Lorze cast a foundational necromancy spell specifically designed to heal undead creatures to help the Giant Pumpkaboo recover.
This move left the Giant Pumpkaboo both shocked and pleasantly surprised, drastically warming up its attitude toward Lorze.
Afterward, Lorze explained the situation of the Pumpkaboo clan.
Upon learning that its brothers and sisters were fine and that their biggest threat, the Trevenant, had been crippled by Lorze for a long time, it finally let out a massive sigh of relief.
Hearing Lorze ask about the surrounding area, the Giant Pumpkaboo pondered for a moment before slowly explaining:
“The area we’re in right now is the absolute outermost fringe of the entirety of Mt.
Pyre.
Most of the active Pokémon here have pretty weak power levels.
The only ones who can truly be called regional overlords—the ones that make every ghost tuck their tail and detour around them—are just three…”
The three so-called regional overlords the Pumpkaboo named were exactly the three “Pro-tier” Ghost-type Pokémon Lorze had just seen.
But what interested him the most right now was the potential resources he could plunder from this area, so he asked directly about that.
Hearing this, the latter let out a bitter laugh and said, “Sigh~ This ghost-fog shrouded land really does have a much higher chance of spawning stuff like ‘Ghost Gems’ or ‘Kasib Berries’ compared to other places.
But what can you do?
There are just far too many fucking ghosts and not enough porridge!
Usually, the moment some energy gathers and a treasure shows even a hint of spawning, a massive horde of starving ghosts swarms it instantly!
For a mid-tier clan like ours, we’re lucky to even scrape together the leftover scraps.
Take an old pumpkin like me, for instance.
In all the years since I was born, I haven’t even nibbled on more than a couple of intact, high-quality berries.
Thinking about it, I really might be better off finding a rich human family to take me in~~”
As it spoke, the Giant Pumpkaboo actually began sizing Lorze up and down, seemingly trying to determine if the young man before it was one of those legendary “rich kids” or “trust-fund babies.”
It had heard from some Ghost-type Pokémon—who wandered to Mt.
Pyre after their Trainers died—that rolling with a wealthy Trainer was an absolutely luxurious fucking lifestyle.
Therefore, seeing that Lorze seemingly had the intention of taking it away, it immediately grew highly concerned about his net worth, only to hear Lorze say:
“Based on what you’re saying, if I want to walk away with a decent haul of resources, it’s not something I can just pull off in a short time.”
Hearing this, the Giant Pumpkaboo instantly deflated like a popped balloon, cursing internally:
“Fuck me, he sounds like a broke-ass peasant!
I starved and suffered in poverty when I was a wandering wild ghost.
If I get caught and still have to live in fucking poverty, then what the hell is the point of being tamed?!”
Suddenly, the Giant Pumpkaboo remembered something and blurted out: “If we’re talking about things you humans consider valuable, then I actually know exactly where the most treasure in this area is hoarded.”
“You know where the treasure is?!”
“Yeah~ But telling you is useless, because the master occupying the burial ground of those treasures is ridiculously strong.
This little fox of yours absolutely cannot beat it.”
“Guurr~~”
Zorua let out a highly displeased growl, terrifying the defeated pumpkin into a violent shiver as it hastily tried to backtrack:
“I’m not saying you’re weak!
I’m saying the master of that tomb is just too fucking strong.
It’s exactly one of the three major overlords I mentioned earlier—the Cofagrigus.
That Cofagrigus’s lair is a tomb buried deep underground.
I don’t know exactly how many years of history it has.
It should belong to some ancient royalty or nobility.”
Hearing this, Lorze almost burst out laughing.
“Haha, what a goddamn coincidence.
I just saw that exact Cofagrigus!”
“What?!
That ghost came out?!
Where is it?!
We need to run for our fucking lives right now!”
“What the hell are you panicking for?!
It’s currently in a direct standoff with the other two ‘Pro-tier’ ghosts.
It can’t go back for the time being!
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If that tomb genuinely belongs to ancient nobility, there should be a shitload of burial artifacts, right?”
The air went completely dead for a few seconds.
Then, the massive body of the pumpkin boss shuddered violently, its voice pitching up in sheer terror:
“Y-You…
You mean…
we’re going to take advantage of it being out…
to g-go…
dig up its fucking grave and rob its house?!”
“What kind of bullshit phrasing is that?!
For ruins with such profound historical research value and cultural significance, we absolutely must conduct a protective archeological survey!
If there are easily decaying artifacts inside, conducting a timely salvage excavation is practically an act of supreme virtue.
I’m absolutely certain that if the tomb owner’s spirit in heaven found out, they would smile at us from the underworld!”
“Be that as it may, there’s still a massive fucking problem!
Even if the Cofagrigus is out, it’s gathered a whole army of demons and monsters under its command.
They won’t be easy to deal with.”
“Relax.
You’ve personally experienced Zorua’s absolute superiority over Ghost-type Pokémon.
As long as the level gap isn’t outrageously massive, there won’t be any fucking problems!
Just lead the way~~”
…
After navigating a stretch of rugged mountain path, the Giant Pumpkaboo led Lorze to an area where the terrain was even more treacherous, and the fog was a suffocating, pitch-black hue.
The surrounding trees displayed an unnatural, twisted state of death, and the ground was entirely devoid of even a speck of moss.
“It’s right ahead.”
The pumpkin boss stopped in front of a massive depression backed against a towering cliff face, looking ahead as it said:
“The tomb entrance is right under that cliff wall.
I’ll just stay here and wait for your good news.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
After speaking, the Giant Pumpkaboo noticed Lorze staring at it with a chilling half-smile.
Its entire body crawled with terror, and it hastily changed its tune:
“Never mind!
Since this ghost is already here, I might as well go in and take a stroll with you!”
Lorze concentrated his senses and discovered a patrolling Duskull hovering right at the tomb entrance.
This place was genuinely run with strict fucking discipline.
A single Duskull was absolutely nothing in front of him.
Relying on his necromancer aura-concealing spells, he crept up silently, then struck with explosive suddenness, using the same Soul Bind spell he had used on Banette to completely lock down the Duskull!
The latter’s strength was significantly weaker.
Lorze securely paralyzed it without expending much effort at all, preventing it from making even a single sound.
Seizing the opening, Zorua rushed up and effortlessly knocked it out.
From start to finish, the takedown didn’t trigger a single ripple of noise.
Stepping up to the tomb entrance, Lorze didn’t rush in immediately.
Instead, he stood at the mouth of the cave and conducted a rigorous sweep with his spiritual sense.
Only after confirming there were no immediate dangers did he step inside.
Inside the cave was a passageway slanting downward.
The lighting was insanely dim, illuminated only by the faintest glimmer of ambient ghost energy.
But to Lorze, this darkness posed absolutely zero hindrance.
Cultivating necromancy naturally caused his vision to perfectly adapt to pitch-black environments.
The walls on both sides of the corridor were carved with murals depicting exquisitely detailed ancient Pokémon.
From this alone, it was obvious that the tomb owner held an incredibly high status in their era.
The deeper they ventured, the wider the passageway became.
Although they encountered a few more patrolling Pokémon along the way, Lorze and Zorua flawlessly synchronized to silently dispatch every single one of them, exactly like they did with the Duskull.
The Giant Pumpkaboo was put in charge of “cleaning the battlefield,” dragging the unconscious “ghost guards” into its equally massive shadow to hide them, ensuring the subsequent patrols wouldn’t find a damn thing.
Finally, after turning a corner, the path suddenly opened up, revealing a colossal underground cavern right before their eyes!
The cavern had clearly been meticulously renovated.
The floor was paved with flat, smooth stone slabs, and the domed ceiling was vast and high.
In the center sat a raised platform surrounded by an infinite myriad of burial artifacts.
This was undeniably the final resting place of the tomb’s master.
But for some reason, there was no sarcophagus placed on the high platform.
Instead, in an inconspicuous corner, a skeleton stood completely upright, leaning against the rock wall!
It wasn’t just a simple skeleton, but a skeletal frame clad in a completely rust-eaten suit of ancient armor!
Its left hand hung limply at its side, while its right hand tightly gripped an ancient broadsword with a wide blade and a thick spine.
The tip of the sword rested on the ground, radiating an intensely ominous aura.
Lorze scanned the area for high-value burial artifacts while maintaining real-time telepathic communication with Zorua via the Undead Contract.
Throughout this entire process, Lorze kept at least half of his attention viciously locked onto the sword-wielding skeleton in the corner.
It remained perfectly motionless, as if it were genuinely just an ordinary skeleton, but the blaring alarm of danger in Lorze’s mind didn’t weaken in the slightest.
The very instant he turned his back, all hell broke loose!
Without a shred of warning, the armored skeleton that had kept its head lowered violently raised its arm.
The ancient broadsword gripped in its bony fingers shot forward like a missile, thrusting straight at Lorze’s back!