Chapter 52

Pavel Cemetery is located in the northeastern mountainous area outside Deepstone City. It was once a thriving small mine, but due to the relatively low mining technology at the time, cave-ins and other accidents were frequent, leading to many miners' deaths. These deceased miners were buried in the mine, and over time, a cemetery formed. Later, a bishop named Pavel, in order to ensure the deceased could rest in peace, funded the beautification of the cemetery. In gratitude for his kindness, the people renamed it Pavel Cemetery.

However, the unpredictable nature of life turned this bishop into a notorious necromancer, and the cemetery became his domain. While everyone had their own theories about why this originally kind and benevolent bishop turned into an evil and cunning necromancer, Rod didn't care about it at all. When dealing with criminals, he believed in taking action first and asking questions later. As for motives, those could be explored later; it was better not to waste time on such things.

The rarely traveled path was almost completely overgrown, with only a few broken stone slabs remaining as the only sign of human activity. The rugged mountain road was extremely difficult to navigate, but for Rod, the most annoying thing wasn't the road underfoot, but the guy behind him who was complaining.

"Hey, kid, what do you mean by bringing us to this godforsaken place?"

Walking on the rugged mountain path, Old Walker panted, looking down at the steep mountain wall and complaining.

"Pavel Cemetery is on the other side of the mountain. If you're lost, I don't mind giving you directions."

"I appreciate your offer."

Walking at the front, Rod refused Old Walker's "suggestion" without turning his head.

"I think this way is easier to walk."

Easier to walk?

Hearing Rod's response, Old Walker almost fainted. He looked at the almost impassable "animal trail" underfoot and compared it to the gentle slope at the foot of the mountain—wasn't it obvious which way was easier to walk?

Although Old Walker had many complaints, he still had to follow humbly. After Marin, Rod also made the same demand to Old Walker, requiring him to follow his orders completely. If he refused, Rod would leave him to die. Although he didn't know how much of Rod's words were true, Old Walker decided not to risk testing his limits, as it wouldn't benefit him.

Rod, wearing ordinary leather armor, led the way, followed by Lise and Marin. The steep and difficult mountain road didn't bother Rod and Lise much, and Marin also seemed at ease—though she wasn't used to climbing mountains, floating forward with the help of magic wasn't difficult.

We're almost there.

After turning a corner, the mountain road became narrower and more dangerous, but Rod was confident. He compared the scene before him with his memory and nodded in satisfaction.

In fact, from the beginning, Rod had no intention of charging directly into the enemy's lair. One of the unique features of Pavel Cemetery was that half of it was above ground, and the other half was in the mine. If they attacked from the front, the four of them would likely be exhausted by the undead creatures before reaching the boss, making the mission a joke.

So from the start, Rod didn't plan to attack from the front. He had a better option.

Players are arguably the most diligent and the laziest people in this world. They are diligent because even the most ordinary player has a greater passion for adventure than the natives of this world. Whether it's a cave, a river, or a ravine, they will search tirelessly, hoping to find ancient artifacts that have been sealed or abandoned, thereby achieving instant success. In this regard, even the greediest bandit can't compare to them.

They are lazy because, when faced with time-consuming tasks, players always try to find bugs and shortcuts to complete everything in the shortest time possible. Following the rules isn't their style; finding loopholes and exploiting them is what they love.

This is what Rod is doing now.

The reason he didn't choose the gentle slope at the foot of the mountain is that Rod knew there was a small deep cave on the mountain wall leading to Pavel Cemetery. When it was still a mine, it was a ventilation shaft. Now, through this passage, Rod could easily reach Pavel Cemetery, saving nearly half the journey.

After turning the corner, the howling cold wind grew stronger.

"This is it."

Looking at the deep cave entrance nearby, which was over two meters wide, Rod nodded. He walked to the entrance and looked down, but it was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything.

"Wait, kid, what are you planning? You mean to jump into this cave?"

"Exactly, it's a ventilation shaft connecting to the mine. By going through here, we can cut our travel time in half."

"Are you kidding me!"

Hearing this, Old Walker complained.

"How do you know this leads to the mine? And what if those damn monsters are waiting for us down there? Besides, how will we get out after we deal with that necromancer?"

"Really foolish."

Rod didn't respond to Old Walker, but Marin clearly didn't agree with the old mercenary's thoughts.

"Don't you know the master-servant relationship between undead creatures and necromancers? They can only maintain their form with the energy given by the necromancer. Once we eliminate the necromancer, the undead creatures will revert to harmless corpses. If you don't know this, are you really a mercenary?"

"I'm a mercenary, not a mage."

After being lightly mocked by Marin, Old Walker immediately backed off, saying nothing more, but he grumbled.

"Who knows what strange things you mages think about."

"Strange? You ignorant barbarian..."

"I'll go down first."

Rod decisively cut off the low-level argument.

"Next is Lise, then Marin, and Walker, you go last. I assume you don't need help."

In the dark cave, the howling cold wind blew. Although the cave was about four to five meters deep, with the help of the Soul Bird, Rod landed steadily on the ground.

"Whoosh!"

As soon as he landed, a bright white light flashed from Rod's hand, cutting through the darkness but causing no disturbance. Rod cautiously took a few steps forward, ensuring there was no danger before proceeding. At this moment, the other three followed Rod's lead and jumped down one by one.

Lise and Marin had it relatively easy; for spellcasters, casting a levitation spell wasn't difficult. Old Walker, though not as skilled as the two ladies in casting spells, was a former skilled ranger, and this height wasn't a problem for him.

"Let's go."

Seeing everyone was ready, Rod lowered his voice and walked forward.

In the dilapidated mine, only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the silent darkness. Lise, as usual, acted as the "lighthouse," summoning a holy light to illuminate the path. Following Rod's instructions, Marin walked beside Lise, ready to block any unexpected situations. Old Walker followed last, a dangerous but important position. If enemies attacked from behind, it would be very dangerous. An experienced person was needed to protect their rear, and neither Lise nor Marin could handle this task, so it was left to Old Walker.

Rocks rolled.

Under the holy light, abandoned, rusted tools and mine carts were visible everywhere. The pillars supporting the mine were corroded and rotten, and spider webs hung densely in the corners, swaying in the breeze. An ominous atmosphere slowly emerged, spreading through the air.

The smell of death.

"Lise."

At the end of the mine, looking at the empty mining field, Rod gestured. Sensing his signal, Lise slowed her pace and cast a Guardian Shield on all four of them. Old Walker, who had been indifferent, now drew his short sword and dagger, his eyes alert, crouching and listening intently. Although the old mercenary had been complaining all the way, he now showed his other side.

Only Marin didn't react immediately, but after seeing the others' actions, she instinctively gripped her staff. Unlike Old Walker, Marin focused on Rod, as she had to follow his orders, even if enemies were right in front of her. Although this condition was strict, after a previous failure, Marin wasn't as resistant to it.

One step, two steps, three steps.

"Crack!"

As they entered the mining field, withered arms suddenly emerged from the ground, reaching out towards them.

Faced with this sudden attack, the well-prepared Rod immediately swung his sword, a brilliant sword beam cutting through the darkness with a sharp whistle. The arms were severed like straw, and countless "limbs" flew through the air. At the same time, the ground cracked, and black, stiff, and shriveled corpses slowly crawled out.

"Marin, Ring of Ice!"

"Huh? Oh, okay!"

Following Rod's command, Marin hesitated for a moment, then raised her staff and struck the ground.

"Caiky!" (Frost)

With this incantation, a white frost carpet instantly spread from the staff, the temperature dropping sharply. Ice crystals appeared in the air, and the undead creatures' movements froze, slowing down. At this moment, Rod's sword burst into a hot, bright flame.

"Roar...!!"

In the blazing fire, the black hound reappeared, growling at the enemies. On Rod's command, it pounced, its fiery form attacking the frozen undead creatures, tearing them apart with its sharp teeth and claws.

"Thunderstorm!"

Hearing Rod's command, Marin raised her right hand, and soon a brilliant lightning bolt erupted from her fingers, striking the zombies. In an instant, a series of low rumbles and shockwaves sent the already unstable undead creatures flying, clearing a large area.

"This is..."

Staring at the scene, Marin gasped in disbelief. Although she knew her spells were powerful, she never expected to defeat so many undead creatures in one go! What was even more surprising was that the two spells she cast were common low-level spells, which, while not requiring long incantations, shouldn't have been this powerful. Moreover, what amazed Marin the most was... how smooth her attacks were?

Smooth spell casting speed is a highly valued skill among spellcasters. For mages, casting speed, power, and technique are all essential. If they can cast faster, they can control the rhythm and gain an advantage. However, this isn't easy, as mages learn hundreds of different spells, and finding a smooth attack rhythm and the best spell combinations isn't simple. Most mages believe that only by delving deep into the Soul Ring and mastering higher levels can they achieve smoother and faster spell casting.

But this time, Rod's command completely exceeded Marin's expectations.

Who is he?

Thinking about this, Marin couldn't help but glance back at Rod. While she understood spells deeply, being able to choose the fastest and most powerful spell combination in the heat of battle was not something everyone could do.

Is this man also a mage?

If Rod heard Marin's thoughts, he would have been exasperated. He had no idea how difficult and troublesome it was to learn magic in this world. He ordered Marin to do this because, in the game, players often used a few common large-scale AOE spell combinations. He didn't care about the principles behind the spell combinations.

The battle ended within five minutes.

The undead creatures, frozen by the ice, didn't have a chance to show their presence or threat before being completely destroyed. Moments later, the ice-covered ground was left with only incomplete corpses. After alerting the surroundings and confirming there was no immediate threat, Rod sheathed his sword and gestured to the group.

"Clean up the battlefield."

Seeing Rod's gesture, Lise and Old Walker nodded and immediately scattered. Marin, however, hesitated, not understanding Rod's meaning.

"Clean up the battlefield?"

"Exactly."

Rod walked to a corpse that had been completely torn apart, leaving only bones and fragments, and began searching.

"Check these corpses for anything valuable and bring it to me."

"Corpses, corpses!!"

Hearing this, Marin's face turned strange.