"Huh? You're Karon's disciple. What brings you here today? I haven't heard anything from Karon."
Pyman looked at me belatedly and raised his eyebrows.
I nodded my head in a casual bow and spoke.
"I came for personal matters."
"Personal matters? Ah! Are you here to find the ring?"
At the mention of the ring, Dan, who had been standing beside us, turned his gaze toward me with a strange look.
While conversing with Pyman, I paid careful attention to him and nodded my head.
"Let's go inside and talk."
"Oh, right. Is that so? But what about the money? Did you bring it?"
Pyman, you bastard.
He said let's go inside and talk.
And when money comes up, he's looking at me with a strange glint in his eyes.
"Hmm. You mentioned quite interesting things this time..."
Pyman subtly trailed off.
And I could roughly guess what interesting story he was referring to.
Black mages live in seclusion, so rumors and information spread quickly.
Perhaps he was referring to what happened at the gathering.
"Adrias Cromwell. I heard you obtained something quite good, huh? Oh, I envy you. Some people work in this cemetery for decades without even getting a decent knight, let alone a master."
He laughed smugly as he spoke.
In the end, I stopped and showed him the bag I had been carrying on my back.
"Are you referring to this?"
"What is that?"
"You just mentioned it, didn't you? Something quite good."
"I can't believe it. Show me what's inside, and then I'll believe you."
"Pyman, it doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. Did I ever say I would trade this?"
"What?"
Did he think I was being made fun of?
Pyman glared at me with a face that showed signs of anger.
And Dan's gaze, who was standing beside him, remained fixated on my bag.
"If you really want this, then show me the ring as well. I don't know if you've already sold it or still have it."
"Absolutely not. Show me first, then I'll show you."
I put down the bag again.
And without hesitation, I waved my hand.
"It's a shame for you, not for me. Comparing that ring to the corpse I have, it would be better to make a new one."
"No! Stop!"
Pyman's desperate shout could be heard, and suddenly the surrounding graves began to stir.
This crazy bastard. What is he doing now?
No way.
Damn it.
Various undead creatures emerged from the graves and turned their heads toward me.
Is this lunatic really serious?
I was just playing hard to get, and look at him go crazy?
But our crazed protagonist Pyman didn't stop there.
"Dan! Let's make a new deal. If you bring me his bag, I'll give you one hundred million will!"
"Hmm, a bit low."
"Damn you! Alright, two hundred million!"
"Fine. The deal is made."
He really planned it carefully.
What did he see to act like this?
I couldn't have come here without any preparation, could I?
It's better this way. Not only the ring, but I also had the opportunity to deal with Bloody Dan, who would become an obstacle in the future.
"Nickel, kill."
I gave a straightforward command.
In response, Nickel, appearing like a ghost behind Pyman, swung his sword.
Thud!
Slice!
"Aaaah! You son of a bitch!"
Too bad. It missed slightly.
It would have been much easier if I had dealt with Pyman first.
Bloody Dan, as expected, was not as easy as his reputation suggested.
As soon as Nickel appeared, Bloody Dan realized it and kicked Pyman away, creating some distance between us.
It's a shame that I couldn't launch a surprise attack with Nickel's new ability.
But I still managed to cut off one of Pyman's arms, which was not a total loss.
"Since when did you have that?"
Dan muttered in surprise as he looked at Nickel, but Nickel ignored his words and continued swinging his sword.
From the perspective of regular undead, it would be unthinkable to withstand such skills.
Nickel was not an ordinary Phantom.
In the first place, he wasn't ordinary, and now his physical form had become extraordinary as well.
[Sloth Phantom (Legendary)]
Nickel Lifethill
Undead
Tier 5
Mana: 2103
Abilities: Self-Awareness/Extreme: Swordsmanship, Corporealization, Sloth
Two additional abilities.
In addition, he jumped from Tier 2 directly to Tier 5 after evolving.
While Skeletons were initial Tier 1 undead, Phantoms were powerful Tier 5 undead.
Phantoms were a mix of ghosts and mirages, possessing powerful physical strength and the ability to conceal their appearance through corporealization.
"But the Phantom I knew had a slightly different appearance."
Could it be due to the influence of Sloth?
Nickel's appearance was different from that of an ordinary Phantom.
Ordinary Phantoms were just skeletons with a little bit of skin and a hazy, ghost-like presence. But Nickel had a more vibrant appearance, wearing a pale blue flowing robe.
With the robe draped over his shoulders like a wanderer, he gave off a relaxed impression befitting his name, Sloth.
Clang!
The robe fluttered, accentuating Nickel's movements.
And the splendor of those movements reached its peak as Nickel used mana.
Bang!
Slash!
Sparks flew as the swords intermingled, and Dan desperately retreated, but Nickel didn't let him escape.
Perhaps he would be surprised by the skill of an undead that he wouldn't even think of as undead.
Nickel was not an ordinary Phantom.
In the first place, he was not ordinary, and now he had become an extraordinary being, both in body and ability.
Furthermore, he had gained new abilities, so if he evolved further, he might even demonstrate the power of the late Oller Master.
"Nickel, kill."
Exclamation!
As I was admiring Nickel's astonishing transformation, the approaching ghouls suddenly lunged at me.
Timing it right, I erected an Earth Shield and leaped, smashing the jaw of the one flying towards me and drawing my sword.
"Heheuk, heok, you bastard! Die!"
I heard Pyman, writhing in pain, spewing out curses.
It seems he has even summoned elite undead from the astral realm.
Although I initially planned to deal with them all using Nickel, it seems I had to intervene myself.
Pyman has already used his necromancy on every tomb around, but fortunately, it's daytime, which is advantageous for me.
Thanks to that, the undead's abilities seemed to be diminished, making it possible for me to withstand them.
"I haven't been idling around either."
Instead, the opportunity for a real battle ignited adrenaline in my mind like an explosion.
Utilizing the Earth Shield I had erected, I immediately created Rock Spheres.
The walls that had been standing transformed into sharp spears, impaling the undead attempting to break through them, causing them to die by their own impalement.
"Rotate."
I rotated the Rock Spheres.
As a result, the impaled corpses were forcefully flung away.
Crack!
I swiftly moved one step to avoid an approaching ghoul and slit its throat.
Then, I immediately threw the rotating Rock Spheres at the approaching undead.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Damn, there are so many of them.
This is why you shouldn't fight a necromancer in a place filled with corpses.
Though I was once a necromancer myself, my magical power and skill were lacking compared to Pyman, so even if I were to use magic on the same corpses, I would lose control over them.
Moreover, Pyman's range exceeded mine by far, so there were no corpses within my detection range that I could use.
While killing the approaching zombies, skeletons, and sporadic ghouls, I made my way toward Pyman.
However, I soon became occupied with Pyman's elite undead.
Thud!
A skeleton warrior wielding a mace in one hand struck the ground.
This Tier 4 skeleton warrior was undoubtedly stronger than ordinary skeletons.
And not long after, elite undead summoned by Pyman from the astral realm began joining the fray.
"Heuh, heuh. Die!"
I continuously heard Pyman's eerie screams, and Elder Ghouls, Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Knights, Poison Zombies, and various other undead surrounded me from all directions.
Clang!
I deflected the Knight's sword with a counterforce and rotated my body to dodge the Warrior's mace.
My prodigious talent in combat continuously analyzed the enemies' movements, guiding me to the best possible path.
"To the right, half a step."
I instantly read the angle, strength, and speed of the enemy's weapon swing and moved my body accordingly.
I narrowly avoided the opponent's attack and counterattacked.
Crack!
I shattered the skeletal arm of the Warrior and quickly ducked, evading the slashing attack aimed at my head.
Then, the Elder Ghoul launched a physical assault.
Urgently twisting my body, I thrust my sword into its grotesque face.
Despite its sturdy body, the sword, accelerated by the collision, penetrated it along with a tremendous impact.
"Greece."
I immediately reduced the friction and smoothly drew out the tightly embedded sword.
"You, just what are you? Why won't you die!"
Damn, he's been making a racket since earlier.
I created a Rock Sphere and sent it flying.
Although it was easily blocked, it conveyed the message to shut up.
Amidst the chaotic battle, I had no idea what had happened to Nickel.
There were still a vast number of undead surrounding me, far surpassing a hundred, and four undead remained from the astral realm.
Among them, the Skeleton Knight posed a considerable challenge with its powerful physique and refined swordsmanship.
Shing!
I once again blocked the Knight's attack, but my arms trembled.
The opponent was a monster, not a human.
Despite my efforts to parry, the overwhelming difference in strength caused severe shock.
Where does it draw such strength when it lacks muscles?
"Hoo."
My stamina was gradually running out.
I wanted to drink a potion, but I simply didn't have the time.
Growl!
I swiftly toppled the Poison Zombie, which relentlessly spewed venom, using Grease.
Provoking it was pointless; I would only end up poisoned.
Whoosh!
The one-armed Warrior swung his mace, and simultaneously, the Knight thrust its sword from the side.
There's no avoiding this.
Phwoosh!
"Kreum."
Yet, thanks to twisting my body, only my left shoulder was pierced.
This much is nothing.
I quickly pulled out the embedded sword, intending to retreat, but the Knight was faster.
Whoosh—Thud!
Crack!
"Kruk."
The Knight slammed me to the ground while keeping its sword embedded in my shoulder.
Helpless, I lay on the ground like a pinned mouse.
However, even amidst the attack, I managed to shatter the Knight's collarbone with a counterattack.
The broken collarbone caused the Knight's right arm to move awkwardly.
"How about that, you bastard?"
I taunted the unresponsive opponent, boasting needlessly.
With its sword still embedded in my shoulder, the Knight forcefully pushed me down and struck my face with its remaining fist.
Clang!
Thanks to the opponent's awkward movements, I could block its attack with the sword while lying down.
The problem was the other undead closing in.
"When is Nickel coming?"
I gritted my teeth, pressing my shoulder against the embedded sword, and lifted my upper body off the ground.
Blood soaked the sword as it pierced through my shoulder, but I didn't care.
Intense pain gnawed at my bones and flesh, tormenting my brain, but I paid it no mind.
"Die, you bastard!"
Dodging another incoming punch, I only lowered my head while still on my knees and struck the Knight's head with my sword.
However, its skull was remarkably sturdy.
I regretted not targeting its neck.
[Awakening mana due to repeated training and talent.]
[Through the 'Dual Core' trait, the body accepts the second mana.]
[Combat mode activated, mana is being stored.]
[Achievement unlocked: 'Second Awakening.']
A new power awakened in me.