DipNovel Chapter 19: Testing the Waters
Chapter 19: Testing the Waters
Lin Yun kept watch in the depression outside the cave entrance for an entire night.
As dawn broke, the man in black robes emerged from the cave once more. This time, instead of creating corpse demons, he brought three monsters, each significantly larger than ordinary corpse demons, and stood at the cave entrance for a while, seemingly surveying the surroundings.
Lin Yun held his breath and remained motionless.
The three large corpse demons possessed a powerful aura—level seven. They were on the same level as the black-striped leopard and armored rhinoceros they had encountered before. However, they were more troublesome than magical beasts because they felt no pain, were tireless, and would fight to the very last moment unless completely destroyed.
The man in black stood at the cave entrance for about fifteen minutes, then turned and went back into the cave. Three level-seven corpse demons remained at the cave entrance, standing there like statues, the eerie green flames in their eye sockets flickering in the morning light.
Lin Yun leaned against the cliff wall, closed his eyes, and his mind raced.
One necromancer, three level 7 corpse demons, and forty or fifty level 5 or 6 corpse demons.
This is the enemy he needs to face.
He might not lose if he charged head-on. After breaking through to level seven, his magical power had liquefied, and its total amount was more than ten times that of level six. Moreover, he cultivated seven elements simultaneously, meaning his magical power reserves were seven times that of a single-element mage—this meant he could cast countless level six spells.
However, having ample magical power doesn't mean one can act recklessly. The necromancer's methods are unpredictable and varied; the undead are impervious to pain and death, and if surrounded, even the most abundant magical power will eventually be exhausted. More importantly, he didn't know the necromancer's level!
We must outsmart them.
Lin Yun began to recall all of Delin's explanations about necromancers.
"While necromancers are powerful, they have a fatal weakness—their power comes from necromancy, which needs to be replenished by absorbing death energy and souls. If this replenishment is not done for a long time, their strength will gradually decline."
"In addition, necromancers need to continuously expend mental energy to control undead. The more undead they control and the higher their level, the greater the consumption. If the number of undead they control at one time exceeds the mental energy limit, the necromancer himself will also be affected."
"Therefore, the best way to deal with a necromancer is not to fight him head-on, but to deplete his mental energy, force him to be distracted, and then look for an opportunity to strike him dead."
Lin Yun opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them.
Lin Yun decided to test the other party's background first.
Instead of attacking the cave entrance directly, he circled around to the other side of the valley and found a higher vantage point. From there, he could overlook the entire valley and see the cave entrance clearly.
Then, he took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and condensed a spear of light.
A level five light spear. For him, this level of magic consumption was negligible, like scooping a ladle of water from the ocean.
"go."
The light spear shot down from above, accurately striking a level 5 or 6 corpse demon at the outermost edge of the cave entrance.
"laugh--"
Black smoke billowed from the corpse demon's head, and the flames in its eye sockets flickered a few times before going out. It crashed to the ground, turning into a pile of rotting flesh.
Almost simultaneously, an angry roar came from inside the cave.
The man in black robes rushed out of the cave, his eerie green eyes scanning the surroundings. The three level-seven corpse demons behind him also rushed out and lined up at the cave entrance.
"Lackeys of the Holy See?" The black-robed man's voice was hoarse and cold, trembling slightly with tension. "You've finally found us?"
Lin Yun hid behind the rocks, using wind magic to envelop his aura, remaining completely still.
The man in black robes searched for nearly half an hour but found no trace. His expression grew increasingly grim as he paced back and forth at the cave entrance, seemingly hesitating about something.
In the end, he did not choose to run away.
He muttered a few incantations and redeployed the corpse demons outside the cave entrance—more corpse demons were sent out, forming a tight perimeter around the cave entrance. Then, he turned and went back into the cave.
Lin Yun observed all of this from behind the rock.
He also had a question in his mind—why didn't this necromancer run away?
After being ambushed, he should have realized that someone was watching this place. A necromancer who was being hunted by the Church of Light and was hiding deep in the Monster Mountain Range should have kept his position hidden. If he was discovered, his first reaction should have been to move, not to increase the number of guards or stay in the same place.
Unless... he can't leave.
Lin Yun's gaze fell on the depths of the cave entrance.
Perhaps there's something in the cave he can't give up. Perhaps his ongoing ritual has reached a crucial point and can't be interrupted. Perhaps he's in too poor a condition to travel the long distance. Whatever the reason, the necromancer's decision to stay is both a danger and an opportunity for Lin Yun.
He needs more intelligence.
Lin Yun decided to try one more time.
That night, Lin Yun changed direction and launched an attack from the east side of the valley.
This time, he used fire magic—a level 5 fireball—targeting a small group of corpse demons on the right side of the cave entrance.
The fireball exploded among the undead horde, blasting three undead away and engulfing them in flames. Although fire magic is far less damaging to undead creatures than light magic, it was enough to cause chaos.
The man in black robes rushed out again.
This time, his reaction was even faster than during the day; he appeared at the cave entrance almost the instant the fireball exploded. His gaze swept around, the tip of the bone staff in his hand gleaming with a dark green light.
"Come out!" he roared. "I know you're here! The people of the Holy See are all cowardly bastards!"
Lin Yun still did not appear.
The man in black robes searched for a long time, even sending two level-seven corpse demons into the mountains to search. But Lin Yun had already moved to a different location, and the level-seven corpse demons searched for half an hour without finding anything.
The man in black robes stood at the cave entrance, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. He glanced at the distant mountains and forests, then looked back into the depths of the cave, his expression a complex mix of emotions.
In the end, he did not choose to run away.
He recalled two level-seven corpse demons, increased the number of guards at the cave entrance, and then turned back into the cave.
Lin Yun leaned against the tree, having already made his judgment.
Over the next two days, Lin Yun did not rush to attack.
He constantly harassed the cave entrance, killing only one or two corpse demons each time before immediately moving to a different location. He didn't give the black-robed man a chance for a direct confrontation, but instead continuously depleted his troops and mental energy.
His magical reserves are extremely abundant. His liquid magical power of the seventh level of the seventh element is more than ten times that of his sixth level. Each attack only consumes the amount of fifth-level magic, which is almost negligible to him.
On the first day, he killed ten level 5 or 6 corpse demons and used level 5 light spears twenty times. His magic power consumption was less than one percent of the total.
The next day, he killed fifteen and used light spears and fireballs thirty times. The mana consumption was still negligible.
But the man in the black robe was clearly deteriorating.
After each attack, he would rush out to search, but each time he couldn't find anyone. His face grew paler and paler, and the flames in his eyes dimmed. By the evening of the next day, he stood at the cave entrance, his body trembling slightly, his black robe covered in dust, and the gem at the top of his bone staff had dimmed considerably.
More importantly, the movements of those corpse demons began to slow down, and their coordination was no longer as smooth as before—indicating that his mental energy was being consumed in large quantities.
By the evening of the second day, the number of level 5 and 6 corpse demons had decreased from more than 50 to about 25.
Lin Yun hid behind a rock above the valley, observing everything.
"That's about it," he murmured.
On the morning of the third day, Lin Yun changed his strategy.
Instead of attacking the level 5 or 6 corpse demons, he condensed a level 6 spear of light and aimed it at the head of the level 7 corpse demon on the far left.
"go!"
The light spear shot out, carrying a blazing white light, and struck the head of the level seven corpse demon hard.
"boom!"
The seventh-level corpse demon's head was blasted open by the light spear, and the eerie green flames in its eye sockets flickered violently, emitting a mournful howl. But it did not fall—it swayed, and the flames in its remaining eye still danced. It opened its huge mouth and lunged towards Lin Yun.
The other two level-seven corpse demons also moved. They were more than twice as fast as the level-five or six corpse demons, and they began their charge almost the instant the light spears hit them.
Lin Yun didn't linger and turned to run.
As he ran, he analyzed the effect of the attack in his mind.
A level six spear of light, striking the head directly, would only blast a large hole, failing to destroy the undead fire of a level seven ghoul. A level seven ghoul's defense and vitality far surpass those of an ordinary ghoul; level six light magic is insufficient, requiring at least two or three consecutive hits to completely kill one.
But his light magic power is extremely abundant. Even if it takes ten times, he can afford to wait.
However, he didn't choose to fight head-on. Because there were better ways.
Lin Yun weaved through the forest, the roar of a corpse demon echoing behind him. Bei Bei jumped off his shoulder, transforming into a streak of gray lightning, and charged towards the level seven corpse demon at the forefront.
"Chirp chirp!"
Bebe's sharp claws precisely pierced the corpse demon's eye socket, attempting to pluck out the undead fire within. But the corpse demon reacted extremely quickly, violently shaking its head, and Bebe's claws only grasped a piece of rotting flesh, failing to touch the flames.
The corpse demon swung its claw back, but Beibei nimbly dodged it and pounced again.
Lin Yun stopped and turned to face the pursuing corpse demon.
He needs to create opportunities for Beibei.
"Binding Light!"
Light magic transformed into streaks of white light, wrapping around the two level-seven corpse demons. The corpse demons struggled frantically, the light streaks hissing as they were being eroded by their undead power.
Lin Yun knew that the Light Bindings wouldn't hold them for long. At most, three seconds.
But those three seconds are enough.
"Bebe!"
Upon hearing his call, Beibei immediately abandoned the corpse demon it was fighting and turned to pounce on the one bound by the band of light. This time, it didn't try to grab the eye sockets, but instead circled around to the side and behind the corpse demon, and then—it suddenly leaped up, its two little claws simultaneously plunging into the back of the corpse demon's head.
"laugh--"
The undead fire was pulled out directly from behind, bounced a few times on Bebe's claws, and then went out.
The level seven corpse demon froze in place before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
The light band shattered, and the remaining two corpse demons broke free of their restraints and pounced on Lin Yun.
Without hesitation, Lin Yun turned and ran. Bei Bei followed and jumped back onto his shoulder.
After running a certain distance, the corpse demons stopped chasing—they were confined to a certain area and could not go too far from the valley.
Lin Yun leaned against the tree, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"One," he murmured, "two left."
He didn't even use one percent of his light magic power.
Just as Lin Yun was pondering his next plan, a violent magical fluctuation came from the direction of the valley.
He crept back and saw the man in black robes standing at the cave entrance, frantically waving his bone staff. His voice was hoarse and rapid, as if he were chanting some kind of urgent incantation.
Lin Yun listened carefully and vaguely heard a few words—"magical artifact," "cannot be interrupted," "give me one more day."
His guess was confirmed.
The necromancer is indeed trapped here. He's crafting some kind of necromancer artifact, and he's reached a crucial point that can't be interrupted. So he can't run; he can only hold out.
But Lin Yun's continuous harassment had pushed him to his limit. The number of corpse demons was decreasing, his mental energy was being depleted, and the "pursuer from the Holy See of Light" was still attacking relentlessly.
Looking at the man in black robes' frenzied state, Lin Yun made a judgment in his mind—he was about to collapse.
But it is precisely at times like these that one must be especially careful. A necromancer driven to the brink of despair may very well do something insane.
Lin Yun retreated to a safe area and continued to recover his magical power. Although his consumption was minimal, it was always good to maintain peak condition.
He needs to wait, wait for the best opportunity.