This Necromancer Just Wants to Plant Trees - Chapter 27 (Patreon)

Necroburst.

One of the signature spells of a Necromancer, only accessible at Level 4.

Its principle involves leveraging psychic energy and mana to rupture the negative energy reservoir in newly deceased bodies, leading to an imbalance that results in an explosion.

Hence, the first requirement for Necroburst is a "corpse not older than 5 minutes."

Only those in the transitional state between life and death.

Would release an astonishing explosion due to a minor rupture in negative energy.

And when a skilled Necromancer, who has reached the Second Tier, masters Necroburst.

They have the opportunity to learn an advanced spell technique known as "Chain Necroburst."

This technique bestows a unique characteristic upon Necroburst – any creature killed by Necroburst has a 50% chance of triggering a secondary explosion upon their death.

And, precisely.

Matthew had mastered this technique a year ago.

What's even more fortuitous is that every Frenzied Infected and Frenzied Guardian was infested with numerous Frenzied Larvae. In the face of Necroburst, these larvae perfectly served as a 'chain.'

A single Necroburst doesn't actually deal much damage, but the life of Frenzied Larvae is significantly lower, almost dying from a single explosion.

And each larva is treated as an individual unit, significantly increasing the chances of Chain Necroburst!

As a result.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

When the first explosion resounded in the damp and dim cave, the continuous explosions were akin to an endless array of firecrackers from a past-life Chinese New Year celebration.

The negative energy's ashy haze continuously rose from the cave.

Resembling little mushroom clouds.

The high-intensity chain of explosions inevitably caused turbulence in the cave's airflows.

Even though the three of them were protected by defensive spells.

They could still feel the howling gusts passing over their bodies.

Eira stumbled.

If it weren't for Matthew's quick reflexes in pulling her out.

She might have been swept away!

Rumble!

The Chain Necroburst triggered the collapse of some cave walls.

For a moment, the winds howled, and white smoke billowed.

Numerous creatures of the insect race perished in the explosions.

And amidst the chaos.

Samantha saw the Frenzied Guardian that had ambushed and chased her!

It had initially intended to rely on its thick skin to traverse the most violent explosion area.

However, with pitiful and mournful cries.

Its bloated and massive body couldn't help but fall over uncontrollably.

Eventually.

In the negative energy inferno woven from bones and gray mist.

That Frenzied Guardian also contributed its body to the feast of Necroburst!

Boom!

Its massive body exploded into pieces.

All creatures within 20 meters of its center were torn to shreds!

Matthew estimated.

After this big guy's explosion, the number of Frenzied Larvae in the vicinity had been reduced by more than half.

But the feast of Necroburst continued.

It's just that within that endless chaos, the explosive sounds, which had initially been loud and intense with "Boom! Boom! Boom!", turned into occasional "Plop! Plop! Plop!" sounds.

Twenty minutes later.

Matthew used his charged staff's "Arcane Missiles" to deal with the stragglers at the edge of the explosion.

Only then did the dreadful Necroburst finally come to a halt.

The wind subsided slightly, and the white smoke descended.

The three of them walked out of the gradually dimming Guardian runes' protection.

Before them lay a scene of utter devastation.

A large number of fragments were mixed together:

Flesh, bones, dust, eyeballs, nails, hair, fascia, organ chunks, stones, coins, clothing...

Abundant bloodstains and pus sprayed across the surrounding cave walls in a jet-like pattern.

The air carried a nauseating odor.

Even with Matthew's mental fortitude, he almost couldn't hold back the urge to retch.

Eira simply flew away without saying a word.

It was Samantha who seemed to have a stronger resistance to this bloody scene, perhaps due to her frequent hand-to-hand combat with the insects. She strolled through the aftermath of Necroburst, skillfully inspecting for any stragglers.

Only when she saw the remains left by the Frenzied Guardians did she furrow her attractive brows slightly.

And on the other side of the battlefield.

Matthew and Ah Bing had converged and were counting their limited gains and assessing losses.

Regarding losses, aside from Ah Bing, all eleven skeletal soldiers had turned into fodder for the explosions, none spared.

This was Matthew's hard-earned savings in Stonefall Town. It was impossible not to feel a pang of regret, but skeletal soldiers were essentially cannon fodder, and he had grown accustomed to it.

As for the spoils, there weren't many. There wasn't much of value on the Frenzied Insects, and what remained had undoubtedly been refined by Necroburst indiscriminately. What was left was bound to be of high quality, at least in terms of material.

Matthew found a sapphire ring, a card that looked similar to an access card with the emblem of the Antu Empire in the lower right corner, possibly a pass to some important laboratory.

As for the last item, the Arcane Staff, since it was in an unidentified state, Matthew instinctively used an identification spell on it.

...

"Identification Failed! You cannot learn the properties and usage of the Arcane Staff!

Hint: You need higher knowledge (Arcane)."

...

Failed, huh?

Matthew raised an eyebrow, and then he felt a bit annoyed.

Most magical items related to psychic power required identification before use.

To identify such items, the user of the spell had to possess a higher level of psychic knowledge. But psychic knowledge usually came from items related to psychic power.

It was a perfect loop.

However, Matthew wasn't discouraged. He still had an advanced identification scroll gifted by Archmage Ronan, and he could use it to identify this staff.

The only question was, was the staff worth it?

Matthew gently touched the pale blue amber embedded in the psychic staff, unable to make up his mind.

"An impressive explosion, your power exceeded my expectations."

"Frankly, you helped me a lot. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken me a considerable effort to get away."

Samantha's voice chimed in from the side.

Matthew retracted the staff and replied calmly, "It's nothing; they were my targets too."

Samantha's eyes, full of vitality, gazed at Matthew.

"But I caused you to lose a team of skeletal soldiers, and I owe you for that."

Matthew waved his hand dismissively, "Just a team of skeletons, no need to worry."

"No, it's essential, and I'm thinking of compensating you."

Samantha's gaze remained bright.

"Or perhaps you can make some demands, but I won't necessarily fulfill them."

Matthew thought for a moment, "Maybe we can cooperate? This hive is vast, and we haven't even explored a third of the total area. As fellow Moonwalkers, we share a common goal."

But Samantha immediately shook her head without waiting for Matthew to continue.

"Sorry, but I won't cooperate with you."

Before Matthew could respond, she added, "How about this, I believe that your demands might be hard for me to accept, so I've decided to give you another team of skeletal soldiers. Eli and I have killed many infected, and we've buried their bodies at specific locations on each level. I think those materials should be enough for your use."

Matthew agreed to this arrangement without any dissatisfaction. He just looked at Samantha curiously.

"Why did you refuse to cooperate with me? Just because I'm a Necromancer?"

Samantha honestly replied, "I'm sorry, but I really don't want to cooperate with a Necromancer. It goes against my natural inclinations."

Matthew couldn't help but laugh, "So your concept of nature is so narrow?"

Samantha was momentarily taken aback.

Matthew confidently asked, "Why exclude the undead from nature? Can't undead creatures be part of nature? Is your understanding of nature shaped by those conservative and authoritative entities that have instilled these concepts in you? If that's the case, then I indeed have no reason to cooperate with you. Your understanding of nature is too shallow."

Samantha looked shocked, "What are you saying? How could the Goddess allow you to speak such blasphemous words?"

Blasphemy?

Did this level of discussion even qualify as blasphemy? Matthew had a completely new understanding of the thought patterns of this Moonwalker in front of him.

In reality, Matthew didn't care whether the Moon Goddess would punish him. After all, the Goddess was in a position of need, and even without the pressure of the Frenzied Insects, She might not have the power to deliver a severe divine punishment.

According to the information he had gathered from Archmage Ronan, it had been hundreds of years since the well-known major event "The Ascension of the Celestial Palace." The influence of the gods on the material world was now minimal.

Not to mention human kingdoms, even the relatively devout elves openly defied the will of the gods, and only the Druids, a conservative and backward group, held relatively stable beliefs.

"Since there's no room for cooperation, I'll be on my way."

Matthew yawned and prepared to return home.

"One last thing, remember to take me to see the skeletal materials the next time we meet!"

"Finally, let me express my own understanding. I believe that nature is infinitely inclusive. It's not just the narrow, tangible aspects people can see. It should reflect the true essence of the universe."

Samantha stared at Matthew intensely, her gaze shifting repeatedly.

Matthew remained silent, disappearing from the spot.

Samantha didn't leave.

She paced back and forth at the same spot, her gaze unfocused.

Not long after, footsteps echoed from within the cave behind her.

"Sorry, I'm late. What happened here?" Eli asked with a hint of apology in his eyes.

Samantha hesitated for a moment, then repeated what Matthew had just said.

After hearing it, Eli was furious, "He's not just blaspheming the gods but also defying nature! How can filthy undead creatures enter the realm of nature? He's just sophistry!"

Eli cursed vehemently.

Samantha, however, remained uncharacteristically silent.

After some time had passed, Eli couldn't help but feel uneasy, "Samantha, you don't actually believe his nonsense, do you?"

Samantha hurriedly shook her head, "Of course not! I'm just thinking about how to repay his favor. After all, he saved my life."

Eli sighed in relief and nodded, "If he did save your life, then we indeed shouldn't be ungrateful. I have some things I don't need; you can give them to him as a reward."

Eli then continued with a tone of reprimand, "Next time, don't venture out alone when I'm not around."

Samantha responded nonchalantly, "Understood."

Eli, full of enthusiasm, asked, "Shall we continue?"

Samantha hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and said, "No, I'm injured and tired. Let's stop here for tonight. See you next time, Eli."

With that, her figure disappeared.

Leaving Eli alone, scratching his head in confusion.

...

In Stonefall Town, at home.

...

"Notification: You have consumed an advanced identification scroll.

Identification successful!

You have obtained the Coughing Staff (Psychic Item)!"

Chapter 28 >>

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