A large black shadow of dark magic grows around me, and from its depths, the shadowy summon of the Lich King rises.

His concealment buffs are all dispelled, as there is no reason to hide. He looks like a pitch-black skeleton wearing the cloak and pendant I gifted him during the exams.

Without me using my limiter on him, and with his own divine limiter fully decayed, the ominous aura of evil energy permeates off of him.

All four of my teammates get back into their battle stances, and they look at my summon with hate in their eyes.

Maria is the first to yell out.

"It's the Dark One! ... but... it's Soul Energy..."

Abby steps closer and finishes her sentence.

"It's gone..."

All of them were both enraged and on edge at first, but once they watch the shadowy skeleton stare forward without moving for many seconds, they begin to understand that there is something not quite natural about all of this.

I speak up next, looking at the Lich King.

"I take it you have witnessed our sparring and have studied the Sun God's true power as well. Tell me if there is a way for all of us to get strong enough to face him in just five days..."

He turns to me and nods, speaking out loud in his original deep and static voice.

"There is a way to reach his level... but in five days, it may be impossible. It is hard to say if I could teach you as I am now."

The shadowy figure's head turns away from me again and stays still like a statue.

Surprisingly, Lydia speaks up next with an angered tone in her voice.

"How are you alive? Is there a way to revert all those innocent people that you cursed back from their debilitating state?"

The Lich King stares forward and doesn't react, almost like he hasn't heard anything.

I speak next, saying, "Answer her." and the black skeleton moves his head to the ice user and speaks.

"I have already died. There is currently no one under my curse. Whatever damage has been done cannot be solved by a simple fix."

Without a drop of emotion, he looks ahead again, and everyone is silent, wondering what is going on.

They look to me for answers, and I spend the next few minutes fully explaining my Dark Magic skill and how the shadow summon works.

After they all realize they're safe, they begin to power down their soul energy and put away their weapons, but I grin and shake my head.

"Don't power down just yet."

I then turn to the Lich King.

"These rigid replies don't feel very effective. You said it would be hard to teach us as you are now. However, if you were able to speak and act freely, would that increase the chances of our success?"

There is a pause, but the Lich King replies.

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"Yes. The likelihood of your survival in the upcoming week would increase if you allowed me free reign. My thoughts and actions would be far less limited."

In command mode, he is really only capable of mimicking my words and giving short, generic responses.

My lie detector skill does not sense any lies, and even though the Lich King's natural aura is full of dread and an ominous feeling, I don't feel any direct malice being sent out anymore.

Along with this, ever since the Lich King's barrier decayed, the small silver core in his chest hardly shimmers or spins at all. It appears to be a fully dormant core, leading me to believe his earlier words that he won't be able to use this immortal divine energy again for an extended amount of time, just like Ember after his massive usage inside the construct.

I nod and cross my arms, pulling up the summoning interface before my eyes and changing the mode from [Command] to [Free Reign].

"Fine, you may speak without a filter. Give us your thoughts."

The skeleton moves its body in a far less rigid manner, and it looks as though a breath of life has been granted to the shadowy figure.

It turns with ease, moving its skeletal hands upward and looks at each of us individually while turning in a circle before speaking in a far clearer, more concise, and intelligent manner.

"This is quite the interesting situation you've found yourself in."

He looks toward the abyss, then back down toward my ring, then his gaze tracks around everyone again before coming back to me.

"-But I'd expect nothing less from a mortal bonded with the Fallen One... Even if you are just a human."

He steps closer to me, and I reflexively cover my vitals with soul energy and divine threads, putting up my hands in a defensive stance.

However, the Lich King just laughs.

"My form cannot harm you, as I am your summon. Even if I could try, our power difference is magnitudes apart. It is like an ant trying to kill a tiger. There is no great comparison to our gap. I know you are fighting with this same scenario now..."

As he takes another step forward, I sense something coming our way at high speed in the desert. I put out a large wave of enemy detection to see what it is while the Lich King continues to speak, pointing out at the abyss.

"While your major concerns are most likely what will be challenging you for that throne, I can definitely lead you in the right direction on how to defeat the Sun God you wish to face in just five days."

The skeleton's aura gives off a wave of energy that feels excited, and at the same time, I realize the high-speed object coming my way is one of my body doubles. It looks as though it will arrive in a few minutes at this rate.

I reply.

"I just want to deal with what's in front of me. Tell me, is the Sun God just that much more battle experienced than I am after decades of training? Or is there another stage to the yellow core?"

The skeleton's face doesn't move at all when he talks, but I sense what must be a smile permeating from him as he replies.

"Your senses are very acute. However, to answer your question truthfully, it is a combination of both. The Light Magic user we faced does have many years of cultivation experience on you, but that is how he managed to compress his core. The strands he produces are almost ten times as dense and strong as yours, only because of long practice with a very difficult technique."

I nod and listen to the Lich King continue.

"It is the natural progression of any Divine Lifeform that wishes to become a Divine Beast in their future. Without consolidating your energy, your base of power will not be strong enough to compare to the higher life forms that ascended with a sturdy base. While the Sun God has not succeeded in finishing the process, he has made significant progress on this path and may very well complete it given another hundred years. It's what we call a True Core, rather than just an Awakened One."

My eyes widen when the timeframe is mentioned, and I reply.

"A hundred years? -I wanted a way to get to his level in five days..."

The Lich King doesn't seem very worried about this, and replies in a nonchalant manner.

"You managed to move from no core to yellow in a matter of weeks, and have the aid of a Purple Cored artifact."

He points to my finger.

"You grew from nothing but an above-average strength ranked-up hunter visiting Valor City to a monster that defeated me, the Dark One, a Divine Beast ruling the Dark Continent, in just a matter of weeks... If any mortal were capable of achieving this new feat, it would be you."

The Lich King looks toward the sky.

"It just seems it was not my era to rule. There is more talent on this world than I once believed. I must wait another half-century to pave my legacy on another planet once I am reincarnated again."

The Lich King chuckles, but I interject.

"Hey, I never said I'd let you die and go free, I said I'd consider it."

A pulse of wild and angry aura comes from the Lich King's body, but he conceals it instantly to bring his emotions in check once I cover my hands in dense Divine Energy again.

He steps back and bows his head slightly.

"Very well, let us make a deal then. If I help you compress your divine energy into a True Core and defeat the Sun God, will you in return, let me die?"