Undead Evolution System

The Undead Legion

John Smith emerged from his new cave after having nestled there for thirteen or fourteen hours. This time, as he stepped out, he intended to familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain.

Having decided to settle here for a while, it was only natural for John to understand his territory. Additionally, he entertained the idea of bringing back a skeleton as a servant.

He had considered using the skeleton mage as a servant, but upon further thought, he realized the limitations of having only a handful of positions available. With his current magical abilities, he could control at most five skeletons. Although the skeleton mage would become powerful later on, its early stages proved too inefficient. Except for himself, of course.

However, John was not one to waste resources. While he didn't enlist the skeleton mage as a servant, he did take an interest in its spells. Spending over a dozen hours in the cave, his sole purpose was to achieve this.

In those thirteen to fourteen hours, John exhausted every method he could think of to disperse the soul fire of the skeleton mage. Though his methods were crude, he achieved his goal.

Surprisingly, the method was rather simple: devouring the soul fire of the skeleton mage entirely. John was thrilled by this discovery, vowing to exterminate any skeleton mage he encountered in the future. All for the sake of magic!

The spell he obtained through his endeavors was called "Daze," an O-level magic. As the name suggests, its effect was to induce dizziness in enemies, making it a practical spell.

However, mastering this spell proved to be more challenging than anticipated. Unlike naturally awakened innate spells, acquiring this one was somewhat forced. John merely extracted information about "Daze" from the pitiful soul fire of the skeleton mage, along with the incantation—a quasi-spellbook. As a result, casting "Daze" required John to first learn the spell.

After several attempts, John realized it wouldn't be easy. He estimated it would take at least three or four days to fully grasp this new spell. Therefore, he temporarily set aside learning "Daze" and decided to explore the surroundings first. After all, a safer environment for spell study would expedite his progress.

Exiting the cave, John spent over two hours surveying the area within a mile radius. Surprisingly, it was eerily quiet. Not a single skeleton was spotted in over two hours—a mixed blessing for John's safety but a potential setback for acquiring sustenance.

Without sustenance, he couldn't level up, and without leveling up, his power would remain stagnant, hindering his ability to awaken new spells. For John, this was unacceptable. He couldn't resign himself to remaining at level one forever. Action was imperative.

"Since there are no skeletons here, I'll venture further. I remember coming from the south, where I also didn't encounter any skeletons. In that case, I'll head north and explore."

John was decisive. Once he made up his mind, he wasted no time and immediately turned to leave.

"What's this?"

However, at that moment, John felt the already dim sky darken even more strangely. He couldn't help but look up, witnessing a phenomenon he had never seen before in his life.

The previously gloomy, cloudless sky now resembled a pool of red ink spilled over, tinting the atmosphere with a layer of blood-colored clouds that spread like an avalanche, ominous and overwhelming.

"What is that?"

Before John could comprehend the drastic change in the sky above, he noticed some rapidly approaching black dots. As he concentrated to get a better look, those dots enlarged from sesame to peanut size, then to fist size. At this point, their contours became discernible.

"Undead!"

John's pupils constricted, gripping his staff tightly as he remained on high alert.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."

The undead drew nearer, and the faint sound of hoofbeats became audible. Soon enough, the figures of the undead clarified.

Their mounts bore sharp black horns, icy red eyes, and wings adorned with black feathers—classic features of dark unicorns.

The riders wore featureless masks, cloaked in plain black robes, with thirteen blood-red javelins strapped to their backs. Unfortunately, while they bore distinct characteristics, John couldn't recognize their affiliation, nor did he have the time to ponder, for they had already arrived before him.

Their numbers were significant, numbering at least a thousand, their speed relentless, their momentum unstoppable. They exuded an aura of invincibility, capable of crushing anything in their path, even a mountain.

In that moment, a sense of powerlessness enveloped John. Faced with such a terrifying undead legion, he was hardly stronger than a stone about to be ground into powder by their overwhelming force.

To cower, to prostrate, to grovel! Confronting such formidable foes, surrendering seemed the most sensible choice.

The fear swirling within John, coupled with his strong survival instinct, constantly tempted him.

To cower, to survive—wasn't that the wisest decision?

To cower, to survive—wasn't that the key to becoming a great mage?

To cower, to sur...

"Enough! Are you done yet, you worthless coward? Do you think I would ever bow down to you again?"

Faced with the encroaching fear, John finally erupted.

"Yes! Exactly! Facing a formidable enemy and bowing down may not be shameful, but in the face of you, fear, I, John Smith, refuse to bow down again! Even if it costs me my life, I will prove that I can defeat you!"

John uttered each word slowly and deliberately, lifting his staff and beginning to chant.

However, at the moment he raised his staff, a calm gaze fell upon him. Instantly, John froze in place, as if under a spell, allowing the terrifying undead legion to approach unimpeded.

"Is this how it ends? Pathetic."

After exhausting every means, John unexpectedly calmed down, gazing at the undead legion with a mixture of nostalgia, resignation, and an underlying fear that couldn't be erased.

"Clip-clop."

Just as John was about to give up, with a flap of wings, the entire undead legion suddenly soared into the sky, ascending into the clouds!

Translated into English, John Smith replaced with John Smith, and the sentences are structured to maintain smooth flow, resembling the format of a novel with proper line breaks.