This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 23 (Patreon)

"Wasn't that male druid who seemed hostile towards me just now a member of the Moonlight Society?"

In the waterlogged tunnel, Matthew rolled up his pants and asked.

"Of course, he's from the Earth Society. I hadn't seen him before, but I guess Samantha asked him to help," Ella replied with relief.

"Thank goodness Samantha brought him in!"

Matthew smiled and said, "Indeed."

Ella didn't seem to catch the hidden meaning in Matthew's words. She chatted on about the story of "Eli, the Ancient Tiger."

...

"Eli was an orphan. A long time ago, his parents made enemies and were chased to the Storm Valley near the Watcher Highlands in the west. Eli's father died halfway to delay the pursuers. Eli's mother, carrying him in a cradle, climbed into a tiger's den to hide from their enemies."

...

"Unfortunately, his mother was injured, and after reaching the cave, she was on the brink of death. As she lay there, she saw a fierce but weary tiger. Eli's mother said to the tiger, 'Eating me would satisfy your hunger, please spare my child.' So, the tiger silently devoured her. Throughout the whole process, she didn't make a sound—perhaps she fainted from the pain, or maybe she had already died. In any case, Eli, who had childhood memories, witnessed the entire ordeal. It's hard to imagine how he felt when he recalled this later."

...

"After consuming Eli's mother, the tiger carried Eli deeper into the cave. There, Eli discovered two newborn tiger cubs. That's right, the mother tiger had just given birth, and she was weak, needing to replenish her strength. If it weren't for Eli's mother, she might have left the den to hunt, even though the Storm Valley was a tiger's territory. That would have been a dangerous move. The mother tiger regained her strength and began nursing the cubs. Eli had his share. I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Eli was raised by the mother tiger and received the favor of the Earth God during this time. His first wild shape was that of a fierce tiger, and he later acquired the power to transform into a 'Saber-Toothed Tiger' and the legendary creature 'Ancient Tiger.' His combat strength was extremely terrifying, beyond the measure of a normal third-tier, so people preemptively bestowed upon him the title only deserving of fourth-tier shapeshifters—the 'Ancient Tiger!'"

...

Matthew nodded after hearing the story. "A tough childhood."

"Did he ever seek revenge for his parents?" Ella pondered and said uncertainly, "I don't know, he probably did."

"In any case, he's very powerful. If you happen to encounter him underground in the future, it's best to avoid him," Matthew warned.

Ella fell silent, and Matthew fixed his gaze ahead. All the skeletal soldiers had stopped in their tracks.

"Drip, drip, drip."

The sound of dripping water from the left cave was unsettling. And in the silence, the air all around them suddenly became restless!

"Matthew!" Ella belatedly cried out, "They're coming!"

But before she could finish her sentence, Matthew's robe billowed and then contracted, turning him into a raven, which flew away in the next second.

"Hey, Matthew, wait for me!" Ella's voice was hoarse with anxiety. She followed Matthew's example and perched on a horizontal stone pillar above.

As she looked down, she saw countless "Mad Seethe Larvae," each the size of a mouse, pouring out from the darkness. They slithered like worms, oozing with either purple or green pus, and they were faster than regular creatures!

"Matthew!" Ella couldn't stop screaming. "The most terrifying thing about these larvae is that they can infest. Just give them a small wound, and they can infest any living being!"

"We're in trouble!" The situation below became even more chaotic. Dozens of larvae were swarming around each skeleton soldier.

Just when Ella was in despair, Matthew finally spoke. "Apart from infestation, do they have any other tricks?"

Ella was momentarily stunned. "Isn't that terrifying enough?"

Matthew looked at her as if she were a fool. "It's indeed terrifying for living beings, but all my summoned creatures are undead!"

"Can these creatures infest skeletons?" To confirm Matthew's words, there was a sudden "plop" from below. Ella and Matthew lowered their heads to see a fist-sized larva crawling onto a skeleton soldier's knee. Its body rapidly shriveled, and at the same time, a large amount of pus burst from the larva, covering the bone tightly.

"Chirp, chirp…" A mouse-like noise emanated from the larva, and more larvae gathered around the oozing pus. They were eager to jump into it.

But the next second, a sword descended from the sky. Swish! The blade cut through the larva's bodies as if they were tofu, and the pus splattered like juice.

The skeleton soldiers hardly needed any skill. They simply swiped their swords where the larvae were congregating, and a large number of larvae met their demise.

Once finished, they patted their knees. After wiping away the pus, their bones shone brightly as new.

"Hint: Your summoned creatures are immune to the infection of Mad Seethe Larvae!

Your summoned creature 'Skeleton No. 3' has killed 13 Mad Seethe Larvae, earning you 13 XP (experience has been stored...)"

Down below, the battle was in full swing. Matthew sat on the sidelines, watching his summoned minions fight, while he enjoyed snacking on seeds – this was the greatest pleasure for a necromancer!

Moreover, the outcome of this skirmish had been decided since the first skeleton soldier raised its short sword, just as Ella had mentioned. The most terrifying aspect of the Mad Seethe Larvae was their pervasive infection ability. Faced with such an infection, even high toughness might not be enough to resist; perhaps a higher level of immunity was required!

These creatures were a nightmare for all living beings. But in front of undead creatures, it was a different story. You couldn't infest a skeleton, so with the removal of their primary threat, the Mad Seethe Larvae were essentially no different from slightly larger rats.

Even though the skeleton soldiers' reactions were somewhat slow, they could still take out several larvae with a single swing, especially considering that the larvae lacked intelligence. They seemed incapable of assessing the situation and acted solely on instinct. Despite the one-sided battle, they continued to throw themselves at the skeleton soldiers, one after another.

So, after just fifteen minutes, the ground was littered with the corpses of over a hundred Mad Seethe Larvae. Matthew's skeleton soldiers were almost unscathed – well, almost, as one of the skeleton soldiers accidentally twisted its ankle in a big movement while swatting the bugs. But it was just a skeleton, so Matthew easily corrected it afterward.

After this battle, Matthew noticed that most of the skeleton soldiers' soul flames had solidified slightly. Undead creatures could also enhance their strength through combat and slaughter, although the progress might not be as apparent.

Matthew was usually busy planting trees, and his skeleton soldiers were left in the cold. Now, they finally had a chance to show their skills, and the results left Matthew quite satisfied.

...

"So, is this the goddess's plan? It seems like undead creatures have a natural advantage against the Mad Seethe infection that's caused the desolation in this area!" Matthew thought.

Without lingering here for too long, he and Ella continued their descent. Matthew took to the air with Ella to observe and direct.

Their journey went smoothly, except for the third level, where they encountered two infected individuals who were once human but had now turned into Mad Seethe carriers. The skeleton soldiers dealt with all the enemies, and they cleaned out all the nests they encountered along the way. While they didn't find significant treasures, occasional drops of dozens of gold coins and XP that could help the skeleton soldiers level up quickly made Matthew feel it was a worthwhile trip.

As for the two infected individuals, one was swiftly taken out by a surprise attack from a skeleton soldier. The latter used a dagger to slice him in half, rendering him powerless instantly. The other one engaged in a brutal fight with a skeleton soldier. The Mad Seethe infected had astonishing strength. By the time Albing and other skeleton soldiers arrived, the skeleton soldier had already been dismantled.

This was Matthew's first encounter with damage during his exploration.

...

"What do we do? Matthew, you're missing a skeleton. Should we continue to the next level?" Ella asked nervously.

They were close to the entrance to the fourth level now, and according to Ella, from the fourth level onwards, these Mad Seethe carriers would become more common. Of course, not all of them were humans turned carriers; there would be various infected animals as well.

"Where am I missing a skeleton?" In response to Ella's question, Matthew smiled lightly and then took out his Witherwood Staff, starting to chant a spell under his breath.

Quickly, much to Ella's surprise, a stumbling skeleton soldier stood up from a pool of mixed red and green blood.

"So, you can summon skeletons continuously as long as you have corpses, right?" Ella stared in disbelief.

"Well, more or less," Matthew thought to himself, "It depends on the limit of summoned creatures."

"Alright, let's say we defeat evil with evil..." Ella muttered.

Matthew silently watched her, and she quickly added, "So, should we proceed to the next level?"

Matthew shook his head, "No, today's mission ends here."

Ella was momentarily taken aback, "Why? Did I offend you with what I said earlier? Oops, I apologize, Matthew. I finally understand the wisdom of the goddess. Necromancers are indeed better suited to exterminate these bugs!"

"No, it has nothing to do with that," Matthew yawned, "There are only four hours left until dawn, and I need to get back home to sleep. I have to wake up early tomorrow!"

"Wake up early? Why?" Ella was puzzled.

"For tree planting!" Matthew said confidently, "Don't you know that's my real job?"

...

The next evening, Matthew unceremoniously left Ella waiting outside his door, entered his room, and sat down. The figure of Albing materialized in the corner of the room.

Matthew checked the progress of his tree planting task. Over the past week, he had been working hard and planted a total of 104 trees, resulting in ten reinforcement opportunities.

Without hesitation, he assigned all ten to Albing. Ten flashes of light passed, and Albing's level increased by three, reaching LV9!

Seven new keywords were gained, including four blue ones related to the sky and clouds.

...

"Your summoned creature, Albing, has gained the following keywords: Shadow Strike (Blue), Poison Infusion (Blue), Farming Techniques (White), and Infant Care (White)."

Chapter 24 >>

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