Kindling Ritual, Not a Formidable Enemy

When the name "Three Corpse Necromancer" appeared in the air as bright red magical runes, Ta Mi admitted he started to panic.

Falling off a cliff and encountering Elite Monsters, even with all one's strength, one might not be able to defeat it.

No, isn't it a bit too much to let me encounter Elite Monsters alone?

Seeing the Three Corpse Necromancer floating in mid-air, seemingly preparing to unleash an Ultimate Skill, Ta Mi panicked for a moment, looking around for a place to hide.

Unfortunately, this was a small, square-shaped secret room with nowhere to hide from attacks.

It's unclear when it started, but elite and higher-level monsters in the Zane Dungeon are always accompanied by their own unique background music. The background music for the Three Corpse Necromancer is extremely eerie, with mournful music mixed with the whispers of the dead. Combined with the gloomy surroundings, the sense of oppression it creates is even more intense than a mental attack.

The Three Corpse Necromancer let out a strange cry and launched their long-charged attack at Ta Mi!

I'm doomed, I'm going to die!

Ta Mi leaped to the side with all her might, hoping to dodge the attack.

At this moment, he was thinking about the Crucible Knight and other Elite Monsters. If it were an attack from those powerful beings, his ordinary leap would be completely useless, and he would still die!

"Boom!"

A violent explosion rang out behind them, and a flash of fire illuminated the scene for a moment as the Three Corpse Necromancer unleashed Great Fireball that blasted the area into darkness.

Ta Mi's face showed utter terror. "Look! It's Great Fireball! Great Fireball that can explode instantly if it hits someone!"

"Wait, Great Fireball?"

His expression suddenly changed, as if to say, "I've been looking forward to this for so long and this is what you give me?"

Another Great Fireball followed immediately. This was no ordinary fireball; it was Great Fireball, as big as half the size of an adult.

Isn't that still a fireball?

Ta Mi didn't even need to pounce this time; she dodged the attack with a slide, but she misjudged the distance, causing her sleeve to catch fire.

The Three Corpse Necromancer were still unleashing fireballs, and Ta Mi dodged back and forth in the gaps, a strange thought creeping into his mind—why does this Elite Monsters look so weak?

The next second, a continuous burst of flames forced him back.

Seeing this, Ta Mi breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to herself:

"Finally, there are moves other than fireballs. I knew that a dignified Elite Monsters couldn't only use fireballs."

However, even after creating some distance, the Three Corpse Necromancer continued to unleash fireballs.

Ta Mi was speechless this time.

He suddenly had a feeling that maybe he could also solo kill an elite.

It's not impossible, really. He himself has the strength of a normal Silver Rank warrior, and the Three Corpse Necromancer here are less threatening than a few Carthus Warrior gathered together.

Since his debut, he has been working in the Zane Dungeon. With the help of the campfire upgrade, his stats are higher than normal Silver Rank, and his reaction and resistance to danger are also higher.

There are quite a few adventurers like him, and they seem to have grown into a considerable group. The Bede Weekly has reported on the existence of this group, referring to them as the "Sain Generation Adventurers"!

Ta Mi dodged and weaved through the flames, finally finding an opportunity to strike and inflict some damage.

The Three Corpse Necromancer cried out in pain, their figures shifting abruptly as they suddenly appeared on the other side of the room.

Ta Mi's eyelids twitched. Could this guy be a marathon enthusiast like the Crystallized Old Man?

No matter how weak a monster is, the difficulty will increase dramatically once it gets involved in a marathon.

Reality was about to disappoint him. The Three Corpse Necromancer did not use the marathon skill. He was not enhanced at all. Instead, he honestly used the clone-like skill, and three identical copies of himself appeared on the field.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were about to sacrifice two people to summon a giant jet of water.

The Three Corpse Necromancer's fighting style is simple: high-frequency fireballs and Flame Jet, low-frequency teleportation, and timely replacement of clones after being killed.

It is very fragile and will stagger after being hit twice by Greatsword. Ta Mi uses a sword and shield - or one-handed sword, and it is made of materials from the Zinogre (gifted by Lu Lu Wo).

With a charged shield charge combined with his newly learned Weapon Skill [Impact Enhancement], he could knock the Three Corpse Necromancer off balance and then deliver a few more heavy blows!

As Ta Mi navigated the fire, he gradually developed a fixed fighting style, and even learned to use the enemy's attack movements in reverse, such as using the impact of Great Fireball explosion to increase his speed and quickly approach the enemy.

Whether it's a clone or the main body, as long as you can cut it, that's all that matters!

If Bei Er Tuo were here, his fighting spirit would be praised again; it's an innate talent. This kid is definitely a genius, and his future achievements will surely be great.

The entire battle didn't last very long, about the same amount of time it took for the Crucible Knight to cut two Si Telan in half.

When the eerie background music stopped, the flames in the secret room went out, and the bodies of the Three Corpse Necromancer turned to ashes and vanished.

"It's finally over."

Ta Mi, his body charred black, collapsed to his knees with a thud, seemingly exhausted and unable to continue. His body was severely burned.

The Three Corpse Necromancer were indeed weak, but it was still too much for him to fight alone. If he didn't have a shield, he would have been killed by the Warlock who believed in the Five Fireball Cult long ago.

It's a pity he doesn't wield a katana. If a katana master were here, he could Iai Strike in his path without getting hurt (just kidding).

But a victory is a victory, and at this moment, he only wanted to say one thing to himself who had initially been certain that the Three Corpse Necromancer were formidable enemies:

Not a formidable enemy, nor invincible!

"If Aisi Ais were here, I've already finished my Healing Potion."

His life was as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind, and his condition was still declining, but he wouldn't die anytime soon.

At this moment, the reward for defeating the Three Corpse Necromancer finally appeared.

But this time it didn't appear as a point of light; instead, a stream of flame shot straight into Ta Mi's body!

At the same time, the following message appeared in his mind.

[Kindling Secret Ritual]

Choose a bonfire, pour your humanity into it during the fire-lighting ritual, and awaken the hidden power within the flames.

"What is this?" Ta Mi's voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows.

Along with the Kindling Secret Ritual, a human essence also appeared. This item was currently believed to be useful only in endless cycles of reincarnation, but unexpectedly, it could be used to ignite fire at this moment.

Ta Mi had no time to concern himself with what the so-called fire-injection and hidden power were; he just wanted to find a safe place to rest, preferably to find Healing Potion, and if there were any jars nearby he could smash.

He had never longed for a campfire as much as he did now.

After defeating the Three Corpse Necromancer, the tightly closed door of the secret chamber opened. He mechanically walked outwards; stopping would only result in being burned to death, while exploring forward might offer a glimmer of hope.

He was an adventurer, and an adventurer's duty would keep him exploring. Even if he died, he could return to the campfire to rest, but that would also mean his current progress would be reset to zero, which was better for him than to keep moving forward.

The burns had clouded his consciousness; he couldn't remember how he had moved forward. He seemed to have encountered monsters along the way, yet also seemed not to. He continued forward in a daze until...

A second official campfire was discovered.

It wasn't the hidden campfire that Lu Lu Wo and her friends discovered, but a campfire that was brightly lit on the road, so that people could see it at a glance.

At that moment, Ta Mi's happiness became a tangible reality.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of power and ran toward the campfire, throwing the faint flame he had magically conjured into it as he fell.

"Boom!"

Flames shot into the sky, and under the firelight, his lost strength was rapidly replenished, and his injuries gradually improved.

"Ah, the flames are so warm."

He groaned in pleasure, then suddenly remembered the Kindling Secret Ritual and threw the humanity he had into the flames.

In an instant, the campfire burned even more fiercely, and Ta Mi suddenly jumped up, surprised to find:

"I've fully recovered from my injuries, and I've never felt so energetic, as if I've had a long rest."

It was at this moment that more corresponding knowledge appeared in his mind.

The Kindling Secret Ritual is a technique developed specifically for campfires. Using it in the Yugi increases the number of Element Bottle obtained after resting by a campfire.

In this world, however, it has changed to instantly restore injuries and Spirit Power, greatly enhance the mental strength of the person sitting on the fire, and slightly increase all attributes!

However, the person who obtains the Kindling Secret Ritual can only use it on one campfire. Other campfires remain the normal version. The campfire that has been infused becomes a special version for the adventurer who infused it, and only he can infuse it with humanity. Moreover, the effect of the fire-infusing ritual on the campfire will not disappear after leaving and re-entering the dungeon.

In the dungeon, this enhanced state for adventurers lasts until death, and the enhanced state is lost upon resurrection unless they once again infuse humanity into a campfire that has undergone Kindling Secret Ritual.

In the outside world, this enhanced state has a different duration depending on a person's talent, lasting up to seven days. Once it disappears, regaining it requires investing human nature.

After repeatedly investing humanity, it will also permanently and slightly enhance the adventurer's Spirit Power.

The humanity gained through endless cycles of reincarnation cannot be brought out, so if you want to infuse fire, you can only gamble on luck in the Catacombs of Carthus.

Defeating any monster has a very small chance of yielding a Humanity, the probability being even lower than getting two gold items in a ten-pull. However, defeating Elite Monsters guarantees a Humanity. In addition, treasure chests, jars, and other items may also yield Humanity.

At first glance, it seems like a boon for adventurers, right? The effect is similar to Godrick's Great Rune.

But restoring their Spirit Power and strengthening their Spirit Power seems like a way to better and more continuously exploit them!

To reiterate, the adventurers will profit, but Senn won't lose either.

That's why the Three Corpse Necromancer are of average strength, yet they can both hold off weak adventurers and allow the Kindling Secret Ritual to become popular among those with adequate strength.

"What is this?"

Ta Mi suddenly noticed a bottle on his waist, picked it up and took a look.

[Element Bottle]

The immortals' most prized possession is their secret weapon, capable of restoring physical strength and healing mental exhaustion.

[You can replenish your supplies at the campfire]

"Uh, Healing Potion?"

He tried a sip and his eyes widened instantly.

It's an ultra-high purity Healing Potion! One sip and you'll feel incredibly energetic! It's as if all fatigue has vanished!

He had a feeling that as long as he had the Element Bottle, he could continuously replenish the mental energy damaged after death, thus allowing him to continue exploring the dungeon!

Just one sip can restore a great deal of physical and mental strength, so it seems he can drink twenty sips from this bottle!

"This is such a great perk, I love it!"

Ta Mi couldn't wait to go back and report the good news to the captain, believing that this news would definitely outshine the Light Eagle Legion.

"But how do we get out?"

He looked at the road in front of him, seemingly with no other choice.

"If I keep going, won't I run into the boss?"

Although somewhat worried, he still intended to continue—

"Ah!"

A scream suddenly came from the depths of the dark, dark road.