"It wasn't just their attributes that had increased; their intelligence had evolved as well. They now possessed high-level battle instincts, and they could wield equipment."
As the summoner, Ethan knew every single detail about his summons.
He understood the exact changes that had occurred when the [Summon Undead Knight] skill and the [Summon Undead Spirits] skill fused to create the new [Summon Undead Soldiers] skill.
At Ethan's command, one of the Undead Knights approached him.
It first sheathed its undead sword, then reached out and took the [Poison Snake Spear], the reward Ethan had just obtained for clearing the dungeon, from his hand.
[Your Undead Knight has equipped the [Poison Snake Spear]]
Just as expected, the moment the Undead Knight wielded the spear, Ethan could feel the spiritual energy of his undead knight being channeled into the weapon, in a manner similar to how awakeners empower their weapons using spiritual energy.
Simply by wielding it, the Undead Knight became significantly stronger than the other Undead Knights, not because of any difference in level, but because it now possessed a superior weapon, one that was far more effective when empowered by spiritual energy.
"Better weapons really do make a difference, huh…" Ethan murmured.
Suddenly, the [Skeletal Warden Set] he had helped Jonathan and his friends obtain in the [Skeletal Chamber] dungeon came to mind.
"When I have time, I'll run the [Skeletal Chamber] dungeon a few times after I'm done acquiring skills," Ethan muttered.
"Now that I know I can simply wish for a type of skill and obtain it, I'll take full advantage of it. I'll wish for more skills that are compatible with [Summon Undead Soldiers] and [Summon Undead Spirits]. That way, my profession can use Skill Fusion to merge them, and I'll still have one skill slot open for a brand-new skill."
Just as he finished solidifying his plan, he noticed a gate opening a few meters away.
"Let's go out and re-enter this dungeon," Ethan said with a faint smile as he stepped forward.
Passing through the gate, he found himself back in the dungeon hall, standing once again before the green gate of the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] dungeon.
...
"He came out," Sasha said to her sister, who was sitting beside her on one of the benches lining the dungeon hall.
They had exited the dungeon themselves only a few minutes earlier after reaching Level 10 and were taking a short rest.
"How long has it been? Around fifteen hours, right?" Tasha snorted, her voice dripping with disdain. "Looks like he couldn't clear the dungeon alone and came out scared."
"So what if he couldn't clear it alone?" Sasha replied, shaking her head. "We're all newbies here, and this is the toughest dungeon around. It's not unusual for people to give up midway and try again."
"Why are you defending him?" Tasha scoffed.
"I'm not defending him," Sasha said calmly. "I just don't want you looking down on people, especially someone who might very well become my close friend someday. It's not a good habit." She paused, then added, "And I know you're only trash-talking him because you're trying to make a point about how much you don't like him."
"You're only talking nice about him because you like him a little too much," Tasha shot back.
"I'm not denying it," Sasha replied with a shrug, as if she didn't care what her sister thought. "He is cute."
"Yeah, whatever…" Tasha muttered, turning her face away.
Sasha smiled at her sister's reaction. A moment later, she noticed Ethan heading back toward the dungeon entrance.
"He's going in again," she said softly. "Looks like he's giving it another try…"
...
Ethan entered the dungeon and immediately began summoning.
He summoned two hundred of each of his Undead Spirits and Undead Knights.
This time, he went all out because he already knew that with his summons, their synergy, and their elemental fusion skills, he could clear the dungeon in just a few hours.
Last time, it had taken him around 15 hours to clear the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] Dungeon, and back then, he had only used his Undead Spirits.
But now, he had acquired a new summon, the Undead Mage, and the attributes of his Undead Knights had also significantly increased.
They were now capable of handling the snake forest on their own.
He summoned 150 of each spirit-type summon he possessed, 100 Undead Knights, and 100 Undead Mages, then let them loose while giving simple instructions to continuously use synergy skills without stopping.
This time, he cleared the dungeon in just 12 hours.
[You have eliminated all monsters in the dungeon]
[Clear conditions satisfied]
[You have cleared the [Swelling of the Snake Lord] Dungeon]
[You have been rewarded: 1500 System Gold]
[You have been rewarded: Poison Snake Spear]
[You have been rewarded: Wheel of Skills Card]
"Let's try this one more time. This time, I'll ask for a more particular type of skill, more specifically," Ethan said as he activated the [Wheel of Skills Card].
A moment later, a wheel made of pure light manifested before him.
[You have activated a Wheel of Skills Card]
[You can spin the Wheel of Skills to obtain a random profession-specific skill]
"Give me a skill of the same nature as my [Summon Undead Knight] and [Summon Undead Mage], but of the Controller Class."
With a single yes in his mind, the wheel began spinning on its own.
It slowed, then stopped at a specific section, and in that instant, foreign information formed in his hand before transforming into something new.
[You have acquired the Skill: Summon Undead Tank]
[Detected: You possess two summoning skills with identical natures.]
[Triggering the special effect of the Necromancer profession.]
[Beginning Skill Fusion...]
[Skill Fusion Successful]
[The [Summon Undead Tank] skill have fused with the [Summon Undead Soldiers] skill.]
[You have unlocked Controller-Class Summon: Undead Tank of the [Summon Undead Soldiers] skill]
"This is getting even more ridiculous. I can ask for a specific skill and get it as long as it exists within the possibilities of the Wheel of Skills," Ethan muttered as the exit gate opened ahead of him.
He stepped through and exited the dungeon.
He could feel the changes brought about by the skill fusion.
His summons had grown stronger again.
Their attributes had increased, and they had gained new skills as a side effect of the fusion.
"I will check it later after I finish acquiring the remaining summons," Ethan said as he reentered the dungeon for the third time.
...
"He came again, and even faster than last time," Tasha said, snorting.
"And he went in again," Sasha added in confusion as she watched Ethan enter and exit the dungeon repeatedly.
"What the hell is he doing?"
…
Ethan began his third run of the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] dungeon. This time, he cleared it in just 11 hours.
[You have cleared the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] Dungeon]
[You have been rewarded: 1,500 System Gold, Poison Snake Spear, and Wheel of Skills Card]
Once again, Ethan activated the [Wheel of Skills Card].
"Give me a skill of the same nature as my [Summon Undead Knight], [Summon Undead Mage], and [Summon Undead Tank], but of the support class."
[You have acquired the Skill: Summon Undead Healer]
[Triggering the special effect of the Necromancer profession.]
[Beginning skill fusion…]
[Skill fusion successful.]
[The skills [Summon Undead Healer] have fused with the [Summon Undead Soldiers] skill.]
[You have unlocked Support-class: Tank of the [Summon Undead Soldiers] skill.]
[You have unlocked all the summons of the [Summon Undead Soldiers] skill.]
"I have unlocked the summons of all four classes. I can feel it," Ethan muttered.
"There are not any more summons left to unlock within this skill."
He then returned to the dungeon hall.
This time, Tasha and Sasha were not there.
Instead, the hall was occupied by others, those who had been resting there, as well as Awakeners who lived and slept around the dungeon.
By now, many of them had already begun to notice Ethan's unusual actions.
...
Ethan entered the dungeon once again, beginning his fourth attempt at clearing it.
This time, he finished in around ten hours.
With each run, he became faster.
His efficiency in clearing the dungeon and his battle experience steadily increased.
He also made use of the extra time to test new elemental fusions, experimenting with different elemental skills possessed by his spirits.
After several trials, he discovered a few combinations that were especially powerful.
These became the most powerful elemental fusion skills he programmed his spirits to use.
He even set preprogrammed instructions for the undead spirits, covering formations, skill fusion, synergy, and the precise conditions under which they should execute them when commanded.
That way, in the future, he would only need to issue a single command, and the spirits would automatically perform the synergy skills.
[You have cleared the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] Dungeon]
[You have been rewarded: 1500 System Gold, Poison Snake Spear, and Wheel of Skills Card]
Ethan activated the [Wheel of Skills Card].
"Let's see… the [Summon Undead Spirits] skill can summon spirits of different natures or forms," Ethan muttered as he examined the wheel of skills.
"Give me the summoning skill to summon a Holy elemental spirit," he said, activating the wheel.
After a few moments, the wheel stopped spinning, and information about a new skill manifested in his mind.
[You have acquired the Skill: Summon Undead Holy Spirit]
[Triggering the special effect of the Necromancer profession.]
[Beginning skill fusion…]
[Skill fusion successful.]
[The [Summon Undead Holy Spirit] has fused with the [Summon Undead Spirits] skill, becoming an unlocked summon]
[You have unlocked the Spirit summon: Undead Holy Spirit]
…
Over the next twenty-four hours, he cleared the dungeon three more times and obtained three additional Wheel of Skills Cards.
He used two of them to acquire two more spirit-type summoning skills.
Under the special effect of his profession, both fused with the [Summon Undead Spirits] skill, becoming unlocked summons, the Undead Dark Spirit and the Undead Shadow Spirit.
He didn't overdo it.
He wasn't even sure whether there were more spirits that could be unlocked within the skill.
More importantly, he felt he had already gone overboard with the number of summons he possessed.
It was finally time to fill his empty skill slot.
"Since I can ask for any type of skill and actually get it, I have to think carefully. I could change my entire way of fighting with a single skill."
Ethan rubbed his chin, his expression serious as he stared at the Wheel of Skills, which waited silently for him to activate it.
He closed his eyes, contemplating various skills that could make him powerful as an individual, rather than merely as a summoner, a skill that would allow him to fight on the front lines.
After deep thought, he came to a decision.
Calmly opening his eyes, he looked at the Wheel of Skills.
In the next instant, the wheel began to spin, sensing his intent.
He didn't speak the skill he wished to acquire aloud.
Instead, he prayed in his mind and heart, far more sincerely.
A few moments later, the wheel stopped.
Information about a particular skill surfaced in his mind.
His eyes gleamed as he looked at it.
[You have acquired the Skill: Herald of the Fallen]
...
[A/N: If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider adding it to your library and supporting it with some Power Stones. Arigato!]