Undead Evolution System

Dread

What had come here? What was it? Why had it come? And why had it left? Would it come again?

John Smith had to admit that when he saw the broken skeleton frame, his originally joyful mood was clouded with a layer of gloom.

Although he had been in the Netherworld for less than a day, the experiences of that single day had given him a very clear understanding of the dangers of the Netherworld. Although becoming a Skeleton Mage, which suited his preferences, had lessened his aversion and fear of the Netherworld, the repeated brushes with danger outside had made him subconsciously more dependent on the cave, to the point where he considered it his last line of defense for life.

It was for this reason that John Smith was so affected by the presence of an undead entity in his shabby cave. However, John Smith had one thing going for him—rationality.

"Wait a minute, it seems I've been overly optimistic, thinking that because the Skeleton Mage didn't encounter any danger here, I would be safe as well. Now that I think about it, it was indeed a bit naive. There's no such thing as a safe place in the Netherworld. The Skeleton Mage's safety here was just a matter of luck."

As John Smith thought this through, his initially relaxed attitude became more vigilant, and his pale white fiery gaze scrutinized the shabby cave.

"I used to say this cave was a good place, but now it looks more and more like a dead end. Although the entrance is very narrow, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, if the entrance is surrounded, I would be just as trapped."

As John Smith spoke, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. The cave that once seemed very comfortable now seemed to have turned into a cage, trapping him inside.

Once these thoughts took root, they grew like weeds, instantly threatening to bind and cover John Smith's rationality, causing him to panic. He quickly and awkwardly rushed out of the shabby cave. Even after he had run out of the cave, John Smith still felt uneasy, as if the cave behind him had turned into a ferocious beast ready to pounce on him. In his panic, he ran headlong for about ten minutes before gradually coming to a stop.

In fact, John Smith was just an ordinary human a day ago, and it was inevitable that he would struggle to accept such sudden events.

"What... What am I doing?"

Gradually regaining his rationality, John Smith felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, and his skeletal frame softened. With a "crack," he actually knelt down.

At this moment, John Smith's heart was filled with a sense of defeat. "Useless, can't even overcome fear. Useless, utterly useless, why not just be scared to death!"

John Smith had always been quite arrogant and demanding of himself, so he found it difficult to forgive himself for such mistakes.

After scolding himself harshly, John Smith quickly stood up, intending to return to his shabby cave. It had to be said that John Smith also had a hidden trait of being stubborn. He felt that being defeated by his fear of the shabby cave was a disgrace, and the only way to erase this disgrace was to return to the cave and conquer his fear!

Once John Smith became stubborn, rationality went out the window. For him, at that moment, there was only one thing to do—overcome his fear. The potential dangers were no longer within his considerations.

But soon, John Smith encountered a problem; he was lost.

"Damn it!"

In the end, John Smith failed to accomplish his great feat of conquering his fear. Despite searching for four or five hours to find his way back to the shabby cave, oddly enough, he not only failed to locate his cave but also felt that he was increasingly far from it.

Moreover, for some reason, John Smith encountered not a single skeleton during his three or four hours of running, which frustrated him as he had intended to test his new spell.

Finally, this stubborn fellow who couldn't find his way back to the shabby cave had to improvise. He found a cave that was quite similar to the one he had previously settled in and dove into it.

Speaking of this, one must acknowledge John Smith's ability. He actually managed to find a place in the vast Land of White Bones that bore a striking resemblance to the shabby cave where he had previously taken refuge. This resemblance, of course, included the presence of a skeleton inside the cave, and incredibly, it was also a Level O Skeleton Mage.

As soon as John Smith turned into the cave, he saw the innocent skeleton frame. Perhaps sensing John Smith's power, the Level O Skeleton Mage instinctively took two steps back in fear before raising its staff to cast a spell.

"Cast, cast, cast my ass. You're so ugly just looking at you annoys me, lie down!"

John Smith was already full of pent-up anger with nowhere to vent, and this fellow happened to be in the way.

Without using magic, John Smith pounced and kicked the skeleton's frame, knocking the Level O Skeleton Mage to the ground and interrupting its spell. Then, John Smith vented all his anger on the poor Skeleton Mage.

For a full fifteen minutes, when John Smith stood up feeling refreshed, the poor Skeleton Mage had been completely dismantled by him, even its skull had been taken apart, with the jawbone held in his hand.

However, the good news was that after venting his anger, John Smith's stubbornness subsided a bit, and he began to feel that he was perhaps overdoing it. Was it really necessary to find a cave that looked exactly the same?

But since he was there, he might as well make the best of it. It just so happened that a lot had happened in the past two days, and John Smith needed a place to calm down and organize his thoughts.

Putting the skull aside, John Smith sat down to sort out his recent experiences.

Upon reflection, John Smith realized that all the things he had encountered in the past twenty-plus years were not as bizarre and complex as the events of the past few days.

First, he had been transported into the body of a Skeleton Mage, which, although sudden, was not something John Smith, a lover of mages, was averse to. However, the subsequent encounters with the Battleaxe Skeleton, the Skeleton Archer, the unknown intruder in the cave, and the forty-eight-hour natural disaster, all served as reminders that the Netherworld was not a place for fun and games. To survive here, he must always be prepared to fight for his life!

"No matter what, I'm here now, and I can't change that fact. I don't need to think too much now, just like before, I need to set a goal and work towards it. No matter how the world changes, I can only accept it and persist with my own way of life."

One has to admire this fellow with thick nerves for his quick self-positioning. However, it remains to be seen whether he can stand by his words and not be defeated by his environment, especially since he had just been defeated by fear.

"By the way, speaking of being transported, I remember that I was installing an unknown software the day before yesterday when my computer exploded, injuring my head. That's the standard setup for receiving a golden finger, isn't it? Where's my golden finger? Hasn't heaven mailed it over yet?"