Character Sheet (Before Promotion)
Name: Alexander Noir
Class: Necromancer
Subclass: Monarch of the Undead
Level: 19
Rank: F
HP: 440/440
Mana: 870/870
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 24
Endurance: 22
Intelligence: 44
Wisdom: 34
Charisma: 19
Mental Control Pool: 44 (Base INT) x 2 = 88
Undead Loyalty: 100% (Subclass Bonus)
Undead Control Reduction: -30% Mental Load Cost (Subclass Bonus)
Active Skills:
Raise Undead I
Shadow Fog
Basic Shadow Bullet
Undead Harvest (Passive XP gain from undead kills – 25%)
Subclass Active Ability (Disabled in Dungeons):
Absolute Undead Loyalty – No undead can hurt Alexander; all undead under his command are absolutely loyal.
---
The air was still thick with the scent of rot and victory. The Forest of Echoes stood unnaturally quiet after the fierce battle with the orcs. The ruins now rested behind him, the Undead Necro Dark Altar pulsing with faint shadow energy deep in its foundation. Alexander, cloaked in shadows and fatigue, pressed onward. Something... stirred in the distance.
A low rumble cracked through the canopy.
He had sensed it for days now — a roving predator of unnatural origin.
Then it appeared.
It was a bear, but not of this world anymore. Its massive form was cloaked in black, pulsing veins of red and sickly green. Chunks of corrupted bone protruded from its limbs like jagged armor. Its eyes shimmered with the taint of the Chaos Void.
[D Rank Chaos-Corrupted Dire Bear]
Alexander exhaled slowly. "This will be my test."
The bear roared and charged.
"Shadow Fog." A wave of mist bled from Alexander's hands, cloaking his undead army as it emerged: five skeleton warriors, each armed with rusted weapons.
"Engage."
The skeletons surged forward as the bear slammed through them, sending two flying. But it stumbled, briefly disoriented. Alexander launched a volley of Basic Shadow Bullets, piercing through patches of its corrupted flesh. The beast howled but pressed on.
"Raise Undead." Two of the fallen skeletons reformed instantly, charging again. But the bear smashed through them with terrifying rage.
It leapt — right toward Alexander.
He raised his hand.
"Dark Constriction!"
New magic surged through him, instinctive. Shadowy tendrils erupted from the earth and lashed the bear's limbs, halting its momentum mid-air. With a mental surge, Alexander unleashed a cascade of mana, launching a concentrated Shadow Bullet into the bear's exposed chest.
CRACK!
The bear collapsed, spasming violently.
[You have defeated: D Rank Chaos-Corrupted Dire Bear]
[You have leveled up to Level 20]
[You have Rank Advanced: F → E Rank]
[You have acquired new material: Soul Ash (x1)]
A black mist coiled around his feet and rose into his body like smoke.
His vision blurred.
He fell to one knee as a surge of power erupted through every fiber of his being.
---
Character Sheet (After Promotion)
Name: Alexander Noir
Class: Necromancer
Subclass: Monarch of the Undead
Level: 20
Rank: E
HP: 528 (+20%)
Mana: 1,044 (+20%)
Strength: 26 (+20%)
Dexterity: 28 (+20%)
Endurance: 26 (+20%)
Intelligence: 52 (+20%)
Wisdom: 40 (+20%)
Charisma: 22 (+20%)
Mental Control Pool: 104 (52 x 2)
Undead Loyalty: 100% (Subclass Bonus)
Undead Control Reduction: -30% Mental Load Cost (Subclass Bonus)
New Resource: Soul Ash – Can be used for advanced skill crafting and undead rituals
New Perk: Improved Necromantic Proficiency – Dark and Undead Magic effectiveness increased
---
Alexander opened his eyes. Everything felt clearer — sharper. The ambient magic in the world was no longer a vague buzz. It pulsed, beat like a second heart.
He could feel the bones beneath the earth. Hundreds. No, thousands.
Buried corpses forgotten by time.
His connection to the necrotic forces had grown. With only a thought, he could now sense the exact mental load each summon would cost him.
Skeleton Warrior: 5 Mental Load
Skeletal Archer: 8 Mental Load
Bone Mage: 10 Mental Load
Before, he could barely maintain five to seven skeletons with stability. Now, he could field double or even triple that — so long as he didn't overreach.
A flick of his fingers, and five skeletal warriors arose in a tight formation. Then two skeletal archers formed behind them. Their posture was sharper. Their eyes glowed more fiercely.
He whispered, "Bone Mage."
For the first time, a skeletal figure formed wearing a cracked robe, wielding a decayed staff of bone. It hissed in silence, awaiting orders.
A single Bone Mage consumed ten mental points, but the raw magical power it radiated made it worth it.
Alexander grinned. "Finally."
His gaze turned toward the faint pile of ash where the bear once lay.
Soul Ash.
He approached and scooped the strange, weightless substance into a vial. The dark gray particles shimmered as if suspended between physical and magical states.
A prompt appeared:
> Soul Ash Collected (1x)
Used in necromantic rituals.
Can be consumed to empower undead.
Required for advanced necromancer skill evolution.
"Advanced necromancer skills…" he whispered, already thinking ahead.
The dungeon, the altar, the Chaos Void… all of it meant war was inevitable.
He raised his hand to the air.
"From now on... this world will remember who walks the path of undeath."
He turned, his growing legion of the dead following behind as he set out once more.
The corrupted lands wouldn't purge themselves.
---
End of Chapter 10