Free Web NovelChapter 24: Runes of the Dark Elves
For a fraction of a second, Rhys felt death’s icy fingers reaching for his heart.
[Host’s death probability exceeds 99%. Emergency intervention authorized. Activating Phantom Passage.]
[Lifespan spent: 10,000 Days.]
His body instantly transformed into an intangible phantom.
A sharp arrow tore through the spot where his heart had been.
Boom!
The projectile slammed into the train behind him. The iron crash barrier buckled inward from the sheer force of the impact.
"What the hell!?" Rhys shouted as his body solidified once more.
"Enemy ambush!" Kai barked.
The three women only reacted after the deafening impact shook the entire train. All of them immediately became alert.
Before they could retreat, more whistles sliced through the air from every direction.
Arrows.
Dozens of them.
"Take cover!" Kai yelled as the deadly rain descended upon them.
This time, Rhys didn’t need the System to activate Phantom Passage. He cast it himself.
Again.
And again.
Phantom Passage was a passive spell. Like every other passive spell, it should have lasted two full minutes.
At first, Rhys had been confused when it deactivated immediately after saving him from the first arrow.
Now he understood why.
Phantom Passage’s primary purpose was movement. It did not make him immune to damage. His phantom form remained vulnerable to attacks backed by sufficient mana.
Whenever such an attack struck him, the spell automatically burned through its remaining lifespan to negate the damage.
That was why the spell had ended the moment the arrow passed through his phantom body.
When no powerful attacks connected, Phantom Passage lasted its full duration like any other passive spell.
[Phantom Passage is a movement spell, not a defensive one. Glad to know you finally understand its purpose.]
Rhys agreed with the System’s jab. With Phantom Passage enhancing his speed, he weaved through the incoming barrage.
His figure flickered across the battlefield as he pulled Kai, Yuki, and Selena out of danger whenever an arrow came too close.
Under his protection, the three women successfully retreated into the first carriage without suffering a single injury.
Rhys slammed the carriage door shut behind them. The metal immediately rattled as arrows struck the exterior.
"These arrows..." Rhys frowned. "Do those monsters use bows now?"
Yuki gave him a strange look. "Those weren’t monsters."
"Eh?" Rhys blinked. "Bandits?"
The answer seemed obvious to him. After all, every web novel had bandits. Yuki shook her head.
"There are no bandits in Whispering Ravine."
"But it looks like there are."
Rhys hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the arrows still trying to punch through the carriage walls.
"Pfft."
Yuki failed to suppress her laughter. "Bandits aren’t the only ones who use bows."
"Eh?"
Rhys scratched his head, looking thoroughly confused. The reaction made it painfully obvious how little he knew about the world’s various factions.
Especially the hostile ones.
"Dark Elves."
Selena practically spat the words. A trace of viciousness flashed through her eyes. "Those disgusting creatures actually dared to show themselves." Her expression darkened.
"Have they forgotten how the Sect Master nearly hunted them to extinction?"
Kai shared the same hatred that Selena displayed. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword until her knuckles turned white.
Compared to the two women, Yuki showed little reaction. The passengers, however, were far more dramatic.
"What!? Dark Elves? How could that be?" a middle-aged woman cried, pulling her granddaughter tightly into her arms.
"Those monsters... we’re dead!" another man stammered, panic written all over his face.
’Dark Elves? The Sect Master hunted them to extinction?’
Rhys frowned inwardly.
’System, I think the Sect Master is a racist.’
[Why?]
’Why specifically Dark Elves?’
[Sigh.]
The System sounded exasperated.
[They are called Dark Elves because of their magic, not their skin color, host. They specialize in Necromancy.]
’Wow, cool!’
Rhys immediately perked up. He had always loved necromancers. What was more fun than commanding an immortal army of skeletons?
[Their necromancy is somewhat different.]
’Oh?’
[They use living creatures.]
Rhys blinked.
’That’s possible too?’
Everything he knew about necromancers involved raising the dead. The corpse had to die first before it could become undead.
[Necromancy in this world is not the manipulation of corpses. It is the manipulation of death energy.]
[Death energy is naturally formed whenever a living being dies. However, creatures created solely from death energy can never grow beyond their initial level.]
[The Dark Elves discovered a loophole.]
[They developed special runes capable of locking a dead soul in place and binding it to their summons.]
[The summoned creature retains its memories and consciousness, but it can never escape the Dark Elf’s control.]
[This practice is considered taboo even within the Systemverse because it violates the natural cycle of death and reincarnation.] frёewebnoѵēl.com
[Honestly, I never expected such runes to exist in this world.]
Rhys suddenly recalled Kai and Selena’s reactions when they witnessed the coordination between the Stone Monsters and Iron-Claw Baboons.
At the time, he had been too impatient to think much about it. That mistake had nearly cost him his life. If the System hadn’t activated Phantom Passage on its own, he would already be dead.
Cold sweat beaded across his forehead. He had to be more attentive from now on, if he wanted to live longer. Rhys noted.
"What should we do now?" Kai asked him unconsciously. Without realizing it, the scarred woman had already accepted him as the group’s leader.
Rhys found the situation amusing. If anything, he was more clueless than she was.
His gaze swept across the panicked passengers before settling on the dents slowly forming in the carriage walls.
At this rate, the walls would eventually give way. They needed a solution before that happened.
"If only I knew where those bastards were..." Selena muttered through gritted teeth.
Rhys glanced at her.
"If you knew their location, could you deal with them?"
"Yes." Her answer came immediately. "But I’ll need the support of a Wind Mage."
Rhys turned toward the mages inside the carriage. Every single one shook their head.
"We don’t have any Wind Mages."
"Damn it."
Rhys rubbed his forehead.
"B-But there is a Wind Mage in Carriage Eight." Everyone turned toward the speaker. A young civilian nervously raised his hand.
"His name is Austin. He’s from the MSFRM."
After a brief pause, he added, "He’s an Apprentice."
Selena’s eyes lit up.
"That’s enough." Excitement crept into her voice. "I have a spell that requires wind as a catalyst. If those archers are within a five-hundred-meter radius, I can eliminate every one of them."
"But how are we supposed to bring him here?" Kai asked.
Rhys gave her a small smile. "Leave that to me."
The passengers and the two women immediately looked at him with anticipation.
Only Yuki curled her lips into a knowing smile.
At that moment, she finally understood why her master had sent her on this mission despite her merely being at the Apprentice rank.
It wasn’t to complete the mission. It was to observe him.
’Am I right, Master?’
"Mm..." A soft, almost melodic hum echoed directly inside her mind. ’Yuki...’ Her master’s voice was gentle. Dangerously gentle.
’Control your bitches before they stare at him any longer.’
A brief pause followed.
’Or I will gouge their eyes out.’
Yuki froze.
Then she quickly snapped out of her thoughts and glanced toward Kai and Selena. Both women were staring at Rhys.
And somehow...
Their gazes looked even more intense than before.
’Master, that’s the look of respect!’ Yuki inwardly prayed for her friends.
’I don’t care what it is.’ Her master’s reply came without the slightest hesitation. ’I simply don’t like the way they’re looking at him.’
’Noted, master.’
’Same to you too. Know your position.’
Yuki gulped, ’yes, master.’
