novelsite Chapter 17: Encounters
Chapter 17: Encounters
The journey from the depths of the Monster Mountain Range to the outer edge was much easier than the way there.
Lin Yun no longer needed to be constantly vigilant, nor did he need to deliberately seek out magical beasts to fight. He slowed down his pace, savoring the experience of the past month as he walked—every battle, every breakthrough, every insight was like an imprint etched in his mind, clear and profound.
Beibei perched on his shoulder, regaining her usual liveliness. Every now and then she would jump down to chase a butterfly, or dart into the bushes to scare away a few birds, having a great time.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on the forest path. The air was fresh and moist, carrying the fragrance of earth and vegetation. Occasionally, the chirping of birds drifted from afar, adding a touch of life to the tranquil forest.
Lin Yun was in a good mood.
Breaking through to level seven, consolidating his cultivation, mastering the level seven earth magic "Earth Guardian Holy Armor," and honing his combat skills in actual battles against various level seven magical beasts—his gains in the past month far exceeded his expectations.
"At this rate, we should be able to leave the Monster Mountain Range in two more days," Lin Yun said to Bei Bei after estimating the distance.
"Chirp!" Beibei chirped and pointed ahead with her little paw, as if to say, "Then let's hurry up and go."
Lin Yun smiled and quickened his pace.
However, what he didn't notice was that several pairs of eerie green eyes were silently watching him from the shadows on both sides of the road.
The incident occurred on a seemingly ordinary afternoon.
Lin Yun was walking on a mountain path, with dense forests on both sides and a narrow valley in front of him. The cliffs on both sides of the valley were high and blocked most of the sunlight, making the valley dark and cold.
Beibei suddenly stood up from his shoulder, its little nose twitching and making low hissing sounds—a warning that danger was approaching.
Lin Yun immediately stopped and released the "Wind of Exploration".
The feedback from his senses made him frown—there was no sign of life around him. No magical beasts, no wild animals, and even the scent of insects was scarce.
But Beibei's reaction doesn't lie.
Lin Yun became more vigilant, secretly condensing a lightning arrow in his right hand, and slowly walked forward.
When they reached the middle of the valley, a sudden change occurred.
"Shhh..."
A strange sound came from the cliff faces on both sides, as if something was crawling on the rocks. Lin Yun looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting—
More than a dozen dark figures darted out from the cracks in the cliff face, moving at great speed, and pounced on him from all directions!
Lin Yun had no time to think; with a flick of his right hand, the lightning arrows he had prepared shot out—
"Crack!"
A purple arc of electricity struck the nearest dark figure, blasting it away. But at the moment of impact, Lin Yun sensed something unusual—the dark figure didn't scream or even tremble when hit. It was simply propelled away by the force of the lightning bolt, rolled twice on the ground, and then shakily stood up.
"What..." Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat.
Only then did he see the true faces of those dark figures.
They were humanoid creatures, but definitely not human. Their skin was grayish-white, dry and rough, like dried leather. They had no hair, and their eye sockets had no pupils, only two eerie green flames flickering in their empty sockets. Their fingernails were long and sharp, like ten razor-sharp daggers, gleaming coldly in the dim valley.
What's most chilling is their mouths—wide open, revealing two rows of yellowed fangs, and a low, guttural "hoarse" sound emanating from deep within their throats, as if something is churning inside.
"What the hell is this thing!" Lin Yun gasped.
He had no time to think; the monsters pounced again, faster and more frantic than before.
Lin Yun swung his hands rapidly, unleashing lightning arrows, wind blades, and fireballs in quick succession, repelling the attacking monsters one by one. But with each strike, his heart grew heavier.
These monsters are not afraid of pain.
Lightning bolts pierced their bodies, but they only staggered briefly before charging onward. Wind blades severed their arms, but they didn't even glance at them, continuing their attack with the remaining limbs. Fireballs burned their skin and flesh, yet they still pressed on, as if their bodies weren't their own.
This is no ordinary monster.
A thought flashed through Lin Yun's mind—undead creatures!
Delin had mentioned such things in his teachings. Undead creatures are monsters created from the resentment of the dead or from necromancy. They feel no pain, no fear, and are tireless. They will fight to the very end unless they are completely destroyed.
"Damn it." Lin Yun gritted his teeth and increased his magic output.
A thicker chain of lightning flew from his hand, wrapping around the three monsters at the front. Electricity surged through their bodies, and the air reeked of burning flesh. The three monsters convulsed from the shock, collapsed to the ground, and temporarily lost their ability to move.
But more monsters surged up.
Lin Yun retreated while using magic to block their attacks. Wind blades, lightning bolts, fireballs, ice spikes—he used almost every type of attack magic, but these monsters seemed endless, and he couldn't kill them all no matter how hard he tried.
Bebe jumped off his shoulder, transforming into a streak of gray lightning as it weaved through the horde of monsters. Its claws and teeth were equally effective against these undead creatures—each claw tore off a large chunk of rotting flesh, each bite snapped a bone. But even with legs bitten off and arms torn away, these monsters continued to crawl on the ground, wriggling toward Lin Yun.
"This can't go on," Lin Yun thought to himself quickly.
These monsters weren't individually strong, probably only at the level of level five or six magical beasts. But they were numerous, and they were impervious to pain and death, making them even more troublesome than level seven magical beasts. His magical power had already been significantly depleted in the previous battles, and if this continued, he would eventually be exhausted.
He needs to find their weaknesses.
While fighting, Lin Yun searched his mind for Delin's explanation of undead creatures.
"Undead creatures are products of necromancy. Their bodies are merely vessels; their true core is the necromantic fire residing within them. As long as the necromantic fire remains, they will not truly die."
Undead Fire...
Lin Yun's gaze fell on the eerie green flames flickering in the eye sockets of those monsters.
That's it!
He took a deep breath, concentrated his magical power in his right hand, and condensed a spear of light that was even more solid than before.
Light-type magic: Spear of Light.
Undead creatures are products of necromancy, and light magic is naturally effective against necromancy. If his judgment is correct, the spear of light should be able to damage those flames.
"go!"
The light spear shot out and accurately struck the head of the foremost monster.
"laugh--"
Like a red-hot iron block thrown into ice water, thick black smoke billowed from the monster's head, and the eerie green flames in its eye sockets flickered violently a few times before—going out.
The monster's body froze in place, then collapsed to the ground like a puppet that had lost its support, never to move again.
efficient!
Lin Yun was overjoyed and immediately switched tactics. He abandoned other types of offensive magic and focused on light magic. Light spears and arrows flew from his hands, each striking the monster's head with precision.
One, two, three...
The monsters he struck fell one after another, the flames in their eye sockets went out, and their bodies completely lost their vitality.
But there were just too many monsters. He had knocked down seven or eight, but five or six were still charging at him frantically. Moreover, those monsters that he had knocked down with lightning bolts and wind blades but hadn't destroyed in the head struggled on the ground for a while before staggering back to their feet!
"This is never going to end!" Lin Yun said through gritted teeth.
His magical power was already mostly depleted, and his reserves of light magic were particularly strained. If this continued, he would be unable to effectively kill these monsters once his light magic was exhausted.
We must act swiftly and decisively.
Lin Yun took a deep breath and decided to take the risk.
He mobilized all the remaining light magic power within him, condensing it into a spear of light even more dazzling than before. This spear of light was as thick as an arm, radiating a blazing white light, like a spear of judgment descending from the sky.
This is the strongest light-type attack magic he can currently unleash—Spear of Holy Light.
"go!"
The light spear shot out, but it didn't fly towards any particular monster; instead, it flew towards the very center of the monster horde.
"boom!"
The light spear exploded amidst the monster horde, bursting forth in a dazzling white light. The blazing flames spread in all directions, engulfing all the surrounding monsters.
"Hiss hiss hiss—"
Thick black smoke billowed from the monsters, which emitted a mournful "hoho" sound—the first time Lin Yun had ever heard them make such a sound, sharp and piercing, like metal scraping against glass.
The light dissipated.
Six monsters struck directly by the light spears fell to the ground, the flames in their eye sockets extinguished, their bodies slowly turning to ash in the lingering light. Several other monsters caught in the blast were also severely injured, large chunks of rotting flesh peeling off their bodies to reveal the bones beneath.
But three remained standing.
Their bodies were burned and riddled with holes; one was even missing an arm and half its face, but the eerie green flames in its eye sockets still flickered. They did not retreat, showed no fear, and continued to pounce on Lin Yun.
Lin Yun's back slammed into the rock wall of the valley—he had nowhere left to retreat.
Their magical power was almost exhausted, especially their light magic. They still had some other types of magic left, but their effectiveness against these undead creatures was greatly reduced.
"Hehe—"
Three monsters, their mouths agape, lunged at Lin Yun, their fangs dripping with disgusting slime.
Just then, a gray shadow swept past him—
Beibei!
Like a bolt of lightning, Beibei pounced directly at the head of the foremost monster. Its sharp claws pierced precisely into the monster's eye socket, tearing out the ball of eerie green flame.
"laugh--"
The flames flickered a few times on Bebe's claws before going out. The monster's body crashed to the ground.
Without pausing, Beibei turned and pounced on the second one. Its speed was so fast that Lin Yun couldn't keep up; he only saw a gray streak of light weaving through the monster horde.
"Chirp chirp!"
The flames of the second monster were shattered by its bite.
"Chirp chirp!"
The flames of the third monster were extinguished.
The three monsters fell to the ground almost simultaneously and never got up again.
Beibei landed on the ground, its little paws stepping on the head of a monster, and chirped twice, as if to say "done." Its body was covered in black ash, but it was in good spirits and completely unharmed.
Lin Yun leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily, looking at the monster's remains scattered all over the ground, still feeling lingering fear.
"Thanks, Beibei."
"Chirp chirp!" Beibei scurried back onto his shoulder and rubbed her little head against his cheek.
Lin Yun crouched down and carefully examined the remains of the monsters.
Their bodies had completely lost their vitality; the grayish-white flesh was rotting rapidly, emitting a pungent stench. The flames in their eye sockets had been completely extinguished, leaving only two empty hollows.
"Undead creatures..." Lin Yun murmured. "Grandpa Delin said that these things are called corpse demons, which are created by the resentment of the dead and necromancy."
He recalled Delin's explanation—the undead have no souls, only a ball of necromantic fire driven by necromancy. They feel no pain, no fear, and are tireless. Unless the necromantic fire is extinguished, they will never truly die.
This kind of monster is much more troublesome than ordinary magical beasts.
Monsters at least experience fear; they flinch when wounded and flee when faced with death. But ghouls do not. They will fight until they are utterly destroyed or their enemies are torn to shreds.
"No wonder Grandpa Delin said that if you encounter undead creatures, you should run away if you can," Lin Yun said with a wry smile.
If he hadn't happened to know light magic, and if Bebe hadn't intervened at the crucial moment, he might have really died here today.
Beibei perched on his shoulder, chirped twice, and patted his head with her little paws, as if to say, "Don't think so much, let's go."
Lin Yun stood up, took one last look at the wreckage on the ground, and turned to continue on his way.
"These undead monsters appearing here is unusual," he thought as he walked. "There shouldn't be any undead creatures on the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range. Where did they come from?"
He felt a vague unease, but had no clue what to do for the time being.
"I'll have to ask Grandpa Delin when I get back," Lin Yun muttered to himself.