Necromancer (2)

Chapter 26: Necromancer (Part II)

The necromancer Sand was undoubtedly an ugly fellow, both in appearance and in heart!

This was Li Wei's first impression upon seeing Sand. It was hard to imagine that such a monster had once been a knight, yet beneath that hideous exterior, Li Wei perceived Sand's terror.

"Hero: Sand, Class: Necromancer, Attack: 30, Defense: 31, Strength: 45, Knowledge: 59, HP: 2000; Skills: Advanced Necromancy, Rating: B3!... Hidden Attribute: Like all undead, Sand fears light and life magic!"

Just as Li Wei had anticipated, Sand was incredibly powerful.

The necromancer first walked onto the stone plaza of City Hall and began casting the magic to maintain the 'Black Cloud Cover' and 'Plague Land.' However, the keen necromancer soon caught a scent.

The scent of a Dread Knight!

This sparked a glimmer of greed in Sand's eyes. One had to understand that among all undead creatures, Dread Knights were the hardest to obtain. It made sense; they were originally knights with firm beliefs and divine blessings. Forcing them to fall and become undead was an arduous task, but once these valiant knights were turned, they became the most formidable subordinates.

Loyal and brave, they were entirely different from mindless skeletons or zombies, far more reliable than cunning vampires, and much easier to control than bone dragons with their tyrannical souls. Based on these merits, the Dread Knight was the best, yet most elusive, undead unit.

Therefore, like any other necromancer, Sand was desperate to acquire such a rare specimen.

However, this was not an Undead City, nor was there a Dark Graveyard. How could a Dread Knight have appeared here?

"Could it be a naturally formed Dread Knight?" Sand pondered, finding it highly probable. When he attacked Dawn City, he had used necromancy to kill a squad of knights; it was likely that their corpses had 'mutated.'

Thinking this, Sand hurried to track the scent, heading toward where Li Wei had set his 'trap.'

Such a keen sense of smell. Fortunately, I masked my own scent early on, otherwise...

Li Wei was taken aback, but he quickly deduced the reason: Sand must have caught the scent of the Dread Knight. This saved him from having to act as bait himself. He hurriedly gathered the Orcs and prepared to retreat in the direction he had come.

Just then, Li Wei caught sight of a figure behind the necromancer Sand and froze!

It's that veteran... How is he here? The person Li Wei saw was none other than Guo Jian, the burly powerhouse who had been the first to leave the room, though his stats had undergone a massive transformation.

ID: 348, Race: Undead, Strength: 35, Agility: 14, Spirit: 7, Stamina: 32; Skills: Rakshasa Three Forms LV4, Qi Blast LV2, Primordial Origin Skill LV2; Overall Rating: C2.

Undead? An ominous premonition welled up in Li Wei's heart.

How could he still be alive? And why had he turned into an undead?

If he has become an undead, there is only one explanation... Seeing the veteran glance toward his hiding spot, Li Wei quickly ducked into the shadows and retreated quietly with the Orcs.

City Hall Plaza...

"Did you discover something?" The necromancer Sand glanced at Guo Jian beside him. He was filled with curiosity about this human he had found the previous night.

Possessing a physique significantly stronger than an average human and wielding strange, bizarre skills, the man had also revealed information that deeply interested him. That was why Sand had decided to transform him into an undead and make him a subordinate.

"Master, I have a feeling that the 'fellow townsmen' I mentioned to you yesterday are in this city!" Guo Jian did not dare look at the necromancer's face, only bowing his head and speaking in a low voice.

After being discovered that night, he had thought he was a dead man. He had only gambled by spilling secrets about 'Shadow Street' and the reincarnators, never expecting to save his life and successfully acquire an 'Undead Physique.'

Pain sensation reduced by 50%, all four attributes enhanced, immunity to the negative effects of bleeding or severed limbs, and never feeling hunger—these were benefits he had once dreamed of, now obtained so easily.

Furthermore, his 'Yellow Paper' had issued a new mission.

"Kill all Shadow Street reincarnators other than yourself. No time limit, C-rank difficulty. Reward upon completion: 10,000 points and a random undead-race skill!"

This had reduced him to nothing more than a dog for Sand!

Guo Jian knew that among those from Shadow Street, the woman with ID 103 was the hardest to deal with. Even with his Undead Physique, the odds were only fifty-fifty.

Only by utilizing Sand as his backer could he remain invincible. Thus, he had poured out the situation regarding Zheng Yutong and the others to Sand, describing them as tomb raiders in possession of high-level 'Necromancy' scrolls, knowing that Sand, obsessed with necromancy, would never let any magic scroll slip through his fingers.

Hearing that 'enemies' carrying necromancy he had never heard of were also in the city, the news completely piqued Sand's interest.

Li Wei had already moved far away from the area covered by City Hall. He didn't know what that ID 348 fellow had told Sand, but all the undead creatures in the city had been mobilized. Skeletons, zombies, and vampires were acting like madmen, entering every residence as if searching for someone.

To Li Wei, seeing this meant something else entirely. That person who should have been a companion, ID 348, was now an enemy!

"No matter what, start the plan!"

He gestured to the augmented Orc beside him. The creature huffed and puffed as it ran toward a small alley, vanishing in the blink of an eye; clearly, Li Wei had already given it orders.

Li Wei opened the strategic map to check the Orc's location. Ten minutes later, the augmented Orc had circled to the eastern district. Only when he saw thick smoke billowing from that area from afar did Li Wei reveal a faint smile.

The eastern district of Dawn City had turned into a sea of fire. Unlike other districts, this area consisted of wooden structures, so the flames spread rapidly. Once dozens of houses linked into a chain of fire, there was no one left who could stop the blaze.

It was an enemy attack!

Almost all the undead in the city rushed toward the fire. This was the order of the supreme commander, the necromancer Sand. Dawn City was a vital strategic location; it could not be allowed to burn to the ground.

Sand could no longer concern himself with anything else. Just as he was about to head toward the fire, an arrow pierced his neck.

As a necromancer, ordinary arrows could no longer inflict any real damage on him, but he still looked toward the direction of the shot in fury. He saw a figure flash by. Though it was only a glance, Sand knew it was a human.

"You seek death!" In an instant, he thought of the 'tomb raiders' Guo Jian had mentioned.

Perhaps accustomed to his own arrogance, he did not summon any subordinates. Instead, he transformed into a giant bat and gave chase to the figure alone. He would tear this human who dared to offend him into shreds.

The person who had ambushed Sand was none other than Li Wei.

He was running for his life toward the intersection where the Dread Knight was located. His 10 points of Agility granted him a speed of 20 meters per second. With the wind whistling in his ears, Li Wei had already sprinted over a hundred meters.

But Sand was faster!

Within a few breaths, Li Wei felt the wind pressure from above and a sense of extreme danger.

Without hesitation, Li Wei lunged to the side and dove into a residence, but the wooden house was immediately smashed into splinters by a massive force.

Li Wei gripped his USP pistol, and upon seeing the black shadow rushing toward him, he pulled the trigger.

A loud bang echoed as a beam of blue light, carrying a trace of chill, shot toward the black shadow in the air. At such close range, no one could dodge the bullet; with a crisp 'crack,' the shadow was struck.

A shrill, miserable scream erupted from the shadow's throat—it had clearly suffered significant damage!

This was Li Wei's stacked 'Evil Freezing Impact Bullet.' Upon hitting Sand, it triggered the freezing ring magic imbued within, and a layer of ice crystals instantly formed over Sand's body.

Li Wei did not pause for even a second despite the successful hit. Although the stacked bullet dealt a high damage of 44-72, compared to Sand's massive 2,000 health points, it was little more than a tickle to this monster.

Taking advantage of the few seconds the enemy was frozen, Li Wei sprinted another hundred meters, now very close to his pre-set ambush point.

A roar came from behind, and Li Wei was suddenly struck by a powerful sense of discomfort. The true energy circulating within his body, which had been perfectly stable, now showed signs of collapsing.

Alarmed, Li Wei hurriedly suppressed the discomfort and accelerated his pace.

Fortunately, he successfully reached the ambush point. The intense running and the lingering discomfort left him nearly drained; he collapsed beside the well, gasping for air.

Looking back, the giant black shadow transformed into a humanoid figure, walked to within two meters of Li Wei, and stared at him with crimson eyes.

"Attack!"

Li Wei shouted, pulled the Venomous Centaur Battle Axe from his back, and hacked it into the necromancer's neck. The Orcs, who had been lying in wait inside the well and the surrounding buildings, roared as they lunged out, splashing water from their leather bags like a torrential downpour.

Though Sand was a powerful undead, he had finally met his match.

The axe itself would not normally have caused him harm, but this was no ordinary weapon; the venomous damage imbued within it was equally effective against undead creatures.

Most lethal of all was the spring water, which contained life magic; it hissed like sulfuric acid as it corroded Sand's flesh.

"Ah!"

For the first time in decades, this formidable necromancer let out a scream, a testament to the immense damage the spring water was inflicting upon him.

But the most fatal blow was yet to come.

The Dread Knight Mordel, who had been waiting impatiently, charged out with his battle blade raised and unleashed a Fatal Strike.

-300

The terrifying damage instantly carved a chunk out of the necromancer Sand's health bar. Mordel immediately followed up with another swing, but this time, it was blocked.

"Atmospheric Aegis!"

Sand cast an atmospheric spell, and a violent current of air deflected Mordel's blade.

This is a trap, Sand thought furiously. That someone would dare set a trap for a great necromancer caused his rage to completely overwhelm his reason.

"Blindness!"

Another spell struck the Dread Knight. Instantly, the formidable knight's eyes were seared by a blinding flash of light, rendering him completely sightless for a short time.

Just two spells had neutralized a B3-ranked Dread Knight. Li Wei, watching this, felt a chill run down his spine. At this critical juncture, he channeled all his power and unleashed a Cloud Piercing Palm toward Sand.

-58

A damage figure popped up. Li Wei's full-force strike had only shaved off 58 points of health. Combined with the continuous poison damage, Sand's health had dropped from 2,000 to 1,500.

"Everyone, fall back!"

Seeing Sand begin to chant another incantation, Li Wei shouted urgently. He and the Dread Knight retreated rapidly, but the two Orcs were a beat too slow.

"Death Ripple!"

Under the influence of this spell, the air rippled like a lake disturbed by a stone. The two Orcs, caught in the wake of the ripples, exploded into clouds of blood.

-200. The damage caused by the Death Ripple instantly killed the Orcs, who only had 50 health points each.

The exchange of attacks between the two sides had actually lasted only a few seconds, yet those few seconds were fraught with danger. Seeing the two Orcs fall, Li Wei retreated in a hurry.

Even in close combat, he was no match for Sand. It was at this moment that the terrifying power of magic was deeply etched into Li Wei's mind.

When I get the chance, I must learn a few magic spells, Li Wei thought bitterly.

But for now, Li Wei had only one move left. If it failed, he would have no choice but to abandon the mission and retreat!

"Move two steps to the left, charge!"

Li Wei shouted as he dodged Sand's attacks. While Sand was still hesitating, wondering why his opponent was shouting such things, a battle blade cleaved into his back.

(Second update today. Thanks to the friends who have been supporting this book. Once again, I beg for recommendation votes and bookmarks!! Also, if you have any good suggestions for this book, please leave a comment in the book review section. I will definitely read every single one!)