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Elayne, as a zombie, no longer needed to eat if she had absorbed sufficient energy, so she remained alone in her room for the rest of the day. She had already inford everyone that she would seclude herself for a few days to solidify her foundation.
Through the remainder of that day and into the next, Elayne seamlessly combined the Rotten Flesh Strengthening thod with the Bone Reinforcing Ritual. By drawing on the Death Essence from the various plants around White Tooth Village, she accelerated her progress. At last, she fully grasped both thods, advancing them to the Initial Stage and deeply imprinting them into her bones and flesh.
FLASH!
The transformation struck instantly. Elayne felt her physical strength and resilience double. Her eyes widened in stunned delight. More astonishing still, the damaged parts of her body—rotting flesh, decayed patches, and missing skin—began to nd. Her pale skin grew smoother, the foul odor of decay vanished completely, and even her left hand, once stripped of flesh, regenerated fully.
"Wow!"
Her body seed subtly perfected, purging its flaws to a degree. For the Undead, "impurities" held a different aning than for the living, yet the result was clear: she appeared far less decayed, far better preserved.
"Preservation... That must be the core of zombie cultivation. To halt further decay and push the body beyond the limits it knew in life."
As Elayne reflected on the profound essence of these thods—silver threads connecting her to ancient legacies—the faint echoes of their creators stirred within her mind.
"It’s too soon... but my abilities might let peer deeper into their origins. That can wait."
Satisfied with her growth, Elayne called forth her Status once more.
It had changed.
♢♢♢♢
[Na]: [Elayne]
[Titles]: [Cult Leader of the Demon Tree Religious Order] [Netherworld’s First Spirit Master] [Netherworld’s First Spirit Weapon Blacksmith]
[Race]: [Zombie] [Netherworld Plant Colony Vessel]
[Job Class]: [Nether Spirit Harvester – Tier 1]
[Spiritual Heart]: [Tier 1: Rank 5 – Nether Ghost Yggdrasil Heart]
[Soul Cultivation]: [Tier 4: Rank 1 – Nature Soul: The World]
[Level]: [10/100]
[Soul Fortitude]: [33.500] -> [35.000]
[Nether Essence]: [27.700] -> [30.700]
[Body Durability]: [18.600] -> [28.600]
[Ghostly Power]: [22.600] -> [24.000]
[Cursed Energy]: [20.600] -> [22.600]
[Spiritual Energy Reserves]: [785.700]
[Spiritual Particles]: [708.800]
[Spirit Power]: [310.000]
[Soul Traits]: [Amaterasu-no-Kami’s Heavenly Sun Prison Pagoda – Tier 1: 31%]
[Skills]: [Undead Body – Tier 1: Level 5/10] [Ghostly Soul – Tier 1: Level 7/10] [ERROR_INPUT Arts – Tier ?: Level ?/X] [Netherworld Farming Arts – Tier 1: Level 6/10] [Soul Rune Imprint – Tier 1: Level 4/10] [Great Spirit Vessel Rebirth: Gardenia – Tier 1: Level 6/10] [Ghostly Spirit Consciousness – Tier 1: Level 9/10] [Cyclical Energy Conversion – Tier 1: Level 2/10] [Harvest of Duality – Tier 1: Level 2/10]
[Cultivation thods]: [Netherworld Nature Soul Commuting – Grand Perfection Stage] [Divine Soul Spirit Root Branching – Middle Stage] [Earthly Spirit Ring – Initial Stage] [Spirit Blossoming – Initial Stage (Gardenia)] [Rotten Flesh Strengthening thod – Initial Stage] [Bone Reinforcent Ritual – Initial Stage]
[Cursed Runes]: [Cursed Rune of Nether – Tier 1: 98%] [Cursed Rune of Ghosts – Tier 1: 99%] [Cursed Rune of Pain – Tier 1: 98%]
[Spiritual Arts]: [Spiritual Soul Weapon Art – Tier 1: Rank 10] [Spirit Weapon Forging Art – Tier 1: Rank 7]
[Spiritual Soul Weapon]: [Nether Soil-Shaping Ghostly Bones Hoe: Bianca – Tier 3] {Abilities}: [Soil Shaping (D-)] [Nether Terrain Modification (D)]
[Refined Soul Treasures]: [Nether Spirit Totem Nail x103 – Tier 1] [Soul Spirit Crystal Tree Sapling – Tier 1] [Ancient Bone Beast Blade: Asteria – Tier ??? (Sealed Power)]
♢♢♢♢
"My stats have risen as expected... This is real growth," Elayne whispered, a quiet thrill warming her undead heart. "No wonder it felt like my strength doubled. Ten thousand points in Body Durability alone... and the rest increased steadily too."
Contentnt washed over her. She humd softly and stepped out of the room, only to find Mark standing vigil just beyond the door.
"M-Mark?"
"Ah, Elayne. You’re finally done?"
"Yes. Has anything happened while I was away?"
"Nothing noteworthy," he replied, shaking his head. "I’ve been guarding your room."
"All this ti? It’s been three days..." she murmured, touched.
"It’s no trouble. Being a skeleton makes such things easy," he said. "I’ve also been practicing the Bone Reinforcing Ritual and Bone Absorption thods."
"Really?" Elayne smiled. "I just mastered the Bone Reinforcent Ritual myself."
"It’s an excellent one," he nodded. "I reached Grand Perfection while you were secluded. I started much earlier, so that explains it."
"I see. I’m happy for you, Mark," she said gently. "Shall we join everyone for a al?"
"I was hoping you’d say that. Let’s eat," Mark agreed, the towering skeleton falling into step beside her.
Elayne gathered the others, who had spent the days cultivating, training skills, or studying. Yaga had been especially busy in the alchemy room, brewing potions to aid everyone’s progress.
Over dinner, they shared their advancents. Norman had reinforced his bones like Mark and sparred with him three tis daily before clashing with Sailor, helping both refine their abilities. Sailor, having begun the sa practices as Elayne much earlier, had grown quite powerful.
Shade remained mostly secluded, honing his mastery over Cursed Runes and seeking the perfect form. Blank had visited only once in three days, busy with his duties and perhaps lacking motivation without Elayne around.
The al itself was exquisite: grilled fillets of Nether Beast drizzled with a creamy sauce made from bone beast blood, elevated further by the spices Elayne had introduced. Each bite felt like a small luxury.
"Hmm! Quite a fine al, I must admit. Those ingredients and spices you brought with your stinky selves aren’t half bad! Ohohoho!"
Chalk, who had spent most of her ti lounging with books and sweets, erged just as Elayne finished her seclusion. Her sudden presence at the table added an awkward note.
"Thank you, Lady Chalk," Elayne replied politely. "It’s an honor that you enjoy our offerings. We’ll continue supplying what we harvest each year."
"Hmph, well... yes!" Chalk huffed, cheeks faintly flushed. "So what do you Undead even do with your worthless lives? You locked yourself away for three whole days. I wanted to talk about dresses and lady things, but there’s only an old granny and a bunch of n around here...!"
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