The Black Necromancer

Leon was hit with a flurry of notifications, but he did not pay attention to them just yet. They were pushed aside as he turned around. The effects of his Title had yet to wear off, and the other monsters were still alive. Unlike he, who could not maintain his summons when he was unconscious, the minions of the boss remained even after it had died, which meant that they were normal mobs that could give experience, unlike his own summons.

Leon casually sent fireballs and wind blades out. All of them were tainted with a black, Unholy essence which further increased their strength. Thanks to the boost, they were easily able to decimate the enemies in their path.

After lobbing a few more, Leon sat down cross legged and summoned his dearest Spirit Companion. Nedra appeared as a small white millipede that was about the size of an average house cat. She was curled up and her pain still radiated through Leon's mind. It had been a close call. Even her mind had shut down from the shock, and she needed rest to recover, so Leon simply recalled her and stood up again. Then slowly, the effects of his Title began to wear off.

He did not move until the battle was just about finished. When he stood up, the ten knights that had appeared had already vanished mysteriously once again, but thankfully, he did not lose consciousness like before. Looking around, he spotted the body of the boss and walked over. The glimmering gem that was its core laid within the scraps of his armor. Leon easily broke the armor apart and picked up the core.

The core radiated a strong power and Leon realized that it was not like the others he had seen in the past. This one was not a B rank core, but an A rank core! That meant the power contained within it must be immense!

'I wonder if I can absorb this properly.' He thought to himself.

It was common knowledge that monsters could absorb the cores of other monsters in order to strengthen themselves, but Leon had never engaged in that. Now though, he was curious.

With a focused mind, Leon allowed mana from his core to flow along his arm and penetrate into the core of the dead boss. Immediately, a burning feeling rubbed off on his mind, but it was something he was able to cope with. Slowly, the rich and powerful mana within the boss' core flowed back into him, enriching his own body. The rate of its flow was quite slow, which meant that it was something that would take time. Hence, Leon retracted his mana and stored the core within his dungeon. He could absorb it later.

"Lex, are you alright?" Jet came over when the last monster was killed. He paused as he was assaulted by notifications but quickly waved them away as he came to check on his friend.

"Yes, I'm fine. Tired, but fine." Leon nodded and grinned at his friend. Then he turned to the others that had fought. Hank stood at the front of the group, his body large and buff. He had transformed into a four meter tall giant with shiny, black skin that seemed resemble some sort of leathery material. He suddenly deflated and returned to looking like the normal human he had been.

The man remained where he was with the others behind him. He did not make a move, but also kept his eyes fixed on Leon. After seeing what kind of devastation Leon was capable of, he was even more wary, scared that Leon would go back on his word and slaughter them all. If he chose to do so, then the chances of him surviving would be nil.

"You guys did well. I will uphold my promise and you can take a share of the spoils." Leon was aware of their worries and spoke up to alleviate their fears.

"Thanks." Hank breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. "How do we share it all?" There were hundreds of bodies all around them, which were all valuable. The cores were even more valuable, and just the cores of the monsters would present a fortune that would make any noble home drool their lives away.

Leon rubbed his chin for a moment and turned around. He walked over to the throne of the boss and pushed it aside. It was just like Aristodemus' throne, and there was large space underneath it. Just one glance into the space was enough to tell Leon that it held wealth untold.

"You guys can take the cores of the monsters." Leon told them and waved Jet over. He left a few summons to guard the entrance to the treasury so that no one else would come close.

"Heavens above, we're rich!" Jet exclaimed. His dark eyes reflected the golden shine of the literal mountains of gold that was spread throughout the entire underground space. There were all sorts of treasures that it made the treasuries of the previous floors look like the meager savings of a pauper.

"Calm down!" Leon laughed and held Jet back before he was able to jump into a mound of coins. Luckily, the viewers who watched Divinity's Bout were unable to see what went on within the treasuries. It was one of the few graces granted by the Gods, or else noble houses would be hunting down lucky winners left and right after the competition was over.

"Ah, yes, yes." Jet cleared his throat and patted down his body. His eyes still roamed over the mounds of treasure, however.

Before either of them could say anything else however, the space in front of the suddenly wavered, and they froze, unable to move because of the strange, paralyzing pressure that pressed down on them.

A man appeared in front of them, separated by roughly five meters of space. Leon felt shock run through his body as he was greeted by the sight of a familiar gunmetal haired man.