Practical Test

Amber Xiu had always been a very straightforward undead.

Whether he was taking in refugees, helping Druids, making enemies of Paladins, or going to war with the nearby lords—

his ultimate goal was simply to make money.

It was no different now. As a legendary lich with the Simulated Soul technique, he had very little need for human souls. This war was almost a pure loss for him, after all. Every second the Ancient Castle's magical defenses stayed up was another second spent burning through gold.

Killing this few people just wasn't worth it.

So Amber Xiu had to collect some interest, at the very least.

These three were perfect free test subjects for gauging the combat strength of his newly created Soul Puppet.

Harvey felt it was time to give up on being a Mage. What the hell was the School of Prophecy? It was all a damn scam. He'd been sure charging in with the others was the right move, and he'd ended up falling straight into a trap.

He'd seen pit traps before, but who dug a pit dozens of meters deep right outside their own home? What kind of massive undertaking was that? And what was the point of digging a pit dozens of meters deep? Add a few spears at the bottom, and a few meters would be enough to kill the enemy. What was the use of making it that deep?

He got his answer soon enough. As he fell, the deep pit narrowed like a funnel, eventually turning into a slide.

The three of them slid down one after another, feeling like excrement being flushed away. Just as Harvey thought he was about to end up somewhere unspeakable, something suddenly hooked onto his back, and he slid into another passage.

By the time his backside was raw, Harvey found himself in a metal cage. With a clang, the cage locked itself.

Harvey didn't have time to howl over his sore backside, because standing outside the cage was the terrifying lich—Tiga Ultraman.

Harvey looked into those eyes burning with Soul Fire and could only smile ingratiatingly. "Master Ultraman... What if I told you I was forced into this? Would you believe me?"

Amber Xiu chuckled. "Does it matter to me whether you were forced into it?"

Harvey fell silent. This lich was way too blunt. He didn't leave even the tiniest bit of room to maneuver.

But Harvey had put every point into Intelligence, too. He quickly thought of something. "Since I didn't fall straight into a blade trap and get skewered, that means I'm still useful alive, right? Master Ultraman, why don't you tell me why you want me alive? Maybe I can still help you achieve your goal."

Amber Xiu didn't hide the truth. "It's simple. I want you alive so I can collect a ransom."

Harvey's jaw dropped in surprise. He'd never imagined that would be the reason. Remembering how he'd used human refugees as leverage to extort money from lords like Porcupine Knight, Harvey suddenly felt something strange. Why did this lich seem so short on money?

"Then... how much are you asking for, Master Ultraman?"

"At least ten thousand gold coins. You're a Mage, after all," Amber Xiu said.

Harvey gave a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. My employer can't afford that much."

"Come on. They have an army of over a thousand. They can't spare ten thousand gold coins?"

Amber Xiu found that hard to believe. They might not have the cash on hand, but surely they owned something worth ten thousand gold coins. They were lords, after all.

Harvey reluctantly explained. "Master Ultraman, don't you know what's happening in Alchemy City? They wouldn't have joined forces to attack your castle if they weren't desperate."

"It's that bad?"

Amber Xiu had been about to ask more, but with another clang, the Light Cleric dropped into another cage. Amber Xiu immediately cast Immobilization Spell, then a horde of skeletons swarmed in and stripped the Light Cleric naked.

By the time the spell wore off, the Light Cleric had been made to swallow several bottles of sleeping potion and had lost consciousness.

"All right. We can talk about your situation later."

Amber Xiu left Harvey with those words, then floated away from the cell.

Watching the Mutated Skeletons pacing outside the cage, Harvey slipped the little piece of wire back into his sleeve. Even if he could pick the lock, an Apprentice Mage like him couldn't take on so many skeletons. Trying to escape now would be suicide.

"Ugh."

Harvey let out a heavy sigh. People from the Lyne Empire were all talk. They claimed Paladins countered the undead, but this lich had them wrapped around his little finger.

Amber Xiu entered another sealed cell. The Paladin had landed there safely and was now banging on the walls, trying to find a way out.

But it was futile. The room was surrounded on all sides by solid earth and rock. There was only the slide entrance in the ceiling and a heavy iron door.

Perhaps the trap at the castle gate had left him with a psychological scar. The Paladin hadn't dared use Supreme Holy Slash on the iron door.

Amber Xiu brought the Living Mercury to the cell. He didn't even need to open the door. He simply ordered, "There's a Paladin in there. Teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

With that, Amber Xiu set the Living Mercury down in front of the iron door.

The little newborn understood his command. Its body wriggled, and it soon seeped through the crack in the iron door.

The Paladin's senses were remarkably keen. He noticed the Living Mercury as soon as it slipped inside.

He'd never seen Living Mercury before, though, and thought Amber Xiu was using another vicious trick against him.

This version had no errors!

He gripped his longsword tightly and watched the iron door warily.

But what happened next was far beyond the Paladin's expectations.

The blob of mercury wriggled as if it were alive, then crawled toward him.

"A slime? No, what is this thing?!"

The Paladin was a well-traveled adventurer, but he'd never seen a bizarre creature like Living Mercury.

Could it be another special undead creation made by that strange lich?

But it didn't matter. One Supreme Holy Slash could take care of any undead. If one wasn't enough, he could strike again.

Holy Light gathered on the Paladin's longsword. The blade, brimming with radiant power, came down toward the writhing mercury.

Wherever the blade passed, even the air rippled in layers.

Watching this through a surveillance crystal, Amber Xiu felt the bones in his body tremble. If that strike landed on him, it would probably cut through most of his bones.

That was how overpowered a Paladin's Supreme Holy Slash was. And the Lyne Empire had several legions of Paladins like this.

The Supreme Holy Slash was about to land on the Living Mercury, but at that very moment, the creature—usually so slow and adorably clumsy—suddenly swelled as if it were boiling.

Clang! Metal struck metal.

The Paladin's Supreme Holy Slash hadn't hit the Living Mercury. It had struck another sword.

That wasn't quite accurate, since it was only a silver-white blade growing out of the Living Mercury's body, holding back the Paladin's fearsome strike with ease.

Although the silver sword formed by the Living Mercury was cleaved with a deep notch, the Holy Light contained in the Supreme Holy Slash vanished along with the blow, causing little damage.

"How is this possible? This monster isn't undead, and it has Magic Resistance?!"

The Paladin knew his stuff. One strike was enough to show him how powerful the Living Mercury was.

Before he could regain his composure, the silver sword continued to extend. From the blade to the hilt, then to the arm gripping it... A heavily armored warrior made entirely of mercury appeared before the Paladin. On closer inspection, the two of them even looked somewhat alike.

The Living Mercury used Transformation Spell to take the Paladin's shape. Copying the stance he'd just used, it swung a sword at him. Silver light poured down, even more ferociously than the Supreme Holy Slash had.