As his awareness sharpened, Ares realized he was awakening from nothingness. He looked down to find himself transformed into a skeleton.
And he wasn't alone. Nine other identical boneheads stood beside him.
Looming over them, a man in a gray hooded cloak chuckled darkly.
His name was Mordred Blackwood, a level 5 Necromancer in the virtual game, "Genesis."
Ares, along with the nine other skeletons, were Mordred Blackwood's summoned creatures.
This information flooded Ares's consciousness.
But something felt instinctively wrong. His subconscious whispered that this wasn't a game, but some kind of minor divine realm.
However…
He couldn't remember anything other than his name.
For some inexplicable reason, a wave of intense loathing washed over Ares the moment he laid eyes on Mordred Blackwood. He felt an almost overwhelming urge to ram his bony sword down his throat and chop him into itty-bitty pieces!
Unfortunately, an unseen force held him captive.
Ares could only fume, unable to move a single bone.
"This staff is a real treasure! Others can only summon five undead, but in my hands, the number doubles!"
"Though they're just ten low-level skeletons, they're more than enough for the newbie village."
"Heh heh heh… Damn you, James! You kicked me out of the newbie village, but when I hit level 10, I'll have my precious babies gnaw your cock off!"
With that, the Necromancer turned towards a forest ahead.
"Let's clear out these forest foxes. Five experience points per fox, and there are 35 of them. Enough to get me to level 6…"
He waved his skeletal staff, and red phosphorous flames erupted from the crystal at its tip. The ten skeletons sprang to life, lumbering towards three level 5 forest foxes.
Ares felt a mysterious force compelling him forward, pushing him to join the fox hunt.
He instinctively resisted, but his bony limbs moved stiffly, following the group in a shaky procession.
As his bone sword struck a fox, the compelling force abruptly released its grip.
A transparent panel popped up in front of him.
[Name: Ares]
[Race: Human]
[Status: Skeleton]
[Master: Necromancer Mordred Blackwood]
Attributes:
[Level: 5]
[Attack: 5]
[Strength: 5]
[Defense: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Magic: 5]
[HP: ∞]
[MP: 50]
Traits:
Undead Summon;
Initial Duration: 10 minutes [Killing a target allows absorption of its life force, extending the summon's duration];
Talent 1: [Locked];
Talent 2: [Locked].
The faint green flames in Ares's empty sockets flickered.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He could move freely now.
He experimentally bumped into a fellow skeleton.
A nearly identical panel appeared.
[Undead Skeleton]
[Race: Undead]
[Master: Necromancer Mordred Blackwood]
Attributes:
[Level: 5]
[Attack: 5]
[Strength: 5]
[Defense: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Magic: 5]
[HP: 50]
Traits:
Undead Summon;
Initial Duration: 10 minutes [Killing a target allows absorption of its life force, extending the summon's duration];
This one, however, listed the race as [Undead], and the HP was not ∞, but a numerical 50.
No magic points.
And no talent slots.
The flames in Ares's eyes deepened.
He checked the panels of the other skeletons. Seeing the identical stats and attributes, Ares confirmed one thing:
He was different from these nine boneheads!
...
Ten undead skeletons against three same-level foxes was like a hot knife through butter.
As the foxes' bodies dissolved into nothingness, Ares noticed a countdown timer appear above each skeleton's head.
7 minutes remaining.
Three of the skeletons' timers jumped, adding 5 minutes.
Now at 12 minutes.
These were the three that had landed the final blows, securing the kills.
Ares turned his bony neck, eyeing two more foxes.
As Mordred Blackwood waved his staff, targeting the foxes, the other skeletons swarmed, hacking at the creatures.
Ares seized the opportunity, landing a final blow, securing his first kill.
[Ding——]
A chime sounded, and Ares saw his timer instantly jump by 5 minutes!
Just as he suspected.
Ares glanced at Mordred Blackwood, hiding behind the melee and casting fireballs, a plan forming in his mind.
Would killing him set him free?
Unfortunately, while Ares could move, he couldn't attack Mordred Blackwood. As soon as he focused murderous intent on him, the suppressing force returned.
It only vanished when the killing intent subsided.
After a few attempts, Ares abandoned the idea, deciding to wait for a better opportunity.
The ten skeletons cleared the area efficiently. Within twenty minutes, all 35 foxes were dust.
Mordred Blackwood leveled up to 6.
He immediately abandoned the area, driving the skeletons towards a riverbank.
Riverbank crocodiles infested the area.
Not level 6, but level 7!
The cowardly fireball-chucking Necromancer was skipping a level!
Higher-level mobs meant more experience. Mordred Blackwood was clearly in a hurry to power level.
But level 7 crocodiles weren't as docile as level 5 foxes. One bite took a 30-point chunk out of the leading skeleton's HP.
Mordred Blackwood didn't care, urging the other skeletons to swarm and overwhelm the crocodile with numbers.
Ares seized the moment, tanked a couple of hits, and snagged the killing blow.
His timer jumped by 15 minutes.
Now, he had the longest remaining duration of all the skeletons.
Ares eyed Mordred Blackwood again, plotting how to lure the crocodiles towards him.
A squishy Necromancer wouldn't last long against those teeth.
Suddenly, Ares's panel popped up again, displaying a new section.
[Notification: 10 Evolution Points acquired. Unlock Talent 1?]
Below were two options: [Yes] and [Later].
Ares didn't hesitate. He chose [Yes].
His attribute panel shimmered, and the [Talent] section lit up.
[Talent 1: Infinite Evolution (UR Rank)]
[Infinite Evolution:The efficiency of leveling up is decreased by 99.99%, but after defeating an enemy, one can obtain evolution points. These points can be used to enhance personal strength.]
A small window appeared beside the panel. Ares clicked it open, revealing an image of his skeletal form.
His bone sword shimmered with a golden light, while other parts remained unclickable and gray.
Ares clicked the sword. Options appeared below.
[Evolve Level 0 Bone Sword?]
Ares selected [Yes] without a second thought.
A progress bar appeared.
No brainer.
Max it out! All in!
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
Two golden flashes later, two intricate golden runes appeared on Ares's bone sword.
Its rank jumped from 0 to 2.
6 more Evolution Points to reach rank 3.
Ares quickly calculated the progression.
0 to 1: 1 Evolution Point.
1 to 2: 5 Evolution Points.
2 to 3: 10 Evolution Points.
With the two-rank upgrade, Ares's [Attack] increased by 6 points.
Now at 11.
The green flames in Ares's sockets flared. He stared hungrily at the riverbank crocodiles.
"Huh?"
Mordred Blackwood's surprised voice broke through his focus. A moment later, he stood before him.
Ares instinctively raised his bone sword, but the suppressing force slammed down, freezing him in place.
"Amazing! This staff is truly a treasure! It can summon evolving undead!"
Mordred Blackwood danced with glee, his eyes alight with a mixture of excitement and manic joy.
"With this staff, James, you're finished! You're dead!"