The moment they stepped into the underground stone chamber, a chill, damp air rushed to greet them.
The magical light orb floating in midair stretched the trio’s shadows long along the ground.
At the end of the chamber stood the old man draped in a gray cloak, his cloudy eyes fixed tightly on Leo.
“A young brat, a female knight, and a little girl…”
The old man’s hoarse voice echoed, tinged with a hint of contempt.
“So the one spying on me just now was you, wasn’t it?”
Leo didn’t answer his question.
Instead, he sized up the old man with interest.
“You’re a Summoner too?” he asked directly.
The old man was visibly startled, as if he hadn’t expected his profession to be exposed so easily.
He gave a dry laugh.
“Heh heh, quite observant. That’s right, I am Marcus, a Summoner wandering the world in search of Truth.”
“Oh? Truth?”
Leo raised an eyebrow.
“Is your so-called Truth hiding here, stirring up such a commotion, scaring all the monsters in the forest and almost destroying my Town?”
“Your Town?”
A hint of surprise flashed in Marcus’s eyes, soon replaced by disdain.
“Oh, you mean that lifeless little Village nearby?”
“A small border Village, nothing more. If it’s destroyed, so be it. Compared to the knowledge I’m about to obtain, it’s insignificant.”
He pointed to the Rune Wall behind him.
“Do you know what lies beyond this? It’s the life’s work of an Ancient Necromancer! The Ultimate Secret of Summoning—Undead Summoning!”
“If I obtain it, I will command life and death, and build a true Undead Legion!”
Marcus’s voice grew more and more fervent, escalating into a near-fanatical howl.
After hearing all this, Leo’s expression turned a bit odd.
He looked at Marcus the way one might look at an amateur who, having just learned to use an abacus, proclaimed he was about to unlock the ultimate mysteries of the universe.
Undead Summoning?
Is that it?
“So you went to all this trouble just for this, huh.”
Leo sighed, his tone filled with unspeakable disappointment.
“Boy, what’s with that look in your eyes?”
Marcus was infuriated by Leo’s reaction.
“Ignorant fool, you simply don’t understand the greatness of Undead Summoning!”
“All right, all right, enough with the shouting.”
Leo waved impatiently.
“Since we’re both Summoners, let’s settle things our way.”
“Let’s see whose skills speak louder.”
Before his words had even faded, three massive magic circles suddenly appeared before Leo!
“Roar!”
With deafening howls, the hulking [Two-Headed Hellhound] and [Feral Bear] burst forth, one on each side, their blood-red eyes locked onto Marcus.
Then, a giant made of rock—the [Earth Guardian]—strode forward with heavy steps, positioning itself protectively before Leo, its thick stony skin shining with solid luster.
Three advanced units appeared simultaneously, and a powerful surge of magical energy filled the stone chamber in an instant.
Marcus’s pupils contracted.
The fanaticism and contempt on his face instantly froze.
“This… this is impossible?! At your age, how can you possibly command such powerful Summoning magic?!”
He screamed, unable to comprehend the scene before him.
To master a single advanced Summon, he had spent years, even over a decade.
Yet this youth had casually called forth three at once!
This made no sense!
“Cut the crap!”
Leo couldn’t be bothered to explain what it meant to be ‘cheating.’
And was this even supposed to be strong Summoning magic?
Weren’t these just barely approaching mid-level Summons?
With a thought, the Feral Bear let out a wild, furious roar, a visible red aura spreading out to envelop all allied units.
[Furious Roar] activated—all stats increased!
The Two-Headed Hellhound shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, and the Earth Guardian charged ahead with heavy strides.
“You think that’ll scare me?!”
Marcus, after all, was a veteran at level forty; his shock quickly gave way to a rapid response.
Slamming his bony staff against the ground, two somewhat dim magic circles appeared at his side.
A Demonic Porcupine covered in spikes and a lean, shriveled Swamp Hydra were summoned to the field.
The battle was about to erupt.
However, the tide of battle instantly became lopsided.
Marcus’s Demonic Porcupine barely began its charge before the Two-Headed Hellhound bit into its neck, its sharp fangs tearing flesh and triggering a continuous bleeding debuff.
The Swamp Hydra tried to spit venom, but the Earth Guardian slapped it hard to the ground, nearly smashing its head into the stone floor.
They weren’t even in the same league.
“No… impossible… why are my Summoned Beasts so weak…”
Marcus’s face was ashen, and he muttered in disbelief.
The Summoning skills he’d taken such pride in were nothing but children’s toys in Leo’s eyes.
Seeing Marcus so crushed, the smile at the corner of Leo’s lips grew even wider.
“Already feeling weak? Don’t be in such a hurry.”
He snapped his fingers.
The Two-Headed Hellhound and Earth Guardian vanished into points of light.
Marcus blinked, not understanding what Leo was up to.
“Aren’t you so interested in Undead Summoning?”
Leo’s voice drifted lazily.
“Come, let me show you a real treasure.”
In the next instant, a Death Magic aura far purer, darker, and more terrifying than anything Marcus had ever emitted burst forth from Leo!
Pitch-black magic circles flared one after another before him, as a chilling wind swept through the stone chamber.
Click, clack…
With the grinding sound of bones, [Skeleton Soldiers] wielding rusted swords and battered shields crawled out from the magic circles.
They were soon followed by [Skeleton Archers] drawing back their bowstrings, and [Skeleton Mages] whose eyes blazed with soul-fire.
Finally, a phalanx of fifty [Skeleton Soldiers] appeared in perfect unison, completely surrounding Marcus.
The ghastly white bones, hollow eye sockets, and the deathly aura so thick it was almost tangible left Marcus frozen, his hands and feet icy cold.
It was as if he had witnessed the most unthinkable of spirits—his mouth gaped wide, but no sound came out.
“This… this… this is… true Undead Summoning…” he stammered, his voice trembling with despair and… longing.
But Leo wasn’t finished yet.
He pointed at Alice, the silver-haired knight who had stood silent at his side.
“And let me introduce you: this lovely silver-haired knight is also one of my summons.”
“She’s even rarer and stronger than Undead Summons, a high-level summon with complete intellect and independent will.”
“This is the pinnacle of Summoning.”
“A realm that someone like you, who hasn’t even stepped through the doorway, will never reach in your entire life.”
Every word from Leo was like a hammer, slamming into the already-crumbling walls of Marcus’s mind.
“Pfft—”
Marcus could no longer withstand the overwhelming shock.
He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed weakly to his knees.
The “Ultimate Secret” he’d spent his life pursuing was, in someone else’s eyes, just an everyday, casually summoned trick.
And the “pinnacle” he couldn’t even begin to grasp stood right before him, flesh and blood.
His faith—collapsed.
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