Before long, Lu Ran was escorted by Black Feather to a room within a secluded courtyard at the City Lord’s Mansion. After settling Lu Ran in, the necromancer, Black Feather, hastily left, informing Lu Ran that she could be found next door if needed.
“What’s with her? Is she socially anxious?” Lu Ran noted Black Feather’s overly cautious demeanor and was rendered speechless.
Fuck, it’s already something that I dared to come to the Undead Faction. And yet, you’re the ones afraid of me?
He shook his head in exasperation.
What kind of world is this?
In truth, Lu Ran had a solid reason for venturing into the Undead Faction. In most ascension missions involving faction conflicts, once a faction was chosen, the participant was typically bound to that faction unless they actively attempted to sabotage it. This meant that intra-faction betrayal was rare during the mission.
Limitless City ensured each participant was assigned a proper identity, much like how Lu Ran and the others were previously given roles as inn apprentices. Moreover, the success of faction conflict tasks often hinged on the strength of the participants themselves.
In other words, participants were positioned as high-level forces capable of influencing the conflict’s outcome. Otherwise, the mission would lose its purpose. The outcome of these faction clashes was primarily determined by the participants and not the NPCs.
Thus, whether it was the imperial army or the Cult of Death occupying Ming An City, neither side was likely to have overwhelming strength that participants couldn’t contend with.
If Lu Ran initially had concerns, they were dispelled after his conversation with the missionary, Gao Li. Gao Li held a minor position. He was just a missionary incapable of contacting superiors directly and limited to waiting passively for instructions.
Such a position wouldn’t belong to a powerhouse. Additionally, Gao Li’s mention of one month until further contact indicated that no high-ranking forces were nearby.
Lu Ran deduced that the group who chose the Empire Faction was likely in a similar situation, assigned to a small contingent with no notable experts. While the official faction might offer a marginally better situation, it wouldn’t be by much.
“As long as no level 3 beastmasters appear on the opposing side, completing the mission shouldn’t be an issue,” Lu Ran analyzed in the courtyard.
All participants, himself included, were level 1 beastmasters, so the strongest possible Stellar Moon Continent beastmasters in this conflict were likely to be level 2. If a level 3 beastmaster appeared, participants wouldn’t stand a chance, making the mission meaningless.
“Still, to play it safe, I need to strengthen myself as much as possible before the enemy takes action.”
He glanced at the necromancy notes in his hand, sat on a wooden chair in the courtyard, and began flipping through them. After scanning through the contents, Lu Ran’s expression turned into one of realization.
The basic necromancy techniques described in the notes were identical to the skill card he possessed, Undead Resurrection. Both outlined the process of transforming deceased contracted familiars into undead beings.
However, the notes also contained additional content, such as a record of Undead-attribute skills and Gao Li’s training insights on developing such abilities. After skimming through it, Lu Ran concluded that it was of no use to him.
Gao Li was right. While Lu Ran could learn necromancy, it wasn’t as if he could kill off Captain Doofus or Sudden Death King just to transform them into undead beings. Besides, Lu Ran adhered to the philosophy that a complete soul and body represented the pinnacle state of existence.
Thus, if he ever decided to contract an undead familiar, it would only be one that had no choice but to undergo transformation due to an irreparable physical state—a process he intended to undertake with Manager Ying.
It was not his style to forcefully convert healthy beings into undead. However, his earlier conversation with Gao Li introduced him to a surprising concept: Necromancy that allowed both the soul and body to be preserved and strengthened simultaneously.
That was an advanced skill indeed. And upon reflection, it made sense. The spirit and soul were intrinsic aspects of life. Even superior beings without Spirit-type attributes could exert pressure through spiritual force.
Given appropriate techniques, there was no reason the power of the soul couldn’t also be harnessed. Perhaps, compared to spiritual force, the soul was simply more difficult to control when the body remained intact.
I need to get my hands on that advanced necromancy skill...
Lu Ran was deep in thought.
If successful, he was interested in having Dark Crow train in the power of the soul. After all, curses relied on being unexpected and difficult to guard against. Soul curses, being even more elusive than spiritual or physical attacks, could prove invaluable.
If General Dark Crow mastered such skills, he would be a source of dread for both humans and ghosts alike—a master of unparalleled subtlety!
The thought amused Lu Ran, though he knew obtaining such advanced necromancy skills through the Cult of Death would not be easy.
Given Gao Li’s inability to contact headquarters and the one-month time limit on his mission, that route seemed implausible. Even if he acquired the technique, as a non-Stellar Moon Continent native, he couldn’t directly cultivate it.
“What if I went all out during the mission? If I not only eliminated all opposing participants but also single-handedly defeated the imperial army, could I achieve an SSS rating and earn a rare beastmaster skill, like in my first ascension realm?
“Since I have chosen the Undead Faction, the reward might even include an advanced necromancy skill.”
Lu Ran dismissed the thought with a shake of his head.
Attempting to overpower an entire army was an enormous challenge. Moreover, mission rewards were random. Expecting specific items was unrealistic. It was better to temper expectations while remaining open to opportunities. This left him with the option of relying on his own efforts.
“Forget it. Advanced necromancy skills are man-made, after all. Since I already have basic necromancy, why not delve deeper into the mysteries of the soul myself? Even without external rewards, there’s a chance I could develop similar abilities through research.
“Captain Doofus! Sudden Death King!”
Lu Ran relaxed his brow and summoned both Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King. In this ascension realm, aside from the mission, there was nothing particularly urgent. Lu Ran planned to use his free time to research soul power with Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King.
After summoning his two familiars, Lu Ran turned his gaze to the Soul Calming Stone in his hand.
“Sudden Death King, don’t resist.”
He had already tried the stone on Captain Doofus earlier, but nothing happened. According to the missionary Gao Li, this was because Captain Doofus’ spiritual talent and soul strength were exceptional—so strong that mere minerals couldn’t extract its soul.
Additionally, Gao Li had mentioned that spiritual talent correlated with comprehension ability, a concept Lu Ran was hearing for the first time.
Captain Doofus did indeed possess remarkable comprehension. If this theory was correct, Lu Ran reasoned that in the future, any development of advanced Undead-attribute skills might benefit Captain Doofus’ comprehension ability.
As for Sudden Death King...
It looked utterly bewildered as Lu Ran suddenly struck it with the Soul Calming Stone, and in the next moment, its soul was forcibly extracted.
What left Lu Ran dumbfounded was the sight of Sudden Death King’s soul. It wasn’t proportional to its body at all. Instead, it resembled a miniature red-eyed crocodile skink, barely half an arm’s length and shockingly small.
What in hell? Not only did your soul get extracted, but it’s smaller than your physical body?