Chapter Ten: The First Glimpse of Necromancy

Unexpected! Not only Xie Zhan, but even Xu Wen hadn’t anticipated that his first observation battle would take such a turn. Xie Zhan had actually mistaken his target, attacking a fully healthy Stench Wolf, thinking it was the one he had previously injured. This mistake had thrown them into grave danger. It seemed there would be no peaceful chance to observe Xie Zhan’s fight against the Stench Wolves after all.

From the earlier fight, it was already clear that Xie Zhan had been giving his all just to contend with a single Stench Wolf. He had to rely on tricks to inflict minor wounds and barely hold his ground. Now, with two Stench Wolves present—one only suffering minor burns and now thoroughly enraged, the other, though seriously wounded, still aggressive and dangerously close—Xie Zhan simply didn’t have the strength to face them both alone. Worse yet, Xu Wen had noticed that Xie Zhan’s shield arm had taken a hidden injury in the first collision.

“Run! I’ll cover you!” Xie Zhan shouted urgently over his shoulder as the first Stench Wolf snuffed out its flames. He began to retreat, reaching for the pouch at his waist, unaware that Xu Wen had already emerged from behind the tree and was dashing toward him, abandoning his shield.

“Idiot,” Xu Wen frowned inwardly, though a faint warmth stirred in his heart. Xie Zhan, for all his outward coldness, was a soft-hearted fellow deep down. Unfortunately, what he really needed right now was to chant his spell, not waste precious breath talking; speaking would only worsen his predicament.

As expected, before he could finish, the Stench Wolf Xu Wen had struck back with the Flaming Blade had already lunged forward again. Although its movements weren’t as nimble as the first one’s, its magic was still just as swift, and the Flaming Blade had barely harmed it.

Xie Zhan quickly adjusted his shield, just in time for a glob of dark, viscous liquid to thump against the blazing magical barrier, its red glow flaring up before rapidly dimming. He had no chance to counterattack—the first Stench Wolf, heedless of its burns, charged with a roar, leaping at Xie Zhan. He rolled aside just in time, hurling a handful of white powder into the air. But this time, he couldn’t ignite the fire phosphorus powder instantly with magic.

The charging Stench Wolf seized upon this lapse, closing the ten-meter gap in a flash and ramming into Xie Zhan before he could defend himself.

Bang!

Xie Zhan was a fire mage, not a warrior. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t dodge two attacks in rapid succession. As the Stench Wolf barreled toward him, he barely managed to lift his aching left arm in defense before a tremendous force smashed into him, sending him tumbling.

It was over! His spell was forcibly interrupted, the two Stench Wolves now dangerously close. Fear finally flickered in Xie Zhan’s eyes; his equipment could never withstand the attacks of two magical beasts at such close range.

At that critical instant, a boot stepped into Xie Zhan’s line of sight. Xu Wen, who should have fled, appeared before him, a blade of fire already surging from his right hand, shooting forward like a streaking saber.

The fire phosphorus powder ignited as the Flaming Blade struck, erupting into a massive fireball between the two Stench Wolves.

Boom!

Flames exploded in all directions! The shockwave, centered on the fire phosphorus powder, blasted outward, catching both Stench Wolves off guard and hurling them back with anguished howls. Even Xu Wen himself was nearly caught in the backlash.

“Why haven’t you left yet?!” Xie Zhan, clutching his arm, rolled nimbly back to Xu Wen’s side, snapping at him. Yet his hands didn’t stop moving—he snatched another handful of white powder from his pouch. Fine grains trickled between his fingers: more fire phosphorus. Without this instantly ignitable and highly explosive powder, it would be nearly impossible for a low-ranked two-star fire mage to fight a high-ranked one-star magical beast alone.

Xu Wen didn’t answer. The situation was too dangerous for conversation; any delay in spellcasting could be fatal.

The two Stench Wolves, stunned by Xu Wen’s unexpected intervention, hesitated. The first one had suffered much heavier injuries—while the initial burst of fire phosphorus had seemed terrifying, it had only scorched its fur. The second time, however, with its pelt already burned away, the powder seared directly into its flesh, leaving gruesome, charred marks.

The other Stench Wolf fared even worse; it had suffered two consecutive losses at Xu Wen’s hands before ever reaching Xie Zhan. Whimpering, it scrambled up but dared not attack again right away.

Even so, Xu Wen dared not drop his guard. The Stench Wolves had grown wise, realizing the fire phosphorus could only be used in close combat. They abandoned melee, spreading out to the left and right, gathering magic at a distance.

“Damn!” Xu Wen had no intention of testing his luck; who knew how many hits his clothes could withstand? He quickly pulled his shield from the storage bag, blocking the incoming spells, then flicked his hand—five fireballs shot out, sealing off all escape routes for the Stench Wolves.

Noticing their avenues of retreat were blocked from every side, the Stench Wolves froze in confusion. Xu Wen seized the moment, and all five fireballs closed in mercilessly.

Direct hits!

Xie Zhan, who had been fighting steadily against the first Stench Wolf, brightened. Only moments before, he’d doubted Xu Wen’s battle experience; now, witnessing his smooth spell transitions—from Flame Hand to Flaming Blade, the precise control of chained fireballs, and his keen grasp of timing—Xie Zhan realized Xu Wen’s abilities were anything but rigid. He didn’t seem like someone fighting with magic for the first time; his calm and seamless control would put even a two-star mage like Xie Zhan to shame.

“Counterattack!” Xu Wen, unconcerned with Xie Zhan’s thoughts, saw fear and hesitation flicker in the eyes of the Stench Wolf he faced after his successful attack. He gave a low shout.

The two men retreated in tandem, backs touching briefly before splitting off toward their respective foes with perfect coordination.

Xu Wen’s opponent was the one Xie Zhan had heavily wounded earlier. Its movement was slower than the first; after battering Xu Wen’s shield into two dents, it had paid dearly, taking two chained fireballs—one of which crippled its hind leg, making its movements awkward and slow.

Seeing Xu Wen advancing, the Stench Wolf finally lost its will to fight. With a mournful yelp, it turned and ran.

“Trying to flee?”

Xu Wen was close behind. With the Stench Wolf gravely injured, he was now faster and had no intention of letting it escape.

“Don’t chase it!” Xie Zhan’s anxious cry came from behind.

Xu Wen understood that, given the Stench Wolf’s resilience, it could still withstand a couple more magical attacks. Xie Zhan was concerned for his safety, fearing he might overextend or drop his guard. But with the battle at this stage, how could he let this half-dead beast escape again? Besides, the magical core and the body of a high-ranked one-star beast were treasures for him—such an opportunity couldn’t be wasted.

Moreover, Xie Zhan could handle a single Stench Wolf alone without danger, though it would take him some time to finish the fight. That gave Xu Wen the perfect chance to do something he would never dare attempt in ordinary circumstances.

Within the time it took to cast a spell, Xie Zhan had already vanished from Xu Wen’s sight. Without hesitation, Xu Wen summoned a barrage of fireballs, blasting the fleeing Stench Wolf to the ground. He followed up with a Flaming Blade, half-severing its head. Only when he was sure it couldn’t move did he dart forward.

The Stench Wolf’s body, still emanating the scent of scorched meat, lay lifeless among the fallen leaves.

Xu Wen spared it only a glance, put away his shield, and crouched down. At last, the elite short sword he’d received outside the Blackwater Mountains came into use.

Following the instructions Xie Zhan had taught him earlier, Xu Wen opened up the beast, extracting a dark crystal about the size of a fingertip—the magic core.

Smiling slightly, he quickly sliced several chunks of meat from the Stench Wolf’s haunch, and tucked both meat and core into his pack.

He looked around. The sounds of battle still echoed in the distance. Composing himself, he turned to the corpse and began to mutter a string of incantations—words that had nearly cost him his life when he first entered this world.

A deep, obscure chant filled the air.

A chill wind swept through the forest, the temperature dropping sharply.

Suddenly, the lifeless Stench Wolf corpse jerked.

Even the most uninitiated commoner, witnessing this scene, would know what was happening—

Eerie green flames sprang up from the Stench Wolf’s body. Strangely, the flames gave off no heat; instead, they radiated a bone-deep chill. Yet, for all their coldness, the flames burning on the corpse seemed to consume it more quickly than any explosive fire. Flesh melted away at a visible rate.

In the end, only an intact skeleton remained. Like a marionette with invisible strings, it slowly rose and stood before Xu Wen.