Chapter Three: The Loyal Elf Princess

From the shadows lunged a grotesque creature, a fish-like insect riddled with rot. It had eight slender legs, twin fins on its back, and a flattened head—at first glance, it seemed like a strange fish with legs. But upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably a gigantic cockroach-like monster, roughly the size of a sea bass.

Having battled countless undead, Ryan instantly recognized the creature’s species and traits: a sea cockroach, an iron-black grade wight known for its incredible speed and agility. It excelled at leaping, and once in close range, it pounced with alarming swiftness, slamming its face onto the prey before deploying a steel-hard tail stinger from its abdomen, forcibly injecting alien eggs into the victim’s mouth.

Those unfortunate enough to be implanted had only about twenty seconds to extract the parasitic eggs from their stomachs. Failure meant rapid bodily decay and dissolution, culminating in the birth of three to five equally repugnant sea cockroaches.

Its body was covered with scales and slime; the scales deflected blows, slashes, and piercings from weapons, while the slime insulated it against most magic attacks.

In gamer terms: lightning-fast, lethal face-jump attacks; dual resistance to physical and magical damage; a nightmare for strategists.

The moment Ryan spotted the sea cockroach, he immediately retreated and began casting. Loose bones scattered around them, manipulated by necromantic magic, swiftly rose and coalesced into streamlined, razor-sharp bone spears ready to be unleashed.

But Elina was faster.

The silver-haired, golden-eyed elf stepped forward. Her legs, already long and agile, took a single powerful stride, intercepting the cockroach’s charging path. Her ritual dagger traced a fierce arc and instantly pierced the creature’s body.

Its tail stinger nearly grazed her nose.

Elina flicked off the corpse from her dagger, her expression cold and sharp as she stared toward the tomb entrance.

More sea cockroaches were pouring into the crypt, swarming in dense packs—at least ten or more—crawling flat against the ground, closing in fast enough to terrify even the fiercest cockroach phobics.

Their speed was terrifyingly swift; there was no time to cast spells again. Elina hastened to retreat, raising her left hand to shield her face, bracing herself to sacrifice the arm if necessary.

Suddenly, the cockroaches halted, as if struck senseless by an invisible, transparent slipper.

A mass slow curse!

A curse spell—a niche branch of necromancy—inflicts various debilitating effects instantly without projectile delay. It’s notoriously difficult to master and lacks offensive power.

Yet, since the "Call of the Deep" update, curse magic surged to the top tier, making necromancers the favored class choice for players tackling this content.

Because of the wights.

Elina lacked experience fighting alongside necromancers, but her exceptional combat instincts kicked in immediately. She summoned dazzling violet lightning between her hands.

Lightning Chain!

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