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Chapter 89 Necromancer
Chapter 89 The Necromancer (4/6)
A sudden commotion arose in the crowd.
Xiuqi turned his head and saw a figure walking through the crowd toward the association's entrance.
It was a mage dressed in a long, black hooded robe, the edges of which were embroidered with intricate runes in silver thread, appearing and disappearing in the morning light.
The hood was pulled down low, covering most of his face, leaving only his well-defined jawline and tightly pursed lips visible.
But what truly drew everyone's attention was the creature beside him.
A giant, pure white wolf.
The giant wolf was over five feet tall at the shoulder and over ten feet long, its entire body covered in long, silvery-white fur, which looked as if it were draped in frost and snow in the morning light.
Its eyes were ice-blue, like two frozen ice crystals, and it swept over the crowd with a condescending indifference.
Most notably, the giant wolf was surrounded by a faint chill, and wherever it passed, the moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals that fell to the ground.
"Winter Wolf?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"How could a level 3 high-level magical beast possibly be tamed?"
"That's the emblem of the Royal Academy of Solmar! Look at the cuffs of that mage's robe!"
Xiuqi narrowed his eyes.
Indeed, the black-robed mage's sleeve bore the emblem of the Royal Academy of Solmar—an open scroll with a star floating above it.
The stars on the badge surround a crescent moon; this is a badge that only extremely talented monsters can possess.
Star and Moon Badge.
"The monsters of the Star Moon Class..." Xiu Qi muttered to himself.
The Royal Academy of Arcane Arts operates on a class system: the Star Moon Class is a concentration camp for geniuses, only accepting students whose strength ranks in the top ten of their grade.
Those who can enter the Star Moon Class are all true geniuses.
The black-robed mage seemed to notice Xiu Qi's gaze and turned his head slightly.
In that instant, Xiu Qi felt a chilling spiritual force sweep over him. The other party's perception was extremely sharp, and it carried a deathly aura, like the cold wind of a graveyard.
Necromancy.
Xiuqi immediately identified the other party's school of thought. Only necromancers would possess this spiritual quality of resonating with death.
The black-robed mage's gaze lingered on Xiuqi for a moment, then swept over Ado, and finally returned to Xiuqi's face.
Although the hood concealed his expression, Xiuqi could sense a hint of surprise flashing in the other's eyes.
The ogre seemed to sense the threat as well, letting out a low growl in its throat, its bright yellow eyes fixed on the winter wolf.
The two colossal beasts stared at each other across the crowd, an invisible pressure permeating the air.
The black-robed mage gently patted the winter wolf's neck, and the giant wolf withdrew its gaze. The oppressive aura emanating from the mist, like piercing ice cones, diminished sharply.
Winter Wolf lay down at the black-robed mage's feet, yawned, and revealed his sharp white teeth.
Its icy blue eyes were half-closed, but Xiuqi could sense that the beast's perception was constantly locked onto all potential threats in the surroundings.
Then, the man in black robes suddenly stopped, his deep purple eyes turned to Xiu Qi, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, forming an elusive arc.
"An interesting combination." The black-robed man's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached Xiu Qi's ears.
"Likewise," Xiuqi nodded in response.
"Shuki Wright?"
"It's me," Xiuqi nodded.
"I've heard of you," Silvers said. "An apprentice in Class C of the first year, with 98% affinity for the Protection School and the title of Ogre Conqueror."
His tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether he was praising someone or stating a fact.
"Compared to the genius Sirvis of the Star Moon Class, I am still far behind," Xiuqi replied calmly.
Silvers paused for a moment, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his hood: "Humility is a virtue, but excessive humility is hypocrisy."
There are probably no more than three people in the entire college who can reach your level in their first year.
He paused, then added, "Excluding the Star and Moon class."
This statement is very meaningful. The students in the Star Moon Class are all monstrous geniuses, and to rank among the top three outside the Star Moon Class is already an extremely high compliment.
"You've also taken on the task of clearing out the outer perimeter for this mission?" Silvers asked.
"Yes."
"A wise choice." Silvers nodded. "With your squad's strength, you should be able to thrive on the periphery. However..."
He then changed the subject: "Demonic creatures are different from ordinary monsters. Their spell-like abilities are often unexpected, and they excel at mental attacks. While your ogre companion has strong defenses, his resistance to mental attacks may be insufficient. Be careful."
"Thank you for reminding me," Xiuqi said earnestly. He could sense that Sylvester's reminder was sincere and without malice.
"Then, see you in the forest." Silvers nodded slightly, turned and left.
Winter Wolf stood up, gave Ado one last look with his icy blue eyes, and then followed his master away.
"Mr. Xiuqi, do you know that mage?" Link asked in a low voice.
"I don't know him," Xiuqi shook his head, "but I know who he is."
Silves, a genius mage in the second year of the Star Moon Class at the Royal Academy's Arcane Department, and the head of the Necromancer school.
"The head of the Necromancer School? And from the Star Moon Class?" Link gasped. "How strong must he be...?"
'
"Very strong," Xiuqi said calmly.
"Is that the Winter Wolf?" Link's face was filled with shock. "I read about it in my grandfather's hunter's notes. It said the Winter Wolf is the king of the snow, and its freezing breath can freeze a bison to death..."
'
"A level 3 high-level monster," Xiuqi said calmly. "It's indeed very strong."
"Is he stronger than Mr. Ado?" Link couldn't help but ask.
Xiuqi looked at Ado.
The ogre was still staring in the direction the winter wolf had gone, his muscles slightly tense—a warrior's instinctive reaction when sensing a powerful opponent.
"It's hard to say," Xiuqi replied after an objective analysis.
He carefully observed the winter wolf.
Indeed, the winter wolf's size, fur color, and eyes match the descriptions in the ancient texts. This magical beast typically inhabits the northern ice plains, possesses the talent to manipulate ice, and is fierce, cunning, and extremely difficult to tame.
But Xiuqi doesn't think Ado will lose to Donglang.
Ado is now fully clad in chainmail, with a protection level of 6. Combined with his LV2 [Hardened Skin] talent and the 4th level [Blade Protection] that Xiuqi can cast, his physical defense has reached a terrifying level with this triple protection.
More importantly, Ado's 15 points of strength are slightly greater than that of the Winter Wolf. According to the monster encyclopedia in the academy library, the strength of an average adult Winter Wolf is between 13 and 14 points.
Although Winter Wolf possesses the talent of freezing breath, Hodor also has good resistance to magic damage.
What's truly troublesome is the Winter Wolf's unpredictable and swift nature; that's the key to victory.
If they really fought... Xiuqi silently assessed that the odds were probably even.
The black-robed mage walked to the registration counter where the cleanup operation was in full swing.
The clerk's attitude became noticeably more respectful: "Are you here to sign up for the perimeter clearing mission?"
"Yes." The black-robed mage's voice was young and calm, with a peculiar magnetism.
"What are the squad details?"
"Solo player, Sylvester, necromancer, class level 2," the black-robed mage announced—he concealed the fact that he had already advanced to level 3.
The clerk paused for a moment: "Single? Your Excellency, in-depth operations require a team of at least three..."
"The rule is a suggestion—at least three people, not a requirement," Sylvester said calmly. "I have contracted partners; they're strong enough."
The winter wolf at his feet raised its head, its icy blue eyes looking at the clerk.
The clerk felt a chill run down his spine. He swallowed hard and looked at the person in charge beside him—a high-ranking manager of the association.
The manager walked over, carefully examined Silvers, and then looked at the winter wolf.
"The contracted partner is a Winter Wolf of Challenge Level 3..." The administrator pondered for a moment, "Alright. But you must understand that venturing deep into the forest is extremely dangerous, and acting alone is very risky."
"Of course I understand."
After registration, Sylvester received his identity badge and a detailed mission briefing.
He turned and left the counter, walking towards the edge of the square.
Winter Wolf followed beside him, making low snoring sounds, as if he was about to fall asleep.
Silves's gaze swept across the square again, finally landing on the departing Xiuqi team.
It would be hard for him not to recognize that gray-robed boy.
At the Royal Academy of Solmar, the name Hugh Wright has become quite famous lately.
The bottom-ranked student in Class C of the first grade quickly rose to fame in just half a month.
First, he stole Sir Finn's fiancée from the Knights Academy as his girlfriend. You should know that Finn was a powerful figure who was hailed as the number one person in the Knights Academy in the past ten years.
Then, as the bottom student of Class C in the first year, he defeated Fernand from Class A in the second year, and also had an incredibly obedient ogre companion.
This bizarre story, with its stark contrast, spread rapidly throughout the college.
Silves was also present at the duel.
He went to watch the duel because the Fernand family had some influence in the academy. As the third-ranked student in the second-year Star Moon Class, it was essential for him to pay attention to the movements of the noble children in his grade.
But he never expected to see such an interesting match.
Xiuqi's use of the [Primary Deflection Field] has transcended the scope of ordinary magic tricks.
As a genius of the Necromancer school, Sylvester was extremely sensitive to energy structures. He could see that the subtle changes in that force field were not a simple release, but rather a real-time adjustment and reconstruction during the release process.
How much control would it take to achieve that level?
What intrigued Sylvester even more was the ogre. He had seen many contracted creatures, but an ogre so docile and obedient was truly rare.
The Necromancers also study biological control, and Sylvester knew very well how much time and effort it would take to tame an ogre.
"Shuki Light..." Silvers murmured the name, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his hood.
He originally accepted this quest to collect materials for his necromancy experiments and to practice his newly learned spells.
But now it seems that it might be more interesting than we imagined.
"Let's go, Frostfang," he whispered to Winter Wolf.
The white giant wolf growled and followed its master away from the square.