Ghost and Old Mage

Just as he was about to rest a bit in the wooden cabin, one of the Skeleton Generals following close behind suddenly paced back and forth uneasily, as if sensing something.

"What's going on?" After all, skeletons were mindless, emotionless things that knew neither fear nor pity—so where could this unease come from? Something was definitely off about this house.

Li Shaolin didn't dare take it lightly. He ordered the still-pacing Clay Golem to halt, summoned a Bone Shield onto himself, and condensed a Bone Fang on his finger before gently moving deeper into the house. The two Skeleton Generals followed closely, while he stationed the other Skeleton Warrior behind the door to guard alongside the Golem.

He looked around—everything seemed normal. The house had two small floors: the ground floor held a living room and kitchen, the upper floor a study and bedroom. All ordinary construction. Of course, the shelves were stocked with alchemy materials and herbs, suggesting the owner was likely an alchemist.

What was wrong?

The Skeleton General stopped by the long-unused kitchen, took two more steps, and the soulfire in its eye sockets blazed up fiercely!

So the oddity was in the kitchen.

A careful search revealed a small wooden board lifted at one corner by the meat counter, hinting at darkness beneath. There should be a cellar below.

He walked over, pried it open with a bit of effort, and sure enough, in the dim light, a stone staircase leading down appeared. The soulfire in the Skeleton General's eye sockets flickered even more violently!

"What's down there?" Li Shaolin didn't dare descend. He'd seen the Skeleton General's reaction clearly, and he had no idea what could cause such a change in it—so how could he risk going down rashly?

He waited a while, but nothing stirred from below.

Gritting his teeth, Li Shaolin peeked down. By now, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and he could make out shapes. One glance nearly made him jump out of his skin: in the pitch-black view, a cyan-black coffin sat in the cellar below!

The coffin seemed carved with chaotic patterns, and on the ground was a Pentagram etched with flowing black light. At its five corners, black light connected into a circle, radiating waves of dark energy.

No wonder the Skeleton General was uneasy. Even he could tell this Pentagram pulsed with dark energy. Skeletons were undead creatures that advanced by absorbing death-force, so they were naturally sensitive to it. Good grief—was something dark sleeping in that coffin?

Hesitating, Li Shaolin had no idea if anything was inside the coffin. With his half-baked skills, he didn't dare provoke it. If he couldn't handle it, he'd end up dead—and that would be just great.

What to do?

Just as he was about to close the wooden board, one of the Skeleton Generals behind him leaped forward and charged down!

Normally, the Skeleton Generals obeyed his commands without question, having no will of their own—except for combat instincts, which were innate. But now, lured by this unknown dark energy, it had rushed at the Pentagram on its own, catching Li Shaolin off guard.

Not good!

Li Shaolin couldn't stop it in time. He cursed his own carelessness—he'd forgotten to order the Skeleton General to stay put. If something was in that coffin, a fight was unavoidable now.

"Haah—!" A sharp shriek rang out as the coffin burst open, revealing a woman.

Her black hair stood on end, a purple-red robe clung to her body, her hands were clawed with dark nails gleaming eerily, a white mist gathered at her feet, and her pointed ears and pale face made her utterly terrifying.

"What is that? Looks like a Ghost from a game!" Li Shaolin flinched, and because he'd been leaning in, he smacked his head on the wooden board. Pain shot through him, making him grimace. In a reflex, he ducked—but forgot he was right at the cellar entrance. With a series of thuds, he tumbled down the stairs, dizzy and dazed.

He shook his head quickly, steadying himself. Another sharp shriek rang out as the Ghost spread its claws and lunged at him!

With a whoosh, the Skeleton General that had jumped down swung its Bone Blade, blocking in front of Li Shaolin. At the same time, the other Skeleton Warrior leaped into the cellar.

"At least you've got some conscience," Li Shaolin muttered, knowing the thing couldn't understand him, but it felt good to vent. If not for this guy, he wouldn't have stirred up this Ghost!

Though the Ghost was half-corporeal, immune to most physical attacks, it still didn't dare ignore the Bone Blade swinging from the Skeleton Warrior. It sidestepped quickly, dodging, then opened its mouth and spat out a cloud of white gas. The gas spread instantly.

Li Shaolin's scalp went numb, and his feet started moving uncontrollably. The feeling was all too familiar—it was exactly like when the rogue Sulonna had hit him with a Fear Spell back at Blackwell's Pumpkin Patch. This Ghost could do it too!

At the same time, Li Shaolin caught a glimpse of two gaping skulls glowing above the Skeleton Generals' heads!

"I'm done for—if those two get feared too, I'm dead meat today." Panic surged through him, but his feet kept moving, carrying him to the stairway.

Luckily, his worst fear didn't come true. It seemed the Skeleton Generals, being undead, were immune to the Ghost's shriek. Both swung their blades, shielding Li Shaolin behind them.

"Shhhk"—the Skeleton Generals' Bone Blades slashed through the Ghost's body, sending black matter scattering with the white blade-light, falling into the Pentagram below. The two hits seemed to gravely wound the Ghost, which let out a series of piercing howls that rattled Li Shaolin's ears.

"Good." The fear only lasted a few seconds, and Li Shaolin finally stopped. Seeing the Skeleton Generals fight fiercely, driving the Ghost back step by step, he breathed a long sigh of relief. It seemed this Ghost wasn't as scary as it looked.

He quickly cast Detection, and a red name appeared above its head: Shari (Ghost), Level 12.

Since he could hurt it, there was nothing to worry about. He condensed two more Bone Fangs and shot them out with a whoosh.

The Bone Fangs passed through the Ghost's body and clinked against the coffin without piercing it—the coffin seemed to be made of metal. The Ghost shuddered, more black ash scattering. It seemed the fangs could damage it too.

The Ghost howled and shrieked continuously, but even so, it couldn't hold out against the three attackers. After two more blows, it threw its head back with a cry and crumbled into black dust.

"This Ghost isn't so tough after all," Li Shaolin thought dismissively. It was only scary when it first appeared, and that fear skill was a bit impressive, but the rest was mediocre. And he'd been scared enough to think about running!

With the faint light from the kitchen, he scanned the open coffin. The lid was wooden, but the body was cast in bronze. Inside lay a skeleton, completely still—probably just an ordinary one, maybe even the Ghost's original body.

Meanwhile, the two Skeleton Generals were absorbing the black dust the Ghost had left on the ground. Their white bones gradually turned black, the spots spreading until they covered their entire bodies.

"What are these two up to?" Li Shaolin didn't understand, but he'd spent enough time with skeletons to know this probably wasn't harmful, so he let them be.

After a bit of absorption, one skeleton's bones shifted from black back to white. Cracking sounds echoed as its body seemed to shrink dramatically, from two meters tall down to about one and a half. The Bone Shield in its hand vanished, transforming into another black Bone Blade. Now, a pitch-black skeleton wielding two black Bone Blades stood before Li Shaolin.

"Mutated? Did it level up again?" Just as he was about to examine it closely, a beam of white light descended from above, enveloping Li Shaolin. He'd leveled up right then.

Li Shaolin was now an 11th-level Necromancer.

So it wasn't just killing other creatures that gave experience—his summons evolving also triggered level-ups. Like when he'd found the Golden Golem in Fargodeep Mine, and now this Skeleton General's mutation, both had pushed him up a level. If he summoned more skeletons, he'd be rolling in it.

He quickly looked at the ground. The black matter had been completely absorbed, and the other Skeleton General was standing in the Pentagram, soaking up the lingering energy.

He pulled out the Book of the Dead and flipped it open. Sure enough, he had one more skill point. Where should he put it? Add another skeleton or learn a curse? But ever since he'd crossed over, many skills had changed. He didn't know if the curse tree had been buffed. Maybe he should learn one.

He opened the curse tree. White text showed the skills he could learn: Amplify Damage (increases physical damage effects on all cursed targets within 2 yards by 100%), Weaken (reduces damage dealt by all cursed targets within 6 yards by 30%, lasts 20 seconds, costs 4 mana), Lesser Blindness (blinds all cursed targets within 3 yards for 10 seconds, costs 9 mana).

They all looked good. Amplify Damage could boost his skeletons' destructive power, Weaken reduced enemy damage, and Lesser Blindness could blind targets. But wasn't Lesser Blindness basically the same as a rogue's blinding? And the description for Amplify Damage said "effects"—what effects? Didn't Weaken need a prerequisite? Was that just how it worked now?

He couldn't make sense of it. Thinking back to the rogue's blinding skill, it felt pretty useful—he knew all too well what it was like to lose control. Might as well go with that.

He did as he pleased, tapping a finger to activate Lesser Blindness. Instantly, the method of casting it appeared in his mind.

With no other monsters around to test his skills, he couldn't see the effect. Suddenly remembering the mutated skeleton, he quickly tossed a Detection spell at it: Skeleton Assassin (Shadow Stalker, Level 15). At the same time, its name turned blue.

So, did this mean the thing had become an agility type?

Sure enough, following his mental command, the Black Skeleton leaped and vanished into the shadows, just like a Rogue's Stealth.

"Hahaha, this is a great helper for assassination and reconnaissance." Li Shaolin couldn't help but feel a surge of delight. With this skeleton, it was like having a Rogue by his side, catching people off guard.

After the excitement faded, seeing he hadn't gained much else, he left the cellar. The other Skeleton General was already thick with black aura, seemingly close to advancing, so Li Shaolin had it lie back in the coffin to level up in peace. Meanwhile, he called over the Skeleton Warrior guarding the door and the Black Skeleton, stuffing both of them into the Bronze Coffin as well. Since he wasn't going out today, he'd just rest in the living room. As long as he didn't leave the room, it should be safe enough—he still had the Clay Golem.

Once everything was settled, he covered the wooden lid. Heh, good thing these three were mindless skeletons; if they were human, they'd be bored to death.

He had just sat down in the living room when he heard a "creak" as the wooden door was pushed open. A middle-aged mage in a sky-blue robe, holding a staff embedded with a blue gem, appeared before Li Shaolin.

"Hello!" The mage paused for a moment upon seeing Li Shaolin, then immediately greeted him in perfect Common.

"Yeah, hello to you too, Master Mage." Li Shaolin breathed a quiet sigh of relief, not wanting to be startled by this guy. Damn, he'd thought the original owner had come back.

"Um, are you the master of this place? I'm passing by and a bit tired—could I rest here for a bit?" The mage spoke humbly.

"Heh heh," Li Shaolin felt a little awkward. Master of the place? I only got here an hour before you did. Thinking this, he smiled and gestured for the mage to sit down. Since the guy had said it, he'd just let him think what he wanted.

The mage sat down and immediately spotted the Golem behind the door. Smiling, he said, "Is this your familiar? Quite unique."

Li Shaolin nodded, afraid the mage might notice something off. Fortunately, the other man just offered a few compliments before changing the subject.

"By the way, young friend, are you alone? No other companions? You look like a mage too, with strength at Level 10—not bad. Daring to come to Westfall all by yourself." The Old Mage praised.

"Well, I got lost and ended up here." Li Shaolin said sheepishly.

They chatted for a while longer. The Old Mage introduced himself as Karnak, then pulled a red fruit wine from his Storage Space. Smiling, he said, "Come on, Lin, this wine is excellent. It helps magic classes recover mana and stamina faster. Have some." He then fetched two cups from the nearby table.

"Heh, you're too kind, sir." Li Shaolin took the cup and drank with the Old Mage. He hadn't expected this old guy to be so nice.

After a few small cups, the mage looked at the Golem and suddenly asked, "Lin, how long can this earth elemental of yours last?"

Li Shaolin was caught off guard by the question. Then it hit him—in this world, summoned elemental creatures for combat couldn't last long. Even those that could persist were only summoned by high-level mages. How could a mere Level 10 like him control one? He'd been careless and forgotten.

Shaking his head, he quickly said, "This one's about to disappear soon. I haven't had it summoned long." Under the table, he quietly pulled out the Book of the Dead and pointed it at the Golem. A flash of black light rose, and the Golem vanished on the spot. Then, without a trace, he stashed the Book of the Dead away. Luckily, there was no magical fluctuation, and the Old Mage didn't notice.

"See, it's gone now." Li Shaolin seized the moment.

"Heh, come on, drink up." Karnak handed him another cup.

"Not bad, good stuff." Li Shaolin smacked his lips in praise.

"Heh heh, of course. This wine is brewed from human blood—naturally, it's delicious." Karnak lifted his head and suddenly declared!

"What!" Li Shaolin jolted, sensing trouble. He tried to stand, but the mage gripped his staff and pointed a finger at him. A beam of light enveloped him—"Baa!"—Polymorph!

Karnak didn't attack, just waited quietly for the Polymorph's duration to end.

"Damn, this old bastard is shady! He's probably in cahoots with that Ghost." Li Shaolin cursed himself inwardly. He should have realized when the guy pulled out the cups—how could he have known there were cups there? Careless, he'd fallen for it and even been tricked into dismissing the Golem. What a joke.

When the Polymorph wore off, Li Shaolin felt his body go limp. His mana wouldn't rise at all, and his limbs were weak, leaving him collapsed on the floor.

"Heh heh, young man, you came to my place to lie, and you didn't even check where you were?" Karnak kicked the prone Li Shaolin, sneering, "Don't waste your strength trying to use magic. You should know, I'm a Dark Alchemist. Your stamina and mana won't recover for at least an hour—by then, you'll be turned into fine wine."

Li Shaolin glared at him in fury, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't even speak, let alone resist.

"Come on, young man, let me introduce you to a friend. I promise you'll die in agony. Not only will I drain your blood and refine your bones, but your soul will be devoured too. How's that for taking care of you? Hahaha!" Karnak walked over and tried to drag him, but Li Shaolin didn't budge. He was a strong young man—how could a frail old mage move him?

Karnak sighed and pulled out a potion, looking reluctant. "This Puppet Potion is ten times the dose I use on those Mechanical Golems outside. What a waste." With that, he poured it down Li Shaolin's throat.

Instantly, a strange force surged through his body, but his limbs were no longer under his control. Slowly, he stood up like a machine!

"Come on, haha!" Karnak led the way to the kitchen. Naturally, Li Shaolin followed step by step, like a robot.

When Li Shaolin had left the cellar earlier, he'd kicked the lid shut, leaving it as it was—no change.

Karnak pulled the wooden board aside and directed Li Shaolin to follow him down into the cellar, muttering, "Shari, my dear, I've brought you fresh flesh and blood again—and it's still alive. Wake up quickly." His face twisted with madness as he pushed at the coffin lid.

Then, suddenly, something unexpected happened!