Serra Winter's ice crystal hair shattered into cold light in the sunset. The 1.7-meter elemental mage, who was tiptoed, barely level with Erin Moser's gaze - the latter's 1.85-meter figure looked particularly slender in the twilight, and the astral council emblem on the cuffs of the school uniform was shining.
"Irene Moser, I want to compete with you." Sierra's ice-blue skirt raised as she moved, revealing the elemental patterns that were faintly visible on her calf. "Do you dare to accept the challenge in the actual score of the big test?"
Erin raised her eyebrows, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes. As a famous silent person in the academy, she has long been used to using eyes to answer.
"Don't pretend to be stupid!" Sera stomped her feet, and the ice crystal exploded into tiny snowflakes on the bluestone slab. "I know you awakened the hidden profession, but the explosion damage of the elemental mage—"
"Oh." Erin responded lightly, and walked around Serra toward the dormitory area. Her pace was smooth, and the Skeleton Warrior's summoning space resonated silently around her waist, as if reminding her of the upcoming copy adventure.
Sierra's voice came from behind: "I won't always be the second place! I will definitely snatch the admission quota from Eternal Night Academy from you!"
The wooden door of the apartment creaked and closed behind him, Erin turned on the lights, and the warm yellow halo reflected the simplicity of the room: an iron bed, an old desk, and the faded Astral Council tapestry on the wall - in the middle of the tapestry, the pattern of the Astral Tower coincides perfectly with the emblem of her cuffs. The most conspicuous one is the photo frame on the table: on the summer day three years ago, she took a photo with her sister Laila and grandma in Silver Moon City Square, and the smiles of the three were forever frozen in the sun.
As a time traveler, Erin inherited the memory of the original owner: she was in the orphanage on Earth in her previous life, which was in sharp contrast to the warmth of having relatives now. Unfortunately, this warmth is too short-lived - grandma passed away two years ago, and her sister Laila was admitted to the Eternal Night Academy last year with the highest grade in Rhine Province, leaving her alone in the empty apartment.
"I'm going to Eternal Night Academy, too." Erin murmured softly at the photo frame, her fingertips slashed across the eternal Night insignia on her sister's uniform, "It's not to prove anything, it's just to know... the truth about her mother's disappearance."
The knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. President Gavin Hawke stood at the door, the eternal night academy emblem on the Saint Power wristband was slightly shiny, holding a kraft paper bag in his hand: "Irene, this is a special mental bread made in the Astral Kitchen, which can speed up the recovery of meditation."
"Thank you, principal." Erin took the paper bag and touched the astral rune at the pocket with her fingertips - that was the care of the principal before her sister left, "I will prepare to brush it alone tomorrow's copy of Yongge Grassland."
Gavin nodded, his eyes falling on the Astral Tapestry on the wall: "Your mother once said that the key to the Astral Tower is hidden in the song of the dead. Perhaps your Necromancer talent is the key to solving the puzzle."
As night fell, Erin sat on the bed to study skills. The ruby in the palm suddenly became hot. It was the only item I carried during the journey, and it was resonating with the summoning space at this moment. As she was about to summon the second skeleton warrior, a mechanical sound rang in her mind:
[Host profession detected: Necromancer (only)]
[Binding the astral origin system, activate the god-level talent: full-domain increase (level 1)]
[Passive skill: Damage transfer (effective permanently)]
The properties panel expands on the retina:
[Name: Erin Moser]
[Profession: Necromancer (only)]
[Level: 1 (0.00%)]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Spirit: 20]
[Equipment: None]
[Summoning Space: 1/10, Skeleton Warrior (Quantity: 1)]
[Talent: Entire Regional Amplification (Level 1) - All skills are improved by 10 times]
[Passive: Damage transfer - All damage you suffer is borne by the summoned object]
[Skills: Soul Flame (Level 1), Summoning Skeleton Warrior (Level 1)]
Erin's breathing accelerated slightly. As a top student in theory course, she knows what "all-domain amplification" means - the Black Iron Skeleton summoned at level 1 will have its attributes surge from the basic 15 points to 150 points, and "damage transfer" is even more a cheating skill: as long as the summoning object exists, she is equivalent to having a life chain composed of the dead.
"So that's it..." Erin stared at the ruby gradually merged into her palm, and the same bone patterns as the skeleton warrior appeared on the surface, "You are the bridge connecting the astral realm and the dead."
The temperature in the room plummeted as the first skeleton warrior stepped out of the vortex. Erin noticed that silver light was faintly flowing on its bone blade - it was the effect of the entire region amplification, giving this black iron-level skeleton a momentum comparable to bronze.
Outside the window, the night watchman in Silver Moon City was ringing the midnight bell in the bell tower. In the distance, the black fog in the direction of the Nanfeng Fortress became a little thicker, and at the top of the Astral Tower of Eternal Night Academy, a window that had been covered with dust for ten years suddenly lit up a glimmer - it was a sign of the Necromancer and the beginning of the resonance between the Dead and the Astral Realm.
Erin Messer stared at the newly summoned Black Iron-level skeleton warrior, whose appearance was still like a broken limb crawling out of the ruins of the Astral Tower - the fine brick ash embedded between the bones, and the rust on the broken sword was almost peeling off. But the properties panel reveals a completely different truth:
[Black Iron-level Skeleton Warrior]
[Strength: 150]
[Agility: 150]
[Spirit: 150]
[Physical constitution: 150]
[Skill: None]
Thanks to the talent for global growth, all basic attributes soared to 10 times the initial level. When she recalled the first skeleton from the summoning space, she found that the cracks on its bone blade were actually shining with a glimmer - a sign that the energy of the dead resonates with the origin of the astral realm.
"Attribute enhancement not only acts on new summons." Erin murmured to herself, her fingertips streaked across the skeleton warrior's brow bone, and the soul fire disappeared. "The storage objects in the summoning space will also be increased." The remaining 10 points of mental power slowly recovered during meditation, and she decided to summon another one - anyway, in front of the level 1 monster in the Yongge Grassland dungeon, the four amplified skeletons were enough to form a crush.
The next morning, the fragrance of cornflower in Silver Moon City drifted through the window, but was diluted by the chill of the undead on the skeleton warrior. Three black iron skeletons stood like loyal gravekeepers, and the soul fire showed a light golden color in the morning light - this is a hidden change brought about by the increase in the entire region.
"Summer saves ice magic." Erin curled her lips and put the fourth skeleton into the summoning space. The power attribute of 150 points is equivalent to the level of the 7th-level infantry of the regular army of the Roland Empire, let alone four attacks at the same time.
At the entrance of the college, the bronze magic bus was hoisting and spitting at the students. Erin noticed the car was engraved with the admissions advertisements from Eternal Night Academy: "Adventurers above level 15 will be admitted priority - with the qualification for internships of the Star Tower." This reminded her of her sister Laila when she left last year, and what President Gavin said: "Eternal Night Academy's Astrology Tower hides the ultimate secrets of all professions."
The entrance to the dungeon has long been filled with students from the six colleges of Silver Moon City. Among the nearly 200 adventurers, less than one-third of the main combat professionals are. Erin heard several principals talking in front of the oak arch, and the emblem of the Astral Council loomed in their cuffs:
"Gavin, you've dug up this time."
"First it was Serra Winter's Elemental Mage, and then Erin's Necromancer - The First Academy is about to become the student base of Eternal Night Academy."
Gavin Hawke's Saint Swordsman's armor shone in the sun: "Serra's elemental resonance is indeed amazing, but Erin's hidden profession... Even Master Marcus can't understand."
Keith Leon's werewolf ear tips emerged from the crowd. He hooked Erin's shoulder, and the wolf head totem on the shield was still stained with morning dew: "Get a team? My sword and shield knight can resist and fight, and our cooperation will definitely double the efficiency!"
Erin shook her head and glanced at the newly equipped steel sword on Case's waist - the standard knight weapon issued by the academy, but it looked bulky in front of the skeleton warrior's broken sword.
"Stop, you obviously want to be lazy." Serra Winter's ice robe swept through two people, and the ice crystal hair accessories reflected a colorful halo in the sun. "The unique mechanism of single brushing experience is 37% more efficient than teaming before level 10. Among the students admitted to Eternal Night Academy last year, 72% of Level 15 adventurers adopted the single brushing strategy."
Case scratched her head: "Data or something... Anyway, I brought the Prophet's support, she can add 30% defense to me!"
Principal Gavin's voice suddenly rang, and the holy power condensed into a sound transmitter at his fingertips: "Except for Sera and Irene, all main battle professions must be included in the auxiliary! Remember, the high-level dungeon of the Astral Tower never accepts the Mavericks—" His eyes fell on Irene's summoning space, "Of course, if there is an auxiliary voluntarily joining the hidden profession, the academy will not make any restrictions."
There were murmuring sounds in the crowd. When several auxiliary professions were asked whether they would join Irene's team, they retreated one after another - the Skeleton Warrior's Blue Soul Fire, which was too dazzling for healers who were accustomed to the magic of light.
"Look, it's not that I don't want to form." Erin patted Case's shoulder, and a slight vibration suddenly came from the summoning space - that was the instinctive reaction of the skeleton warrior to the nearby undead energy. "There are level 3 rotting wolfs in the mist area of the Yongge Grassland, and their fur can make primary undead armor."
Keith looked at Erin's back as she walked towards the entrance of the copy and suddenly noticed that the astral emblem on her cuff was absorbing the water vapor from the morning dew and turned into tiny bone patterns. He touched the wolf-tooth necklace on his neck, which was also engraved with the orc words of his mother before his death: "The truth about the Nanfeng Fortress is hidden in the song of the dead."
The moment the dungeon door opened, Erin released four skeleton warriors. Their steps of stepping through the cornflower flowers leave no trace, but it suddenly disappears in the radius of insects within ten meters. While other students are still looking for the first monster, her experience tips have been beating continuously—
[Kill Level 1 Hare, Experience + 10]
[Kill Level 2 Poison Frog, Experience + 20]
And deep in the copy, in a mist that never dissipates all year round, a skeleton inlaid with a crow feathered emblem suddenly turned its head, and its empty eye sockets looked in the direction of Erin. The whisper of the Dark Eclipse Clan drifted with the wind: "The orphans of the Astral Council finally revealed their minions..."