My Necromancer Class

Chapter 125 Slender Grasp

“Wait a second, ‘skeleton’ has been slain? Didn’t it say perennial creature before?”

Jay quickly re-summoned the skeleton, analysing it.

<[Skeleton Level 3 – Blue]>

[Type – Undead]

HP – 40/40

MP – 7/7

<[Skills]>

[Bone Eater]

[Scrimshaw Level 1] (Passive)

[Undeath] (Passive)

[Fear] (Weak) (Passive)

[Shade Vision] (Passive)

<[Description]>

[An abomination, its existence spits in the face of life and death – and they spit back. Flee if possible. Execute with extreme prejudice.]

“Hmm, no corundum bite since that came from the wolf skull, no corundum claws either. I guess the only difference is the name and five less health?”

“Oh wait, fear?”

Jay analysed the strange new skill.

<[Fear]>

[A gentle tapping in the back of one’s mind. A cold breath on the neck. A gazing shadow on the very edge of one’s vision. You can run, but not forever; You can kill it, but not forever.]

– The human skeleton creates an unnatural sense of fear in humans, reducing morale and concentration.

– 1% less strength._.

– 0.03% Chance of fleeing, higher chance if more skeletons than humans, higher chance if higher level than human.

“Huh… Cool. Weird that it would make such a change though.” Jay scratched his head, thinking that the wolf skull skeletons were much more menacing.

“I wonder if the fear effect would be better than the extra damage.. It seems like if I had a high level army of them, then they would cause everyone to flee? Hmm, I guess it depends if the fear effect stacks.”

“It seems like it’s a true skeleton now. Quite fitting for a pure necromancer. Good thing I have a large stockpile of human remains.” Jay smiled to himself as he imagined his future army.

Jay sent the skeleton off once more to die in the glorious battle taking place in the next room.

He waited patiently as he heard the occasional hiss sound, with the crunching noise of the hammers mixed in. It seemed that the pace of battle had been set now, so he decided to investigate.

It wasn’t as safe as waiting near the door, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. Besides, the skeletons were mostly fine, so it couldn’t be too dangerous, and Jay wanted to at least analyse it before they killed it anyway.

Still keeping his guard up, Jay went to peer around the corner, to look at the shrieking, hissing beast.

Finally, he laid his eyes upon the monster.

[Chimera Research 28%]

Another notification sounded but Jay ignored it, he was too shocked by what he saw – somehow his skeletons were fighting this thing without dying?

Well, without getting completely demolished anyway, since one of them was dying.

Most of its long, insect-like body was like a wall of blades yet somehow the skeletons were damaging it.

This abomination was a mix of everything he had seen in this dungeon so far – a dihexapede, a mannaton, and a stone soldier.

It’s long body with skittering legs resembled the segmented fleshy body of the dihexapede from the waist down, while the upper body was that of an uncompleted stone soldier; it seemed like an anorexic version. Whoever this person once was would have been starving, maybe even on their last breath right before they were turned to stone.

Under its T-visor helmet a slack jaw slung, endlessly hissing, so it seemed that not all of it had been turned to stone.

Two long tendrils hung over its shoulder, threatening to coil around any unsuspecting prey; each of them coming from the back of the creature’s neck.

Thankfully all the shards on them had already been cracked open and harmless; it seemed like they would need a long time to grow back.

Its arms were not like normal stone soldiers; they were long and thin, like a spindly dead branch. It seemed that their bones had turned to the strange black rock, but the flesh and muscles hadn’t, leaving them victims to time.

The flesh had either turned black or fallen off, revealing most of the crude mineral skeleton underneath – still only held together by some ancient, twisted magic that even the Helvetians couldn’t destroy.

After staring for a moment, Jay wasn’t sure if he was fearful or impressed by the strange creation. Simply put, he was in awe.

Finally, he analysed it.

<[The Assistant – Level 8]>

[HP 67/121]

[Congenital Linking – 1/3]

– Shares its strength with other creatures

[Slender Hands]

– Has a specialised arm that rips parts from its enemies, adding them to itself if it favours the part.

– Chance to execute – 12% Higher chance vs lower level.

– Three minute cooldown

[Amalgamation] (Body Parts)

– Consumes (Body Parts) to grow stronger

– Has become immortal

[Dire Blades] (Tendrils) (Legs)

– The Assistant strangles and whips its target with its sabre tendrils

– The Assistant slashes its target with its sabre talons

– 4.8 damage per successful hit.

[Semi-aphrodite Degradation]

– Un-whole; it has given up a piece of itself

– Nesting

[Acidic Shards] (Passive)

– Each tendril is coated in numerous tiny shards filled with burning acid. pH -0.3.

– 2.5 damage per second per shard broken for three seconds.

[Brittle Armour]

– 40% damage reduction to slashing, stabbing damage.

– 20% more damage taken from crushing damage.

[Helvetia’s Revenge]

– Magic damage immune.

– Any wielded weapons become cursed.

<[Description]>

[A researcher of the Helvetian kingdom, turned to stone. It works tirelessly, waiting for its chance to exact revenge on those who would harm its kingdom.]

“Oh, it basically has its own uncaring rip skill?” Jay shook his head, “It’s no wonder the skeletons are suffering.”

Fortunately, only one of the long spindly arms remained – the other had been severed at the elbow. It was a welcome advantage, but not much of one.

The combat prowess of the creature seemed to mostly rely on its bladed legs and the two tentacle-like appendages coming from its neck.

The skeletons were having a hard time injuring it, as the creature swiped and thrashed whenever a hit landed, knocking them away and damaging them with its sword-like legs or simply slashing their skulls.

Nevertheless, it was still outnumbered three to one, and it seemed to be going pretty even – at least until Jay had decided to send in his fourth skeleton. Now there was only one outcome for the battle, and Jay was waiting patiently.

*Scriii!~ HISS!~*

The creature knew it was fighting a losing battle, but it wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and neither would it leave its home.

This was its chamber, its own piece of the world which it had carved out for itself. It was enjoying the darkness here for hundreds of years – then suddenly these strange bipedal wolf-undead show up, waving their hammers? Nope. Not today. Only it would remain here, finding peace in its solitude with itself – like it always had been since it could remember.

These intruders would only be consumed; perhaps it would find a new arm today.

*Crunch!~*

Another hammer swing smashed against its blue ribs, shattering them off.

Instead of reacting in pain, it suddenly leant forward, reaching with its long spindly arm.

It ignored the pain, taking another heavy hit from a hammer which destroyed one of its 16 legs.

Instead of thrashing about, it dashed closer to the skeleton, quickly reaching out with its huge long fingers.

The black hand wrapped completely around the skeleton’s skull; the skeleton could only respond with awkward upward swings of its hammer, but the hammer only missed this time. It seemed helpless, as if its fate was sealed; it was pushed down for just a slight moment before –

*Crrr… crunch~*

The creature suddenly twisted the skull, then tilted it to the side, and with a fast motion ripped it right off the spine.

Without a head, the body of the skeleton collapsed into a useless inanimate bone pile.

Before Jay’s eyes, the execution happened so quickly and almost without any warning. The skull was then tossed somewhere into the back of the room.

“Fuck…” Jay’s eyes bulged as he watched silently.

The monster’s execution skill must have had a much higher chance against his level three skeletons.

Jay decided he would definitely not be joining this fight as he subconsciously took a step back – instead, he resummoned another skeleton and continued to watch from the side lines.

*Crrr… crunch~*

A few more minutes into the battle, the creature ripped another skull off a skeleton, prompting Jay to summon another.

Thankfully, it had only killed an individual skeleton so far: Blue.

The other three wolf-skull skeletons were doing fine; they had some damage but it was nothing that Jay couldn’t fix, though it would take some time.

Since Jay had summoned a level 3 skeleton multiple times, he was beginning to feel the effects of having low mana, as it seemed like the fight appeared more dangerous than what it actually was – that it was speeding up.

Technically, the creature was fighting with more ferocity as its life was now beginning to dwindle, but the skeletons always fought with 100% of their might; their aggression in battle was always turned up to the maximum.

“Hmm. I’ll need to sit down soon.” he thought, hoping the creature would just accept its fate and die already.

As its health was nearing zero the creature suddenly let out another screeching noise, what seemed like the final heroic cry of a dying warrior.

*SCREEEEEE!~~*

It then twirled, knocking all the skeletons back with its tail and immediately started dashing straight towards Jay.

“…Oh? ..OH! Oh shit!” He immediately turned to run.

Jay ran towards the exit as fast as his feet could carry him, but he was simply too slow. His only choice was to fight it.

But how could he fight while his reflexes were so slow now that his mana was low?

And how long had it been since the creature had grabbed a skeleton skull and ripped it off?

At this point, it didn’t matter. What mattered now was the fight.

Jay hastily took out his hammer and prepared for the knockback, assuming a low position as he braced himself for the charge.

He didn’t have to fight it, he only had to survive. The skeletons would catch up in no time, being just a little slower than the creature.

“Here it comes” Jay gritted his teeth as he braced for impact.

*THWOOSH!~*

The creature smashed against Jay’s shield like a charging war horse.

Against its massive size, he simply had no hope to stand against it.

His shield had blocked the damage, but not the force of the hit.

Jay was tossed away like he was a leaf in a storm – but even as he was helpless in mid air, he wasn’t done.

“Uncaring rip!”

*SCREEE!!!~*

It squealed in pain as Jay was sent flying into a pillar, and that was all he remembered.

Blackness.