Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Spendthrift Necromancer (81)

Second Arrangement (7)

The Skeletons had learned a great many skills by now. Crafting, alchemy, combat techniques—everything.‘I have neglected the Mages a little.’Kim Minwoo admitted it.

But there had been no helping it.

Ordinary Skeletons could be summoned in twice the numbers, which made them far more advantageous to train.

That was true in most fields.

With one exception.

If there was one field where the Mages held an absolute advantage, it was magic.‘If I want to make proper use of the Mages, I need to teach them magic…….’That wasn't easy.

For starters, having someone teach them magic in the real world would be insane.

Magic was one of the most difficult subjects there was. And Skeletons learning magic that even humans struggled with?

The impact would be dozens of times greater than clearing an A-rank Gate.

He couldn't ask anyone unless he trusted them absolutely.

So normally, he needed to find teachers inside Gates.

Mages were primarily found in fantasy settings.

But in worlds like those, summoning Skeletons itself was often forbidden.

Usually they were regarded as spawn of evil, and religious groups would come to exterminate them.

Even in worlds where summoning them was allowed, it was hard to picture lofty Mages lowering themselves to teach Skeletons.

He'd been able to learn crafting techniques from the Dwarves and Elves only because the roles and setting had lined up perfectly.

Magic required the same kind of circumstances before he could even attempt it.‘Lucky there happened to be a School of Death.’A world where summoning Skeletons was possible.

And Mages who mainly dealt with related magic.

And Minwoo possessed something those Mages desperately wanted.

For Kim Minwoo, it was no different from stumbling across a fortuitous encounter. Thanks to that, he could finally give his Mages proper magic lessons.‘Would've been impossible with another school.’As he spent several days letting them train.

The practical exam period approached.[‘Mail’ has grasped the essence of ‘Corpse Explosion Magic’!][Accumulated experience creates a new Skill!][Skeleton Mages can now use Corpse Explosion(F)

!][Lightning-like inspiration strikes all Mages!][They grasp the essence of ‘Magic Circle Construction’!][They grasp the essence of ‘Rain of Bones’!][They grasp the essence of ‘Bone Shield’!][They grasp the essence of ‘Blind’!] ..

Teach one thing and they understood ten.

Just as the saying went, the instant Mail mastered one spell, a chain of realizations began cascading through them.‘Probably because they've learned multiple spells from the same school.’Spells belonging to the same school naturally shared common principles. That seemed to be what allowed such explosive learning.

He checked the Skill Window.[Summon Skeleton Mage(E)+9][This Skill has been enhanced to its limit.][Consumes 20 Mana to summon 2(1+1) LV32 Skeleton Mages

.][* Possesses Corpse Explosion(F), Magic Circle Construction(F), Rain of Bones(F), Bone Shield(F), Blind(F)][Corpse Explosion(F): Explodes a corpse to inflict powerful damage.][Magic Circle Construction(F): Constructs a magic circle that can combine spells cast by multiple users into one.][Rain of Bones(F): Rains down sharp bones over a designated area.][Bone Shield(F): Creates a shield made of bone.][Blind(F): Places a curse that obscures the target's vision.]‘Oh, lucky.’Corpse Explosion looked like a spell with countless practical uses at a glance.

Magic Circle Construction was the same. It combined spells cast by multiple users into one. Each individual might only contribute 1, but what if you combined a hundred, two hundred of them?‘The power should increase.’Maybe they could produce magic strong enough to work even on high-level monsters.

Rain of Bones was…….‘Looks like a fairly wide-area attack.’Bone Shield was a dependable defensive spell, and finally, Blind was a curse that blocked vision.

All five were spells he'd probably use often if they had them.

The professors' eyes gleamed as they watched the Mages cast magic.

“My god! They're truly learning magic!”

“T-This has incredible potential! If we could summon undead like these ourselves…….”

“The School of Death ruling the entire magical world wouldn't be a dream! Hahaha!”

The professors looked so blissful from vicarious satisfaction that they might keel over from happiness.

With enough luck, perhaps they could somehow manage undead summoning itself.

But summoning undead capable of learning.‘Probably impossible.’That was the Death Lord's Authority.

There was no way something like that would come easily.

Still, Minwoo didn't say anything that would shatter their dreams. There was plenty more magic left to learn, and he needed the professors' enthusiasm to remain high.

He looked at them.

“Professors. I'll be leaving for the practical exam soon.”

“Th-Then…… do you perhaps have to take the undead with you?”

“W-With your ability, surely first place is guaranteed even without these Mages.”

“Please! Don't drag these good children onto a battlefield!”

The professors stared at him with pleading eyes.

“Fine. Unless something truly urgent happens, I won't cancel their summons.”

Opportunities to learn magic weren't exactly common. He should absorb absolutely everything he could while he had the chance.

He could take first even without his summons anyway. Cedric and Dolsoe alone should be plenty.

Minwoo nodded.

Only then did smiles appear on the professors' faces.* * *The Demon Forest lay not far from the Academy.

The students began moving under the professors' guidance in pairs, and before long they saw watchtowers surrounding the forest.―Coo.

Snowy chirped from his shoulder at the sight of the forest.

Even so, the students paid it little attention.

Over the last few days, Minwoo had naturally worked Snowy into the group.

He'd introduced it as a pet bird, and everyone had simply accepted it.

Why would anyone make a fuss over the son of a wealthy duke raising some unusual bird?

Merhen was no different. The professors stopped before the watchtowers and spoke.

“From this point onward, you will begin the practical examination in pairs. The test is simple. Survive in this forest for one week! Additional points will be awarded according to the type and number of monsters you hunt.”

The students nodded.

It was an annual event, so everyone already knew the details of the exam.

The professors handed them the first crystal orb.

“This crystal orb measures bonus points. When you kill monsters, the demonic energy dwelling within them will be absorbed into it. The darker the color, the higher your score.”

Then each pair received a special second magic crystal.

“In an emergency, channel Mana into this crystal. A top-tier defensive spell will activate and ensure your safety.”

One professor spoke confidently. The defensive magic stored inside the crystal was powerful enough to withstand an Ogre's blows for at least half a day.

And that wasn't all.

Activating the crystal would immediately send a rescue signal.

Then the Knight Order and Magic Corps waiting here would move out to rescue them.

That was how thoroughly the Academy prepared for safety issues.

It was only natural. Most of the students gathered here were children of prestigious families.

They were also future pillars of the Empire, so it would've been stranger not to care about their safety.‘Expensive.’Kim Minwoo thought while looking at the orb containing defensive magic. Each one probably cost several hundred million won in Korean money.‘Well, that'd explain why tuition is filthy expensive too.’Then the professor pointed toward the forest.

“Then, please enter.”

Kim Minwoo and Merhen.

The two entered the forest.

The other students did the same.

He looked at Merhen, who was already trembling.

“We're barely at the entrance. Relax a little. At this rate your hand's going to shake off.”

“D-Do you think that's easy? Last year I even ran into a Troll here…….”

“A Troll? Then you used the crystal?”

“……

Yeah. I did.”

“Talk about rotten luck.”

Kim Minwoo snorted.

The Demon Forest wasn't particularly high-level. If it had been crawling with powerful monsters, there was no way they'd leave a place like this near an educational facility.

They would've exterminated everything and surrounded it with proper walls rather than a few watchtowers.

He'd heard Trolls sometimes appeared, but there were only a tiny handful.

Even if one showed up, it wasn't something students were completely incapable of handling.‘Might as well gain some levels while I'm here.’After going a little deeper, they began seeing blackened, dead vegetation.

Merhen swallowed and spoke.

“Be careful. From here on, we're entering an area affected by demonic energy.”

“Then the monsters get stronger too?”

“Yeah. I heard the more they're exposed to demonic energy, the more twisted and vicious their bodies become.”

Then they'd give more experience too.

They should head farther in.

Before long, they encountered a group of monsters in the distance.―Kikik!

A sly laugh echoed.

Small figures flitted around a tree stained by demonic energy.‘Gremlins.’They were one of the winged demon-type monsters that looked somewhat like Goblins.

But if you charged in expecting Goblin-level enemies, you'd get slaughtered instead.

Their average level was around 170.

He summoned Cedric.

Cedric looked around, then his gaze met Merhen's.

After a brief silence.

Cedric turned toward him and asked.―……

It's been a while. Master, are you carrying out the Arrangement?

Kim Minwoo nodded.

Merhen's eyes widened at the talking Skeleton.

Rumors had already spread throughout the Academy that Kern could summon undead.

Even so, it hadn't caused much of a stir.

They weren't high-ranking undead, only groups of Skeletons, the lowest class of undead.

And even among Mages, it was magic associated with the School of Death, the weakest faction.

The knights had barely cared at all, while the Mages had mostly shrugged it off.

Whatever new discovery the School of Death made wasn't their concern.

Naturally, Merhen had reacted the same way.

Except.

“I-It talks?”

A talking Skeleton was still rather shocking.

Seeing Merhen stare at him with wide eyes, Cedric let out a dry laugh.―……

Good grief. You really were just a young lady back then.

“You've never met her before?”―No. I only came under the Lord's command much later.

“……

What are you two talking about right now?”

“Nothing.”

Kim Minwoo shook his head.

It wasn't as though he could tell her, You're going to become undead in the future.

“Wait here for a little while. I'll go hunt.”

“……

Okay.”

Just in case, he summoned Dolsoe too and stationed him beside her.

Merhen jumped at the monster that appeared from nowhere, then seemed reassured and moved close to the Golem.

“Let's go.”―Very well.

He charged the Gremlin group with Cedric.―Kikik!

The screeching Gremlins flew toward them with spears extended. Magic burst from their hands as well.

Perhaps because of the demonic energy, their movements were a little faster than the ones he'd seen inside Gates.

But that was all.

He casually deflected the incoming fire arrows with his sword.

Then cut their throats.

The group of nearly twenty Gremlins was slaughtered in moments. Their stats weren't even close enough to put up a fight.[Level increases by 1!]

Maybe because he'd killed them while his experience gain was high, he leveled immediately.

The battle ended in an instant.

Then.

Demonic energy began being absorbed into the crystal. He saw the white orb turn ever so slightly black.―20 Points.

A number appeared as well.‘One point per Gremlin?’Then.

The blood scattered from the Gremlins began flowing toward the Necromantic Sword in his hand as well. Their corpses shriveled like mummies.[Necromantic Sword absorbs the prey's blood! (20/10,000)]‘So it only rises when I kill them.’Makes sense.

The description itself had said it.

It specifically said when ‘hunting’ an enemy of equal or higher level.

The reason the Necromantic Sword hadn't absorbed Jo Pilwook's blood was probably because he hadn't completely finished him off.‘One fortunate thing…….’The monsters Cedric killed had their blood absorbed too. Summon kills counted toward the kill count?‘That makes the grind way easier.’Ten thousand kills.

Maybe it would be easier than expected?

“Merhen.”

“Y-Yeah!”

She'd been staring blankly at the massacre and hurriedly answered.

“We're going deeper.”

“W-Won't it be dangerous?”

“We need to make absolutely sure we take first. Right?”

“Y-Yeah…….”

Gulp.

She swallowed and nodded.