Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Emerging from the soil was a fleshy arm with three sharp teeth. It seemed to have just awakened, its teeth gnawing at the air with a snapping sound, venting its discontent, while the arm itself strained against the earth, trying to pull its body out completely.

Lyle had no intention of waiting for him to pull out his weapon for a fair one-on-one fight. The plague messenger spread disease, symptoms, and coughing up blood. Nia's tentacles sharpened into blades, beginning to slash at her fleshy arms, leaving trails of gushing blood.

Its three sharp mouths were spitting blood, the wounds gushing blood like fountains, but it was useless; it was too fleshy. The wounds were healing rapidly, and even after coughing up blood for nearly twenty minutes, the arm remained bright red. The curses cast in the spare moments were also ineffective. Flesh-and-blood creations resisted spells and mental attacks, skeletal creations resisted physical and elemental attacks, and spirit creations were fragile, but to harm them required following specific rules; otherwise, spirit creations would be the most terrifying monsters you had ever seen. Of course, there was a limit to these resistances. And Lyle was certain that this monster's limit was far beyond his reach. Or rather, this flesh-and-blood monster was far more powerful than any student of spirit summoning.

It ripped itself out completely, an arm covered in large chunks of flesh and pus. The pustules, like an egg being fried in a pan, hissed and writhed like maggots. Lyle fully understood his creator's concept: the flexible arm with its mouth provided mobility and attack capabilities, while the pustules, as the core, provided inhuman regenerative abilities; its ability to produce blood and heal was as simple as breathing.

Why not just attack that pus-filled lump of flesh? Isn't that its weakness?

Was that hand just for show? Would it allow you to attack its core at will? Worst of all, through Nia's repeated attacks, Lyle discovered that the monster's skin was constantly hardening; it was growing. The fleshy monster, which had originally only crawled on its arms, had now learned to use its immense strength to leap, while Lyle was gradually losing the ability to slash its wounds.

And so, he went from being a sitting duck for Lyle's spells to being chased by monsters until they stopped at a certain distance. After all, this wasn't a wilderness survival battle royale; these monsters were bound by territorial restrictions.

Watching the fleshy arm stagnate at the invisible boundary, the massive mouth on it barked furiously at Lyle, clearly furious that its prey had escaped. Lyle breathed a sigh of relief. Nia's tentacles had been torn apart more than ten times, and even with its rapid regeneration, it was now in a weakened state. The monster, having devoured part of Nia's flesh, was now changing. A small, active bud protruded from the other end of its pus-filled flesh—a new, toddler-like hand. Lyle wasn't sure what it would become if it continued to devour her—a monster with two arms, or perhaps it would grow into a humanoid form.

Regardless, Lyle chose to abandon the goal; he was utterly outmatched. The curse was largely ineffective, the Plaguebringer's negative symptoms only served as interference, and the flesh loss caused by the Flesh Rebellion couldn't keep up with its recovery. Those flesh tentacles it created were completely no match for its monstrous strength. Nia's tentacle attacks were now just easy prey.

Lyle complained about how difficult the exam was as he cautiously ventured deeper into the new area, where he didn't know what new monsters might be lurking.

"Nia saw Sparkle."

Just as Lyle was about to continue, Nia pointed to a strange twisted tree and spoke.

"Who's there!"

Just as Lyle was about to launch his attack, Mr. Shiny appeared from behind the tree.

"Long time no see, Doctor of Plague." Even a casual greeting was filled with malice in Lyle's eyes at this moment.

“Mr. Shiny, what can I do for you?” Lyle did not lower his staff.

"How is the Plague Doctor's monster hunt going?"

"Not so good. I encountered a creature of flesh and blood and found that I couldn't defeat it at all."

"Huh? The Plague Doctor has already confronted the monster head-on? How did you survive the attack of the three-locked monster?"

"A three-locked monster?"

"Didn't any senior tell Mr. Plague Doctor some exam tips? The monsters in the graduation exam are all enhanced creations, with strength reaching level three. We absolutely cannot defeat them on our own. So, please take advantage of the time to escape during its revival. This kind of leaking of questions has become a tradition of Andrei."

Lyle had a black line on his forehead.

No one informed him; after all, his mentor, Mr. Dragon, was the examiner, and it would be too foolish for him to leak exam questions to his own students.

Chapter 147 Cooperative Hunting

"Your bodies are fragile. Compared to profound wisdom and stubborn souls, your remains are clearly a failure. Do not fight with your brute force and recklessness; you will find it extremely...inefficient."

Mr. Dragon stood on a platform, introducing the philosophy of Andrei's spiritualism to the guests below. They may have been his students, or they may have gone down different paths, but Mr. Dragon didn't mind letting more people understand this discipline that is so closely related to liches.

"This exam embodies our teaching philosophy. Don't risk your safety by trying dangerous things; you must first learn to protect yourself. In this era, any creature with a brain diameter greater than ten centimeters knows to bypass the creations and attack the necromancer's head. There are no necromancers who die in a sea of ​​skeletons; only the necromancers who jump around too much die. What truly makes us powerful is the creations you create and the composure that remains in your skull."

“But, Mr. Dragon, how can those students who can barely protect themselves obtain their own creations? Right now, all the materials in the Bone Forest are from those monsters.”

Several wandering ghosts placed a huge stone slab in a pre-prepared groove. As magic was channeled in, some glowing net-like structures appeared on the slab—a map of the Bone Forest.

Once the mesh structure was completed, skull imprints appeared in different locations on the map.

"These are the existing monsters, which are the students' targets."

The dragon scanned the area. "It seems none of the trainees have successfully completed the hunt yet. Let's look forward to what happens next. They should soon discover the next lesson we need to teach them."

"Spirit mediums must learn to make use of everything around them."

……

"The area near the trees is an absolute safe zone, seemingly because it is the fulcrum of the Bone Forest, and those creatures will not approach it."

Mr. Shiny exchanged some useful intelligence with Lyle while trying to lower Lyle's guard.

"This is no reason for you to come to me, Mr. Shining. The way you look so relaxed suggests that your creation has already been settled?"

"Let me get straight to the point. Mr. Plague Doctor, let's cooperate and complete the hunt together. We can't deal with those creatures individually, but together we might be able to take one down. That way, we'll have the materials, right? As for why I came to you, it's because I know that Mr. Plague Doctor's curse abilities will definitely not be a hindrance."

"How about it, a powerful alliance?"

This is a pretty good option, and I can also study my opponent's abilities along the way. However, do Andrei's guys really have any sense of contractual obligation? Let's give it a try.

“I’m not your first collaborator, am I?”

Mr. Shining seemed a little embarrassed, the scales on his face sticking to his skin, and his shining voice became muffled, "Actually, my first choice was Mr. Plague Doctor, but I met Mr. Manipulation and Adaptability on the way, so we teamed up. After all, there's strength in numbers."

Lyle casually exposed another of his ideas, "After all, the other side consists of two brothers. In order to maintain the balance of power, you plan to bring another person to your side."

"Haha, we've been found out. Oh well, we're at a disadvantage, so we have to find a way out."

"I understand. I choose to cooperate, Mr. Shining. It will be a pleasure to cooperate with you."

……

Mr. Manipulator and Mr. Flexibility wore the same gray robes. The only difference was probably the black and white masks on their faces. Mr. Flexibility had an upturned crescent-shaped mouth, while Mr. Manipulator had a silent horizontal line.

Upon seeing Lyle and Shiny arrive, Manipulator left the twisted wood he was leaning on, and Flex grabbed his arm. The two brothers exchanged a glance, and Mr. Flex rubbed his hands together before coming forward.

"Welcome to the team, Mr. Epidemic Doctor."

"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Flexibility."

"Let's get straight to the point, let's be flexible." The operator waved, and the four of them headed towards the target area.

In a scattered area, the soil on one side had been plowed away, the white, fine sand layer torn away to reveal the pale gray, diseased soil beneath, like a deep, bone-revealing wound on a human body. On either side of this massive fissure were pits the size of water vats.

Lyle quickly discovered the owner of these large footprints; in the open space without any cover, its body seemed to grow much larger in his mind.

A skeletal mammoth.

A creature of bones, its large animal ribs jutting diagonally into the soil, leaving trails of movement. Its two enormous hooves, composed of repeatedly crushed bone fragments, creak and groan as they sink into the earth. The small head lacks mammoth tusks, but features three large, deformed vertebrae, like the blades of a trident pointing forward. The moving vertebrae sweep forward like tentacles, the bones connecting on either side forming a hollow cylinder; the occasional swaying produces a vivid sound, evoking the image of one's own bones being crushed by it.

"This is the prey that Biantong and I chose. Its bones are hard, its attack power is quite considerable, and its massive size makes it a mobile fortress. It's not fast, and its soul perception is poor; it even needs additional components to scout ahead. It's a low-intelligence creation. Without its controller, its combat power is pitifully low. However, it's still a big problem. Biantong and I have made some attempts. It can almost ignore level two elemental attacks. Any swing of those three spines is enough to make us fail the test. The only possible weak point now is its skull, where the soul fire is hidden. We need to be able to attack its skull, but we need to get close to it and dodge the attacks of those three giant swinging clubs."

Manipulation provided him with some of his abilities; ice blades condensed between his fingers. "My ability level is two locks. I am a mage who also practices necromancy and am an ice elementalist. I can slow it down and throw ice blades to distract it."

"Adaptability followed immediately: "Second Lock, a mage who also studies necromancy, my elements are frost and mist, I can create hazy fields and create disguises to interfere with targets."

Next up is Mr. Shining, "Second Lock, majoring in spirit summoning, and incidentally studying biology, just a personal hobby. I can provide various scale items, for defense, magic resistance, mana regeneration, enhanced perception, and so on."

Before Mr. Shining could continue speaking, Nia emerged from Lyle's body, her large eyes fixed on Mr. Shining. She extended a black tentacle, waving the suction cup-like side in front of him.

"Sparkle, try the scales on Nia."

Mr. Shiny generously gave him a handful, saying, "You need to attach these scales..."

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

Nia quickly swallowed the pile of scales. To the astonishment of the four, a sound like chewing potato chips came from the writhing black sphere.

After swallowing, Nia was full of energy.

"Jodnia, majoring in necromancy, dreams of becoming a world-ruling evil god. I'll be responsible for smashing that head!"

Chapter 148 The Real Hunt

The behemoth was strolling in its territory, and the cold wind, carrying air, seeped into the gaps between the bones of its massive body, from which it could never escape.

As if just awakened, it patrolled its territory like a diligent old ox, leaving the land scarred and devastated. Its deformed vertebrae swept across the ground as it moved forward, its relatively small head occupying the highest position on the skeleton, surveying the unchanging, barren land around it from above, despite its poor eyesight.

Its vision grew even more blurred, and it found itself somehow lost in a fog. Although the hazy vision made it somewhat uneasy, this unease was quickly replaced by the sense of security brought by its robust body. After all, it had its bony nose to guide it, so it didn't matter if its eyes couldn't see clearly.

This tranquility was quickly shattered by a piercing ice spike that struck directly beneath its small skull, only to be blocked by its bony shell. The behemoth realized it had an enemy. Its massive hooves pounded the ground, causing the earth to cave in like a drumhead, sending dust plumes a meter into the air. Its distorted vertebrae curved high on either side, like two upright shields, while the central vertebra stretched straight forward, forming an enlarged battering ram.

Adjusting its direction, it rushed towards the direction from which the ice spike had come.

The manipulated intelligence wasn't absolutely accurate. The skeletal mammoth charged with incredible speed, like a speeding chariot. Through the thick fog, it spotted the tiny humanoid figure, barely reaching its knees, and roared with excitement, its head held high.

boom!

The massive, swung spine swept down like the scythe of death, scattering debris across the hazy humanoid figure and the ground just an inch below. There was no sense of impact; the humanoid figure was merely a hazy illusion created by the mist.

This fog was also its own enemy. It swung its spine and nose, trying to sweep away the thick fog with strong winds, but the fog, as if alive, automatically filled its gaps. The behemoth was doing futile work, and every now and then, annoying icicles would strike it.

It decided to try a different approach.

One’s own creator, who gives oneself a third ability to discern.

Its destructive behavior, this instinct etched into its soul, is not a useless habit. The ravines that tore through the earth, and the large craters, all follow a peculiar, orderly pattern. The behemoth began to stomp its hooves in place, and the earth, like a pool of water, sent ripples far and wide. Through these uniquely arranged and peculiar landforms, a map made of vibrations was generated within its small skull.

An unusual object. It's about fifty meters behind us.

The giant beast roared and turned to charge towards its target.

This time it was correct. The vibration indicated that there was a real object in front of him, and his enemies would be crushed.

As it drew closer, the behemoth spotted its target.

A large icicle.

Is this his strategy? Hiding behind the icicles, letting them block my way?

Naive, watch me smash this icicle along with you behind it.

Just as he expected, the icicle shattered.

Contrary to his expectations, its target was not behind the icicle, but on top of it.

As the thick fog dissipated, the icicle was revealed to be mushroom-shaped, with its top already exceeding its own height.

The behemoth stared blankly at the enemy descending from the sky.

A black, octopus-like tentacle monster clung to the icicle. Each of its tentacles, raised in the air, held a person by the collar or the back of their neck, like a crude and bizarre carousel.

Now, all the people in the car and the shards of ice pillars he had smashed were thrown onto him.

Maneuvering and manipulation climbed up the nasal tip of its deformed vertebrae, Mr. Shiny stood on its back, and Lyle hung on the protruding inner bone sidewall of the behemoth.

Fog condenses, frost descends.

Frost formed on the giant beast's spine and nose, and the temperature was gradually decreasing.

freeze.