Humaoid

Flain returned to the base and tossed the sack in front of Itai, filled with seven skeletons and a crystal monster.

"You've got seven skeletons just like the ones you summon and a crystal monster that looks pretty expensive. So, how's necromancy going otherwise?" Flain asked.

"Pretty well. The last skeleton I summoned only took fifty attempts. While you were gone, I managed to do five summoning rounds. I can't kill skeletons myself, so I always command one to kill two, and then I just summon those." Itai said.

"That's actually a pretty solid strategy. Either way, I think it'll take quite a bit longer before you should try summoning stronger skeletons." Flain said while Itai rummaged through the sack.

"This thing is seriously valuable. Good thing you grabbed it." Itai admired the crystal monster's body with gleaming eyes before tossing it into the bag with the items for sale.

"Alright, now we're moving to the cave. We're too exposed here in the valley, and staying here is too dangerous." Flain said.

"Dangerous? Why? Nothing has attacked me even once here. Besides, I have no intention of staying in some cave, let alone sleeping on a stone floor." Itai objected.

"I found a good spot—a hollow in the rock. I can pile up mud there, and you'll sleep in it just like before. Listen, I started a conflict between two powerful Lizard factions out there. If you stay here, you'll probably die and never become the strongest necromancer in the world." Flain said.

Those last words hit Itai hard. "Alright, I'm going." Itai said.

'Hmh, that was fast.' Flain thought, satisfied with his manipulation.

Flain then carried the mud to the spot in the cave he had already marked as a waypoint. Once the "bed" was finished, he moved the barrels of supplies, while Itai's skeleton carried the sack with the items for sale.

There was now a risk that while Flain was away, something could attack and kill Itai. However, in the cave where they had set up their new base, only skeletons appeared. And skeletons only spawned one at a time, so Flain just needed to leave two summoned skeletons for protection. He had already thought this through and kept two rusty swords from the skeletons, which Itai would give to his own skeletons to defend him.

"I'm heading out to hunt again, but this time, I won't be bringing back any more bones or corpses since you probably won't need them for a while." Flain said and left the base.

Flain walked for a while but only encountered a single skeleton, from which he gained 120 EXP. That was expected—he had already killed many skeletons in the dungeon, and even dungeons had their limits. They couldn't keep generating skeletons that fast.

Flain continued and encountered a new type of monster.

It stood around 190 cm tall, humanoid in shape, with glowing purple skin. It had three yellow eyes, and its body was covered in shifting images. A large, sword-like spike protruded from its chest.

CHHHRRK

The monster turned to Flain and let out a raspy sound.

Flain examined the strange humanoid with three yellow eyes and a purple skin that gleamed oddly under the dim cave light. The warming air around it created subtle vibrations, as if the very space surrounding the creature pulsed with energy. The sword-like protrusion on its chest shimmered, shifting in color from deep violet to blood-red.

The humanoid remained still, but its eyes locked directly onto Flain. The brief sound it emitted—a sharp rasp mixed with a deep, reverberating tone—echoed through the cave.

Flain smirked and gripped the hilts of his swords tightly. "Hmh. Let's see what you've got," he muttered and dashed forward.

When he was only a few meters away, the creature finally moved. Its motion was unbelievably fast—far quicker than Flain had expected. In an instant, the humanoid shifted to the side, and the protrusion from its chest shot straight toward Flain.

Flain barely managed to dodge, but the attack still grazed his side.

[-50 HP]

The creature's skin began to ripple, and two additional blade-like limbs slowly extended from its sides. They scraped against the ground with a sharp screech, anchoring themselves. It was a clear signal—the creature was preparing for another strike.

Flain rushed forward again, this time trying to deceive his opponent. He feigned a rightward attack but abruptly changed direction at the last second, striking from the left. His sword cut into the creature, but its purple skin absorbed much of the force.

'Hmh, you've got some tough skin.' Flain made a mental note.

Before he could pull back, one of the bladed limbs slashed across his back.

[-85 HP]

Flain immediately switched to an aggressive approach, launching into rapid attacks, aiming for the creature's weaker spots—its joints and the areas around its eyes. He landed his strikes, but the creature kept regenerating—its skin quickly sealed itself after each hit.

The enemy suddenly crouched low and thrust one of its blade-like limbs forward like a spear. Flain managed to dodge, but the tip sliced past his neck, tearing off a piece of his cloak.

Flain realized he needed a different strategy. Standard attacks weren't working.

He noticed that whenever the creature attacked with its protrusions, its body momentarily opened up slightly to maintain balance. That could be a weak spot.

Flain began provoking the enemy with quick attacks, forcing it to repeatedly lash out with its limbs. After several attempts, the moment came—the creature exposed itself for an instant. Flain lunged forward at full speed and drove both swords straight into the area beneath the protrusion.

This time, the blades sank deep.

The monster locked eyes with Flain, its protrusions thrashing wildly in the air, trying to throw him off. But Flain held firm, his swords still embedded in the softer part of its body.

Suddenly, the creature's skin began to pulse with a red glow.

Flain leapt back just in time as the creature exploded in a small shockwave of energy.

[-65 HP]

Flain landed on his knee, his HP dropping to 10. He was breathing heavily—well, if he were human, not a skeleton...