Chapter 5

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When the sun had risen and set more than a hundred times, Shu found a hunting ground.

He discovered it by chance, and it was also an ideal place to hide.

(Who would have thought that a communal cemetery would be the most suitable place...)

Shu thought to himself as he looked around.

There were countless tombstones lined up, each with a name inscribed. Given the size of the city, the cemetery had to be enormous. The number of tombstones was beyond counting.

He found this place while floating around the outskirts of the city. He decided to use it as a hunting ground because there were undead monsters there.

Out of curiosity, he visited the cemetery at night, and sure enough, there were undead monsters.

(Well then, let's hunt some undead today.)

To his delight, after hunting a few undead, Shu evolved. His new race was a Wraith. The most noticeable change was that the tattered black cloth he wore became clean.

Internally, his magic power had increased significantly, several times more than when he was a High Spirit. Now, he could use basic magic dozens of times.

With the goal of evolving further, Shu started hunting undead again that day.

(I've found them. A few Skeletons and Skeleton Soldiers. I'll start with them.)

Shu floated in the air, sneaking up on them and using magic without hesitation. By absorbing magic power from the moving skeletons with 'Life Drain,' they all ran out of strength within a few minutes. The Skeletons and Skeleton Soldiers fell and became motionless bones.

Since Skeleton Soldiers were low-level monsters, Shu could absorb a decent amount of magic power from them. However, as a Wraith, which was a mid-level race, the amount wasn't much.

(These aren't enough. I need Skeleton Knights, Skeleton Mages, or Greater Ghouls for efficiency.)

Skeleton Knights, Skeleton Mages, and Greater Ghouls were mid-level monsters. Since they were on the same level as Shu, the amount of magic power he could absorb from them was considerable.

However, they were very rare, and he had only encountered one of each after hunting for several weeks, day and night. Most monsters were low-level or hybrid-level, so mid-level monsters were quite rare.

Compared to the Dark Forest, the efficiency of accumulating magic power was much higher here.

By absorbing three mid-level monsters, he gained a significant amount of magic power.

(The cemetery is vast. Let's take our time.)

Undead monsters, also known as the Undead, often appeared in cemeteries and battlefields. However, monsters were born from condensed magic power, not from corpses turning into undead.

When a monster was defeated, its body remained for a while before dissipating into mist over several hours to days.

Shu, being a spirit-type monster, dissipated immediately when defeated, but in any case, monsters were not made of ordinary matter.

Thus, the undead in the cemetery were often left alone.

Moreover, undead monsters were weak to sunlight.

They didn't appear during the day, so there was no risk of human casualties. Occasionally, magic knights were dispatched to prevent the undead from overpopulating, but at night, it was a monster's paradise.

That's why Shu chose this place as his hunting ground.

(There, the next prey.)

The Wraith floating in the cemetery continued to hunt prey that day.

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The sun had risen and set more than a hundred times again.

It was a late night with a large crescent moon.

A Wraith was battling a Skeleton Mage. The Skeleton Mage could use magic, launching small fireballs.

Magic attacks were effective against spirit-type monsters.

Normally, they would have to be avoided.

However, Shu Arkwright, the Wraith, didn't dodge. Instead, he deployed an acceleration magic array.

(Insert heat and kinetic energy values, convert kinetic energy to negative, and execute.)

The fireball was reflected by the acceleration magic array and headed back towards the Skeleton Mage. The slow-moving Skeleton Mage couldn't avoid it and was hit.

However, undead monsters were tough.

They didn't feel pain and continued moving even if their bodies were damaged.

The Skeleton Mage tried to cast another spell.

But Shu, knowing the characteristics of undead monsters, quickly drew a gravity magic array and targeted the Skeleton Mage.

(I've won.)

The Skeleton Mage was crushed, and Shu was confident of his victory. At the same time, a considerable amount of magic power flowed into him. It seemed he had also absorbed the magic power.

Then, he noticed a change within himself, perhaps because the accumulated magic power had reached a certain level.

(I've evolved. The new race is... a Nightmare Wraith. But the increase in magic power is small.)

He could vaguely understand that his magic control, spirit body movement speed, and the performance of 'Life Drain' had improved. However, the increase in magic power was minimal, about 1.2 times that of a Wraith.

(This is more like a version upgrade than an evolution. It seems I'm still at the mid-level.)

Shu learned for the first time that evolution didn't always result in a significant increase. When he evolved from a low-level to a mid-level, his magic power increased significantly and he became stronger. However, when he evolved within the same mid-level, the increase in magic power was small, and the power-up was subtle.

However, he hadn't become weaker.

Thanks to the improved magic control, he could now sense magic power to some extent.

(This is convenient. Is this magic perception?)

He had been puzzled about how to use it, but it seemed he just lacked the magic control. Perhaps his desire for magic perception led to this evolution.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

It was like he had gained a new sensory organ in addition to his eyes, ears, and nose. He could vaguely sense beings with magic power, though not clearly and with a limited range. However, it was undoubtedly useful.

(But, my appearance hasn't changed much.)

He still had black hair, black eyes, and a semi-transparent form, wearing a loincloth and a black cloth. His appearance remained the same even after evolving into a Nightmare Wraith.

Of course, such a minor change was insignificant to Shu.

(Well, since my magic control has improved, I'll try practicing the spell I've been thinking about. I can't spam it, though.)

Currently, Shu lacked a decisive attack. Neither magic nor spells could guarantee a one-hit kill, so he wanted a trump card.

He had thought about the mechanism before, but the magic control was too difficult, so he had given up.

Using basic magic in a single shot was manageable, but combining them gradually made control difficult. The more extensive and precise the effect, the harder it became.

However, evolving into a Nightmare Wraith opened up new possibilities.

Now, it was just a matter of practice.

(I need to memorize the magic array and be able to deploy it instantly.)

In the communal cemetery where only undead wandered, Shu began his practice that day.

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The Kingdom of Ramza was a small country.

Located in the fertile region of southeastern Slada Continent, it was known for its agriculture, but its national power was low. This was because it had few magic knights. So, why did the small Kingdom of Ramza, which possessed fertile land, manage to survive?

It was because it was a vassal state of the Holy Grinia.

The religion of the Magic God was powerful, and the Holy Grinia, including its vassal states, had churches everywhere. The Magic God religion, which worshiped the Magic God El Magia as the only god, had no evil connotations. On the contrary, it advocated purity and integrity.

The Magic God religion considered monsters a threat to humanity, and church-affiliated magic knights regularly exterminated them. These magic knights, distinct from military-affiliated magic knights, were called Holy Knights and were popular among the people.

Of course, there were Holy Knights stationed at the church in the capital of the Kingdom of Ramza.

One of them, Zek Barat, had been summoned by the bishop who oversaw the church.

"I've been waiting for you, Holy Knight Zek."

"Yes, Your Excellency. What is the matter today? Has a powerful monster appeared again?"

"Take it easy. Please, have a seat first."

The bishop had Zek sit in a prepared chair and then sat opposite him.

Without further ado, he got to the point.

"Actually, something strange is happening in the capital's communal cemetery."

"Strange... a sudden increase in undead monsters?"

"No, quite the opposite. They are rapidly decreasing."

"Decreasing?"

Zek tilted his head.

He thought it was a good thing.

However, the bishop shook his head and continued.

"While this alone might not be a problem, the Holy Princess of Grinia has made a prophecy. She foretold that a disaster would arise in this land. It might be related to the unique individual discovered in the Dark Forest a few months ago, who could use great magic. The magic array itself didn't activate, but it would have been a threat if it had."

"That incident... is it true?"

"There's no doubt. The prophecy was received three days ago, and we were asked to investigate. There's no specific information, so we've been focusing on areas where anomalies have occurred—"

"And that's how we discovered the anomaly in the communal cemetery."

"Exactly."

The Holy Princess of Grinia used a magic device for future prediction. This prophecy allowed them to detect crises and eliminate powerful monsters early.

"The communal cemetery is vast. Please lead a squad and head there tonight."

"Understood. Holy Knight Zek Barat will carry out the mission."

A Rank A magic knight and Holy Knight, Zek Barat, set out.

A threat was approaching Shu, who had evolved into a Nightmare Wraith.