Fantasy System

Chapter 111: A Frightening Aura

Ed put up his guard after noticing the change in this floor. Ed had been killing nonstop lately. But, an even larger number of monsters was strolling around. Ed also noticed that they were more aggressive than usual. Any monster that noticed Ed would attack him immediately. Usually, they would take their time, but now they seemed impatient. Monsters being highly active usually meant one of two things. The tower was supplying them with a higher amount of QI increasing their abilities. Or the boss monster was out.

Ed didn't notice this situation before in earlier floors. The monsters weren't strong enough to pose a challenge. But, on this floor, their number and their cultivation level meant a dangerous outcome. This was also one of the reasons why people from the Central Government would go as far as hiring a person with a high cultivation to kill boss monsters. If they are left alone, it would spell trouble for lower leveled cultivators.

Ed got Raikou to enter his shadow while he recalled Suika and the others. If the boss monster had indeed appeared, then he needed to find it quickly. In order to do so, he was going to run around the floor in high-speed movement.

Many monsters tried to block Ed when they notice him moving around. Some of them ran behind him at full strength while others actually threw themselves in front of him. Ed didn't pay attention to any of them; he activated Ren and ran at full power. Be it trees or monsters, whatever was in front of him was thrown away. Even Wraiths, who could fly, weren't spared. They were almost crushed by the sheer amount of the wind that surrounded Ed as he was running.

Suddenly, while running, Ed crossed paths with a frightening aura. He felt it as he clearly was using Nen which made him extra sensitive to auras. As soon as Ed registered the aura, he was filled with fear. This wasn't because of its strength or anything; it was simply due to the nature of the aura. Ed could only describe as a massive accumulation of the hate and regrets of people. A mere fraction of a second made Ed remember the worst moments of his life. Especially the most recent one.

Ed was now sure that the boss monster had spawned. No normal monster would make him experience this. He was also sure that the monster this time was far more dangerous than anyone he had met before. Even the killing intent of the mysterious man that appeared after the tournament at the academy seemed incomparable to this one. 'Their cultivation should be far apart from each other, so why?'. Ed thought while moving towards the origin of the aura. He had no choice but to kill the floor boss in order to move ahead.

While following the trail of the aura, Ed noticed that the area he stumbled upon hasn't been in his Map until now. It was as if it appeared exactly this night. 'Perhaps the boss appears only during a blood moon night,' Ed thought while looking at the sinister moon in the sky.

The area where Ed was didn't help with the mood either. He was now inside a cemetery, with tombstones scattered around. 'Who put these tombstones here? And why'Ed was wondering about the reason for the existence of these tombstones. If someone lost their comrades in this place, it would be obvious to carry their bodies in a spatial ring. Then, give them a proper burial after leaving the tower. There was no reason why they would bury them in a place where undead roamed around. Especially since this place seemed like the area of the boss.

After walking for a little longer, Ed was now in an open space. He could see a cloaked figure standing in the middle while facing the other way. Ed approached carefully as he could confirm that the aura belonged to the figure. After only a dozen or so meters were left between Ed and the figure, it spoke. "Welcome," A crackling voice sounded and echoed in the area. It seemed to be a voice that didn't belong to this world, or rather, shouldn't belong. Every time Ed heard the echo, his body hair would stand up in fear.

'It can speak' This fact alone spelled trouble for Ed. Monsters that could converse would usually have an advanced cultivation and intelligence. It was also the first time Ed was able to meet one that belonged to this category of monsters. The figure turned around slowly to meet Ed. After looking at it, Ed could identify its species. It looked like a skeleton that was yet to lose its skin. Yet its nose was missing and its eyes were replaced with a red glow. It was similar to a mummy without the distinct bandages. Its red cloak gave it an even more menacing feeling.

Ed had to make sure of the true nature of the monsters, so he scanned it.

Name Elder Lich.

Cultivation: Heavenly Establishment level 1.

'As expected' Ed could feel cold sweat rolling down his back. Although the monster was only level 1, this was enough to strike fear in the heart of many. Especially since the system confirmed that its rank was Legendary. This meant that its abilities would be able to outclass any monster that was Earth Establishment level 10 by a lot. The gap between those two levels was not easy to overcome. This was evident as even Raikou couldn't easily attain such a level. Ed was able to achieve cross-ranking kills before, but he wasn't as confident this time. The monster was too imposing.

"You've come to advance to the next floor, right?" Ed's train of thought was interrupted by the frightening voice of the Elder Lich. "First you have to defeat me," The Elder Lich released its QI and Ed immediately withdrew his Katanas. He also summoned Suika and the others. Raikou got out of Ed's shadow and looked tense. Much more compared to the time when they fought the Kyuubi. "First let's warm you up" The Elder Lich spoke and seemed to use some kind of magic.

Ed put his guard up and suddenly noticed that undead monsters were appearing one after the other. They weren't walking here; instead, they appeared out of thin air. "Be sure not to disappoint me." The Elder Lich spoke like a classical villain. While the undead monsters were approaching Ed and the others.

Author's Thoughts

Shigun

Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter.