A blur of light gradually swayed in Viktor's eyes. He slowly opened them and looked around.
All he saw was desolation. The dry wind was like withered hands tearing cracks into the barren land.
Broken rocks stood alone on the ground, left to be sliced apart by the raging wind.
Endless sandstorms rolled in like massive waves, covering the earth.
That intense, chaotic aura felt as if it wanted to lift the entire barren land into the air.
Vega stood tightly on Viktor's shoulder. Feeling the surrounding desolation, even its feathers trembled in the wind and sand.
"You're really that at ease letting that old man take your precious princess away?"
"That's her grandfather," Viktor said calmly.
Then he bent down, reached out a hand, and pinched up a small handful of dirt from the ground.
But the fine dust didn't stay in his palm for long before slipping away from his hand.
Vega didn't seem to notice. It was busy grooming its feathers that had been messed up by the wind, "So what if he's her grandfather? It's their first time meeting. Besides, he's from another country."
"You've been so quiet, I thought you turned mute today."
Viktor didn't respond right away. He simply shook his hand, as if tossing away the remaining bits of sand.
Even though there was nothing left in his palm anymore.
"If I talk too much, I'll end up stealing the spotlight."
Viktor looked at his palm and said lightly, "We're here."
Vega froze for a moment, seemingly not understanding what Viktor meant.
Suddenly, through the surrounding sandstorm, it heard a sharp wail that sounded like a soul in agony.
The sound was piercing. Even the flying sand couldn't block it, and it clearly reached its ears.
"The underworld?"
"No, this isn't the underworld."
Vega knew what the underworld looked like.
The real underworld had an extremely stagnant river of death separating the two shores.
Swaying flowers of souls covered the entire underworld, while shattered and heavy rocks and statues filled nearly every corner.
There were also groups of vicious undead, carrying all kinds of weapons.
They guarded the many regions of the underworld, only to find those wandering souls that had lost their sanity and tear them apart completely.
But the scene before them was completely different from the underworld. There was only endless sand and silence.
Yet the wails of the undead were unmistakable.
So where had Viktor brought it?
At this moment, Viktor said calmly, "This place is abandoned by the underworld, a place the living refuse to touch."
"The domain of the dead."
In the game, only players or NPCs who had mastered necromancy could enter the domain of the dead.
But others could also enter with the help of a necromancer.
For example, Aurelian's grandfather.
Feistan Barlow.
As the only necromancer in the present, Feistan Barlow was also the only human who could freely enter the domain of the dead.
"Some souls, because of their deep obsessions, cannot enter the underworld."
"In the end, they can only remain in the domain of the dead, slowly dispersing over the flow of time."
Viktor stretched out his hand. The wind-blown sand in the air was caught in his grasp, then slipped away again along the wind.
"No matter how you try to hold it, you can't keep it."
He put his hands back into his pockets and continued, "The domain of the dead is a mysterious territory exclusive to necromancers."
"An outstanding necromancer can shape a domain of the dead into their own personal undead kingdom. There, all wandering souls will become their knights."
"And a powerful necromancer doesn't have just one domain of the dead."
Vega shivered at this, shaking its feathers, and looked at Viktor strangely.
"I really don't get it. Fine, you know about the underworld, but how do you even know this kind of stuff?"
"You're not even a necromancer."
Thinking about it again, Vega realized this wasn't the first time Viktor had seemed all-knowing.
It should have gotten used to it by now.
So Viktor ignored Vega's confusion. He simply stared ahead with deep eyes and said lightly, "The land we're standing on is one of the many territories of Grand Duke Barlow."
"And the fact that he allows me to step here means…"
Viktor's eyes flickered slightly. The endless barren land before him seemed to be within his grasp.
"He's willing to transfer this domain of the dead to me."
As soon as his words fell, the sandstorm-covered land suddenly began to tremble.
White skeletal arms burst out of the ground like monsters from a nightmare. From above, it looked like a dense forest of bones.
One skeleton after another pulled itself completely out of the earth.
The moment the wind and sand passed through them, ghostly green flames suddenly ignited across their bodies.
It was like an ocean of bones covered in blazing fire.
Each skeleton held a shining, broken weapon and wore ghostly green armor.
There were even skeletal knights riding undead horses.
They carried sharp spears, trampling over their own kind as they charged toward Viktor.
Facing this sudden danger, Viktor didn't move at all.
Only the coat behind him gained a streak of white.
A violent surge of wind element erupted around him.
Powerful currents rose from the ground to the sky, pulling his coat upward.
Under his calm expression, a dazzling silver light lit up around him.
[Fourth-Tier Magic: Dance of the Four Winds]
Four faint strands of magic slipped into the ground like shadows, quickly burrowing into the undead army and spreading in all directions.
Behind Viktor, formations and runes began to spin rapidly.
The intricate formations seemed layered with countless complex arrays, colliding with each other and constantly generating conflicting waves.
Massive magic flowed along their paths toward the four faint points of power.
In the next moment, those originally weak strands of magic were filled with overwhelming power.
Four terrifying chaotic hurricanes quickly took shape, their storms lifting the ground itself.
Broken rocks and sand mixed together, turning into monstrous beasts that dragged everything into them.
The undead army had only existed for a few seconds before being swept up by the surrounding storms.
Within the raging hurricanes, the undead soldiers collided and shattered, even smashing against broken rocks until their bodies burst apart completely.
Those caught between two hurricanes fared even worse.
Under the tearing force of the two immense powers, their flaming bodies were ripped apart.
The flames inside them exploded like fireworks in midair.
Explosions of fire filled the space between the hurricanes, casting a ghostly green glow into Viktor's eyes.
Some undead didn't even have time to fully transform into soldiers before being brushed by the storm, their bodies completely dissipating.
Around Viktor, traces of wind still lingered.
He simply looked calmly at the white bones scattered by the wind and muttered, "But the premise is…"
"I have the ability to take it myself."
Viktor had already gone through the necromancer class advancement trial no less than a hundred times.
There were always players who couldn't clear this kind of dungeon but still wanted to perfectly complete the class advancement quest.
They were bad, but they loved playing.
At times like that, people like Viktor were needed to carry them through these missions.
Viktor was already deeply familiar with the powerful system of necromancers.
And the first step to becoming a necromancer was to obtain a domain of the dead that belonged to oneself.
There were two ways to claim a domain of the dead.
The first was to make the wandering souls within the domain submit.
But Viktor chose the second.
He raised one hand, compressing a powerful mass of wind in his palm.
Then he clenched it tightly and slammed it down onto the ground like lightning.
"Now, get up for me!"
He swung his arm, and the endless desert seemed to be torn apart by his hand like ripped cloth.
The souls emerging from underground broke free from their restraints, swirling high in the sky.
Countless souls filled the heavens, almost forming a dense cloud, twisting rapidly around the hurricanes.
Ghostly green flames burned on their bodies, transforming them into even more terrifying undead soldiers.
Endless souls flapped their newly grown withered wings. Among them were massive skeleton soldiers as large as mountains, rising like ancient giants.
Their bodies were engulfed in eerie flames, covered in massive black armor.
The tide of undead came wave after wave, trampling over each other as they surged toward Viktor.
But facing this army that could drown both land and sky, Viktor only smiled faintly, "Unfortunately, not strong enough."
The wind around him suddenly rose to several levels higher.
Chaotic wind currents spun rapidly in the sky, forming the shape of a massive dragon covered in scales.
Its flickering body released terrifying pressure. Sharp elemental magic turned into countless blades, tearing the world apart at will.
Behind Viktor, powerful elemental magic formed a dazzling halo.
The phantom behind him let out a deep roar.
Viktor raised one finger and placed it in front of his lips, as if signaling all the undead army to be silent.
"Shh."
[Sky Sovereign]
BOOM!
In an instant, the wind around Viktor surged violently.
Centered on him, white mist and chaotic storms swept out in all directions, crashing into the surrounding armies.
The immense wind even swallowed the storms burning with ghostly green flames, as tornadoes descended from the sky.
It was as if countless thick tentacles were waving across the world, crushing all enemies completely.
BOOM!!
The sky itself was ravaged by this immense and oppressive force, and the entire world became chaotic.
Blinding white light, carrying heavy clouds, pressed down over the entire land.
When the light finally faded, all the undead had already disappeared.
Those ghostly green flames had turned into tiny specks like fireflies, gradually fading away in the air.
All the souls vanished together. The gentle breeze could no longer stir the violent sandstorm.
It only lightly brushed across Viktor's face, rustling his disordered clothes.
The barren land was no longer oppressive. Though it was still empty, under the clear daylight, it felt peaceful.
Even the air he breathed was no longer chaotic and heavy, but much fresher.
"Finally quiet."
"The dead should stay silent."
Vega stood on Viktor's shoulder, its feathers still slightly messy from the strong wind.
Watching Viktor's coat shift from dazzling white back into a deep, night-like color, it finally folded its wings and slowly came back to its senses, "You killed them all?"
"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot they were already dead."
After pausing, Vega processed it and asked again, "Aren't you trying to learn necromancy? If you don't enslave these undead, how are you going to become a necromancer?"
Viktor stretched out one hand. A stream of wind blew across the ground, gradually carving out a small pit.
At the same time, he spoke calmly, "They are servants of Grand Duke Barlow. They have nothing to do with me."
"Even if I made them submit, they would still carry someone else's mark."
"In that case, it's better to wipe them all out."
Vega felt confused. 'What's wrong with something belonging to someone else?'
'If you take it, doesn't it become yours?'
But Viktor simply continued, "There are many ways to become a necromancer. It's not limited to this."
Besides, it was impossible for Grand Duke Barlow not to teach Aurelian his necromancy.
When the time came, he could just spend some money to learn it from Aurelian.
Then, Viktor looked at the small pit that had been opened by the wind. In his palm, a golden ear of wheat appeared out of nowhere.
"Besides, I just want a piece of land."
Vega stared at the ear of wheat for a long time, its mind going blank for a few seconds.
As if realizing what Viktor was doing, it couldn't help but speak, "Viktor, you're seriously crazy."
"Is that so?"
The ear of wheat slipped from Viktor's hand and slowly floated into the pit, hovering in midair.
The wind stirred, soil rose into the air, and filled the pit again.
Only that golden ear of wheat remained planted in the loose soil, swaying gently in the breeze.
"I think so too."