Chapter 127: Necromancer

Peng! Peng! Peng!

The consecutive gunshots rang throughout Purgatory. Streaks of golden radiance flew across the depressing battlefield coming from a crimson-haired man with a rogue-ish appearance.

Don't be mistaken, this is still Cedric, only he's using his Alter Ego - Derrek, to complete his second clearance of his Hell Dive to satisfy this month's quota.

Aside from firing his guns, there were also at least five mini-suns hovering at a certain distance away from him. These stationary orbs fired projectiles of pure Sunfire at the speed of light toward the horde of the Undead.

The poor creatures, faced with their nemesis, could only groan/scream in agony as they felt the purifying qualities of Cedric's Sagely Aspect.

He wasn't just using his guns though. Cedric, as Derrek, would also use his sword to get up close and personal. Since he's using his Alter Ego, he didn't hold back in showcasing his Sage Arts. In fact, he's even using this place to hone his skills even more, making him deadlier against Demonfolk.

Cedric's already halfway through the timer, meaning he's been at it for two and a half hours straight. He was given a brief period of rest each time he took down a boss, which was more than enough to restore his strength.

As he displayed his arsenal as a Luminous Sage, he could distinctly feel the Purgatory writhing in pain. His golden flames powered with the attribute of true Sunfire and Sunlight were the antithesis of the corruption that plagued this land.

He could distinctly hear the heavy cries of souls being burned by the sunfire before turning into their purified version. But despite the insistent conflagration of his sunfire, the corruption of this land runs deep, no matter how long the land burns, the corruption refuses to go away.

Cedric has long noticed this. Unfortunately, even now he couldn't come up with a feasible solution for this other than making himself stronger. In fact, was it even possible to clear the Purgatory of its corruption?

At this point, only time will tell...

Continuing with his task, the 3rd-hour mark came. This meant that he was about to face another boss.

'Now, if memory serves me right, this should be— yep, it is...'

A powerful undead creature appeared after the disappearance of the zombies. It wore dark and tattered robes, holding onto an ancient book oozing with demonic might. Its eye-sockets flared with ghastly blue energy, causing anybody to look at it to feel a soul-chilling sensation.

It spat a cloud of violet miasma that brought rot and decay to anything it touched. And with a groan, it summoned a horde of undead - zombies, skeletons, and ghouls, ready to pounce on him.

The 3rd Boss was a Necromancer - a real one this time. Cedric faced the same one yesterday and managed to defeat it. However, since he restricted himself to let his ruse play out, the fight was challenging to him.

This time however, being Derrek the Young Sage, he shouldn't necessarily struggle against it.

'Derrek will continue to grow stronger as Cedric starts to, slowly but surely, fall behind.'

'This way, their attention would be focused on Derrek. They will increase their vigilance against him and chase after his shadow in hopes of assassinating him before he becomes a real thorn in their side.'

'Meanwhile, as Cedric falls behind, they will start to lose interest in him. Eventually, he will be forgotten and their threat will disappear. Meaning I will have more room and freedom to develop under their radar.'

This plan is risky. It also needs a lot of time before it produces results.

The Demon Race could go ahead and chase after Derrek for as much as they want. But Cedric...he's in a more vulnerable position because of his public appearance.

Of course, he has plans of leading the Demons into a wild goose chase after Derrek. At some point in the future, Derrek needs to make a public appearance to solidify the idea that he's a real person, that way the ruse will be more effective. It's just that, for now, Cedric is in a more vulnerable position and currently, there are few options for him to take their attention away.

Thankfully, Cedric is under the protection of the Starlight Royal Academy. He could take shelter there for years as the ruse continues. By the time he graduates, he hopes that his ruse already bore results so that he could feel safer.

The rest period ended eventually and Cedric once again sensed the appearance of the Undead. Because of their periodic evolution, these ones are stronger than before, their numbers increased too.

Since he didn't struggle too much against the Necromancer, Cedric wasn't as drained unlike yesterday. He managed to recover all the energy he spent during that round so he's full of energy right now.

Because of this, his vigorous decimation of Undead Clusters remained as fierce as before.

He used 'Sunlit Stars' and summoned five mini-sun turrets around to make it easier for him. He switched between his guns and his sword as he demolished large undead clusters like nobody's business.

Time continued forth like this until he reached the Final Boss. And just like yesterday, he was faced with a Tier 7 Lich Demon.

Because this thing was 4 Tiers above him, it was definitely a challenging fight. Even with his Sage Arts, the Lich Demon was a troublesome opponent, especially since it could cast spells that could injure his soul directly.

Still, Cedric managed to defeat it, but only with too much difficulty. He collapsed on the ground, panting and extremely exhausted.

To his surprise though, he heard something that sent a chill down his spine.

"You better start counting your remaining days, Young Sage. We're coming for you."

On the outside, Cedric donning the mask of his Alter Ego only sneered in response. But inwardly, he couldn't help but curse because of this sudden development.

'Shit! Did they catch on?'