Ordinary people needed to use the mana inside their bodies to push back the invading poison, but to do that, their mana level had to reach that of a Warlord or a Fighter-level, otherwise, without prior preparation, it was very easy to be infected. Exitus was not afraid of poison, nor of mind control. After all, after defeating Medusa, the Ability he received was “Immunity to Mental Control.”
Looking at the shining page in Madenes’s Book, Exitus smiled. He was the natural counter to mages or warriors with control-type Abilities.
“Medusa”
Monster Biography: Born and raised deep within the Emerald Mountains, the serpents survived by devouring small animals and absorbing natural mana. Their shiny green, sparkling skin made them prized targets for humans. Each serpent was slaughtered in its own blood, its skin torn apart, its flesh roasted over red flames. Their venom became nothing more than a toy for those bold enough to risk their lives. As time passed, their numbers dwindled, and it was believed they would soon vanish entirely, becoming a species remembered only by the past. But fate intervened. A strange individual was born. It possessed eyes of breathtaking beauty, shimmering like diamonds. Those eyes enchanted any hunter who met them, trapping the victim in an illusion, an illusion that drove men into endless desire. Until the venom reached their hearts, and they never woke again.
“There was never a beautiful woman, only illusion. I thought of hundreds of ways to dissect that monster, but they were all useless rumors.A waste of my time.” - Madenes
Ability of the Page: “Immunity to Mental Control.”
"Immunity to Mental Control: Immune to all methods of mind control"
A mad soldier appeared in front of Exitus. He dragged himself on his crippled legs, with almost no flesh left, opening his bloody, fishy mouth as he rushed toward the boy. Exitus didn’t even glance at him. One finger moved through the air. "Slash" The soldier’s head flew up, forming a perfect arc.
“One soul in my hand,” Exitus whispered.
In the most intense fighting area, Doc wore a respirator mask. The cold-faced doctor stamped the head of a nearby soldier into the ground; his weapons were strange syringes filled with deadly toxins, a single wound from them could kill the victim. Doc laughed loudly as he threw syringes at the stubborn soldiers still trying to hold out. The needles flew like arrows, plunging straight into the hands and legs where their sturdy shields could not protect.
“AAAAA!” the soldiers screamed miserably; the venom from the wounds gradually spread, corroding their flesh.
At that moment, a silver light flashed, severing a rotting arm. Magus stood there, cold, the royal Battle King looking grimly toward the enemy they faced. Horrifyingly, with just one man the elite royal guard at this post had already fallen by more than half.
“This is a genocidal toxin; if this spreads and is released into ordinary villages, the consequences would be catastrophic,” Magus thought to himself.
Its destructive power was not as great as Dark Despair, a Warlord could easily stop it, but if used against weaker soldiers, this weapon would be a disaster. Magus stared at Doc with murderous intent; today that man must die, even if he had to sacrifice his own old life.
Unlike Doc’s aggressiveness, Bone seemed quieter, standing there like a shadow, calmly observing the situation. From beginning to end he had not acted; the cloak that covered his body prevented anyone from knowing what he was thinking. Suddenly, the mage appeared to notice something. He looked into the distance and saw a small figure, a boy with cold eyes swinging his tiny hands; with each sweep, a poisoned soldier fell. The boy trod over piles of corpses as he advanced toward them.
“Is that… a kid?” the mage’s voice rumbled.
“What?” Doc noticed his companion’s strange expression and turned to look at Exitus with astonished eyes. The doctor could tell that Exitus was breathing normally; the boy had taken no precautions against the toxin. The kid is not infected, Doc thought. This was a toxin he himself had to guard against with a mask, and Bone did not need one because Doc knew Bone could not be poisoned.
“A perfect experimental specimen,” Doc laughed wildly.
The enemy’s offensive seemed to slow, not stop entirely but clearly distracted by someone. Magus sensed his moment. The Battle King burst out of the defensive formation and launched a relentless assault on Doc. Each swing of his axe was fast and brutal, forcing the doctor onto the defensive.
Doc roared with fury as Magus’s sudden strike tore into him. His body was slashed in multiple places, blood pouring freely, his left arm hanging on the verge of being severed.
“Damn it!,” Doc cursed while focusing on evasion. Strangely, Bone remained motionless, seemingly with no intention of aiding his companion.
Magus did not underestimate his enemy. As he entered the fray he activated his Ability; his muscles swelled and veins stood out red across his skin. His Ability was “Rage,” strength amplified by his own fury. An Ability was what a Battle King’s body awakened, usually connected to an Ultimate Skill the wielder had realized before. Magus was now filled with extreme rage. Thinking of his comrades falling and becoming warped creatures, the Battle King resolved to kill the bastard before him at all costs.
“Your weapon must never be brought to the battlefield,” Magus thought.
Exitus did not hurry. He had already gathered quite a few souls; the requirement for Vorshade to advance to Fighter was simple. It only needed ten souls.
“Skeleton Guard”
“Skeleton Guard: power equivalent to a Fighter, no special Ability (Collect 10 living souls to evolve) (36/10)”
“Evolve,” Exitus ordered silently.
The characters on the page began to change; new content gradually formed.
“Skeleton Fighter”
“Skeleton Fighter: power equivalent to a Warrior, no special Ability (Collect 100 living souls to evolve) (26/100)”
“Oh! To reach the rank of Warlord needs 100 souls! By that calculation to become a Battle King needs 1,000 souls, to reach Emperor rank needs over 10,000 souls.”
Exitus clicked his tongue. Souls were not so easy to collect; if a body had been dead too long, the soul would dissipate from the world. That was why, despite so many soldiers dying, he had only obtained thirty-six souls. Exitus felt a sudden anticipation for the coming war. He hoped Vorshade’s evolution would bring him a pleasant surprise.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
A figure in a black cloak suddenly blocked his path. Exitus sensed a familiarity in the opponent’s aura, a cold, withered mana, yet terrifyingly powerful.
“Huh! I did not expect a Lich to appear here,” Exitus found it difficult to say; a Lich was not too frightening, but this place overflowed with corpses, a favorable condition for creatures of death.
“It is truly unexpected that I, Valen, can once again feel the familiar magical energy of His Excellency.”
The Lich spoke with fervor. He was not surprised that Exitus had recognized his identity; on the contrary, it was obvious to him. After all, the person before him could be the heir of Madenes. The Lich suddenly knelt and paid homage.
“Hail, master of the Undead. I am Valen, your loyal servant.”
“Huh, what did you say?” Exitus frowned. “How can you be certain of that?”
“It cannot be mistaken. I felt the pure nightmare energy within you. As an undead of supreme intellect, I cannot forget the energy tremor of the one who enlightened the Undead.”
Exitus tried to remain calm. The era of Madenes had long since ended, and now anything related to him was being ruthlessly hunted by the Alliance. To avoid unnecessary exposure, Exitus had never used any Abilities containing nightmare energy. However, that was apparently not enough, some individuals still had means to recognize his identity.
“How could you recognize me? I once met a Lich in the Valley of Death and he did not seem to notice.”
“Kathas? He has pledged his loyalty to another lord, honored master. That is why his bond to his former lord is severed. But I am different. I, Valen, have never accepted an impostor. Now that Madenes’s heir has appeared, I, Valen, your humble servant, once again serve the true new master of the Undead.”
Valen swore the oath. A quantity of nightmare energy flowed from his body into Exitus, specifically into Madenes’s book. Exitus now felt a deep connection with Valen; he seemed able to control Valen’s life and death with a single thought. Exitus truly did not want to associate too early with Madenes’s remnants. Hesmor was a kingdom of the Alliance and would certainly have The Overseer. He did not want to be hunted across the continent of Veynar while his power was still too weak.
“What is your power level?” Exitus asked, curious.
“I am a Sorcerer King, master,”
“What?” Exitus suddenly broke into a cold sweat. He was extremely fortunate; if Valen had been an enemy, he might have died.
“We will have much to speak about, Valen! But right now, I must eliminate all of Mulock’s pirates.”
“That is very simple for me, my lord! Allow me to do it,” Valen said confidently.
“Hm? No need for that. I don’t want the Heroes of this continent hunting me down,” Exitus clicked his tongue.
“You only need to restrain them! I will personally kill each one.”
“As you command, master!”
Valen rose. A terrible wave of Will surged from the Lich’s body; it spread like an invisible tide across the battlefield and ultimately formed a barrier sealing the entire Lumina Palace from the outside. Valen hovered in midair, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.
“Master, enjoy yourself. From this moment, this Lumina Palace allow no entry and no exit.” Valen spoke with absolute certainty.
Doc stared in horror at the figure floating in midair. So all this time, they had been living alongside such a terrifying existence. His "Will” strong enough to form a barrier and allow to fly. There was no doubt this was the ability of a Sorcerer King. But setting that aside, what truly mattered now was the raging Battle King, Magus, who was attacking him like a mad dog.
“What the hell is wrong with this guy? It’s not like I stole his wife! Why is he biting at me nonstop!?”
Doc cursed under his breath. He didn’t want to play his hidden card too soon but if he didn’t use it now, there would be no next time. Resolving himself, the doctor stopped dodging and kicked hard into Magus’s abdomen, sending him flying backward. The cost of this was high. Magus’s axe sliced clean through his left arm from the shoulder.
“AAAAAARGH!” Doc screamed in agony.
His face twisted and flushed red from pain. From his coat pocket he pulled out a strange purple syringe and plunged it into his body, letting the viscous liquid surge through his veins toward his heart. “Hngh!” His body began to expand rapidly, muscles swelling and tearing through his white coat. The once-skinny man rose into a towering purple beast over three meters tall. From the severed wound, flesh writhed and crawled, regenerating bone, muscle, and veins until a new arm fully formed.
“GRAAAAH!”
Doc had lost all sanity. Roaring like a wild beast, he grabbed a nearby soldier and tore him apart barehanded. Everything within his sight became a target and not for long, his focus locked onto the royal Battle King, Magus. With terrifying speed, the monster lunged, grabbed Magus, and bit off his left arm.
Magus reeled from the pain, swinging his axe with a roar, cleaving deep into Doc’s neck. Blood gushed like a fountain, but the monster didn’t care. The wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Doc flung Magus aside like a ragdoll, turning his gaze toward Exitus nearby. Instinct screamed that the child before him was a threat to his very existence.
“What… what is that thing!?”
Magus crawled out from the rubble, trembling. His rage was quickly replaced by fear. The scene was grotesque, he was shrinking back while the enemy grew monstrous.
“What’s wrong, old man? Afraid already?” Exitus sneered.
“I… I’m not afraid!” Magus’s voice cracked. He was terrified. How could he not be? A monster with superhuman strength and regeneration, practically unkillable.
“Trading intelligence for power. How foolish,” Exitus muttered calmly as he analyzed Doc. Despite his words, he couldn’t help but admire the doctor. A mere human had turned himself into something this strong not through mana refinement, but through countless self-modifications with drugs. Doc’s body was so durable and agile it could stand against the relentless assault of a Battle King. And now, though mindless, his raw strength alone surpassed nearly every Battle King alive.
"There are a few ways to handle this thing. First, avoid it. The drug must have a time limit, so wait it out. Second, cut off its air. Watch its chest, it is still breathing. Encasing its head in a water sphere will finish it. However…" Exitus thought.
Boom!
Exitus closed the distance in an instant, delivering a thunderous punch to Doc’s face. The blow sent the monster flying, its head snapping violently to the side. Flexing his knuckles, the boy felt the satisfying jolt of flesh meeting flesh. Not bad. Though he preferred using his mind, when the power gap was this wide, schemes were unnecessary.
Mana surged into his arm. As the monster scrambled to its feet, Exitus dashed forward like lightning, driving his hand deep into its chest and tore out a throbbing, purple heart. Coldly, he crushed it in his palm like soft tofu. In that instant, the monster collapsed, steam hissing from its body as it shriveled back to its human form. Doc lay motionless. The doctor was dead beyond doubt.
From afar, Magus watched the boy’s small back in awe. "So strong" with just two strikes, the “invincible” beast had fallen. As the smoke cleared, Exitus stared quietly at the corpse for a while before murmuring:
“You’re a talent, truly. I can’t let your story end here.”
A drifting soul emerged from Doc’s body and flew into Exitus, merging with him. This soul was special, not a consumable for Vorshade’s evolution, but one to be stored within a separate page, an Elite Monster Page he had obtained from the fourth floor.
“Soul Taker”
"Monster Biography: When night descends and the final light fades, the Guides appear leading lost souls back to where they truly belong. These Guides are known by many names: in some places, they are called Ferrymen; in others, Reapers; and elsewhere, Soul Keepers. They hold dominion over the path to the Netherworld and serve as the devout apostles of Vel’Haen, the Ancient God of Souls and Death. Vel’Haen granted them existence once more along with a pact. None know what that pact truly entails, but those who accept it become Guides, beings whose sole purpose is to maintain the balance of souls across the continent of Veynar.
Among them, however, some defied the pact of Vel’Haen. They discovered that by devouring lost souls, they could grow stronger, their power and hunger ever increasing. Their ambition swelled, daring even to surpass Vel’Haen himself. These corrupted Guides consumed the very souls they were meant to lead, transforming into what the world now calls Soul Takers.
“Among all the Ancient Gods that ever existed, Vel’Haen was always one of the most powerful, one of the earliest creations of The Abstract Ones. He inspired me greatly in the creation of the Undead. And when the Undead were acknowledged by The Abstract Ones themselves, a portion of Vel’Haen's power became mine.” - Madenes
"Page Ability: Soul Storage"
"Soul Storage: Souls stored within retain their essence and memories and may one day be reborn in a new form. (1/10)"
Exitus felt that it would not be long before he became the enemy of the entire continent. A merciless war was inevitable, and Doc would play no small role in what was to come.