After receiving Laradoa's instructions, Limon embarked on his journey.
The figure astride the Dudu bird gradually receded into the distance, vanishing bit by bit within the far-flung expanse of the desert as Laradoa watched with a pensive gaze.
In the boundless realm of the yellow sand, a solitary figure on the Dudu bird hurtled forward, its alternating steps kicking up billowing plumes of dust that swirled and danced in its wake.
The distance from the sandy fishing ground to the sand dunes on the left had initially seemed deceptively short, but it was a mere visual illusion.
It took Limon a full half an hour to draw near the targeted dune.
Riding the Dudu bird, Limon ascended the sandy slope, the grains of sand shifting and sliding beneath the bird's feet.
On the other side of the sand dune, Limon's eyes alighted upon the boulder that Laradoa had described.
They were now a great distance from the oasis. Glancing back in the direction from which they had come, the once-verdant oasis had dwindled to a mere speck of green, a diminutive patch in the vast sea of sand.
There were some withered and lifeless trees and desolate wastelands stretching out as far as the eye could see, transforming the area into a quintessential desert, a world dominated by nothing but the unyielding yellow sand.
To the east of the boulder, that is, directly ahead to the right...
"Ha!"
With a soft chuckle of determination, Limon urged the Dudu bird towards the boulder.
Limon was exceedingly cautious, for he knew that quicksand was a treacherous peril. If he were to accidentally plunge into its depths, his new life in this alien world might come to a sudden and untimely end, even before it had truly begun to unfold.
Soon, Limon reached the boulder.
He dismounted from the bird with a practiced grace and clambered onto the boulder's surface, his movements sure and steady.
Perched atop the boulder, Limon surveyed the area that was soon to become a battlefield with a quiet intensity.
The quicksand pool lay directly before him. Although it did not appear markedly different from the surrounding sandy terrain, merely a relatively flat expanse of sand, a closer inspection revealed the presence of some small, swirling whirlpools on the sand's surface, like miniature maelstroms.
After observing for a while, Limon turned and made his way back. When he reappeared on the boulder, he held a water pouch in one hand and a palm-sized piece of white dried meat in the other.
Since departing from the Holy Cross Monastery, Limon had not had a single drop to drink. It was not until Laradoa had proffered his supplies that Limon had become acutely aware of his gnawing hunger.
People require sustenance as surely as iron requires the heat of the forge. To prepare for the impending battle, he needed to replenish his strength and maintain himself in prime physical condition.
Skeleton...
For some inexplicable reason, Limon suddenly felt that he was peculiarly well-suited to this world.
The strong reigned supreme over the weak, strength was the ultimate arbiter, and the constraints of the law were minimal, a world of primal forces.
Sitting on the boulder, Limon ate slowly, savoring each bite.
It tasted surprisingly good, somewhat reminiscent of chicken, yet with a more pronounced chewiness and a stronger, more robust flavor...
Time slipped away like grains of sand through an hourglass, and night soon descended, casting its inky cloak over the land.
Grasping his staff firmly in his hand, Limon sat in quiet repose on the boulder, his gaze fixed on the sky above.
The moon in this world was larger and rounder than he had ever known, and the light it emitted was more dazzling, like a celestial beacon.
This caused the sand to seem as if it were draped in a delicate layer of silver gauze, slightly dispelling the surrounding darkness and rendering everything visible with a soft, ethereal clarity.
The moonlight was undeniably beautiful, yet Limon had no time to lose himself in the admiration of the scenery at that moment.
"Kacha!"
The faint, telltale movement in the darkness, seeming both near and yet strangely far, caught Limon's attention, and he lowered his head to peer intently at the sand before him.
"Crack, creak."
That was the unmistakable sound of bone joints grinding together, a sound that sent a shiver down the spine of the uninitiated.
Here they come...
In Limon's line of sight, a spot in the sand sank, and a white bone gradually emerged from the sand pool, trailing a stream of yellow sand as it slowly made its way towards the pool's edge.
Inside the skull, a tiny blue flame burned with an otherworldly glow, making it stand out conspicuously in the dark night, like a malevolent will-o'-the-wisp.
As the strange noises grew more frequent, the entire quicksand pool suddenly seethed and roiled, as if alive.
The yellow sand flowed and shifted like a restless sea, and white bones appeared all over the quicksand pool, slowly inching towards the edge with the inexorable movement of the sand.
"Gulu, Gulu."
The appearance of the undead made the bird seem a bit restless, and it paced back and forth on the spot, its eyes wide with unease.
The bird's calls and the presence of a living being drew the skeletons' attention. Those skeletons that had been moving haphazardly in the quicksand pool all began to converge towards the boulder, their empty eye sockets seeming to stare with a fixed, unblinking intensity.
"It's truly a terrifying sight..."
Limon rose from the boulder, his figure silhouetted against the moonlight, and regarded the skeletons advancing from the quicksand pool below with a steady gaze.
An ordinary person would have been paralyzed with fear at such a horrifying scene, but Limon remained calm, his heart steady within his chest.
In his past memories, Limon had never before dealt with the dead. Whether it was the living, the deceased, or the undead, Limon felt no fear, only a burning curiosity.
This was the first time Limon had witnessed real undead, and he was determined to face them.
As Limon watched, the skeletons came ashore, one after another crawling out of the quicksand pool, their bony limbs clattering and scraping against the sand.
Just as Laradoa had said, these undead were ordinary skeletons, without even a weapon in their hands, just a few tattered rags hanging loosely from their frames and empty hands reaching out in a macabre parody of life.
Ordinary civilians could slay such slow-moving skeletons without weapons, using just stones, but they would still be in mortal danger if caught.
Of course, if caught by them, it would be a Herculean task to break free.
"Huh!"
Limon took a deep breath, and his expression beneath the wide-brimmed wizard hat grew solemn and focused.
Waving the staff in his hand, Limon silently intoned "Dark Energy Impact."
At the tip of the staff, a black light flashed with a sudden intensity, and a sphere of black magic hurtled through the air like a meteor, streaking across the sky and striking a skeleton with a resounding impact.
"Boom!"
A black light flared with a blinding brilliance, and the skeleton that was hit instantly shattered into a thousand pieces, followed by an explosion that shook the ground.
Amid the ripping explosion, green flames surged and instantly engulfed the two nearby skeletons, their bony forms vanishing in a flash of emerald fire.
The shockwave roared as it swept outwards with a furious vengeance. The four skeletons that were a bit closer were directly buffeted by the strong wind and reduced to broken bones upon impact, scattering like so much debris.
Although Limon had controlled the power to some extent, it could still wreak devastating havoc on these fragile skeletons, like a tempest among dry leaves.
Limon calculated that this attack could effectively obliterate the skeletons within a five-meter radius of the explosion's epicenter, leaving nothing but a field of shattered bones.
"Dark energy shock!"
In the darkness, as the green flames billowed and danced, a large number of skeletons were annihilated in the screaming explosions, their forms disintegrating into piles of broken bones, a macabre testament to the power of Limon's magic.
To conserve magic power and ensure each attack hit more skeletons, Limon slowed down the frequency of casting dark energy shocks. He waited until a substantial number of skeletons had come ashore and formed a certain mass before attacking, which effectively enhanced the area-of-effect damage, like a marksman waiting for the perfect shot.
In the darkness, green flames flared up intermittently, like a demonic pyrotechnic display. In the screaming explosions, the shockwaves and flames swept everything around, and numerous skeletons were destroyed, turning into heaps of shattered bones, a scene of chaos and destruction.
"Dark energy shock!"
With a wave of the staff in his hand, another sphere of black magic shot out with a vengeance, streaking through the night.
The green flames surged anew in the darkness, and many skeletons were instantly wiped out in the flames, their existence extinguished in a flash. The shockwave demolished the skeletons within a five-meter radius, leaving only a desolate expanse of sand and bone fragments.
This was the final blow. Looking down at the sand below, no skeletons were in sight, and there was no movement in the quicksand pool, as if the undead had never been.
Three hours had elapsed since dusk. During these three hours, Limon had lost count of how many times he'd used dark energy shocks and had no idea how many skeletons he'd slain.
However, looking at the layers of broken bones on the sand not far beneath the boulder, there must have been a considerable number, a grisly testament to his night's work.
As for the skill usage, Limon estimated that it had been no less than 30 times, each one a display of his growing power.
At the start, the attack frequency had been fairly rapid, but it had slowed down towards the end, and sometimes it would take ten minutes to cast a dark energy shock, as he conserved his strength and magic.
After observing the quicksand pool for a while and ensuring that no skeletons emerged, Limon let out a soft breath and sat down on the boulder, his body weary but his spirit triumphant.
After several hours of combat, Limon had become quite proficient in casting skills, like a master craftsman perfecting his art.
There was no need for silent incantations; a mere thought sufficed to unleash the corresponding skills, and his control over magic power had grown more refined, like a musician tuning his instrument.
Indeed, combat was the best teacher.
With a slight mental nudge, Limon summoned the panel, eager to see the fruits of his labor.
After slaying so many skeletons, he wondered if he'd leveled up...
"Huh... Level 5?"
Gazing at the information on the panel, Limon was somewhat taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise.
After a few hours of fighting, he'd unknowingly ascended five levels, a remarkable feat.
No wonder casting skills had become so effortless and his magic power had always remained in a sufficient state, as leveling up restored the magic value, like a replenishing spring.
[Limon Darwin
Occupation: Demon Warlock
Level: 5
Strength: 23
Agility: 19
Endurance: 21
Intelligence: 42
Spirit: 41
Unallocated points: 50
Experience value: 1120/1600
Skills: Dark Energy Control, Dark Energy Impact, Demon Summoning
Demon Servant: Demon Imp
Magic Value: 810/1000]
Now that he had a moment to spare, Limon carefully examined his information panel, his eyes scanning each line with interest.
This was the first time he'd inspected his character panel so meticulously, like a scholar poring over a rare manuscript.
The attributes of intelligence and spirit were truly high, nearly twice the other attributes, a curious anomaly.
Why was that?
Could it be related to the original owner of this body?
Wasn't 1 + 1 supposed to equal 2?
Although somewhat curious about why the intelligence and spirit attributes were so elevated, Limon didn't dwell on it too much. He knew that overthinking this matter would be fruitless. How he'd come to this world would likely remain a mystery, like a riddle without an answer.
After reaching level 5, a new skill had appeared, a summoning skill - summoning demons, a new and powerful tool at his disposal.
Simultaneously, an additional servant column had emerged, and within it, there was only one option, demon imp, meaning only this type of demon could be summoned, a unique addition to his arsenal.
There were also unallocated points...
Limon regarded the still quicksand pool warily and focused his attention on the unallocated points, knowing that his choices here would shape his future.
These points were meant to enhance various attributes, and how they were allocated would determine the direction of his future career path, like a ship setting its course.
Strength was promptly dismissed by Limon. The demon warlock was clearly a warlock-type summoning class, so there was no need to boost strength. Since it was a warlock, there was no necessity to consider melee combat capabilities, like a bird knowing it need not swim.
As for agility...
With a slight mental prompt, Limon added five points to agility, raising the agility attribute to 24.
As soon as the agility value changed, Limon suddenly felt his body become much more limber, remarkably light, and the effect was palpable, like shedding a heavy cloak.
It was truly miraculous...
Feeling the alterations in his body, Limon could only marvel inwardly, like a child with a new toy.
As for endurance, it was presumably related to physical stamina, a crucial factor.
Although he was a warlock, a robust physique was also essential. With that in mind, Limon added 5 points to endurance.
The original endurance attribute value of 21 points was thus changed to 26 points, a solid improvement.
As for the physical changes...
Limon didn't notice anything. There had been no alteration before adding the points; it would likely be noticeable when physical strength was depleted, like a hidden reserve waiting to be tapped.
Next were the crucial intelligence and spirit attributes. Since he wasn't sure what these two attribute values were used for, Limon experimentally added five points to each.
When the intelligence value shifted from 42 to 47, Limon suddenly felt his mind clear, his thoughts became more lucid, and he seemed more attuned to the flow of magic power, like a fog lifting.
Evidently, intelligence enhanced the control of magic power and enabled the use of less magic power to increase the potency of skills, a valuable discovery.
As for spirit...
When the spirit value changed from 41 to 46, Limon noticed that his magic value had increased, like a wellspring filling.
The original magic value had been 1000, and now it had become 2000, a significant boost.
The magic value was undeniably vital, as it ensured the ability to sustain combat, like a well-stocked armory.
When casting spells, Limon could distinctly sense the flow of magic power within his body, and the change in quantity was crystal clear, like a river's current.
During the previous battle, the reason Limon could continuously cast skills without fretting about magic power consumption was precisely this - he could sense the fluctuations in his magic power, like a sailor reading the winds.
If it was depleted, Limon could detect it on his own, without having to check the information panel, like a sixth sense.
The emergence of the third skill led Limon to realize that the demon warlock was inclined towards the summoning system, like a compass pointing north.
In other words, in the future, the summoned demons would be the main combat force, while attack skills would serve only as supplementary means, a shift in strategy.
In such a case, the amount of magic power consumed when summoning demons was of great significance, like the fuel in a furnace.
With this in mind, Limon rose to his feet and surveyed the area beneath the boulder, his eyes filled with anticipation.
With a slight mental impulse, Limon gently waved his staff, like a conductor leading an orchestra.
A fiery red light flashed at the tip of the staff, and the sand beneath the boulder suddenly split open, forming a fissure ablaze with molten magma, like the opening of a fiery maw. From the fissure, a red, skeletal hand reached out, and a red demon roughly 1.5 meters tall crawled out of the burning rift, its form emerging from the depths of the underworld.
The molten flame dissipated, the burning fissure went out, and the sand reverted to its original state. Only the scorched sand bore witness to what had just transpired, like a scar on the land.
After everything calmed down, a red figure stood on the sand beneath the boulder, its form menacing.
It was a brownish-red hue, with deep red skin, some fiery red scales on its hide, and two long white horns on its head. It looked rather hideous, a creature from a nightmare.
It grasped a white bone staff in its hand, and its golden pupils surveyed the surrounding environment blankly, like a soulless automaton.
For some inexplicable reason, looking at the demon on the sand below, Limon felt a connection with it, like an invisible thread.
An indescribable bond.
With a thought, the demon on the sand below moved and took two steps to the side, its movements jerky but obedient.
"Jump," Limon silently commanded in his heart, like a puppeteer pulling strings.
The demon on the sand below obediently hopped on the spot. Its emaciated body made its jumping motion seem rather odd and somewhat comical, like a grotesque marionette.