“So, Lux, what brings you here?” Gaap asked after eating the sandwich Lux had given him. “Did you come here to take a look at the ruined kingdom of Zangrila?”

“Actually, I don’t know how I managed to get here, Grandpa Gaap,” Lux replied. “I entered a Dungeon with my friends, and before I knew it, I was already here.”

“A Dungeon?” Gaap rubbed his chin. “Well, the world has a lot of unexplained mysteries. Perhaps your arrival here is just one of them.”

Currently, he and Lux were staying in one of the least dilapidated houses inside the destroyed city of Zangrila. Since the place was known to spawn Abyssal Monsters, the Half-Elf decided that it would be best if he stayed somewhere safe to better understand his current situation.

“How about you, Grandpa?” Lux asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Me? Oh, I’m just waiting for someone,” Gaap replied with a toothy smile, even though he only had three teeth to display. “You see, I’m looking for a successor because I want to pass my knowledge to them. You see, I’m getting old. It’s likely for me to kick the bucket anytime soon.”

The old man cackled before taking another sandwich from the basket beside him.

Even though Lux’s Rank was only that of a Peak Initiate, it was very easy for him to sense the strength of people who were weaker than him.

He was surprised when he found out that Gaap was only an Initiate Stage, Grade-A Apostle.

When asked how he had been able to survive in the city where Abyssal Creatures appear from time to time, Gaap simply answered that he was very good at hiding.

Of course, there were times when Abyssal Creatures found his hiding place, but since he was just a weak Apostle, none of them cared much about him and left him alone.

“Gramps, why don’t you come with me to leave this place?” Lux proposed. “I am confident that we will be able to avoid any confrontation with Monsters as long as you stick with me.”

Gaap thought for a while then shook his head. “I can’t leave right now, Lux. You see, I’ve been guarding a special gift for the person that I am waiting for. Only when that person receives my gift will I be able to leave this God-forsaken place.”

Just as the old man was about to bite on his sandwich, a rumble sounded not far from their location.

“An Abyssal Creature has appeared,” Gaap stated before tearing off a piece of the sandwich and putting it inside his mouth. “This one is a bit strong, so don’t leave this place for the time being.” New ᴏᴠʟ ᴄhapters are published on N(o)vl(ꜰ)ire.nt

Lux, who had subtly summoned his Soul Book, gazed at the blinking red dot on the map.

For an ordinary Monster, the size of the dot was small like a small bean. However, if the monster was strong, like a Deimos or Argonaut-Ranked Monster, the size of the dot would be four to five times bigger.

And right now, Lux was seeing a big red dot on his map, which meant that the newly spawned Abyssal Creature was a Deimos-Ranked Monster at the minimum.

Suddenly, the blinking red dot on the map moved. At first, Lux didn’t mind it. However, he noticed that the Abyssal Creature was slowly heading in their direction which made him frown.

“…It looks like it has discovered us,” Gaap said with an eerie calmness that gave Lux goosebumps. “Well then, Lux, we have two choices. Are we going to flee, or are you going to fight that monster? You better think fast because… it is already here.”

As if waiting for that cue, the roof of the house they were staying in suddenly crumbled, forcing Lux to grab hold of Gaap and flee as fast as he could.

Since he had reacted right away, the old man was safe and sound, making the Half-Elf breathe a little easier.

“Gramps, I don’t know how you managed to survive all these years,” Lux said as he stared at the Abyssal Creature in front of him. “This place is not really a good place to retire.”

Standing at least ten meters tall, a Black Octopus with a red gem on its forehead looked at the Half-Elf and the Old Man with a sinister gaze.

“Ah… a Deimos-Ranked Octopath.” Gaap frowned. “The last time I saw one of those was a year ago. You be careful, Lux. That thing spits corrosive black ink that can melt steel.”

Lux nodded and summoned his Named Creatures to his side.

“Asmodeus, look after Grandpa Gaap,” Lux ordered. “The rest of you, we will lure the Monster away.”

As soon as Lux gave his orders, he immediately summoned the armor Favonius Legacy that bestowed upon him the power to fly.

He didn’t want to involve Gaap in the battle, so he decided to lure the Monster as far away as possible.

Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, Orion, Lazarus, Revon, Zagan, and ALL-MITE all followed behind their Master as they prepared to fight against the Deimos-Ranked Monster.

A moment later, Lux’s army that numbered in the hundreds appeared on the battlefield, which immediately engaged the Abyssal Creature in a heated battle.

While Gaap watched this battle from a safe distance, he also appraised Lux’s current fighting strength. A moment later, he shook his head and breathed out a helpless sigh that made Asmodeus, who was tasked to guard him, smile.

“So, what do you think of my Master’s Undead Army?” Asmodeus asked.

“His Undead are too ‘clean’. This is not how Necromancers fight,” Gaap replied. “It’s like someone using flashy swordsmanship. All show

and no substance. If any real Necromancer sees him now, they will probably feel what I’m feeling right now.”

Asmodeus chuckled. He knew that Gaap was a Necromancer the moment he was summoned. Because of this, he wanted to ask his opinion about his Master’s Undead Legion.

“True, my Master doesn’t know a thing about being a Necromancer,” Asmodeus replied. “His Undead are too pure. It’s like comparing innocent children to greedy adults. They are simply worlds apart.”

“Well, not all of them are pure and innocent.” Gaap gave Asmodeus a side-long glance. “You should have taught him how to be a proper Necromancer. He needs more rotten individuals like you.”

“It is not my place to teach my Master how to become a Necromancer,” Asmodeus replied. “Besides. What’s wrong with being a good Necromancer? It’s a lot better than other Necromancers who raise the dead from cemeteries and use them as part of his Undead Army.”

Gaap snorted as he pointed at the Skeleton Gang Bangers whose bodies shattered after being hit by one of the eight tentacles of the Octopath Abyssal Monster. “His Undead Army is very fragile. Just one hit and they break apart. A skeleton summoned by a Necromancer of the same Rank would take at least two hits before shattering completely.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Asmodeus countered. “That is a Deimos-Ranked Creature. An Initiate-Rank Necromancer’s skeleton would shatter if hit by an attack from that thing.”

“Mine wouldn’t,” Gaap declared.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, you know?” Asmodeus scoffed. “We both know that what you’re saying is hogwash. So what if you are a Rank-A Apostle? You’re just acting weak so that others won’t see you as a threat.”

Gaap no longer said anything and simply observed the battle from a distance. His calm gaze, which seemed to have weathered countless storms, locked itself on the Half-Elf, who was attacking the Octopath from the sky.

“Eiko, let’s do this!”

“Pa!”

When Lux and Eiko went to the Ancestral Grounds of the Blackrock Clan, they received Pseudo-Transcendent Flames from the Twin Flames that strengthened the power of their Dragon Breaths.

Lux received the “Pseudo-Transcendent Primeval Black Flames” which was very effective against creatures without a physical body like Wraiths, Specters, and Ghosts. It was also very effective against Abyssal Creatures, and the best thing about it was that its effects stacked with Abyss Touch, making it incredibly deadly.

Eiko, on the other hand, received the “Pseudo-Transcendent Purple Primeval Flame” which could not burn anything, except the Mana in anything it hits. The burnt Mana would combust, dealing damage equal to the amount of Mana burned by Eiko’s attack.

This deadly combination was one of their Trump Cards, but since they are fighting against a very powerful opponent, Lux and Eiko summoned their clones and unleashed the strongest attack in their arsenal.

“””Dragon’s Breath!”””

Black and Purple Dragon Breaths collided with the Octopath’s body, making it scream and howl in pain. It then started to roll on the ground, imitating the death roll of a Crocodile, destroying the structures around it.

Lux’s Undead Legion took this opportunity to bombard the Abyssal Creature with long-range attacks, giving it no time to breathe.

The battle lasted for nearly half an hour, with ALL-MITE dealing the final blow, smashing the head of the Octopath with his flaming fists.

But, before the Half-Elf could breathe easy, the dead Abyssal Creature’s body suddenly twitched before lashing at ALL-MITE with one of its tentacles, sending the Four-Armed Hero smashing through dozens of houses.

No one had expected this sudden turn of events, especially the Half-Elf, who was looking at the revived Abyssal Monster in disbelief.

Gaap, who was looking at Lux’s dumbfounded expression, smiled evilly. He wanted to show the Half-Elf what it was like to fight a real Undead Monster, and for that to happen, he used the body of the dead Abyssal Creature without a second thought.

Asmodeus, who was standing behind the old man, chuckled because he didn’t know if he should laugh or cry at his Master’s current situation.

Although he found Gaap’s action quite distasteful, he was also very curious about what the old Necromancer was capable of doing.