After receiving Laradoa's instructions, Limon set off on his journey.
The figure atop the Dudu bird gradually disappeared into the distance, vanishing into the vast desert as Laradoa watched, lost in thought.
In the endless expanse of yellow sand, the lone figure riding the Dudu bird sped forward, each step kicking up clouds of dust that swirled in its wake.
The distance between the sandy fishing ground and the sand dunes on the left had initially seemed deceptively short, but it was just a mirage.
It took Limon a full half-hour to draw near the target dune.
Riding the Dudu bird, he climbed the sandy slope, the sand shifting beneath the bird's feet.
At the top of the dune, Limon spotted the boulder Laradoa had described.
They were far from the oasis now. Looking back, the once-vibrant patch of green had become a tiny speck in the vast sea of sand. The landscape ahead was desolate, a barren wasteland of withered trees and endless sand, typical of the harsh desert.
To the east of the boulder, directly ahead and to the right…
"Ha!"
With a quiet chuckle, Limon urged the Dudu bird toward the boulder.
He was cautious. Quicksand could be deadly, and one wrong step might end his life here before it truly began.
Soon, he reached the boulder.
Dismounting with ease, Limon climbed to its top, steady and deliberate.
From this vantage point, he surveyed the area that would soon be the battlefield, his expression intense.
The quicksand pool lay just ahead. At first glance, it appeared no different from the surrounding desert — a flat stretch of sand. But a closer look revealed small whirlpools swirling on the surface, faint but unmistakable.
After a while, Limon turned back. When he returned to the boulder, he had a water pouch in one hand and a piece of dried meat the size of his palm in the other.
Since leaving the Holy Cross Monastery, Limon hadn't had a drop to drink. It wasn't until Laradoa had offered him supplies that he realized how hungry he was.
People needed sustenance, just as iron needs heat to forge. To be prepared for the battle ahead, he needed to restore his strength.
Skeletons…
For some reason, Limon felt strangely well-suited to this world.
Strength ruled here. The law was weak, and the strong reigned over the weak — it was a world driven by primal forces.
Sitting atop the boulder, Limon ate slowly, savoring each bite.
The meat tasted surprisingly good, reminiscent of chicken but with a chewier texture and a more intense flavor.
Time passed, and soon night fell, shrouding the land in darkness.
With his staff in hand, Limon sat in silence on the boulder, gazing up at the sky.
The moon here was larger and more luminous than any he had seen, casting its bright, celestial light over the desert. The sand seemed to shimmer beneath its glow, casting a soft, ethereal light that cut through the darkness.
It was a beautiful sight, but Limon couldn't afford to be distracted by it.
"Kacha!"
A faint noise broke the stillness, and Limon's attention snapped to the sand below.
"Crack, creak."
The grinding of bones sent a chill down his spine.
Here they came…
A patch of sand shifted, and a white bone emerged, trailing sand as it slowly moved toward the edge of the quicksand pool.
Inside the skull, a tiny blue flame flickered with an eerie light, giving it the appearance of a malevolent will-o'-the-wisp.
As the noises grew more frequent, the entire quicksand pool began to stir, as though it were alive.
The sand flowed restlessly, and more skeletons emerged, their bony forms slowly creeping toward the boulder.
"Gulu, gulu."
The undead movement unsettled the Dudu bird, which paced nervously in place, its eyes wide with unease.
The bird's restless calls caught the skeletons' attention. The ones in the quicksand pool began to move toward the boulder, their empty eye sockets fixed on the living creature.
"It's truly a terrifying sight…"
Limon rose from the boulder, silhouetted against the moonlight. He watched as the skeletons crawled out of the pool, his gaze steady.
An ordinary person would be paralyzed with fear at the sight, but Limon remained calm. His heart did not race.
He had never faced the dead before, but whether alive, dead, or undead, Limon was not afraid only curious.
This was his first encounter with real undead, and he was determined to face them head-on.
The skeletons crawled ashore, one by one, their bony limbs scraping against the sand.
Just as Laradoa had said, these undead were nothing special. They lacked weapons, their bodies draped in tattered rags, their hands reaching out in a grotesque imitation of life.
Ordinary civilians could easily slay these slow-moving skeletons with stones, but if caught, it would still be a dangerous struggle to break free.
Limon took a deep breath, his expression turning serious.
With a wave of his staff, he quietly intoned "Dark Energy Impact."
A burst of black light flared at the staff's tip, and a sphere of dark energy shot through the air, hitting a skeleton with a forceful impact.
"Boom!"
The skeleton shattered into pieces, and the explosion sent green flames surging, engulfing two nearby skeletons, instantly reducing them to ash.
The shockwave blasted outward, scattering four skeletons, reducing them to broken bones in a single moment.
Limon had controlled the power of the attack, but it was still devastating to these fragile skeletons. It was like a storm tearing through dry leaves.
"Dark Energy Shock!"
The black magic roared as it annihilated the skeletons in its path, turning them into piles of bones.
To conserve magic, Limon slowed the frequency of his attacks. He waited for a significant number of skeletons to emerge before casting his next dark energy shock, amplifying the area-of-effect damage.
The explosions continued to rock the night, leaving behind a grim scene of shattered bones scattered across the desert.
"Dark Energy Shock!"
Another burst of black magic flew through the night, once again reducing a mass of skeletons to dust and debris.
After several hours of combat, Limon had lost track of how many skeletons he had destroyed. But beneath the boulder, the sand was littered with bones, a testament to the battle he had fought.
At first, he had cast spells rapidly, but by the end, he had slowed the pace, conserving his strength and magic.
After ensuring no more skeletons emerged from the pool, Limon sighed and sat back on the boulder, weary but satisfied.
Combat had sharpened his skills, and he now felt much more adept at casting his spells. It was as if he were a craftsman perfecting his craft.
With a thought, Limon summoned his information panel.
After all the fighting, he wondered if he had leveled up…
"Huh… Level 5?"
Limon stared at the panel in surprise. He had gained five levels in just a few hours of fighting.
It made sense. As he leveled up, his magic power regenerated, allowing him to cast spells without fear of depletion.
[Limon Darwin
Occupation: Demon Warlock
Level: 5
Strength: 23
Agility: 19
Endurance: 21
Intelligence: 42
Spirit: 41
Unallocated points: 50
Experience: 1120/1600
Skills: Dark Energy Control, Dark Energy Impact, Demon Summoning
Demon Servant: Demon Imp
Magic Power: 810/1000]
Limon reviewed his stats carefully. His intelligence and spirit were noticeably high, nearly double the other attributes.
Why was that?
Could it be related to the previous owner of this body?
Limon didn't dwell on it. Overthinking wouldn't help.
After reaching level 5, Limon had unlocked a new skill — summoning demons.
A new servant column had appeared, with only one option: Demon Imp.
And there were unallocated points…
He thought carefully about where to allocate them.
Strength was unnecessary for a warlock. Agility, however, could be useful.
Limon added five points to agility, raising the total to 24.
Immediately, he felt lighter, more nimble, like a weight had been lifted from him.
Endurance was essential for physical stamina, so he added another five points there, raising the total to 26.
Limon didn't notice any immediate changes, but he knew endurance would reveal its benefits when needed.
Next, he added five points to intelligence and spirit. When he did, he felt his mind sharpen, and his magic power felt more abundant, as if his magical reserves had doubled.
Limon had learned that intelligence enhanced magic control, while spirit boosted magic power.
With this in mind, he raised his staff, ready to try his new summoning skill.
A red light flashed at the tip of his staff, and the sand beneath him cracked open. From the fiery fissure, a red demon emerged.
It was a hideous creature, about 1.5 meters tall, with fiery scales and long white horns. It held a bone staff, its golden eyes surveying the surroundings blankly.
For some reason, Limon felt an inexplicable connection to the demon, as if an invisible thread bound them.
With a mental command, the demon moved obediently, its jerky movements following Limon's will.
"Jump," Limon thought.
The demon hopped in place, its movements awkward yet obedient, like a grotesque marionette.
This version aims to maintain a smooth, natural flow while keeping the original tone and details intact.