Chapter 77 – Cursed Skull (1/2)

Chapter 77 – Cursed Skull

Nie Yan climbed back to his feet and dashed toward his destination, clearing out the skeletons as he travelled along the narrow, twisting passages of the Sulgata Rampart. After clearing out several passages, and finishing off the last nearby Skeleton Mage, his experience bar had risen by two percent. Along the way he had picked up many items, though he still hadn’t had the time to sort them out yet.

As he advanced onwards, he eventually encountered an area with no skeletal remains. Finally… This ought to be a safe area.

He sat down and began sorting through the items he had recently picked up: twenty-seven coppers and two subpar pieces of Bronze equipment.

Just as he was about to close his inventory menu, a shabby-looking scroll at the bottom corner of the window caught his eye. Only then did he recall that he had obtained such an item. He must have picked it up from that Skeleton Mage he destroyed earlier.

Written on this yellowed scroll were the ancient characters of the Dragon race. It read: “Ancient spirits awaken from within the shadows.”

It was a special one-use item called a Spirit Summoning Scroll. As the name suggests, the player could summon an ancient spirit by activating this scroll. However, there were downsides. In the event that the player failed to control the spirit, they would be devoured in turn.

It was quite an uncommon item. In Sulgata, the likelihood of it dropping was one in two thousand. So, if one were lucky, they’d obtain it every so often while killing skeletons in the area. The ghost summoned by this item wasn’t all that strong. At best, it could be used as a meat-shield. However, in an area like Sulgata that was filled with countless roaming skeletons, this item was surprisingly handy.

Though, there was a slight problem. His low level would make it difficult for him to control the summoned ghost, which meant that it was highly possible it would try to devour him.

Hmm… should I use it or not?

Nie Yan pondered for a moment. If I’m capable of controlling it, then I’ll have a meat shield at my disposal. If I fail, however, my only loss will be a scroll.

With those thoughts in mind, he turned and surveyed his surroundings. It’s pretty spacious here, and for the time being, there won’t be any monsters to disturb me.

After thinking for a bit, he bit into his thumb and pressed it onto the scroll, using his blood to draw a dark red mark.

As his blood gradually seeped into its fibres, the scroll began to radiate with a faint glow.

The ancient seals written on the scroll were slowly beginning to activate.

Soon, a dark ghastly energy emerged from the scroll and gradually condensed into the form of a person. The spirit he summoned was a Ghost Assassin. It appeared translucent and held a shadowy dagger in its hands.

Ghost Assassin: Level 10

Health: 230/230

Its stats actually weren’t bad for a Level 10 summon. In his previous timeline, he had also used this item when he was Level 10 or so. In those days, the price of a Spirit Summoning Scroll was about eight silvers, which wasn’t considered to be very expensive as the average player was able to buy them. If he were to sell the scroll at the marketplace now, then considering its current rarity, it would probably go for around ten silvers.

The Ghost Assassin’s combat strength was decent, and it had a summon duration of thirty minutes. It also possessed three skills: Shroud, Concussive Strike, and Self-Detonate. With this summon at his side, his levelling speed would certainly increase significantly.

After being summoned, the Ghost Assassin didn’t move at all. Instead, it scanned the surroundings with its cold eyes.

Nie Yan attempted to control the ghost, but it didn’t budge an inch. He tried once more, and this time, it actually moved.

I succeeded? His heart filled with pleasant surprise. With the Ghost Assassin by his side, he’d have an extra hand to help fight the skeletons.

Contrary to his expectations, however, the Ghost Assassin’s dagger flashed with a cold glint as it suddenly dashed toward him.

Shit, this asshole is trying to devour me!

This wasn’t entirely unexpected, though, as he never had high hopes to begin with when he summoned it. His level was simply too low. Moreover, the ghost wasn’t merely a level or two above him, it was five entire levels above him. Controlling it couldn’t have been an easy matter.

In the event that the player failed to control the summoned creature, they would be the first thing the summon would aggro onto.

Disregarding the fact that it could be stunned as it sped toward him. Nie Yan pulled back rapidly and dodged the Ghost Assassin’s oncoming attack. Then, seeing an opening, he quickly pounced forward and went on the offensive.

“Vital Strike!” Nie Yan shouted out as he slashed his dagger across the Ghost Assassin’s neck.

Yet, the attack seemed to be ineffective as its shadowy neck simply restored itself almost instantly after being cut. Brandishing the dagger in its hand, that ghastly being dashed forward and answered with an attack of its own.

Nie Yan was forced back onto the defensive and had to constantly retreat as they fought. Their positions were ever changing as they moved about the area. This ghost was much stronger than those frail skeletons. Thankfully, he had only summoned a Ghost Assassin and not something tankier. So although he was five levels below it, his damage wasn’t insignificant.

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