'Huh? What is she trying to do by leaping so high?' That was the first question Devon had asked himself about Mystic's strange actions.
However, aware that he couldn't remain inactive in his contemplation, he ignored her while rushing forward.
'My speed seems a notch faster than before and my body feels lighter. That's not all, I also feel like my skin is becoming more and more sensitive to the friction of the air on my bones and face.'
Despite knowing that all of this was due to the evolution points he had just sacrificed, he couldn't hold back his joy.
'With the system, my strength can increase indefinitely as long as I have evolution points in my possession.
My goal that seemed out of reach at first now seems within reach.' While naively enjoying his new power, he looked up at Mystic to make sure she was out of danger.
However, he suddenly braked in his race, his eyes fixed on Mystic's silhouette.
'What else!?' Devon exclaimed, his eyes fixed on Mystic.
In the air, Mystic was now surrounded by a thick black aura similar to what Devon usually uses.
Gradually, a hint of doubt mixed with uncertainty filled Devon's heart as he saw all the black aura surrounding Mystic gather around her blade, before getting absorbed in its entirety!
Devon had the same reaction as someone who was holding his breath in concentration.
Although it wasn't the first time he saw Mystic controlling her energy and condensing it into her blade, something seemed different before his eyes.
'That weird energy, it feels different from the spiritual energy she usually uses; I wonder what it is exactly.'
At this moment, Devon was certain of one thing, Mystic wasn't using a fencer skill.
That was all he could say for now.
As for where she got this dark energy even more gloomy than his own, he didn't have any reliable hypothesis in mind.
After five seconds, Mystic who seemed to have finished with the preparations, held her sword's hilt with both hands and heavily landed ten meters in front!
-B000MM!!!
Her landing alone created a detonation similar to a devastating explosion that made the ground shake slightly!
-!?
Usually calm, Devon felt dizzy in this second scene. The dozens of wild boars that were closer to Mystic were all hurled away by the strong draft and the debris.
The worst of all this was to see that Mystic had done nothing but land.
From behind, he no longer saw the little girl who was sometimes cunning, but an accomplished warrior.
He looked down at the crater under her feet with dizziness, unable to think properly.
Still in his dazzling, he saw Mystic turn around slightly towards him, not caring about the boars that started running towards her again after getting up.
"You asked me why I didn't try to tame other mutant beasts, didn't you?"
"[...]"
'...the mark on her forehead also seems different.' That was Devon's first remark, although there were other strange changes on Mystic's body.
The crucifix-like mark on her forehead had become wider, the foot of it was now down to her chin, tracing its path between her eyebrows and passing over her nose.
As for the two horizontal sides, they also enlarged like two horizontal lines all along her forehead up to above her ears, passing under her hair which was now half white.
Devon didn't take more than a second to notice all these changes on his master's body.
Seeing him fall in silence, Mystic continued anyway. "That's because I can't, not while this cursed mark remains on my forehead and this corrupted blood flowing in my veins." She said before shoving her sword into the ground.
'A curse?' Unable to understand anything in her words, Devon just watched what she was planning to do in the hope of learning more.
The next moment, the ground under her feet began to turn gray as a dark mist manifested itself.
As the mist gained ground by spreading around, Devon could see the plants withering as if the mist was draining them of all their vitality.
This strange phenomenon continued to occur around her like a cloud of powder under her feet, gaining more and more area.
All living creatures, including beasts, not limited to plants and trees, all without exception dried up and rotted in plain sight at the mere contact of this mist.
The twenty-five boars that were unfortunate enough to be in the mist area also began to collapse instantly one after another until nothing was left but their rotting corpses.
Devon felt sick to his stomach as he attended to this horror unfold before his eyes.
However, he couldn't let his guard down either, especially when he saw Mystic's cursed territory, which was spread out in a circle, stretching out toward him.
As a precaution, despite being certain that he was out of danger due to his nature as an undead being, he backed away before coming into contact with that weird black mist.
In the end, he turns to the only one who can provide him with explanations concerning this phenomenon.
'System, can you tell me what's going on?'
[...the so-called Mystic is currently using her innate talent, Arise.]
'I had seen that she had the power to awaken the dead, but why is this scene different from everything I imagined?'
[She doesn't bring the dead back to life, but imprisons the souls of those who die in her territory before turning them into loyal undead servants.]
'!?'
Following this unexpected response from his system, Devon didn't dare dig any further.
And when he came back to reality, he saw Mystic withdrawing her sword from the ground before raising it up while mumbling a strange incantation.
"{By the authority of the sovereign forgotten in the abysses of the past, oh wandering souls lost in the depths of hell, answer my call and serve me one last time.}"
Although she spoke in a different language, Devon somehow managed to understand what she was saying.
But more importantly,
He frowns as he looks at Mystic's back. 'That strange chant sounds familiar. It's the same one I heard before I came to this world.'
There was no doubt about it, the person he owed this new existence to and the girl standing before him were the same.
'It's not like I haven't thought about that possibility before, but seeing her like that feels weird.' He mumbles to himself, himself unable to know what he is currently feeling.
Anyway, after finishing her strange chant, all the mist condensed near her before being sucked up by her shadow.
Seeing the threat gone, the remaining boars began to rush at her once more.
Not only them, but even the two Emperor Beasts that were fighting seemed to have joined their forces to get rid of her first.
However, Devon didn't rush to Mystic's side to protect her. Something told him that the latter didn't need to be protected by him.
"Arise!" At the mere mention of that order-like word, the twenty-five boars that had perished by her black mist began to emerge from her shadow.
Regardless, they were all different from Devon's initial form. Instead of being skeletons, they were spectral and black as shadows.
'...So that was it, huh? The fact that her class was called "Shadow Necromancer" was not an usurpation after all.' Devon muttered upon seeing this small army of beasts.
The second the spectral shadows appeared, Mystic staggered before falling to the ground exhausted.
'Damn, it's going to be complicated now to take care of her while facing these beasts. Tsk, all this show just to end like this? How pathetic.' He growls after seeing Mystic lose consciousness.
Although he seems disappointed according to his words, the shock on his face is so obvious that anyone would understand that he was not honest.
That said, Devon could not help but hurry to her before the other beasts reached her position.
Regardless, the ghosts of the beasts that Mystic summoned did not disappear after she fainted.
These latter, as if an order was previously engraved in their souls, began to counterattack the horde that was looming them at high speed.
Even though Devon didn't expect them to create miracles, seeing them in action, he was amazed by their speed and manner of fighting.
The two king-tier boars who were on the front line were instantly drained of their energies and strengths upon contact with two of the reanimated specters.
However, these specters also disappeared at the same time.
At this sight, the other beasts became wary of the others, despite their very limited intelligence.
Devon was also in awe, especially after seeing the other spectral beasts stop five meters away from Mystic.
'Are they trying to protect her by staying closer to her? However, thanks to their spectral bodies, they seem immune against physical attack.' He couldn't help but ponder this question when he saw the strange reaction of these deformed black specters.
Above all, he understood one thing now. 'I don't know what secret you keep up of coming to hate yourself, but you will have no choice but to master this power. I will personally help you to accept and transform it into your strength.'
Following this certitude, he stands up before enclosing Mystic in a black spherical shield like the one he had used in the labyrinth.
Although the situation was different from what he had expected, he still did not lose sight of his initial objective.
Creating a diversion was just an excuse. What he sought most was to increase his power by slaughtering as many of the mutant beasts as possible.
Therefore, without moving away from Mystic, he channels his energy to create five corrosive arrows using his skill.
He first targets the weakest among the boar horde and shoots his arrows at them with full power!
-Swooshh!!!
As always, each of his arrows made short work of their targets who were only advanced-tier prey.
At the same time, Devon created more arrows that he shot with great speed!
However, luck did not smile on him this time. If the success of his first attack was mainly based on speed and surprise effects, the second salvo had only the speeds to hit their mark.
Consequently, a scarlet red flame came out of nowhere and calcined his arrows into dust before they even reached the end of their paths.
-!!
Amazed by the ferocity of these scarlet flames and their sudden appearances, Devon urgently protected himself with a barrier made of energy that he reinforced with his skills before undergoing the same fate as his arrows.
-SHHAAHHH!!!
Despite the hardness of his shield, the latter struggled to resist the flames that spread like a blaze destined to ravage everything in their paths.
He looks behind him, making sure that Mystuc is well protected by the full shield he had cast around her.
After seeing that the spherical shield did not have the slightest scratch, he sighed in relief before focusing on the most important thing.
'Only mutant beasts that have reached the king rank are endowed with magical skills.' He said to himself with a perplexed air.
This doubt forced him to observe the situation until the extinction of the blaze in the hope of learning more.
After five more seconds, the flames surrounding him started to fade.
His first realization was to see that Mystic's specters which he thought were indestructible were swept away, all of them.
'So, magic is their weak point? That makes sense.' He said to himself before looking surprisingly at the three king-tier boars in front of him.
The latter were now similar to hellhounds with their flaming manes.
However, the giant of the boars, who had his body completely covered in black flames, advanced in front of the small horde now composed only of the three king-tier boars.
'The attack from earlier seems to have decimated all the other boars. Tsk, what a waste, if you didn't need them, you guys might as well let me kill them instead—they'll at least be useful for something.' He growls in scorn as he gets up from his knees while manifesting a sword.
-GRRRR!!!
'Now that they're taking me seriously, it's time to do the same.'