing the six continents of the world.


    ''Now, where should I go once I''m done here.''

 Chapter 50 - The Eastern Lords

    The night of the siege, after killing Aylinor and consequently stopping the horde of monsters, Marcus returned to the city undetected and locked himself in the mansion to put all his things in order.


    Even though the city was in a chaotic state and it was too dangerous to stay there for too long, Marcus wasn''t worried about his safety or that someone might discover he was undead. Even if someone did find out, he was fully confident that he would be able to escape the city without much trouble.


    After all, the number of casualties during the battle had been enormous. With almost 6000 dead and over 3000 wounded the city barely had enough people to maintain law and order. The number of magic users and aura warriors who died during the battle wasn''t small either, so their numbers were significantly reduced.


    In addition, of the seven most powerful people in the city two were dead, two others were seriously injured so they could not fight and one had been turned into a zombie.


    As for the last two, the deacon of the Forest Church, Catalin Janeva Rostass, had escaped the city soon after to inform the church headquarters about the attack, and the city governor was too busy to worry about other things.


    So Marcus had no problem with staying in the city for a little while longer. However, it didn''t take him too long to change his mind.


    Shortly after arriving at the mansion, Marcus had checked the contents of his [Storage], and among the things there he also found everything related to Aylinor''s plan and the reason why he attacked the city.


    Being by the sea, the port city of Neima was important for the maritime trade between the kingdom and the other countries of the continent, as well as being a connection point between the eastern part of the Austra continent and the Central continent. But that wasn''t all.


    Originally, the city had been built in that area because of the river there. This river connected the sea with a series of natural waterways that ran through the entire northeastern part of the continent.


    The idea was that the city would use the river as an access point to these waterways to use them as alternative trade routes so that merchant ships could navigate the interior of the continent and connect with the other cities of the neighboring kingdoms.


    In this way, the port city of Neima would become the main point of commercial interaction between the northeastern part of the Austra continent and the Central continent.


    Unfortunately, due to constant migrations by the monsters of the jungle, the project could never be carried out and the city never prospered as it was supposed to.


    However, this was not a problem for the Church of the Deadly Plagues, which had multiple methods to control and enslave the monsters.


    Therefore, the church had decided to take control of all the cities that were connected to these waterways, including the port city of Neima, so that they could transport their troops and supplies undetected by the other enemy forces.


    Unfortunately, the Church of the Deadly Plagues had two drawbacks. One was the Forest Church and the other was the mercenary clan known as the Eastern Lords.


    In this world, mercenary clans were groups whose main economic source was hunting and exterminating monsters. These clans were divided into six categories according to the number of mercenaries they possessed.


    These were:


    Small Clan (10 to 99 members); Medium Clan (100 to 9,999 members); Large Clan (10,000 to 99,999 members); Super Large Clan (100,000 to 4,999,999 members); Continental Clan (5,000,000 to 25,000,000 members); Intercontinental Clan (over 25,000,000 members).


    Some mercenary clans had so much military power, influence, and resources that they even surpassed many nations and kingdoms of the world. So it was normal for the super large clans or higher to have one or more kingdoms under their jurisdiction.


    This was mainly because the mercenary clans had many more elite warriors than the troops of the kingdoms as they were more accustomed to war and facing powerful monsters.


    The Eastern Lords was one of the three continental-ranked mercenary clans on the Austra continent.


    The clan had over 12,000,000 members in its main branch and over 200 lower-ranking affiliated clans. In addition, the clan was led by a council of elders and its ruling leader was a powerful elemental aura warrior at the pinnacle of the 7th realm.


    As their name indicated, the influence of the Eastern Lords extended over the entire eastern part of the continent, as well as a small area in the north. Their domain encompassed more than 20 nations, in addition to controlling dozens of cities and hundreds of towns.


    The Cristol kingdom (of which the port city of Neima was a part) was only a small kingdom in the eastern part of the continent and did not have enough military or economic power to face the attacks of the monsters or the other nations.


    So the Crisol kingdom had no choice but to submit to the Eastern Lords. So in exchange for protection, the Eastern Lords charged a tax and had the right to participate in the political decisions of the kingdom.


    But no matter how powerful the Eastern Lords or the Forest Church were, if they thought that a kingdom or city did not provide them with any benefit then they would not bother to invest in it.


    Taking this fact into consideration, Aylinor planned to use his army of monsters to eliminate the main leaders of the city and damage its defenses as much as possible. That is why he had destroyed the protection array and tried to kill Orson, Catalin, and the other mercenary leaders of the city.


    Once they were dead and the city had received enough damage, the Eastern Lords and the Forest Church would think that it was all caused by a monster displacement and that the city was too damaged to invest in repairing it, so they would end up abandoning it.


    When the mercenaries and the church abandoned the city, the Black Lions would take control and the Church of Deadly Plagues could fulfill their goal of moving their troops and supplies across the continent, as well as creating a connection point between the Austra continent and the Central continent.


    Although Marcus thought Aylinor''s plan was ridiculously complicated and that there were dozens of easier ways to take the city, he could not ignore the war that was being waged, let alone what happened after the attack.


    As the priest''s plan failed, Orson Silverward, who was a member of the Eastern Lords, and the other leaders of the local mercenary clans concealed the fact that the Church of Deadly Plagues had been responsible for the attack and the whole thing was taken as a simple mass displacement of monsters.


    The morning after the attack, Orson had requested the Eastern Lords clan for a clearing and extermination order to hunt down the remaining monsters in the surrounding jungle. Once the monsters were eliminated, the jungle would be cleared, its resources would be extracted and the area would be converted into new spaces for human activity.


    This news would not take long to spread and when that happened the city would be filled with mercenaries, merchants, and all kinds of people looking for new opportunities.


    Upon learning of this fact and knowing the plans of the Church of the Deadly Plague to initiate a full-scale war, Marcus had opted to leave the Austra continent and migrate elsewhere before the first mercenary troops arrived in the city..


    ''Let''s see... where am I supposed to go...?'' Without taking his eye sockets away from the map, Marcus picked up a quill from the table, dipped the tip into the inkwell, and traced a cross over the Austra continent that was right in the center.


    Shortly after arriving in the city, Marcus had studied the geography of this world and was quite surprised when he learned its true size.


    Although the distance he had traveled in the jungle from the time he fell off the floating island until he reached the city had exceeded 9,000 KM (5,592.3 Miles), Marcus had not even traveled a third of the continent.


    According to his calculations, Marcus estimated that the true size of the Austra continent was at least three times larger than the Eurasian continent and was not even the largest continent on the planet.


    Apart from the six supercontinents, this world also had multiple archipelagos and islands, some of which were as large as Australia.


    ''Not this one, not this one either and islands are not an option so...'' Marcus dipped the quill back into the inkwell and without hesitation crossed out the continents at the north and south poles and all the islands on the map.


    The reason for this was because, unlike the continents, the amount of resources on the islands was very scarce as well as the monsters, warriors and high-level wizards. So there was almost no benefit in going there.


    The northern and southern continents were inhabited by dangerous creatures as well as being ruled mainly by the evil cults, so getting to them from the port city of Neima was impossible.


    Next, Marcus looked at the continents to the Southwest and Northwest of the Austra continent and crossed them out as well.


    The Northwest continent was the Dark Lands and no one dared to go there. So, even though that continent was the perfect place for the undead like Marcus, there was no way to get there.


    On the other hand, the Southwest continent (Gamidir) was mainly ruled by the great empires of Aurar and Naria, whose dominant populations were the Alument and the Rassling (beastmen) respectively.


    In addition, the main religions of Gamidir were the Church of the Natural Elements and the Church of the Starry Night.


    But to get there, Marcus first had to reach the western part of the Austra continent. However, this would take too long and he wanted to leave the continent as soon as possible. So he also ruled out Gadimir.


    ''That means that by rule out I only have...'' Marcus took the quill dipped in ink and drew a huge circle around the only continent he hadn''t crossed out. ''...The Central Continent.''


    The Central continent was the main continent of the world. It had the largest population compared to the other continents and was where the major superpowers were located.


    These included some continental and intercontinental mercenary clans, four of the six great empires, and five of the seven churches that worshiped the great gods of creation.


    Moreover, the amount of resources in the Central continent was very abundant, so both the number and level of aura users and wizards were far superior to that of the Austra continent.


    ''If I take a ship from here it will only take a month to get there. Well, I think I know where I''ll go when I''m done here. Now...'' Once he decided on his new destination, Marcus took all his things and several books from the library, put them in his [Storage], and left the mansion with the intention of never returning.


    *****


    [Neima port city- Slums. 11:40 P.M.]


    In the center of the slums, there was a two-story brick building that remained illuminated. This place, which was a tavern, was under the control of the Black Lions and was one of their many meeting places.


    Currently, downstairs there were about fifty people doing nothing but drowning their sorrows with the cheap liquor they served. Upstairs only ten men were sitting around a round table. They were very entertained as they drank wine, played cards, and chatted with each other.


    Marcus was on the roof of a building across the street about twenty meters (65.61 ft) from the tavern. He had been watching the actions of the ten men for some time, through the windows of the second floor.


    Shortly after learning of Aylinor''s plan, Marcus had been searching for information about the Black Lions for the past two days. Finally, his research had led him to Makroft and the old man told him everything.


    At first, Marcus was just investigating out of pure curiosity, but after getting the information from Makroft, he decided to destroy the Black Lions that night before leaving the city. He had several reasons to do so, besides stealing their money, their magic and enchanted items and getting XP.


    After his confrontation against Aylinor and his duel with Night Fox, Marcus had realized that he was not experienced enough when it came to fighting other humans and beings who knew how to use combat techniques, spells, and magic items.


    According to what the old wizard had told him, the Black Lions had moved many of their goods and men to the neighboring cities shortly after the attack because they wanted to move their operations base before the Eastern Lords arrived in the city.


    Currently, the Black Lions only had one-third of their total combat power. Moreover, except for the chimera soldiers, a wizard from the 2nd realm, and the gang leader, there was no one else who could pose a threat to Marcus.


    Facing the Black Lions would help Marcus practice his fighting techniques and gain combat experience.


    Furthermore, for almost the entire time he had been in the city, Marcus had been suppressing his murderous urges and, despite all the monsters and humans he killed recently, his undead nature was only somewhat calmed.


    By slaughtering all the members of the Black Lions, Marcus hoped that his murderous urges would calm down for a while. At least long enough until he reached the Central continent.


    ''Alright, let the show begin.'' Marcus raised his right arm and pointed his index finger towards one of the second-floor windows. Then a small white magic circle five centimeters (2 inches) wide appeared on the tip of his finger. ''Energy bullet.''


    *Xiu...*


    At that instant, a marble-sized sphere shot out from the magic circle on his finger. The energy bullet traveled the distance between the two buildings in the blink of an eye and shattered the building''s window.


    The bullet finally struck one of the men in the forehead, killing him instantly and causing him to collapse on the table as his blood and cerebrospinal fluid poured out of his wound.

 Chapter 51 - Massacre

    [Port city of Neima. slums. 11:35 P.M.]


    "Tch, I can''t believe after all the work we did we have to leave town." said Jeremiah in a complaining tone as he threw the cards on the table and took a swig of wine from his glass.


    "And what do you suggest we do? The first troops of the Eastern Lords could arrive at any moment and personally, I don''t want to get involved with them." Said the man sitting to his left as he tossed a couple of silver coins in the center of the table to raise the bet.


    "From what I hear, the Eastern Lords plan to send five divisions, each led by a wizard from the 5th realm. With 50,000 men and five wizards of that level, I wouldn''t be surprised if they clear enough land to build another two cities." Said another as he withdrew from the game.


    "Tch, that damn priest. I knew we shouldn''t have trusted him the moment I saw that puppet of his." Jeremiah complained. The mere memory of that incident a month ago where he saw a man melt to death still sent chills down his spine and made him nauseous ." If only he had kept his part of the bargain..."


    "Stop complaining Jeremiah. The only reason you''re upset is that the boss didn''t pick you to take the potion." Said the burly man sitting across from Jeremiah.


    "You... Shut your mouth." Although he wanted to reply, Jeremiah couldn''t deny that what his companion had said was true. So he just kept drinking the wine from his glass.


    After closing the deal with the priest of disease, the Black Lions had acquired a dozen Chimera potions. Shortly after, the leader had chosen the twelve most skilled warriors of the gang to take the potion.


    However, of the twelve who consumed the potion five died and four were crippled. But the three who did manage to withstand the effects of the potion successfully became human chimeras and their combat power grew enormously, and with each passing day, they only grew stronger.


    Although Jeremiah was aware of the risks, he still desired to be chosen to become a chimera soldier. For someone who did not have the capabilities to become a wizard or an aura user, this was a unique opportunity to gain power even if he had to risk his life to get it.


    Unfortunately, Jeremiah had not been among the chosen twelve and now that Aylinor was dead he had lost the chance to become a chimera soldier.


    "Well, but be that as it may, we still have two other cities under our control and when the Eastern Lords troops have finished clearing the place we can go back, start over and we can even make more money than before!" Said the man sitting to Jeremiah''s right.


    "Gustav is right, the boss has never failed us. As long as we follow his orders we will have a future full of riches. And speaking of riches... "At that moment, the burly man laid the five cards he held in his hand on the table. "...Look and cry bitches!"


    When the remaining nine men saw their partner''s cards they couldn''t help but groan. It was the highest hand in the game. The burly man didn''t wait for another second and took all the coins from the bet.


    "I can''t believe it. How the f**k do you always have such good luck Claudius?" asked Jeremiah as he collected and shuffled the cards on the table to start the next round.


    "Hmph. What can I say? The goddess of fortune must love-"


    *Crash, Xiu...*


    Before Claudius could finish speaking, Jeremiah heard the sound of glass shattering and a hiss coming from behind him. A glow of light flashed past his cheek at high speed, cutting it slightly and causing it to bleed.


    The glow of light continued its trajectory, hit Claudius right in the forehead, and exited out the back of his head spreading blood and chunks of gray matter everywhere. Finally, the glow of light hit the wall of the room and disappeared leaving only a small hole in the brick.


    *Plam!*


    Before Jeremiah or any of his companions could react, Claudius'' lifeless body collapsed on the table causing his blood and cerebrospinal fluid to spill from his wound.


    "Take cover!" Jeremiah didn''t know which of his companions said that, but before he knew it he had already unsheathed his knife and was under the table.


    *Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu¡­*


    "Aaaah!"


    "Aaaagh!"


    "Keough!"


    However, three of his companions who did not have the same reaction speed were pierced by the energy bullets and died before they could even get up from their seats.


    *Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu*.


    The hail of bullets did not stop. Every second that passed, energy bullets entered the room and a man was knocked down.


    Two of them tried to escape the room, but they could only make it a couple of steps from the door before their bodies were filled with holes to the point where they looked like Swiss cheese.


    Blood began to spill out of the holes and wounds on the bodies, causing many of the wooden floorboards to stain crimson red.


    *Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...*


    Finally, after almost ten seconds, the hail of bullets stopped.


    The state of the room was terrible. Almost all the windows were broken, there were multiple holes in the brick walls, the floors were covered in blood and now in the room, there was only shattered furniture and the corpses of nine men left.


    Jeremiah was still under the table scared and confused while holding his knife with all his might as if his life depended on it.


    *Crash*


    At that moment, one of the windows shattered and a black shadow entered the room. The shadow rolled across the floor and quickly got to its feet.


    From under the table, Jeremiah was able to see the person who had entered the room. From his build, it appeared that it was male and he must have been at least 1.80 meters (5.9 ft) tall. The man was wearing a black mask, light armor with a hood and a sword strapped around his waist.


    "Ni-Nigh- Night Fox?!" The moment he saw the man, Jeremiah couldn''t help but think and stutter in whispers the name of the most mysterious and feared assassin in the entire city. However, as soon as he said those two words, a voice echoed inside his mind.


    "Night Fox? No, unfortunately, she''s off duty at the moment."


    Jeremiah immediately realized his mistake. He quickly jumped out from under the table and without a second thought charged towards the man with his knife pointed at his neck.


    But before the knife could even touch him, Marcus grabbed his attacker''s arm and bent his wrist causing the weapon to fall from his hands.


    *Snap!


    "Aaargh!" Jeremiah screamed in pain as his wrist was dislocated and he fell to his knees while Marcus still held his arm. "W-who are you?!" He asked with a stutter.


    "...Seriously? Why the f**k do you think I would tell you who I am? I mean, asking someone wearing a mask who they are is kind of stupid. Don''t you think, Jeremiah?" replied Marcus calmly and normally.


    "How do you know my name?!"


    "Let''s just say I''m very good at analyzing people. But let''s stop with the useless questions and get down to the important stuff. I want you to take me to the tunnels."


    "How do you even know about that?!" When he heard Marcus'' voice in his head Jeremiah couldn''t help but be surprised and panicked. " Forget it, I won''t take you there. If I do it would be like digging my own grave!"


    "I think you''re misunderstanding me. I''m not asking you for a favor and I didn''t ask for your opinion either. I''m giving you an order." Without hesitation, Marcus grabbed Jeremiah''s forearm applying all his strength, until...


    *CRACK!*


    "AAAAARGH!" Tears of pain welled up in Jeremiah''s eyes the moment he saw his forearm bend in half and his bone exposed, as blood flowed from his wound. The pain he felt as his bone was shattered and his flesh torn was such that he almost fainted.


    "Oh don''t exaggerate. I only broke your arm. I''ve broken my bones so many times that I could even get a Guinness World Record for it. Now, are you going to take me to the tunnels or do I have to break your other arm?"


    Unable to speak because of the pain, Jeremiah could only nod his head in response.


    Then he and Marcus left the room, walked down to the first floor, passed through some of the building''s corridors, and entered a small office furnished with a couple of bookshelves and a desk.


    *Ka-Cha*


    Then Jeremiah moved a lever that was hidden behind the bookshelves and one of the walls of the room opened revealing a hidden door.


    Marcus walked over to the door in the wall and opened it. Behind it was stone stairs leading several meters underground.


    As Marcus inspected the stairs, Jeremiah turned around and began walking toward the exit.


    "Wait."


    Before he could leave the room, Jeremiah stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Marcus. He was so scared that he couldn''t hear anything but his heartbeat and the blood flowing from his broken arm.


    "Give me the map of the tunnels."


    "Su-Sure." As he trembled, Jeremiah reached with his healthy arm for the map he had in his left pants pocket and handed it to Marcus. He didn''t even wonder how Marcus knew he had a map of the tunnels, he just wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as possible.


    *Crack... Thud*


    The instant Jeremiah dropped the map, his head did a 180-degree turn and his body fell to the ground. He didn''t know what had happened until his head hit the floor of the room.


    ....


    {You gained 1,152 xp}


    ....


    Without paying any attention to Jeremiah''s corpse, Marcus unsheathed his sword and descended the stone stairs leading down into the subway tunnels of the city.


    ****


    [Port city of Neima. Subway tunnel network (25 m (82 ft) underground). 12:20 P.M]


    ....


    {You gained 852 xp}


    ....


    ''Damn, where the f**k is the f**king base?'' Marcus thought as he wiped the blood and grease off his sword. When he finished, he averted his gaze to the corpses of the seven Black Lions members lying on the ground.


    At that moment, a black mist began to emanate from Marcus'' body and entered inside the corpses. A few seconds later, as black veins appeared on the skin of the corpses and the mist stopped coming from his body, Marcus continued on his way through the dark tunnel.


    More than half an hour had already passed since he entered the city''s subway tunnels and in that time he had killed more than 30 members of the Black Lions. But still, there was no sign of their main base.


    ''Well, as there are more and more of them it means I must be close by.'' As he thought this Marcus picked up the map of the tunnels and looked it over one more time.


    Among all the information he had been gathering about the Black Lions, there were three things that Marcus couldn''t get until he interrogated the old Makroft. Among them was the fact of the chimera potions, how strong the leader of the gang was, and the location of their bases of operations.


    Apparently, almost 300 years ago those responsible for building the city designed a series of chambers and subway tunnels along with the city''s sewer system. The idea was to use these tunnels as shelters and storage places to store supplies and weapons in case of war.


    But when the project to connect the city to the continent''s waterways failed, the construction of these subway tunnels was canceled.


    By the time construction stopped, the network of subway tunnels already covered 25% of the city, connecting the slums to the commercial district, parts of the technical district, and the residential district.


    But for some reason, these tunnels were never used and were eventually abandoned.


    However, shortly after they established their base of operations in the city, the Black Lions discovered these tunnels and subway chambers. Then they began using them to move around the city undetected and store their weapons, supplies, and material goods.


    Basically, the entire tunnel network was the Black Lions'' great subway fortress.


    ''Well let''s see, I turn the corner, then I go straight, then I turn right again...'' While looking at the map every so often, Marcus continued to move through the tunnel network until he finally came to a large wooden door. ''I think this is it.''


    Marcus immediately approached the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Without a second thought, he kicked the door with all his might, shattering the door frame on the spot.


    ''Oh sh*t.''


    The room on the other side of the door was incredibly large and spacious, with tall stone columns and many wooden crates that were most likely filled with weapons, supplies, and other things of lesser value. However, the room was also filled with dozens of the Black Lions'' members.


    "An Intruder!"


    "Kill him!" The instant all the Black Lions members saw Marcus they stopped what they were doing and drew their weapons.


    "Die!" A man, almost 2.4 meters (8 ft) tall, who was closest to Marcus took his huge battle mace and charged towards him.


    "Graaah!" Just as the huge battle mace was about to hit him, Marcus slightly moved his body to the side and dodged the weapon by a hair.


    Then, with a smooth move, Marcus extended his left arm and with his outstretched hand struck the man in the chest.


    *Scrunch*


    Marcus'' arm passed through flesh and bone without any resistance as if it were butter until his hand came out from behind the man''s back.


    Normally this would have been impossible. However, unlike humans, Marcus'' limbs were made entirely of strong fibers of bone tissue and both his strength and defense had already surpassed the limits of normal humans.


    *Thud*


    Marcus removed his hand from the man''s chest and his huge lifeless body collapsed to the floor with a thud, as his blood poured from the wound in his chest.


    This scene had left everyone in the room completely dumbfounded.


    They all knew the man and they all knew that he wasn''t weak at all. And yet he had died so easily and in such a way that if they hadn''t seen it themselves, they wouldn''t believe it.


    ''Well f**k it.'' After wiping the blood off his arm, Marcus opened his [Storage], pulled out another short sword, and activated the [Mass Telepathy] spell. "Question, do I have to kill you one by one, or do you plan to come all at the same time?"


    ****


    Somewhere in the subway tunnel network, there was a carpeted room illuminated by chandelier light that was decorated with a variety of valuable paintings and artwork.


    In the center of the room was a table where two women (one blonde and the other brunette) and a stocky brown-haired man were dining quietly. They all wore armor made of fine metal threads and monster skin fibers.


    However, what stood out most about them were their upright pupils and the fact that parts of their bodies were covered with hair or scales.


    At the end of the room was a large wooden desk, where two men were going over some papers and documents. One was standing in front of the desk and another was sitting.


    The middle-aged man standing in front of the desk was dressed in simple blue and white robes, was slim, and could not have been more than 1.70 meters (5.5 ft) tall.


    Meanwhile, the man sitting on the desk seat wore a simple white cloth shirt, a pair of black pants and was barefoot. But his appearance was very different from that of the robed man.


    He possessed a muscular build, though not massive, his muscles were well developed. The backs of his hands, his feet, and his neck were covered with red scales. It also possessed a long reptilian tail and two dragon-like horns. In addition, the pupils of his eyes were vertical.


    While Marcus slaughtered the members of the Black Lions, the five people in this room were unaware of the fact that they were under attack. But it didn''t take long for this to change.


    " Boss, we''ve got trouble!"At that moment, a young subordinate entered the room hurriedly without bothering with formalities. The man looked anxious and was covered in sweat. "Someone is attacking us! He''s already killed many of our men!"


    "What! How many are there?" The thin man in blue and white robes asked.


    Afraid to answer, the young subordinate swallowed saliva and finally spoke. "... Just.... one!"

 Chapter 52 - 51.0: Chimeras And Arcanists.

    [Port city of Neima. Subway tunnel network (25 m (82 ft) underground). 12:35 P.M]


    ''Huff... That took a little longer than expected.'' Marcus thought as he wiped the blades of his swords which were covered in blood. When he was done, he looked up and looked around. ''Aaah, I think I overdid it.''


    After entering the room and killing a couple of people, Marcus had involuntarily gone into a murderous trance and slaughtered everyone present. He was only able to regain his sanity once everyone was dead.


    In short, the room had become a horror movie set. Dismembered and decapitated bodies, the walls stained with blood and gray matter, severed limbs and organs everywhere, broken and splintered weapons lying on the floor...


    More than a battle this had been a one-sided massacre.


    ''Tch, this isn''t helping too much.'' Marcus thought and at that moment, a black mist began to emanate from his body and entered inside the corpses of the Black Lions until dark veins appeared on their skins. A few seconds later, the mist stopped.


    The main reason Marcus had decided to attack the Black Lions was to try to calm his undead nature, which was a constant nuisance, and to practice his combat skills. However, so far things had not progressed as he had hoped.


    Even though Marcus had killed more than a hundred people so far that night, except for the [Marksmanship] skill, the rest of his combat skills had not leveled up. As if that wasn''t enough, even after killing so many people his bloodlust had barely calmed down and he was still unable to control his murderous trances.


    Also, because most of the gang members were only between levels 6 and 12, Marcus hadn''t collected enough XP to level up and was still stuck at level 34.


    ''Wait a minute... Why didn''t I get XP for killing them?'' At that moment, Marcus realized that something was wrong. If the system had not granted him XP or sent him notifications for killing the Black Lions, then it meant that there was still someone alive nearby who had hostile intentions against him.


    Marcus looked around, trying to find out if anyone was still in the room. But all he could see were dead bodies and obviously, none of them were breathing or moving.


    ''A stealth skill?..... Energy Sense.'' The moment he activated his skill, Marcus was able to sense any being that emitted any kind of energy and unless the stealth skill was too high he would be able to detect any presence that was near him. That included the three that were still hidden in the room.


    ''One on the left, one in front.... and one behind!'' Marcus turned quickly and launched a kick into the air with all his might. However, instead of hitting the void, his foot hit something solid with such force that it pushed it backward.


    *Bam! Crash!*


    "Keogh!"


    The next moment, some wooden crates in the room were shattered as if something had impacted against them and Marcus could hear a groan of pain coming from the same direction. An instant later, a woman appeared just above the remains of the shattered crates.


    The woman was blonde and was wearing light armor. However, parts of her skin were covered in green scales, her pupils were more like those of a lizard and her hands were a pair of sharp claws with which she could probably cut steel like paper.


    The woman quickly stood up, got into a fighting stance, and began to slowly approach Marcus from behind.


    At that moment, a brunette woman wielding a longsword and a man with a halberd appeared in front and to the left of Marcus respectively and slowly began walking towards him.


    ''Invisibility? Hum... That''s new.'' Marcus activated [Analysis] and quickly checked the stats of the three. ''Three rank 3 human chimeras. One level 30 and two levels 31... Looks like coming here wasn''t a waste after all.''


    Without wasting another second Marcus kicked the ground with all his might and charged towards the brunette woman while swinging his swords to slash her abdomen.


    *Clang!*


    The woman raised her long sword and managed to block the attack, colliding with Marcus'' blades with a thunderous sound and generating sparks in the process.


    *Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*


    Marcus didn''t stop and made multiple deadly slashes towards his opponent''s vital areas. But no matter how fast he moved, the brunette woman always managed to block his attacks with her sword, causing sparks to flash in the air every time the weapons clashed.


    No matter how fast he attacked, the woman always seemed to anticipate his moves. She was like an immovable, unbreakable wall. Every time he was blocked Marcus could feel the overwhelming force in his opponent''s blade.


    At that instant, the blonde woman charged towards Marcus with her claws aimed at his unprotected back. He quickly spun on his heels and raised his sword to parry the chimera woman''s claws.


    *Woosh... Clang*.


    However, the moment the steel sword collided with the chimera''s claws, the sword''s blade was cut into five pieces like butter. The claws continued their trajectory and five small cuts appeared on Marcus'' armor.


    Marcus tried to counterattack but at that moment the chimera man ran towards him and swung his halberd intending to cut him in half at the same time as the brunette woman made a horizontal slash with her long sword.


    Marcus reacted in time and jumped backward avoiding the blow of the halberd by a hair''s breadth.


    *Clash!*


    The halberd hit the ground with a deafening noise creating multiple cracks in the ground. However, the brunette woman''s long sword hit him with such force that it forced him back a couple of meters.


    Knowing he was at a disadvantage, Marcus tried to distance himself from the three human chimeras. However, his opponents were not going to allow him to do so and charged towards him unloading a barrage of blows and slashes at high speed.


    *Clang!Clang!Clang!Clang!Clang!Clang! Clang!Clang*


    Marcus swung Uroboros desperately in an attempt to block the blows of the chimeras'' claws and weapons as sparks flashed and the clash of weapons echoed throughout the room. However, the blows were very precise and accurate so that some of them managed to hit him, leaving a couple of marks on J?rmungandr.


    Overwhelmed by the fast and powerful attacks of the chimeras, Marcus was forced to retreat until his back finally touched the wall.


    *SLASH!*


    At that moment the blond chimera leaped towards him, extended her claws, and launched a blow. Marcus put all his strength into his left foot and jumped to the side evading the attack. The chimera''s claws struck the wall leaving 10 deep cross-cut marks in the solid rock.


    ''Sh*t! This is turning out to be harder than I thought.'' Marcus rolled across the stone floor, quickly got to his feet, and ran to the other end of the room to distance himself from his opponents.


    In terms of overall statistics, Marcus was superior to the human chimeras. But unlike him, whose main advantage lay in the ability to use magic, the human chimeras had superior bodies and physical abilities.


    If one were to take into account only the INT statistics, human chimeras would barely reach three digits and would therefore only be considered as creatures of the second realm.


    On the other hand, their physical stats had already reached 200 points. Therefore their total combat power was higher than a common second realm creature.


    For his part, Marcus had put almost all of his stat points into his INT, so except for his stamina, his physique was much weaker than that of the chimeras. So if Marcus didn''t use his magic then it would be almost impossible for him to fight all three chimeras at the same time.


    ''Tch, I wanted to reserve my mana for when I fought the boss, but I guess I have no choice...Necrotic Mantle, Physical Power Enhancement, Agility Enhancement...Acrto, Nesso, Clarmo, Mheric, Klarru.'' Marcus stopped running, activated all his magic and enchanted items, and cast multiple strengthening spells.


    "Graaaah!" At that instant, the blonde woman didn''t wait for another second and ran towards him with her claws aimed at his neck.


    The woman launched blow after blow. But no matter how hard she tried or how fast her attacks were, she couldn''t land a blow to Marcus'' body, who managed to evade her sharp claws by a hair''s breadth.


    Now that he had activated his strengthening and speed enhancement spells, Marcus'' physical stats were on par with those of the chimeras. So evading and blocking their attacks was no longer a problem.


    ''Enhanced Edge, Necrotic Edge!'' At that moment, Uroboros'' runes began to glow and a layer of sharp purple energy enveloped the blade of the sword. Immediately, Marcus swung his sword and launched a horizontal slash towards the chimera.


    *Slash!*


    The moment the energy blade and claws collided, the chimera woman''s ten fingers sliced off as if they were made of jelly and her reddish-black blood began to emanate from her wounds.


    She wanted to scream because of the unbearable pain she felt, but in that instant a large cut opened in her throat, making her unable to scream and the blood began to emanate like a fountain. The next second she collapsed from the loss of blood.


    The woman was shocked by this. After she had transformed into a chimera her skin had become much tougher and had acquired a great regenerative capacity. However, Marcus'' sword had been able to almost sever her neck and her wounds would not stop bleeding.


    Unfortunately, the chimera woman didn''t know that Marcus'' weapon was a magical item that was enhanced with spells and also didn''t know that her opponent was able to use necrotic energy which blocked her regenerative ability.


    Immediately after the blonde woman fell, the burly brown-haired man came within a few paces of Marcus and swung his halberd in a vertical slash towards Marcus'' head.


    However, Marcus was able to perceive the trajectory of the halberd with total precision as if it was moving in slow motion. He moved his body to the side and then leaned forward with the blade of his sword pointed towards his opponent''s chest.


    *Shik*


    Marcus'' sword penetrated through the man''s armor and skin and pierced his heart. At that moment, the halberd blade hit the ground and a few seconds later, the body of its owner also hit the ground with a thud.


    Marcus quickly pulled his sword out of the man''s body and ran towards the last remaining chimera. The brunette woman also didn''t think twice before charging towards him at full speed.


    Then, when they were both a couple of steps away from each other, the woman raised her longsword and made a swift and lethal horizontal slash towards Marcus'' chest.


    *Slash*


    But before the woman''s sword could touch him, Marcus flexed his knees managing to dodge the blow as he slid across the rock floor covered in blood, positioning himself behind the woman to launch a slash towards her legs.


    "GRIIIAAAH!" The chimera woman screamed in pain the moment her heels were slashed causing her to fall to her knees on the ground.


    Marcus stood up, walked towards the woman, and kicked her hand causing her to drop her sword which slid away from her, making her unable to defend or counterattack.


    Marcus raised his sword, ready to pierce the woman''s back and end her life. But...


    *Tremble*


    At that instant, the ground beneath him trembled. It was very slight, but Marcus still sensed it and immediately jumped back several steps away from the woman.


    *Bam... Shik Shik Shik Shik Shik Shik Shik*.


    In a split second, dozens of pointed rock stakes over a meter and a half (4.92ft) long sprouted from the ground simultaneously covering an area of almost two meters (6.56 ft) around where he was standing a few seconds ago.


    Unfortunately, the chimera woman who had her tendons severed did not manage to escape from the area of the spell and her body ended up being impaled and shattered by the rock stakes.

 Chapter 53 - 51.5: Chimeras And Arcanists.

    ''What the f**k!'' Marcus looked around trying to find whoever was responsible for impaling the chimera woman. If the rock stakes were the work of magic, then the thaumaturge must have been in the room.


    At that moment, Marcus'' empty eye sockets locked onto a figure across the room.


    It was a middle-aged man wearing a simple blue and white robe, he was thin, no more than 1.7 meters (5.5 ft) tall, and in his left hand he carried a white wooden staff with a blue jewel embedded at the top.


    "By the gods, but what a bunch of good-for-nothings! They seriously weren''t able to take down a single intruder that I had to go out and take care of him? F**k, I haven''t slept in days and now I have to take care of this?! Are you serious?!" shouted the robed man as he raised his staff.


    *Weng Weng*


    A small earth-colored magic circle formed at the top of the staff, causing the air around the man to shake and tremble.


    "Sharp rock rain!"


    *Crack Crack Crashed*


    At that instant, two columns in the room began to fracture and crack until they broke into hundreds of pieces. Then, the rock fragments took the shape of small 30 cm (11.81 inches) long sharpened stakes that immediately flew towards Marcus at high speed.


    *Xiu... Xiu... Xiu... Xiu...*.


    The rock projectiles were so fast that they caused whistling sounds in the air as they flew towards him.


    Marcus almost instinctively put all his strength into his legs and began to run in different directions, moving his body at different angles dodging and blocking all of the wizard''s rock stakes with his sword.


    Although in his past life he had no combat training or experience, after his reincarnation Marcus found himself in multiple dangerous situations and faced dozens of different monsters and deadly creatures.


    Thanks to all those incidents, (and with the help of the system) Marcus'' techniques, movements, senses, and instincts had become much sharper than when he was human. In addition, his stats had already reached the point of being superhuman.


    So dodging a few rock stakes didn''t present much of a challenge to him and even less so now that he had activated all his boosting spells.


    ''I see. So this must be one of the vice leaders of the Black Lions'' He thought as he tilted his head to the side to evade a stone stake.


    From the information he had gathered over the past two days, Marcus was able to understand a little of how the gang hierarchy was organized.


    Aside from the head of the Black Lions, who was a warrior with multiple special skills, the gang had a total of six vice leaders (two for each city), multiple officers, sub-officers, and squad leaders.


    Currently, due to the imminent arrival of the Eastern Lords, the Black Lions had been forced to move almost all of their forces to the other cities.


    Except for the leader, the wizard of the 2nd realm, and the chimera soldiers, all the high-ranking members of the gang had already left the city.


    *Rumble Rumble*


    But while Marcus was still dodging the stone stakes, the robed wizard raised his staff creating multiple glowing magic circles which produced sparks and arcs of electricity.


    "Lightning chains!" The blue-robed wizard finished reciting his spell and swung his staff forward. At that same instant, the magic circles began to glow with great intensity and multiple strings of blue lightning shot out towards Marcus.


    Marcus immediately jumped backward to evade the wizard''s attacks, but although he managed to evade most of them, one of the lightning grazed the left side of his body. Fortunately, his J?rmungandr enchanted armor was quite tough and he only lost a little HP.


    *Boom!*


    The rest of the lightning that failed to hit Marcus continued its trajectory and impacted against the walls, floor, and columns of the room with a great boom. In the areas where the lightning struck the rock had been destroyed and melted.


    Marcus immediately took cover behind a rock column and began casting a spell.


    ''Dark arrows.!'' At that moment Marcus raised his left arm and a black magic circle formed in the palm of his hand. A few seconds later, about twenty black arrows shot out from the circle in his hand.


    Although Marcus could have used his necromancy which was much more effective against elemental magic he had decided to use that spell to increase the mastery of his [darkness magic] which was still stuck at level 2.


    *Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...Xiu...*


    The black arrows flew across the room reaching within a few steps of the wizard in the blink of an eye.


    *Tack!*


    However, before the arrows could pierce his body, the wizard slammed his staff on the floor and a blue magic circle almost a meter (3.2 ft) long appeared in front of him.


    "Hmph, pathetic. Water wall!" The moment the wizard finished reciting his spell, large amounts of water began to emerge from the circle creating a thick transparent water barrier in an instant.


    *Fiu...Fiu...Fiu...Fiu¡­*


    When the dark arrows hit the wall of water, they slowed to a stop and were suspended in the water. Then, the dark arrows began to disintegrate into shadows until they disappeared.


    *Splash*


    When the twenty arrows vanished, the blue magic circle disappeared and the wall of water collapsed, scattering a pile of water on the ground.


    Lightning, water, and earth? ..... Is he an arcanist? thought Marcus as he watched everything that had happened from behind the column.


    In Genaerrsis there were many ways to use magic. Whether it was borrowing the power of an entity from another plane or simply learning to control the power of the natural elements of the environment. Therefore, there were multiple categories for magic users.


    But the most common magic users among humans, and the most numerous in the world, were the wizards.


    By definition, a wizard was one who obtains his power by forming a connection with the natural elements of the environment using their internal energy and then manipulating them.


    However, wizards used to be divided into two types according to the amount and type of elements they controlled. These were known as Elementalists and Arcanists.


    Elementalists were those wizards who manipulated a single element or some derivative of the primary element with which they were most compatible.


    On the other hand, Arcanists formed connections with multiple primary elements and derived elements even if they were not related to each other.


    This had its advantages and disadvantages.


    On the one hand, being able to use more elements, Arcanists tended to have a larger repertoire of spells, making them much more versatile than Elementalists. But practicing multiple elements also had a disadvantage.


    As she or he ascended to a higher realm, the wizard also had to increase her or his mastery over the element she or he manipulated. At a certain level of mastery, the Rehi rings and the wizard''s elemental bond would begin to assimilate allowing him or her to better harness the power of the element.


    However, by having multiple elemental bonds they would begin to reject each other causing an imbalance in the wizard''s internal energy and causing difficulties when cultivating. Therefore many Arcanists found it very difficult to move beyond the 4th realm and their elemental mastery rank rarely exceeded rank 2.


    Usually, the only wizards who became Arcanists were those who were incredibly talented or those who after being stuck in a bottleneck for too long chose to master other elements to increase the number of spells they could use.


    The vice leader of the Black Lions probably belonged to the second type. However, that didn''t mean he was to be underestimated.


    From what Marcus could tell from the few minutes they had been fighting, the arcanist was very skilled when it came to using magic, being able to cast spells and respond to his attacks with incredible speed and accuracy.


    His reaction speed and casting speed were even faster than Aylinor who had been a wizard of the 4th realm for a long time.


    "Sigh... First the attack of that crazy priest, then the arrival of the Eastern Lords, and the fact that we have to move to other cities... I''ve had so much paperwork and work that I haven''t slept in days, having to drink elixirs to stay awake.


    Reassigning tasks, checking inventory, reorganizing transport routes, organizing supplies and weapons for the new bases... Everything was almost ready...


    But just when I think I might have some time to rest, some asshole breaks into our base, massacres all our members, and kills the chimera soldiers we worked so hard to raise...


    Tell me, do you have any idea how much work it will take to clean this up?.... Do you have any idea how much work I''m going to have because of you? BECAUSE OF YOU I''LL HAVE SO MUCH WORK I WON''T BE ABLE TO SLEEP FOR ANOTHER WEEK!!!"


    ''What is this guy complaining about? I haven''t slept since I reincarnated and I don''t go around bragging about it.''


    *Tremble*


    At that instant, Marcus sensed a slight tremor in the rock pillar and immediately jumped to the side several steps away from where he was.


    *Bam... Shik Shik Shik Shik Shik Shik Shik*.


    In a split second, dozens of pointed rock stakes over a meter (3.2ft) long sprouted from the column simultaneously. Fortunately, Marcus was able to avoid the attack.


    Then, he rolled on the ground, stood up, and charged towards the arcanist at full speed.


    If the battle against the arcanist went on too long, even if he won the fight Marcus would lose much of his MP. If that happened Marcus would be unable to engage the leader of the Black Lions and would be forced to retreat.


    At that moment, the arcanist raised his staff and a magic circle appeared at the top of it.


    *Plaf*


    Just when he was a few meters away from the arcanist, Marcus'' feet suddenly got stuck and made him fall to the ground which was covered with water.


    "Watery spherical prison." The moment the arcanist finished reciting his spell, all the blood-tinged water in the room began to swirl around Marcus.


    "Hum. You''re quite skilled, I''ll admit. But no matter how good you are, I don''t think you can breathe underwater!" As the arcanist said this, his spell was completed and a huge sphere of water, almost 2. 5 meters (8.2 ft) high formed in the room and Marcus was trapped inside.


    "You know, from what I heard normal humans only can hold their breath for five minutes. A person from the 3rd realm could hold it for like twenty minutes. On the other hand, I can hold this spell for another forty minutes. So I wonder, what do you think will happen first? I run out of mana or you run out of air?" Said the arcanist with a smile on his face and in an indifferent tone.


    Marcus struggled desperately to break free. But no matter how hard he tried he wasn''t able to break the water sphere.


    Furthermore, the water in the sphere was so dense that Marcus was unable to move properly and also unable to concentrate to cast his elemental spells or use his necromancy.


    "Hmph. It''s useless. This spell changes the tension of the water making it denser. It doesn''t matter if you can cast your spells without reciting them, if you can''t move then you can''t form the runes and magic circles needed to activate them. Now stop resisting and just f**king die!"


    Time passed slowly and Marcus'' jerky movements became lighter and lighter as the minutes passed. After almost 20 minutes had passed, Marcus stopped moving.


    *Splash*


    30 minutes later, the huge sphere of water burst, and Marcus'' body fell to the floor completely motionless. A triumphant smile formed on the face of the arcanist, who began to walk towards him.


    "Sigh...F**k. How careless of us. How long will it take us to recover from this...Sigh, goodbye to my precious sleep time. "The arcanist looked from one side to the other, observing the corpses of all the gang members and the bodies of the three human chimeras." Now how am I supposed to clean up this mess?!"


    *Slash!*


    ''Eh?'' At that moment, the arcanist saw a faint flash out of the corner of his eyes and his point of view changed completely. In an instant, he went from staring at Marcus'' body to looking at the ceiling of the room which was getting farther and farther away and for some reason, he felt his body become extremely light.


    *Pack!*


    As his head fell to the floor, the arcanist saw his decapitated body collapse to the floor with a thud and saw Marcus who was holding his sword covered in blood.


    Finally, the arcanist was able to comprehend what had happened. A split second later, his vision blurred and his eyelids closed to never open again.


    Ding!


    ....


    {The skill [Automatic MP Recovery] leveled up}


    ....


    {The skill [Sword Technique] leveled up}


    ....


    {The skill [Melee Combat] leveled up}


    ....


    {The user has killed a [Human Chimera] for the first time. An additional 1,870 experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {The user has killed a [Warrior] for the first time. 935 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {The user has killed a [Elemental Wizard] for the first time. 2,550 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You earned 75,310 xp}


    ....


    {You leveled up}


    ....


    {You gained 68 stat points}


    ....


    ''Sh*t! Now I''m all soaked. Perfect, just perfect!''Marcus complained as he wiped the arcanist''s blood off his sword and wrung the water out of his clothes.


    Fortunately, as an undead, he didn''t need to breathe, so the arcanist''s plan to drown him to death was futile. So after faking his death, Marcus only had to wait for the right moment when the arcanist would let his guard down and kill him with one blow.


    Immediately after draining the water from his clothes as best he could, Marcus checked his status and began distributing his stat points.


    [INT 463?497];[MP:4,630?4,972]


    [STR 115?124]


    [DEF 107?114]


    [VIT 140? 150];[HP:1,400?1,503]


    [AGI 112?120]


    When he was done, Marcus opened his [Storage], prepared a couple of things, and started putting away all the valuable items and stuff that might be of use to him in the future.


    Then, he took out the map of the tunnels, closed his [Storage], and started walking through the tunnel network. After walking for a few minutes, Marcus arrived in front of some wooden double doors.


    However, Marcus could sense that behind the door was an extremely strong creature. The pressure emanating from the room was even stronger than the one he felt when he met the leader of the Giant Clan, Hadrif Treikar.


    Perhaps, the person behind that door was on the same level as Aylinor.


    ''Hmph. I guess this is it.'' Marcus was ready to kick down the door and break into the room of the Black Lions'' boss. But the moment he touched the door it opened without any hitch.


    After opening the door, Marcus entered into a carpeted room illuminated by the light of chandeliers and decorated with a variety of valuable paintings and artwork.


    At the far end of the room was a large wooden desk and a picture hung on the far wall. A man was standing with his back to the door, looking at the picture on the wall while drinking liquor from a highly detailed crystal goblet.


    He wore a simple white cloth shirt, a pair of black pants and was barefoot. But he had a tail, horns, and parts of his body were covered in bright red scales.


    "So Kristoff and those three idiots failed eh?" The dragon-like man took a swig of liquor from his goblet and turned around. " Couldn''t you dry off a bit before you came in? You''re getting the carpet wet."


    The moment the man turned around, Marcus used [Analysis] on him. But even without using his skill, he already knew what kind of race the man belonged to.


    ================================


    Name: Velector Warburn.


    Titles: [Brutal Warrior] [Slaughterer].


    Race: Draun


    Profession: Draconid Blood Warrior (Gang Leader)


    Rank: 5


    Level: 53


    ================================


    HP: 7,200/7,200 MP: 6,380/6,380


    Strength: ??? Stamina: ???


    Defense: ??? Intelligence: ????


    Vitality: ??? Wisdom: ???


    Agility: ???


    ================================

 Chapter 54 - An Offer And A Purpose

    Almost 350,000 years ago, the Seven Great Gods of creation had come to Genaerrsis from another universe and using their power molded the already existing world, transforming it into a place capable of harboring life.


    Years later, the gods began to fill the material plane with all kinds of life forms and created the first three races, each with its distinctive qualities and characteristics.


    The Humans, the Alument, and the Asrakians.


    But, as the gods were very powerful beings made of pure energy, they couldn''t stay on the material plane.


    If they did, their very presence could cause anomalies and disturbances in the universe, and simply descending directly into the earthly plane would cost them an enormous amount of the divine energy that made up their bodies.


    If a god lost too much divine energy, then they could no longer exercise their power and would be forced to remain in a state of lethargy until they could recover. During that state a god was vulnerable.


    Therefore, after the gods finished shaping the world, they retreated to the Celestial Realm (Etlant). A dimensional plane created by them where they could remain without losing their divine power.


    However, before retiring to Etlant, the gods created nine guardians, each with a power comparable to that of a god, to protect the earthly plane from any possible danger while they were not there.


    These Nine Earthly Guardians were known as the Six Ancestral Dragons and the Three Colossuses of the Cosmos.


    The Nine Guardians remained on the earthly plane for over one hundred thousand years, rarely interacting with mortal beings and prepared to protect the universe from any danger.


    Finally, when the Five Calamities arrived along with their armies of demons intent on conquering this new world; The Nine Earthly Guardians fulfilled the role the gods had entrusted to them and fought on the front line in the war, slaughtering the hordes of demons and instilling fear in them.


    However, this didn''t last forever.


    One day, the Nine Guardians found themselves engaged in a great battle against two of the Five Calamities. Valok, the Demon God of the Abyss, and Ramauris, the Demon God of the Undead.


    The battle between the two sides had been so colossal that it lasted a whole week and shook the heavens. But in the end, the two demon gods emerged victoriously and of the Nine Guardians only one managed to escape with his life.


    But that was not all.


    In the third age, the Five Calamities used their power to corrupt the living beings of Genaerrsis and create multiple monster races to add to their armies.


    At that time, the Demon God of Destruction (Astrep) and the Goddess of Chaos (Namasis) used the flesh, bones, and blood of the Ancestral Dragons and the Colossuses of the Cosmos to create and give birth to a new race of monsters, including the draconid beasts.


    The forces of the monsters and dragons were simply too overwhelming and in the blink of an eye, the demons took the upper hand in the war for the universe, forcing the armies of the gods to retreat.


    In a desperate attempt to remedy this, Havall, the last of the Ancestral Dragons, decided to use the same strategy of the demon gods against them.


    Using the corpses of various monsters and dragons, Havall, along with the help of other gods, combined their powers to create two new races of intelligent beings with special abilities to wipe out the hordes of monsters.


    These races were the Rasslings, humanoid beings with animal and monster characteristics, and the Drauns, who had dragon-like abilities and powers.


    Fortunately, Havall''s gamble was successful, as both the Rasslings and the Drauns were incredibly effective in eradicating the monster armies.


    In this way, the armies of the gods were able to balance the scales of battle again.


    Later, the Five Calamities and the demons were imprisoned in Onur, the gods returned to Etlant to recuperate and Havall attained divinity and became the Dragon God of War.


    ****


    The moment he saw Velector, Marcus couldn''t help but remember the stories he had read about this world while staying at the mansion. However, he hadn''t been too surprised when he saw the Draun. After all, he already knew that the leader of the Black Lions wasn''t human.


    Without wasting a second, Marcus raised his sword and charged straight at Velector as he prepared to cast an offensive spell.


    "QUIET!"Velector shouted, and his voice caused the air in the entire room to vibrate.


    Marcus had only managed to take a few steps when his body suddenly froze, becoming immobile like a statue. In the next instant, a system alert notification sounded in his head.


    Ding!


    ....


    {The user has been affected by the [Eye of Immobility]. As long as the effect of the skill is still active the user will be unable to move }.


    ....


    The moment he read the notifications, Marcus averted his gaze to Velector and noticed something peculiar about his eyes.


    In addition to having a reptilian pupil, the Draun''s eyes were a different color. One was a combination of emerald green, ruby red, and sapphire blue. But his other eye was silver in color and for some reason, this one gave off powerful magical energy.


    "Kukukuku... Tell me, this is the first time you see a magic eye right?" asked the Draun with a cocky smile on his face.


    "You know, many believe that the [Eye of Immobility] paralyzes muscles. But in fact, what it does is send out a fluctuation of pure Rehi that immobilizes the target''s limbs and causes an obstruction in their bodily flow of energy. That''s what makes this innate skill so terrifying." He said as he took another sip of liquor. " By the way, I recommend you don''t try to use your magic, because it won''t work against me."


    Rehi was a supernatural energy proper of this world, which had existed since before the arrival of the gods and demons. This energy was present everywhere, both in the inorganic matter and in living beings.


    Over time, the beings of this world had developed different ways of using the Rehi of the environment and storing it in their bodies to acquire unique powers. Such was the case with magic and aura control.


    But there was also a third way to use Rehi, and that was skills.


    However, skills were the opposite of magic and aura control.


    On the one hand, both magic and aura control were based on collecting energy, storing it in the body, and altering it to use as one wished. In short, one forced the Rehi to adapt to it.


    In the case of skills, it was the Rehi that modified the individual allowing him or her to acquire unique characteristics so that he or she could use the Rehi of the environment in a pure state.


    Normally, skills were divided into innate skills and acquired skills.


    Innate skills were those that were one''s own from birth. Similar to a genetic characteristic of each individual.


    On the other hand (as the name specified), acquired skills were those that one gained through various means, such as the consumption of mutagenic potions, or training and practice as was the case with skills such as [Stealth].


    Velector''s [Eye of Immobility] belonged to the innate type skills.


    "I must say I''m impressed... For you to take down all my men, three chimera soldiers, and one of my vice leaders on your own, you must be very skilled." He said as he took a sip of liquor. "Now, I have a couple of things I''d like to ask you."


    "...What do you want to know?" replied Marcus with a telepathic message. Even though his body was immobilized, he needed to buy enough time to resolve this situation and to do that he needed to keep Velector busy. So answering his questions was a perfect opportunity.


    "Telepathy? Well, whatever. I''ll skip the stupid questions like who are you or how did you find my base. So why don''t we get straight to the point and you tell me why you killed Aylinor and why you attacked us?"


    "Wait a minute, how do you know I killed Aylinor?"


    "I didn''t know that, but thanks for confirming it. Now I know for sure that you work neither for the Dark Churches nor for the Continental Brotherhood. If that were the case I doubt I would have sent only you. So either you work alone or you work for someone else who wants me dead. So who is it, then? The Forest Church? The Governor? Someone who thinks I''m a nuisance?"


    "Do I look like I work for the Church of the Forest to you? And if that were the case why do you think I would tell you? Besides, what''s the use of knowing now? I''ve already wiped out your whole gang and you''ve pinned me down. There''s no point in asking me about it. Or what? Do you want to solve the unknowns before you kill me? Hum, I think I''m having a Deja Vu."


    "Hey, you don''t need to be so aggressive. Is it wrong to want to have a conversation? I am a leader of a criminal gang, but I''m not a monster you know. " Velector said as he finished drinking what little liquor he had left in his glass.


    "Sure, you''re not a monster. You''re just a son of a bitch who commits crimes and is part of a group of lunatics, who believe that their goddess will cover the world with plagues and diseases by eliminating the weak, heretics, and impure to create a new perfect world."


    "You mean the Church of the Deadly Plagues? Don''t get confused, I only allied myself with them out of sheer convenience. You see, I''ve been around long enough, so I know how things will turn out. The Dark Churches have been trying to take over the world for over 170,000 years and have never succeeded.


    Sure, the Church of the Deadly Plagues would go to war, but they would have only managed to destroy a couple of kingdoms and clans before they lost. That''s the way it''s always been. By the time this war is over, people will be desperate and looking for more than just faith in gods who haven''t done a damn thing for them since the third age.


    They will seek security, comfort whether it be with alcohol, drugs, or in other pleasures, they will seek a reason to live and only I can give them that."


    "Wow, how humble of you, you are quite the charitable soul. I see, you were going to use the chimera soldiers to accumulate power quickly before the war broke out and when it was all over you were going to be king of the continent. Great plan by the way."


    "Yeah, that''s how it was supposed to be. But you ruined everything!" He said with an irate tone.


    *crash*


    At that moment, Velector clenched his fist and the crystal goblet in his hand exploded into hundreds of pieces. However, he didn''t have a single wound on his hand.


    "So let me ask you again. Why on earth did you kill Aylinor and why did you attack me? Did you want to save the city? Did you want to do justice or do you just hold a grudge against me for something I did?" Asked Velector, after he had calmed down a bit.


    "Do I need a reason to attack you or Aylinor? I don''t work for anyone, things like justice and good I don''t give a f*** about and I don''t hold a grudge against you. I simply saw a good opportunity to attack and I took it. That''s all I can say and if you don''t believe me that''s fine, it''s not my fault you''re an idiot. So if you''re already satisfied, why don''t we get this stupidity over with?"


    "...Pfff, Hahahaha... I''m sorry it''s just... that you''re such a peculiar guy." Velector walked over to his desk. He took out another goblet glass and a bottle of liquor, poured some more liquid into his glass, and took another sip. Then, he cleared his throat and said "Tell you what, why don''t you work for me? Join the Black Lions."


    "...Sorry what? I just slaughtered all your men and ruined your plans with your chimera soldiers. And you want me to work for you? Are you out of your mind?"


    "Precisely because you did all that is why I want you to work for me. The fact that you were able to eliminate all my men tells me that you are worth more than all of them together. You know, I prioritize quality over quantity."


    "And why do you think I would accept?"


    Velector paused and took another swig of liquor before answering.


    "Because you seek power and I can help you get it. From what you''ve told me, I can tell that you didn''t kill Aylinor to save the city and you didn''t attack me out of some stupid grudge. This means you did it for your benefit, so you seek power. The question is, what is your motive?"


    "Excuse me?"


    "Your motive. Your reason for seeking power. You see, I have my reasons for seeking power. The reason I created the Black Lions, the reason I allied myself with the demon worshippers, the reason I do all this. So I ask you... What is your reason, your goal, your purpose... To seek power?"


    Marcus thought a moment before answering. He had already bought the time he needed, so he had no reason to keep talking.


    But perhaps because he had never had anyone to talk to about this, because he had been alone for so long, or because it didn''t do any harm, Marcus decided to answer the question.


    "Because I want to be free. More specifically, I want to stop surviving and I want to start living."


    "You want to be free? Are you or were you ever a slave?" Velector asked curiously as he raised his glass to his lips.


    "Not exactly. I was a slave, but not like you think. The country I was born in was beautiful, many called it the country of freedom. The people of my country were very patriotic indeed. But of course, not everything was good.


    Unfortunately, I wasn''t born in a nice environment. I could never afford luxuries and I never had the opportunity to be very patriotic. Because very early in my childhood I understood that patriotism wasn''t a right or an obligation, it was a luxury. And you can''t afford luxuries when you have to think about how you''re going to eat the next day.


    I wanted to be able to do what others did. Try to learn new things, meet other people, travel the world. There are many places I would have liked to visit: The UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, China, or anywhere else in the world.


    But I never had the chance, because my life was never mine alone, I never had the opportunity to make my own decisions. To be completely free.


    When I finally got the chance to be free, I paid a very big price for it, I lost something important. At first, I didn''t care, but now I realize that I would do anything to get it back. And the only way to get it back is to get stronger...That''s why I killed Aylinor, that''s why I killed your men and that''s why....I will kill you."

 Chapter 55 - Merciless Death

    *Clap... Clap... Clap... Clap... *


    "Woah, that''s... really sad and touching. Though frankly, I didn''t understand half of what you said."Velector said as he clapped his hands with disinterest and indifference "But to tell you the truth I''m very disappointed. Your story isn''t particularly interesting, honestly, I''ve met people in worse circumstances than you."


    "Good thing I don''t give a sh*t about your opinion."


    "Pfff...Hahahaha. Aggressive to the end eh? You seriously don''t think about taking my offer?" asked Velector. He then took a sip of liquor as he waited for an answer. But Marcus didn''t answer and remained in silence.


    "I see. It''s a pity. You know, if you hadn''t come alone, maybe, just maybe you would have had a chance to kill me. But I guess we''ll never know, will we?"


    "And who said... I came alone?" As he said those words, an expression of confusion formed on Velector''s face.''Daniela now!'' However, Marcus didn''t bother to explain and immediately sent a telepathic command to the Zombie Assassin hiding in the room.


    *Woosh*


    Velector was only able to see a shadow out of the corner of his eye before a swift black figure emerged from the darkness just a couple of steps away from him.


    *Slash*


    "AAAAAAAAARGH!"


    Unfortunately, although he could see it, Velector was unable to dodge the Zombie Assassin''s dagger, which cut deep into the left side of his face, severely damaging his silver eye and causing his reddish blood to ooze from his wound.


    Before entering the subway tunnels, Marcus had captured and interrogated John Makroft, who had many direct dealings with the Black Lions and therefore had the most information on the matter.


    One of the things the old wizard had told Marcus was about the fact that the leader of the Black Lions was not human and that, although he was neither a wizard nor an aura warrior, he possessed many special skills which were problematic.


    Although the old man had not informed him specifically what Velector''s skills were, Marcus knew that he couldn''t underestimate his opponent. So before entering the room, Marcus had taken out his Zombie assassin (Daniela) and ordered her to use her [Stealth] skill.


    Fortunately, the [Eye of Immobility] only worked on targets that the user could see, so Daniela, who had been hidden the whole time, had been unaffected by the skill.


    Then, while Marcus was chatting with Velector to distract him and buy time, Daniela had gotten close enough to him to attack from behind. And while she had failed to kill him, the Zombie assassin had indeed managed to destroy the Draun''s [Eye of Immobility].


    "F**king whore!" cursed Velector. Immediately and with one swift movement, the Draun extended his left arm and punched the Zombie assassin in the abdomen.


    *Scrunch*


    Velector''s razor-sharp claws tore and cut through the rotting flesh and bones of the Zombie without any resistance as if it were butter. In an instant, the Zombie assassin was split into two halves, its body slumped to the ground spilling its organs and a grotesque black fluid that was once its blood.


    ....


    {The effects of the skill [Eye of Immobility] have been removed}.


    ....


    ''Nooooo, Dani! That Zombie assassin was new!'' Although Marcus was a bit sorry for what had happened to Daniela, the moment he heard the effects of the [Eye of Immobility] wear off, he didn''t waste a split second and immediately charged towards the Draun who was still suffering from his damaged left eye.


    At that moment, Marcus cast all the empowerment spells on his sword, causing the runes on it to glow even brighter, at the same time the energy edge enveloping the blade became clearer and sharper.


    *Slash*


    Marcus leaped and arrived in front of Velector in the blink of an eye as he made a quick horizontal slash towards his neck. The Draun only managed to turn around in time to watch as Marcus performed his move and as the blade of magical energy rapidly approached towards his neck.


    " NULL!" shouted Velector just before the energy blade sliced into his neck, and in that instant, his right eye lit up with a faint multicolored glow.


    *Clang*


    A split second later, Uroboros'' blade struck Velector''s neck. But instead of cutting through flesh and bone to spill a torrent of blood, the energy edge disappeared and the blade bounced off the Draun''s scales.


    At the same time as this happened, Marcus suddenly felt his body, which had been reinforced by multiple empowerment spells, magic, and enchanted items, weaken rapidly causing his stats to return to their original state.


    Before he could understand what was happening, a system alert notification went off in his head.


    ....


    {The user has been affected by the [Eye of Nullification]. While the effect of the skill is still active, the user will be unable to use/activate any magic-type items or skills}.


    ....


    ''... Oh, Sh*t.''


    "Graaaah!" Velector roared as he launched a punch with his clenched fist towards Marcus'' chest. Fortunately, he was wearing his armor, otherwise, the Draun''s arm would have gone through him like he was made of jelly.


    *Bam, Crack, Crash*.


    Marcus was sent flying into the brick wall of the room, destroying several sculptures and paintings in the process. In addition, some of his bones were also fractured by the blow.


    [HP: 1,237/ 1,503]


    "GRRROOOOOOAAAAh!" However, Velector didn''t stop and immediately ran towards Marcus at full speed to ram him with the force and weight of his entire body.


    Unfortunately, Marcus was still dazed from his sudden decrease in his physical stats and was unable to dodge in time, so he ended up receiving the Draun''s direct charge.


    *Bam...Bam...Bam!


    Velector continued his charge forward, managing to destroy three brick walls, going through two tunnels in the process until finally reaching a large and spacious room, with tall stone columns very similar to the room where Marcus had slaughtered all the members of the Black Lions a few moments before.


    When Velector broke through the third wall he finally stopped, sending Marcus flying along with a large amount of brick dust and debris. His body traveled several yards in the air until finally crashing and bouncing a few times against the floor of the room.


    [HP: 990/ 1,503]


    ''Uuuugh... Goddammit...That really hurt.''


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] watches you with interest as he laughs at your situation}.


    ....


    ''Dude... seriously, this is not a good time to be bothering!'' While trying to ignore [Monarch of the eternal garden] comments, Marcus tried to stand up and use his body''s necrotic energy to heal his wounds.


    ''That weren''t magic eyes supposed to be rare? Why does that guy have two of them?'' But when Marcus tried to circulate the necrotic energy in his body it got stuck. It was as if an invisible wall was blocking the connection between him and the energies in his body ''Damn. does the effect still persist?''


    Among all the skills that existed, Magic Eyes were among the rarest and strangest of all. Not only because the probability of being born with one was extremely low, but because the conditions and effects of each Magic Eye were completely different.


    But despite all this, Velector had not one, but two Magic Eyes! That was even rarer than finding a four-leaf clover.


    The [Eye of Nullification] allowed the user to block all magical capabilities of a person or item up to a certain level. This by releasing a series of waves containing energy particles that would destabilize the structure of Rehi or other energy, making it impossible for a person to manipulate it.


    For that very reason, it didn''t matter if one was out of the eye''s range of sight. As long as the target of the [Eye of Nullification] was within the area of effect of the energy particles, a person would not be able to use their skills or cast spells.


    "You bastard, you RUINED EVERYTHING!" At that instant, the dust cloud dissipated and Velector emerged from the hole in the wall. Very slowly he began to walk towards Marcus.


    The wound that the Zombie Assassin had caused him was already regenerating, but his left eye was completely destroyed. Even if the Draun regained his sight he would never be able to use his skill again.


    "It wasn''t enough for you to ruin my business with the priest and murder my men, you also dared to take my magic eye! And now you will have to pay with your life... "As he spoke, Velector took off his white shirt which was stained with dust, blood, and black fluid, exposing his scarred torso. Except for his marked abdomen and chest, the rest of his body was covered in glowing reddish scales. "... But first you will have to suffer for what you did!"


    ''...Why did he take off his shirt?''


    ....


    {Monarch of the eternal garden: Maybe you should have taken Vaseline with you. XD}


    ....


    ''...Bro what the f**k¡­.''


    "Graaaah!" At that instant, Velector ran towards Marcus who was still lying on the ground, and threw a fist straight towards him.


    Before he could hit him, Marcus rolled on the ground managing to dodge Velector''s attack.


    *BAM! CRACK!*


    The Draun''s fist didn''t stop and hit the rocky ground with a great clatter, forming several cracks in the area where Marcus had been a few moments before.


    Marcus quickly got to his feet and reached for his sword to counterattack. But he couldn''t find it, he had dropped it when Velector hit him in the other room.


    Discarding the idea of being able to use magic or his sword, Marcus quickly ran up and positioned himself on Velector''s left side, right in his blind spot, and unloaded a series of blows to the most unprotected areas of his body.


    Even if Marcus had lost the ability to use reinforcement magic, his stats had already surpassed 100 points so each of his blows contained superhuman strength.


    In just a few seconds Marcus had unloaded over three dozen blows on the Draun''s body, knocking it back a couple of steps.


    "Kregh! You are annoying!!!"But Velector completely ignored the attacks aimed at his body and counterattacked.


    *BAM Crack!*


    Velector raised his fist and hit Marcus right in the chest, breaking almost every bone in his ribcage. The Draun''s blow had been so hard that it even made Marcus take his feet off the ground.


    "I''M NOT DONE YET!!!" Just as Marcus'' body was falling backward in the air, Velector grabbed him by the leg and threw him against the ground with all his might causing part of the rock floor to crack and break.


    *Crash!*


    Next, Velector lifted Marcus up as if he were a rag doll and slammed his body to the ground again.


    *Crash! Bam! Crash! Bam!*


    [HP: 820/ 1,503]


    [HP: 746/ 1,503]


    Velector continued to lift and shake Marcus'' body against the floor back and forth, slamming him against the floor or the columns of the room over and over again.


    *Crash! Bam! Crash! Bam!*


    [HP: 611/ 1,503]


    [HP: 508/ 1,503]


    This process continued for several more minutes and every time Marcus hit the ground, he could feel the bony fibers of his body slowly fracturing as his HP continuously decreased.


    "Hahaha...Tell me, what happened to all that confidence you had? Didn''t you say you were going to kill me? Or can you only use cowardly tactics as you did a while ago? Letting someone else die while you strike the final blow?"


    ''It''s called strategy you piece of...'' But as much as Marcus wanted to protest he couldn''t as Velector had nullified his ability to use spells including [Telepathy].


    "What, you''re not going to yell? What a bore you are!" At that instant, Velector threw Marcus against the ground so hard that his body bounced almost 1.5 meters (5 ft) high. But before his body could touch the ground again, the Draun delivered a hard knee strike to his ribs.


    *BAM. Crash!... BAM*


    ''KGGGH!'' Marcus'' body soared into the air, hitting the ceiling of the room with such force that it ended up shattering a part of it, causing some brick fragments to break off. Then, his body began to fall until it finally crashed to the floor.


    "Graaah!" At the same instant he hit the ground, Velector raised his leg and kicked Marcus with all his might. " Hmmm... How strange. The feeling of hitting your body is a bit stiff or empty. Well, never mind."


    *Bam Crash*


    Marcus'' body once again flew through the air until it hit one of the columns in the room. The impact had been so strong that Marcus had ended up destroying a part of it.


    [HP: 150/ 1,503]


    Even if he didn''t look at the amount of HP he had left, Marcus already knew that his body was on its very last. If it hadn''t been for the fact that Velector had only been toying with him by throwing him against the floor and ceiling as if he were a rag, then he would already be dead.


    All his ribs were broken, his legs and arms were fractured, his skull had multiple cracks and the entire bone that formed his back was broken into pieces. Among all this, Marcus was amazed by the fact that his mask was still intact.


    But even though he only had a tenth of his HP left, all of his bones were broken or fractured and his magical abilities had been blocked, Marcus forced himself to get up from the ground again to take another hit from the Draun. If he didn''t get up, he was sure he would die.


    However, contrary to what he expected, Velector did not charge towards him and instead stopped a few yards away from where he was standing


    "Tch, I''ve had enough of playing with you. I think it''s about time we ended this." Velector said with complete indifference and boredom. It was clear she had had enough of him.


    *Weng Weng*


    At that moment, Velector''s chest began to radiate a warm white light that caused all the air around him to begin to distort and vibrate. In addition, Marcus could also feel the temperature of the room increase by several degrees.


    Velector opened his mouth as wide as he could and the warm light from his chest began to build up in his throat forming intense burning flames.


    A moment later, a large flash of light illuminated the entire room, and a huge fireball the size of a basketball shot out from Velector''s maw at great speed.


    ''... Dammit.''


    *BOOM!*


    Unable to dodge the attack, the fireball impacted squarely on Marcus'' head, exploding the moment it hit him.


    The explosion generated a shockwave that sent Marcus'' body flying several yards through the air until it crashed into one of the room''s brick walls, so hard that it cracked it in the process.


    Then, Marcus'' decapitated body slowly slid against the brick wall until finally collapsing on the floor completely motionless.


    ....


    {Monarch of the eternal garden: Daaaaamn¡­ Are u ok...? Marcus?}


    .....

 Chapter 56 - Racial Characteristics

    "How disappointing." Velector said as he looked at Marcus'' smoking corpse. His head had been completely destroyed and his upper body was still engulfed in flames.


    "Hmph. I guess all wizards are useless without their magic." The Draun quickly lost interest in the corpse, deactivated his [Eye of Nullification], turned around, and began to retreat.


    But despite having killed Marcus, Velector was still upset.


    In just one night he had lost more than a hundred subordinates, not counting his chimera soldiers and his deputy leader who was a skilled Arcanist capable of matching an Elementalist or warrior of the 3rd realm.


    In addition, Velector had not only lost a lot of manpower but had also lost one of his magical eyes.


    All of this coupled with the imminent arrival of the mercenary troops to the city caused his plans to be delayed to such an extent that he would have to reorganize everything all over again. This had been a hard blow not only to him but to the whole gang.


    "Hm?" Just as Velector was about to leave the room, something stopped him in his tracks.


    Only at that moment, Velector focused his gaze on his white shirt lying on the floor and the black stains on it, which were the product of the black fluid from the woman who had damaged his left eye, whom he had killed a few moments before.


    Almost instinctively, Velector sniffed the air, and immediately a putrid odor from the other room pierced through his nostrils. The smell was so intense that it made his face pucker.


    However, apart from that rotten stench, there was nothing else.


    Velector knew instantly that something was wrong, his instincts told him that he was missing something, something didn''t add up.


    After a few seconds, the Draun finally realized what was missing. For some reason, even after Marcus'' head exploded, Velector was unable to perceive that smell he had experienced so many times on the battlefield. The smell of blood and the scent of burning flesh.


    *Woosh...Shik Shik Shik Shik Shik*.


    At that very moment, the sound of wind reached Velector''s ears and a stabbing pain shot through different areas of his back, passing through the inside of his body until it reached his chest and abdomen.


    "UGH!" An instant later, Velector spat out some blood and looked down at his torso, where five bloody white spears protruded from his body.


    "Tch, I seriously liked that mask, and by the way... Ouch."


    Hearing a voice in his mind, Velector immediately turned around and at that moment his right eye opened like a saucer.


    Marcus, whose head had exploded only moments before, was standing right where he had fallen. Furthermore, the flames that enveloped his body had been extinguished, and instead, he was surrounded by a thick blanket of dark necrotic energy.


    He had no lower jaw and more than half of his head was destroyed.


    But in that instant, the necrotic energy surrounding his body started to condense, forming threads and bone fibers that began to bind together repairing Marcus'' damaged skull.


    [HP: 120/1,503] [MP: 4,310/4,972]


    [HP: 430/1,503] [MP: 4,000/4,972]


    [HP: 850/1,503] [MP: 3,570/4972]


    [HP: 1,503/1,503] [MP: 2,917/4972]


    ''Haha, this skill sure is OP.'' Marcus thought as he watched his HP increase again and the wounds on his body heal until his head was completely rebuilt.


    After evolving into a Semi-lich warrior, Marcus had acquired multiple special skills including [Corpse Body] which he obtained after all his immunities were combined.


    But since [Corpse Body] had no level and since Marcus had no idea how to use it, he didn''t know what the skill did. So he thought it was just his general characteristics as undead.


    However, it didn''t take Marcus too long to discover the true nature of the skill.


    [Corpse Body] was not only his general undead characteristics, but the skill also allowed Marcus to survive and recover from mortal wounds such as decapitation. This is by using his MP to replace his lost HP.


    The skill even allowed Marcus to generate more necrotic energy to repair the parts of his body that had been destroyed. Basically, the skill was similar to the regenerative abilities of some living beings.


    Of course, the skill wasn''t perfect.


    If his HP reached 0 before the skill activated, if his MP was depleted, if his body was instantly pulverized, or if his "heart" was destroyed, then the skill wouldn''t work and Marcus would die.


    "Y-y-your face!" stammered Velector as blood spilled from his mouth and he fell to his knees.


    "I know, I''m so handsome."


    "You''re undead!"


    "Why do you only look at appearances? Didn''t anyone ever teach you that it''s the inside that matters? By the way, shouldn''t you just die already?" Marcus asked.


    The [bone spears] Velector had embedded in his body were charged with necrotic energy that was meant to weaken the target while poisoning it to death. But even so, the Draun showed no signs of collapse and, despite the damage taken, was still hanging on for dear life.


    "Cough... Haha, I must say, I didn''t expect this. I never thought the Church of the Living Corpses would be the first to break the non-aggression pact."


    "Oh, you too?! You know, just because I''m undead doesn''t mean I belong to an evil cult. Hadn''t we already made it clear that I did this for my convenience?"


    "You don''t belong to the church? Kukuku, I see... Kgh, Uuugh..." Velector let out a groan, trying not to scream and succumb to the pain as he wrapped his hand around one of the spears protruding from his body.


    *Crack, Crack, Crack, Crack, Crack.*.


    Velector stood up and immediately began to split the bone spears and one by one he pulled them out of his body leaving large holes over 5 centimeters (2 inches) wide through which his blood began to seep.


    However, in just a few seconds the wounds began to emanate a white vapor and close at an abnormally fast rate until they disappeared as if they had never existed.


    ''What the...'' Seeing this, Marcus was truly dumbfounded. He didn''t understand how the Draun''s body had been able to regenerate so quickly even with necrotic energy inside it.


    "I must admit that I underestimated and belittled you. But even though you are undead you are the first in more than ten years to succeed in hurting me to such an extent. Very well, I will no longer use my magic eye. Instead, I''m going to fight...with everything I''ve got!"


    *Weng Weng*


    At that instant, Velector''s body began to radiate a great amount of heat that caused all the air around him to distort and heat up, causing the temperature of the room to rise considerably.


    His muscles began to expand to triple in size, causing the height of his body to reach 2.5 meters (8.2 ft). His claws became sharper, his scales began to spread to cover all areas where he had skin, and his face deformed into a more reptilian appearance.


    Finally, Velector''s body was covered in a thin blanket of red flames, causing all of his clothes to burn and the ground beneath his feet to melt into a pool of hot magma.


    ''Oh, darn. I forgot that Drauns Warriors could do that.'' When Marcus finally recognized what Velector had done, he couldn''t help but curse internally and immediately began casting protection spells and offensive incantations as fast as his non-existent brain could.


    Unlike humans, Alument or Asrakians who were created purely by the divine power of the gods, the Rasslings and Drauns were created from the combination of divine power and the bones, blood, and flesh of multiple monstrous creatures and draconid beasts respectively.


    This caused these two races to have a greater diversity in terms of their racial characteristics and skills. Which in turn caused great differences to appear even between members of the same species.


    In the case of the Drauns, these differences were so great that they ended up being divided into two distinct categories.


    On the one hand, there were the Mystics, whose appearances resembled those of humans with oriental dragon characteristics and who possessed a high affinity for magic. In fact, all Mystics Draun were capable of using magic.


    In addition, Mystics could use the power of dragon blood from their bodies to enhance their cultivation and create special spells which were very effective against beasts such as dragons, wyverns, and their kind.


    However, the Mystics possessed very poor physical abilities and were the least numerous among the Draun being only one-fifth of the total population.


    On the other hand, there were the Warriors, whose bodily characteristics resembled more that of the occidental dragons and who stood out for their incredible physical abilities, which made them very apt for aura cultivation and hand-to-hand combat.


    But although the proportion of Drauns Warriors who were capable of using aura was higher than that of humans, not all of them were capable of aura cultivation in addition to the fact that none of the Warriors were born with magic-using capabilities.


    However, just as the Mystics were able to access the power of their dragon blood to enhance their magical abilities, so too could the Warriors.


    For a certain period, Draun Warriors were able to awaken the dragon blood in their bodies, which allowed them to raise their physical capabilities and combat power by several folds, even allowing them to overcome opponents stronger than themselves in battle.


    This skill was known as "draconid form''''.


    Ding!


    ....


    {Conditions have been met}


    ....


    {The effect of the title [Adversity Overcomer] has been activated}


    ....


    ''Really, just now? Where were you when this guy was treating me like I was a punching bag?''


    "ROOOOAAAAR!" At that instant, Velector let out a roar so powerful that it made the entire room shake and tremble. Then, intense burning flames began to build up in his throat.


    Finally, the flames reached their critical point and Velector spat out a huge stream of crimson fire that illuminated the entire room, causing the air temperature to reach such a high point that it caused the rock to heat up and the water in the room to evaporate.


    In just a few moments, the entire room had become a huge rock and brick sauna.


    ''Energy barrier!'' Before the fire breath could reach him, Marcus activated a defensive spell and his entire body was covered by a transparent energy barrier.


    A second later, the torrent of crimson flames hit the energy barrier with such force that it knocked Marcus backward until he hit the wall.


    Slowly, all the areas where the fire hit or near the flames began to heat up until they were dyed red and melted into hot magma.


    Even though [Energy Barrier] was a 2nd level defensive spell and Marcus'' [Energy Magic] had already reached level three, the flames were so powerful that it caused the spell to begin to crack, causing hot air to seep into the barrier.


    If Marcus had been a human, his flesh would have already begun to cook and his lungs would have burned from breathing in the hot air.


    ''Sh*t, Sh*t, Sh*t, Sh*t! Come on, resist dammit!'' As he was overwhelmed by the fire breath, Marcus continued to pour his MP into the spell, trying to repair the cracks in the barrier before the flames broke through.


    Being undead, Marcus'' body was extremely vulnerable to fire attacks. So if the flames touched his body it would take even more damage than normal and would be instantly calcined.


    Suddenly, the power of the flames was reduced, the cracks in the [Energy Barrier] began to close and the pressure on Marcus was greatly reduced. But before he could relax, the huge figure of Velector appeared out of the flames and swung his claws at Marcus.


    *Crack Crash!*


    Velector''s sharp flame-wrapped claws struck the energy barrier and it shattered into hundreds of pieces like glass. When the spell was destroyed, the Draun wasted no time and immediately lunged at Marcus with its gaping maw which was filled with sharp teeth.


    Quickly, Marcus, who had activated all his agility enhancement spells, put all his strength into his legs and jumped to avoid Velector''s flaming jaws.


    However, the Draun had been quicker and before he could escape had bitten Marcus on the shoulder.


    ''AAAAH!'' Marcus screamed internally in pain as the bones in his shoulder were pulverized by the Draun''s bite.


    Even though he was wearing his enchanted armor which was fire resistant and had activated the defensive spell, the jaws failed to pierce through the armor but managed to destroy his bones with sheer force.


    Ignoring all the pain he felt, Marcus, extended his left arm and struck Velector''s chest with his palm. At that instant, a large 40 centimeter (15.74 inches) glowing white magic circle appeared on Draun''s chest. ''Why don''t you bite this instead? Shockwave!''


    *BOOM!*


    At that instant, the huge white magic circle exploded with a loud explosive boom, which sent Velector flying several yards backward until he slammed into a brick column destroying it on the spot.


    Also, the recoil from the spell was so powerful that it knocked Marcus'' arm out of place and his body slammed into the wall with such force that it ended up cracking it a bit.


    "ROOOOAAAAR!" however, Velector just let out another roar and stood up as if nothing had happened. Then without a second thought, the Draun kicked the ground beneath his feet, shattering it into fragments that began to melt and quickly charged towards Marcus.


    ''Kgh, if that didn''t work then how about this?'' Marcus immediately rearranged his left arm, raised both arms, and two half-meter (19.68 inches) wide magic circles, one black and one purple, formed in the palms of his hands. ''Yippee ki yay Motherf**ker. Pulse of Darkness, Negative Impact!''


    At that instant, two bursts of dark light shot out from the energy circles in Marcus'' palms and impacted directly against Velector.


    *BOOOM!*


    The resulting explosion was so loud that it caused the room to shake, creating a great curtain of dust and black smoke in the process. But before even a fraction of a second had passed, the black smoke dissipated and Velector continued his charge against Marcus.


    ''Oh great. Now he''s resistant to magic too.'' Marcus thought as he put all his strength into his legs to dodge the Draun''s charge.


    Even though Velector had taken consecutive hits from three 3rd level spells, from two different elements and necrotic energy, he didn''t seem to flinch in the slightest.


    *BAM!*


    Just as Velector was about to touch him, Marcus jumped across the room, managing to avoid him by a hair''s breadth. The Draun didn''t seem to stop and finally slammed into the brick wall of the room, destroying it and melting it into magma instantly.


    [MP: 230/4972 (+248)]


    ''Sure, why not? This is the perfect time for me to run out of magic.'' Marcus checked his remaining MP and saw that he was nearly depleted. The 3rd level spells had consumed almost all of his magical energy and he could no longer cast spells to counterattack.


    Just as Velector was about to resume his attack and without much choice, Marcus quickly opened his [Storage] and took out a total of five yellow scrolls, which had been made from monster skin.. ''Tch, I guess I''ll just have to try this.''

 Chapter 57 - Brute-force Fighting

    Velector had an addiction to power, no matter what kind. Whether it was political, economic, social, military, or simply personal strength, power was everything to him.


    Despite not being born with the capabilities to be able to cultivate aura, the heavens had endowed him with two powerful magical eyes and superior physical abilities that gave him an overwhelming advantage against his opponents.


    He was someone who was ambitious and liked to be above others. Reason why he had managed to train himself to the point of reaching a power equivalent to the 4th realm even if he was not an aura warrior.


    In a short time, Velector managed to build a solid force in the underworld of the continent. He gained influence in the continental brotherhood, made connections, accumulated wealth, and enjoyed the best pleasures the world had to offer.


    But for Velector, all those pleasures could not compare to the thrill of fighting an opponent of equal power. A fight of pure raw power, no magic items, no tricks or gimmicks, no weapons, just his body, and his natural skills.


    The simple act of defeating his opponent using only the gifts heaven had bestowed upon him and the strength he had achieved was a pleasure that made his blood boil with excitement.


    To see the despair on the faces of his opponents, when all their tricks against him failed and they realized that there was nothing they could do in the face of overwhelming power. For Velector, there was no greater pleasure than that.


    However, most of the opponents Velector had faced in recent years were below his standards. Many of them were so weak that they couldn''t even resist the effects of his magic eyes, so they were no challenge.


    But now, even as brutal and savage-looking as he was in his draconid form, Velector was fully conscious and the feeling of his blood boiling from the desire to fight invaded his body.


    Velector didn''t care about the fact that his opponent was undead. To him, Marcus was the first person in a long time who had managed to hurt and thrill him to the point of making him use his draconic form.


    No matter how many tricks, dastardly attacks, and items Marcus would use, Velector would overcome it all, to finally destroy his opponent and prove his superiority. Right now, that was all that mattered to him.


    "ROOOAAAAAR!!!" Velector roared from the depths of his soul, letting out all his excitement and desire to fight, he looked at his opponent and charged straight at him, shattering and melting the ground beneath his feet.


    But just as Velector was a couple of meters away from him, Marcus pulled out five magic scrolls from his [Storage], quickly opened them, and broke them in half all at once.


    *Boom!*


    At that same instant, dozens of magic runes manifested in the air, causing an explosion of light blue flames and black mist which began to swirl around Marcus. Slowly, the fire rose until it almost touched the ceiling.


    This caused Velector to stop in his tracks.


    Suddenly, the temperature in the room, which was like that of an oven, began to drop considerably as if a blast of gelid air had penetrated the room.


    A couple of seconds later, the swirl of fire and fog vanished, leaving only a thin layer of frost in the areas where the flames had been and a colossal skeleton of almost two and a half meters (8.2ft) stood in what was the eye of the storm.


    Its body was incredibly robust, there was not a single space between the bones that made up its body. Its limbs were wider than a human head and its entire body was covered in a blanket of cold, celestial flames.


    Seeing this, Velector couldn''t help but get excited and smile with emotion, this had certainly surpassed his expectations. It seemed that the battle had finally reached its climax.


    At that instant, Velector concentrated all the energy of his body into his chest and intense burning flames began to build up in his throat. Finally, he opened his maw and spat out a huge stream of crimson fire, causing the air temperature to rise again to a hellish level.


    But before Velector spat out his fiery breath, the huge skeleton raised his right arm, causing the light blue flames on his body to intensify and gather in his hand. Then, with his fist covered by the cold flames, the skeleton launched a blow with all his might towards the Draun''s fire breath.


    *BOOM!*


    The blazing fire and freezing flames collided, counteracting each other, causing a loud explosion that made the entire room and (though they didn''t know it) the streets of the slums shake and tremble.


    The shockwave from the explosion pushed the air out of the room, causing the fire breath to disperse, extinguishing its flames and forcing Velector back a couple of steps.


    But on the other hand, the skeleton had not moved from where it stood and the icy fire covering its colossal body still burned brightly. This instead of scaring or intimidating Velector only made him even more excited.


    Velector instinctively put all his strength into his legs and without a second thought charged towards the skeleton at full speed. Then he extended his sharp claws and launched a blow at the skull of the undead.


    At this moment, Velector''s massive flame-shrouded figure looked like a hideous beast pulled from the abyss whose gaze only overflowed with madness and bloodlust.


    However, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, the skeleton blocked and deflected the claws with its left arm, causing Velector to lose his balance. Then, he closed his right fist and delivered a direct blow to the Draun''s chest.


    *BAM*


    "Kuogh!" The skeleton''s blow was so hard, it knocked all the air out of Velector''s lungs and caused some damage to his internal organs. Then, his feet came off the ground and he was sent flying several yards until his body slammed into a wall, knocking it down in the process and being buried in a pile of bricks.


    ''Holy sh*t, that was awesome!''


    During his time in the city, Marcus had spent almost all of his time studying and practicing magic, as well as attempting to create a magical artifact that would allow him to block the effects of solar energy so that he could fight to his full potential during the day.


    Unfortunately, the creation, combination, and design of runes for the manufacture of magical artifacts was a complicated process that required a lot of practice and study time, things that Marcus didn''t have.


    However, not all his efforts had been wasted.


    After his constant failures, Marcus had not only managed to charge Rehi''s crystals with necrotic energy, but he had also learned how to draw and make the spell scrolls.


    After his battle against Aylinor, Marcus had meditated on what happened and came to the conclusion that his magical abilities were insufficient to take on someone superior to the 3rd realm like the priest. This was mainly because his MP was too low to conjure high-level spells continuously.


    So to solve this, Marcus could only put his trust in magical and enchanted items such as spell scrolls.


    Although designing the scrolls from scratch on his own was practically impossible, if it was a matter of copying and following the instructions left in Bairus'' book of necromancy, Marcus could do it with a relatively high success rate.


    Therefore, before raiding the Black Lions'' base, Marcus had manufactured a good number of spell scrolls in the short time he had.


    In the case of the five scrolls he used, Marcus had specially crafted them in case he faced opponents with superior physical abilities and who had resistance against magic.


    The [Great Bone Armor] increased his defense and strength, the [Mantle of Gelid Fire] protected him from Velector''s flames, and the other scrolls improved his strength and agility.


    However, the effect of the scrolls was not unlimited, so the spells would only last for five to seven minutes before fading away.


    "Hehehehe..." Velector''s laughter rang throughout the room and in that instant, the pile of bricks he was buried in began to turn bright red until it melted. Then from within the pool of magma, he emerged "I definitely felt that."


    *Puit*


    Velector spat out some blood, which evaporated before he fully stood upright.


    "Hahaha, but that''s okay. If it didn''t hurt a little, then this would be boring. COME ON, SHOW ME EVERYTHING YOU''VE GOT, AND WE''LL FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"


    ''Alright idiot lizard, let''s beat the sh*t out of you!''


    ....


    {Monarch of the eternal garden: Ha, good thing I made nachos for the occasion}.


    ....


    ''Sigh. Seriously, Why do you always have to ruin the moment?''


    "GRAAAAAA!!!" Without waiting for another second, Velector simply kicked the ground beneath his feet and charged towards Marcus. He too didn''t think twice before running towards the Draun, causing the whole place to shake every time one of the two giants took a step.


    *Bam Crack*


    When they were finally within a step of each other, they each stomped the ground with the full weight of their bodies, so hard that the rock cracked, forming huge spiderweb-like cracks that spread across the ground. Then, they both clenched their fists and punched each other.


    *BAM!*


    A great clatter shook the entire room as the two fists engulfed in fire clashed, repelling each other.


    A blink later, an exchange between a barrage of blows, each with terrifying force and speed, one gelid and the other scorching, began and the very foundations of the entire place shook as if an earthquake was occurring.


    *Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam, Bam.*


    In a few seconds, each of them had delivered, blocked, dodged, and exchanged more than a hundred blows, so fast, that their moving arms could only be distinguished as blurred figures. However, none of them was willing to retreat even a millimeter of ground.


    Beneath them, the ground was still cracking, melting, and freezing continuously as the scaled fists with crimson flames and bony fists wreathed in icy fire clashed again and again without ceasing.


    Despite how fast the exchange of blows was, at times Marcus could feel as if time around him was slowing down, managing to perceive every detail to his surroundings.


    The splinters of bone flying off his body and Velector''s boiling blood in the air every time their fists collided, his opponent''s breathing, the ground constantly melting and freezing under his feet and the dust floating around him.


    It was a feeling of excitement and exhilaration simply indescribable, such as he had never felt in his previous life and after his reincarnation.


    Soon, the cracks that formed in the floor began to spread throughout the room, covering and fracturing the pillars until they reached the ceiling, causing brick fragments to break off.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHA... Yes, excellent, I haven''t had this much fun in ages! Hahaha, but before I kill you, please tell me, what''s your name?"


    "Why don''t you shut the f**k up, motherf**ker." Marcus replied angrily, then raised his fist and punched Velector''s face which made him stagger and spit blood containing a couple of teeth.


    However, the Draun quickly regained his balance and continued his barrage of punches without stopping.


    "Hahaha, I can feel it in your every move. The force behind your blows, your every attack!" Velector dodged a blow and landed an attack on Marcus'' chest causing it to crack.


    "You feel it too, don''t you? The thrill, the pleasure of fighting, you''re enjoying this too!" his voice no longer reflected the calmness and serenity that it had with which he had spoken at the beginning. Now his voice only reflected madness and a brutal bloodlust.


    ''Kgh, shut the f**k up already!''Although Marcus found the Draun''s voice somewhat irritating, he didn''t have the luxury of being distracted by something like that.


    Even though Marcus was able to match Velector''s stats thanks to the spell scrolls, the truth was that he was at a disadvantage.


    Their stats may have been about equal, but the Draun had greater melee experience, so he soon got used to the rhythm of Marcus'' blows.


    About a minute after the exchange of blows began, Marcus was overtaken by Velector''s attacks and backed up a step. Thirty seconds later he retreated another step and one more ten seconds after that.


    Slowly but surely, Marcus was being overwhelmed by the Draun''s blows that impacted his body and was forced to lose ground every second. By the time the exchange of attacks reached four minutes, his back was only a meter away from the wall.


    *Bam Crack*.


    At that same instant, Velector''s right fist struck Marcus'' left arm causing it to shatter into hundreds of bony fragments. Without pausing, the Draun launched a swift kick towards Marcus'' legs, breaking them in a single blow.


    "GRAAAAAA!!!" Before his opponent''s body hit the ground, Velector closed his fist and punched Marcus'' chest causing it to fracture into pieces.


    *Bam...Bam...Bam...Bam...Bam.*


    The force of the impact caused Marcus to be pushed backward and crash into the wall, collapsing it on the spot. His body went through a total of five brick walls before finally stopping and falling to the ground.


    Then, the [Mantle of Gelid Fire] was extinguished, the [Great Bone Armor] covering his body cracked into black mist that dispersed into the air, and the spells reinforcing his body vanished. Finally, only he remained. His legs were broken, as was his left arm and all his ribs were fractured.


    In an attempt to recover, Marcus opened his [Storage], took out another spell scroll, and placed it on his chest. But before he could open it, Velector''s figure emerged from between the hole in the wall.


    "Hahaha, that was amazing! To tell you the truth I must thank you, I haven''t had that much fun in a long time. I''m honestly tempted to forgive you for what you did to my subordinates." Velector said with arrogance and glee as he walked towards Marcus.


    Velector kicked Marcus'' arm causing the spell scroll to slip from his hand and rested his foot on his already fractured rib cage "But you took my magic eye. So don''t even think about getting out of here alive."


    *crack*


    Then the Draun pushed his foot down, pressing down on Marcus'' body causing him to crunch as the flames from the sole of Velector''s foot slowly burned and destroyed his enchanted armor.


    It was clear that Velector wanted to enjoy torturing Marcus some more before killing him.


    "Kukuku, what? You''re just going to suffer in silence? You seriously don''t plan to say anyt... Cough... Cough... Cough...Cough...Blargh." At that moment, while gloating over his victory, Velector started coughing and suddenly vomited a large amount of black blood from his mouth.

 Chapter 58 - Toward The Central Continent

    "Huh?" Velector looked at the black blood on his hands with an expression of surprise and confusion. "What the hell-Blargh..." But before he could even think about what was happening, his body began to shake and vomit a large amount of black fluid which fell to the ground (and onto Marcus) forming a small puddle.


    Soon, the tremors of Velector''s body became more intense and his vision began to blur, causing him to stagger.


    Suddenly, the blanket of crimson flames that covered him began to fade until it was extinguished, the muscles in his body contracted and his glowing red scales began to fall off. Then, Velector fell to his knees on the ground and slowly regained his original appearance.


    However, all his skin was covered with black veins, his muscles that once showed great vigor were emaciated and the scales on his body continued to fall off exposing his flesh. In addition, both the wound on the left side of his face and the five holes in his torso had reopened leaking black fluid out of his body.


    "Wh- Khaf... What''s happening to me?" asked Velector, disoriented and with fear. His head hurt, his skin itched, he was tired and the black substance did not stop emanating from his body.


    "Isn''t it obvious?" At that moment, a voice echoed in Velector''s head, causing him to immediately turn his attention to Marcus, who was still lying on the floor. "It''s necrotic energy poisoning. Tch, your crap got inside my eye sockets."


    "WHAT!...Blargh...Cough, Cough...That''s not possible! How...?" Velector was dumbfounded. He simply couldn''t understand how this could have happened.


    In his draconid form, the mantle of fire that covered him was made up of the Rehi of his body, which gave him a certain resistance to magic and aura. So even Marcus'' 3rd level spells couldn''t cause too much damage.


    Although the necromancy spell [Negative Impact] had indeed had some effect on his body, the damage shouldn''t have been great enough to leave him in that state.


    "Two words. Bone spears." After saying those words, Marcus reached out and grabbed the spell scroll he had pulled out earlier, put one end in his mouth, and pulled the scroll with his right arm until the paper split in half.


    A second later, six black runes manifested around Marcus, causing his body to fill with necrotic energy. Although this did not recover his MP, it certainly regenerated his HP.


    So in an instant, his fractured ribs as well as the cracks in his back healed, at the same time as necrotic energy condensed into bony threads to regenerate his missing limbs.


    When he was fully recovered, Marcus stood up and activated J?rmungandr''s second spell, causing the armor to begin repairing itself.


    "When you received my attack the first time, the spears embedded themselves in your body and contaminated it. An ordinary person would have died instantly. But in your case, the amount of necrotic energy was not enough and your body resisted it but did not eliminate it.


    Normally, the necrotic energy would have spread throughout your body slowly, corrupting your internal energy and damaging your organs, weakening you continuously for several days. If that had been the case, you would have had enough time to go to a shrine and ask to have the contaminated energy removed from your system with holy magic.


    But instead, you used your draconic form, which increased your body''s Rehi circulation making you stronger, but also caused the necrotic energy to spread, contaminating your internal energy and accelerating the deterioration of your body.


    Plus, the damage you took during our fight only made it worse." Marcus explained as he used a piece of cloth to wipe off the black liquid that had landed on his body.


    "Khaf... This can''t be possible..." Velector was overwhelmed by Marcus'' words and refused to believe that what was happening to him was true, it all seemed like a nightmare. But after looking at the state of his emaciated body and the wounds on his torso, he realized that this was real.


    The whole time he was fighting was real, his wounds were real and the pain was real. It all seemed like a bad joke, at first it was he who had the upper hand, as he tortured and toyed with his opponent.


    But now, Velector realized that he had been right where his opponent wanted him to be and that his victory had been nothing more than a mere illusion.


    "Was this all part of your- Khaf! Was this all part of your plan?!" Velector asked in an irate tone as he coughed up a mouthful of black fluid.


    "Hmph. You''re goddamn right! Everything worked out according to my plan. From the very beginning!" He replied in an annoyed and triumphant tone. Though of course, it was all a lie.


    While Velector''s condition was indeed due to necrotic energy poisoning, Marcus hadn''t realized this until the Draun vomited the black fluid.


    The only reason Marcus said what he said was to piss Velector off.


    If his mind wasn''t so impaired by necrotic energy, Velector would have realized that his defeat had only been due to his carelessness and bad luck.


    "How is this possible?... I who was born to rule others...This continent was to be mine...HOW CAN I LOSE TO A MERE UNDEA-"


    *Shik*


    At that same instant, Marcus took a dagger from his [Storage] and plunged it deep into Velector''s neck. The dagger easily passed through the Draun''s flesh, cutting through to his cervical vertebrae and out through his nape.


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Do me a favor, save the drama, and shut the f**k up." Marcus said as he withdrew the dagger from Velector''s neck, causing a large amount of black fluid to emanate from the wound. ''Honestly, you should have just kept using your magic eye.''


    *Thud*


    Velectro''s body fell to the ground with a thud, drowning in a pool of what was once his blood. A second later, the system notifications came in.


    Ding!


    ....


    {The skill [ Analysis ] leveled up}


    ....


    {The skill [Darkness Magic] leveled up}


    ....


    {The skill [Melee Combat] leveled up}


    ....


    {The skill [Melee Combat] leveled up}


    ....


    {The user has killed a [Draun] for the first time. 25,170 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {The user has killed a [Draconid blood warrior] for the first time. 2,517 additional experience points will be awarded}


    ....


    {You earned 251,700 xp}


    ....


    {You Rank Up}


    ....


    ''OH! I finally reached rank four!'' Although it wasn''t as impressive as other times, Marcus was still satisfied with the results. He had not only achieved over 60% of the XP needed to level up, but he had also managed to reach rank four.


    After his battle against the priest, Marcus'' strength had already reached the point where he could face an opponent one rank above him on equal terms. However, since his stats were still not high enough the system still listed him as a monster of rank three.


    But now that all of his magic skills were at level three, and two of his combat skills were at level seven, the system finally recognized him as a rank four being.


    After reading the messages, Marcus wrapped Velector''s body in a blanket and stored it in his [Storage]. Once his MP was fully recovered, he would be able to use the corpse to create a high-level undead, so it would be a shame not to take it with him.


    When he was done, Marcus exited the tunnel he was in and walked back to the carpeted room in search of his sword which he had dropped during the confrontation.


    ''Huh?'' But the moment he entered the room Marcus saw something that puzzled him. ''Are you still alive?'' He thought in surprise, as he watched Daniela''s upper body crawl towards him with some difficulty. Amazingly, even though Velector had ripped her in half, the Zombie Assassin hadn''t died and was still moving.


    ''Hmm... Well, don''t worry Dani. I''ll fix you up once we get to the Central continent.'' After some thought, Marcus concluded that abandoning the Zombie Assassin would be a waste and that it would be best to try repairing it with necromancy once he had the time.


    Next, Marcus took a medium-sized chest that was in the room, emptied its contents, and placed the two halves of Daniela''s body in the chest.


    Once he put the chest in his [Storage], Marcus began to search the room for his sword and anything of value or item that might be of use to him.


    After searching for a couple of minutes, Marcus had not only found his sword, but he also found a secret compartment in the floor under Velector''s desk.


    Inside the compartment were a few bags filled with gems, Rehi crystals, gold and silver coins along with other jewelry items, and a small metal chest that was locked with magic.


    Although Marcus didn''t have the key to the chest, this didn''t pose a problem for him as he only had to use some of his necrotic energy to weaken the protection enchantment and open the chest.


    So after a couple of minutes, the necrotic energy destroyed the enchantment and the lock of the chest causing it to open revealing its contents. Inside were a total of four old scrolls made of monster skin and a black crystal card with a symbol of three silver waning moons on it.


    Immediately afterwards, Marcus used his [analysis] on the objects in the chest and the moment he did, his jaw opened so wide that he almost dropped to the floor. Although he could determine almost no information regarding the card, out of the four scrolls in the chest, three contained 5th level spells, and the other contained 6th level spells.


    ''Hahaha, I can''t believe it, I hit the jackpot this time! But... How the hell did Velector get these things?'' He wondered to himself as he kept the scrolls and the card in his [Storage].


    Even if he was the leader of a successful criminal gang, Marcus didn''t think Velector had the resources to get the scrolls. Just one of the 5th level spell scrolls was more expensive than all the valuables in the room combined.


    In this world (and especially in this part of the Austra continent) things like high-level Magic and enchanted items were scarce and spell scrolls were no exception. Although not all scrolls were inaccessible, they were quite expensive, especially those containing spells above 2nd level.


    The reason for this wasn''t only due to the cost of the raw materials needed to create them, but the higher the level of the scroll, the greater the complexity and difficulty in crafting it. So the success rate for creating high-level scrolls was quite low.


    For his part, although he had spent almost all of his remaining auction money on buying the materials and had spent a lot of time practicing, Marcus had only achieved a 10% to 15% success rate in crafting 2nd and 3rd-level spell scrolls. Which was actually pretty decent.


    Since there wasn''t much point in thinking about the subject, Marcus simply concentrated on taking the rest of the valuable things that were still left in the room.


    Although Marcus didn''t mind taking some paintings and artwork with him, his [Storage] was already full, so he had no choice but to leave them there.


    When he finished looting the Black Lions'' treasure, Marcus left the room and headed for the surface.


    ****


    [Port city of Neima. Slums. 00:10 A.M.]


    It was already late at night in the port city, so even the bar controlled by the Black Lions was deserted and dark. Even when the ten men in the bar were killed no one made a fuss or called the guards.


    After all, everyone in the slums was used to these kinds of situations and knew it was best not to intrude where they weren''t called. Especially when it was something involving the most powerful gang in the city.


    Marcus was on top of a three-story building several blocks from the bar. His entire body was wrapped in a cloak and he was wearing a white mask that, while not an enchanted item like the previous one, did serve to hide his skeletal face.


    ....


    {The [Monarch of the eternal garden] watches you with curiosity and interest}.


    ....


    ''Sigh... Fine, you want a show? I''ll give you a f**king show...Corpse Explosion!''


    *Boom...Tremble...Tremble...Tremble...*


    At that moment, the ground beneath the Black Lions bar exploded causing the entire building to collapse. The sound of the explosion rippled through the air as strong tremors began to spread throughout the slum as some dilapidated wooden buildings collapsed and the streets sank more than five meters (16.4ft) into the ground.


    ''Holy crap, that was better than I expected! But... I never thought this spell would be so powerful. Is it because my necromancy reached level three or because of the number of corpses I used? Hum... I have to find more time to practice my spells.''


    A few hours ago while still in the tunnels, Marcus had left his necrotic energy inside the corpses of the Black Lions, turning them into components for the [Corpse Explosion] spell to destroy the tunnels later.


    Although Marcus did not need to destroy the Black Lions'' lair, he decided to do it anyway just as a precaution. Besides, he had been itching to use that spell ever since he learned it.


    Now that the tunnels collapsed, Marcus activated a stealth spell and immediately headed for the city''s dock to stand by for the time when the ships would sail out to sea.


    ****


    [Port city of Neima. Dock. 07:40 A.M.]


    Activity on the dock had started very early in the morning and the atmosphere was quite lively.


    The fishing boats were out fishing offshore, the merchant ships had just docked at the quay and the sailors were busy moving their ships'' cargo or preparing to set sail.


    In addition, the dock was full of armed guards in metal armor who patrolled the area and inspected the ships constantly and rigorously. But their presence made the sailors nervous and the atmosphere a bit tense.


    However, this atmosphere was only a small taste of what was to come.


    Only three days had passed since the attack, so the news had barely spread to the neighboring towns and cities. In the coming weeks, the port would be bustling with ships from all over the kingdom which would certainly bring with it an influx of people.


    While this would certainly be good for the local economy and commerce, the increase in people in the city would also pose a problem for security and public order.


    The city was currently understaffed, so the governor and guards were doing their best to maintain some order until troops from the kingdom and the Eastern Lords arrived.


    The White Whale was a three-masted merchant ship, 42 meters (137.7 ft) long and just over 10 meters (32.8 ft) wide. Apart from the main deck, the ship had a total of two more decks and a hold. The ship was also equipped with a total of 24 cannons (twelve on each side) and had a crew of 98 men.


    "For the last time, I tell you that you have no right to enter my ship!" Protested Captain Walter Kobrey, a burly man with a graying head and a short white beard, as he tried to prevent a uniformed guard from entering his ship.


    "Mr. Walter, I am afraid that due to current protocol I am forced to inspect your ship and interrogate your crew before you can depart. As you may be aware, the amount of crime has increased greatly lately. Did you know that yesterday alone we stopped more than eight ships that were carrying illegal goods?


    In addition, we received many reports of riots in the slums. Some streets and buildings collapsed last night. So the situation is a bit tense and I am swamped with work.


    So if you don''t mind, let me check your ship so we can both get on with our business or I''ll be forced to arrest you for obstruction of public safety." Replied the head guard.


    "Kgh..." Walter bit his lip and racked his brain trying to think of how to get out of this situation.


    Normally he wouldn''t have minded having his ship searched. After all, the merchandise he usually carried was no big deal. However, this time he had been tempted by greed and if he let the guards into his ship, they might discover the barrels full of monster eggs in the hold.


    "Sir, Sir Franco!" Just then, a guard ran past the dock through the crowd and approached the head guard.


    "Hum? What''s the matter?" the head guard asked as the man came over to whisper something in his ear. "What!? They already arrived!? ¡­Tch, we''re leaving!" said Franco as he and his men began to leave the scene. "Sail with caution Captain Walter. The seas have been very stormy lately."


    Walter watched in confusion as the guards retreated from the dock until they were out of sight. He did not know what had happened, but he was relieved that the guards did not search his ship.


    "Captain! Come take a look at this!" shouted the boatswain''s mate of the White Whale.


    Hearing this, Walter immediately climbed aboard the ship and ran to the gunwale where his entire crew was. When he finally saw what the others were looking at, his eyes widened.


    Beyond the horizon, Walter and his men spotted at least a dozen ships, which must have been nearly three times the size of the White Whale. In addition, each ship carried a yellow flag with the image of a large shield and two crossed swords.


    "The fleet of the Eastern Lords!" exclaimed Walter when he managed to make out the ships'' flags. "They must be the first scouts. Good heavens, there must be more than five thousand men in all."


    The reason for his surprise was not only due to the magnitude of the ships or their numbers, but the fact that the scouts had arrived so quickly.


    It had only been three days since the attack and two since the monster extermination order had been declared, so it was impressive that the Eastern Lords had been able to send a fleet of such magnitude in such a short time. This only proved how powerful the continental-ranked clan was.


    "Captain, what do we do!?" the Boatswain asked in an alarmed tone.


    "Isn''t it obvious? Everyone to your stations, we will sail immediately!!!" Walter shouted at the top of his lungs as he rushed to take the ship''s helm.


    As soon as the captain gave the order, his men cast off the moorings, hoisted the anchor, unrolled the mainsail and left the dock as fast as they could.


    Then, when they were far enough away from the city, the sails on the masts were unfurled and the White Whale, along with its 99 crew members, headed for the Central Continent at full speed.

 Chapter 59 - In Dark And Ominous Places

    "Glory to the eternal plague, which will cover the world to purge the weak and impure, grant us the faithful and devout a new world free from all impurity, thus revealing the authentic truth."A chorus of voices intoned in the darkness the creed of the Church of the Deadly Plagues.


    Somewhere in the world, in the center of a dark room poorly lit by the light of a few candles, was a large round table with the symbol of a creature with the body of a snake, the wings of a dragonfly, and the head of a spider, engraved on it.


    Around the table were a total of sixty-six seats, but only half were occupied by people dressed in robes or hooded mantles.


    They were a mixture of men and women, of all ages, sizes, and races. In addition, many of them looked strange and grotesque.


    Some looked like normal people, while others had the features of amphibians, reptiles, or insects. The strangest ones had fungus and moss growing on areas of their bodies such as their arms, chests, and faces.


    "Is it just us? Hmph. If I had known there would be so few of us I wouldn''t have bothered to come." A black-robed man said annoyed. His skin was a deep crimson, his eyes were completely black and a pair of red horns protruded from his forehead.


    "It can''t be helped, Fifth Cardinal. Most of us are very busy and since the information of our alliance with the other dark churches leaked out, our enemies started to watch our steps more closely." Replied a woman a couple of seats away from the man.


    She was very beautiful, with long dark brown hair, red lips, and pale, smooth skin. However, her large compound eyes, claw-like hands, and the pair of cockroach antennae protruding from her head gave her away as an unnatural aberration.


    "Kukuku, still, this is disappointing." Replied an old man whose face was covered in black bumps. "One would expect, at the very least, that everyone would be able to fulfill such a simple obligation as a routine meeting. Frankly, I''m beginning to doubt that the others have the capacity to call themselves cardinals of pestilence..."


    "That''s enough, Twentieth Cardinal." He was interrupted by a man wearing a strange raven mask." We have more important matters to discuss. First..." The man in the raven mask paused and fixed his gaze on the blond young man to his left. "... Thirtieth Cardinal, what is the status of our troops in Gamidir?"


    "Our expansion across the continent is progressing positively. The number of acolytes is steadily increasing, First Cardinal. However..." the young blond paused and for a moment hesitated to answer.


    Even if they all held the rank of cardinal within the church, the First Cardinal was above them all and was answerable only to the Plague Lords themselves. No one wanted to make him angry or give him the bad news.


    "However..."


    "...The troops of the Great Aurar Empire continue to attack our experimentation centers and supply bases. We have tried to resolve it, but we simply can''t get the Whistlers off our backs. But the losses are minimal and pose no real problem." Replied the young blond nervously.


    "Hmm... If you say there''s no problem, then fine. But try to resolve it as soon as possible before it gets worse."As simple and calm as his words sounded, the First Cardinal''s voice was so cold, stern, and hostile that it made more than one''s blood run cold.


    The blond-haired young man kept silent and merely nodded his head. Then, the raven-masked man focused his attention on the cockroach-like woman. "Eighth cardinal?"


    "Things are quiet on my end. But the amount of eggs and larvae coming from the Austra continent has decreased in the last few weeks, so our expansion through the southern area of the Central continent is proceeding more slowly than anticipated." Said the woman in a calm and collected tone.


    "Hm? And to what do we owe this, Fiftieth Cardinal?" The raven-masked man turned his attention away from the cockroach woman and his eyes fell on a man whose face was like that of a beetle. "I thought you were in charge of this task. What is the reason the Eighth Cardinal''s mission is compromised?"


    "I-It-It''s not my fault, sir!" the beetle man hastened to say. "The movements on the part of the sea tribes and sea beasts have become much more aggressive, attacking every ship that crosses their path, including ours. But I cannot resolve this without meddling in the affairs of the Church of the Endless Abyss. So I was hoping to have your approval before doing so, sir."


    "So that''s... Very well, you have my permission to do so, and if necessary, I will take care of the matter myself." Said the First Cardinal as he diverted his attention to a rat-like woman about ten seats to his left. "Forty-seventh Cardinal, is there something you wish to say?"


    "Yes... It''s about the river transport network in the eastern part of the Austra continent. Everything was almost ready, but an unforeseen event had arisen." The woman replied.


    "An unforeseen event? What is it about?"


    "A little over a week ago... The priest in charge of taking one of the main points was murdered before he could accomplish his mission and now, the Eastern Lords know we''re up to something. A- Although I don''t think they know of the plan, the city has been completely taken over by mercenaries and we must change the route, sir." Said the Forty-seventh Cardinal.


    "Oh, I see." That was all the First Cardinal said, but the air in the room seemed to grow icier and darker. "And, what exactly was it about the priest? Were there no acolytes with him?"


    She wanted to look away from the first cardinal, but the man''s sinister eyes glowed behind his mask with a cold emerald glow that terrified her, so she dared not.


    "It would seem that the acolytes were used by the priest himself for his experiments, which is why we didn''t learn what happened until a few days ago. The priest attacked the city as ordered, but died before he could finish the task. We found no trace of his body or the "Eye of the Scarlet Queen" that was provided for him. Furthermore..."


    The woman wanted to continue with her explanation trying to appease the first cardinal''s gaze when the old man with black bumps interrupted her.


    "Hmph, how pathetic. Are you sure this guy wasn''t just incompetent? He had an Imperial tier item along with a lot of resources and yet he was not only unable to complete his mission, but he also died. Forty-seventh Cardinal, you should learn how to train your subordinates, I guess you should at least be able to do that." He said completely unconcerned, at the same time a couple of chuckles could be heard in the room.


    "Twentieth Cardinal, please be quiet. I''m sure the Forty-seventh Cardinal has a good explanation for this, right?" asked a man whose body was covered with all kinds of insects and worms.


    "Of course, Third Cardinal. After the priest died, we sent some of our agents to investigate. But we found... Certain traces of necrotic energy in the city and a nearby village. Which indicates that perhaps, the Church of the Living Corpses was involved in his death." Said the rat woman finally.


    For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became so silent that everyone could hear each other''s breathing. Then, everyone erupted in protests and curses to the point where everything was unintelligible.


    Although all the great dark churches worshiped the five calamities, none of them were on good terms, and to tell the truth, the resentment that the Church of the Deadly Plagues had against the Church of the Living Corpses was no small thing. What the rat woman had said had been like adding fuel to the fire.


    "This is unheard of! Do those f**king necromancers think they can look down on us!"


    "Don''t they know the consequences of breaking the non-aggression pact?! This is an act of war!"


    "I agree! We too are one of the five great f**king great dark churches! Since when do we have to prostrate ourselves before those sh*tty corpse f**kers!?" Shouted a hooded Draun woman.


    "Since the True Blood Ancestors came back to life." However, at that moment a voice rang throughout the room and its words struck everyone present mute.


    The person who had spoken was a boy, dressed in a silver silk robe. The boy looked no more than ten years old, his hair was white and the left side of his face was completely covered with fungus and green moss. But despite his appearance, the boy was the oldest of all the cardinals.


    "That''s impossible! Weren''t all True Blood Ancestors supposed to have been destroyed during the Fourth Age?" Said the blond young man after a long silence.


    "I had a hard time believing it too, but it''s the truth. Although certainly, of the fourteen True Blood Ancestors one became a God and five died, the remaining eight were sealed in all parts of the world. But the Church of the Living Corpses concealed this fact and in these last seven months, half of them were resurrected. Moreover, it seems that it will not be long before the fifth will be awakened."


    "Are you sure of this, Second Cardinal?" The Draun woman asked.


    "...What if I''m sure?.... You know what, it turns out I''m not. In fact, I just ate some hallucinogenic mushrooms and made it all up. Because, why spend months and tons of resources gathering information when I can get high and say anything if you''re going to believe any sh*t that comes out of my f**king mouth anyway!!!" Shouted the boy angrily.


    "That''s enough, Second Cardinal!" Said the raven masked man and the whole room went silent again. "Now, regarding the death of the priest, we cannot jump to conclusions.


    First of all, the Church of the Living Corpses might not be involved. After all, they have never shown any interest in the Austra continent and I don''t think they would dare break the pact. So this could be the work of an unaffiliated necromancer or simply someone seeking to create conflict between us and the other churches."


    "But we can''t leave this matter unresolved either, First Cardinal." Said the insect-covered man.


    "You are right, Third Cardinal. The Second Cardinal and I will take it upon ourselves to investigate this. If the one responsible turns out to be a third party or unaffiliated necromancer I will let the undead handle the matter. I think you know how they are about such matters.


    By order of the Plague Lords, we must avoid any conflict with the other dark churches and try to cooperate with them if possible."


    "Excuse me, First Cardinal. But with all due respect, I think we should do something about the resurrection of the True Blood Ancestors." Said a chameleon-like man.


    "I concur with the Ninth Cardinal." Replied the crimson-skinned man with horns "And it''s not just the Church of the Living Corpses.


    In the past few months, the Church of Absolute Destruction has been increasing the number of draconid beasts under its control and the Church of the Endless Abyss seems to have found a very powerful and peculiar creature in the depths of the ocean.


    I don''t think we can afford to stand idly by and do nothing."


    "Hmm... You are certainly right. That could be problematic." Replied the First Cardinal in a thoughtful tone.


    The balance of power among the dark churches was shifting and if they didn''t do something about it, they would lose their position. In addition, the seven great churches of creation and the other opposing forces had also begun to move.


    "Excuse me, but I think I have found the solution to the problem." Said an amphibious-looking man with a big smile on his face and a look of madness. But even without seeing his face, everyone could sense the wild emotion hidden in his tone of voice.


    "We hear you, Eleventh Cardinal," the raven-masked man replied.


    "A couple of months ago, some acolytes detected a certain anomaly in the depths of the Ranemal Jungle. So I went to investigate. Finally, a few days ago I found the cause of the anomaly. But what I found was..." The man tried to continue, but the emotion he felt at the memory of his encounter with that being, which he could not have imagined even in his wildest dreams, left him speechless.


    "What have you found?" the First Cardinal asked impatiently.


    "Well, I think... We have found our prophesied queen."


    ****


    [North central area of the Central continent. Exact location -unknown].


    *Badum Badum Badum Badum*


    The echoes of drums sounded in the city.


    Built by hand by the best Asrakian engineers and builders, the city was part of a thriving kingdom. With its tall pillars hundreds of meters high, its streets wide and spacious, the houses and palaces carved into the rock.


    But now, all that remained were ruins inhabited by one of the many tribes of monsters that spread across the length and breadth of the mountain range.


    *Badum Badum Badum Badum*


    Goblins, Kobolds, Gnolls, Orcs, Ogres, Trolls, Bugbears, and dozens of other creatures had gathered around the main square, the sound of their drums and roars echoing throughout the mountain.


    They all belonged to different tribes, which were at war all the time. But today, they had all gathered for the same purpose.


    In the center of the square, a huge 5 meter (16.4ft) tall troll and a 1.8 meter(5.9 ft) tall hobgoblin were dueling to death as their blood spilled onto the solid rock floor. The troll carried a huge mallet and the hobgoblin a great battle-ax.


    The troll had been the ruler of the city with dozens of tribes under his rule and for years no one had dared to challenge his reign.


    On the other hand, the hobgoblin had come from the deep caverns of the mountains, subduing all peoples and tribes in his path.


    He had been the first in a long time to challenge the troll. Whoever won would rule the city and overall the tribes that inhabited it. It was the law of the strongest, so was the law in the mountain range.


    *Crashed!*.


    The troll swung his huge mallet intending to smash the hobgoblin, but his adversary jumped back, dodging the blow. As a result, the sledgehammer hit the ground, splitting the rock into hundreds of pieces.


    At that instant, the hobgoblin put all his strength into his legs and jumped as high as he could until he reached the troll''s neck.


    *Slash*


    The battle-ax made a horizontal slash, cutting flesh and bone, severing the troll''s neck in an instant.


    *Thud!*


    The troll''s decapitated body collapsed with a thud as its head hit the ground. The troll''s blood began to flow from its severed neck, causing the sound of the tribes'' drumming and roaring to stop.


    For a moment all the assembled tribes wanted to roar and celebrate for the victor of the fight. But what happened next stopped them.


    The moment his feet touched the ground, the hobgoblin dropped his ax and began to change.


    His skin, which had a brownish-green hue, turned black and his muscles began to expand until his body reached a height of over 2.5 meters (8.2 ft). Next, he grew two extra arms and a pair of curved horns protruded from his temples.


    Finally, red lines and marks began to appear on his body covering his limbs, areas of his torso, and on both sides of his face.


    When the metamorphosis was over, the tribes lowered their instruments and weapons and prostrated themselves before their new ruler.


    The being could not help but rejoice at this scene, smiling from ear to ear and from his eyes a glint emerged, reflecting his greed and hunger for power.

 Chapter 60 - A Talk In The Eternal Garden

    The sky was black. There was no sign of any stars, only the lone silver moon rising high above, illuminating the entire forest with its dim light.


    The forest was shrouded in a thick silver mist and was so silent that it seemed to be dead. Although to be precise, the forest wasn''t alive, it couldn''t die either.


    The trees, devoid of leaves, were as white as ivory, and on their branches, there were only a few flowers as red as blood and strange fruits as black as coal.


    Beneath the treetops, the forest floor was covered with grass and leafless bushes as white as tree trunks. On the ground, there were also some crimson flowers and more black fruits on the bushes.


    Through the forest, there were also rivers and streams coming from the mountains that formed different waterfalls and cascades until they flowed into lakes and lagoons of scarlet waters.


    But if one got close enough to the blood waters, one could distinguish the presence of different animals. Frogs and toads, trout, salmon and eels, ducks, otters, and beavers along with other creatures of indescribable nature.


    Beyond the thick silver mist, different figures lurked among the sea of white trees. Among them, the easiest to identify were the simplest, such as raccoons, skunks, deer, opossums, bears, wolves, badgers, lynxes, mice, snakes, and birds such as crows, eagles, herons, and starlings.


    There were also other beings not so ordinary, some of which had humanoid forms.


    However, all the beings in this peculiar forest had one thing in common and that was that none of them possessed any kind of skin, scales, plumage, flesh, or organs. They were all skeletons.


    This was a forest, a garden where undeath reigned. Forever unchanging, unperturbed by the passing of time and eternal.


    *Crack Crack Crack Crack*


    At that instant, the peace of the Eternal Garden was interrupted when the space began to crack, forming a white fissure through which two men in black suits passed.


    One of them was a white-haired, English-looking man. The other man was tall and his hair was black as were his eyes and the two small curved horns on his forehead.


    Without much thought the two men began to walk through the forest as the fissure behind them began to close, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.


    "Ugh, this place gives me the creeps." Ivan said as he looked back and forth across the forest.


    A flock of skeleton crows flew overhead and landed on the bare branches of the ivory trees and began pecking at the black fruit on them.


    " Come on Ivan, it''s not that bad. We''ve both been in worse places than this. Compared to many universes this place is quite nice. In fact, it''s quiet, so you could meditate or read a book peacefully."


    "Just because you say that doesn''t make this place seem any less creepy... Do we really have to see him?" Ivan asked with some discomfort. "You know I don''t like that guy."


    "There''s nothing we can do about it." That was all Edward said. He wasn''t too bothered by the subject.


    They both continued walking along a garden path for a few minutes until they came to a glade in the forest.


    The glade was surrounded by all sorts of skeleton animals and in the center was a large black tree over thirty meters (98.42 ft) tall, with no leaves, flowers, or fruit. At the base of the tree was a carved throne upon which sat a figure.


    A being wrapped in cloaks and thin dark torn robes, his face was shrouded in shadows, only his hands and his skeletal feet of crimson red were exposed, and on his head sat a crown made of ivory.


    To the left of the figure was a small round table made of bone, on top of which was a plate of nachos with some types of sauces such as guacamole, tomato sauce, nacho cheese, pico de gallo, and other dishes such as quesadillas and burritos.


    "Hahaha, this guy sure is funny." Said the figure in a somber voice as he took a nacho and dipped it into the guacamole and then brought it to where his mouth was supposed to be. Then, as he chewed, he turned his head to the side and finally saw the two men in suits approaching him.


    "Oh, gentlemen of A.T.I.R. Welcome to my humble divine realm, the Eternal Garden!"Instead of being surprised by the sudden appearance of the two, the Monarch of the Eternal Garden didn''t bother and simply greeted them in a cordial and friendly manner.


    "As always it is a pleasure to see you, Lord..." Edward began to say as he made a slight bow. But the black figure stopped him before he could utter another syllable.


    "MONARCH OF THE ETERNAL GARDEN!" Bellowed the black figure and the whole forest seemed to tremble with his voice. But as suddenly as it began, the trembling stopped and the forest returned to its original calm. "Only the beings of this universe have the right to call me by my name. But outsiders and especially members of A.T.I.R must address me by that title. Remember that." He said seriously and curtly.


    "Of course. Forgive me if I have offended you, Monarch of the Eternal Garden. I promise it won''t happen again." Edwar replied in his usual polite tone.


    The Monarch''s mood seemed to mellow once he heard Edward''s sincere apology. Then, he snapped his fingers, and two ivory white seats sprouted from the ground a few steps away from the black tree.


    "Can I get you anything? Tea, coffee, liquor, some of this fabulous Chinese food?" he asked as he pointed to the food on the circular table to his left.


    "Excuse me, but I think you''re wrong. That''s Mexican food." Ivan said as he and Edward took a seat.


    "Well, I guess in some universe it is Mexican food. But if we think about it, it could also be Chinese food, Indian food, Turkish food, or anything else. But I think it''s better to say it''s Chinese food than to just call it ''Matter with a hint of flavor,'' Don''t you think?" He said mischievously.


    "Since when do gods, and especially you eat food?" Ivan asked.


    "To tell you the truth, due to a series of events, I have recently acquired a great curiosity and taste for the food of mortals from other universes. And since using a little energy to create something as simple as these dishes is so easy, I decided to give them a try. Although I must say that there are certain things I find disgusting, like the pineapple and ham pizza."


    "Well, at least we agree on that." Ivan replied, trying to hide his displeasure.


    It was no secret that he hated pineapple and ham pizza or any kind of pizza that would have fruit on it other than tomatoes. But Ivan also didn''t like the idea of agreeing or having anything in common with the black-robed figure.


    Of all the gods and cosmic beings that inhabited that universe, the Monarch of the Eternal Garden was the only one Ivan didn''t like. The reason for this was due to his changeable and erratic personality.


    Normally, most of the cosmic beings that inhabited the multiverse had fairly fixed and predictable personalities. Some were gentle and kind, others were sinister and wicked, though most were arrogant, selfish, and proud.


    The Monarch of the Eternal Garden, however, seemed to have no definite personality. Sometimes he was cheerful, mischievous, and playful, sometimes he was grim and sadistic, and sometimes he was just apathetic and disinterested.


    "Well, since you insist, I think I''ll have some tea." Edward replied with a polite smile.


    "Very well, tea it is." Said the Monarch, as he made the small table to his left disappear.


    Next, the Monarch snapped his fingers and a large white table appeared in front of them. On it were several teapots and mugs of coffee along with some snacks such as sweet cookies, sandwiches, scones, muffins, cupcakes, and a few portions of cakes.


    Edward had a wild berry tea with some scones and Ivan just limited himself to a simple black coffee.


    "So, what brings you guys over here?" he asked as he stirred the tea to dissolve the two lumps of sugar he had added."I honestly doubt you guys just came for the tea."


    "Certainly." Edward replied before taking a sip of tea and setting the cup down on the table."We came because of the Event and because of other things. First of all, we''ve had certain complaints from the other participants regarding your behavior."


    "Some of the other side are concerned that perhaps you may be breaking the previously established rules." Ivan continued as he finished his coffee. "You have been interacting too much with him."


    The monarch said nothing. He took a sip of tea, set the cup down on the table, and after a moment of silence spoke.


    "What can I say? You know, even though I created this place, being confined here all the time is very boring. But watching him is entertaining. Seeing how he gets beaten, how he breaks his bones, the stupid mistakes he makes, and how despite it all, he gets back up again. That amuses me a lot." he said in a strangely nostalgic tone.


    "Still, I should try not to talk to him too much." Ivan said.


    "But that''s the funniest part! Watching him get annoyed every time I talk to him or knowing that I''m part of it. It feels like an interactive movie or like breaking the fourth wall of a story. And there''s nothing that entertains me more than that!" he replied euphorically. "But don''t worry, I haven''t commented to him about the other eleven or the Event."


    "Well, I understand your point. But that''s not the only problem." Edward said as he poured himself another cup of berry tea.


    "Your colleagues aren''t too happy with your actions either. They think you don''t take the Event very seriously or that you''re trying to sabotage them." Ivan said, at the same time grabbing a sandwich from the table.


    "Those idiots don''t know anything! They''re just impatient, they want this to be over as soon as possible. They''ve already waited for a hundred years!!! Why can''t they wait a little longer and enjoy this?!!!" The Monarch shouted furiously, while the shadows around him intensified and distorted.


    "They expect you to at least do your part and unlock the rest of the system functions and provide your chosen one with the necessary resources within the terms of the agreement." Ivan continued once he finished his sandwich.


    "Tell me, do I look like a philanthropist, good Samaritan, or communist? If he wants all those things he will have to earn them. That''s why I unlocked the stats function that time. Besides, it''s more fun that way." Replied the Monarch in a calm and relaxed tone.


    His personality change had been so abrupt that Ivan couldn''t even notice when it was that the shadows around the black figure had subsided.


    "Hum? How strange. I thought you did that because your subordinate lost a bet." Ivan scoffed a little.


    Although he hadn''t agreed with the bet Edward had made, the fact that the Monarch of the Eternal Garden''s subordinate had lost was something he found rather pleasing.


    However, that comment did not seem to please the Monarch as at that moment the atmosphere of the Eternal Garden seemed to darken, causing the atmosphere to become heavier and all to fall silent.


    The Monarch had not been happy with the fact that his trusted subordinate had made that bet behind his back and even less so with Edward who had broken the established agreement and had contaminated that soul, which he had carefully chosen, with that "Upgrade".


    But since the "Update" does not represent much of a problem and after considering both Edward''s past and his subordinate''s intentions, he had decided to forgive the matter and not bother about it anymore.


    After a few seconds, the Monarch seemed to get bored with the silence and his attitude suddenly changed again. He took some tea and after considering things for a moment spoke.


    "Sigh...Alright, out of respect for you and to keep those eleven idiots quiet, I''ll try not to interact with him so much and at the appropriate time, I''ll give him a proper gift." He said apathetically as he ate one of the scones on the table. " Now, what are the other issues we need to discuss?"


    ****


    After clearing up the main inconveniences, Edward and Ivan discussed other key issues with the monarch for quite a while. Once they finished, they said their goodbyes and left the Eternal Garden.


    As the two men withdrew, the Monarch of the Eternal Garden snapped his fingers and all the skeletons in the glade began to retreat. Then the food on the table disappeared and in its place was a large board which had the six continents engraved on it, along with twelve ivory pieces, six white and six black.


    The Monarch of the Eternal garden took the six white pieces and placed them all together in the same spot, right in the center of the Central continent. Then, he took all the black pieces and began to place them at different points on the board.


    "The Plague spreads in the jungle." He said and placed a black piece on the Austra continent. "Destruction extends in the north." He placed another piece on the northern continent. "Dark Abyss grows in the ocean" Another piece in the ocean between Gamidir and the Austra continent. "Chaos rises in the forgotten mountain range and the ice wasteland" one piece in the north and another one in the northeast of the Central continent.


    But before placing the last piece, the monarch of the eternal garden paused for a moment and looked at the six white pieces on the board.


    "And while the chosen of light rest, Death approaches." Said the Monarch placing the last black piece in the center of the board between the continent of Austra and the Central continent "So, my dear Apostle.... we begin the second act?"

 Chapter 61 - 0 : A Meeting In The Library.

    [West Central Zone of the Central Continent. City of Sares (Solar Empire)- Imperial University. 13th day of the 2nd month. Year 20,125 of the 5th age. 09:30 PM]


    Sares (the capital of the Solar Empire) also known as the City of the Sun, was a thriving, bustling, immense metropolis with a population of nearly 15 million.


    The city had been erected in a large valley surrounded by high steep mountains to the north, east, and south, which facilitated its defense. With a huge diamond wall tens of kilometers long and more than 20 meters (65.61 ft) high, capable of resisting any kind of attack.


    The city was both an architectural marvel and a work of art in itself.


    Limestone buildings and tall white marble towers, some of which exceeded 300 meters (984.25 ft) in height. Great Roman-style coliseums, wide cobblestone streets lit by lanterns, spacious squares, and large tree-filled parks.


    The water coming from the mountains ended up bifurcating at ground level, forming rivers and streams that then became canals that crossed the entire city.


    Most impressive, however, and what no one could ignore were the three islands floating more than five thousand meters (16404.2 ft) above the city''s ground, each anchored to the mountains by large crystal chains as wide as a house.


    On the island on the north side of the city was The White Palace of the Imperial family, where the Empress of the Sun could see every corner of the valley.


    On the eastern island stood the Golden Citadel, the main seat of the Church of Sunlight, one of the Seven Great Churches that worshiped the Gods of Creation. At dawn the sun would rise in the East, resting on the Citadel like a shining crown.


    The last island was on the south side, far away from the rest of the city. On it stood a large silver tower and other buildings of lesser magnitude. Further down, at almost three thousand meters (9842.52 ft) on the top of the mountains was the Imperial University.


    The University had large buildings, towers, and other structures, so it was like a small city built in the mountains.


    The main library was a large six-story stone building, with four towers at each corner, located in the Northeast part of the University. With ample glass windows, large carpeted halls, with hundreds of shelves filled with books and scrolls.


    As far as knowledge and information were concerned the main library had everything (or almost everything. Spell formulas and meditation techniques were kept elsewhere).


    From books on common subjects such as history and geography, botany, economics, mathematics, and linguistics. To scrolls on the Magical Arts and Aura Arts, bestiaries, alchemy writings, and magical engineering studies. There was even recreational reading material such as books of poetry and other stories.


    On the sixth floor of the library, in one of the towers in the right area, was a large circular room, its stone walls almost entirely covered by shelves filled with books that rose to the ceiling.


    The room had many armchairs and individual tables to read comfortably. Although there were also a few group tables. In addition, the whole place was soundproofed so that the noises from outside did not disturb the reading of those students who came there.


    It was already dark, the red velvet curtains covered the windows and the room was illuminated by multiple magical lamps of warm light. The room was empty and unoccupied, except for the five young students at the rectangular table in the center.


    Each of them was of a different race.


    A young human with brown hair and gray eyes. An Asrakian girl (although her height was half normal) with coppery skin, white hair, and completely blue eyes. A jet-haired Rassling. A burly Draun with red and golden scales. A young lady Alument with rainbow eyes and hair of many shades and colors.


    The table was filled with books as well as scrolls and documents. But each of them was doing something different.


    Zarich and Thalia were discussing magical engineering theory and runic patterns, looking for a way to improve the efficiency of magical automata for different tasks, whether it was for building construction, farming, or combat.


    Enid was sitting at one end of the table. She had already finished with all her previous duties and was reading a book quietly. And Runan and Cassius (the young Draun) were struggling to finish their math and algebra homework.


    Classes at the Imperial University had started a little over a month and a half ago.


    There the six young heirs inevitably met and quickly struck up a great friendship and formed a bond of trust that they did not even have with their families.


    This was not just because they were all the same age, because they came from similar backgrounds and had similar lifestyles, or because they were all great geniuses of their generation. But because they all shared the same quality that no other person in the world had.


    "Aaaah! I can''t take it anymore!"Runan exclaimed, almost throwing his calculus notebook off the table "I feel like if I do just one more equation my brain is going to explode!" he said as he dropped his head on the table.


    "Same here. We need a break!" Cassius said, leaning back against the back of the chair.


    "Hey, keep your voices down. We''re in a library, remember?" Zarich said quietly, barely looking up from the documents he was reading. "Besides, you can''t complain. You had almost two weeks to finish this but decided to leave it to the last minute."


    "Well, it''s just that this and that happened..." muttered Runan under his breath trying to justify his actions. "... It''s just that this was very difficult. I''d honestly like to know who was the f**ker who thought adding letters and symbols to the math was a good idea. I''m not a f**king expert in thermonuclear physics! Besides, what the hell is the point of learning this anyway?"


    "Actually, Runan, this is very useful. In magic, it may be that the formulas for spells of 3rd level and below are easy to learn. But from the 4th level on, the spells become more complex. With many more runes and symbols which requires doing many equations and mental calculations. These calculations are also necessary to learn how to forge magical artifacts and..."


    Zarich suddenly began to explain and list every similarity and use that mathematics, physics, and algebra could have with the magical arts. The gray-eyed young man spoke on the subject with a great passion, diverting to other things from time to time, for over ten minutes.


    When he finally finished, Runan had been so overwhelmed by all the information that it seemed as if smoke would come out of his ears at any moment.


    "...Zarich... you''re probably the only person in the whole world who can make studying magic sound boring and tedious. Anyway, from what you''ve said it seems that neither Cassius nor I have any need to learn all this stuff. Besides, I''ve had enough math in my past life and I don''t want to continue." Runan said.


    "I agree. Runan and I are Aura warriors, not wizards. All we have to do in combat is jump into the battlefield and slaughter the enemy." Cassius said. He and Runan then bumped fists in agreement.


    Even though it had only been a little over a month since they had met, Runan and Cassius were practically like brothers. They both had the same personality and similar tastes. Neither seemed to have enough brains to understand things like politics or the sciences and were only interested in improving their cultivation and perfecting their combat techniques.


    Strangely, they both also had younger sisters, for whom they showed a bit of an overprotective attitude.


    "Well, that doesn''t change the fact that you guys have to turn this in by tomorrow. Why don''t you just use some of your stat points to increase your WIS and learn this instantly?" asked Enid disinterestedly as she turned to another page of the book she was reading.


    "Ha! No way, that would be a waste. With my Divine Blessing, I can learn any combat art and Aura technique easily without the need to increase my WIS using the system. As for me, I''ll focus on improving my cultivation and techniques." Cassius replied in a proud tone.


    "Hmph. You do whatever you want. But you will have to face punishment for not fulfilling your duties." Enid said.


    It looked like Cassius and the rainbow-eyed young lady were about to start a small discussion as was usual between them. But at that moment, Thalia, who had hardly said anything for the last hour, spoke up.


    "This... I''m sorry to interrupt, but hadn''t we been meeting for something important?" She asked somewhat sheepishly. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn''t even noticed what had happened in the last hour.


    "That''s right. Why did you want us to meet in the library, Zarich?" Enid asked as she marked the page where she had left off and rested the book on the table.


    "Well, it''s just that, the other day while doing a little research I discovered something I thought you all wanted to know. But I wanted to wait for Lieon to arrive." Zarich replied, gesturing with his hands to adjust his glasses.


    Zarich had originally asked them all to meet in that part of the library (which was only for the Elite students) to talk about something that no one but them could know about.


    However, Lieon had been summoned for a meeting concerning issues related to the Imperial family. So he had been delayed and everyone had been waiting for him for almost an hour and a half.


    "Oh! Speaking of the king of Rome!" Cassius exclaimed as the doors opened and Lieon entered the room.


    Unlike the others who were dressed in their casual clothes, Lieon was wearing a formal white suit, complete with shoulder pads, trim and gold edges. The young blond looked quite fatigued from the meeting and as soon as he approached the head of the table he dropped himself into the chair.


    "Wow, you look like sh*t. What happened to you, Lieon?" Runan asked shamelessly.


    "I don''t want to talk about it." Lieon replied. His tone of voice denoted that he was quite exhausted. Not physically but mentally.


    For a moment no one said anything. Everyone was curious about the meeting Lieon had with his family and what was the reason he was so tired. But at that very moment, Runan burst out laughing, breaking the silence of the library.


    "Your family¡­Pfft¡­ just got you engaged to¡­Hahaha¡­ to your ten-year-old cousin?!" Runan exclaimed in between his laughter.


    The next moment, everyone except for Lieon burst out laughing, to the point where their lungs were almost out of air.


    "ZARICH!" Lieon exclaimed with some anger.


    "What? They were going to find out anyway." Replied the gray-eyed young man.


    As the person who had known Lieon the longest, Zarich had already found out a thing or two about his friend''s future marriage. And since this would shortly be public knowledge he didn''t mind using a telepathic message to tell the others present.


    "Congratulations Lieon! Though I must admit I never thought you''d have that kind of taste." Cassius said in a mocking tone.


    "You''re wrong! She''s just a very distant cousin, we''re hardly related! It''s all over a political issue and about the future lineage of the empire... Just leave me alone already!" Lieon said, his patience having almost reached its limit. His face was so red with embarrassment that he looked like a tomato.


    In this world, (at least for royalty and nobles) arranged marriages for political purposes or other benefits were a very normal thing. Marriages between people who shared a certain blood relationship were also quite common.


    However, since the six of them had memories of past lives and since they still retained the common sense of their previous lives, they found this situation quite strange and a bit comical.


    "Well don''t worry so much about it. Think of it as only 5 years difference. When you''re 25, she''ll be 20 and then it won''t be so weird." Enid said, trying to comfort Lieon.


    "Not so weird?! In case you''ve forgotten, even though my body is 15 years old, I''ve lived more than 25 in my past life. I''m already over 40! It looks like I''m a pedophile!" Lieon exclaimed.


    They were all laughing and chatting about the engagement and other minor topics until Lieon finally got tired and interrupted them.


    "Cough...Well, I think that''s enough. Zarich, wasn''t there something important you wanted to tell us?" Lieon asked.


    "What? Oh, right! Give me a moment, I want you to see something..." Zarich said as he hurriedly opened his [Storage Ring] and from there pulled out a stack of documents which he distributed to everyone present.


    "A couple of months ago, when I visited my hometown, I was researching about Variant Monsters and somehow I also ended up checking some old records about the 4th age and the decline of monsters and... I noticed something very strange." As Zarich spoke everyone began to read the documents he had given them.


    The documents were mostly the records of several millennia in which they detailed different events such as the appearance of high-level monsters, attacks by the dark churches, and the heroic deeds of some of the most influential great figures of the time: Magic users, Aura Warriors or people with special skills.

 Chapter 62 - 5 : A Meeting In The Library.

    "Okay, it''s stuff from the age of legends and the 5th age... But I don''t understand. What would be the problem?" Runan asked, being unable to understand what it was his friend was trying to tell them.


    Not too surprised by this, Zarich made room on the table, pulled out a large roll of paper, and spread it over the center of the table. On the paper were several graphs with arrows that began descending at the beginning and then ascended near the end.


    "Since classes started I''ve been coming to the library as long as I could. Going through documents and comparing records. In the end, I made these graphs." Zarich explained.


    According to what he said, each of the graphs represented a different thing, but all the events were within the same time period. They mainly showed the number of high-level monsters and the number of magic users or aura users there were from the end of the last age to the present.


    "As you can see, at the end of the 4th age the amount and level of monsters, magic users, and Aura users were slowly declining over time." Zarich said as his index finger traced the descending line of the graph. Then, he stopped at a point where the arrow stopped falling and began to rise.


    "But that changes here! Since almost a century ago, the number of monsters from higher realms began to increase, as did the number of magic and aura users. And not only that. The number of lost ruins and hidden realms found in the last century also increased!" He exclaimed.


    This last thing Zarich said left everyone quite surprised.


    The ruins and hidden realms were mysterious places that belonged to ancient fallen civilizations, whose magical technology was far superior when compared to today.


    All sorts of treasures and rare resources could be found in them. From spell formulas and meditation techniques of high levels to magical artifacts and their methods of crafting them.


    But even though they were distributed all over the world, these places were not easy to locate. Finding them was more a matter of chance and luck than logic.


    "Now that''s weird... Wait a minute, what are these two marks near the end of the graphs?" Thalia asked, looking more closely at the paper on the table.


    Before answering, Zarich rummaged through the pile of papers on the table, pulled out a green notebook, and handed it to Thalia.


    "Those two marks on the graph represent the anomalies and major cataclysmic events of recent times, everything is noted there. It wasn''t easy to collect all that, I even had to ask the Crescent Moons Guild for help to complete that." Zarich said, adjusting his glasses.


    Thalia began to turn page after page of the notebook and the more she read, the more surprised and scared she became.


    Each date marked in the notebook dealt with a different catastrophe or unusual event. From the appearance of horrible sea creatures, cities destroyed by dark churches, the awakening of ancient dragons, among many other things.


    Some were not so bad as they had to do with things like great advances in magical technology, archeological discoveries, many wizards who had managed to ascend to higher realms in recent years, or the increase of divine magic users along with other topics related to the Great Churches of Creation.


    Thalia continued reading the notebook until she stopped short, she had realized the significance of one of the marks on the graph.


    "Zarich... This... Are you sure?" she asked with a tone of disbelief and passed the notebook to Enid to look at as well. "According to your research, the major events happened between the years 20,109 and 20,110. Just when..."


    "Just when we were born." She was interrupted by Lieon who had been reading the rest of the documents and reviewing Zarich''s graphs. " Or better said, right when we came to this world."


    "Exactly, Lieon. The most notable events of the last few years occurred in the months we were born or shortly thereafter. Mostly good things, though. However..." Zarich paused and pointed with his index finger to the second mark on the graph, which represented the most recent events.


    "...Approximately about 8 or 9 months ago, multiple catastrophic events occurred and since then the forces of the dark churches and evil cults have been in constant motion. Although I don''t know the cause." said Zarich.


    "Whatever it is, it is clear that we are involved and not exactly indirectly." Enid said while still flipping through Zarich''s notebook.


    Her words did not go unnoticed by the others, but no one tried to deny them as they were sure they were true.


    The fact that all six had been born in the same year and that those great events occurred at the same time or shortly thereafter may have been mere coincidence.


    However, all six were born as the sons and daughters or successors of great emperors. In addition, they had been blessed by the gods and possessed the memories of their past lives along with the system.


    All of that couldn''t be a mere coincidence.


    "Well, I guess this confirms everything, although even if I hadn''t seen this it looks like something big is about to happen." Lieon said, in a thoughtful tone.


    "Do you even know anything about these events?" Runan asked.


    "Not too much. But I heard some things from my mother and the priests of the Church of Sunlight. The number of Dark Forests on the continent have been increasing exponentially in recent months along with the number of undead."


    "Dark Forests?" asked Cassius.


    "They are places contaminated with necrotic energy. There necromancers and undead can use all their power without worrying about solar energy." Zarich explained.


    "Exactly. But that''s not all the Church of the Living Corpses has been doing. I overheard a conversation between my uncle and my mother a while back and apparently, one of the fourteen True Blood Ancestors was revived on the Southern Continent." Lieon said.


    Suddenly, a shadow fell over the room and everyone felt a chill. The mere mention of those ancient creatures that had wreaked havoc throughout the world made even those who had lived in other universes feel fear.


    "The True Blood Ancestors? I thought those monsters died at the end of the vampire wars over 70,000 years ago." Thalia said in surprise.


    "Well, it looks like they''re not ''dead'' anymore. Last month my uncle tracked the Church Necromancers to some ruins on the Southern continent. Unfortunately, when he arrived the True Blood Ancestor had already been released from his seal and escaped. And from what I hear from the conversation, there may be a few more of them left and if they are released not even my uncle would be able to face them."


    This last thing Lieon told them surprised and frightened everyone.


    Lieon''s uncle (although he wasn''t his uncle since they weren''t related and he had lived for over 500 years) was known as "The Golden Phoenix", the only God Rank mercenary in the entire world and who was also the closest person to ascending to godhood in the last 20,000 years.


    "That doesn''t sound encouraging at all. Plus The Church of The Living Corpses is not the only one that has been moving." Said Enid " Before I came here I heard rumors that the Church of the Deadly Plagues had been spreading throughout southern Gamidir despite the efforts of Aurar''s troops and the Whistlers to stop them."


    "The Whistlers? Who are those?" Thalia asked.


    "Oh, they''re something like my country''s intelligence service. They are in charge of gathering information among other things." Enid replied.


    Not many people from other kingdoms knew about the Whistlers, but they weren''t exactly a secret so Enid didn''t bother telling her friends who (for some reason) she trusted even more than her family.


    "Come to think of it..." Cassius said. "The draconid beasts in the west of the continent have been getting more aggressive lately. My sister and some other people I trained with thought it was the work of the Church of Absolute Destruction, but I didn''t think much of it. Until that Volcanic Elder Dragon..."He couldn''t finish speaking.


    The Volcanic Elder Dragon Awakening incident had been a severe blow to the Great Kandram Empire. The creature had destroyed many towns and cities before it was stopped. The death toll was several hundred thousand among whom were many of the mighty warriors of the empire.


    Even The Dragon King, Cassius'' father and ruler of the empire, had been severely wounded in battle and had been bedridden ever since.


    Although Cassius retained the memories of his past lives, so his mind was much older than his body, he became attached to his new family in this world and actually saw the Dragon King as a father figure.


    So the fact that his father had been left in that state was something that both saddened and infuriated him.


    "It''s not just The Five Great Dark Churches that are getting agitated." Thalia added. "The tribes and sea beasts have been sinking a lot of ships this past year."


    "It''s certainly too many things mixed together. Even the Daivolks on the Northern Continent resumed their attacks since the new ''Lord'' ascended the throne two years ago." Zarich said with some trepidation.


    At that moment, the shadow that had fallen over them became darker, heavier, and more suffocating. Suddenly, everyone felt and realized that the world was changing too fast.


    For a brief moment, they were all able to imagine, see and feel hundreds of events that had happened and those that would happen.


    Cities were besieged and destroyed by hordes of monsters, armies of the dead rising from their graves, withering everything in their path, and plagues spreading across continents.


    A spiral of unstoppable chaos, death, and destruction, like a bottomless abyss. And sooner or later they too would be caught up in that spiral.


    "I think everyone is forgetting something very important." Runan said and everyone turned to look at him. "It''s almost 10:00 P.M... And I still didn''t finish my algebra homework! How am I supposed to finish it before lights out?" he said in despair as he scratched his head frantically.


    An Imperial University rule was that lights out was at 11:00 P.M. and that all students had to return to their rooms at that same time or there would be consequences, with no exceptions.


    So they could only be in the library for another hour.


    At that moment the tension in the room dissolved in the air, everyone relaxed a little and some let out a few laughs. Quickly the shadow that suffocated them seemed only a passing bad memory, already very distant.


    Even if some terrible event was happening in the world, there was nothing they could do about it at the moment. What they could do was try to prepare themselves to deal with future events.


    But they would cross that bridge when the time came.


    The six of them were in the library studying and helping those who had homework to do until it was time to go to bed.


    For that night they all forgot about their problems and worries, sleeping comfortably and peacefully until dawn came the next day.


    However, despite what they had discovered, none of the six could have imagined that in the darkness of that very night, sinister forces were on the move, and with them came a new era of change and chaos.

 Chapter 63 - (11: 30 P.M.) Chaos Rises.

    [Northwest Central Zone of the Central Continent. Blue Leaf Village (Wasern Kingdom). 13th day of the 2nd month. Year 20,125 of the 5th age. 11:30 PM]


    The Blue Leaf village owed its name to the tree in the center of the square, whose leaves, oddly enough, were blue. The tree had been planted by the founder of the village after returning from an expedition from the northern part of the continent.


    Unlike other trees and plants, the blue-leaved tree only blossomed in late autumn and its white apple-like fruit ripened in mid-winter.


    The most curious thing of all was that no matter whether the fruits were eaten raw, made into jam, or used to make liquor, they would always taste sweet and refreshing like a gentle icy breeze. As if they somehow retained the essence of winter, ice, and snow.


    The Blue Leaf village was located far south of a mountain range and a few miles northwest of the capital city of the Wasern kingdom. Which was affiliated with the Solar Empire.


    The village had a population of about 1,500 people and was dedicated to simple things like growing fruit trees and raising cattle.


    Despite being close to the mountains or the forest, monster sightings were not too frequent. The only thing the villagers had to watch out for were bandits lurking on the roads and some wolves or wild boars.


    The worst crisis the village had suffered was more than 50 years ago when they were attacked by a tribe of about two hundred Goblins led by a Hobgoblin. However, both the leader and the rest of the monsters had been quickly killed by passing mercenaries and the village hunters.


    After that, the village had only suffered a few minor incidents among them some Goblin attacks but not of such magnitude. So generally the village was quite peaceful.


    It was for this reason that the village (like many other settlements of that size) did not have a wall to protect it or other defenses. The only fighting force in the village was a couple of dozen hunters and those who could lift a hoe or a wood chopping ax.


    In the south of the village was a two-story, log-walled, thatched-roof hut. Upstairs there were two rooms. One with a good-sized double bed and the other with a single bed and a bunk bed.


    In the single bed, a young man with sun-tanned skin and brown hair slept comfortably covered by several woolen blankets to keep out the winter cold.


    Julian was a boy of only 16 years old who lived with his father who was a shepherd, his mother, and his two younger brothers.


    He did not have many ambitions in life.


    As a child, he had once dreamed of being a knight of the kingdom or a wizard in the king''s court.


    To leave that remote village in the middle of the forest and have adventures, become a high-ranking mercenary, defeat monsters and evil wizards, get all kinds of riches, and have a beautiful wife. The typical life that any peasant would dream of having.


    But as he grew older, Julian became aware of reality and forgot all his dreams. After all, he was just a peasant who lived in a remote village.


    Apart from being able to read and write, having a little talent with the bow, and being good at strategy games, Julian had no other special qualities. So now his greatest aspiration other than being a shepherd or a hunter was to be the village chief.


    Julian woke up suddenly, perhaps because of a bad dream. He got up and as he uncovered himself he felt the cold of the room brush against his body. He looked over to the bunk and noticed that his two brothers were still sleeping peacefully, although they were shivering a little.


    Julian opened the closet next to his bed, grabbed two more sets of blankets, and tucked his brothers in. Then he pulled out an extra blanket for himself and went back to bed.


    But after a few minutes, no matter how hard he tried, Julian was unable to fall asleep. He kept trying to fall asleep until he finally had enough.


    He then got out of bed again and put on his warmest clothes along with a pair of boots and a wolfskin cloak. He went downstairs to the first floor, grabbed his bow and a quiver full of arrows, and left the house.


    That night it was snowing. Outside the snow had begun to accumulate on the roofs of the huts and the village floor, forming a thin white layer a couple of centimeters thick.


    Julian walked along the village paths until he reached the place where the village bordered the forest. He continued walking for a few more minutes, going more than a mile into the sea of trees until he reached a small glade in the forest.


    Once there, Julian positioned himself about 15 meters (16.4 yards) in front of a tree that had several cloth sacks tied to the trunk or hanging from its branches. Each of the sacks was filled with straw and had a crudely painted target.


    He took an arrow from his quiver and drew the bowstring taut.


    That night the clearing was illuminated by a silvery-white glow. So Julian did not need to carry a lantern or torch with him and his eyes were soon accustomed to the darkness of the forest.


    Julian stood still for a moment, his gaze fixed on the tree, the bow firmly in his hand, the string taut and the arrow between his fingers. He exhaled, relaxed his grip on his fingers and the string slipped from his hand.


    *Xiu...*


    The arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself in the sack of the trunk, just an inch from the center of the target. Next, Julian took another arrow from the quiver, placed it in the bow, drew the string taut, and repeated the process. Again and again.


    *Xiu...*


    When Julian was restless, angry, bored, or simply tired of working in the village he used to come to the glade to practice with his bow to calm and clear his mind.


    He would forget all his problems, ignore all the sounds of the forest and let his body and mind become one with his bow.


    *Xiu...*


    Julian reached out to the quiver on his back for another arrow but noticed that it was empty and the 25 arrows were all embedded in the sacks. Some had gone through the targets and fell several meters from the tree.


    Julian walked to the tree, began to gather all the arrows, and put them in his quiver. When he finished he returned to his previous position and prepared to shoot another arrow.


    *Crack*


    But the sound of a branch snapping sounded behind him and Julian turned around with the bow still drawn in his hand.


    For a moment he thought it was some rabbit or other animal passing by. But just as he was about to relax his grip and lower his bow, Julian noticed three pairs of small bright dots of light just a few meters away from him.


    Slowly, the dots of light began to move toward him. But Julian decided not to wait to find out what they were.


    *Xiu...*


    The arrow shot out of the bow and whistled through the air as it approached the two dots of light in the center.


    "Kiekh!"


    A high-pitched screech echoed through the forest and the two glowing dots fell to the ground. At that instant, the remaining four points rushed up and ran towards him.


    *Xiu...Xiu...*


    Two more arrows whistled through the air and the two pairs of light dots fell to the ground. One of them let out a whimper as it tried to stand up. But Julian fired again, and the arrow embedded itself between the two dots, which fell to the ground and stopped glowing.


    Julian remained in the glade hidden behind a tree. His hand was firmly on the hilt of the bow and an arrow on the string.


    After a moment, Julian decided to move deeper into the trees, towards where he had seen the bright dots. After a few steps, he came in front of two bodies of humanoid creatures.


    One of the bodies was lying with its face against the ground. One arrow had pierced its right thigh and the second had embedded itself deep in its skull. The second was lying face down, with an arrow protruding from its neck.


    A few steps away from the two bodies, there was a third corpse that had fallen backward. The arrow seemed to have pierced his chest and was sticking out of his back.


    As Julian got a little closer he was able to make out the appearance of the three corpses as well as the clothes they wore.


    The creatures were short in stature, about 1.20 to 1.30 meters (3.9-4.2 ft) tall. Their teeth were sharp and somewhat misshapen. They had long claw-like nails and pointed ears. Their skin was rough, dark green and their eyes were yellow.


    They were all equipped with worn light leather armor and all carried a short, curved-bladed saber.


    "Goblins!" Julian exclaimed. Although he had never seen a Goblin in his life, the description of the creatures matched the books he had read or the stories he had heard from the village elders.


    At that moment, a smell of burning reached Julian''s nose, causing him to instinctively look up from the ground. There in the sky was an orange glow and several plumes of smoke rising in the direction of the Blue Leaf village.


    Fearing the worst, Julian forgot about the goblin corpses and began to run back towards the village. He ran for several minutes, hoping that his family was okay and that everyone in the village was safe.


    But when he reached the edge of the forest, Julian gazed in horror at the scene before his eyes.


    The huts were on fire and the cries and screams reached his ears mixed with the sound of the monsters'' roars and howls.


    Without a second thought, Julian grabbed his bow and started running towards the village. He had to find his family even if it meant risking his life.


    Julian ran through the village paths towards his home. Along the way, he had seen several mutilated bodies of villagers and animals. He had also run into some Orcs, though he had managed to evade them and had taken out a Kobold that was eating the body of an old man.


    All this did nothing but make him even more anxious. This was not a normal attack. It wasn''t normal for so many monsters to be prowling the area, let alone so many species of creatures to be together.


    Finally, Julian reached his house. But to his misfortune, it was already in flames and the shattered bodies of his family were lying on the snowy ground stained crimson red.


    Julian fell to his knees on the floor and burst into tears. It all seemed like a nightmare.


    His father had been cut in half. His mother had half her face smashed in and his two brothers had been stabbed to death.


    All around him could be heard only the crackling of flames and the roars of monsters. It seemed that almost everyone in the village was dead or had fled.


    Julian didn''t know how long he was on his knees in the snow, but he was fortunate that none of the monsters had attacked him as he mourned the death of his family.


    At that moment, the whinny of a horse brought him back to reality and made him get up from the ground. Julian took one last look at his family before grabbing his bow and running to where he had heard the whinny.


    Julian ran toward the square. There the blue-leafed tree was ablaze and the ground was covered with corpses.


    A couple of huts away from the square a saddled horse was struggling against two goblins who were trying to knock it down. The horse''s owner lay dead on the ground with several black arrows sticking out of his back.


    Julian took two arrows from his quiver and quickly shot towards the Goblins. The arrows whistled through the air, killing the two monsters before they could react.


    Without wasting another second, Julian ran to the horse, grabbed it by the reins, and mounted it. The horse didn''t seem to mind someone other than its owner getting on its back. Especially since Julian had just saved it.


    Julian spurred the horse and it started to run until it got out of the village and into the forest. Heading to the capital.


    That night, along with Blue Leaf Village, more than a dozen villages and small towns were razed to the ground and tens of thousands of people were slaughtered.


    That was the night that the fall of the Wasern kingdom and the kingdoms of the Northwest Central part of the continent began.


    ****


    [West Central Zone of the Central Continent. Whispering Forest ( Jadar Kingdom). 13th day of the 2nd month. Year 20,125 of the 5th age. 11:30 PM]


    The Whispering Forest was a huge sea of trees that stretched for hundreds of miles, passing through several cities and kingdoms.


    Now that it was winter most of the trees had shed their leaves and their branches, as well as the ground, were covered with snow. When the wind blew through the bare branches it sounded like a faint, sad, mournful whisper.


    A group of seven hooded people dressed in black walked through the forest leaving their footprints on the snow-covered ground.


    The seven walked for a few minutes until they stopped in front of a large rock. Sitting on it, a figure wrapped in dark red cloaks was deep in thought as he seemed to contemplate something in his hand with a melancholy look.


    The man had a long tail and a pair of curved horns protruding from his forehead. His skin was a dark gray color and his eyes were completely white.


    "Lord Vicar" Said the seven as they knelt on the ground to pay their respects to the man.


    The vicar did not answer them and remained silent, contemplating the black orb in his hand.


    "Lord Vicar." After a while, the hooded man closest to the vicar stood up and spoke. "We have counted a total of 25,701 souls in the town and preparations are now complete. But... perhaps we should hurry. Our messengers have confirmed that the Dawn Inquisitors are on our trail and if they catch up with us then..."


    "Silence... Do you hear it?" the Vicar asked. His voice sounded sad and broken as if he was about to burst into tears. "They''re all suffering - every breath they take, every second that passes is agony!" He said, raising his arms to the trees around him.


    The Vicar stood up and turned to the seven hooded individuals. His face was covered with tears.


    "They are all afraid. Because they know that every second that passes they are one step closer to disappearing, to dying. But rest assured, you need not fear! For today we will lead them to the paradise of eternity!"


    The Vicar stepped off the rock and began to walk through the forest, with the seven hooded ones following in his wake. Every time the Vicar took a step the surrounding trees turned black and withered.


    They walked for a few more minutes until they came to a hill at the edge of the forest. Further down, a couple of kilometers from the edge of the forest was a town surrounded by a large log wall and multiple watchtowers made of wood.


    Except for the guards on duty and the few houses where there were any lights on it seemed that everyone in the town was asleep.


    The Vicar stood silently, contemplating the town for a few moments. Finally, he raised his arm and the orb in his hand began to radiate an ominous light.


    A dark mist began to emanate from the orb. The mist gathered and drifted down the hill towards the town. Within the mist, terrible and sinister shapes began to emerge, approaching the gates of the town.


    A few seconds later, the gates were torn down, the buildings began to be destroyed, and burst into flames. Great columns of smoke began to rise in the sky and the screams and cries of the townspeople began to spread in the surroundings until they reached the ears of the hooded ones and the Vicar.


    "But what a beautiful symphony!" The vicar exclaimed, in a tone that showed both joy, sadness, and madness at the same time. "They have been saved and we are a little closer to the Marquis." He said in a whisper and a huge smile formed on his face.


    As the screams of the people died down the Vicar continued to contemplate the black orb in his hand. A huge eye of black, violet, white, green, and blue fires appeared inside the orb and his restless vertical pupil looked in all directions impatiently.


    ****


    [West Zone of the Central Continent. Fragat City (Ruagon Kingdom). 13th day of the 2nd month. Year 20,125 of the 5th age. 11:30 PM]


    The place was a tavern (albeit a bit more elegant and cozy) with no windows and rustic brick walls. Full of circular and square tables, with upholstered walnut chairs.


    There was a large shelf full of books on the right wall and the floor in front of it, a large Persian style carpet on which there were several armchairs with small circular tables.


    The left wall had a large fireplace with an orange fire burning in it.


    On either side of the fireplace were several shelves attached to the wall filled with ornaments and decorations and, just as at the other end of the room, there was a large Persian-style rug with several armchairs around the fireplace.


    Each table in the room had a lighted candle and on the ceiling above them hung numerous chandeliers that illuminated the place giving it an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.


    On the central wall, there was a polished white marble bar behind which there was a large shelf full of wines, whiskeys, liquors, and other exotic drinks.


    The tavern was dominated by silence, interrupted only by the crackling of the flames.


    A shadow was resting in one of the armchairs near the fireplace. The shadow appeared to be reading a green-covered book and to its right was a small circular black wooden table on which was a half-finished glass of whiskey on the rocks.


    Suddenly a vibrating sound echoed in the room, causing the shadow to stand up. It marked with a bookmark the page on which it had lingered and set the book down on the table. Then it picked up its glass of whiskey and made its way to the white marble bar.


    The shadow turned out to be a woman dressed in a long black dress, a pendant, and silver rings. Her skin was very pale, almost white. Her hair was black except for a silver lock on the right side, her full lips were a crimson red and her eyes were a deep purplish dark.


    The woman moved to the back of the bar at the same time a man came through the door of the tavern.


    The man was of average height, and although he was wrapped in a brown hooded cloak to conceal his identity the impeccable state of his clothes gave away that he was not a commoner.


    "Good evening, how may I help you?" The woman asked in a sweet and friendly tone.


    "I... I require your services." The man said nervously as he set down a small leather pouch that was crammed with low-grade Rehi crystals.


    "I assume this covers the fee." Said the woman as she inspected one of the crystals and stowed the rest under the bar. "What kind of services do you require?"


    "I need whatever kind it is to silence. And it has to be discreet... Or that no one suspects... That no one can link... That''s all" The man took another leather bag and set it down on the bar. This time the grade of the crystals was higher. Inside the bag was a piece of paper with something written on it.


    The woman inspected the crystals and the contents of the paper in the bag. When she confirmed the writing on the paper and that the amount of the payment was sufficient, the woman smiled and put the leather bag away with the other one.


    "Very well. The amount of the first payment is enough. You will have one week for the second payment once the job is finished." Replied the woman with a smile and a cheerful tone.


    The man merely nodded and quickly left the tavern, closing the door behind him.


    When the man left, the woman picked up her glass of Whiskey, returned to her seat, and continued reading the book on the page where she had left off.


    "So, who should I entrust this job to?"


    ****


    please read the author''s thoughts