Nirell’s voice cracked, a mixture of disbelief and raw terror as the spectral chains surrounding him lashed out. The heavy iron links rattled violently, but as they struck the Skeleton Warriors, they didn't shatter bone or bind their souls. Instead, they bounced off as if hitting a mountain of granite.
He knew the weight of his own power better than anyone, yet his binding chains were useless. There was only one explanation: these Skeletons possessed a Strength stat that dwarfed his own Spirit.
How is this possible?
He was a Half-Lich. Even if the transformation was incomplete, he was a being far beyond the reach of the common undead—and yet, these bottom-tier Skeletons were treating him like a nuisance. Panic surged as the next wave of skeletal blades swung toward him.
Desperate, Nirell threw up a Frost Ward, a shimmering dome of ice erupting around his withered frame. His soul-flame pulsed frantically within his sockets as he hissed a jagged, archaic incantation.
"Rise, my servants! Shield your master!"
A swirling, ash-gray vortex tore open the air. A small horde of monstrosities spilled out—small, at least, by the standards of the Necrotic Reaches. Twenty Ghouls and five bloated, stitched-together Abominations lurched into the fray.
[Ghoul]
Level: 20 (Summoned)
HP: 150,000 / 150,000
ATK: 1,580
DEF: 500 (Phys) / 420 (Mag)
Skill: [Gnaw] – A stench of rot perpetually leaks from its maw.
[Abomination]
Level: 20 (Summoned)
HP: 800,000 / 800,000
ATK: 1,960
DEF: 800 (Phys) / 700 (Mag)
Skills: [Iron Hook Strike], [Plague Mist] – A grotesque tapestry of sewn-together flesh.
The arrival of these fresh targets drew the attention of the Skeleton Warriors who couldn't reach Nirell. It was a slaughter. A deluge of fireballs and bone-tipped arrows rained down, shredding the summons before they could even find their footing. Against the current might of Ethan Sorel, a Level 20 Dark-Gold Tier BOSS was little more than a speed bump.
"You’re just a human!" Nirell shrieked, his voice trembling. "How can you—"
Ethan didn't let him finish. His gaze locked onto the Half-Lich, his eyes turning into cold pits of absolute authority.
[Death Gaze]
Nirell’s soul-flame twisted into a jagged spike of agony.
[System: You have cast "Death Gaze" on Nirell the Forsaken. Vitality Tier Check: SUCCESS (Your Tier is higher).]
Because of the Tier gap, Nirell’s attributes should have dropped by 20%. But Ethan wasn't playing by the standard rules. His Calamity Trait kicked in, doubling the effect.
Nirell’s stats plummeted by 40%. His Max HP, once a daunting 3,000,000, evaporated instantly down to 1,800,000.
The light of spellcasting died in Nirell’s hands. He clutched his head, let out a gut-wrenching howl of pure primal fear, and began to scramble away like a headless chicken, stumbling blindly through the ranks of the Ossian Legion.
-50,740!
-126,850! (Crit)
-50,740!
White-gray damage numbers erupted above his head. After reaching Level 11, Ethan’s Magic Power had increased by 40 points, pushing the base damage of Death Gaze past the fifty-thousand mark per tick.
"Cease fire," Ethan commanded, raising a hand.
The Legion went still. He wanted to test the limits of the fear effect on a BOSS-tier enemy. The system notification confirmed his Vitality Tier was superior to a Half-Lich’s—an anomaly, considering humans were supposedly the lowest rung of the racial ladder in the Myriad Realms. It was clearly the Death Sovereign class bridging the gap.
The fear held for ten agonizing seconds. Even after the skill ended, Nirell remained a shivering wreck.
"Death… it’s impossible… so cold… please…" he whimpered, his movements jerky and uncoordinated.
Burning his Soul Essence had a lingering psychological toll that the skill description hadn't fully captured. Even a Dark-Gold BOSS couldn't recover from the trauma of glimpsing the true face of the Sovereign. Three more seconds passed before Nirell could even look at Ethan, his eyes wide with a terror that bypassed all combat logic.
"Finish him."
Ethan didn't care for the Lich's trauma. He waved a dismissive hand, and the Ossian Legion unleashed hell. Nirell’s remaining health vanished in a single, synchronized burst of violence.
[System: You have slain "The Forsaken — Nirell" (Level 20 Dark-Gold BOSS).]
[Exp Gained: 750,000 (Over-Level Bonus) + 150,000 (Trailblazer Bonus)]
Ethan’s experience bar, recently reset by his level up, surged to 47%. The jump from Level 11 to 12 required a staggering two million experience points, but the BOSS kill had made a massive dent in that goal.
As Nirell’s soul-flame finally flickered out, his spectral chains crumbled into fine grey ash. Ethan walked over to the loot, his lip curling in disappointment.
"The trash mobs drop nothing, and even the BOSS is a cheapskate?"
He knelt and picked up the lone item that had survived the Lich’s demise: a jagged, irregular shard of blackened metal etched with pulsing, malevolent runes.
[You have received: Shard of Malediction (Dark-Gold Tier) x1]
"A fragment?" Ethan muttered, checking the item details.
[Shard of Malediction]
Progress: 1/7
Tier: Dark-Gold
Description: Collect all seven fragments to restore the Crown of Malediction.
Curse: The bearer is constantly eroded by Death Miasma.
The moment his fingers closed around the metal, a chill seeped into his skin—the Miasma trying to eat his life force. He felt it, but only barely. Compared to the massive influx of energy he got from his SS-Rank Death Drain: Feedback, this "curse" was practically a tickle.
To a Death Sovereign, Miasma wasn't a poison; it was a toy.
If the shards alone are Dark-Gold, Ethan mused, his mood brightening, the completed Crown has to be Epic, at minimum. And once I get my hands on it, my traits will probably bump it up to Legendary.
The grind in the Forsaken Reaches suddenly felt a lot more rewarding.
"Now, where did that idiot go?" Ethan scanned the horizon. As he led his Legion out of the boss arena, the sea of skeletons began to close in again.
As if summoned by the thought, Rhode drifted out of the mist.
"Splendid," the ghost said, his voice airy. "You’ve granted Nirell his release. Now, we must hurry to kill—I mean, save—the next one."
"Where’s the next Soul-Binding Sarcophagus?" Ethan asked.
Rhode stared at him, his eyes glazing over as he entered his "loading" state. "Let me think… think…"
Slap.
Ethan facepalmed and ignored the ghost, commanding his Legion to push forward. Every time he asked a question, Rhode had to reboot his remaining brain cells. It was faster to just clear the map.
The Skeleton sea surged. Even if they dropped no loot, the sheer volume made for a lucrative XP farm.
[Exp +30 (Bonus) + 6 (Trailblazer)]
[Exp +30 (Bonus) + 6 (Trailblazer)]
"I remember!" Rhode suddenly shouted, pointing toward the dark north. "It's that way!"
Ethan nodded, directing the legion to pivot. The endless wave of bone and rusted steel was starting to grate on his nerves. "Man," he sighed. "I’d kill for an AOE skill right now."
"An A-O-E?" Rhode drifted closer, tilting his translucent head.
Ethan blinked. The ghost was actually engaging? "Area of Effect," Ethan explained, figureing it was better than talking to himself. "A skill that hits a lot of targets at once."
Rhode’s eyes remained vacant for a moment, then sparked. "Oh! I think I know where a skill book for that is!"
"Where?!" Ethan stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide.
"Uh…" Rhode’s light flickered. "Where was it?"
Ethan waited. He practiced his breathing. He waited three more minutes. Just as he was about to lose his mind, Rhode beamed.
"I remember now! I know that skill!"
Ethan’s eye twitched. "You… you had it this whole time?"
"Yes!"
"Can you teach it to me?" Ethan asked through gritted teeth.
"Of course!"
Ethan felt a surge of hope. Maybe the ghost wasn't a total loss. "Then do it. The faster I learn it, the faster I can go save your friends."
Rhode nodded solemnly and raised his hand. Ethan leaned in, waiting for the system chime, the golden light of knowledge, or a scroll.
Instead, Rhode’s hand stayed frozen in mid-air. He looked at Ethan with genuine confusion. "How do I teach it?"
[Death Gaze]
Ethan vented his fury on a nearby Skeleton, obliterating it instantly. He took several deep breaths, reminding himself that he needed this guide to finish the dungeon.
"Figure it out yourself!" he snapped, turning his back on the ghost and marching the Legion forward.
Ten minutes later, as the Legion waded through knee-deep bone fragments, Rhode floated in front of Ethan, blocking his path. He looked triumphant. "I figured it out!"
He reached out, his fingertip glowing with a pale, sickly grey light, and tapped Ethan on the forehead.
Ethan didn't flinch. With a shared life pool in the hundreds of millions, he wasn't afraid of a senile ghost. The touch didn't even break the 3-point shield from his Deathwhisper Robes.
Then, the chime he’d been waiting for finally rang.
[System: You have learned the skill: "Corpse Detonation" (Rank C).]
[Corpse Detonation] (C-Rank, Lv.1)
Effect: Detonate a corpse or remains, dealing Magic Damage to all enemies within 5 meters. (Does not work on BOSS corpses).
Damage: 10% of the target's Max HP + 100% Magic Power.
Range: 30m. Cast Time: Instant. Cooldown: 30s.
It was the bread and butter of necromancy. It wasn't the strongest version of the skill, but it was instant-cast—and more importantly, Ethan could "cheat."
He smirked. [Cataclysm] activated.
[Target: Corpse Detonation]
[Select Ascension Tier: 1, 2, or 3]
1. Tier 1 (Ascension): Upgrade to B-Rank [Corpse Detonation: Enhanced]. (Cost: Free)
2. Tier 2 (Sublimation): Upgrade to A-Rank [Chain Corpse Detonation]. (Cost: 10,000 Gold)
3. Tier 3 (Cataclysm): Upgrade to S-Rank [Obliterate]. (Cost: 1,000 Years Lifespan)
"Tier 1. Free is my favorite price."
[Skill Upgraded: "Corpse Detonation: Enhanced" (Rank B).]
[Corpse Detonation: Enhanced] (B-Rank, Lv.1)
Effect: Detonate a corpse, dealing Magic Damage to all enemies within 10 meters.
Damage: 15% of the target's Max HP + 150% Magic Power.
Range: 50m. Cooldown: 30s.
The damage increase was nice, but the radius was the real prize. Doubling the radius meant the explosion covered four times the area.
Ethan dumped his saved skill points into the new ability, maxing it out instantly. He raised his Staff of the Withered Wood, his eyes locking onto a cluster of skeletons in the distance.
The air grew heavy. Then, the center of the skeleton horde didn't just break—it detonated.
BOOM!