This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Dark Life Contract and Second Minotaur!

Half a day later, Matthew stepped out of Suerel's crystal palace. His appearance seemed unchanged from before, but only he knew. Under the skin of his left and right wrists and the gap between his shoulder blades, three barely noticeable magic carriers were implanted, each no larger than a pinky finger. At this point, they had seamlessly integrated into Matthew's subcutaneous fat, leaving no visible trace from the outside, not even a hint of bruising.

With Suerel's assistance, Matthew's mental synchronization with the magic carriers went smoothly. As he exited Suerel's workspace, he could effortlessly wield these three spells: Spell Rebound, Iron Body, and Portal.

Out on the palace square, Matthew couldn't resist the temptation to act out a pulling motion, a form of enhancing mental commands through physical actions—a common magical practice. Many mages performed such gestures when casting Portal, though it wasn't necessary, just a mnemonic aid.

The magical energy instantly complied. A portal materialized a hundred meters away across the square, offering an unobstructed view, making it an ideal spot to practice Portal spells. Matthew joyfully darted back and forth between the two portals.

Portal was a versatile and widely used spell, not just for escape but for various purposes. Matthew's Portal lasted a substantial 80 seconds, allowing him unrestricted travel within that duration. Objects thrown or projected, such as eggs, stones, fireballs, or water columns towards the portal, would emerge from the other end.

He had purchased a "Portal Development Guide" from the spell repository, listing over three hundred ways to use Portals. Apart from typical uses like casting spells across portals, setting traps behind them, or transporting teammates, what caught Matthew's attention the most was the technique involving frame trapping.

According to the research, there existed an invulnerable period of 0.02 seconds while teleporting through a Portal. Skilled mages used this time to repeatedly trap and re-enter the portal, evading encounters entirely. With finesse, they could toy with enemies for the duration of the portal, even launching counterattacks.

When the enemy frantically attacked the portal, the mage could use them as living targets. However, the guide warned against excessive flashy maneuvers as Portals primarily served as an escape means, with risky consequences if overused.

Through this guide, Matthew deeply appreciated the relentless dedication of mages to research. The guide concluded with an interesting snippet: To thoroughly understand the mechanics of Portals, the author, known as Martin, conducted an experiment.

He recruited a male and a female volunteer to stand on either side of a portal, separated by a black wall, unable to see each other. Martin instructed them to touch each other across the portal.

The results were intriguing. For a brief moment, the male volunteer claimed to have touched nothing, while the female insisted not only had they made contact but it felt intense. In reality, contact did occur, but a few seconds later from the male's perspective. This perplexing outcome led Martin to conduct numerous experiments with various combinations of volunteers.

From thousands of data points, Martin unveiled the truth behind this delayed phenomenon: slight temporal distortion occurred near the portal when a living being entered, dependent on the object's mass. This experiment further verified a correlation between space, time, and mass.

Martin concluded the document with a rather peculiar statement: "My most satisfying finding was discovering that training across portals effectively extends time."

Matthew was utterly baffled after reading this. Upon finishing the guide, he realized Lysanna's innovative magical ideas might be quite ordinary for mages. They were doing all this and more!

"I should get more records of these experimental processes in the future!"

"Never underestimate the innovation of mages in this world," Matthew thought to himself.

Apart from Portal, Iron Body and Spell Rebound could be used ten and five times daily, respectively, a frequency that satisfied Matthew.

As a mage, he couldn't afford to exhaust these abilities daily. As for the remaining three spells, they would be implanted after half a month.

Suerel explained this was for his body's sake, considering it was his first time undergoing spell solidification. The body needed an adjustment period; solidifying too many spells at once might trigger adverse reactions.

Matthew agreed. For his next visit, Suerel provided him with a Level Three VIP card for the Crystal Palace, granting him two free monthly trips regardless of distance.

Back at Cauldron Cottage, Matthew asked David and Margaret to relay a message, explaining his inability to attend classes for a month due to spell solidification, asking to reschedule the remaining sessions to the following month.

Margaret's Battle Mage Crash Course comprised theory and practical segments. The theory sessions had concluded, and practical training, which involved intense battles, was upcoming. While Matthew could cast a few spells, he wasn't ready for high-intensity combat yet. He had to wait until the month passed to complete the remaining courses.

The following week, Rolling Stone Town returned to its tranquil state. Matthew's routine involved work, reading newspapers, planting trees, tending graves at night, studying spells when time permitted, and occasionally maintaining Black Knight's equipment.

His days were peaceful and fulfilling. Recently, he had begun studying Third Tier spells in the Necromancy domain. Whether due to his affiliation with the Undead domain or not, his learning pace soared.

In just seven days, he mastered three Necromancy spells:

The first was Mass Undead Summons, an advanced form allowing simultaneous control of multiple corpses (3-7) for summoning, eliminating the need for individual summoning.

The second was Dark Life Contract, a passive spell enhancing the life force of summoned creatures by signing a contract with the supreme consciousness of the negative energy plane. What made it intriguing was its stackable nature. Each layer increased the life force of all Matthew's undead by 1%. He had already stacked three, boosting his undead's life force by 3%.

However, the success rate for the contract was only around 5%, employing low-quality parchment, prone to damage.

The third spell, Aiova's Scissors, also known as Fatal Scissors, created a massive pair of negative energy scissors, delivering three consecutive cuts in a specific area. The first cut was average, equivalent to an 11th-level Energy Molding spell, the second stronger, akin to a 4th-level spell, and the third, as powerful as a 20th-level spell, capable of severing a dragon's head.

The drawback was its slow casting speed, a 20-second chant, and no auxiliary power boosts. Additionally, each consecutive cut took longer than the previous one.

Due to its powerful yet flawed nature, Fatal Scissors, along with Death Shroud, were mocked by mages as traps among Third Tier Necromancy spells. Matthew found it difficult to execute the third cut, studying it solely due to a lack of other appealing Third Tier spells. However, it promised high bursts of power, potentially advantageous if applied correctly.

Necromancy was relatively monotonous, focusing on three main aspects:

- Undead summoning and creation

- Negative energy-related spells (debuffs, weakening, vampirism, instant death)

- Ritual magic

The negative energy spells leaned towards bloody, sinister content but weren't necessarily potent. Matthew concentrated on mastering Undead summoning and dabbled in negative energy. Once he solidified his foundations, he planned to delve further

into Ritual Magic.

He hadn't forgotten that spells were tools preceding domain mastery. True mastery lay in Ritual Magic, acting as a gateway to his legendary path.

....

Nightfall.

Matthew laid out the bacon that had been curing for ten days—no, it was the Dark Knights placed on the ground.

The oil spreading step had concluded.

The five Dark Knights before him were vibrant, shining with a glossy sheen.

Each one, when singled out, appeared to be a prototype of exceptional quality.

Matthew intended to seize the moment and proceed to the third step—

The Reverse Binding Ceremony.

This reverse binding involved awakening the residual spirituality in the bodies of the Dark Knights through an incantation and ritual. During this process, Matthew would also summon wandering spirits in the mortal realm into the bodies of the Dark Knights.

At this stage of the ritual, the space he occupied would briefly overlap with the underworld.

Matthew had to mentally project the ancient artifact, the Soul-Forging Furnace, repeatedly in his mind. This would entice unconscious spirits to enter the bodies of the Dark Knights.

This process would further enhance the Dark Knights' power.

Once the bodies of the Dark Knights harbored enough spirituality, he would then finalize the binding and sealing through incantations.

Following the successful reverse binding,

A substantial amount of spirituality would become active within the Dark Knights' bodies.

They would engage in a struggle, vying for control of the bodies.

The consciousness that ultimately survived,

Would become the dominant consciousness of the Dark Knights.

The other failed spirits would then become a source of power for the Dark Knights.

Because the birth of the Dark Knights involved a process filled with strife and agony,

These undead beings would yearn for self-harm day and night after taking shape.

This instinct for self-harm would offer solace to their souls.

For tonight's ceremony, Matthew made extensive preparations.

Firstly, he found an open space in the graveyard and meticulously arranged all the materials, rituals, and mediums required for the reverse binding ceremony.

Secondly, he prepared for combat.

Aebing, Renaismae, and even Peggy were on standby.

His imagined opponents were messengers from the underworld.

The creation of the Dark Knights would mildly infringe upon the authority of the underworld. While those wandering spirits had no takers in the mortal realm, the minor officials in the underworld sometimes couldn't bear necromancers picking up what they didn't want.

Typically,

The rank of underworld messengers wouldn't exceed Level 16.

The setup Matthew arranged should be adequate to handle them.

Additionally,

He had Usur's rebuke at hand.

This artifact also posed a significant threat to spirits.

It could be used as a precautionary measure.

After completing all these preparations,

Matthew began the lengthy chant.

The reverse binding of the Dark Knights was a form of ceremonial magic. However, due to the explorations of previous sorcerers, this ritual had become highly refined.

Matthew selected a set of reverse binding rituals from the Alliance's spell library with the lowest risk.

It had to be admitted, spells verified by the Alliance were of high quality.

Although this was his first attempt,

The chant flowed smoothly after a single run-through.

In an instant,

Accompanied by the ringing of bells,

Unanimously, a faint green light began to emanate from the bodies of the five Dark Knights.

This green light appeared even more dazzling after the application of the previously prepared vividly colored potion.

This step facilitated the necromancer in better assessing the congregation of spirits.

When one Dark Knight started emitting a glowing green hue,

It was almost time to conclude.

A breeze from the underground caves swept through the graveyard.

The bells tinkled.

Matthew was tense,

Attentively observing changes around him.

As time passed,

The soul-forging furnace he projected began slowly dissipating.

Half an hour later,

Even the final Dark Knight was gleaming with the greenish oil.

Matthew abruptly commenced chanting the sealing incantation.

Three minutes later,

The magic circle at his feet gradually dissipated.

All mediums and materials also transmuted into powder.

The reverse binding was successful!

Matthew looked at the five Dark Knights brimming with spirituality, his eyes filled with surprise.

"It actually succeeded this smoothly? No disturbances from the underworld?" Matthew was somewhat incredulous.

However, this serene progress was exactly what he had anticipated.

Before long,

He settled the Dark Knights in place.

Once the final spirituality was determined, he could use the Marking Ritual to strengthen their spirituality and abilities.

The final dominance was a mere formality.

Because throughout the entire process of creating the Dark Knights,

Matthew had already established an inseparable connection with them.

The cost of creating a Dark Knight was indeed exorbitant, encompassing not only time and material costs but also emotional and mental costs.

Taking away a necromancer's summon,

Might be more distressing than killing them.

At this thought,

Matthew couldn't help but contemplate subverting this deity.

He pondered and accessed the Tauren Domain.

Previously,

He had accumulated enough elements from Rhaegar.

Now was the perfect time for a second opening!

...

"Reminder: You are opening the Tauren Domain. Please choose the direction of expansion—

1. Horizontal Expansion (Obtain more elements, delve into more intersecting domains)

2. Vertical Expansion (Choose a specific element for deeper exploration)"

...

Matthew considered; for a small domain like the Tauren Domain, a focused approach was more favorable.

Blind expansion wasn't advisable.

Expanding into various unrelated domains might compromise its purity.

Thus, he chose vertical expansion, focusing on the element of plunder.

...

"Expansion Successful. As the initiator of the Tauren Domain, you will gain two of the following three abilities—

1. Strengthened Subversion (Your inherent spellcasting ability, Subversion, is enhanced. The effect is upgraded to—When you successfully subvert an undead being, if there are other similar undead beings nearby, another random subversion success occurs. This enhancement cannot stack with continuous subversion.)

2. Hunter's Mark (You can mark a certain type of creature as your prey. Within the next 72 hours, whenever such creatures come within 300 meters of you, they will be highlighted and outlined in your vision.)

3. Plunder Master (When stealing or robbing, you'll receive additional attribute judgment. Each successful theft or robbery grants a large amount of XP.)"

...

"If I delve deeper into the Plunder Domain, will it inevitably veer toward evil?" Matthew pondered. "And it seems like there's some overlap between Plunder and Hunting."

With a pensive expression,

Out of the three abilities to choose two from,

Plunder Master was undoubtedly out of consideration.

Strengthened Subversion was quite good.

Hunter's Mark seemed rather useful.

Plunder Master, on the other hand, didn't suit his preferences for pilfering from others.

Having completed the domain expansion,

Matthew stood up to stretch.

The graveyard at night was bustling.

Not only were the skeleton soldiers dancing every day, but this trend was also gradually spreading to the zombies.

As Matthew passed by a zombie carrying a tombstone on its back,

The latter even bent down and did a couple of hip swings.

Amused and speechless,

Matthew couldn't help but wonder how the trend among the undead was spreading.

While patrolling the graveyard,

Matthew noticed that many zombies had swollen faces.

Undoubtedly, Renaismae's handiwork.

Just as he was planning to reprimand her,

Matthew walked past the Ghostly Area.

The spectral wolves, upon seeing their master,

rushed over enthusiastically, circling around like Siberian huskies.

At this moment,

Elite ghost Ali floated over.

He respectfully addressed Matthew, "Good evening, sir. I've been wanting to speak with you. After living in the graveyard for so long, every day we feel your kindness. My people and I have nothing to repay you with but some discoveries we made during our travels. If it's of any use to you, that'd be the best we can offer."

Matthew thought to himself that this fellow had finally given in.

He probably couldn't bear freeloading when even skeletons and zombies had tombstones, leaving him with nothing.

Finally willing to offer something.

Maintaining an indifferent demeanor, he asked, "What information?"

Ali replied, "When wandering, we passed many underground dungeons. During the journey, I found an exposed sulfur mine and a very secluded silver mine."

"The sulfur mine isn't far from the graveyard."

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