[Host, pull yourself together.] The emotionless mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
After hearing it, Qu Weichen just sighed quietly.
After she desperately killed a weak skeleton soldier, that mechanical voice sounded in her mind— [Condition met, activating system!] [Beep beep beep—] [Let me introduce myself, Necromancer Growth System 918324, nice to meet you.
You can call me Number 9.] [Detected that you are at a life-or-death moment.
Recommending again that you confirm binding with this system, and authorize Number 9 to manage your beginner skill points and skill releases.] [Note: This system is a Necromancer Growth System.
The necromancer profession is quite controversial on the Floating Continent.
Please decide carefully.
Once activated, all other magic talents will be locked!] But at that time, Qu Weichen, who was on the verge of death just from killing a single skeleton, what other choice did she have? Even if she risked her life, she couldn’t even scratch that undead knight.
And that knight had already noticed her—he’d probably crush her skull in the next second.
Without any extra thought, Qu Weichen answered, “Confirm.”
[Ding! Congratulations, host has successfully bound to the Necromancer Growth System! Skill point gained: 1] [Ding! Entered a new map! Skill point gained: 1] At that moment, the skill template opened automatically.
At the top of the pitch-black skill tree, a skill point was automatically invested, activating the “Necromancer” overview! Qu Weichen watched as the light on the skill tree moved down, lighting up the branch skill boxes below in gold! [Necromancer class activated! Skill point gained: 1] Two skill points flew into one of the boxed skill icons, lighting up a skeleton minion.
[Skeleton Summon]: Summon a skeleton minion to fight for you.
(Max skeletons: 2) Skill cooldown: 5 minutes
Next, a blue summoning circle lit up, and that fragile, tiny skeleton minion stepped out of the magic circle, stubbornly standing in front of Qu Weichen.
The powerful undead knight looked down at the skeleton minion, then at Qu Weichen, recognized her as a “necromancer,” and thus as “same faction,” so he let her go.
Qu Weichen forced down the last bite of steamed bun and thought to herself, “I just think, if I’d fought the skeletons earlier, activated you earlier, got my skills earlier… maybe I could have saved some people, saved my mom.”
[Dear, different system.
The abyssal undead of this world aren’t under your control or summoning.
And your level is too low.
The undead only spare you because of your class.] Number 9 didn’t say it outright, but Qu Weichen understood that if she’d tried to stop the undead knight’s slaughter back then, even as a necromancer, that emotionless, irrational thing would have killed her without hesitation.
Qu Weichen gave a bitter laugh.
In the end, she was just too weak.
She’d wanted a simple life, thought her little village was a paradise, but because it was remote and unknown, disaster found them.
In a fantasy world like this, wanting to live an ordinary, peaceful life? That’s just too hard.
Host: Qu Weichen Class: Necromancer Skill Points: 2 Potential Points: 0
Qu Weichen looked at her personal panel.
The two skill points were from achievements.
One was [First Pot of Gold], the other [Big Spender].
The first was for catching a rabbit and selling it for Yuanlang, which triggered the achievement.
The second was for paying a caravan to take her to Uweino, spending over 1000 Yuanlang at once, which got her the achievement.
And these two skill points could unlock the first curse skill—[Bad Luck Curse].
As for why she hadn’t learned it…
[Bad Luck Curse]: Draw a circle and curse you! 5% chance to make the target unlucky.
Skill cooldown: 30 minutes
Honestly, that 5% chance is just a joke, and the cooldown is 30 minutes.
A skill that relies entirely on luck really doesn’t make Qu Weichen want to learn it.
As for the next skill on the skeleton branch, it needs 5 skill points to unlock, so she’ll have to work for a while.
As for potential points, the way to get them is unknown.
The effect? As the name suggests, it raises your potential.
For example, Qu Weichen’s cooking skill is currently 3 stars, max 5 stars.
If she invests a potential point, the cap goes up to 6 stars.
It doesn’t raise it instantly, but with effort and practice, she could theoretically reach 6 stars.
Her current fighting level is “1,” max “3,” hunting is “2,” max “5,” and these caps can all be raised with potential points.
As for the ultimate cap, Number 9 refused to answer, so Qu Weichen didn’t ask.
Ideally… potential should be limitless.
She waited until evening, when the caravan finished selling and set off again.
Qu Weichen slipped into the cargo hold, curled up, and continued to space out as the wagon bumped along.
Why go to the central city? First, they sell awakening potions there, which Qu Weichen needs.
Second, after the disaster, she was so traumatized she lost hope.
Number 9 comforted her and revealed a new achievement that gave her a destination, urging her to get moving.
[First Time in Central City]: Newcomer to the Floating Continent, go see the great city-state—Uweino—and witness the vastness of the world! Completion reward: Skill Point_1, Storage Slots_5
And the storage slots from this achievement were exactly what Qu Weichen needed.
After losing everything, she was lost.
Number 9’s appearance and the achievement gave her a short-term goal, something to keep her going.
“Necromancers on the Floating Continent—I mean the local ones—are they all connected to the Gate of Hell?” When she was alone, Qu Weichen would ask Number 9 about things she didn’t understand.
[Yes.] Number 9 said, [The abyssal disaster here, you can think of it as another plane.
As for the attacks when the Gate of Hell opens, you can see it as an invasion from another plane.] [Abyssal power is strong, even though people here try hard to resist.
But some seek shortcuts, some crave power, some are blinded by hate.
Human emotions are always complicated and powerful.]
“Then, the undead power I use, the creatures I summon, what are they?”
[Our system is very complete.
Before binding to a host, we bind a large batch of employees.
You can think of it this way: what you summon are all workers our system found.] Number 9 said, but then quickly added, [Except for the skeletons.
Those can be mass-produced, they don’t have real intelligence.] [You don’t have to worry about the safety of other employees you summon in the future.
Their souls are kept by us.
Souls don’t perish, so they don’t die.]
“Undead, abyss…” How ironic.
Her home was destroyed by undead, and now she’s a necromancer.
Even though Number 9 said her class skills are totally different from the local necromancers, and the intelligent undead she’ll summon in the future are contracted from another plane, she still found it ironic.
The only good news is that because her class is different from the local necromancers, it can’t be easily detected by normal means.
Even if she takes a magic talent test, it’ll show her original talent.
As Number 9 said, being locked means she can’t become any other kind of mage, can’t learn any magic.
No matter how hard she tries, even if she says the spell right, all she’ll get is a failed explosion that hurts everyone.
As the cargo hold bumped along, Qu Weichen gradually approached the rumored Uweino.
The City of Freedom? The source of all hope? She hoped that city could really give her new hope.
Become a martial artist, earn more skill or potential points, get stronger.
Revenge… Of course she’d kill those undead again.
As for the “hero” who really caused the village massacre, Qu Weichen instinctively disliked her, but had to admit that maybe, from her perspective, what she did was “right.”
The caravan traveled for another four days.
Qu Weichen restocked food and water in a town along the way, and even splurged a little, spending ten Yuanlang on a bowl of beef noodles.
Number 9 said she needed to eat well and train hard, that her body still had room to grow—after all, she was only 14.
But she only had so much Yuanlang.
She had to save five thousand, and once she got to Uweino, food, clothing, and shelter would all be problems. Who knew if she could find work…
“Uweino, Uweino… almost there.”
…
Qu Weichen took out a piece of black bread from her cloth bag, broke off a small piece and put it in her mouth, then washed it down with water.
The caravan said they’d reach Uweino soon, so she planned to fill her stomach before arriving.
After all, she’d be busy once she got there—how could she look for work with no energy? She’d also have to ask around about the awakening potion… Maybe she should change into clean clothes first.
Right now, she looked no different from a beggar.
Just as Qu Weichen was making plans, the whole wagon suddenly screeched to a halt.
She heard the wind horses neighing—what happened! Water spilled from her hand.
Qu Weichen quickly stuffed the water bag away and slung her cloth bag over her shoulder.
“What’s going on, how is this possible—”
“This is near Uweino! Where are the guards? Where are the knights?”
Screams, angry shouts—the scene instantly turned chaotic.
Qu Weichen didn’t even know what was happening.
The whole cargo hold flipped over.
She tumbled out, ignored the pain, and scrambled toward the exit—
[Go left!] Number 9’s mechanical voice was almost screaming.
It couldn’t understand how its host could encounter the Gate of Hell opening twice in such a short time!
She looked up and saw a huge centaur skeleton rear up and stomp a caravan member into the ground! She shouldn’t be able to hear anything, but the sharp, bone-crunching sound seemed to ring in her ears.
Qu Weichen ducked her head and sprinted left, as human screams kept echoing!
