Elon was somewhat surprised by Shane's request for help, but without any hesitation, he immediately went over to him, half-kneeling on the sand to look at him. “What should I do?”
“Give me one of your hands.”
Shane extended his empty hand, then looked toward the location of Ksaz's heart. “Place your other hand over this sand scaler's heart.”
“I need your natural mana to enter his body and drive my death magic out. Otherwise, he won't make it.”
Hearing this, Elon's brows suddenly furrowed.
Although Shane made it sound simple, Elon could sense the danger involved.
Even setting aside the consequences of natural mana and death magic clashing inside a living body, when two opposing forces of magic collided, the slightest mistake could cause a backlash for the caster.
This was especially true in a situation like this, where natural mana was required to drive out death magic.
If he failed to control the output of his power, it would deal a heavy blow to him instead, ranging from magic turbulence at best, to... at worst.
Did he not know what this implied?
Looking at Shane, Elon honestly felt a touch of emotion. As a necromancer, to save a beastkin whom he didn't even know, he had actually cast aside his own safety.
This spirit of self-sacrifice was more precious than that of any druid or ascetic paladin he had ever met.
Especially since it was coming from a necromancer, a class renowned for their selfishness.
With this thought, Elon took a deep breath. Without saying anything more, he gripped Shane's hand with one of his own while gently pressing his other hand over Ksaz's heart, then closed his eyes.
Instantly, a majestic force of death surged into his perception.
Cold and dark, it was exactly like the things he had faced countless times before, each instance filling him with disgust.
But this time, deep within this darkness, he sensed a slight difference.
There was no despair or fear, nor was there loneliness or madness. There was only a profound, quiet resilience, like a bottomless ocean—unruffled on the surface, yet harboring boundless power.
Perhaps this was why he was different from other necromancers?
Sensing Shane's true nature, Elon's mood improved slightly, but this only lasted for an instant.
For he discovered that his own power could not advance even half a step before this majestic presence. No matter how hard he tried, he was pushed back by this wave-like force of death.
What should he do?
In this situation, if he could not drive out the force of death, not only would the sand scaler be beyond saving, but he himself might also be affected.
But right then, Shane's voice echoed in his mind, steady and calm: “Do not blindly oppose it. Transform it.”
Transform? How? Life and death were opposites; how could they possibly be transformed?
Elon began to grow anxious, but Shane was unaffected by his distress, his tone remaining calm: “Between life and death, there is no eternal immortality. Death is not merely an end, but also a beginning. Think back to what I showed you when we were planting the dry beans.”
“To find life in death—this too is one of the laws of the world.”
Elon's body shuddered violently upon hearing these words, as if a sudden realization had washed over him, bringing a massive breakthrough to his spirit.
When he faced the majestic tide of death magic once more, he shrank himself into a seed, then took root and sprouted under the shroud of the death magic.
So that was how it was.
A trace of enlightenment rising in his heart, Elon's body began to glow with a brilliant emerald-green light. This light was like the first tender leaf of early spring, brimming with hope.
Then, all around him, a wind began to blow without warning.
Unlike the usual scorching, dry wind, this breeze carried a touch of moisture and fragrance. It spread outward, brushing past the tips of Shane's hair and blowing across Alicia's astonished face.
As the wind swept across the sandy ground, traces of pitch-black mana began to emerge. Though it could be recognized as death magic, it did not cause the slightest discomfort, for the moment they rose from the earth, they transformed from pitch-black to emerald green.
These emerald-green lights did not dissipate. Instead, they all gathered toward Elon, flowing through his hand resting on Ksaz's chest and into the sand scaler.
Ksaz's body began to undergo a transformation.
Nourished by this power, his originally yellowish-brown scales began to take on a golden luster, and fine, intricate patterns—resembling some ancient symbols—started to manifest on their surface.
His body also began to expand. His lanky build grew muscular, his shoulders and back bulked up, and his arms thickened by more than a margin. His entire frame was widening at a rate visible to the naked eye.
At the same time, Shane's hand, which was holding Ksaz's, also began to recover. The petrified patches on it receded rapidly, completely vanishing within a few breaths.
And at the exact moment they vanished, Shane was flung backward, tumbling onto the sand a short distance away.
Looking at the sand scaler lying there and then at Elon, a flash of surprise crossed Shane's eyes. “He actually advanced?”
Although he did not know the advancement paths of other classes, he could not mistake the signs of skyrocketing mana and a shifting aura.
And judging by the commotion, it did not seem like an ordinary advancement.
Soon, the light gradually receded, and the surrounding wind quieted down.
Elon slowly opened his eyes, a faint golden shimmer seemingly flashing deep within his dark-green pupils.
He did not rush to check his own status. Instead, he first looked down at the sand scaler. Seeing his steady breathing, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, and that the petrified patches had completely vanished, Elon knew he was out of danger.
Elon let out a sigh of relief before raising his head to look at Shane, who was not far away. A look filled with admiration and gratitude surfaced in his eyes.
Standing up, he ignored the princess, who was quickly approaching him with a face full of concern, and walked straight to Shane.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, the mentor of the Imperial princess bowed deeply to the necromancer on the ground.
“Shane Leynas, thank you.”
They were just a few simple words, but his tone was exceptionally solemn, and there was not a shred of insincerity in his eyes as he looked up at Shane.
Everyone watched the scene unfold in dumbfounded silence, none of them understanding why Elon was doing this.
Sitting on the ground, Shane, however, did not seem to care. He held out his hand and said, “Do me a favor and pull me up first.”
At this, the corner of Elon's mouth curved upward, and he reached out to pull Shane up from the ground.
Seeing this, the princess behind him hurriedly rushed to Elon. Sensing the change in his aura, she could not help but gasp in surprise, “Mentor, you... advanced?”
Elon looked at the princess and nodded. Aside from joy, there was a complex, indescribable emotion in his expression. “I can say I've touched the threshold of Grandmaster, but...”
“For the longest time, a druid's cultivation only focused on 'life'—understanding the essence of life and merging with nature.”
“But Shane Leynas showed me another path. Death is not nothingness, nor is it the opposite of life. Just as fallen leaves decay into soil to nourish new sprouts, life and death are inherently one.”
Elon kept his explanation simple, as that was just right for the princess.
But that did not matter to the princess. She naturally possessed some knowledge regarding druid cultivation, and she knew exactly what her mentor's words implied.
Clearly, he had embarked on a different path—a path unique in this world. The value it brought was beyond her imagination.
And all of this...
The princess turned her head to look at Shane. All of this had been brought about by the necromancer before her.
Alicia stared intently at Shane, her gaze growing increasingly intense. Upon feeling her stare, Shane merely glanced at her before looking past her toward her back. “Let's check on that sand scaler first. He seems to be waking up.”
Hearing this, everyone's gaze swept in unison toward the sand scaler.
Rate on N.U.
