Undead Mage from a Cell

Chapter 10: Chapter 8: Combat Squad

When the Skeleton Boss killed the Cultist, Gu Xi’s hands weren’t slow at all. With a backward motion, he extracted the soul of the Cultist who had just been slain.

”Soul Summoning Skill!”

[You successfully used Soul Summoning Skill, obtained a Skeleton (Level 0), Soul Summoning Skill experience 1 point.]

[Found a boss of the same race. Would you like to form a squad?]

”Form the squad.”

As the Cultist turned into a new Skeleton, another message popped up in front of Gu Xi.

Just as Gu Xi finished speaking, the newly generated Skeleton had a dagger identical to the Skeleton Boss’s in its hand, and its movements became evidently agile.

Clearly, the newly transformed Skeleton was influenced by the Skeleton Boss.

[Combat Squad (Level 0, Unnamed, Traits: Life +1): Leader (1/1) Level 0 Skeleton Boss, Members (1/30) Level 0 Skeleton]

”One Skeleton, adding life, what’s the point.”

Gu Xi complained while quickly performing Soul Summoning on the corpses of slain Black Robe Cultists nearby, transforming them into Skeletons to bolster the newly formed Combat Squad.

[You successfully used Soul Summoning Skill, obtained a Skeleton (Level 0), Soul Summoning Skill experience 1 point, added to Combat Squad, squad member +1.]

[You successfully used Soul Summoning Skill, obtained a Skeleton (Level 0), Soul Summoning Skill experience 1 point, added to Combat Squad, squad member +1.]

[Soul Summoning Skill failed, gained Soul Summoning Skill experience 1 point.]

In the blink of an eye, the newly formed Combat Squad had nine Skeletons.

All of them held a stick in their right hand and a dagger in their left, moving forward always in groups of three or five, their actions nearly identical, making it impossible to tell who the boss was and who the members were.

Those who had just emerged from the secret passage saw that Gu Xi had gained so many underlings in such a short time, and was slaughtering, they had trouble standing, each leaning against a wall, uncertain what to do.

Fortunately, Jack bravely approached Gu Xi with caution.

Before he could get close, Luna floated in front of Jack, staring at him with her hollow eyes.

”Mage Sir, Ma...”

”Wait, this will be cleared soon.”

Gu Xi had already reached the position they had retreated from last time.

With a Combat Squad, Gu Xi felt confident in his heart, certain he could win even if faced with an attack like last time.

After all, the Undead Mage is the kind to become stronger the more they fight.

”No, Mage Sir, we...” Jack tried to say more, but Gu Xi, having regained confidence, rushed back into the underground space with his Combat Squad.

As Gu Xi led the charge, the Black Robe Cultists standing near the abandoned gate turned their heads to stare at Gu Xi.

Gu Xi understood that after suffering once, the Black Robe Cultists dared not act recklessly as last time, allowing the Cultists to mess around until retaliating only when hit.

Now their response would be quicker; feeling something wrong, they’d immediately focus their attention here.

Seeing a group of Skeletons wielding sticks and daggers appear, several Black Robe Cultists nearby draw their weapons and surged forward.

”Kill!”

Gu Xi saw this and decided not to hide any longer, pointing at the enemy, the Skeleton Boss led the Combat Squad in a charge.

At the same time, Luna appeared right at the forefront of the Combat Squad.

”Ah~”

The Banshee Wail activated, causing the approaching Black Robe Cultists to pause in their steps.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the agile Skeletons swiftly darted forward, stabbing their daggers into the bodies of the Black Robe Cultists.

[Skeleton Boss (Summoned Creature) killed Cultist (Level 2), you gained 1 point of experience, summoned creature gained 10 points of experience, due to cooperative kill, Contracted Undead gained 10 points of experience.]

[Skeleton (Summoned Creature) killed Cultist (Level 2), you gained 1 point of experience, summoned creature gained 13 points of experience, due to cooperative kill, Contracted Undead gained 9 points of experience.]

[...]

Following behind, Gu Xi continuously performed Soul Drawing and Summoning, replenishing the Combat Squad’s forces.

Gu Xi found that such combat was far more enjoyable than fighting himself.

Although using summoned creatures to kill enemies only granted him 1 point of experience each time, the increasing number of Skeletons compensated for it.

Currently, with only a dozen Skeletons, the experience gain speed was naturally slow.

But imagine if Gu Xi had three, five, or even over ten Combat Squads controlling tens of thousands of Undead Summoned Creatures.

Then his experience gain would improve by tens of thousands.

Just thinking about it felt satisfying.

With this in mind, Gu Xi’s movements became even faster.

The acts of Soul Drawing and Summoning were becoming instinctive for him.

As the sound of notifications clinked in Gu Xi’s ear, he suddenly felt a surge of great force from behind, followed by a crack.

In the next moment, Luna, who had been fighting at the front, appeared behind Gu Xi, activating Touch of Frost, aiming at a specific spot in the air.

With a single strike of Touch of Frost, an icy blue silhouette emerged.

By then, Gu Xi had regained his senses; without thinking, he grabbed a dagger and threw it backward.

The dagger struck precisely at the enemy’s chest.

This enemy wore no armor, only simple cloth clothing; to keep his body light, he did not even prepare any leather armor.

When the dagger stuck in his chest, the enemy tried to dodge, but, slowed by the Touch of Frost, he moved sluggishly and couldn’t evade the blow.

Gu Xi didn’t relax his vigilance despite hitting the enemy; when the dagger hit, he stepped forward rapidly, slashing his curved saber at the opponent’s neck.

[Killed Royal Spy (Level 2), gained 18 points of experience, due to cooperative kill, Contracted Undead gained 11 points of experience.]

With the kill notification sounding, Gu Xi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But in the next moment, his heart tightened.

A spy? Royal, at that?

What was going on?

Gu Xi hadn’t figured out what was happening when the Combat Squad fighting at the front noticed something unusual here; they swiftly retreated to Gu Xi’s side, forming a circle to protect him.

Even Jack and his people were kept out of the Combat Squad’s defense line.

The Black Robe Cultists paid no heed to the reason for the retreat; what they saw was the retreat of the Skeletons.

What they saw was the enemy right in front, so they gathered together again, like walking corpses besieging a city, surging towards Gu Xi’s direction.