Two days later, dawn.
The first rays of morning light filtered through the worn window frame into the room. Allen sat up in bed.
He rubbed his slightly sore shoulders and walked to the window, pushing open the creaking wooden shutters.
The early morning Blackstone Territory was shrouded in thin mist. In the distance, he could vaguely see three newly completed crude buildings—the farm, lumber mill, and quarry. Though rough, they at least brought some vitality.
"Two days..." Allen murmured, his fingers lightly tracing the wooden splinters on the window frame. "Construction is finally complete."
He turned and walked to the table, picking up the crude wooden staff—straight but unadorned, with a dull magic stone embedded at the tip. This was basic equipment from the starter gift pack.
Next, he carefully lifted the ancient bronze lantern from his bedside.
Lantern: Caron's Eye.
This was his most precious equipment. The lantern's surface was covered in intricate magical patterns, gleaming with a faint golden luster in the morning light. Allen hung the lantern on the iron hook at his waist, feeling the steady flow of mana pouring into his body.
He closed his eyes, sensing his condition.
Mana circulated within him, far more abundant than two days ago. His Intelligence attribute, boosted by the lantern, had reached 65 points—already quite impressive for a Tier 1 Initiate.
Allen opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within.
"Shadow Forest... it's time to hunt some magical beasts and acquire resources for the territory."
But before departing, he had one more thing to do.
"System, I still have 1900 Fate Points." Allen commanded mentally. "One more single pull."
[Fate Points Consumed: 100]
[Summoning...]
The golden magic circle expanded once more.
[Congratulations! Obtained: Skill Book - Shadow Bolt (Basic) ×1]
A skill book emanating dark light appeared in Allen's hand.
[Skill Book - Shadow Bolt (Basic)]
[Quality]: Rare (Green)
[Learning Requirement]: Intelligence ≥15
[Skill Effect]: Condense shadow mana to fire a shadow bolt at enemies
[Damage]: Intelligence ×1.5
[Cost]: 20 Mana
[Cooldown]: 3 seconds
[Description]: A necromancer's basic attack skill, simple and practical.
"An attack skill!" Allen's eyes lit up as he immediately chose to learn it.
[Skill Book Used Successfully]
[Skill Learned: Shadow Bolt (Basic)]
Allen felt the mana surging within him. He raised his right hand, and black magical energy condensed in his palm, forming the shape of an arrow.
"With an attack skill, combat will be much easier."
He dispersed the mana, nodding with satisfaction.
[Current Fate Points: 1800]
"I'll save the remaining points. Once I've accumulated 3000, I'll do a big ten-pull."
He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
Outside the Lord's Manor gates, Anna had been waiting for some time.
The knight wore silver-gray light armor today, the chest plate reflecting cold light in the morning sun. Her golden hair was tied in a high ponytail, revealing her smooth forehead and resolute features. A single-handed sword hung at her waist, its hilt wrapped in worn leather—clearly a frequently used weapon.
Seeing Allen emerge, Anna immediately approached.
"My lord." She bowed slightly, but her brow was furrowed. "Are you truly determined to go to Shadow Forest?"
"Yes." Allen nodded, his tone calm.
"But..." Anna bit her lip, seeming to hesitate whether to continue.
"Speak your mind." Allen stopped and looked at her.
Anna raised her head, her azure eyes filled with worry. "My lord, Shadow Forest is too dangerous. It's perpetually shrouded in thick fog with poor visibility, and it's inhabited by numerous magical beasts."
She paused, her voice dropping. "You've only just awakened your summoning ability and are still Tier 1 Initiate... if you encounter danger..."
"You're worried I won't come back?" Allen smiled.
"I..." Anna opened her mouth, then finally nodded. "Yes, I'm very worried. Blackstone Territory finally has hope. If something happens to you, the residents..."
"Don't worry." Allen patted her shoulder. "I won't do anything I'm not confident about. I'm only going to the forest outskirts to hunt some ordinary magical beasts and gather materials and gold."
He turned toward the distance, his gaze growing profound. "The magical beasts in Shadow Forest's outer regions aren't very strong. With my current summoning abilities, I should be able to handle them."
"But..."
"Anna." Allen interrupted her, turning to look seriously into her eyes. "I know what you're worried about. But trust me—I'm not the worthless Allen from before."
He raised his hand, mana gathering in his palm and forming a ghostly blue glow.
"I have summoning abilities and the lantern's boost. As long as I'm careful, I'll be fine."
Anna stared at the magical glow, surprise flashing in her eyes, but her worry didn't diminish.
"Then... at least let me come with you." She gripped her sword hilt. "I can protect you."
"No." Allen shook his head. "You need to stay at the territory."
"Why?"
"Because the territory also needs protection." Allen looked toward the back of the Lord's Manor where dozens of residents were gathering, preparing for today's labor. "You need to lead them in resource gathering and maintain the territory's operations. And..."
He paused, his voice softening. "If something really does happen to me, you can still lead the residents to survive."
Anna froze. She hadn't expected Allen to say such a thing.
"My lord..."
"Alright, don't overthink it." Allen smiled and turned toward the eastern edge of the territory. "I'll be back soon. Make sure the residents gather plenty of timber and stone, and keep an eye on food reserves."
"Yes..." Anna replied softly, watching his retreating figure.
She stood there, watching the gray-robed figure grow distant, the bronze lantern at his waist swaying gently with each step, producing faint metallic clinks.
"Please... come back safely." Anna whispered a prayer.
To the east of Blackstone Territory lay a stretch of rolling hills.
Allen followed the rugged dirt path, his footsteps crunching on scattered stones. The morning mist hadn't fully dispersed, shrouding the surroundings in a hazy white veil.
After about half an hour, the terrain began to change.
Trees grew denser, sunlight blocked by thick canopies, and the light gradually dimmed. The air carried a damp, decaying smell, and occasional beast roars echoed in the distance.
Shadow Forest. He'd arrived.
Allen stood at the forest's edge, looking up.
Before him stretched an endless dark forest. Towering trees grew twisted and gnarled, their branches intertwining into grotesque shapes. Black moss covered the bark, emitting a faint eerie glow. Thick fog flowed between the trees like living creatures writhing in the gloom.
"Really is creepy..." Allen muttered under his breath.
Even with his past life's memories, seeing such a scene firsthand still unsettled him.
But he didn't retreat.
Allen took a deep breath, gripping his staff in his right hand and placing his left on the lantern at his waist.
"Let's begin."
He raised his staff, and mana began surging within him.
It was a wondrous sensation—like countless tiny electric currents flowing through his veins, gathering at his heart, then rushing through his arm toward the staff.
The magic stone atop the staff began to glow, shifting from dull gray to ghostly blue, finally bursting with brilliant black radiance.
"Summon: Skeleton Warriors!"
Allen shouted, slamming his staff into the ground.
BOOM!
A black magic circle materialized on the ground, three meters in diameter. The circle consisted of countless intricate runes, each flickering with eerie light.
The ground began to tremble.
Crack... crack...
The sound of grinding bones echoed from within the magic circle.
A pale skeletal hand emerged from the ground, followed by a second...
Two skeleton warriors crawled out of the magic circle.
They stood about two meters tall, bodies composed entirely of pale bones, eye sockets burning with ghostly blue soul-fire. Each skeleton warrior wore crude iron armor and wielded weapons—one held a rusted longsword, the other gripped a damaged shield.
The two skeleton warriors knelt on one knee before Allen in unison.
"Excellent..." Allen nodded with satisfaction.
Normally, the summoning skill could only summon one skeleton warrior at a time. But with Lantern: Caron's Eye's doubling effect, the number became two.
"Too bad the skill has a cooldown, or I could summon more." Allen sensed his remaining mana. "But two skeleton warriors should be enough."
Looking at his two summons, a sense of security washed over him.
This was the summoner's advantage—never fighting alone.
"Forward." Allen commanded.
The two skeleton warriors immediately stood and walked alongside Allen, ready for battle at any moment.
The group entered Shadow Forest.
The forest interior was even darker than it appeared from outside.
Dense canopies almost completely blocked the sky, with only scattered rays of light filtering through gaps, creating mottled patterns on the ground. Beneath their feet lay thick layers of decaying leaves that felt soft and squishy, making squelching sounds with each step.
Heavy fog and the stench of decay permeated the air, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Allen followed behind the skeleton warriors, vigilantly observing his surroundings.
Shadow Forest's outer regions mainly housed early to mid-Tier 1 magical beasts—Shadow Wolves, Venomous Spiders, Rotting Treants... These beasts were dangerous to ordinary people, but Allen felt a special confidence.
Ten years of gaming experience from his past life had made him intimately familiar with these magical beasts—their weaknesses, attack patterns, item drops... He'd farmed them countless times in the game and knew them by heart.
"Though this is the real world, the beasts' characteristics should be similar to the game." Allen thought to himself. "That's my greatest advantage."
"Stay alert. We could encounter beasts at any moment." Allen warned in a low voice.
Though the skeletons couldn't understand human speech, they could sense their master's will. The two skeleton warriors immediately heightened their vigilance, raising weapons and shields into combat stance.
Just then—
Rustle rustle rustle...
Strange sounds came from the bushes to the left.
Allen immediately stopped, pointing his staff in that direction.
The skeleton warriors quickly adjusted formation, protecting Allen in the center.
The rustling grew closer.
Suddenly, three black shadows burst from the bushes!
They were three massive black wolves, standing one and a half meters at the shoulder, bodies covered in pitch-black fur. Their eyes glowed with eerie green light, fangs dripping with viscous saliva, throats rumbling with low growls.
[Shadow Wolf (Mid-Tier 1) ×3]
"Shadow Wolves..." Allen's eyes sharpened, detailed information about these beasts instantly surfacing in his mind.
"Weakness is the belly and hind leg joints, tough fur but low magic resistance, attack pattern starts with probing bites then looks for opportunities to deliver fatal strikes..."
"Skeleton warriors, engage! Focus on attacking their bellies and hind legs!" Allen commanded.
The two skeleton warriors immediately charged forward.
One skeleton warrior raised its shield, blocking the Shadow Wolves' first assault.
BANG!
A dull impact sound rang out. The skeleton warrior was pushed back several steps but maintained formation.
The other skeleton warrior seized the opportunity to slash at a Shadow Wolf—not attacking the tough back, but precisely stabbing at the soft belly area.
SQUELCH!
The blade pierced the Shadow Wolf's belly, blood spraying. The wolf howled in pain, its attack power noticeably weakening.
"As expected, attacking weak points is highly effective!" Allen's eyes lit up.
He wasn't idle either, raising his staff and beginning to chant.
"Shadow Bolt!"
WHOOSH!
A black magical arrow shot from the staff's tip, precisely hitting a Shadow Wolf.
AWOOO!
The Shadow Wolf howled in pain, black smoke rising from where the Shadow Bolt hit, fur corroded into a charred wound.
"Effective!" Allen's eyes lit up. "Keep attacking!"
Allen continuously fired Shadow Bolts while the skeleton warriors restrained the Shadow Wolves' movements, preventing them from reaching Allen.
The battle lasted less than a minute.
Under the skeletons' coordinated assault, the three Shadow Wolves fell one after another, dissolving into black mist. Materials remained on the ground—three wolf pelts, six fangs, and fifteen gold coins.
"First battle, victory." Allen exhaled in relief.
He walked forward to examine the spoils.
[Shadow Wolf Pelt ×3 (Common Material)]
[Quality]: Common
[Description]: Shadow Wolf hide, tough and durable, can be used to craft leather armor or sold
[Market Value]: Approximately 8 silver each
[Shadow Wolf Fang ×6 (Common Material)]
[Quality]: Common
[Description]: Shadow Wolf fangs, sharp and hard, can be used to craft weapons or accessories
[Market Value]: Approximately 2 silver each
Allen's eyes lit up. "Three pelts worth 24 silver, six fangs worth 12 silver, plus the 5 silver dropped... this one battle netted 41 silver!"
To put it in perspective, Blackstone Territory's current treasury only had a few hundred gold. This battle's haul was equivalent to several days of the territory's income.
"And these materials—if I take them to the market in nearby Blackstone Town, I might be able to sell them for even more." Allen calculated mentally. "The pelts can be sold to leather merchants, the fangs to weapon shops or accessory stores..."
He carefully stored the materials in his waist pouch—also an item from the starter gift pack. Though the space wasn't large, it was more than enough for these materials.
"Continue forward, hunt more magical beasts." Excitement flashed in Allen's eyes. "Blackstone Territory needs funds, and this forest is the best gold mine!"
He had the skeleton warriors continue leading the way, venturing deeper into the forest.
Over the next while, Allen continued hunting magical beasts in the forest outskirts.
Each battle, he precisely directed the skeletons to attack the beasts' weak points, making combat highly efficient.
After about ten more minutes, rustling sounds came from ahead.
Allen looked up to see several palm-sized black spiders crawling all over the tree trunks. Their backs bristled with sharp venomous spines that gleamed with an eerie green luster in the dim light.
[Venomous Spider (Early Tier 1) ×5]
"Venomous Spiders..." Relevant information immediately surfaced in Allen's mind. "Weakness is the soft shell on their bellies, attack method is spraying venom and venomous spines, fast movement but low defense..."
"These beasts have low defense—magic attacks are most effective!" Allen immediately raised his staff.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Two Shadow Bolts fired in succession, precisely aimed at the spiders' bellies.
SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
Two Venomous Spiders were killed instantly, falling from the trees.
The remaining three spiders let out shrill hisses, leaping from the trees and lunging at Allen!
"Skeleton warriors, block!"
The two skeleton warriors immediately raised their shields.
SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT!
The three spiders sprayed dark green venom that struck the shields, producing sizzling corrosion sounds.
Allen continued firing Shadow Bolts, two more magical arrows shot out, hitting precisely.
In less than half a minute, all five Venomous Spiders were eliminated.
Materials remained on the ground—venom sacs, spider silk, and some gold coins.
Allen walked forward to examine them.
[Spider Venom Sac ×5 (Common Material)]
[Quality]: Common
[Description]: Venomous Spider venom sac, contains deadly poison, can be used to craft poisons or sold to alchemists
[Market Value]: Approximately 5 silver each
[Spider Silk ×10 (Common Material)]
[Quality]: Common
[Description]: Tough spider silk, can be used to craft bowstrings, fishing nets, etc.
[Market Value]: Approximately 1 silver per bundle
"Venom sacs worth 25 silver, spider silk worth 10 silver, plus the 8 silver dropped... another 43 silver in income!" Allen nodded with satisfaction.
He stored the materials and continued forward.
After a while longer, Allen arrived at an open clearing.
The trees here were much sparser, the ground covered in withered yellow weeds.
Suddenly, a seemingly dead old tree moved!
A crack split open in the trunk, revealing rotting wood and densely packed insects inside. Two thick branches swung like arms, smashing toward Allen!
[Rotting Treant (Mid-Tier 1)]
"Rotting Treant!" Allen immediately retreated. "Weakness is the core in the center of the trunk, hard outer shell but slow movement, limited attack range..."
"Skeleton warriors, flank from the sides!"
The two skeleton warriors quickly dispersed, surrounding the treant from both sides.
The treant swung its branches to attack, but the skeleton warriors nimbly dodged while occasionally slashing at the treant's roots, restricting its movement.
Meanwhile, Allen continuously fired Shadow Bolts, precisely bombarding the center of the trunk.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shadow Bolts exploded against the trunk, sending rotting wood chips flying everywhere.
The treant let out low roars, its branch-swinging growing slower and slower.
"Final strike!"
WHOOSH!
A Shadow Bolt precisely hit the core in the center of the trunk.
BOOM!
The treant crashed to the ground, turning into a pile of rotting wood.
Materials remained on the ground.
[Rotten Heart ×1 (Rare Material)]
[Quality]: Rare
[Description]: The core of a Rotting Treant, contains natural magic power, can be used for alchemy or crafting magical items
[Market Value]: Approximately 200 silver
[Hardwood ×5 (Common Material)]
[Quality]: Common
[Description]: Un-rotted hard wood from the treant's body, can be used for construction or furniture making
[Market Value]: Approximately 2 silver per piece
"Rare material!" Allen's eyes lit up. "The Rotten Heart is worth 30 gold—this is a rare material!"
He carefully stored the Rotten Heart. This kind of rare-quality material would definitely fetch a good price at Blackstone Town's market.
Allen checked the sky—the sun had already moved west. It was afternoon.
He opened his attribute panel to check his status.
[Current Mana: 120/200]
"Mana is still at 60%, summons are in good condition..." Allen calculated. "Hunt one or two more waves of beasts, then I should head back. Can't be too greedy—safety first."
He continued searching the forest outskirts.
Another half hour passed, and Allen encountered two more waves of Shadow Wolves.
This time he was even more skilled—pre-positioning the skeleton warriors' formation, precisely directing attacks on weak points, coordinating with his own magical output.
Both battles ended within a minute, with almost no damage taken.
He harvested more wolf pelts, fangs, and gold coins.
Allen tallied up today's haul:
[Shadow Wolf Pelt ×9]
[Shadow Wolf Fang ×18]
[Spider Venom Sac ×5]
[Spider Silk ×10]
[Rotten Heart ×1]
[Hardwood ×5]
[Gold Coins ×38]
"Pelts worth 72 silver, fangs worth 36 silver, venom sacs worth 25 silver, spider silk worth 10 silver, Rotten Heart worth 200 silver, hardwood worth 10 silver, plus the 38 silver dropped..."
"Total value: 343 silver!"
Allen took a deep breath, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Over two hundred gold! Though not a huge amount, for Blackstone Territory's current state, this was already a substantial income.
"And this was just hunting in the forest outskirts for a few hours..." Allen thought to himself. "If I come hunting every day, Blackstone Territory's financial problems will be completely solved!"
But he quickly calmed down.
"Can't be too greedy. Today was my first real combat, and I was lucky not to encounter any danger. But Shadow Forest's depths still harbor more powerful magical beasts—I can't let my guard down."
"Plus, summoning skills have cooldowns, and mana needs to recover. Can't keep fighting continuously for too long."
Allen checked the sky and decided to return to the territory.
"That's enough for today. I'll go back and organize these materials, then tomorrow I can go to Blackstone Town's market to sell them."
He turned around, leading the skeletons back the way they came.
Just as Allen walked out of Shadow Forest, preparing to return to Blackstone Territory—
Suddenly, the bronze lantern at his waist trembled slightly.
Allen's heart jumped, and he immediately stopped.
The magical patterns on the lantern's surface flickered with an eerie glow, the vertical pupil-shaped flame seeming to come alive, greedily watching him.
[Warning: Curse - Eye of Greed triggered]
[You have used summoning abilities multiple times, must pay the price]
[Randomly extracting...]
"Damn!" Allen gritted his teeth. "The lantern's curse effect!"
He remembered the equipment description—each time he used summoning abilities, he would randomly lose gold coins, items, or equipment.
Today he'd summoned skeletons several times, and the curse effect had accumulated and triggered!
The lantern's glow grew brighter and brighter, an invisible force surging from within.
Allen felt his waist pouch lighten.
[Curse activated: Lost Shadow Wolf Pelt ×2]
"What?!" Allen quickly opened his pouch to check.
Sure enough, two wolf pelts were missing—they'd vanished into thin air, as if they'd never existed.
"two pelts... that's a loss of 16 silver in value." Allen frowned.
Though it hurt, he understood this was the price of using World-Class equipment.
"The lantern's doubling effect is too powerful—this price is still worth it." Allen took a deep breath. "I'll just need to be more careful in the future, control the number of summons, and minimize how often the curse triggers."
The lantern's glow gradually subsided, returning to normal.
Allen recounted his remaining haul:
[Shadow Wolf Pelt ×7]
[Shadow Wolf Fang ×18]
[Spider Venom Sac ×5]
[Spider Silk ×10]
[Rotten Heart ×1]
[Hardwood ×5]
[Gold Coins ×23]
"Still worth 327 silver... not bad."
He continued toward Blackstone Territory.
Evening. Allen returned to Blackstone Territory.
Anna had been waiting at the territory entrance. Seeing Allen return safely, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"My lord! You're back!" Anna hurried over, her eyes scanning Allen up and down to check for injuries. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine." Allen smiled, patting the dust off his robes. "The hunt went very smoothly."
"That's good..." Anna's tense expression finally relaxed. "I was so worried. You were gone all day..."
"Sorry for making you worry." Allen said gently. "But look—I brought back quite a haul."
He opened his waist pouch, showing Anna the materials inside.
Wolf pelts, fangs, venom sacs, spider silk, and that rare Rotten Heart...
Anna's eyes widened. "My lord, you... you hunted so many magical beasts?!"
"Just some ordinary beasts from the outskirts." Allen said casually. "Nothing too dangerous."
But Anna knew how difficult it was to hunt magical beasts. Even experienced adventurers wouldn't dare venture into Shadow Forest alone.
Yet Allen, who'd only just awakened his summoning abilities, had returned with such a bountiful harvest on his first outing...
"My lord, you're truly amazing..." Anna looked at him with eyes full of admiration and respect.
Allen smiled without saying more, walking toward the Lord's Manor.
"How's the territory situation?"
"Everything's normal." Anna followed beside him, reporting. "The residents worked hard today. The lumber mill produced 15 units of timber, the quarry produced 12 units of stone, and the farm... the farm should have its first harvest tomorrow."
"Good." Allen nodded with satisfaction. "Tomorrow I'll take these materials to Blackstone Town's market to sell. With the gold, we can purchase more supplies."
"Blackstone Town?" Anna hesitated. "My lord, that's a three-hour journey. And the roads aren't safe..."
"Don't worry, I'll take my summons." Allen said. "With skeleton warriors protecting me, ordinary bandits won't dare approach."
Anna wanted to say more, but seeing Allen's resolute expression, she could only nod. "Then... please be careful."
"I will."
Allen returned to his room, placing all the materials on the table.
He opened the system panel to review today's gains.
[Experience +300]
[Current Level: LV.1 (850/1000)]
[Fate Points +150]
[Current Fate Points: 2050]
"150 Fate Points... not bad." Allen nodded with satisfaction. "Once I save up to 3000 points, I can do a big ten-pull."
He closed the system panel and lay down on the bed.
Though today's hunt had gone smoothly, he was still quite tired.
After all, this was his first real combat, commanding summons to fight for hours straight. Both mentally and physically, he'd expended considerable energy.
"Rest well tonight. Tomorrow I'll go to Blackstone Town to sell materials and see if I can buy some useful items."
Allen closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.
In his dreams, Blackstone Territory was thriving—residents living and working in peace, buildings rising one after another, and he stood atop the Lord's Manor, overlooking it all...