Seris Dawnthorn was a known prodigy in Suncrest City Base. Even before she awakened her profession, she had shown extraordinary talent in martial arts.
She won many martial arts competitions before the age of sixteen, her name echoing through the city and pushing her fame into every mouth.
Then, when she awakened her profession—Battle Mage, she became a star throughout the city.
The Dawnthorn family was a prestigious lineage that had produced many outstanding awakeners, yet none could compare to Seris.
Riding on her talent, many guilds tried to recruit her, but she refused. Still, many families refused to give up and arranged for their kin to form entourages around her.
With Seris taking the lead, they expected their descendants to rise quickly in the Abyss.
In this regard, Seris did not care. Her goal was to grow stronger and destroy the Abyss once and for all.
Since she arrived at the Abyss, she had carried her party on her back. To her, it felt like her responsibility to make everyone strong.
She was pure of heart. She trained her sword tirelessly and honed her skills while others grew complacent.
Standing behind an unknown boy, she reflected on her previous actions and realized she had been played.
She would have been killed by the Sandbone Scorpion if not for Thoren's arrival. She had been loyal and believed others easily, without thinking too much about their motives.
Gazing at the deep hole in her leather armor, she clenched her fist. "Those bastards…"
"How can they do this to me?"
She could not understand why her teammate would abandon her to death. She had lost count of how many times she had saved many of them.
Most of them remained alive because of her.
Yet, when it was her turn, they left and escaped without considering whether she lived or died.
The more she thought about it, the more fury surged through her veins. Each breath came jagged and uneven, like a metronome gone mad.
Emotion rushed over her in waves—sadness tugging at her chest, longing to cry.
Yet she forced it down, fists clenched, eyes burning with bottled fury.
While Seris grappled with the betrayal, Thoren faced a different kind of intensity.
Thoren's eyes shone with a gleam as he watched the ongoing assault.
The continuous stream of Sandbone Scorpions fed his excitement.
Out of the five human skeletons, two had leveled up and become Level 5 skeletons.
He named them Ace Number 2 and Ace Number 3.
But that was not his greatest gain. His gaze shifted to the dozen Level 6 Sandbone Scorpion skeletons and he grinned.
With Ace Numbers 1, 2, and 3 combined with the Level 6 skeletons, the stream of Sandbone Scorpions had become an easy harvest of experience for him.
"Almost there…" He mused with a pleased smile plastered on his face.
The Sandbone Scorpions were vengeful beasts that would not let their enemies escape.
But now they faced an unbeatable foe.
Bang!
One of the Level 6 skeletons sent a Sandbone Scorpion skidding back, and Ace Number 2—who had been lying in wait—leaped onto its carapace and plunged its sword into its eyes.
This was the trick Thoren had discovered.
The Level 6 skeleton would push the beast back, and the Ace skeleton would deliver the killing blow.
Without hesitating, Thoren covered the fallen Level 6 Sandbone Scorpion with his undead servant, and it joined the battle.
One by one, the Sandbone Scorpions fell, each corpse turning into an undead servant.
Seris watched the scene unfold with her jaw hanging open. She had seen it many times, but she could not help feeling stunned each time.
How could anyone fight against him?
He appeared to lose nothing.
He was turning the dead beasts into allies to fight their kin, and with each death, the number of his army grew.
Ten minutes later, all the Level 6 Scorpions had been killed and transformed into undead servants.
More than thirty Level 6 skeletons stood before Thoren, creating an imposing presence.
Seris swallowed hard, forcing the lump in her throat down. "I thought necromancers were weak?"
Although stunned, she recovered quickly and looked at Thoren with grateful eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered in a low voice.
Thoren nodded and asked, "How is your injury?"
"I won't die. I've already taken the detoxifying elixir," she replied.
"Good." He nodded. "Where are your teammates?"
When Seris heard this, her expression fell. She lowered her head with anger mixed with regret.
She raised her head and explained everything. When Thoren heard it all, he was stunned.
She had been betrayed, abandoned to face a Level 7 beast alone. Watching her face, Thoren could understand the feeling.
She had carried the team, only for them to betray her in the end.
"So those two are part of her team…" Thoren muttered, shaking his head.
With what he had learned about the federation, this did not come as a shock to him.
Since the mighty Federation could betray their citizens, there was little else to say.
"Can you describe the Level 7 beast's lair?" Thoren asked.
"Hm?"
Seris looked at Thoren for a moment and nodded. "I will take you there."
She would not have risked returning to such a deadly area, but looking at the intimidating skeletons, she knew he had the strength to battle there.
Thoren was pleased with her response and turned to tidy up his gains before moving forward.
[Experience Gained +4200]
[Summoned Entities: Experience Gained +2100]
[Soul +4.2 Copper Coins +420]
[Soul Fire +35]
[Level Up!]
[Attributes Points +5]
[Name: Thoren Starfall]
[Occupation: Necromancer]
[Rank: Iron]
[Level: 7 (2000/7500)]
[Attributes: Strength 14, Agility 10, Constitution 10, Intelligence 14, Perception 12, Charm 12]
[Spirit: 20.25]
[Skills: Undead Summoning, Bone Manipulation Skill]
[Talent: Ex-Rank Undead Space]
[Sub-Talent: SSS Rank Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt]
[Abyss Market: Unavailable (Available at Bronze Rank)]
[Attributes Points: 15]
[Inventory]
"Finally, I've become a Level 7 awakener," Thoren muttered, his face filled with pride.
In just two days, he had accomplished what many tried for days or months.
Yet he was not satisfied. He planned to push himself further and become a Level 8 or 9 awakener.
*******
[AN: Please support this book with your power stones. It means a lot. Thanks.]