Unexpected Result

Luckily, Aurus had little trouble escaping from the hole. Once the Daze status effect wore off, he was back to his old self and managed to use his considerable strength to jump out of the pit.

Nox was relieved that his companion seemed fine, barring its low HP.

With the battle finally over, the Gift interluded with his hearty rewards.

[5 x Rank 1 Level 3 Foes Defeated]

[Rank Difference 0 Level Difference 1]

[EXP Gained: 100]

Nox was a little disappointed that he lost his flawless bonus this time. It seemed he couldn't just hide behind his minions after all.

He smiled at the amount, however, as he knew he was in for another big reward. Just as he thought that, a melodious chime resounded in his mind.

[Level 2 -> Level 3]

[EXP Needed to level-up: 300]

[+2 Willpower, +1 Vitality, +2 Free Stat Points]

[Soul Burden: +2 Willpower]

Each level brought him closer and closer to resurrecting Rana and escaping the forest.

On the topic of resurrection, Nox thought it might be time to gain some extra helpers. Looking down at the grotesque bodies sprawled across the floor, he was admittedly a little reluctant to resurrect the creatures.

Goblins were vile, ugly monsters, but right now, Nox couldn't be too picky. They'd undoubtably be of great help in the rest of the dungeon.

"Gift, how much Willpower do I need to raise one of these Goblins?" he mentally questioned.

The sweet voice responded dutifully,

[To Raise a Rank 1 Undead of equal Rank and Level, 5 Willpower is required].

"Hmm, it might be worth spending some of my free stat points in that case."

Currently, Nox had a Willpower of 7/14 which left him seven points to spare. Even if he spent all of his unassigned stat points, he'd be a few points short of a second minion.

Despite that, Nox was weary of running too low on Willpower again. It was how he had gotten into this mess in the first place, after all.

He had hoped to keep hold of them in case something drastic came up, but he also understood that they did him no good just sitting in his status menu. They were there to be spent.

"Screw it, let's just spend them. I should be pretty far from the end of the Dungeon anyway. I'm sure I'll have chance to level-up plenty more times."

[4 Stat Points Allocated To Willpower]

[Willpower Stat Increased: 7/14 -> 9/16]

Nox felt a wave of pleasure rush over his brain causing him to sigh in relaxation.

"It's a shame it won't last for long."

When he didn't miss the drained feeling that he felt when low on Willpower, but more minions could only be a good thing right now. He could only tough it out.

Watching his free stat points be sucked into the endless hole of Willpower soured his mood as usual,

"If only my damn Willpower wasn't halved! I'd have an army of minions by now!"

He could only shake his head in frustration. Like it or not, this was how things were. If he ever found out what was burdening his soul, he'd be sure to get rid of it at all costs.

"Now for the main event" he beamed.

He walked over to one of the corpses. The three Goblins killed last were practically missing their heads, but, compared to the others, were at least mostly intact. While he wasn't sure, Nox felt that an unscathed corpse had to be better than a mangled one for making Undead.

Raising his hand into the air, he silently issued a command in his mind. A chilling energy began to form around his palm before reaching forward in the form of menacing tendrils, slowly seeping into the Goblin's grotesque skin.

[Attempted To Raise Rank 1 Level 3 Goblin Peasant: Succeeded]

[5 Points Of Willpower Occupied]

[Willpower: 4/16]

A wave of nausea overcame his mind as Nox dispiritedly waved goodbye to his Willpower.

He expected this summoning to proceed much like the first one, however, he was quickly proved wrong.

The Goblin began to rise into the air and gradually shed its fleshy exterior, leaving only its hunched skeleton behind. Dark energy ran between its joints keeping the figure connected. Its eye sockets, previously hollow, started to glow with an ominous azure fire.

"A skeleton? I wonder why it didn't make a zombie like before? What determines how a creature is resurrected?"

No-one could answer Nox's question, at least, no-one he was interested in getting involved with right now. He could only make guesses over time as he raised more minions.

When the skeletal Goblin appeared to finish the process, the malicious energy faded. The moment had finally come to welcome his second companion!

Nox was flooded with excitement at the thought of strengthening his little army.

The next moment, with a heavy thud, the bony monster fell to the floor, crashing into a pile of bones.

Nox stood in dumbfounded silence as he watched his new minion's body collapse and shoot across the floor. His eyes widened like saucers and his mouth hung open.

Several seconds passed as he expected something to change, but nothing did. The bones sat motionlessly on the floor, without a care in the world.

"Umm, Gift, mind explaining what the hell is going on?"

Thankfully, the Gift's serenading voice began to explain the beast's status.

***

Skeleton (Goblin Peasant) - Unnamed

Rank: [1] Level [3]

Race: [Undead] Master: [Nox Clark]

HP: [12/12]

SP: [5/5]

MP: [7/7]

Strength: [11 (9)]

Dexterity: [5 (4)]

Resistance: [19 (15)]

Vitality: [12 (9)]

Intelligence: [9 (7)]

Willpower: [3 (3)]

Active Skills: [None]

Passive Skills: [Sturdy][Wield]

Unique Skills: [None]

Racial Skills: [Dead Body][Mass Of Bones]

***

Nox's eyes were immediately drawn to the new Racial Skill. If anything could explain his minion's current state, that looked to be it.

***[Mass Of Bones]: Minion is a member of the Skeleton Sub-Race of Undead. Minion can collapse and reform body at will. Whilst collapsed, Vitality is increased by 100%***

Nox took a big sigh of relief at the conformation that his minion was fine.

Closing his eyes, Nox concentrated on his connection between himself and the skeleton. Using [Command Undead], he ordered the creature to reform.

The pile of bones promptly began to shake before flying towards each other, rapidly forming a short skeletal figure with burning eyes.

He then proceeded to command the minion to disperse again, to which it briskly fell apart. A few cycles back and forth got Nox to grips with the excellent ability.

Reading the Skill's description gave him a big appreciation for its effects. Doubling your vitality meant doubling your recovery speed at will. While it had the unfortunate consequence of making you a sitting duck, it also increased your HP significantly to counteract it.

Not to mention its efficacy in combat.

If a strike was incoming, it could swiftly disassemble its body to evade before reforming and delivering a vicious counterattack. Even if it couldn't dodge completely, the extra HP would help dampen the blow.

When Nox took a good look at the minion's stats, he couldn't help but be drawn to its exaggerated Resistance.

"With its Racial Skill and attributes, this thing is a great tank!"

The Passive Skill [Sturdy] seemed to be perfect combination for this role.

***[Sturdy]: Minion possesses a tough and durable body +5 RES, +10% Sharp Damage Reduction, +5% Blunt Damage Reduction***

"Looks like I'll be sticking this guy in front while I dish out the hurt from behind" he smiled.

The last Skill present was Wield. He had a pretty good guess of what this ability did as his summoned creature slowly bent down to pick up the rusty spear it had wielded previously.

***[Wield]: Minion's humanoid figure allows it to effectively use weapons and armour***

This Skill had the potential to massively increase the minion's combat power. With some sturdy plate mail and a good weapon, its damage resistance and output could effectively double.

The only issue was how it would interact with its Racial Skill. He could only test that once he acquired some gear.

"I'll have to watch out for any good loot drops while I'm here. It's a shame about its appalling Dexterity stat though. I shouldn't rely on it to hit much."

A Dexterity of four was like that of a child. He could give the minion a sword, but he'd swing it so slowly that even an old lady could dodge out of the way in time.

Despite this caveat, Nox was very pleased with his new helper. The fact that it had shed its flesh also helped reduce its vile appearance, making it much more agreeable.

As he stared into the monster's eyes, he considered giving it a name. Nox felt that he would quickly have to stop naming all of his minions in the future but, for now, he felt it was fine.

"Cobo will do."

Saddling upon Aurus' back, Nox prepared to set off again. This time, he made sure to have Cobo lead the way. He wasn't willing to fall into any more traps. Cobo could handle them.

And so, the now slightly larger group pressed on into the depths of the dungeon.

- - - - -

Meanwhile, back at the riverbank where Rana's corpse lay, the forest was buzzing with life.

The trickling water meandered through the densely packed trees. Birds chirped in the skies, chasing each other from branch to branch. Leaves waved in the pleasant breeze in contentment.

A Rank 2 Three-Horned Deer cautiously approached the unattended body. While deer on Earth were typically herbivores, this one, being a monster, had a taste for meat.

As a Rank 2 beast, it had less to worry about than many weaker monsters. While stronger ones existed in the forest, they were few and far between. After taking a few moments to scout out the area, it steeled itself.

With careful steps, it came up to the spider-wolf's body and began to take small bites from its festering flesh. It happily feasted for a few minutes before pausing abruptly.

Its head darted upwards, scouring the area in worry.

The birds had fallen silent, the leaves seemed to freeze in fear, even the stream appeared to grow quiet.

It immediately knew something was wrong, although, before it could urge its body to escape, it was vaporised. One second it had been standing there, and the next, it simply disappeared into a cloud of blood.

From where it stood, a handsome old man emerged.

His hair was refined, silver locks slicked backwards, dyed purple at the tips. He donned a professional-looking black suit with similar violet accents.

His mature facial features relaxed into a pleasant smile as he appreciated the scenery. Whilst doing so, he reached into his chest pocket and retrieved a white handkerchief, wiping the blood that dripped from the corners of his lips.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply through his nose, before muttering,

"The smell of Death is potent here. That Lich seems to have met his end here, but how?"

The old man, Verus, had been tasked with monitoring the activities of the Deathkkin these past ten years. He was to look out for any abnormal changes in their movements. The disappearance of a Lich had not gone unnoticed.

While ten years was a relatively short time span for him, he had already grown incredibly bored. His mind was constantly occupied with his race's glory days where they would devour one world after another.

"Ahhh, what a time to be alive it was" he exhaled in reminiscence.

When his eyes gradually opened, they shone with an ominous violet energy.

"It seems there were some others here. A human water mage, and a young boy. Hmmm, the boy's presence is very weak and unassuming, I almost didn't notice him. I suppose this water mage is to blame for the Lich's disappearance then."

Stretching out his hands, he inhaled heavily. With each breath, the surroundings were engulfed into his maw. Grass would be uprooted, water would raise into the air, even the trees started to creak wearily as they bent at unnatural angles.

Eventually, Verus' eyes shot in a particular direction. The direction of the castle.

"Found you" he smiled before disappearing as abruptly as he had appeared.