Hugo acknowledged his oversight, "I made a mistake there. While you're acquainted with mana cores and dungeon cores, I neglected to mention another crucial type - skill cores. As the name suggests, these cores facilitate the acquisition of new skills." He paused, catching Bones quietly murmuring 'skill core' to himself before proceeding, "Indeed, skill cores enable you to learn both basic and advanced-tier skills without the usual class-specific prerequisites. However, they come with a hefty price tag. Basic-tier skill cores are relatively accessible, often appearing in auction houses in larger cities. On the other hand, advanced-tier skill cores are harder to find, typically sold through private auctions and held tightly by major guilds. Acquiring one will require extra effort."
Curiosity sparking, Bones inquired, "How do they operate?"
"It's simple; infuse the skill core with mana, and you'll receive a system prompt. The system takes care of the rest. However, it's crucial to note that skills obtained this way fall under the category of general skills, not class-specific ones."
Processing this information, Bones mused, "So, I learn the skill from the core and then share it with my golem. This opens up numerous possibilities. What about skill fusion? Do you think my golems can fuse skills or even learn fused skills?"
Hugo responded, "Just like your inability to impart Bone Aura to Murdok, skill cores don't contain fused skills. I can't confirm whether your golems can fuse two learned skills or not. The uncertainties surrounding their growth make it challenging to make assumptions. Don’t overburden your mind with the flood of information and future prospects. For now, let’s focus on understanding how advancing Golem Mastery affects your creations.
“What did you have in mind?”
“The trip - I planned for us to return to Necropolis within seven days, but this upcoming journey will be an excellent opportunity to explore the Nether World and hone your skills!”
“I don’t mind. How long will it take to reach our destination and return to the city?”
Hugo looked thoughtful, playing with his mustache again before replying, ‘seven days,’ then pausing before finishing with, ‘there and seven days back, more or less.’
“A two-week journey? While also training? I’m not sure the mana potions I have will suffice. What about my weakened status?” Bones flooded Hugo with questions.
“This is a good opportunity to raise skill levels quickly, precisely because of the state you’re in! Your golems will fight adversaries to level up Golem Mastery, while I have something else in mind for you. The method is a bit crude, but I promise good results!”
“What method?”
“I’ll explain everything after we begin our journey!” Hugo elusively replied, leaving Bones hanging and wondering what his benefactor has cooking up now.
“Fine. I doubt I’ll like your method, but I trust you.” Bones stated, and Hugo thanked him for placing his trust in him. Instead, Bones asked if they were finished here and if they had a craftsman in Necropolis. Harmony needed a new set of clothing as the once-decorated burial robes were now tattered and hung loosely around her frame. Hugo replied that astonishingly, they didn’t have a single craftsman in the city, despite the desperate need for one capable of crafting higher-level armor and weapons for the undead army. As for finding Harmony a simple set of new clothing, Hugo assured Bones it wouldn’t be a problem, but that he would need to buy her a proper fighting attire once he leaves. The revelation left Bones puzzled, wondering how that was possible in the city of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions outside of city walls. Still, Hugo reminded Bones what undead are, how they came to be, and explained that crafting professions are rare among the undead.
“Over the course of thousands of years, Necropolis had been invaded many times. Unfortunately, not by a single craftsman.” Hugo jokingly added. “Most of what we have is what was left behind thousands of years ago.”
“Wait. Don’t Death Knights have armor and weapons? I believe I saw other undead equipped with weapons and armor too, and they didn’t seem thousands of years old.”
Hugo turned to Dethren and said, ‘show him your weapon.’ The Death Knight extended his arm, and a black greatsword, enveloped with baleful flames matching his eyes appeared in his hand. The surroundings shimmered from the pressing aura exuded from the summoned weapon.
“All Death Knights have Soul Armor and Soul Weapon, and can summon them at will. The dwarven hero Gobrick's own Soul weapon and armor made an impression on the Skeleton King, prompting him to incorporate them on his own creations as well. As for the others you saw, you’re right; they have weapons and armor we traded for dozens of years ago. There’s much you don’t know, Bones. There aren’t just undead in the Nether Realm. This world was abundant in life before, and it’s not like all life perished after demons invaded. The creatures mutated into other lifeforms, feeding off chaos mana, and there are races that thrive in this environment.”
“Such as?” Bones asked for elaboration.
“Consider the Corrupted and Dark Elves, for instance, both of which you have encountered before. You have learned that overloading your mana pathways would lead to corruption, resulting in death or, in the worst-case scenario, the corrupted would turn into an abomination. Take Al’em, the barkeep, for example. He didn’t seem like he was about to go on a rampage and massacre everyone, did he?”
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Bones remained silent before saying, ‘well…’ while Hugo gave him a blank look and continued. “Not every corrupted individual dies or turns into an abomination, at least not right away. About one in a hundred survives the ordeal and becomes part of the new society of Corrupted beings. Similar to us, they have their own unique system and have settled into one of the cities here in the Nether Realm, where they have been living for hundreds of years.”
“Are they undead, like us then? I’ve never heard or read about any of this,” Bones stated, trying to recall the information he read about mana corruption and its ramifications. Hugo made a comment, saying he wasn’t surprised this is Bones’ first time hearing this and explained that the Corrupted are neither alive nor dead. Eventually, the Corrupted will either die or advance. There’s no in-between, and Al’em, who was once a Corrupted, had advanced to the third tier Abomination before settling here in Necropolis. Hugo concluded his explanation, motioning for Bones to return to his quarters in the library while he headed back to the citadel to discuss matters with his master and to see if their escort had been prepared.
In the moments leading up to the journey into the unknown, Bones spent his time resting and reading, carefully replenishing his mana pool with potions. On the day of the journey, a shout echoed through the halls of the library, signaling Bones to prepare and step outside. The time had finally arrived to leave the Necropolis, and a sudden sense of nervousness enveloped Bones. He had never felt this vulnerable before, placed in an environment not suited to him, compounded by his weakened state. Doubts began to creep in - would it truly be safe with just the two of them and a single escort? These doubts soon transformed into a sense of dread, akin to his initial encounter with the Death Knight, as he laid eyes on their escort, the Reaper.
If Dethren represented the epitome of power and oppression, the Reaper embodied a silent whisper, a barely audible presence draped in black tattered robes, with a hood casting shadows over its face. When Bones met the hollow eyes of the Reaper, he understood that this entity was more perilous than the Death Knight. Not physically, as there was no minion stronger than Dethren in Necropolis. Bones reached this conclusion after sensing the intense Soul Gaze fixating on his already vulnerable soul.
“Best not to look directly at our escort," Hugo advised, diverting attention from the enigmatic Reaper. "It’s not intentional; the Reapers are just like that. Poor imitations of their master, without the capacity to restrain themselves.”
Bones nodded, finding reassurance in the belief that their journey would be secure, with the real concern lying in the enigmatic Reaper. Behind Hugo and their escort, three undead horses patiently awaited. Their appearance was that of half-eaten, half-rotted horses with red pupils pointing out from their black eyes.
After saddling the horses, Bones inquired about the direction to go. Hugo gazed eastward and stated they were heading straight east, as far as they could. As they left the city and two hours into the trot, Hugo asked Bones to summon his golems and have them run parallel to their side. Bones obliged, summoned his golems, and had them run, turning to Hugo, half-expecting further instructions. However, Hugo remained silent, looking ahead. Bones glanced at the Reaper, then focused on the path ahead.
The party advanced on a rocky dirt road, traversing a countryside eerily resembling landscapes Bones had seen numerous times before, but now painted in a monochrome palette of black and white. Bones' head swiveled left and right, contemplating their surroundings. He commented on the stark difference in scenery compared to where he first emerged through the portal. Dense forests of black trees with needle-like protrusions surrounded them from both sides in the distance, and occasional movements in the periphery caught his eye.
“I think I just saw something resembling a bear,” Bones remarked, peering intently in the direction of the forest. Hugo briefly looked in the same direction and explained that the woods here were the territory of Chaos Bears. He then signaled the horses to stop, suggesting they might as well start training right away.
Eager to see his new golem in action and explore the monsters inhabiting the woods, Bones immediately dismounted and took out the obsidian bow. Surprisingly, he handed it to Harmony, who hesitantly reached out and grabbed the bow, drawing puzzled looks from both Bones and Hugo.
“What was that about?” Bones turned to Hugo and asked, but Hugo just gave him a nod, gesturing toward Harmony. Bones turned around and saw his golem struggling to hold the bow. It occurred to Bones that with a strength attribute at one, there was no way for Harmony to manage the weight of an obsidian weapon. He crouched down, exerted effort to lift the weapon, and stored it back in his inventory.
“What now…” Bones murmured, contemplating what alternative he could provide Harmony as a weapon when suddenly, a brilliant light blinded him for a moment. Bones instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare. Slowly lowering his hand, he witnessed densely compressed mana taking the form of a bow in Harmony’s hands. Hugo mimicked a whistling sound, conveying his surprise, while Bones stared, eager for an explanation.
Hugo approached and circled Harmony, closely inspecting the bow created from mana in her hands. He gestured to Bones to check her status screen and core capacity expenditure while offering an elucidation.
“Simply put, it's a Manaforged weapon, a Mana Bow. To manifest one, you need a high magic aptitude as well as proficiency in mana manipulation. The initial cost is substantial, while the channeling cost is roughly the same as when you’re channeling your Bone Lance. But in this environment…” Hugo trailed off, then inquired about how much of the core capacity was consumed to summon the bow. Bones replied that the capacity was down by two hundred and was gradually and continuously decreasing. Now it’s down by three hundred. Hugo nodded, mentioning that the cost of channeling was slightly too high, and inquired if Harmony could wield the bow solely when engaging the enemy, to keep the cost as low as possible. Bones nodded, and a moment later, Harmony dismissed the bow, the weapon dissipating into bluish smoke that was promptly consumed by the foul air of chaos mana.
“Come, let us find ourselves some Chaos Bears.” Hugo beckoned, initiating the hunt. Within five minutes, the party encountered one of the solitary creatures in the distance. Bones commanded his golems to engage while he scrutinized their foe closely.
The Chaos Bear, a colossal mutated creature, exhibited heightened aggression and strength. Its dark velvet fur bore intricate black patterns, and its bright green eyes glowed ominously with dark energy. At level forty-six, the bear initially proved resilient against Skully’s and Murdok’s coordinated assault. However, the new addition to the team, Harmony, disrupted its defenses with lightning arrows, and the lingering effects slowed its movements. The trio overwhelmed the bear with a dazzling array of attacks and spells.