Chapter 116 – Arcane Fairy (1/2)
Chapter 116 – Arcane Fairy
Although Nie Yan’s knowledge of the game far exceeded that of any other player in the present, even a glutton wouldn’t be able to consume a large meal in one bite. He needed to gather the best equipment, piece by piece, and gradually grow his personal strength. Only then would he be able to widen the gap between himself and other players.
Therefore, these several chapters from the Book of Order were an absolute necessity to accomplish his plans!
The vast region of barren land he had arrived in was encircled by a barrier, deeming it a safe zone in Hems. To reach the area populated by monsters, he would still have to walk quite a distance.
For his plan he could only rely on his intuition and vague memory of the surrounding landmarks to guide him in the proper direction. After he ventured past the first layer of the barrier, a giant silhouette appeared in his vision near the horizon as it lumbered around the expanse that was Hems Wasteland.
Skeleton Kodo!
Hems was home to several types of monsters, and Skeleton Kodos were one of them. They were the remnant spirits of war mounts that had fallen in battle. Reanimated as undead, they wandered these wastelands eternally.
Over three hundred Skeleton Kodos dotted the entire region of Hems. Even if all of them were put to rest, they would simply respawn the next day. These Skeleton Kodos were relatively slow to respawn, but their drops were excellent. If the player was lucky, they might even be able to obtain a Skeleton Kodo Saddle.
When the game developers eventually announced the whereabouts of the Chapter of Freedom, countless teams and guilds had rushed to Hems Wasteland in a bid to be the first to retrieve it. With the sudden influx of players, it became difficult to fight a monster without having the drops stolen. As a result, deaths due to fighting over a single monster were rather frequent.
Nie Yan activated Stealth before gradually making his way toward the Skeleton Kodo, and after drawing close enough, inspected it with Transcendent Insight.
Skeleton Kodo (Leader): Level 23
Health: 1,600/1,600
A Leader-class Skeleton Kodo… at his current level, provoking it would undoubtedly be an unwise decision. Although Undead Rite had a probability of controlling an undead monster, if the skill failed, he would draw the aggro of the targeted monster. It was especially dangerous because these Skeleton Kodos were quite fast when they wanted to be. In addition to the disparity in level, there was no way he would be able to escape.
He needed to formulate a plan if he wanted to take control of a Skeleton Kodo, and the first step would be finding a suitable meat shield.
If I recall correctly, there should be some lower level undead to the east. I’ll head there first before deciding what to do.
Nie Yan slowly retreated from the area. Only after leaving the Skeleton Kodo’s field of vision did he dare to break his stealth and sprint off towards the east.
About three minutes later, he spotted a few lower level undead. They wielded rusty battle axes and wooden shields as they aimlessly wandered around the barren field.
Skeleton Soldier: Level 15
Health: 800/800
Although Concussive Blow might not be effective against these Skeleton Soldiers, with his current stats, he would still be able to handle them with ease.
He activated Stealth, approached one of the Skeleton Soldiers from the rear, and then opened with Assassinate.
−128
A damage value appeared above the Skeleton Soldier’s head before slowly drifting up and fading away.
Wielding Blood Pact +7 and Assassin’s Decree +2, Nie Yan’s damage saw significant improvements. Even though he was six levels lower than the Skeleton Soldier, he was still able to easily penetrate through its defenses.
Upon being struck, the Skeleton Soldier turned around while simultaneously cleaving at its aggressor with the ancient battle axe in its left hand.
Nie Yan sidestepped to avoid the attack and countered with a slash followed by a stab.
−109
−112
He quickly depleted the Skeleton Soldier’s life until about sixty health remained, whereupon he disengaged from the melee.
Undead Rite!
「System: Undead Rite has failed!」
As the Skeleton Soldier charged toward him, he activated Swift Retreat and continued to pull back.
Undead Rite!
「System: Undead Rite has failed!」
With only forty percent of his health remaining, he cast Undead Rite once more but failed on the third attempt as well. No longer having the health to cast this skill again, he dashed back into melee range and felled the Skeleton Soldier with one final blow.
He received seven hundred experience for his efforts as the Skeleton Soldier collapsed into a pile of dust. Afterward, he found a safe area to sit down and replenish his health by eating Barley Bread. When he was fully recovered, he stood up and began to seek out his next target.
Nie Yan repeated these actions until eventually, while fighting the third Skeleton Soldier, the crisp sound of the system prompt echoed after he had cast Undead Rite.
Finally… I succeeded! Nie Yan examined his new undead servant. Just like with Dark Gladiator in the Ancient City of Sulgata, the Skeleton Soldier’s appearance transformed into a shade of deep, metallic black. Of course, he was now also able to control its actions and movements!
「System: Set a name for your new servant.」
Without putting much thought into it, he named it Soldier #1.