Chapter 5: Graveyard
Shu emerged from the dim forest feeling like he had entered a new world for the first time. Until now, the forest had been the only world he knew, but he had learned that there was even more land beyond its borders.
However, he couldn't say he was in a comfortable situation.
By bluffing, he was sure that humans knew about him. He needed to achieve his next evolution and eventually obtain enough magical power to not rely on bluffing.
(First, I need to secure a hiding place.)
Currently, Shu was a high-level spirit, a High Ghost. He could move relatively easily by floating. And there was only one place he aimed to reach for his evolution.
(Let's aim for a place with many monsters.)
However, Shu had no information. He didn't even know where there were many monsters, nor did he know how strong they were.
In the end, it was a guessing game.
Also, when he left the forest, there was a large city nearby.
Observing from afar was necessary as there was a possibility of being attacked if he approached too closely. It was quite large, with the city center being a fortress city, with castle-like structures. Including the suburbs, it must have a diameter of over ten kilometers. There were even deserted areas in the suburbs, so it was twice as large.
Humans who came to the forest could be quickly identified as coming from this city.
(If there is a city this large, there is a possibility that there are no strong monsters nearby. Since the humans called me a low-level Lesser, I shouldn't be classified as a very strong monster. Therefore, it would be wise to make this area my hunting ground and be careful of humans. I don't want to face a strong monster.)
Shu thought it would be efficient to find a good hunting ground by going around the city's surroundings in order. Then, he would flee immediately if he had to. Staying in the same place for too long would lead to being found by humans.
Also, since he was outside the forest, he had to be careful about moving.
Shu was a magical entity, and his blue-white light stood out at night, making him more visible. He was a contradiction, being a ghost type that was safer to move during the day.
However, despite being a ghost type, he was a lump of floating magical power, not a real ghost, and was classified as that type of monster. He had no weakness to sunlight. That was the only comfort he had.
(I wish I had something like a radar to find monsters.)
The last person Shu had met seemed to have a sense of his magical presence and had located his hiding spot. Shu guessed that there was a technique called "magical sense" that could do that, but unfortunately, he had no idea how to use it.
That was something to figure out later, for now, he had decided to move on.
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When the sun had risen and set over a hundred times, Shu stumbled upon a hunting ground by chance.
It was the perfect hiding spot, and Shu couldn't believe that a common graveyard was the most suitable place.
As he surveyed the area, he saw countless tombstones, each with a name inscribed on it. For such a large city, the graveyard had to be considerable in size, and this was the result. The tombstones were now countless.
Shu had found this place while circling the city's surroundings, and he thought he could use it as a hunting ground because undead monsters existed here.
Out of curiosity, he stopped by at night, and to his surprise, there were indeed monsters.
Shu was a little surprised by this.
(Well then, shall I hunt some undead today too?)
To his delight, after hunting several undead creatures in this place, Shu evolved. He became a new species called an "evil spirit race," and the black tattered cloth he had been wearing became clean.
His magical power had increased significantly, several times more than when he was a high-level spirit called a "High Ghost." He could now use several dozen basic spells.
And so, to aim for his next evolution, Shu began hunting undead creatures again today.
(I found them. There are a few Death Bone Skeletons and Death Bone Soldiers. Let's start with them.)
Shu floated in the air and approached stealthily. He used magic without hesitation. As a result of using "Life Drain" to absorb magic from moving skeletons, he exhausted all his power in a few minutes. The skeleton soldiers and bone soldiers couldn't do anything and fell, becoming motionless bones.
The bone soldiers are low-level Lesser-class monsters, so they could give some magic. However, the Reis, a race of evil spirits, are equivalent to the higher-level Middle-class, so from Shu's perspective, they weren't much.
(These guys are no good. Bone Knight or Bone Magician or Cursed Ghoul is the most efficient after all.)
Bone Knight, Bone Magician, and Cursed Ghoul are middle-level Middle-class monsters. They are on par with Shu, so they can give a considerable amount of magic.
However, the number of these monsters is very low, and even after hunting day and night for a few weeks, Shu had only encountered one of each. Most of the monsters are low-level Lesser-class or mixed Weed-class, making Middle-class monsters quite rare.
However, compared to the dim forest, the efficiency of accumulating magic power is overwhelmingly high here.
By absorbing the three Middle-class monsters, he gained a decent amount of magic power.
(The graveyard is vast. Shall I take my time?)
Undead monsters called Undeads, such as those belonging to the Undead family, appear frequently in graveyards and battlefield remains. However, monsters are born from condensed magic power. Therefore, corpses do not turn into Undeads.
When a monster is defeated, the body remains for a while and then dissipates in a few hours to a few days.
Spirits like Shu are an exception and immediately dissipate when defeated. However, monsters are not born from ordinary matter. Therefore, Undeads that appear in graveyards are relatively left alone.
Furthermore, Undead monsters are weak to sunlight.
They do not appear during the day, so there is no human damage as long as you are careful. Occasionally, Magic soldiers are dispatched to prevent Undeads from increasing too much, but basically, the night is a paradise for monsters.
That's why Shu chose this place as his hunting ground.
(Oh, the next prey is here.)
The Reis floating in the graveyard continued to hunt for their prey today.
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100 days had passed...
Late at night, a large crescent moon hung in the sky.
A single evil spirit, Shu Arklight, was locked in battle with the skeletal magic soldier Bone Magician. The Bone Magician was a magical creature capable of using sorcery, and it sent small fireballs flying towards Shu.
Attacks using magical power were effective against even spiritual beings.
Normally, they had to be avoided.
However, Shu Arklight, the evil spirit, didn't avoid them, and instead deployed an acceleration magic formation.
(Insert numerical values for heat and motion, and convert motion to negative.)
The fireballs were reflected by the acceleration magic formation and were sent back towards the Bone Magician. The slow-moving Bone Magician couldn't dodge them completely, and some of them hit it directly.
However, it was a truly undead creature.
Even if it was hit by an attack, it felt no pain and continued to move even if its body was damaged.
The Bone Magician tried to activate sorcery again.
But Shu, who knew the characteristics of undead creatures, quickly drew a weight magic formation and aimed it at the Bone Magician.
(Victory is mine.)
The Bone Magician was crushed, and Shu was sure of his victory. At the same time, he felt a decent amount of magical power flowing into him. It seemed he had absorbed the magical power. He was able to recover the amount of magical power he used in the magic.
Then, when the accumulated amount reached a certain level, he noticed a change within himself.
(I have evolved. The new race is... Nightmare Spirit Phantom. However, my magical power hasn't increased much.)
He could somewhat understand that his ability to control magical power, the speed of movement of his spiritual body, and the performance of "life drain" had improved. However, his magical power had barely increased.
It was only about 1.2 times greater than when he was an evil spirit.
(Perhaps it's more accurate to say "version up" rather than "evolution"? It seems like the strength is still in the middle tier.)
Shu learned for the first time that evolving doesn't always mean getting bigger. When he rose from a low-level Lesser to a middle-tier Mid, his magical power increased considerably, making him stronger. However, when he evolved while remaining in the same middle tier, his magical growth was minimal and his power-up was subtle.
However, it didn't mean he didn't become stronger.
Thanks to the increase in his magical control ability, he became able to sense magic a little bit.
(This is convenient. Is this called magical perception?)
He had been troubled because he didn't know how to use it before, but it seems he simply lacked enough control over his magical power. Perhaps Shu evolved in this way because he desired magical perception.
If he thought that way, it made sense.
In addition to his eyes, ears, and nose, he had the image of a new sensory organ. Vaguely, he became able to perceive beings with magical power. It was not very clear, and the range of perception was narrow, but it was undoubtedly useful.
(However, my appearance hasn't changed much.)
He still had black hair and black eyes, a semi-transparent figure, wore a headband and a hakama, and was wrapped in black cloth. His appearance had not changed since he evolved from an Evil Spirit Wraith to a Nightmare Spirit Phantom.
However, it was only a trivial matter for Shu.
(Well, now that my magical control has improved, I should try practicing the magic I've been thinking about. I can't use it recklessly though.)
Currently, Shu had no decisive attack. Neither magic nor sorcery guaranteed a sure-kill against the opponent, so he wanted a trump card.
He had been considering the mechanism for a while, but had given up because controlling magical power was difficult.
Using basic magic in a single-shot was possible, but when it was combined, it gradually became difficult to control. Furthermore, the more widely and finely it was applied, the more difficult it became.
However, his evolution into a Nightmare Spirit Phantom had created possibilities.
All that remained was practice.
(Someday, I'll have to memorize the magic circle and be able to deploy it immediately.)
In the communal cemetery where only undead wandered, Shu began his practice from this day on.
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The Kingdom of Ramza is a small country. Despite being located in a fertile area in the southeastern part of the Slada continent where agriculture thrives, its national strength is low due to the small number of magic-equipped soldiers. So why is the Kingdom of Ramza, which has a fertile land, able to survive as a small country? It's because it's a vassal of the great country, the Holy Grinia.
The religion of the Magic God Cult holds strong power, and the church of the Magic God Cult is everywhere, including its vassal states, including the Holy Grinia. The Magic God Cult is a religion that worships only the magic-equipped god El-Magia, and has no evil meaning. On the contrary, they advocate for integrity and purity.
The Magic God Cult sees demons as a threat to humanity, and the magic-equipped soldiers belonging to the church regularly exterminate them. These magic-equipped soldiers are called Holy Knights, distinguishing them from the magic-equipped soldiers belonging to the military, and are also popular among the people.
Of course, there are Holy Knights stationed at the church in the capital of the Kingdom of Ramza as well. One of them, Zeku Baratto, was summoned by the bishop who manages the church.
"I've been waiting for you, Holy Knight Zeku."
"Yes, Your Grace. What can I do for you today? Did a strong demon appear again?"
"Well, calm down. First, please have a seat."
The bishop had Zeku sit in the chair he had prepared and he also sat facing him. And without any unnecessary talk, he got straight to the point.
"As a matter of fact, something strange is happening in the shared cemetery in the capital."
"Something strange...? Is there a sudden outbreak of undead monsters?"
"No. On the contrary, it's the opposite. There's been a rapid decrease."
Zeku tilted his head.
He thought it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
However, the bishop shook his head and continued talking.
"I thought it wasn't a problem just with that. However, the Holy Grinia's God Princess prophesied that calamity would arise in this land. It could be referring to the unique individual who was discovered in the dim forest several months ago, who could perform great magic. Although the magic circle itself didn't activate, it would have been a threat if it had."
"That incident... is it true?"
"There's no mistake. The prophecy was received three days ago, and we were requested to investigate by the Holy Knight. We don't have specific information, so we focused on checking if there were any abnormal occurrences. That's how we discovered the abnormality in the communal cemetery."
"I see."
The God Princess of the Holy Grinia uses a magic outfit for future prediction. By sensing the crisis through this prophecy, they can exterminate the monsters that will obtain immense power at an early stage.
"The communal cemetery is very vast. Please lead your unit and head there tonight."
"Understood. Holy Knight Zek Barat will carry out the mission."
Zek Barat, a Rank A magic outfitter and Holy Knight, marched out.
The threat was approaching Shu, who had evolved into the nightmare spirit Phantom.