When Su Li logged back in, he didn't rush to the Flame Dragon Lizard's lair.
As a seasoned player, he knew the value of elemental matchups all too well.
"That big lizard's called a Flame Dragon Lizard. Even if it's only a Wyrm, it must have some kind of heat-resistant hide. Crimson Corruption will be less effective against it."
"If I use the same strategy as before, I'll be roasted into bone dust before Crimson Corruption even takes effect."
"So, I could..."
Just then, the system thoughtfully issued a new quest.
[Quest Triggered: Undead, Charge!]
[Description: As an ambitious Revered Corrupted Knight, how can you not have a self-destructing army ready to lay down its life for you at any moment? Create and control 30 Corrupted Enslavements.]
[Reward: Experience +600, Strength +6, Difficulty: D]
Su Li's eyes lit up. "This quest came at just the right time! It's exactly what I had in mind!"
"The best way to deal with a monster like that is to blow it up! Then I'll hit it with both self-destruction and Crimson Corruption. Just imagine the scene. Heh."
"That's what I call a mass Corpse Explosion Technique!"
Remembering the spectacular chain of corpse explosions from his time playing Divinity: Original Sin, Su Li couldn't help letting out an evil "Kekekeke" laugh.
"Tremble, little lizard! I've got a grand gift for you!"
As for the raw materials for his Self-Destructing Infantry, Su Li already had a few ideas.
"Hehehe..." Just as he was about to tell Pipi Axe and Pipi Finger to go round up some recruits—
"Bzz..." A strange mental pulse suddenly sounded deep in Su Li's soul.
It was an extremely faint call, but one filled with desperation and longing.
"Great... God of Death..."
"My unknown... companion..."
"Please answer my summoning... help me..."
Su Li froze and stopped in his tracks.
"Huh? What's going on? Does this game have cross-server chat?"
[System Notification: The Revered Corrupted Skeleton Soldier sensed the summoning of the Novice Necromancer "Rosalia." Since her magic power is too weak to summon you, you may choose:]
[Option One: Ignore her]
[Description: Who the hell are you? I'm busy. Hanging up.]
[Reward: Experience +50, Strength +1]
[Option Two: Give her the runaround]
[Description: Toss her a bone or something, just to be polite. There's no way I'm working.]
[Reward: Experience +100, Strength +2]
[Option Three: Answer the call]
[Description: Since you summoned me with such sincerity, I shall descend upon you as an act of great mercy! Cross space and resolve the crisis you face.]
[Reward: Experience +200, Strength +5]
"Rosalia?"
The image of the little NPC girl who had treated him as a friend and, in the end, had sent him away to protect him instantly surfaced in Su Li's mind.
"So it's her." Su Li rubbed his jawbone.
"Since she's my Exclusive Plot NPC, and it looks like she's in trouble again, then going by the usual tropes, these NPCs you raise from childhood often become powerhouses later on... or your future wife."
"As a player with an eye for long-term investments, I have to pick Option Three!"
"And Strength +5? That's too good to pass up." Without hesitation, Su Li chose [Option Three].
"Pipi Axe, Pipi Finger, watch the place! I'll be right back!"
The next moment, Su Li's body was enveloped in a ghostly green light and vanished.
In Twilight Town, at the end of a dead-end alley.
"Run! Go on, run!"
Holding a Short Knife, Lainer advanced on Rosalia, who was trapped in the corner, a vicious grin on his face.
Rosalia was in even worse shape than she'd been back in Twilight Village.
Her clothes were in tatters, her face was streaked with dust and tears, and her pack had been torn open. A few pieces of hard, stale bread lay scattered in the muddy water.
"Uncle Lainer... please... let me go..." Rosalia clutched the spellbook to her chest, her voice trembling.
"Let you go?" Lainer spat viciously, as if she'd just told him a joke.
"You think you deserve that?! If it weren't for you, you damn little brat, I wouldn't have crossed the Wild Wolf Squad! I wouldn't have been forced to lick that female werewolf's boots!"
Thinking back on what had happened, Lainer was overcome with humiliation and fear.
It had all happened just a few hours earlier.
After narrowly escaping the Undead Mountain Range, he knew Mad Axe had died there. The Wild Wolf Squad would investigate until they got to the bottom of it, and sooner or later they'd track him down. So rather than sit around waiting for his fate, he decided to strike first.
Summoning all his courage, he went to the Wild Wolf Squad's base and sought out their infamous captain, the ruthless werewolf Mara.
He spun a flawless lie: Rosalia was an evil necromancer who had summoned a terrifying mutated skeleton, and Mad Axe had died heroically protecting him.
It was a case of using someone else to kill your enemy.
But Mara was terrifying.
She simply stuck out her tongue and licked Lainer's sweat-soaked face.
"You taste like a liar."
At that moment, Lainer nearly wet himself.
But Mara didn't kill him. Instead, she smiled with interest.
"That idiot Mad Axe is dead. So what? But I'm interested in the mutated skeleton you mentioned. Lead me to it, and I might let you live."
Lainer was instantly overwhelmed with relief. After licking Mara's boots, he scrambled out of there.
He had no way to vent all his anger and humiliation. Then, as soon as he turned a corner—
He spotted the one who'd brought him to ruin: Rosalia.
"If that female werewolf only wants the skeleton, and didn't say she needs the necromancer alive..." A vicious gleam of murderous intent flashed in Lainer's eyes.
"Then I'll take my anger out on you first! I'll cut off your hand to settle the score!" He raised his Short Knife and closed in step by step.
Seeing the blade glint in the light, Rosalia despaired. This was a dead end. No one was coming to save her.
"No... I don't want to die... I still haven't found a way to bring Su Liya back to life..." A resolute look flashed in the girl's eyes.
She suddenly pulled the small knife hidden in her boot and slashed her wrist.
Blood gushed out, splattering onto the ground and tracing out a magic circle...
"By blood as my medium..." Drawing on the last of her magic and life force, she recited the spell that had never worked before.
"Unknown being... please... anything at all..."
"Save me!!"
"Bzz..." This time, the magic circle lit up.
But Lainer's blade was already coming down. "Die!!"
"Clang!" A clear metallic ring rang out.
Lainer felt a jolt run through his hand. His Short Knife had struck something like a solid iron plate and bounced away.
"W-what is that?!" Lainer stumbled back in terror.
Before Rosalia, the magic circle suddenly blazed with light.
A long, pale hand bone clutching an iron sword that radiated an ominous dark red glow slowly emerged from a rift.
Then a skeleton with crimson Soulfire burning in its eye sockets crossed over, like a god of death returning from hell.
Su Li glanced down at the girl collapsed on the ground, then looked up at the familiar figure before him—the one who made his teeth ache with hatred.
"Well, well. If it isn't Lainer."
Before you continue