Time to Become a Necromancer

Time to Become a Necromancer

Si Ming felt that he might have gotten something wrong.

Maybe there was something wrong with his hearing, or maybe there was an error in the options. He... what had he just heard?

"Does not meet the prerequisite requirements?"

It made no sense.

But it was not entirely impossible to explain.

Perhaps his talent was stronger than expected, to the point that the Battle Qi that was actually only D-rank had somehow produced combat results beyond those of an ordinary C-rank!

--[Exchanging for Intermediate Battle Qi requires 1 C-rank Side Story and 1,500 Reward Points. The exchanger must also possess at least a D-rank Battle Qi foundation.]

--[Reincarnator Si Ming does not meet the prerequisite requirements for exchanging for this enhancement!]

Very good.

Si Ming raised a hand and spent 1 Reward Point to buy an executive desk. He sat in the boss's chair, rested both elbows on the tabletop, and clasped his hands beneath his chin and lips. Then he thought.

"There's a problem."

The Night Battle Qi within him could not possibly be below D-rank. Yet the Main God's Battle Qi was compatible with nearly all "qi"-related systems... Wait, could it be that his Battle Qi was special and incompatible even with standard Battle Qi?

"Main God, can I exchange for Primary Battle Qi?"

--[Exchanging for Primary Battle Qi requires 1 D-rank Side Story and 800 Reward Points. All prerequisite requirements have been met. Exchange immediately?]

"..."

"Main God, can I exchange for Intermediate Inner Power?"

--[Exchanging for Intermediate Inner Power requires 1 C-rank Side Story and 1,200 Reward Points. The exchanger must also possess at least a D-rank Inner Power foundation.]

--[Reincarnator Si Ming does not meet the prerequisite requirements for exchanging for this enhancement!]

"This is a big problem."

Si Ming continued thinking.

"Main God, can I exchange for an Angel Bloodline without causing any compatibility conflicts?"

--[Exchanging for Primary Angel Bloodline requires 1 C-rank Side Story and 2,500 Reward Points. This enhancement will not cause bloodline or energy conflicts for Reincarnator Si Ming.]

No compatibility issues... Then what about an enhancement incompatible with every common energy system?

"Main God, can I exchange for an Energy-Eating Troll Bloodline without causing any compatibility conflicts or weakening?"

--[Exchanging for Primary Energy-Eating Troll Bloodline requires 1 C-rank Side Story and 1,800 Reward Points. This enhancement will not cause bloodline, energy, or weakening conflicts for Reincarnator Si Ming.]

The Energy-Eating Troll Bloodline was a special bloodline. It possessed an extreme physique and regenerative abilities, but it was incompatible with every energy system. Once one became a troll, one could only be a musclebound thug equipped with various technological weapons. But...

"...Even that works?"

Si Ming selected several more special enhancements and questioned the Main God, only to receive exactly the same answer. The Main God did not consider the Night Battle Qi in his body to conflict with these energy systems, which covered entirely unrelated fields and even had stringent prerequisites. Even the Spirit Possession Physique, which explicitly required a pure, untainted body—simply put, a blank slate—was something he could purchase without issue.

The Main God should not have been incompetent enough to fail to recognize Night Battle Qi.

Then...

"...What the hell did I cultivate?"

He did not know.

But one thing was certain: Night Battle Qi was indeed something unique to him—whether it could still be called Battle Qi was another matter. Its ability to avoid conflicts with all sorts of strange enhancements alone was enough for Si Ming to take it seriously.

After all, the other enhancement compatible with nearly every system was called the "Gene Lock."

And if one counted an even more advanced one, that would be the "Light of the Soul."

Has my cheat finally arrived?

Or did I only realize now that the Night Battle Qi I cultivated is my cheat?

With a shift in thought, he skipped over the unnecessary matters. Si Ming had always been a practical person, and since he possessed such a special advantage, he naturally needed to adopt a suitable build.

He needed some crutches.

First, he would check whether those cheat-like enhancements from his memories were available...

--[Psychokinetic Floating Cannons—origin: "Pan-Sci-Fi." A psychic system composed of one thousand floating cannon units capable of combining with one another. The user will automatically obtain the corresponding level of psychokinesis, but must continuously consume energy to operate them effectively. If energy is exhausted, the system will actively drain the user's life force. Purchasing this item requires 1 A-rank Side Story and 8,000 Reward Points.]

It existed, but the price had increased. It seemed this was a more balanced version, and loopholes were not so easy to exploit.

But—

--[Shadow Walker—origin: "Pan-Fantasy." Special skill. The exchanger may merge into shadows or dark areas. In this state, the exchanger gains a substantial stealth effect and becomes immune to all physical damage. Only supernatural attacks may strike the exchanger.]

--[Purchasing this enhancement requires 1 C-rank Side Story and 2,000 Reward Points. The exchanger must also possess psychic potential.]

This one was available, but a C-rank enhancement's mobility advantage was far too limited. Besides, he already possessed techniques for lurking and concealing his breath.

This doesn't look like the original first-generation list.

Si Ming frowned. Though he had forgotten many details, he still remembered that the total number of first-generation enhancements had been quite small. There had only been "dozens" of B-rank enhancements, yet with a casual glance now, he could see hundreds or thousands of enhancements of different specifications.

They came in every variety, flashy and bewildering. Si Ming had heard of some, while others were strange enhancements he had never seen before. He had some recollection of things like Watcher and Magical Girl, but bizarre stuff like Information Wizard and Transmutation Martial Arts left him utterly baffled.

He gave them all a rough look. Some could enhance him, while others did not suit him. But after browsing to the end, he finally found an overpowered enhancement that fit him.

--[Primary Necromancer Summoning—origin: "Pan-Fantasy." Exchanging grants the special energy "Necrotic Aura" and the skill "Raise Dead." By consuming corpse materials and Necrotic Aura, the user may raise undead of specified types. The user may also infuse Necrotic Aura into fresh corpses, turning them into low-level undead units such as "Zombie" and "Wraith." These units will obey the caster's commands like summoned creatures.]

--[Purchasing this enhancement requires 2 C-rank Side Stories and 4,000 Reward Points. An additional 800 Reward Points may be paid to obtain an exclusive undead storage space. This space allows, and only allows, the caster to store undead individuals under their control.]

It was a third-generation crutch enhancement, though its details seemed somewhat different. He remembered that this enhancement should have originated from the Diablo setting, and its price should have been a little lower as well.

Perhaps its price and returns had been adjusted and balanced, just like the Psychokinetic Floating Cannons. But regardless, this magic-class enhancement truly suited his special ability.

He already had a guess about the nature of his Night Battle Qi. Only under one circumstance could such power be compatible with every energy system.

And even if he had guessed wrong and his judgment was flawed, this enhancement still possessed more than enough potential for growth.

Then...

"Main God, exchange for Primary Necromancer Summoning."

--[Request accepted.]

Radiance descended.

The power of the enhancement filled Si Ming's body and mind in an instant.

His intelligence and mental strength rose by nearly two hundred points at once. His neural reflexes increased as well, while his remaining three attributes all received considerable gains.

Power surged through his entire body.

Yet at the center of his brow, an icy chill abruptly emerged—the energy called "Necrotic Aura" continuously appeared and expanded. In only an instant, its reserves had reached a total amount comparable to the Night Battle Qi within Si Ming.

The Main God's enhancements always directly reached the minimum standard for their designated rank. This also meant that the Night Battle Qi within Si Ming had truly touched the peak of C-rank, the threshold of CC-rank.

The enhancement ended.

Si Ming's body landed lightly from midair.

The method of using "Raise Dead" had already appeared clearly in his mind. Next, all he needed to do was—

"Main God, purchase two standard corpses for summoning."

Two pale bodies manifested beneath the descending radiance, and Necrotic Aura immediately flowed into one of them. The next moment, the corpse's fur, flesh, and blood suddenly dissolved within surging black mist. A Skeleton Soldier equipped with a bone blade and bone shield slowly rose amid the vanishing darkness.

Attack the ground ahead.

The command was silently uttered in his mind.

The next moment, the seemingly sluggish Skeleton Soldier lunged forward with startling speed. Its descending long blade instantly cleaved through the pure white stone surface of the platform.

Its speed and strength exceeded that of a cheetah, comparable to a charging rhinoceros. Si Ming immediately raised his gun, and the Samurai Edge fired. Even after repeated hits from reinforced 9mm bullets, only broken bone fragments scattered. Only the AA12 Shotgun loaded with No. 12 high-explosive shells could erase it in a single blow.

It could basically be regarded as a fully grown Xenomorph. It merely lacked intelligence.

Not bad, though it consumed a little too much necrotic energy. Just as third-generation Iris could only raise one Skeleton Soldier during her first summoning, Si Ming's "Raise Dead" had consumed nearly eighty percent of his Necrotic Aura.

His fingers twitched lightly.

The next moment, the Necrotic Aura consumed from the Skeleton Soldier's remains, which had been destroyed by the high-explosive shotgun blast, surged out and flowed back toward Si Ming. In an instant, all the depleted necrotic energy was replenished, and the total amount of Necrotic Aura even increased slightly.

Necrotic Aura would not be consumed. But raising and commanding undead both required mental power to drive them—Si Ming frowned and reached out again. This time, the second standard corpse did not turn into bones. Instead, a faint glimmer burst from its eye sockets, and the entire corpse slowly and shakily crawled up, stood upright, and waited for Si Ming's next command.

"There are some impurities in the Necrotic Aura. When undead are recalled, what returns is not only necrotic energy, but also residual impurities from the mental fragments within the corpse. This temporarily renders that portion of Necrotic Aura inert."

Si Ming nodded.

He had already gained some understanding of the power of a summoning necromancer.

Then...

Battle Qi stirred.

The Night Battle Qi flowing through his limbs and bones slowly gathered toward the area of his brow where the Necrotic Aura resided.

The next moment, the Night Battle Qi touched his brow. And the moment after that, all the Night Battle Qi instantly transformed into pure Necrotic Aura!

Just as he had thought—being compatible with any energy system meant being able to become any energy system. And with only a thought, Si Ming could even transform this temporarily inert Necrotic Aura back into immediately usable Night Battle Qi!