Battle Begins

Undead possess souls, and green soul flames burn within their skeletal skulls. Glimmers of green light can be seen through the cracks in their skulls; this is their only weakness. Only by shattering the soul of the undead can it be truly destroyed. Otherwise, no matter how much you crush its bones to dust or burn them to ash, you will only render it incapable of fighting or moving.

The souls of skeletons are not the souls they had in life. When a life ends, its soul is either taken by the gods or swallowed by the River of Fate. Without external help, it's almost impossible for a soul to remain within its body. Therefore, the souls of the undead are entirely new existences born from the erosion of deathly aura. Their soul levels are not much higher than those of rats or rabbits. Because of this, most undead lack intelligence and wander aimlessly day and night, driven by instinct. Since a Professional's power comes entirely from their soul, even if the undead's body belonged to a powerful Professional in life, the undead will not inherit their former strength or Professional Level.

If it were a Combatant, whose soul and body are tempered together, the undead inheriting the body might retain two or three Professional Levels as an "inheritance." However, if it were a Mage, who specializes in tempering the soul, the strength of the undead inheriting the body would drastically decrease, to the point of being almost nonexistent.

Among the undead wandering in the small forest now, about five are "wearing" noticeably more ornate attire. Even through the grime and damage, the faint magical fluctuations of inscriptions on their armor and weapons cannot be concealed. The soul flames in their eye sockets burn "brightly" like green lanterns. Unlike the dazed appearance of other undead, these few undead constantly exude a ferocious presence. They are like silent beasts patrolling their territory; as they pass, the surrounding undead instinctively make way.

Soon, the System's analysis results came out. These undead actually possessed Warrior Levels, the lowest being Level Two! The highest being Level Four! This means they were at least Journeyman Level warriors in life!

At a central point in the forest, Punk even spotted figures clad in mage robes, indicating that this unknown Kamos army also had its own accompanying mages!

Punk's expression began to turn subtle. A squad with several Journeyman Level powerhouses was definitely capable of turning the tide in a commoner's war. For a small kingdom like Kamos, they were absolutely the elite of the elite; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were "cherished as if they might fall if held, or melt if held in the mouth." Yet now, these elites had inexplicably been wiped out in this unremarkable little wasteland. If one said no major event was involved, who would believe it?

But what Punk was interested in wasn't these convoluted threads that couldn't be untangled. He cared more about the wandering corpses themselves, or rather, the equipment on these bone frames. The armor and weapons emitting faint halos, even after prolonged erosion by the undead aura, still possessed weak magical fluctuations. Such items, regardless of how soiled they were, were considered magical equipment. Even decomposing them for raw materials could fetch two to three hundred gold coins. And...

Punk looked at the two robed skeletons wandering in the depths of the forest. He couldn't help but touch his smooth chin. After all, there might be the entire fortune of a Journeyman powerhouse there...

Punk finally decided to explore this forest. No matter how strong these skeletons were in life, they were now just unintelligent, Apprentice Level bones. With two Journeyman Level equipment, he was confident he could defeat them one by one. Moreover, Punk's powerful perception and Analysis Ability detected no hidden dangers. So, facing a large group of wealth so close at hand, why hesitate? Although Punk didn't like taking risks, it didn't mean he would let such a great opportunity slip away!

"Besides... I have an overly enthusiastic helper, don't I?" Punk looked to the side, a cold smile curling the corner of his lips.

Not far from the Forest of Undead, the female priestess had already taken out a gem-encrusted circular emblem and was preparing for battle!

"Miss Priestess, although we had a few minor misunderstandings on the way, we now face a common evil enemy. I believe there's a possibility for us to join forces." Punk performed a noble bow to the priestess, speaking with almost no inflection. This priestess was of a lower level than him and didn't have any good equipment on her. If she truly wanted to "purify evil," she would consider his proposal.

The priestess seemed taken aback and frowned, clearly hesitant. However, in the end, between the options of "refusing the disgusted Mage and fighting alone" and "joining forces to purify evil," she chose the latter. She then put on an expression as if she had suffered a great injustice and, in a voice loud enough for Punk to hear, confessed her sin of cooperating with the Mage to the Lord of Dawn, while unsparingly denigrating the Mage and tearfully praying for divine forgiveness.

Although Punk knew this was the priestess's compromise, he grew increasingly annoyed, wishing he could just blast her with Harm and send her to meet that Lord of Dawn. In the end, Punk simply ignored the religious fanatic's ramblings and began preparing his spells!

First, he cast Minor Telekinetic Projectile at the nearest Level Three apprentice skeleton warrior wielding a long sword. The incantation, like a whisper in a dream, floated ethereally and then vanished. Immediately after, Minor Telekinetic Projectile whistled past in a streak of light, accurately heading for the undead's head. Just as the kinetic-infused stone was about to smash into the undead's eye socket and shatter the burning Soul Flame, at this critical moment, the sword-wielding skeleton, relying on the muscle memory honed in life, swiftly dodged its head, causing Punk's spell to miss.

The suddenly attacked undead tilted its head, stunned for a moment. Then, its Soul Flame flared brightly, the emerald flames even burning up to its brow bone. It opened its mouth to the point of dislocation and let out a silent roar at Punk—it was enraged.

Meanwhile, the priestess on the other side was not to be outdone. She lowered her head, pressing the circular emblem to her chest. Accompanied by an increasingly loud, ethereal, and firm prayer, a magnificent golden warhammer phantom above the head of another helmeted Level Two skeleton warrior solidified. In just two seconds, it became as tangible as a real hammer.

The warhammer descended with lightning speed, striking the skeleton's head. The warhammer, burning with fierce golden flames, caused the skeleton's imposing helmet to immediately crack all over. The golden holy fire pierced through the armor gaps, where gray points of light floated, and began to scorch the skull within with a sizzling sound.

The undead writhed in pain with every joint, its bones groaning. However, its skeleton once belonged to a Journeyman powerhouse. The excellent elemental resistance of a Journeyman Level warrior allowed it to withstand this attack.

Despite its shattered helmet, the Soul Flame in the undead's eye sockets dimmed slightly. Yet, it still charged furiously towards the female priestess! As it ran, dull, loose dust was kicked up everywhere!

At the same time, the undead provoked by Punk also began to Charge at him. The grayish-black death aura of the undead coiled around the rusty long sword, and wisps of gray mist seeped and dispersed from the gaps in the undead's armor! The originally dim and pale bones faintly pulsed with several streaks of ghastly green light.

With Lesser Deflection Field activated, Punk was already ready. He looked at the skeleton warrior, which had charged more than three meters forward, with his deep eyes flowing with blue light. He slightly parted his lips and sighed in a faint tone!

"The show's about to begin, darling!"