Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 11: Are there any more experts?

The earth seethed, bubbles bursting from the fetid swamp. A vast magical force awakened the debris of the past, and the next moment, white fingers and claws emerged from the mud and swamp.

It's a skeleton.

The skeletons of beasts and humans. Their eyes lit up with a faint blue light. Some of them even wore tattered armor, yet within them lay the strength of battle.

This is not a normal standing stone activation.

For thousands of years, all the ancient remains that had been attracted to the standing stones and buried there were now awakened and revitalized through unconventional activation methods.

Their bodies were quickly covered in illusory flesh and blood constructed by magical energy. The only living being beneath the standing stone was the target of their hostility!
"Ugh—" The first skeleton to come to life took the form of a warrior. It swung its rotten sword and roared in battle, following its former instincts.

And the next moment, an instant fireball burst out on its sternum.

Brilliant.

Shine, then explode.

The tiger-man Lazard, hiding on a hill nearly a thousand meters away, clearly saw the explosion of fire. His heart, which had been a little uncertain, was suddenly filled with understanding.

Sure enough.

He is indeed a traveling hermit wizard.

That rather awkward appearance was most likely the result of some experimental error, or some unexplainable circumstance. But now, the power itself was enough to overwhelm all insignificant details.

He quickly lowered his head, no longer looking in the direction of the standing stone. Even the Nords, who loathed and rejected magic, respected the power of a lesser spellcaster. And as a Khajiit, Lazard knew the true path to long-term survival.

after all……

——The cat should have seen it.

Wu Chen thought, and more magical power gathered in his hands.

He knew Tiger Man wanted to be an angel investor and he was happy to have a guide who could be a friend. And since he was an investor, he would definitely want to see the project in action firsthand.

Both sides knew this, and neither side spoke on the issue. But now, the tacit understanding has been conveyed.

——It’s a good opportunity to practice fighting.

The weapon is already in hand.

Instead of a gun, he used the steel sword. The Nord armor, infused with the Iron Armor spell, was incredibly tough and sturdy at this moment. Wu Chen felt it could withstand the bites of these skeletal undead.

"Boom——" The second fireball exploded.

An exceptionally large skeletal crocodile barely poked its body out before being shattered into dust by the fireball's impact. Several undead skeletons, surviving the flames, charged forward, brandishing their remaining weapons. Wu Chen decided to confront them with his sword.

A slight sound.

The steel sword collided with the rusted weapon.

It was difficult for the undead to inherit their martial arts skills from their previous lives, as they had become skeletons. This allowed Wu Chen to precisely collide the weapons. He knocked the creature away, but the remaining blade successfully struck him.

The rotten swords were powerless to penetrate the barrier of iron armor, even though they were enhanced by the magic power of the standing stones and imbued with a little magical power. However, a hit is a hit, and actual combat always provides the best teaching.

——You can try to adjust your pace here.

His brain's workings became exceptionally clear. The Dragon Priest Mask's ability to enhance spellcasting naturally meant increased mental power and calculations. He was thus able to carefully observe and record flaws in his movements, and he also possessed excellent control over his limbs.

This is still a false sense of strength - but the biggest difference between combat and spellcasting is that the former, in addition to experience, also has muscle memory to enhance skills.

——The sword swing angle should be fine-tuned like this.

The sword slashed out, this time accurately cutting into the spine of an undead. This sword was still immature, but the next blow could directly cut off the skull at the same time as it hit.

Fight, keep fighting.

At first, his armor would be touched by the attacks of three skeletons. But soon, he could easily dodge even the coordinated attacks of five skeletons—they had no coordination or skill, so they were only good sparring partners for beginners. And if a large creature appeared that Wu Chen found challenging, he would gather flames in his hands.

Fireball is indeed a very excellent spell.

Pure numbers, pure power. Even a mammoth skeleton emerging from the mud couldn't withstand a single fireball. And when the even more powerful giant skeleton was awakened, it could unleash three fireballs in a row.

The Dragon Priest's magical reserves were indeed enormous—even a nameless person with only a mask could continuously and wastefully release mid-level magic. As for those below the mid-level, that was even easier.

Below Fireball was Fire Arrow. Far superior to Flame Tongue, which didn't even require a rune structure, it focused flames and projected them in a targeted manner. Mastering it meant finally moving from a novice relying on instinct to an apprentice beginning to master the art of controlling magical energy. This was Wu Chen's first goal. He constructed it with ease.

And when releasing it, carefully experience every detail, every change in the runes drawn with spirit and magic. It may not be possible to do it in one go, but as long as you try more, you will always gain a lot.

"Bang!" The fireball successfully struck a troll's skull, melting a hole through the undead corpse, which still retained its dancing nature. The troll stumbled, its magical structure damaged. Wu Chen then scurried forward, brandishing a piece of fine steel.

There was a muffled sound.

Before the blade could strike, the troll's arm came crashing down.

However, unlike before, a translucent shield suddenly appeared and successfully blocked the bone-breaking attack.

The reaction has caught up.

The body had already made the move automatically, without the need for careful consideration at the moment of action. The next moment, a horizontal slash of the sword tore through the skeleton's chest.

The skeletal troll fell to the ground.

More corpses came forward.

The longer Wu Chen fought, the stronger the skeletons emerged from the swamp and mud. However, no matter how many appeared, Wu Chen was ready to fight.

Fight, fight, fight.

Until the fine steel sword was covered with cracks.

Until your body movements and actions become more and more skillful, and your eyes can lock onto the correct flaws.

Even though this kind of battle was still essentially just hitting wooden stakes, it was still better than the past where they could only mindlessly throw fireballs.

Finally, when a slight pressure was felt, a composite mass of multiple skeletons disintegrated under the repeated bombardment of fireballs and ice explosions. The last skeleton that could be summoned also fell.

The trial was over, the guardian had been defeated. The chaotic flow of magic surrounding the standing stone gradually became orderly. Wu Chen had achieved his goal.

About half an hour passed.

"……very good."

Wu Chen let out a breath softly.

He felt his muscles aching, and even with the help of magic, he couldn't recover immediately. He had to start studying healing magic as soon as possible. But right now, the most important thing was what was happening.

The elemental standing stone was waiting for him, and this time, when he placed his hand on the carvings on the standing stone, he did not feel repulsion or resistance.

The vast magical power of the earth surged in, drowning him in an instant. He could clearly feel his flesh and blood disintegrating and then reshaping under the tide of magic. His soul, his magic power, also grew rapidly stronger as it was washed away by the pure magic energy.

Stronger body, stronger soul.

Amidst the tides of pure magic, a constellation resembling an element emerged into his mind, and a clear thought emerged from his perception.

——[Gain the blessing of the elemental standing stone, increase potential and basic magic power reserves. 】

——[Gain protection from the elemental standing stone, gain secondary spell absorption talent, and increase magic adaptability.]

The mask on his face vanished silently, and the trickle of energy within his body transformed into a gushing spring. Judging from his pure reserves, he already possessed the level of an apprentice, or even a junior wizard. His hardware had already been significantly enhanced.

Wu Chen sighed contentedly. He sensed the activated power of the stone fading. However, just as he was about to withdraw his hand from the stone, a strange feeling surfaced in his perception!
There's something here.

Something was watching him.

No, it wasn't a 'thing', it was a mark. Before him, someone else had obtained the power of the Standing Stone using legitimate means!
A glint of light suddenly appeared in his perception.

"Huh?" It was a female voice, clear and elegant.

"Such a low magic response... Is there anyone else besides me who can activate the Guardian Stone?"

The female form appeared before his perception, long crimson hair falling to nearly her ankles, flawless curves, and a pointed witch's hat.

Her eyes met Wu Chen's from an unknown distance away.

"Come to the College of Winterhold. It's the only place in Skyrim where you can embark on the path of arcane magic."

(End of this chapter)