Chapter 27: Corrupting Aura!
The fire wolves were one of the mutated versions of white wolves, capable of using the power of fire. According to research, the mutation was the result of their adaptation to fire energy. In most cases, it was either because they lived near some mines containing fire ores or due to ingesting some powerful herbs with fire properties. Nonetheless, this had enabled them to breathe out fire from their mouths.
Unfortunately for the fire wolves, the bone monsters that they faced were not afraid of fire. The skeletal creatures were unfazed by the flames, allowing Shiva and his undead army to easily overpower the fiery beasts.
"Awoooo"
As the battle progressed, Shiva himself joined in, swinging his flail with excitement as he crushed the red-furred wolves. By the time the 15-minute time limit was almost up, Shiva delivered the final, decisive blow to the last remaining wolf, putting an end to the fourth wave of monsters.
<You have defeated the 4th wave of monsters>
<Your strength stat has been increased by 4>
<You have already met the conditions to clear the trial. Do you want to end the trial now or move on to the next round?>
The increase in his raw strength was palpable, as Shiva felt a refreshing, almost invigorating sensation like a cool breeze passing over him. Without hesitation, he chose to continue on to the next round, eager to see the monsters that would appear next.
"Of course."
With his consent, the system continued its work.
<Challenger has chosen to continue the trial>
<The next wave will start in one minute>
Shiva didn't wait long. He got ready for the next bunch of monsters by arranging his skeleton crew around him. He stood by the corruption giant, knowing the monsters would get tougher with each wave. So, he decided to save his energy and only step in when necessary.
<The Fifth wave of monsters has appeared>
<You have 15 minutes to defeat them all>
Golden runes shimmered before Shiva, but the anticipated wave of monsters didn't appear.
In the dark void, only his summons and himself were visible.
"Tricky ones, aren't you?" Shiva muttered, sharpening his senses.
But before he could react, Something flashed in front of him, and with a thud, the skeleton guarding him fell.
<Your skeleton summon, 'Hobgoblin Lord' has been destroyed>
'It's fast,' Shiva thought, immediately infusing mana into his flail, ready to fling it at the unseen enemies. However, he stopped and turned his attention towards the corruption giant instead.
He got an idea when he watched the giant, standing still, two of its four hands busy scratching its ass, and the other two holding the glass coffin.
Shiva had a few speculations about which monsters were summoned in the fifth wave, after all, there were only a few monsters capable of using stealth techniques like this.
"Aghora."
But Shiva had something he could use against the unseen enemies, or rather, the corruption giant had it.
"Use your <Corruption Aura>," Shiva commanded. It was a skill he hadn't tried before because it was passive. The monsters should've felt the pressure just from seeing the corruption giant, as its passive ability was always active. But when concentrated, passive skills would be stronger, increasing the skill's power. And that's exactly what happened.
Following Shiva's order, a cold, chilling energy, almost like ghostly smoke, emanated from the corruption giant. As Shiva watched the smoke coming toward him, he suddenly felt a bad feeling, but he reacted a bit slowly. The corrupting aura hit him, making him wince.
"Arh!"
It was a pain Shiva hadn't felt in a long time—a pain that hurt the soul. It was like someone pressing down on his throat with both hands, but much less intense, causing only slight discomfort.
The skeletons were in a similar situation, their bones rattling a bit. Even the undead weren't spared from the corruption. As the corrupting aura spread, the unseen enemy was affected too. Three green figures appeared out of nowhere, a short distance around Shiva.
The monsters looked like chameleons, covered in green and yellow markings with whitish skin on their underbelly. They seemed able to crawl on all fours or stand on their hind legs.
"It was you, sneaky bastards."
Agemos.
Monsters that are usually found on the 3rd or 4th floor of the tower. They had strong bodies, sticky legs and arms for climbing, and sharp fangs. But their most notable trait was their ability to bend light around their bodies to become invisible.
"Stop it now, they're visible!"
Shiva said, struggling against the corrupting aura. He decided to investigate the skill further when he entered the tower and focused on the body of one of the dead fire wolves strewn amidst the corpses of goblins and orcs.
"<Raise the Dead>," Shiva intoned.
At his command, the wolf's flesh decomposed in an instant, leaving only white bones with a red core at its chest.
Following that, the wolf skeleton rose, its eyes now blazing with blue flames.
The chameleons recoiled at the sight.
The fact that the bodies of the monsters that he fought didn't vanish was surprising, but it was proof to the fact that Shiva was battling real monsters raised, bred, or imprisoned by the tower instead of some illusions.
For Shiva, a necromancer, this was immensely helpful.
"It's a shame I couldn't defeat 'that' monster with so many 'resources' in my past life."
Back then, Shiva had limited mana and lacked the understanding of necromancy to use spells easily as he did now. Each necromantic spell was complex, demanding strict concentration and knowledge. But Shiva effortlessly wielded them now, drawing on his past life's knowledge and experience.
Nevertheless, he refocused on the present.
"Aghora."
Shiva called out the corruption giant, who seemed bored just standing there.
"Drop the coffin and deal with them."
Now that the enemies were visible, no further instructions were needed and the corruption giant set off to do its job, its eyeless face radianting with excitement.
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There were some problems while pasting the chapter from docs, but it's fixed now. Apologies for the mistake!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone