SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

The passage led to a burial chamber.

It was circular, with a vaulted ceiling covered in faded frescoes depicting scenes of death and rebirth. In the center of the room, surrounded by a ring of braziers filled with cold blue flames, sat a stone sarcophagus.

But that was not what caught Zich’s attention.

Instead, his gaze settled on the skeleton mages.

They stood at the four cardinal points around the sarcophagus, each one wearing a robe instead of armor. They did not carry swords. Their eye sockets burned with soft blue fire. They were smaller than the usual skeletons he had fought before arriving here.

[ Magic Skeleton — Level 10 ]

Zich’s smile widened.

"Four magic skeletons guarding one sarcophagus? There must be something really valuable inside there."

He summoned everything he had.

The Elite Undead Knight appeared first, stepping out of a dark summoning circle with its rusted greatsword resting on its shoulder. Four Skeleton Knights rose from the ground moments later, their bones rattling as they formed a line in front of him. Finally, Slimy bounced out beside him and let out a cheerful wobble.

"Alright, team," Zich said, cracking his knuckles. "Let’s crack this nut."

The four skeleton mages reacted immediately.

Blue flames erupted in their hands.

The room lit up as four necrotic fireballs shot across the chamber.

"Go!"

The Elite Undead Knight charged first. Its greatsword smashed into the floor as it crossed half the room in mere seconds. One of the mages raised a bone staff and released a shield of blue energy, but the impact still forced it back several steps.

The other three mages immediately adjusted their positions.

Zich quickly noticed something.

These skeletons were smart.

Much smarter than the normal undead roaming the Crypt.

Whenever one came under pressure, the others immediately supported it. When the Elite Undead Knight cornered one mage, another launched spells from the side. When the Skeleton Knights tried to surround a target, the mages rotated positions and escaped.

"Focus the left one," Zich ordered.

The four Skeleton Knights rushed forward.

Boom! Boom!

Bone weapons collided. Necrotic spells exploded.

Slimy bounced through the battlefield without fear. Several fireballs struck its body, but it blocked part of the damage with its silk barrier and fired its own poisonous attacks.

One mage attempted to retreat but the little slime slammed into its legs.

The skeleton lost balance: the undead knight immediately took advantage.

Its sword came down.

Crunch.

The first skeleton mage exploded into fragments.

[ Experience Gained ]

The remaining three mages instantly became more aggressive.

Several dark bolts flew toward Zich.

He ducked behind a pillar.

A moment later, the stone behind him exploded.

"Damn."

He had almost taken that one directly.

The battle continued. Mana slowly drained from his body as he maintained his summons. Sweat rolled down his forehead.

The undead casters were not individually stronger than the Elite Undead Knight, but their teamwork made them difficult opponents.

Several times they nearly destroyed one of his Skeleton Knights.

Several times they almost overwhelmed Slimy.

But numbers eventually won.

The second mage fell.

Then the third.

The final skeleton mage fought desperately.

Its staff glowed brightly as it launched spell after spell.

The Elite Undead Knight blocked one attack.

A Skeleton Knight blocked another.

The slime absorbed a third. Then all five undead rushed it together.

The last mage disappeared beneath a wave of attacks, and a moment later it collapsed into dust.

Zich released a long breath, wiping beads of sweat from his face.

"That was rough."

His undead forces looked terrible. The Elite Undead Knight appeared relatively okay, but two Skeleton Knights were missing arms. One had lost half its skull.

As the dust settled, a glowing objects appeared where the mages had died.

Zich’s eyes widened.

"Loot?"

He quickly walked over and picked up a single skill scroll that lay in the pile of bones.

[ Spirit Flame LV.1]

[ Details: Allows the user to infuse attacks with spirit flames that deal additional magic damage. ]

Without hesitation, he learned it and then looked ahead.

Now came the main reward.

The stone coffin seemed strangely imposing despite doing nothing.

His hand touched the lid and pushed. The lid resisted for a moment before slowly sliding aside with a grinding noise.

Dust drifted into the air. Inside, nestled on a bed of black silk, were three items.

A vial of liquid that glowed with an inner light, dark purple like the sky above the dead city.

A black stone covered in faint runes.

And a dark bone flute wrapped in silver wire.

"Please be good." Zich muttered running a hand across the treasures.

[ Ancient Sarcophagus Unlocked ]

[ You have discovered: ]

[ 1x Soul Elixir ]

[ 1x Skill Evolution Stone ]

[ 1x Deathbone Flute ]

His heartbeat quickened.

He picked up the vial first.

[ Soul Elixir ]

[ Details: After consumption, all attributes increase by 30. Note: Can only be consumed once per individual. ]

Zich almost dropped it.

"All attributes?"

Thirty points to every attribute was absurd!

The item alone was worth more than everything he had obtained inside the Crypt combined.

He carefully stored it before examining the black stone.

[Skill Evolution Stone(Elite) ]

[Details: After use, strengthens one of the user’s skills. ]

Finally, he grabbed the flute.

The moment his fingers touched it, another window popped up.

[ Deathbone Flute (Elite) ]

[ Type: Treasure ]

[ Details: Increases the power of all summons by 25% for one hour. Additional Effect: Has a chance to awaken a dormant power within a summon for a few minutes. ]

[ Cooldown: 24 Hours ]

Zich stared at it. Then he laughed loudly.

This was a treasure designed specifically for summoners.

It was perfect.

The Elite Undead Knight.

The Skeleton Knights.

Slimy.

Blood Leech.

Tiamant.

Silverback Grunt

Everything would benefit from it!

Without wasting time, he uncorked the Soul Elixir.

The liquid tasted strange, causing his face to scrunch up as though he had taken a bitter pill.

[ Strength +30 ]

[ Constitution +30 ]

[ Agility +30 ]

[ Intelligence +30 ]

Satisfied, he picked up the flute, storing it inside the backpack that was now permanently being carried by one of the Spirit Undead Soldiers.

Then he picked up the Skill Evolution Stone.

"Time to gamble."

He crushed the stone, shattering into fragments. Dark runes burst out and entered his body. Pain flashed through his head as Information flooded his mind.

[ Skill Strengthening In Progress... ]

[ Your skill: Blink (Lv.1) has been strengthened... ]

[ Your skill: Blink has evolved! ]

[ Shadow Blink (Lv2) ]

[Detail: Instantly move a Mid-Range distance. Range and speed increased. Cooldown reduced. ]

Of all his skills, Blink was one of his favorites.

It had saved his life multiple times.

Now it had evolved.

He immediately activated it. His body blurred. The world twisted, and the next second he appeared several meters away.

The distance was nearly double what it had been before.

The mana cost also felt lower.

[AN: The mana cost is invisible. Only the author can see it.]

Zich spent the next few minutes testing the skill, becoming more attuned to it.

Eventually, he stopped and looked back at the open sarcophagus.

His backpack was heavier.

His stats were higher.

His companions had gained new support through the flute.

And his movement skill had evolved.

This expedition had already exceeded every expectation.

For the first time since entering the Crypt, Zich felt genuinely excited about what waited ahead.

If this was what he found before reaching the deepest part, then who knew what treasures were hidden further inside?

"Looks like I’m not leaving yet."

Then, with Slimy bouncing beside him and his undead spirit summons following behind, Zich left the chamber and continued deeper into the Crypt.