This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 167

Chapter 167: The Darkening Gem

Matthew's heart surged with battle fervor, yet he maintained a cautious attitude facing the ancient bone dragon.

Margaret's bold fighting style stemmed from her resources, something Matthew knew he lacked.

Especially without employing summons—most of a necromancer's strength came from an endless army of undead.

Sure, he could pile the bone dragon with undead, but that would negate the purpose of real combat training.

Matthew gulped a potion of swiftness, applied some "slick shoes," and steadily approached the bone dragon.

Dealing with a dragon of this size without flight abilities was tricky. Magic carpets and broomsticks weren't suitable for battle, making his own speed crucial.

As he took a few steps forward, a fervent murmur came from behind.

Struggling to stand, a plea for combat surged through the pact, promptly rejected by Matthew.

"Rest up."

"Once you're rested, you'll be the king."

Matthew soothed quietly.

Not far away, a hint of envy flashed in the bone dragon's eyes. Observing Margaret's petite figure in the sky, he knew he couldn't escape today.

A lifetime of timidity.

At the brink of vanishing into obscurity, a fervor for battle finally ignited within him.

"Yes."

"It's time to truly fight for myself!"

"A lifetime of lingering, a lifetime of non-contention, what has it truly earned me?"

"From the day I was born, I've been a waste, and even though the dragon's creed is peace, unless born among the higher undead, I've likely lived enslaved and humiliated."

"But even so, what's the point?"

"I've seen too many kings. They started below me, but some had more talent, some more wisdom, and some more courage."

"I thought simply living long enough would make me a king without contest, yet in the end..."

"A fight is inevitable!"

"Bring it on! Let this soon-to-be dust of history clash with the mages of the lofty Seven Saints Alliance!"

"If I could truly kill him, a few mages would surely feel the sting."

The bone dragon's thoughts echoed unheard, but the fervor within his fiery essence was palpable.

Matthew and the bone dragon locked eyes, each understanding the other's determination.

A delicate standoff ensued, an odd unspoken understanding where neither side moved, both waiting for the other's move.

Time ticked by.

Matthew exhibited remarkable patience.

The bone dragon, even more so.

Meanwhile, Margaret, observing from above, grew increasingly impatient. Seated on her magic carpet, she casually snacked on sunflower seeds she magically procured from somewhere.

Mid-crunch, she couldn't resist interjecting, "If you don't want to risk a counter-attack by initiating, try provoking them with mockery or something."

As she spoke, shells littered the ground, swiftly collected by a skeletal pigeon.

However, Matthew paid no heed to Margaret's taunts. He wasn't idling but observing the bone dragon!

He suspected Margaret had spells like "Arcane Insight," "Weakness Analysis," or "Biographical Profiles," enabling her rapid understanding of an opponent.

As he hadn't invested in such abilities, he relied on observation, perception, and insight to gauge the enemy.

Amid their standoff, data in his interface kept updating—

"Insight (+10): The bone dragon's essence is extremely unstable, nearing the end of an undead's lifespan, its soul fire could extinguish at any moment!"

"Weakness: A disguised trap in the right ribcage; the densely broken bones conceal 'Poisonous Shard Thunder,' posing a threat to attackers, with inner shards boasting an armor value of 13!"

"It's a cunning old one," Matthew mused, glad he resisted acting solely on the potion's effect. Trusting the initial "weakness" might have been costly.

This level of adversary rarely left evident vulnerabilities, he thought.

During this time, Little Fei communicated that the bone dragon was in excellent condition, maybe just too old.

So old that another wait might lead to its natural demise.

"A pity, could have been a useful ally," Matthew thought.

In the next moment, he stepped forward, ready to engage.

The bone dragon's soul fire flickered, fixated on Matthew.

"Your mom said I'm great in bed last night!" Matthew abruptly spoke, awkwardly attempting to taunt, having gleaned it from Rhaegar, as it wasn't his forte.

To his surprise, the bone dragon erupted, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm undead! I clearly have no mother!"

Mid-sentence, he surged with rage, swiftly swooping low towards Matthew!

The bone dragon, usually static, now moved like thunder.

His entire being cloaked in an eerie green glow, he flew faster than Little Fei.

Luckily, Matthew was prepared.

"Portal!" A shimmering gate materialized beside him.

He moved swiftly, stepping through.

The bone dragon, experienced, slowed as Matthew opened the portal, scanning through perception to locate the exit.

Found it! On the northwest side of Ear Valley, on the slope of a tall mountain! Roughly 150 meters away.

Decisively, the bone dragon altered direction, leaping to the mountainside with agility unusual for its size.

Next second, a gleam appeared within the portal.

In triumph, the bone dragon declared, "Predicted it!"

He opened his maw wide.

Smack!

A smelly shoe flew out, landing precisely in his mouth.

"Hmm?"

"Haven't tasted live flesh in a while, why's it taste different?"

A moment's delay in his thought, then realization struck—he'd been played!

Down the hill, the mage leisurely waved at him.

Worse, the shoes on his feet were intact, not his own, likely scavenged from a corpse given the necromancer's identity!

"Do I not deserve your shoes?" The bone dragon fumed.

Swiftly changing course, he darted toward Matthew, this time having learned his lesson.

In the story, Matthew unleashed his long-restrained dragon power when he was about fifty meters away. As the majestic dragon's roar echoed through the valley, the entire mountainous region reverberated with the resounding voice of a quasi-king, expressing the awe and fury of the elder bone dragon.

However, something unacceptable to the elder bone dragon occurred. The opponent, struck directly by his dragon power, behaved as if completely unaffected, even waving at him.

"Another wretched being immune to dragon power!"

The elder bone dragon was a mix of anger and helplessness. In his mind, human mages were the most contemptible creatures in the multiverse. As far as he recalled, there were hardly any mages who couldn't withstand dragon power when they frolicked in negative energy planes.

As the distance between them decreased, Matthew casually raised his right foot towards the door, his movements deliberate. Yet, the elder bone dragon had a sudden realization: "When he faked the move just now, he lifted his left foot!"

Swift as lightning, the elder bone dragon abruptly changed course and flew towards an arbitrary gate on the hillside. Seconds later, he reached the gate, and with a flash of white light, a stinky sock was thrown at him. This was the last straw—the elder bone dragon couldn't tolerate these wretched gates anymore. Despite his weak state, he summoned his remaining spiritual strength, infusing a significant amount of negative energy into his claw, determined to shatter Matthew's gate in one fell swoop.

However, just as his colossal claw descended, the gate disappeared with a snap. Matthew had canceled the gate.

Boom! The claw landed with immense force, but unfortunately, it hit nothing. Unfazed, the elder bone dragon charged toward Matthew again, but this time, before he could approach, Matthew transformed into a sizable flying creature—a Wind Spirit Wyvern!

Swooshing through the air, the wyvern rode the raging winds. In the sky of the negative energy plane, clouds loomed ominously, and Matthew could feel gusts lifting him from behind, originating from the Dark Moon.

The Wind Spirit Wyvern inherently controlled the airflow and possessed the power of tempests. Carrying a massive amount of positive wind currents, he dove toward the bone dragon.

Before the wyvern arrived, the biting positive winds ruthlessly battered the elder bone dragon's facade. Even in his diminished state, these winds were a threat he couldn't ignore.

Creaking noises filled the air as the elder bone dragon coiled against the mountainside, layering himself like a serpent to minimize the wind's impact, protecting his essence within.

The wyvern fiercely beat its wings, funneling torrents of wind into the bones. Despite the onslaught, the elder bone dragon's defense was impeccable, and as an undead bane, the positive wind merely caused superficial injuries.

"Surviving for so long, no doubt he's a master at self-preservation," Matthew mused. Unfortunately, the elder bone dragon's defensive stance meant any transformation would require time, effectively relinquishing the initiative in battle.

In the sky, the Wind Spirit Wyvern unleashed another gust of wind toward the elder bone dragon, landing a mere 20 meters away. Seizing the opportunity, Matthew boldly transformed back into his human form.

Snap! Snap! The elder bone dragon reacted swiftly. At Matthew's appearance, the bone fragments that had coiled together began shifting. However, his movements were slightly delayed.

The moment Matthew landed, he instantly opened his mouth. In the next instant, a shockwave of negative energy, previously prepared while manipulating the gates, surged toward the elder bone dragon's spiritual fire!

"This is my technique from manipulating gates—Death Shockwave & Mental Piercing!"

An invisible soundwave pierced through layers of bones, striking the elder bone dragon's spiritual fire. It wasn't formidable, barely affecting him. In his prime, it might have caused minor injuries, but now—poof! Without warning, the elder bone dragon's spiritual fire extinguished! Following this, a rumbling sound ensued as his gigantic body collapsed, bones of all kinds cascading like an avalanche.

Stepping back, Matthew avoided the torrent of bone fragments and hastily retrieved a vial to absorb the scattered spiritual fires.

On his status screen...

"Hint: You've slain the Elder Bone Dragon (LV16/Quasi-King)! After a thrilling battle, you've gained the following:

• 1. Stall +12 (Strategic Field)
• 2. Opportunism +12 (Strategy)
• 3. Tugging +12 (Combat Field)
• 4. Assault +12 (Combat)

Spoils: You obtained remnants of spiritual fire *14;

You acquired the essence 'Eclipse Orb' dropped by the Elder Bone Dragon;

You've collected tens of thousands of bones from the Elder Bone Dragon!

You've gathered all the bones of the Elder Bone Dragon.

Your frugality factor +10 (Stingy Field)"

"These bone dragons are all paupers!" Matthew sighed as he collected the bones, stealing a glance at Margaret, who leisurely rode a magic carpet after annihilating the Dark Pharaoh—she undoubtedly obtained significant treasures. Compared to that, the orb here had some value, considering the vast strength gap between the Dark Pharaoh and the Elder Bone Dragon.

Using an appraisal spell on the orb...

"Identification Successful!

Eclipse Orb (Negative Energy Essence): You can embed it into your favored spell medium. Subsequently, all spells cast through this medium will inflict 'Eclipse Damage'.

Eclipse Damage: Every 10 minutes, a check for Eclipse Resistance will occur. If successful, the target loses 1% of their health;

You can also transmute it into 'Magic Item: Accessory' through a ritual.

When you wear this accessory, you'll gain the 'Eclipse Curse' ability.

Eclipse Curse: By a specific curse action, you can disable one of the target's organs—specifically affecting the right hand, left eye, left ear, right foot, or the 'little friend.'

Alternatively, you can keep it as an unprocessed treasure to carry around and occasionally manipulate. This may have an extremely low chance of guiding you into the 'Eclipse Domain.'"

"Extremely low chance?" Matthew mumbled, feeling uncertain about his luck. Hence, he contemplated embedding or fashioning it into an accessory.

As he pondered, planning to stow the orb away in his pack, suddenly—

"Tip: You've entered the 'Eclipse Domain'!"

"Today, I went to the hospital, so the entry is a bit shorter. Tomorrow, expect a much longer entry."

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