The Jagged Fang Rat's meager strength might have posed a threat to an ordinary apprentice.
But to Alex, it was no more than a scarecrow waiting to be cut down.
Behind him stood two Servants of the Reaper—silent, wreathed in black mist, each gripping a scythe that radiated the aura of death itself.
Even a level seven or eight professional, if caught unprepared, might not withstand a single strike from them.
[Jagged Fang Rat slain. EXP +6]
Just one lowly creature, and his experience bar leapt upward by six points.
Alex's eyes narrowed.
With such a terrifying army at his command, why should he crawl forward like the rest, cautiously inching through danger?
He raised his hand in a sweeping gesture, his voice cold as winter steel:
"Go. Hunt."
The Servants scattered, hounds of the Underworld loosed into the tall grass.
[Jagged Fang Rat slain. EXP +6]
[Jagged Fang Rat slain. EXP +6]
…
The rats were many, but fragile. In mere minutes, Alex's experience bar was nearly full.
A surge of golden light erupted beneath his feet.
Level up!
[Name: Alex]
[Profession: Necromancer (Mythic)]
[Level: 2 (1.75%)]
[Strength: 20]
[Constitution: 20]
[Agility: 20]
[Spirit: 20]
[Necrotic Space: 2/20]
With the rise of his level, his spirit pool expanded—allowing him to summon two more Servants.
At once, twin circles of black mist ignited, and from them emerged two new undead warriors.
His legion had grown to four.
What shocked him further—the capacity of his Necrotic Space had also doubled, from ten to twenty slots.
Alex's lips curved into the faintest smile.
"So… the day will come when I command a true army of the dead."
And these new Servants—larger, stronger, their aura heavier than before—were not mere copies of the first.
When he checked their stats, the truth left even him breathless:
[Servant of the Reaper]
[Level: 2]
[Strength: 200]
[Constitution: 200]
[Agility: 200]
[Spirit: 200]
Their attributes had doubled.
This meant that with every level Alex gained, his entire summoned army evolved alongside him.
The scale of such growth—was nothing short of terrifying.
—
"Continue."
Alex's eyes were cold as frost, his will commanding his summons into a relentless slaughter.
In mere moments, his experience surged again, and he broke through to level three.
Now, his legion had swelled to seven Reaper Servants—each with stats over 300, enough to rival a level ten warrior.
With his undead army at his back, Alex stormed straight into the dungeon's higher-tier hunting grounds.
[Gray Wolf (Lv. 5)] — INSTANT KILL!
[Ironclaw Bear (Lv. 6)] — INSTANT KILL!
[Gale Panther (Lv. 7)] — INSTANT KILL!
Wherever blood mist and black fog passed, silence followed.
His experience bar skyrocketed. Half an hour later—Alex had already reached Level 5.
"Summon."
Five summoning circles flared simultaneously, birthing new undead into the world.
But these… were different.
Their bodies towered larger, wrapped in bronze-colored armor. Scythes gleamed with a colder, sharper edge.
The aura of death they exuded carried a new weight—no longer mere shades, but true Hellwarriors.
Alex's chest trembled, and he hurried to inspect their stats.
[Reaper Servant (Bronze Rank)]
[Level: 5]
[Strength: 500]
[Constitution: 500]
[Agility: 500]
[Spirit: 500]
[Bronze Power: +10% Defense, +10% Attack]
A qualitative leap.
This single enhancement alone equated to fifty extra points in raw attributes—comparable to several levels' worth of power for any other profession.
More importantly, a surge of knowledge streamed into Alex's mind, revealing the evolutionary path of his summons:
Iron → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond → King.
With each evolution, new powers and blessings would manifest.
If he nurtured these summons to the higher tiers, then with one man and one legion…
He could sweep across the continent beneath the banner of the dead.
Alex drew in a long breath, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
"If I can fill my Necrotic Space to the brim… it won't just be an army anymore. It will be an undead empire."
Before long, the higher-tier hunting grounds had been utterly cleared out.
The Beginner Dungeon, once crawling with beasts, now lay eerily empty—swept clean.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have believed a mere novice could wipe an entire dungeon.
But Alex did not stop.
His gaze turned toward the distance—
The Core Zone.
There, the grass grew darker, the very air reeking of death and menace.
It was said the Core Zone was divided into four regions—jackals, wolves, tigers, and panthers.
Each territory was ruled by a true Lord-class beast.
Defeating them not only set records but could also yield rare equipment.
And if he obtained even a single piece of violet-grade gear, it would give him an overwhelming advantage in the upcoming professional trials.
"Azure Dragon Academy…"
Alex's eyes hardened with resolve as he stepped forward.
The Core Zone—
That was where his true stage awaited.
Within the profession system of the St. Arlan Kingdom, the minimum requirement to even qualify for the Professional Grand Examination was Level 8.
Most apprentices could meet that standard easily enough, simply by hunting low-tier beasts in the outer plains of the Beginner Dungeon.
But for those aspiring to enter the kingdom's top academies, the bar was set far higher.
And none stood higher than Azure Dragon Academy—the peak among thousands of schools, a sanctuary of elites.
In past years, their minimum entry requirement had been Level 15. Last year, it rose to Level 16.
If Alex wanted absolute certainty, he would need to reach Level 17 within seven days—and secure enough equipment to match.
For ordinary people, this was a fool's dream.
But for Alex, who had awakened the Mythic-Class: Necromancer, it was nothing less than inevitable.
—
After registering his challenge, the dungeon's timer began to tick.
Alex already knew the map by heart. The moment he entered, he led his Bronze-ranked undead forward without hesitation.
Barely a hundred meters in, a guttural snarl rumbled from the grasslands.
Dark shapes writhed. Fangs gleamed, and dozens of eyes glared from the shadows.
[Gnoll Marauder]
[Level: 8]
[HP: 366]
Pack hunters.
The gnolls roared as they swarmed from every direction, the dungeon's first trial—overwhelming numbers meant to crush the challenger's will.
But to Alex, they were nothing more than weeds waiting to be cut.
"Undead Legion—attack!"
Eleven Reaper Servants surged forward, their scythes gleaming with deadly light.
Steel sang. Shadows fell. Blood and limbs scattered.
The gnoll horde, a nightmare for ordinary apprentices, was reduced in Alex's hands to nothing more than a harvest.
[Gnoll Marauder slain. EXP +40]
[Gnoll Marauder slain. EXP +40]
…
Golden light flared upward—Alex had reached Level 6.
His spirit capacity soared to sixty, and with a mere thought, he summoned six more undead.
Now, twenty-two Bronze-ranked Reaper Servants marched in formation, a torrent of death that blotted out the grasslands in a tide of black.
The gnolls hidden in the underbrush didn't even have time to cry out before they were annihilated.
—
Advancing further, his vision opened onto towering wooden stakes driven into the earth.
Upon the raised platforms, shadowed figures began to stir.
[Gnoll Crossbowman]
[Level: 9]
[HP: 403]
Bolts tore through the air, a storm of arrows raining down.
Several Reaper Servants were struck, but their health bars barely dipped, only slivers chipped away.
Alex's gaze turned icy.
"You dare strike first? Then die first."
Twenty-two undead surged forward, their scythes flashing with cold light.
In one sweeping charge, they hacked through the wooden palisades, then cleaved straight into the gnoll crossbowmen.
In just two exchanges, dozens of gnolls were nothing but corpses.
[Gnoll Crossbowman slain. EXP +50]
…
Cutting through the blockade, Alex pressed onward—
—
The air grew heavy.
From the shadows, a hulking figure stepped into the open.
[Gnoll Chieftain (BOSS)]
[Level: 11]
[Strength: 131]
[Constitution: 115]
[Agility: 123]
[Spirit: 98]
Its body was blood-red, its breath oppressive, a massive axe clutched in its claws.
It radiated a strength several times greater than its kin.
Anything that crossed the threshold of level ten underwent a true transformation.
For others, facing this foe meant certain retreat.
But Alex only sneered.
"Undead Legion—forward!"
Twenty-three Reaper Servants stormed as one, scythes whistling like a hurricane of death.
The Chieftain bellowed and swung with all its might, yet within mere breaths, its health was shredded apart by the storm of blades.
[Gnoll Chieftain slain. EXP +200]
Golden light surged into the skies—Alex had reached Level 7.
And at his feet lay the Chieftain's colossal corpse, another sacrifice claimed by the Undead Legion.