Skills List

"Speaking of which..." Tiffany paused, then added in a quiet voice, "I also... hope Mr. Malone... doesn't already have someone he loves..."

Before she could finish, Tiffany covered her flushed cheeks...

If Malone had heard what Tiffany had just said, would he have blushed, or leaped for joy?

But that was all hypothetical. At that moment, Malone wasn't facing a smiling Tiffany. Instead, he was facing...

No matter how many times he saw it, Teron Gorefiend's shattered face still gave Malone the creeps.

Still, Malone had grown a little more "resistant" to ugly things. Perhaps it was because he'd spent so long in an Orc camp.

"So... where should we begin?"

Malone asked.

"I'm not quite sure what you want me to teach you, Maicomarlon. But I'll teach you everything useful that I know."

Teron Gorefiend replied.

Malone hurriedly nodded—that was exactly what he wanted.

"We Death Knights... as you can see, are much stronger than we were when we were alive. That's mainly because we can now fight our opponents at close range."

Teron Gorefiend explained earnestly, and Malone listened just as earnestly. It almost felt like he was back in school.

But back then, most of what his teachers taught him was pretty useless. What Teron Gorefiend was teaching him now, on the other hand, could help him survive in this world and protect the people he wanted to protect.

"And at close range..."

As he spoke, Teron Gorefiend moved closer to Malone.

A dark green, wave-shaped mass of shadow energy gathered in Teron Gorefiend's hand, less than half a meter from Malone's stomach.

Malone didn't flinch. He knew Teron Gorefiend wouldn't hurt him. If he'd wanted to, Malone would have died hundreds of times over by now.

"At this distance, even the most agile opponent can't dodge our spells."

Teron Gorefiend explained the Death Knights' advantages to Malone.

"So... like a battlemage?"

Malone recalled a common term from the novels he'd read.

"It means being good at both magic and close-quarters combat."

Seeing the confusion on Teron Gorefiend's face, Malone hurriedly explained.

"Oh..."

Teron Gorefiend nodded. Now he understood.

"But we have weaknesses, too. If we do both, then we're bound to be masters of neither."

Teron Gorefiend began explaining the Death Knights' shortcomings.

"For example, there's something wrong with our voices, so we can't cast overly complex spells."

After he finished, Teron Gorefiend added, "Fortunately, runes help us simplify the casting of some commonly used spells."

"Also, our bodies have their limits. Even with training or other means of enhancement, it's very difficult to surpass them."

Teron Gorefiend said.

"For example, our bodies are stronger than an average Orc's. But against Warriors who've undergone training, we no longer have the advantage."

"As for outstanding Orc Warriors like the Warchief and Kaldara, our bodies actually become a liability."

Teron Gorefiend offered Malone an example.

Battlemages... but masters of neither. So that's the Death Knights' strength and limitation... Malone nodded, confirming the point.

"But I'm very strong. I should be stronger than them, right?"

Malone felt that his body shouldn't have any limits. He seemed to be just a human using Death Knight skills—an enhanced one, at that.

"Hmm... perhaps you'll become very strong, Maicomarlon."

Teron Gorefiend nodded. He knew his companion was different from the other Death Knights.

"First, you need to learn how to use a weapon."

Teron Gorefiend pointed at the staff with an orb attached to it hanging from his waist.

"I don't want to use that... It's too ugly."

Malone refused.

"But we all use these."

Teron Gorefiend said awkwardly.

"Do you have any other weapons? A greatsword, an axe, or something shorter would all be fine. I'm just not using that."

Malone insisted.

It wasn't just the shape. He simply didn't want to use a weapon that so obviously marked him as a Death Knight.

"All right... I'll see if I can get you a sword or an axe."

Teron Gorefiend muttered a couple of words, then said.

Teron Gorefiend did as he'd promised. He immediately called over a Death Knight, gave him a few instructions, then patted him on the shoulder.

The Death Knight glanced at Malone, seemingly sizing up his height and arm length, then nodded and jogged off.

"Wait a bit."

Teron Gorefiend said to Malone.

"Mm."

Malone nodded, then rolled up the sleeve on his left arm and began examining the runes on his wrist.

Some of the runes were lit, while others were dark.

The lit ones should be skills I've unlocked, while the gray ones must need more upgrades... Malone guessed.

Aside from the "Death Coil" he used often, he had only four Death Knight skills.

"Anti-Magic Shell." Malone knew that in the game it had been nicknamed "Green Dam." As the name suggested, it should be able to block magical effects.

It should be a powerful tool against Mages and Warlocks. He just didn't know how much it could block.

"Blood Presence." Unlike "Death Coil" and "Anti-Magic Shell," this rune seemed to be constantly active.

It was a passive skill—Malone seemed to understand why his body was so strong and why he had so much strength.

In the game, "Blood Presence" was nicknamed "Blood Face." It was a stance meant for withstanding attacks, and it greatly increased a Death Knight's damage, health, and strength.

The last skill was "Corpse Explosion."

Malone was familiar with this skill. As the name suggested, it caused a corpse to explode, damaging nearby enemies.

It should be an area attack, so it would be useful on the battlefield. And... it could also make a decent skill for ambushes.

Of course, the skill had its limitations. He probably couldn't use it when there were no corpses nearby.

But... Malone had a feeling he could use the skill right now. Could it be because...

Malone glanced at Teron Gorefiend and the other Death Knights nearby...

Could it be that some system he didn't know about counted these guys as corpses?

Malone made a bold guess.

But he wouldn't try it. Neither now nor in the future did Malone want to hurt Teron Gorefiend.