SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

Chapter 140: [GT Bonus Chapter] The Day of the Tournament

GT Bonus Chapter! Guys, we made it to 100 tickets! This is the promised bonus Chapter! Thanks for your support!

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Inside the first layer of the Ascension Mountain.

The Undead Crypt became the place he visited most frequently during these days.

There were no spectators there, no Association judges, no guild scouts, and no Helen suddenly appearing to ask him strange questions.

Only undead, black stone pillars, azure flames, and an endless supply of materials.

Zich entered the crypt repeatedly, each time with a different purpose.

Sometimes to train, sometimes to collect Spirit Orbs, other times to test cooperation between his summons.

Iron walked at the front, his black greatsword cutting through groups of skeletons in the narrow passages. Slimy handled support, firing poison attacks and providing healing.

Blood Leech, as usual, disliked direct battlefields. It silently appeared from ceilings, shadows, and broken stone pillars, silently tearing apart skeleton mages and swift undead attempting to circle around from behind.

As for the five undead skeleton soldiers, Zich used them as low cost formation units.

They blocked paths, absorbed damage, and clogged corridors. While they were not as reliable as Iron, their numbers and low upkeep made them extremely useful inside the crypt.

After round after round of battles, Zich could clearly feel the coordination among his summons becoming more natural.

Iron’s suppression caused lower level undead to hesitate.

Slimy’s reactions became increasingly fast.

Blood Leech’s timing when exploiting openings behind enemies became more precise.

The skeleton soldiers were still not particularly intelligent, but they were no longer as stiff and clumsy as when they first appeared.

And Zich himself was constantly adapting under the pressure of the crypt.

The death energy of the Undead Crypt still existed, but its effects on him were no longer as obvious as before. His resistance was gradually increasing. Each improvement was small, but accumulated into a genuine change.

At the same time, he officially began organizing Soul Bombs.

Low level skeleton tombstones, undead dog tombs, Bone Crawlers, and ordinary undead materials without special value were selected in batches and compressed into black blue Soul Bombs.

After that, he only focused on preparation.

Small Soul Bombs were stored in a safe area of the cemetery. They were the most numerous and suitable for creating openings or clearing densely packed enemies.

There were fewer medium Soul Bombs. Their aura felt heavier, making them suitable for dealing with sturdy targets or interrupting large scale skills.

There was also one even larger Soul Bomb, compressed from an entire batch of low level undead tombstones, which he placed separately in the rearmost area.

All important tombstones were protected.

Tiamant’s grave, the Devouring Bone Giant’s grave, and any gravestones that might be used for future special fusions were all excluded from the selectable range.

As Zich looked at the black blue spheres floating throughout the cemetery, he felt quite pleased.

These low level materials that had originally been worth very little had now become ammunition that could be used at any time.

That satisfied him greatly.

The outside world grew louder and louder, while inside the crypt there was only combat and preparation.

The forums received new posts every day.

The betting boards continued changing as well.

Lucien’s odds against Zich still held the advantage. Through several indirect accounts, Zich placed a few very small bets on tiny outcomes that would attract no attention but could still be influenced by him personally.

For example, whether only one summon would be used in a particular battle.

Whether he would finish near the top in a survival round.

Whether he could win without using undead summons.

The money involved was by no means small because he planned on going all out.

Meanwhile, Master Shroud’s account was not idle either.

The limited tactical consultation service he offered was expensive, yet people still purchased it.

And of course, some still cursed him for being shameless, but others paid, stayed silent for a moment, and then returned to add a single comment.

"Expensive, but useful."

Still, despite the traffic of customers, Zich did not expand the business. The overlap between Master Shroud and himself was already significant. Making money too aggressively would only increase suspicion.

So he maintained only the minimum level of profit.

A little income was still income. He could not sell his identity for short term gains.

Time passed like that.

On the night before the tournament, Zich entered the cemetery one final time.

Cold rain continued to fall. Rows of gravestones stood upon the dark soil. In the distance, Tiamant’s grave remained quiet and enormous, while the Devouring Bone Giant’s grave stood silently on the opposite side.

And within an area he had specifically cleared, several black blue Soul Bombs floated quietly.

They were not conscious like summons.

Nor were they harmless like ordinary materials.

They were simply compressed death energy waiting to be used.

Zich looked at them and, after confirming that everything remained stable, nodded in satisfaction.

These past few days had not been wasted.

His level had increased, his resistance had become more stable, his summons worked together more smoothly, and the cemetery’s low level materials had been transformed into something truly useful.

Although he was still far from possessing a true Heartless Spirit Army, at least he was no longer a novice with only a single slime.

The next morning...

The day the Chosen One Tournament officially arrived had finally come.

Every region of the First Layer became excited.

Human shelters, the other races, guild headquarters, sponsor lounges, spectator halls, and every location related to the tournament began operating.

Zich stepped out from the purple black portal of the Undead Crypt.

Cold air and bone dust surged out behind him before quickly dispersing as the portal closed.

A faint aura of death clung to him. Bone ash stained the edges of his clothing. His face looked somewhat tired, but his eyes remained clear.

The first thing he did was check his phone.

The official notification had already appeared.

[The Chosen One Tournament Begins Today]

[All representative candidates are requested to gather at the main venue]