The Third Return of the Necrotic Magic Swordsman

Between two mountains, deep inside a shadowed cliff.

Evan stood still on the cold ground, eyes fixed downward.

In one hand, the newly acquired ring. In the other, the brittle twig it had been hanging from.

The flickering light from his flame revealed what lay beneath his boots.

A skull.

Human.

Old.

Shattered beneath his step like a dried leaf.

The remains were scattered, silent in death. Evan’s flame flared brighter, painting the jagged walls in orange and shadow.

What it revealed was the rest of the corpse—an ancient mage’s body, clad in tattered robes, lying where time had abandoned him.

Evan stepped back, muttering an apology. He hadn’t expected to find this here.

Among the mage’s remains were a broken staff, a cracked necklace, and a letter so worn it seemed ready to crumble.

He gathered the bones carefully, piecing them together. With a gesture, the earth shifted and covered the remains, granting the dead a grave where he had fallen.

Then he read the letter.

~~~~~

To the one who finds me,

I was once a mage with dreams, a team I trusted, and a woman I loved. My talent drew envy, my ring drew greed.

The one I loved, Maria, stood with them when they betrayed me...

....

Hunted, exhausted, and stripped of my mana, I fell into this cliff—ring still in my grasp. I clung to life for a while, long enough to write these words. I cannot ask you to avenge me. My enemies are long gone, or far beyond my reach.

Take the ring if you can. Prove its worth in your hands. But remember this—pride drowns faster than any man. The fall hurts most after the climb.

—A Betrayed Mage

~~~~~

The rest was too faded to read.

Evan burned the letter, watching the ashes scatter in the still air. Nothing else remained worth taking.

With a whistle, his Great Eagle descended. Talons clamped onto his shoulders, and they rose from the cliff into open sky.

”I’ve wasted almost half the day here,” Evan muttered, feeling no sort of sadness toward the mage.

It was as if these experiences had become normal for him after enduring so many similar situations.

”Six hours for a single item… I need to move before Sylen makes his move.”

The second marked location was forty-three kilometers away. But he didn’t get far.

Shapes moved against the clouds—fast, closing in. Dozens of them.

’Uninvited guests…’ Evan’s eyes narrowed.

He dropped from the eagle’s grip, boots hitting earth, summoning his battle-ready summons.

A storm of screeches filled the air as the first wave hit—a flock of Rock Claw Birds, their talons flashing.

They were strong enough to tear through average adventurers.

To Evan, they were prey.

Blades of shadow carved the sky, severing wings. He moved like a reaper among them, cutting down any that dared to dive. But then he stopped. This was an adventurer hunting zone. If someone saw too much of his power, it would raise questions.

He dismissed his summons. Drew his Iron Greatblade.

Steel sang. Feathers fell like rain.

Any bird that tried to flee met a fireball in the back. In moments, the sky was clear—until the last few survivors turned tail.

Evan leapt high, flames bursting from his fist in a sweeping arc.

The air ignited.

The flock was gone. Notifications began to appear, informing him of his gains.

[You’ve defeated several lower-level Rock Claw Birds: 127×Lv.40-58, 9×Lv.65-70 Metal Claw Birds.]

[You’ve gained an enormous amount of experience points.]

[EEP Gained: 6,597. T.P: 22,030 EEP.]

[Souls Stored: 136.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

The stat increases rolled in. Evan grinned slightly, using [Plunder] to strip the high-tier corpses of their value. The low-level ones, he ignored, but still got in.

{[]

[]

[]

[]

[]

[Stats Absorbed] ➤ +21 STR | +26 AGL | +5 INT | +18 VIT | +9 END | +12 STA]

[Skill Absorbed are found to be incompatible with the host body. Skills are being broken into lower forms.]

[You’ve gained 134 Skill Fragments. T.F: 308]Evan surveyed the battlefield. The ground was littered with the broken bodies of the Rock Claw Birds—though not as many as he’d hoped. The last wave of his flames had reduced several to nothing but drifting ash.

His summons were already dragging the intact corpses into neat rows.

”May as well refill the air unit count before I leave,” he muttered.

He lifted his hand. Mana surged outward, heavy and cold.

[Raise Undead]

The corpses twitched. Feathers shifted. One by one, the lifeless beasts rose again, their eyes hollow and burning with a deathly flame. The air chilled with the aura of the grave.

[You’ve raised 127 Normal Summon units.]

[You’ve gained massive insight into the concept of death. Your skill, Raise Undead, has reached Lv.85.]

[You’ve reached the level limit of class skill; the skill will be further evolved through the next advancement.]

He dismissed the notifications with a flick of his wrist, already knowing what was coming next. A quick glance at his stats followed.

__

◆ HP: 16,060 

◆ MP: 36,570 

◆ Strength (STR): 54 {+20 Red} (31↑)

◆ Agility (AGL): 42 {+23 Red} (36↑)

◆ Vitality (VIT): 06 {+16 Red} (42↑)

◆ Intelligence (INT): 57 {+36 Red} (45↑)

◆ Endurance (END): 25 {+16 Red} (19↑)

◆ Stamina (STA): 16 {+17 Red} (22↑)

◆ Spirit (SPT): 85 {+4 Red} (12↑) 

◆ Unassigned Stats: 140 (20↑)

◆ Attack Power:5,275.2 (Physical, {STR+AGL} *1.2) | 5,485.5 (Elemental, INT*1.5)

◆ Defence:3,341 (+50%) ({END+STA}*1)

◆ Storage Summon:4,524/4,850

__ 

His skill, Raise Undead, was at its natural limit far sooner than expected. Then again, the scale of his summoning wasn’t something a normal necromancer could replicate. The mana cost alone was enough to cripple most in the class.

’One last sweep before I deal with that Lord Beast.’

He vaulted onto the back of his Great Eagle. The undead mount’s wings snapped open, carrying them into the sky, leaving behind only bloodstains and scattered feathers—nothing that could hint at the truth.

...

Three days later…

Above the clouds, an enormous eagle cut through the wind. Its feathers were pale and stiff, its movements eerily precise.

It was dead. Yet it flew.

Evan sat slouched on its back, exhaustion pulling at his eyelids. He’d been hunting opportunities nonstop, his inventory heavier with every hour.

In his hand, a small clay vial rattled faintly, like seeds in a pod.

A pill, most likely.

It had taken him seven hours to track it down—even with his summons scouring the area. The cave he’d found it in had been so narrow he’d barely been able to squeeze inside. Three peaks searched, one reward to show for it.

’It better be worth it,’ he thought darkly, tucking the vial into his inventory. ’If not, I’m never wasting this much time chasing ”opportunities” again.’

In three days, since finding the Betrayed Mage’s ring, his haul had grown to four: the ring, an ancient book, a rare ore, and this pill. His map showed only one opportunity left—forty-eight kilometers ahead—and two danger zones. Beyond that lay the Forbidden Zone.

That was where Sylen’s trail would lead. And Evan intended to be ready.

He patted the cold feathers of his undead mount. ”Alright, my loyal seat—one last trip before we hit the real fight. I’ll even thank you properly when this is over.”

The bird didn’t respond. It couldn’t. But in another life, maybe it would have.

Evan leaned back, eyes drifting to the open sky. Then he remembered—he’d made a lot of changes to his build in the last three days, but hadn’t checked his updated status yet.

It was time.

__

◇ Name: Evan Ravencall (Evan Windstone)

◇ Race: Human (100%)

◇ Age: 18

◇ Title:

 [Limit Breaker], [Holder of Monarch Physique], [Death Scholar]◇ Physique: Death Monarch

◇ Rank: Tier 0

◇ Level: 87 [ 97,162 / 127,500 ]

◇ Bounded Item: Mask of concealment (????), Veyr’Zhal, the Warden Chain Fragment (????)

◇ Class:

-Necromancer (SS)

-Mage (E)

-Weapon Master (F)

-Blacksmith (B) [🔒]

-Alchemist (S) [🔒]

-Rune Enchanter (S!) [🔒]

◇ Talents:

- [Plunder] (?)

- [Infinite Evolution & Enchantment] (?)

- [Supreme Adaptation] (?)

- [Transcendent Body] (?) [🔒]

- [Replica of Halo of Luck ########] (?) [🔒]

- [Gravitic Vein] (A)

- [Reaper’s Frenzy] (D)

- [Draconic Insight] (SSS Rank) [🔒]

- [Radiant Sanctum] (S Rank)

- [SwordHeart Resonance] (C)

◆ HP: 17,490 

◆ MP: 38,610 

◆ Strength (STR): 17 {+21 Red} (63↑)

◆ Agility (AGL): 14 {+24 Red} (72↑)

◆ Vitality (VIT): 49 {+17 Red} (143↑)

◆ Intelligence (INT): 61 {+38 Red} (204↑)

◆ Endurance (END): 91 {+16 Red} (66↑)

◆ Stamina (STA): 95 {+17 Red} (79↑)

◆ Spirit (SPT): 39 {+5 Red} (54↑) 

◆ Unassigned Stats: 320 (180↑)

◆ Attack Power: 5,437.2 (Physical) | 5,791.5 

(Elemental)◆ Defence: 3,486 (+50%)

◆ Storage Summon: 4,524/5,390

  --> 977 × Normal Summons

 --> 706 × Elite Summons

 --> 2 × Mid-Boss Summon

”Abilities”

➤ Elemental Manipulation (SSS), True Dragon Body (SSS) [🔒], Keen Eyes (A)

__

He had gained more levels in the past few days than he ever thought possible.

Constant battles, relentless hunting, and the plundering of weaker beasts had pushed his growth to an almost absurd pace.

Of course, with rapid growth came restrictions.

The system was already pressing him with its silent ceiling, forcing him to slow down—if only slightly.

A new skill, the last one, had also emerged in his arsenal: Mana Siphon.

For any Necromancer, it was a dream come true. To drain mana directly from enemies in the heat of battle meant sustaining longer fights and overwhelming his prey without pause.

The plundered stats, however, had been disappointing.

Luck hadn’t been on his side; no rare abilities came from his kills. Still, the progress in his other reserves was staggering.

EEP—Evo Enchant Points—had soared past fifty-six thousand.

In just a handful of days, he had gone from scraping together points to holding enough to consider evolving more than just his physique.

His collection of souls had breached the thousand, with only a few more needed to hit the next milestone.

Skill fragments had crossed the eight-hundred mark with ease.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before his Death Monarch Physique reached its next evolution.

And when that happened… even he couldn’t predict the heights he’d reach.

A smirk tugged at his lips at the thought—until movement on the horizon stole his attention.

His next target was already in sight.

And for once, there would be no need to scour mountains or sift through hidden caves.

Suspended in the heart of a pristine forest lake stood a colossal flower, its towering form rivalling a five-story building.

The petals, each broad enough to walk upon, wrapped protectively around something his system marked as an opportunity.

From above, the scene looked almost surreal—a living pillar crowned with mystical fruit, the air around it rich with a honeyed fragrance that drifted far beyond the treeline.

”Evan, hurry!”

The sudden voice of Arven broke through his thoughts. The figure appeared beside him, urgency in his tone.

”Take the fruits before they ripen completely. If the one lurking in the shadows reaches them first, things will get… complicated.”

Evan didn’t hesitate.

With a nod, he recalled his undead eagle mid-flight and dropped toward the bloom.

His boots landed on the smooth surface of a massive petal. The sweet, intoxicating scent hit him instantly.

It was the kind of aroma that could disarm the mind—soft, inviting, almost dangerous.

He pushed forward, weaving through the gentle curve of the petals until the fruits came into view.

They were the size of a man’s fist, shimmering faintly with a mix of green and blue hues. Even without tasting them, he could feel their power.

If Arven was this interested, they weren’t just valuable—they were priceless.

Evan waited, patient and still, as the fruits neared ripeness.

And then, just as their colours deepened and the skin pulsed faintly with mana.

The forest trembled. Leaves rustled violently as something stirred in the shadows beyond the lake. The surface of the water rippled in unnatural patterns.

A low, guttural noise echoed through the clearing.

’Figures…’

He reached forward without a second thought, plucking the fruits and shoving them into his inventory. The sweet scent was cut off instantly.

And that… was the trigger.

From the treeline, the first shadow moved.

The thing waiting for him or for the fruits had arrived.

And what’s going to be the outcome, it can’t be told yet...

--> To be Continued...

What situation will he face now?

Is he going to escape safely, or will danger consume him entirely?

To find out, add it to your library for instant updates and join Evan on his thrilling adventure filled with excitement.