Adam studied the appraisal data, astonishment mingling with a flicker of intrigue. "If this magic item was crafted, fine. But if it was naturally formed, that's extraordinary."
This world birthed natural magic items, like the Lizardmen's Frost Pain, one of their Four Treasures, forged from ice that formed once on an ever-unfrozen lake.
Pity he lacked Greater Item Appraisal, which could reveal even the creator's identity.
"The energy gauge maxes at 300. How's that calculated?" Adam mused, eyeing the appraisal with puzzlement. "Summoning a Bone Dragon costs 100 energy, three dragons at most?"
He recalled Khajiit spending five years to amass energy for two Bone Dragons.
Squinting at the unremarkable Orb of Death, he wondered about the remaining 100 energy. Had the orb consumed it?
Thud!
The orb quivered in the Archangel Flame's hands, emitting a faint black-iron glow.
Staring at it, Adam felt a sudden urge to hold and examine it closely.
The moment the thought surfaced, he snapped alert. Knowing its dangers, he was prepared.
"Undeath Mind!" He chanted.
The spell, designed to counter charm and mental influence, dispelled the urge instantly.
Yet, Adam remained cautious. Khajiit, who knew Undeath Mind, had still been swayed by the orb, proving its partial resistance.
Ignoring the orb's persistent glow, Adam turned to his skill panel, reviewing the magics Khajiit used in their fight:
- Negative Ray
- Third-Tier Summon Undead
- Third-Tier Create Undead
- Flame of the Dead
- Armor Reinforcement
- Lesser Strength Boost
Aside from Undeath Mind, he hadn't learned these yet.
"Summon Undead." Adam's eyes lit up. He was keen on summoning magic now.
Mentally, he sifted through the panel.
[Detected Magic: Third-Tier Summon Undead. Level Requirement (15–21). Conditions Met.]
[Consume 1 Skill Point to Learn? This skill conflicts with Summon Angel. Learning may cause unknown risks.]
Adam blinked, startled.
Skill conflict?
What was this?
Frowning, he noticed Create Undead also triggered a conflict warning, unlike Control Undead, the third staple of necromancers.
Skill conflicts were straightforward, but YGGDRASIL never had such mechanics, had it?
Perplexed, Adam recalled a detail from the novels: summons originated from other worlds. Albedo once mocked the Elf King for naming a summoned Primal Earth Elemental, questioning how he knew it was the same one.
Did this mean YGGDRASIL's lore had become reality here?
Adam shook his head. Since Summon Undead and Create Undead conflicted, he wouldn't risk learning them. They'd only add minor tricks, far less useful than Summon Angel.
Against Ainz, a necromancy-specialized overlord, playing with undead was risky, they might defect mid-battle.
Thus, Khajiit's Flame of the Dead and Negative Ray, tailored for undead synergy, were also unnecessary.
After careful consideration, Adam settled on three viable spells: Lesser Strength Boost, Armor Reinforcement, and Control Undead.
On second thought, he discarded Lesser Strength Boost and Armor Reinforcement. Buff spells of the same type didn't stack, Lesser and Greater Strength Boost couldn't combine.
He wouldn't waste skill points on low-tier buffs.
Control Undead, however, intrigued him. His item box held over a thousand corpses, including fifty ogres. Strong monster corpses could be repurposed, not wasted.
"Talk about thrift." Adam quipped self-deprecatingly. Lacking resources, he had to be frugal.
As he mentally prepared to learn Control Undead,
Buzz,
The attribute panel jolted.
[Learn Magic: Control Undead? Requires Base Class: Necromancer]
[Warning: This class conflicts with living beings. Successful adoption will cause continuous negative energy corruption, resulting in persistent negative status.]
The prompt hit Adam like a bolt. He'd overlooked a critical issue.
If skill conflicts existed, so did class conflicts.
Necromancer classes were designed for heteromorphs. Khajiit, a human, suffered negative energy's toll, becoming a husk. His five-year stint in E-Rantel was to gather energy for a ritual to fully become undead.
In short: ceasing to be human.
Before Adam could process, the panel shifted.
['Genius' Trait Activated. Successfully Converted to 'Genius → Necromancer']
[Skill Acquisition Successful!]
[Skill Points: 40 → 39]
Skill: Control Undead (Third Tier)
Cost: 15 MP
Description: Manipulates deceased corpses. Higher caster levels allow control of more corpses, varying by level disparity.
…
Huh?
Adam blinked. He'd lamented the Genius trait's converted classes lacking their full perks.
Now, it seemed less a flaw.
In the dark, eerie night, tombstones and withered trees cast a grim scene, starkly contrasting the radiant circle of six Archangel Flames surrounding Adam.
Bathed in their glow, Adam shifted his gaze from the panel to the Orb of Death in the angel's hands.
Its irregular, dull surface looked like a riverbed stone, save for the flickering black-iron light.
Expressionless, Adam touched a finger to the orb's uneven surface.
Instantly,
"Human, death is the ultimate destination, the eternal truth. I embody the will of Death."
"Desire eternal life and power? I can grant both…"
A chaotic, seductive voice invaded his mind.
But it cut off abruptly.
Adam had stored the Orb of Death in his item box.
"Even with Undeath Mind, it can't fully block that voice." He muttered, rubbing his ear.
Until he neutralized the orb's consciousness, he wouldn't study it.
He'd already planned a solution: the Cursed Knight class.
Its curse ability could destroy items below Level 40, and the orb was precisely at that threshold. However, this curse also prevented the user from equipping items below Level 40, as they'd be destroyed.
Hence his reliance on mundane weapons, anything else was wasteful.
Adam's original plan was to acquire Cursed Knight before obtaining the Orb of Death, using its curse to erase the orb's consciousness.
The scroll-making skill had slightly altered his timeline.
***
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