“Are you affiliated with Memento Mori?”

Lux held Gaap’s gaze before giving his reply.

“No,” Lux answered. “But I had seen one of their members destroy an entire city without a shred of remorse and revive the dead as if he was just out to buy cabbages in the market.”

Gaap narrowed his eyes as if trying to discern whether Lux was lying to him or not. The tension lasted for half a minute before Lux was finally able to move again.

The first thing that the Half-Elf did was summon Orion.

Gaap thought that Lux had summoned the Jade Golem to attack him, but after being summoned, Orion left the residence to fight against the Octopath Monster, whom the old man had stationed at the outskirts of the Capital City of Zangrila, once more.

“… You’re still at it?” Gaap didn’t know whether he should applaud Lux for his tenacity or slap him for his stupidity.

The Half-Elf only shrugged before taking out a basket filled with sandwiches in order to feed Eiko, who had become hungry after all the fighting.

Gaap didn’t know that Lux was letting Orion fight against the Octopath over and over again due to his Avenger’s special ability. Every time Orion died, his stats would gain a boost each time he fought against the same creature that killed him.

According to the Elysium Compendium, Octopaths were very common in the Abyssal World, a place that could be found within the Void.

Although Lux had no intention of crossing over to that side, he wanted his Jade Golem to gain enough stat boosts against all Octopaths.

This way, if he ever had to face off against an Octopath in the future, Orion would be able to easily subdue his opponent due to the bonuses that he got from this opportunity that was presented to him.

“Gramps, you still haven’t answered my question,” Lux said as he fed Eiko a sandwich. “Are you a member of Memento Mori?”

Gaap snorted. “Who would want to become one of their members? That bunch of baboons can all go to hell for all I care.”

The old Halfling then subconsciously held the necklace hanging on his neck.

After closer inspection, Lux noticed that it wasn’t exactly a necklace. It was a silver chain that held a ring in place.

“Now I understand why you have been able to survive here, Gramps,” Lux stated as he gave Eiko another sandwich to eat. “But what I don’t understand is why you are here?”

“I already told you earlier that I am waiting for someone to give them a gift,” Gaap replied. “Only when he receives my gift will I be able to leave this place.”

“I hope you find that person soon.” Lux picked up a sandwich and began to eat. “This place isn’t exactly a good place to wait for someone.”

Suddenly, loud rumbling sounds reverberated in the city. But, this time, Lux ignored it and continued eating.

He was sharing his senses with Orion, and he saw another Abyssal Creature appear in the city. However, this time, it was only a Rank 5 Abyssal Creature, which was instantly killed by the Octopath.

Naturally, Lux ordered Orion to get the remains of the Monster, especially its Beast Core. Even though it was a Rank 5 Monster, any kind of ingredient that could be used for his Animate Undead and Skeleton Generator Skills was precious material.

For some reason, Lux realized that Zangrila was a good place to grind for Abyssal Monster Parts because they respawned here on a regular basis.

‘Maybe staying here for a bit is a good idea,’ Lux thought. ‘I can gather many resources and I can animate Abyssal Creatures as well. Maybe I will have my own Abyssal Legion within a few days.’

Abyssal Creatures were quite powerful because of their skills, giving them an advantage over normal Monsters in Elysium.

While the Half-Elf was considering building up his Abyssal Army, the old Halfling was having an internal battle in his mind. Finally, after a few minutes, Gaap decided to break the ice and talk to the Half-Elf who had also finished eating.

“Say, Lux, the way you fought earlier wasn’t bad,” Gaap said. “But, it wasn’t good either. You lack knowledge about being a Necromancer. So, I was thinking that I would teach you a few things while you’re here. What do you think?”

“Teach me about Necromancy?” Lux was quite interested in learning a thing or two about Necromancy, especially the Unholy Aura that shielded the Octopath from his most powerful attacks.

The Half-Elf believed that if all of his Named Creatures could gain that kind of Ability, their effectiveness in battle, especially his tanks, Pazuzu and Orion, would reach a breakthrough.

“What’s the catch, Gramps?” Lux asked. “There’s no free lunch in this world.”

“I guess you’re not stupid after all,” Gaap smirked. “Indeed. There is no free lunch in this world. I want something in return for teaching you the ways of Necromancy.”

“And that is?”

“A promise.”

Gaap once again held the ring that hung on his neck as he held Lux’s gaze.

“A promise that no matter what happens, you will not associate yourself with Memento Mori or become one of their members, even if they threaten your life,” Gaap stated. “This is my condition. In return, I promise you this. I will train you to be one of the most powerful Necromancers in the world. Not a bad deal, right?”

Lux didn’t have to think about whether he should accept or reject Gaap’s offer. The answer was already decided the moment he confirmed that the old Halfling wasn’t a member of Memento Mori.

“Deal,” Lux replied. “However, if we are going to do this, I don’t want to do this half-heartedly.”

The Half-Elf stood up and pressed his right fist over his chest before giving Gaap a respectful bow.

“From now onwards, I will call you, Master,” Lux declared. “Please teach me the proper way to become a Necromancer.”

Gaap nodded with a smile. Although Lux was rough around the edges, he thought that he was a very good seedling that he could pass his wisdom to.

‘It took a few years, Master, but I finally have a Disciple of my own.’ Gaap closed his eyes as he firmly held the ring hanging around his neck. ‘Don’t worry. I will make sure that both of us carry on the legacy that you have left behind.’

While Gaap was reminiscing about his past, the Half-Elf thought of a brilliant idea.

If he could add his Master to his Guild, wouldn’t that give him another strong fighter who could contend with Rankers, and possibly High-Rankers?

Although Gaap’s rank was only at the initial stages of the Apostle Rank, Lux believed that there was a story behind it.

There was simply no way that an Apostle would be able to revive a Deimos-Ranked Alpha Monster without degrading its Rank. Instead, Gaap had even made it more powerful, giving Lux a hard time while he was fighting against it.

If the Half-Elf were to fight against a Deimos-Ranked World Boss, that monster would die after being attacked by his Undead Army after some time.

However, a single Octopath, who was only a Deimos-Ranked Alpha Monster, nearly made him give up due to how troublesome an opponent it had become.

The Old Man and the Half-Elf both had hidden agendas in their hearts, not knowing what the other was thinking.

However, regardless of their goals, their meeting had been made possible by a series of events and a stroke of luck that even the Gods didn’t expect.

Many years from now, Lux would remember this meeting fondly as the day when he understood which type of Necromancer he wished to become.