Mutant zombie

Ethan was still observing the system, but he became more interested in the item that the system had rewarded, so he clicked on the item's icon.

The Underworld Travel Medal appeared in his hand as if by magic. Ethan was briefly surprised and began to read the item's description.

Underworld Travel Medal.

Description:

Grants passage to the underworld where all beings of negative energy reside. A place where all Necromancers and dark mages aspire to reach.

(Note: To open the passage, a location with a dense negative aura, such as cemeteries, is necessary.)

Upon reading this, Ethan imagined that it was like a dungeon that all RPG games had. He was happy because it would be a great place for him to level up and, as a Necromancer, just knowing that the place was full of negative energy, he felt a certain attraction.

He carefully stored the item, planning to enter the underworld as soon as he reached level 10.

The next thing Ethan did was open the skill store, and he did not expect to have so many skills.

Bone Blade = 1 sp

Communication with the Dead = 1 sp

Infestation of Larvae = 1 sp

Terrifying Gaze = 1 sp

Inflict Pain = 1 sp

Frost Touch = 1 sp

Curse: Animal Prison = 2 sp

Curse: Phobia = 2 sp

Curse: Mind Domination = 2 sp

Curse: Horror = 2 sp

Perpetuate Curse = 2 sp

Dark Energy = 2 sp

Spirit Embodiment = 3 sp

Soul Absorption = 3 sp

Morbid Adaptation = 3 sp

Spiritual Immunity = 3 sp

Ossification Mastery = 3 sp

(Note: Other abilities will be unlocked for purchase with higher levels or optional missions.)

Ethan carefully read all the missions, and remarkably, they all caught his attention, but he soon stopped at one that made his eyes shine.

When focusing on the ability, its description appeared in his mind.

Ossification Mastery: The user can completely transform any recently deceased corpse into a skeleton, and the user can revive these bones as subordinates or use them as they see fit.

Cost: 10 mp (may vary depending on the size and strength of the corpse)

Ethan was very happy with this ability, as it was very inefficient when he needed bones, and now he could have more skeletons for his skeleton group.

He quickly chose this skill, leaving him with half of his sp.

Then he thought for a moment and chose another skill that cost 3 sp.

Spirit Embodiment: Recently deceased enemies leave their spirits, which can be used to embody in his skeletons, making them stronger.

Cost: 50 mp (may vary depending on the strength of the spirit)

(Note: It is possible to gain abilities that the spirits had in their bodies before they died. Only applicable to skeletons summoned from the underworld.)

* Congratulations on learning Ossification Mastery *

* Congratulations on learning Spirit Embodiment *

Ethan was very happy to learn these abilities, and the first thing he did was use them on the wolf by his side.

"Ossification Mastery"

-100 mp

The moment Ethan used the ability, consuming almost all the remaining mp, the wolf began to shed all its fur, flesh, muscles, and everything from its body, leaving only its skeleton and spirit.

In the next moment, the skeleton of the wolf began to rise from the ground as the darkness of the eye sockets began to glow in a red light, similar to the ones emanating from Ethan's eyes.

* Congratulations on awakening the Mutant Wolf Skeleton *

New subordinate

Mutant skeletal wolf.

HP: 300

MP: 20

Strength: 10

Agility: 15

Resistance: 7

Vitality: 15

Intelligence: 1

Ability:

Acquired Talent: Until the bones break.

Seeing that his attributes had dropped significantly after transforming into a skeleton, Ethan was somewhat disappointed, but he was still fine. He knew there would be a certain drop in attributes, and he was still much stronger than his skeletons. Additionally, he had gained the talent that his skeletons had, which made him excited.

"Better than nothing," he thought, looking at the spirit and trying to use Spirit Embodiment, even though he knew it would only work on his summoned Monsters.

But surprisingly, it really worked.

-40 mp

* Due to the skeleton still having traces of the spirit, he managed to accommodate his spirit again, retaining one of his abilities *

Frightening Howl: Causes stun and damage to living beings nearby.

Ethan was surprised but very happy with this. In the end, it had worked, and his wolf had become a little more powerful.

After that, Ethan turned to the body of the man who had been killed by the wolf. He was hoping to see if the spirit was still there, but due to the time that had passed, it had completely dissipated.

He sighed, his house was all broken after the wolf destroyed the front door while trying to get in.

'I'll have to find another suitable place to stay,' Ethan thought as he searched for a house around to rest.

Soon, he entered the neighbor's house, which still had its door intact. A zombie attacked the moment he passed through the door. Ethan easily cut off its head and ordered his remaining skeletons to clean up the mess.

After investigating the house from top to bottom, Ethan finally lay down on the bed, instructing his skeletons to stand guard while the skeletal wolf lay in front of the door.

Ethan was so tired and injured that he ended up sleeping the rest of the day.

Upon waking up, all he felt was his whole body aching, but the wounds had already healed thanks to his vitality.

Getting up from the bed, Ethan grabbed some food and drinks from the house and put everything in a bag. He had decided to level up to level 10 for now as he walked toward the cemetery.

After deciding what to do, he walked out the door, sending his skeletons back to the underworld, leaving only his skeletal wolf because it couldn't be sent away, as the wolf was not a natural part of the underworld.

Ethan summoned his skeletal mount and set off with his wolf in tow, an intimidating sight.

The zombies that Ethan encountered along the way were all killed by his wolf, but the exp received by his wolf when killing had decreased, leaving Ethan confused, but he ignored it as the amount he was gaining easily made up for it. While he was reflecting, his skeletal mount took him to a horde of zombies.

He looked at the many zombies and smiled, giving the order to his wolf, which charged into the zombies, while Ethan followed behind on his skeletal mount, killing the zombies that the wolf left behind.

Quickly, many bodies were left on the ground, and the horde of over 500 zombies was cleared in a few minutes.

Most of the zombies were defeated by his wolf, while he only defeated the leftovers.

*Congratulations, your wolf killed 322 zombies + 1610 exp*

*Congratulations, you killed 188 zombies + 1880 exp*

3490/2400

*Congratulations, you have leveled up*

Level 9

1090/4800 for the next level.

Rewards

+1 sp

+ 5 free attributes

After checking the interface, he continued the hunt, personally killing all the zombies he encountered, as it was 10 exp when he personally killed them. While he was distracted killing the zombies, a pair of purple eyes watched him from inside one of the houses.

When Ethan least expected it, a shadow shot out at a very fast speed, reaching Ethan in a matter of seconds, barely giving Ethan time to react. Upon realizing that something had appeared by his side, Ethan quickly put his blade in front of him in a defensive position, but the shadow punched him as soon as it arrived, breaking the bone blade and throwing Ethan far away.

Ethan slid for a few meters, using the distance to use his Inspect ability.

*Mutant Zombie*

Level: 15

HP: 400

MP: 100

Strength: 12

Agility: 15

Resistance: 15

Vitality: 20

Intelligence: 5

Ability: ???

Upon seeing that description, Ethan was surprised. He did not expect to encounter such a strong zombie. The zombie had a normal stature, and the negative energy had already corroded much of its body, giving it a very zombie-like appearance. The only difference was the zombie's purple eyes.

But one thing he did not understand was why the zombie had the same 15 points in agility as he did and was so fast.

But with no time to think, Ethan put on his Bone Armor.

The zombie ran toward him the moment the armor covered Ethan's body, but the zombie's speed was now quite normal, even slower than him. Realizing this, Ethan also moved towards the zombie, punching it in the face. The zombie couldn't dodge in time.

370/400

The zombie's life decreased slightly when hit, but when Ethan was about to attack again, the zombie managed to move away enough. Ethan kept advancing and attacked with a kick to the zombie's head. The zombie managed to raise its hand in defense but was thrown to the side as Ethan's attack was very strong.

360/400

Ethan began to chase the zombie to attack again, but all he saw was the zombie getting up from the ground and disappearing again, appearing once more next to Ethan, who was now more experienced and managed to dodge the attack by crouching. At that moment, the zombie's punch went over him, leaving a big opening for Ethan. Ethan certainly would not let this opportunity pass and dealt a very strong punch to the zombie's face.

Critical Hit

300/400

The zombie tumbled down the street until it hit a stone and stopped, clearly dazed.

'I think I understand. That speed must be some kind of ability, similar to the one Hannah had learned,' Ethan thought as he advanced toward the zombie. Within seconds, he was once again facing the dazed zombie. Ethan kicked the zombie's face, making it rise from the ground, but he didn't stop there. He then delivered several punches between its chest and head.

270/400

250/400

230/400

200/400

180/400

Each blow took a chunk of the zombie's HP, leaving it defenseless without being able to counterattack. Ethan's armor provided great support in terms of damage and stunning.

When Ethan least expected it, the zombie managed to escape from his several blows, reappearing behind Ethan and hitting him with great force. Ethan defended well this time, but the zombie did not stop attacking, delivering several more consecutive blows, all of which Ethan defended. The zombie's hand had already been cut open because it was directly punching Ethan's fortified armor, which was now very resistant.

Whenever Ethan used his armor, he gained a bonus of 20 resistance.

As soon as the zombie paused its attacks, Ethan began his own sequence of strikes, making it seem like the zombie was a punching bag. The zombie's HP rapidly decreased, reaching zero after a few more blows.

*Congratulations, you killed the mutant zombie +300*

'If I hadn't sent my skeletal wolf to kill zombies elsewhere on its own, it would have been much easier, but fighting like this is quite liberating,' Ethan thought as he felt the strength in his muscles.

Ethan was happy to gain the experience, but a little sad as there was no sign of any missions. However, he didn't dwell on it for long and used his summoning ability to bring a skeleton in front of him. He then used the Spirit Embodiment ability, transferring the spirit directly to his skeleton.

"You will be the first, so I'll call you Number 1." After saying this, he observed the skeleton as the spirit entered its skull. In the next moment, two red lights shone in the eye sockets.

*Spirit Embodiment successful*

*Congratulations, your subordinate has gained a spirit*

Number 1

Level: 1

Strength 3

Agility 5

Resistance 5

Intelligence 1

Ability: Acceleration.

Swallowing spirits.

(Note: This is your first skeleton with a spirit. After gaining its spirit, it can strengthen itself by using other spirits to feed its level.)

Ethan was happy again to see the notification. Now, he was much closer to making some elite skeletons, not just cannon fodder.

In a building not far from Ethan's location, there were two men observing the fight through binoculars.

"Wow, he really killed that monster. How powerful must he be? We had five level 2 people with us, and they were all killed. We barely managed to escape in the chaos," the person with the binoculars spoke in amazement.

The other man beside him, upon hearing this, was just as surprised. After all, they had fought those zombies before but were defeated very easily.

After being surprised, he took the binoculars from his hand and looked at Ethan.

"Damn, look at that white armor. It looks so strong and cool. I wish I had one." The guy sighed. Ethan's armor was really strong.

"Don't be envious, Andrew. If I remember correctly, you were bragging about getting the monk class some time ago, and you didn't need armor because you gained a lot of resistance in your abilities." The man spoke while patting his shoulder.

"Who said I'm angry, but armor is a man's dream, you understand, right, George?" He spoke while watching Ethan.

Finally, they saw Ethan leaving the place on a skeletal horse.

"He's so badass, look at that skeletal mount," Andrew passed the binoculars to George to see Ethan's mount.

The moment George saw it, he agreed with what Andrew had said. It looked really cool.

"Now, where do we go?" George asked.

"Let's return to the camp. We managed to get some supplies despite the losses we had."

"It would be perfect if that guy could be part of our camp. We wouldn't have to suffer so much," Andrew was sighing.

George looked at Andrew and agreed. After all, the power that the guy in the armor had demonstrated far surpassed theirs.

"Maybe we can follow him and try to recruit him, don't you think? We can get the bikes from the parking lot and follow him. It might be very dangerous because of the attention we'll draw, but if we succeed, it will be worth it." Andrew spoke again to George.

"Right, I think it's worth the risk, but we have to go soon then," George said as he watched Ethan kill zombies as he moved forward.

Andrew agreed, and the two packed their things and descended the building's stairs, heading straight for the parking lot.

Returning to Ethan, who was now finishing clearing the street where he was, after killing the last zombie, he opened his interface.

*You defeated 30 zombies + 300exp*

*Your wolf defeated 102 zombies + 510 exp*

2200/4800

Ethan smiled as he was getting closer and closer to reaching the next level. With a little more time hunting zombies, he would be level 10 before it got dark.

Ethan mounted his skeletal horse again and set off to another part of the city to look for more zombies.