MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

Darkness as the eye could see, only darkness. This place felt like Thanatos's Death Realm but apparently was a prison. Yet there was no prisoner in sight…

[Trial of the Undead Lord Graham Activating!] 

[Giving up or death will result in failure!] 

  A trial? Trials were always an incredible opportunity…as long as one didn't push himself too far. Far too many heroes had fallen from trial backlash. 

— Sizzle! — 

The darkness started to distort. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it perfectly for some reason. That's when five name tags suddenly appeared. < Animated Skeleton! Lv 23!> 

"Is that it?" Jack raised a brow. Was the difficulty supposed to come from the lack of vision? 

He didn't even bother using a weapon. He happily took the things apart with his new shiny claws. They were sharp enough to dismantle the living and somewhat effective even against bones. 

As soon as he was done reducing his opponents to bone dust, even more of them spawned. Did he simply have to slaughter an army of them to be done? 

But the crux of the challenge soon revealed itself. 

[Curse of the Undead Lord Activating!] 

[Brace yourself! Death is coming!] 

An oppressive feeling came from the entire realm as a wave of energy washed over it. It was Demonic Energy! 

[Resilience Stat Activating! Resisted!] 

[Demonic Energy Engulfs you] 

+15 HP! 

"…." Was that it? As he saw this so-called curse, he couldn't help but erupt laughing. What should have been deadly only healed him. 

Trials' difficulty was based on the User's level, but also the general state of the game. 

Jack —> Relatively low-level 

Infinite —> Even lower level than he was. 

Undead Trial —> Not accounting a player having a race as strong as a ghoul. (Demonic Affinity boosting it even further) 

Of course, the curse wasn't all. There was also another challenge: the creatures themselves. Their number quickly increased: 5, 10, 20, 40, etc. 

But, Jack had never feared being outnumbered. What followed was not so much a trial as it was a relaxed training session, with him getting accustomed to his newfound power. 

Then it finally ended as a blood-red light suddenly filled the realm. With an explosion of power, one last being came forth. This one was far different, Boss level even. 

< Undead Lord Graham (Sealed) Lv 46! ⚔️☠ > 

Heavy plate armor, dark helmet with bony horns, red flickering eyes, and an abysmally huge two-handed, possibly five-handed sword. The monster spoke in a graveyard voice. 

"After countless tribulations, you've managed to—" Only to stop as he glanced at Jack's state. The whitish skin was incredibly telling of his identity. "A ghoul?!" 

"Hey there!" Never had there been a legacy candidate as relaxed as he was at that moment. He was even waving gently. 

"…" The stern Death-Knight wasn't sure how to react.

The more he observed the ghoul in front of him, the more flabbergasted he became. There were so many things that didn't add up! What kind of ghoul was this?!

1. He was a newly turned ghoul, so recent that it was a matter of days at the longest. 

2. His eyes were completely clear. There was no trace of the incredible hunger or doubts that were common in new undead. 

3. The Demonic Energy he radiated was far beyond what he should have been able to control with his meager strength. 

"Hey, I know I'm pretty handsome, but it's embarrassing if you keep staring so avidly." The ghoul murmured bashfully. 

"…?!?" Did this ghoul not know fear? What happened to the instinctive dread that lower undead felt from their betters?! He suddenly felt his dignity challenged. 

Jack grinned as the Death Knight before he started emitting boundless power, trying to intimidate him. Instead of recoiling, he opened his eyes wide, trying to learn from it! 

In Infinite, there were some things that no amount of know-how could accomplish. It was similar to getting a diploma IRL: Knowledge + Attendance were both considered. 

— Death Knight Pressure!! — 

The very realm started trembling, showing traces of destruction at places. The trial area hadn't been built to handle so much pressure. He was positively abominably scary! 

The creature was grinning under its helmet. This would teach the young ghoul a lesson in humility for— what the hell?! Even now, he was still gazing at it all with eagerness. 

Jack was doing his best to circulate his own mana, following the creature's example. All he did was observe, and yet… 

[Successfully Discouraged a Death-Knight!]

Had it become so weak after its slumber? Back then, it was feared by all, yet now it seemed that even scaring one tiny newborn was beyond his capabilities. 

"Are you alright? Brother Death Knight?" Jack showed great concern. 

"…." The ghoul's compassion was nothing more than a nail in the psyche of the depressed undead. 

"How about teaching me a few moves? Do you have any legacy to give? I can guarantee there won't ever be a better inheritor." He argued. 

That's when the undead resolved itself to simply proceed with its original purpose, no matter how odd this one seemed. It finally found a shred of its confidence back. 

"You cleared the first stage because of your ghoulish identity. Do not get complacent for what will follow." The Death-Knight rebuked as he attacked the tiny creature. 

Newborn Ghoul VS Big Daddy Death Knight 

Claws and Cluckinator (?!) VS Gigantic Sword 

Low-Level Player VS high-Level Terminator-Grade NPC! 

Every wave of the Death-Knight's gauntlet either summoned thousand of skeletons or propelled the gigantic blade in a deadly arc. 

The outcome was obvious…Jack lost. He repeatedly lost until his broken body refused to move, but he kept fighting with magic even then. 

— Limbless Ghoul Used Fireball! — 

— It's not very effective, but it's bright! — 

He got beaten and battered until the very meaning of being utterly trashed was inscribed in his very soul. It had been a fight that couldn't be won from the start. 

"Hehe, you're done for now!!" The Death-Knight gleefully thundered. 

"Never!!" Jack was still burning with fighting spirit. 

The undead chuckled: this youngster sure was interesting and fun to beat up! No matter how mentally resilient, there was no way he could handle his strength and— 

The undead suddenly jerked with a shock. Without realizing it, he had actually used his full power?! This had only been supposed to be a test! 

Somehow a junior, only transformed for a few days, had managed to get him to fight him as an equal?! 

As he glanced at the destroyed trial realm, the undead couldn't believe what he had done. The ghoul was already getting up a distance away, sticking its limbs back together. 

"?!?" Even now he still had the will to fight.

The undead wasn't the only one that had lost itself in the fight. How long had it been since Jack had fought such a satisfying battle? 

The best part was the Demonic Energy pulses healing him occasionally. They had been fighting with little rest for hours, yet he wasn't tired one bit. 

"Let's keep going!" He called out to his dueling opponent, only for him to give a hearty laugh. 

"I'm afraid this trial is ending. Just look around: this place will collapse if we continue." The knight sighed. "Still, you did great, and this deserves a reward, catch!" 

The undead threw Jack a dark red gem, one crackling with dark power. How awesome! This was a part of the undead soul?! This would contain his life experiences!! 

"Now, go out and show the annoying holy pest outside the pride of the undead race." With a wave, Jack was sent outside the trial. Wait, holy pest?!