NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Ashes of the Undead
Chapter 9: Ashes of the Undead
Victor Lionheart narrowed his eyes, gazing at the towering Skeleton General engulfed in flames. Though the monster's armor had melted away, revealing hard, flawless white bones, Victor could feel it—the skeletal giant's vitality was far from extinguished.
"This guy's still not done…" Victor muttered, tightening his grip on his staff.
Hundreds of constitution points granted the undead warrior terrifying fire resistance. Runes began to shimmer across its bones, magical glyphs etched by the laws of this world—defensive blessings granted to creatures with immense constitution.
But Victor wasn't discouraged. "Just a dark gold-level boss. This is only a matter of time," he said, his voice calm. The difference in base attributes was what made this battle so stubborn, not skill.
The [Scorching Ray] spell he used had no cooldown between casts—its duration perfectly matched its cooldown. As long as his mental energy held out, the spell could be maintained endlessly.
The unrelenting beam of heat had already melted the Skeleton General's sword. What had once been a formidable blade was now a pool of glowing molten iron.
In response, red light swelled within the Skeleton General's skull-like eye sockets, and a yellow miasma began to spread across its body. But the raging fire incinerated it instantly—the foul aura never even reached Victor.
The Skeleton General, stripped of weapons and abilities, roared in fury. With a ground-shaking step, it charged, raising its bony fists and smashing them into Victor's summoned [Rock Shield].
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Chunks of the shield were blasted off, but each time, Victor reconstructed it with elemental magic, seamlessly repairing it mid-battle.
The bones of the undead giant had begun to turn crimson from the relentless heat. Resistance had its limits—even monsters had thresholds.
Victor's eyes lit up with anticipation. "He's almost done."
With a final echoing wail, the Skeleton General collapsed into a heap of scorched bones. Yet Victor didn't relax. "Rebirth is common among the undead. I can't leave anything behind."
With quick precision, Victor raised his staff and cast [Scorching Ray] again. He swept the area, burning the remains to fine ash.
Only when the last flicker of red faded did golden light rise from the ashes and rush into his body.
Ding! Level Up!
Victor's entire body shuddered. Three consecutive surges of warmth flowed through him as he gained three levels in an instant—now at Level 18.
His stats—strength, agility, constitution, and mental power—all improved. Even his spent mana was fully restored.
He clenched his fists. "That rush... It's addicting."
Suddenly, a faint shimmer of light emerged from the ashen ground.
"A drop?" Victor stepped closer, heart quickening.
Loot from monsters was rare, and this was his first boss drop since entering the wild. So far, he'd only picked up a pair of F-rank boots that marginally boosted speed.
Victor reached into the light and pulled out a worn skill book.
[Summon Skeleton - F Rank]
Description: Summons a basic skeleton to assist in combat.
He grinned. "Perfect. Just what I need."
With a slap to the book's cover, it dissolved into white light and merged with Victor's mind. New knowledge—runes, incantations, summoning matrices—unfolded in his thoughts.
He now possessed two summoning spells. Once he reached Level 20 and unlocked his Supreme Summoning talent, he'd be able to bring forth creatures even stronger than himself.
Excited, he raised his staff and tapped the earth. A glowing white magic circle formed beneath his feet.
A skeleton rose slowly from it, thin, brittle bones held together by stringy sinew. Its sword was a chipped, rusted thing.
Victor opened its stat panel:
[Skeleton Warrior]
Level: 18
Grade: Common
Strength: 27.5
Constitution: 10.3
Agility: 5.7
Mental Power: 1
Talent: None
Skill: Rusty Blade Slash – Has a chance to inflict tetanus on enemies.
"Not impressive-looking," Victor said, "but effective. These stats rival many low-level professionals."
Beside the newly summoned warrior, the goblin scout bounced excitedly, still high from witnessing Victor's fierce battle. It too had leveled up to 18.
Seeing the goblin and skeleton standing side by side, Victor nodded with satisfaction. His growing army was coming together.
Then something clicked in his mind. "There must be an extradimensional rift nearby. That's how the Skeleton General got here."
He turned to the goblin. "Where did you first see that skeleton?"
The goblin saluted. "On a rocky beach, Master! Follow me!"
They traveled quickly through deepening shadows until they arrived at the jagged shoreline.
There it was—a rift.
A jagged black-and-white crack hovered midair, small and flickering, already beginning to seal. Beyond it, Victor glimpsed hordes of skeletons marching in formation.
His eyes narrowed. "That's the Undead Realm."
It all made sense now. The Skeleton General had wandered through this temporary breach. In its true form, it was a level 70 monster. But due to the Law of Balance—a mysterious rule enforcing fairness during early awakening—its power had been forcibly reduced to match the highest player level in the area: Level 18.
Victor exhaled slowly. "There are billions of awakened around the world. Some with terrifying talents. This world will soon grow far more dangerous."
But even as he stared into the rift, one thing was clear—he was ready.
The age of Red Mist was only beginning, and Victor Lionheart stood at the cusp of power.