Evolution

The female barbarians were physically different from their male counterpart. They were usually petite and weak but when their children were facing the threat of the monsters, they did not hesitate to grab their knives and fight the attackers to death.

The beasts mercilessly stomped the tents of the barbarians under the leadership of the Beast Kings. With [Call of the Wild] active, all the beasts had their stats increased by 30%. They could not face the barbarians directly yet but their main task was to cause chaos. They especially targeted the rearing area where the horses were usually kept.

"Roar!"

Countless barbarians fell to the combined assault of the beasts until suddenly, a rune lit up at the center of the village. The beasts all felt a change. They felt an invisible force pressuring them and at the same time, their blood started boiling. The beasts instinctively knew they should not stay there for too long. Their HP started decreasing. They lost one HP every second.

It was all due to the runic formation activated by Umar. His first reflex upon seeing the beasts was to activate the [Beast Repellant Formation]. This formation was usually used during beast tides when their village was attacked. It did not have any effect on humans but would usually cause the beasts to immediately flee from the village.

Umar let out a satisfied smile as he heard the beasts grunt in pain. The formation was working. Now, he needed to deal with the Undead and help his tribesmen. However, before he could make a move, his protective talisman lit up, surrounding his body with a defensive halo.

A Ghastly beam exploded on the halo but Umar was unscathed.

"Who?" Umar and Kieron looked toward the source of the beam. At the top of the Shaman's tent, they saw a cloaked figure staring at them. They could not see that person's facial feature but the two barbarians could determine it was an Undead from his skeletal hands.

"Who are you and why are you attacking my tribe? Are you from the dungeon of the Musclewood Village?" asked Umar as he went on his guard.

Similarly, Kieron held his ax in front of him in a defensive position. "I am from the Coyote Tribe. Why are you attacking us?"

Dreidus looked at the two barbarians from above but he did not bother answering. He did not have time to waste on them. The earlier he finished them, the earlier he could help the other monsters and reduce the losses. Without a word, Dreidus activated his battle form. This time, he chose the mage form, boosting his magical power.

[Mortal Coil]

Dreidus fired the green skull at Umar while continuing to channel his other spells but this time, the Shaman was prepared.

[Nature's barrier]

An invisible wall appeared blocking Dreidus' attack. Umar was a level 42 Totemic Shaman; he was five levels above Dreidus. It was only thanks to his battle form that Dreidus was able to hold him down.

With a single swing of his arm, Umar tossed four small items around him. The formation hidden under the ground reacted.

[Earth Totem], [Fire Totem], [Water Totem], [Wind Totem]

Four different totems emerged from the ground around the Shaman's tent. They were all lit up with a different color.

Dreidus frowned and attacked once again using one of his most powerful skills. [Bone Wave]

Countless bones appeared around him. Some even emerged from the ground before rushing toward Umar. The latter responded by using one of his relics. The ring at his hand shattered but it successfully blocked the attack and bought enough time for the Shaman's counterattack.

Umar raised his hand as his eyes beamed with excitement. "Answer my call. Totem Spirit!"

Dreidus was taken by surprise. 'Totem Spirit? Isn't the Three-horned Rhinoceros still imprisoned in its relic at the dungeon?'

The four totems reacted. They channeled their energy into the ground as a bright rune appeared. Dreidus had a bad feeling; he knew he could not allow the Shaman's plan to succeed.

[Rise of the Dead]

Five skeletons emerged from the ground. They were different from the other skeletons; they were larger and had a full set of equipment. Their level was also much higher. Using [Dead Mind], Dreidus commanded the skeletons to attack the totems.

"Stop them. If the summoning fails, we are doomed!" shouted Umar at Keiron.

The barbarian could only acquiesce. "What on earth is this spell. Your tribe has another totem spirit?"

"I don't have time to explain." Umar raised his staff, just in time to block Dreidus' attack.

Already, a silhouette started to appear above the rune. It vaguely had a humanoid figure but Dreidus could not properly identify the creature. However, he knew it was not good news.

[Skeletal Crush]

A giant skeletal hand appeared and slammed toward the barbarians. Dreidus was going all out but Umar was on his home turf.

The formation of the village reacted under Umar's command. He had been focusing on summoning the totem spirit earlier as he knew it was a relatively lengthy process but now, he was fully operating the formation. A defensive shield appeared.

It blocked the skeletal hand but as the wielder, Umar still suffered some damage. When he saw the totem spirit, Umar let out a smile; soon the situation would turn in their favor. The totem spirit was not a real one; it was an artificial spirit that could temporarily be summoned thanks to the characteristics of his class: Totemic Shaman.

Nevertheless, the artificial spirit was strong enough to deal with his enemies. All Umar needed to do was to survive until the summoning was complete. He focused his attention on Dreidus. He was the only monster that could really threaten him.

However, he did not expect to suddenly be pierced from behind by a giant blade. Umar's mind went blank; he had been observing Dreidus and clearly, the lich did not make a move. There was unexpectedly another monster that could pose a threat to him.

[Flame Burst]

The blade caught fire and sliced through the Shaman. Umar's HP dropped but he was not dead yet. He rolled on the ground, trying to get away from where he was previously standing but naturally, Dreidus would not let this opportunity go.

[Revenge of the Dead]

While still on the ground, Umar was suddenly grabbed by rotten hands emerging from the ground. The Shaman struggled to escape but failed; the hands' grip was too strong. In front of him, a half-decayed head emerged from the ground and stared at Umar.

It was the Shaman's last sight before he was beheaded by a giant halberd.

"Good job, Ishan. If you did not appear, the situation might have become a bit troublesome," said Dreidus. He briefly glanced at the totem spirit being summoned. The totems used for its summoning were no longer glowing. Without the energy from the totem, the totem spirit could only return to where it came from.

"I told you I would prove myself in this battle. I already dealt with the chief of the village too. He was weaker than this Shaman," answered the Flame Scarab Warrior. He was quite pleased with himself as he leveled up after slaying the Shaman, overtaking Dreidus. He was now level 38, the second strongest monster of the dungeon in terms of level.

"I'll report it to master when we return. For now, help the others. We need to minimize our losses. Our master will definitely be happy."

...

After about thirty minutes, the Vicious Rhino Village was once again calm and peaceful. All the barbarians had been mercilessly killed. With all the monsters going all out and using their battle form, the barbarians did not last very long. The most troublesome part was to look for the children hiding in their tent. No one was spared.

"What do we do now?" asked Ishan. He stabbed his halberd in the ground and crossed his arms, looking toward Dreidus.

"The main mission is over. Master should have received Destructions Points from our attack. Now, it is time to loot this place. However, we will also use this to strengthen ourselves. I believe you have all heard master talking about Necromancy?"

"We will divide ourselves into different teams. Some will gather the corpses into piles for me to use and the rest will loot the village, in particular, the Shaman's tent."

"Alright. Send another group to look for the village's horses. They should also be valuable," commented Ishan.

The monsters got to work. With two hundred skeletons left alive, it did not take very long to gather all the corpses. Dreidus called Lyra.

"I spoke to master about this. Lyra, you will be the first to evolve. Trust me, the process is not going to be painful."

There were about eight hundred female barbarians at the Vicious Rhino Village and now, all their corpses were piled up in front of Dreidus. Only one hundred female corpses were needed for Lyra's evolution but Dreidus did not hesitate to use all the corpses. Using more than needed often had beneficial effects in the long-term.

"Don't you need to rest after using your battle form and fighting the Shaman?" asked Lyra with a concerned voice.

"I am fine. It is more important to evolve you. We need to do the ceremony quickly; the corpses should be as fresh as possible for higher chances of success," explained Dreidus and at the same time, he took out a small box full of materials used in Necromancy. The content of the box alone was worth more than 500 thousand DP.

Seeing Dreidus' determined expression, Lyra chose to remain silent. At the same time, she was excited. From the moment she leveled up, Lyra felt the level cap pressing down on her, inhibiting her growth. Finally, this unpleasant bloodline shackle was going to be removed.

The monsters were gathered around the place to observe Dreidus' Necromancy. They did not understand his incantations and as nothing was happening, they started doubting Dreidus.

The lich continued to recite his incantation but nothing happened. Even Lyra did not feel any different. The incantation was long. It was only when Dreidus uttered the final word that Lyra felt a change.

Similarly, the monsters noticed the change in Lyra. There were no flashy animations or effect, nor did Lyra's appearance change much. However, her aura became more powerful. Her skin tone became glossier and her features, more refined.

The evolution had been a success. Necromancer never cared about aesthetic; they only focused on functionality, resulting in dull ceremonies like this one. If they did, they certainly would not be surrounded by rotten smelly corpses all the time.

"Congratulations, Lyra," exclaimed Alice. She was happy for her close friend.

Lyra looked at her hands in a daze. She could not believe these smooth hands belonged to her. She knew better than anyone the changes that took place in her body. She could now swiftly change between her physical and spirit form. Her strength also increased and she obtained a new skill: [Soul Piercing Scream].

She smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Dreidus. I no longer feel the pressure of the bloodline shackle. I am now a Wailing Lady but I promise to not be too loud at your side."

Dreidus faintly smiled. "Congratulations."

"But there is more. It seems that I also got a title from this ceremony. It is called: Lady in White."