Second Level

Outside the ruins, Green returned to the seaside. He sat quietly on the sand, masking his presence. As he watched the sun sink completely below the horizon, he grew ever more alert to his surroundings.

When the last glimmer of sunlight vanished, dark gray mist rose from the earth and began to shroud the entire island.

"It's starting!" Green opened his eyes and studied his surroundings.

The beach remained silent, but the gray mist had greatly reduced visibility.

[Ding! Abnormal fluctuations detected in the sound of the waves! A creature is moving through the sea! Host, stay on guard!]

Green immediately turned toward the shore. The waves still washed in as they always had, breaking against the sand.

Blue light flashed across Green's eyes. In his vision, strange creatures rose from the seabed, one after another.

The creatures gathered toward shore, stepping onto the beach one by one.

Amid the rush of water, skeleton after skeleton climbed ashore. Pale soul fire burned in their eyes. Some were missing arms or legs; others carried broken blades or shields. The weapons looked shoddy, but faint Negative Energy rippled from them, and its corrosive nature could inflict terrible harm on any living thing.

"Skeletons?! Things this ancient are still around?" Green studied them curiously.

Among Modern Wizards, Sorcery that created skeletons had become rare. Skeletons were fragile, with little resistance to magic or physical blows. Only the High-Level Sorcery Skeleton King Summoning still saw occasional use.

"The Ancient Era really was crude and savage! Some of its techniques were much rougher than ours!"

With the Chip's scan, Green quickly grasped how the skeletons worked. A rune that gathered Negative Energy had been carved into their bones, providing their power source. A soul stripped down to its last trace of sentience was