Chapter 34: Appointment

The abrupt shift in the scene left Liu Zhi momentarily disoriented. When he finally regained his senses, he found himself still standing at the summit of the pyramid, but now everything around him was in ruins. The pale moon had just risen halfway into the sky, shining down and illuminating every detail atop the pyramid.

Lying before him was his backpack, which had been cleaved cleanly in two. Not far away stood a skeleton, already reduced to dry bones. His longsword had been flung aside, its blade now dulled to a lifeless gray—perhaps worn down by the passage of time.

At his feet lay three items: a crystal skull, a golden pyramid statue, and a long staff. Yet their placement seemed odd, as if they had rested here for ages—nearly indistinguishable from the dust and debris accumulating atop the pyramid. Had he not looked closely, he might never have noticed their presence.

Liu Zhi hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, intent on picking up the three objects.

The instant his fingers brushed the crystal skull, a jolt shot through his mind, as though some foreign force were forcibly invading his consciousness.

A flurry of new status screens flickered before his eyes, rapidly shifting and updating. After what felt like ages, the final version settled into place.

The new status menu had two pages, both bordered with black skulls intertwined with roses.

The first page still held Liu Zhi’s basic attributes and notification panel.

[Name: Sandro (Sandro Eid: Cross-Plane Game, Southern Swamp Plane, V3 Player, Graduate of the Academy of the Bone Wind / Sandro Elantz: Game Character, Fallen Noble of Westsay / Liu Zhi: Cross-Plane Game, Galactic Spiral Arm Plane, Novice Player, Ordinary Person from Azure Star)]

[Class: Necromancer (Necromancer: Unfinished studies / Noble: Inactive, not displayed, no skills / Novice quest period, no class)]

[Level: 1]

[Magic: 32/64]

[Title: Eid I]

[Secondary Profession: Extraordinary Sailor, Level 1]

[Attributes: Strength 3.2, Agility 2.4, Constitution 1.6, Spirit 3.2]

[Active Skills: Sailor’s Basic Swordsmanship Level 4 (1+0/9000), Sail Handling Level 4 (0+0/9000), Z-Slash Secret Sword Level 1 (13+0/9000)]

[Class Skill: Summoning Ritual Level 1 (0/1000)]

[Passive Skills: Magical Knowledge Level 3, Necromancy Knowledge Level 4, Basic Science Level 3, Basic Language Level 2, Ichthyology Level 1, Jungle Survival Knowledge Level 4, Toxicology Level 3]

[Special Skill: Lord of the Underworld Palace Level 1 (0/9000)]

[Experience: 8967]

The second page, which he had never seen before, was the equipment menu. There, Sandro’s current appearance was displayed, and three slots—head, one hand, and an accessory position—were forcibly locked with the crystal skull, the staff, and the pyramid statue.

The properties of these three items were now clearly visible:

[Crystal Skull: One of the basic Necromancer’s equipment, doubles magical power, increases summoning ritual success rate by 5%.]

[Staff of Death: One of the basic Necromancer’s equipment (similar to a scythe or mourner’s rod), affinity with death magic, increases summoning ritual success rate by 10%.]

[Underworld Altar: One of the basic Necromancer’s equipment, entrance to the Underworld Realm, increases summoning ritual success rate by 15%.]

As he pored over these panels, Liu Zhi felt that something was amiss. The necromancers here didn’t seem to match the image of necromancers he had in mind. He understood the summoning ritual, but what exactly was this Lord of the Underworld Palace? And what was the Underworld Palace itself?

There were no explanations here, and none of Sandro’s original memories offered any clues.

Puzzled, Liu Zhi pressed his hand against the golden pyramid statue.

By now, these artifacts had already been absorbed into Liu Zhi’s body. The crystal skull vanished directly into his head. The staff of death was in his hand—he could wield it left-handed, right-handed, or with both hands, without hindering any other actions. Only the golden pyramid statue had become a pendant at his waist, easily within reach whenever he let his hand fall.

[Ding! A city suitable for conversion into an Underworld Palace has been detected. Would you like to convert it? As the city overlaps with the Underworld Palace, the conversion rate is 100%.]

When Liu Zhi saw that “100%,” he answered without hesitation, “Yes!”

At once, a beam of moonlight shot down from the sky, enveloping Liu Zhi. From him, a powerful shockwave rippled outward, sweeping across the summit of the pyramid.

The shockwave radiated from the top of the pyramid. Liu Zhi watched as the white light swept over every nearby structure; buildings once hidden in the jungle collapsed in the wake of the wave, reduced to ruins.

Then, the moon in the sky turned blood red. Twisted, unnatural plants began to sprout, rapidly overtaking every open space.

Confronted with this bizarre scene, Liu Zhi was at a total loss.

Suddenly, he felt a faint tremor beneath his feet.

Alarmed, Liu Zhi glanced down in time to see a visible crack forming in the stone at the pyramid’s peak.

His heart leapt. Without a second thought, he snatched up the discarded longsword and bolted down the pyramid.

But he was still too slow. He had barely reached the ground when the fifty-meter pyramid behind him collapsed entirely, debris flying in every direction and nearly burying him alive.

When everything at last settled, Liu Zhi cried out, “What on earth is happening here? Can someone please explain?”

[Underworld Palace conversion completed. Underworld Palace Level 1. Player may enter and exit the Underworld Palace freely. Other undead must expend 1 point of magic each time they enter or exit. Daily maintenance of the Underworld Palace requires 30 points of magic.]

[Explanation: The Underworld Palace is a necromancer player’s private domain, a space forcibly torn from the Underworld itself. Its size depends on the necromancer’s power. Players may house, train, and restore their undead here, ultimately creating an underworld city of their own.]

“So that’s how it is.” Reading the explanation and glancing up at the blood-red moon, Liu Zhi finally understood. This necromancer was nothing like the ordinary kind. At first, Liu Zhi had assumed it was the path of the dark destroyer, but now it was clear—this was the way of the hero and conqueror.

With this realization, Liu Zhi was just about to explore his Underworld Palace when a series of alerts rang out once more.

[Notification: Identity Mandatory Quest – The Curse of the Golden City completed. Novice Quest – Survival Game Conflict Lock ended. Novice Gift Pack available…]