Human Skin Puppet

The pit was dimly lit.

Relying on Dim Light Vision, Roger strode forward.

The ground ahead sloped sharply downward.

A flight of stairs appeared before Roger.

At the end of the stairs was a horrifying sight that made his scalp tingle—

Bloodied, mangled corpses were piled there, left to rot.

Dried dark-red bloodstains and chunks of flesh were mixed together, like an enormous, jumbled velvet curtain.

It took Roger quite a while to determine that these corpses had all belonged to humans.

"Where is their skin?"

Rage rose in his heart, followed immediately by deep wariness.

He quickly descended the stairs and examined the corpses at close range.

"They were all skinned completely."

"And the technique was extremely skilled!"

Roger's face rarely turned so grim.

The owner of this pit was truly vile and detestable.

It was not difficult to tell from the Traces left on the corpses.

He was an expert at skinning.

Perhaps skinning was as simple to him as eating and breathing.

Such an enemy...

Could it be the Corpse Demon itself?

With that thought in mind, Roger went around the pile of corpses and continued onward.

This was a tunnel-like cave.

Roger proceeded carefully, using "Concealment" every five steps.

After rounding a narrow bend, flickering lamplight appeared ahead.

He focused his gaze.

It was a very spacious underground area.

There were many tables and instruments.

It looked like a laboratory.

A short man in a bright red robe had his back to Roger, hunched over a table and writing furiously.

Inside the laboratory.

Human organs and limbs from every part of the body were scattered everywhere.

Roger did his best to steady his breathing.

Since coming to this world, this was the time he had found it hardest to suppress his rage!...

Blood Mage Apprentice LV9 HP 45 Defense 5 Human/Undead

Spell Domain: Evil Curse

"So it really is a half-human, half-undead monster."

Roger had read up on the Corpse Demon.

Before its mutation, this monster had been a somewhat famous mage in Gem City. Even then, it had claimed to have successfully become half-undead.

And the spell domain it studied was precisely "Evil Curse."

The information matched perfectly.

One had to know that "Evil Curse" was an exceedingly evil spell domain.

Only those who had completely extinguished their humanity could walk this path.

Even if this fellow was not the Corpse Demon, he was one of its lackeys.

Roger was just about to launch a surprise attack and stab him to death.

Suddenly, a chilling wind swept down from above.

Roger did not have time to look up. He hastily lowered his head and leaped backward, narrowly dodging the sneak attack of a blade.

Whoosh! The blade sliced over his head, grazing his hair.

Roger knew he had been exposed and could not be bothered to keep up the disguise.

With the Qing Fu Sword in hand, he charged fiercely at the bloated monster.

Cloud Mist Step activated.

After just five moves.

The tip of the Qing Fu Sword, still coated with holy water, successfully pierced the fat body of the knife-wielding freak before him.

With a hiss.

Clumps of black gas poured out from the ambusher's wound.

Yet the man himself collapsed like a deflating balloon.

Once the black gas dispersed.

Only a sheet of human skin, wearing a half-smile, remained on the ground.

Human Skin Puppet LV9 HP 26 Defense 1 Weak to Thunder/Fire/Sharp Objects

Enchantment: Humanoid Evil Curse

Humanoid Evil Curse: Creates a guard clad in human skin, possessing a portion of its attributes from before death

"Ho ho ho."

"What a spirited young man. Quick reactions, too."

The short mage set down his pen and turned to look at Roger.

His skin was very pale, as though he had applied more than a dozen layers of powder.

His chin was raised high, his arrogance plain to see, and he spoke in a condescending tone.

"You ruined my puppet just like that. Do you wish to replace him as my guard?"

Without another word, Roger drew his sword and attacked! There was nothing to discuss with such a vile creature.

The short mage abruptly stood up. With his left hand, he grabbed a bottle containing dark-green gelatinous matter and quickly uncorked it.

Incantations rang out in rapid succession.

In the span of a breath.

Six streaks of green light emerged from his chest and shot at the oncoming Roger without him even turning around!

Empowered Sulfuric Acid Arrow: 1st-circle spell. Summons 4–6 sulfuric acid arrows to attack an enemy, dealing 10 damage per arrow; once an acid arrow hits the target and deals damage, it inflicts the "Corrosion" effect

Corrosion: Corrodes the target with acid of pH 9, deducting HP according to the corroded area (skin: 2 points/minute)

In this world polluted by high-dimensional magic, spells of the same circle were significantly more powerful than other techniques.

Take this Empowered Sulfuric Acid Arrow, for example.

In such relatively cramped terrain, this thing was simply a nightmare for melee classes.

Once he failed to dodge it, only death awaited him.

But Roger paid it no mind.

He had a sword in his hand and fire in his heart.

So he charged straight into it!

"Hiss—"

The short mage inhaled sharply in surprise, then muttered to himself in complaint.

"What a waste of good skin..."

But before he could finish.

He saw Roger actually charge through the spell head-on!

The sulfuric acid arrows had only caused some damage to his clothes.

He himself was completely unharmed! "Ah! How can this be..."

The short mage jumped up in panic.

He fumbled as he began chanting a second incantation.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Roger remembered clearly.

After every spell, a first-circle mage had a period of "Cooldown."

He would need at least ten seconds before he could cast another spell.

And ten seconds were enough for Roger to stab him a hundred times over.

Puff puff puff! The Qing Fu Sword darted like a dragonfly skimming water, instantly piercing several of the short mage's vital points.

A few breaths later.

The short mage stared wide-eyed, his mouth twisted, before collapsing to the ground like a heap of mud.

You killed the Blood Mage Apprentice

You gained 5 XP

You gained 16 Xia Yin Value

Looking at those 16 points of Xia Yin Value, Roger felt no joy at all.

Because he knew what they represented.

After calming himself.

Roger swiftly searched the laboratory from top to bottom.

From the remains, Roger pieced together quite a bit of useful information—

The short mage was named Moss.

He came from another planet.

Half a year ago, under his mentor's orders, he had specifically come to seek refuge with the Corpse Demon.

This laboratory had been built for him by the Corpse Demon so that Moss could study Evil Curse spells.

In return, Moss had to create "perfect human skin" for the Corpse Demon.

It was not difficult to learn from Moss's experiment logs that, over the past half year, the Corpse Demon's demand for human skin had suddenly surged.

Moss had complained more than once that skinning had made his hands cramp.

In just half a year.

Three hundred sheets of human skin.

That was Moss's answer sheet.

Yet the Corpse Demon still seemed unsatisfied and had been constantly urging Moss to work harder and faster.

To ensure a supply of people, the Corpse Demon had personally led Skeleton Soldiers south along Knight Avenue, plundering huge numbers of people along the way! What was even more outrageous was that.

Moss required living victims when skinning human skin; sometimes, the skin would be completely removed while the person was still alive in agony.

Such beings might possess human souls, but they were no different from monsters.

"Corpse Demon... you deserve to die!"

Silently closing the experiment log.

Roger took dozens of deep breaths before shifting his gaze to another thin book.

Mystra's General Spell Incantations

He opened the book, checked the table of contents, and found what he wanted.

A moment later.

You have mastered Mystra's Ninth Spell