Chapter 323: Bell Tower

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The sound of bones cracking continued, making everyone’s blood run cold as they stared at the scene in front of them dumbfounded. Neither Jason nor Sienna had ever seen so many Undead creatures at once—they were in the barren fields, in the withered forest, underneath the decayed barrow, and next to a few houses that had collapsed. The Skeletal Warriors came pouring in from every direction, and all they could see was a sea of eerie white gathering towards them, much like a sea of locusts.

Norfeller had turned into a black spirit by now, weaving his way around countless Skeletal Warriors as he tore them to shreds mercilessly with his sharp claws, making him resemble a scythe-wielding Grim Reaper. The quietness of the night made the human group short of breath as silence loomed over the world; they stood still as they stared with big eyes and mouths wide agape, and all was silent save for the sound of cracking bones and their own beating hearts…

“Prepare to fight…!” It felt like an eternity before Sienna, who almost went into shock from fear, gave a throaty command.

Almost at the same time, Jason brandished his rune’s adamantine sword, and it glowed blindingly after being infused with a strong dose of Combat Energy. His fighting techniques remained simple, neither showy nor flamboyant, and even seemed clumsy at times, but it was precisely this that made the explosion of power all the impressive. The rune’s adamantine sword was like a fire dragon in Jason’s hands, slicing through any Skeletal Warrior that dared to come near him.

Behind Jason, the mousy-looking bandit held a dagger that glittered blue in each hand as he crept silently in the dark, and while he did not fight much, each time he did something, it was at a critical juncture. It could be a lone Skeletal Warrior that broke through the barrier as Jason fought and endangered the Archer and the Mage, or maybe Jason made a mistake and his back was made vulnerable to an attack. The Priest continuously chanted prayers, and Divine Magic rained down as a holy light lit up the sky, her face beginning to turn a sickly shade of white due to nerves as well as from her immense concentration.

“Fight…! Fight…! You idiots, are you waiting for death…!” Sienna’s voice had turned unusually throaty, and he sounded like he was being choked. Thankfully, the Adventurers who had turned pale from fear finally heard the command, and the Warriors and Archers raised their weapons while the Mages started chanting frantically…

Well, they did fight an Ice Howler, and while they were no match for a level-17 monster, dealing with Skeletal Warriors that were no more than level-5 was a breeze to them, especially with Sienna’s throaty commands. The group fell into position as they once again showcased their impeccable teamwork honed from fighting many battles together. The Skeletal Warriors continued pouring in, and they could only rely on the Mages to cause explosions amidst them, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

Everyone was in combat mode… except Lin Li.

Lin Li stood away from the fight, and while he held the Aether Staff in his hand, he did not use many magic at all. He looked on like a bystander while everyone was busy fighting the Undead creatures; the most perplexing thing of all was that Lin Li kept staring into the distance…

Syer Town was not a big place, and he could clearly see a long street from where he stood at the entrance of the town. The street was filled with debris and weeds, evidence that nobody had walked through it in a very long time. Both sides of the street were lined with fallen houses, and Skeletal Warriors occasionally emerged from gaps between the walls. The only building in sight that seemed in a somewhat good condition was the bell tower of Syer Town. It stood next to the plaza, and while it was only around evening time, the surroundings of the bell tower were eerily dark as though trapped in a thick fog.

The eerie bell tower was what caught Lin Li’s attention.

Lin Li had already sensed a strange magical wave when they neared Syer Town—it was coming from the bell tower. It was filled with the energy of a death aura, similar to the one which Lin Li had experienced in the Shadowglen and the underground palace. Of course, he had also sensed it on the legendary Necromancer, Sendros…

It seemed that old man Basel was not just scaring him…

“Huh?” The magical wave given off by the bell tower intensified suddenly just as Lin Li lost focus for a moment. It made him feel a little suffocated as though a large python had suddenly coiled itself tightly around him and was continuously tightening its hold.

“We’ve been discovered…” Lin Li came back to his senses immediately. This was a Mental Blast in its purest form; Lin Li gripped his Aether Staff tightly, returning fire with a Mental Blast of his own.

In a second, two huge bodies of mental strength made contact in the air.

Lin Li thought he heard a cry, but he could not be sure. Thereafter, it all disappeared into nothing. Whether it be the strong force of mental strength or the magical wave that seemed to come from deep within the bell tower, none of it seemed to have existed as even the fog shrouding the bell tower had disappeared without a trace.

“What’s going on?” Lin Li was shocked. While he had a small advantage when the two Mental Blast made contact, it was so marginal that even he was not confident in beating his opponent for sure. Why would the other party retreat all of a sudden, then? The whole situation seemed premeditated as he had won so easily that it was not in the least bit convincing.

With that suspicion in his mind, Lin Li’s gaze fell upon the battlefield once again.

He then realized that something was off with the Skeletal Warriors as well.

“They’re gone too?”

Lin Li had not seen wrongly—the Skeletal Warriors that poured in like a flood had retreated like one too. Just a moment ago, there was barely a spot without a Skeletal Warrior, but now, not one of them could be seen, and this all happened in a split second too. If not for the pieces of bones that littered the floor, Lin Li would have thought that it was all just a dream, that there wasn’t any Skeletal Warrior or Mental Blast to begin with.

“What… what the heck is this?” Sienna held a machete as he stood frozen with a look of shock on his face. He had yet to fully process the events earlier. The presence of Undead creatures was already beyond his comprehension as an Adventurer, let alone a place covered with them…

“They’re called Skeletal Warriors, a kind of low-level Undead creatures… ” Lin Li frowned deeply as he answered Sienna’s question. He was not surprised by their appearance, since he had already predicted it before entering the town. The only thing he had not thought of was that they would vanish so suddenly; also, their attack and retreat were terribly well coordinated, much like those of a well-trained troop.

This was the nerve-wrecking part. Lin Li had been to the Shadowglen and the underground palace—he had even had an encounter with a Legendary-level Necromancer—so it was only natural that he knew more about Undead creatures than Sienna or Jason.

Controlling the Undead creatures had always been the trickiest issue for Necromancers, even for those outstanding ones like Sendros. Well, Undead creatures were born from all kinds of negative emotions, and did not have thoughts nor consciousness of their own; they were only guided by these negative emotions to kill and destroy. Necromancers were only able to control them because they had mastered a special way to do so, and not because they could directly communicate with them.

Even if one was skilled in Necromancy, it would only guarantee that the Undead creatures they controlled were more powerful and larger in numbers instead of having any effect on the Undead creatures themselves. This was why there were always large numbers of Undead creatures present in fights between Necromancers as they couldn’t control these creatures effectively and could only win with numbers.

The only thing that could control them was another Undead creature, just like the Undead Lords in the Shadowglen who were able to easily manipulate every skeleton and corpse there was in that place. They could make these Undead creatures their slaves and make them do anything to their heart’s content, which was like what Lin Li saw during the war of the Undead creatures back then—both armies behaved like proper soldiers as they were well-trained and followed every order.

“This isn’t going to be fun…” Lin Li sighed resignedly.

Things would become very complicated if the one controlling them was an Undead creature. They were detestable creatures, and since they were born from negative emotions, they remained filled with hatred for the world even if they had surpassed a certain point and gained consciousness and the ability to think on their own. They hated those who were alive, and their desire to destroy everything completely was what kept them going. They were capable of neither communicating nor compromising, and were basically the epitome of stubbornness.

The last thing Lin Li could tolerate was a stubborn fellow as they were completely impossible to negotiate with, and he could only rely on violence to solve any issue.

“Damn it, I seriously hate using violence!” Lin Li cursed angrily, and just as he was going to explain the situation to Jason, the castellan’s missus suddenly stood up. “I hear my brother, he’s there!”

“Where?” Lin Li was shocked as his gaze unconsciously followed the direction where the young lady was pointing…

“What the heck!” Lin Li felt a headache coming as soon as he took a glance—the young lady was pointing right at the eerie bell tower!