Beyond the gate stretched a long, narrow pathway carpeted in twisting vines. The pathway led to the Courtyard of Wilted Roses.
The place was a corpse, a graveyard of royal memory where everything was either dead or shrouded in death.
The central fountain trickled out an ugly water, contaminated with green. The statue that once crowned it lay shattered, its serene face now a collection of pale shards half-swallowed by the encroaching earth.
What remained of its stone body was webbed in a shroud of thorny vines, like every other corner of this forsaken place.
The thorns. They were everywhere.
They were not the simple brambles of an old garden, but something malevolent.
Coils of them, thick as a man's wrist and green as the evil earth, choked the colonnades. They spilled from the windowsills, they crawled over the broken benches, they scaled the walls.
Even the red roses that sprouted from their evil branches did not lend them any beauty or grace.
Percival heard a growl.
He placed a hand on the hilt of his Steel Broadsword and awaited the first wave of beasts.
From the corner of a wall, six wolf-creatures emerged, vines sticking out of their manes as they approached with snapping jaws.
⸢Threat: Bramble Wolves⸥
⸢Level 5⸥
"You know what to do," Percival said to his Summons, his gaze not leaving the wolves.
The Skeletons sprang into action, raising their swords high as they clashed with the threat. They fought without any unison, striking the wolves with slashes of the blades.
⸢Bramble Wolf defeated⸥
One wolf slumped to the ground, its neck roughly severed.
⸢+10 EXP⸥
Percival glanced at his Skeletons. Their Health was already more than half down.
He outstretched his arm toward the fallen carcass and activated ⸢Soul Draught⸥.
First, a burst of bluish flame, then a ghost-like entity of the wolf appeared and dissipated just as swiftly.
The Skeletons' Health bars replenished, now just shy of full.
One Bramble Wolf slammed into a Skeleton, its jaws of thorn-teeth clamping down viciously on its arm.
Percival watched his Skeleton Soldier flail, its own notched sword hacking ineffectually at the wolf's flank, wounding the beast but failing to kill it.
Another Skeleton, the one armed with an axe, stumbled and slammed blindly, the blade slicing the wolf's head clean off its shoulders.
⸢Bramble Wolf defeated⸥
⸢+10 EXP⸥
Percival grunted.
This battle was a massacre of incompetence.
Bramble Wolves were only Lvl 5 beasts and should on all accounts be defeated with minimal effort.
Yet, his Skeleton Soldiers struggled.
If they found it difficult to slay the beasts in the first Encounter Zone, he worried what use they would be in others.
Naturally, difficulty increased the farther one ventured into a Gate World.
Percival inspected the details of his Skeleton Soldiers once again.
⸢Skeleton Soldiers: The bones of the Unawakened dead. Their souls are not strengthened by mana, hence their will is weak. They can only be summoned as Skeletons and are obedient instantly upon summoning. They cannot level up but can be fortified with magical accessories, armor or weapons⸥
A glint of hope shone.
He could fortify his Skeletons.
Whenever he killed an enemy, undead versions of their armor or weapons—like the Steel Broadsword—appeared.
He could equip his Skeletons with these accessories, therefore strengthening them in some manner.
But Percival knew only that could not be enough.
The weapon doesn't make the Skeleton; the Skeleton made the weapon.
He watched as the battle continued.
His Skeletons fought without tactic, without formation, a chaotic tangle of individual, feeble struggles.
Each time they managed to down a Bramble Wolf, Percival used ⸢Soul Draught⸥ to revitalize them.
⸢Bramble Wolf defeated⸥
⸢Bramble Wolf defeated⸥
⸢Bramble Wolf defeated⸥
With one wolf remaining, the Skeletons advanced, but a comet of blue flame suddenly struck the beast.
Twice.
It shrieked in pain and collapsed to the thorny floor. Dead.
The Skeleton Soldiers turned to their master. Percival stood with an outstretched hand, the tips of his finger smoking with gray steam.
'So that's how ⸢Soulfire⸥ works?' he thought. 'Not bad.'
⸢Bramble Wolf defeated⸥
⸢+40 EXP⸥
⸢Congratulations, you have leveled up!⸥
⸢Lvl 1 → Lvl 2⸥
⸢+10 Mana⸥
⸢+20 Attack⸥
⸢+5 Defense⸥
⸢+2 Health⸥
⸢All Attributes increased by +2⸥
⸢Rewards: +1 Skill Point⸥
⸢+30 EXP⸥
⸢+1 Summon Space⸥
⸢+20 Mana Coins⸥
A new notification appeared, informing him that the Encounter Zone had been cleared.
⸢Courtyard of Wilted Roses cleared successfully⸥
⸢Proceed to the next Encounter Zone⸥
Percival consulted his map.
Beyond another narrow passage, he would arrive at the Chapel of Forgotten Bloom, the next Encounter Zone.
But there were some things he had to do first.
He extended his hand to the corpse of the last Bramble Wolf.
Since he hadn't used ⸢Soul Draught⸥ on it, he intended to awaken it as an Undead Soldier to fill his newly acquired Summon Space.
"Awake," he commanded.
But he was only met with a frustrating silence.
Percival grunted. "What now?"
⸢You have not unlocked the Skill: Summon Soul Soldier⸥
⸢Beasts cannot be summoned as Skeletons Soldiers since they carry magic within them⸥
Percival narrowed his eyes. 'Beasts are Soul Soldiers?'
Annoying as it was, it aligned with what he knew.
Skeleton Soldiers were unawakened beings in their last life. Their souls were not strengthened by mana and so could not be summoned after death.
But beasts were all magical creatures.
They held mana in their Soul Cores, whether faint or radiant, meaning they could only be summoned as Souls Soldiers.
Percival summoned his Necromancer Skill Tree.
⸢Summon Soul Soldier: Awaken a Soul Soldier⸥ (Locked)
⸢Available at Level 20⸥
⸢Cost: 5 Skill Points⸥
His lips formed a frown.
He had 3 Skill Points presently, but even with enough points, he needed to reach Level 20 before he could even purchase the Skill.
It seemed for now, he was stuck with the brothers, his warriors of bone.
He used ⸢Soul Draught⸥ on the corpse, restoring their Health pools fully.
But before moving on, he decided to spend his Skill Points.
He inspected the Tree, and found several Skills available for purchase.
⸢Bone Spikes: Uproots sharp bones from the ground to impale targets. Simple ranged offense⸥
⸢Cost: 1 Skill Point⸥
⸢Bone Shield: A defensive spell that pulls decaying tissue and bones from the ground, granting cover against simple attacks⸥
⸢Cost: 1 Skill Point⸥
⸢Grave Step: Short-range teleportation by soul energy burst, emerging at mid-range locations⸥
⸢Cost: 2 Skill Points⸥
They seemed like very functional Skills, but Percival didn't need to think too long about his choices.
He was on a 3-Skill-Points budget and so could only afford 2 out of these three D-Grade Skills.
He made his purchase.
⸢Bone Spikes⸥ and ⸢Grave Step⸥.
His reasoning was simple.
He had an overall Health of 25,792. This meant he could absorb a considerable amount of damage.
Especially for a D-Rank Gate World.
He could endure blows and even Bleed damage without his Health running down a quarter.
Hence, the ⸢Bone Shield⸥ wasn't a particularly useful skill for him.
With that decided, he approached the soul-drained corpses of the Bramble Wolves and interacted with them.
⸢6 Common Beast Cores — Siphoned⸥
⸢Bramble Wolves Hide⸥
⸢2 Health Potions⸥
⸢20 Mana Coins⸥
He summoned his Inventory.
It was an empty void, lacking all the weapons, accessories, relics and armor he'd collected in the former timeline.
Scoffing, Percival stored the loot—the Soul Cores and the Hide—in his Inventory. The Mana Coins joined his currencies while he ignored the Health Potions
He rose to his feet, regarding his Skeleton Soldiers with a purposeful glare. "Let's go."
They headed towards the Chapel of Forgotten Bloom.
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A/N: Hey there, readers! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Please, don't forget to support with power stones and reviews! It helps so much for motivation.