Ansel knew better than to laze around and wait for what happened next. After all, it was only a moment ago that he had never even managed to kill a monster on his own.

  Even as he heard the roars of the second wave approaching, Ansel had already escaped, sprinting back through the massive hole in the wall that Orion had smashed in. Luckily enough, it seemed like the monsters from the secret room were unable to follow. Ansel knew that Zone Dungeon monsters weren’t able to escape their zones—which was why they were generally lower priority for clearing than Instanced Dungeons—but he was slightly unsure about the rules of the secret room.

  “How’d you know we wouldn’t be able to clear that room?” Ansel asked as he continued to shuffle away, slowing from a sprint to a hurried jog as he gasped for air.

  “Because you’re weak,” Orion answered matter-of-factly.

  “Uh-huh,” Ansel grunted in reply. Kortak followed behind, but his three orc summons had disappeared, seemingly having gone on cooldown, which opened up room to resurrect some new friends.

  Ansel knew that Kortak could summon fifteen orcs when he was still alive, but there was also good reason to believe that he couldn’t necessarily summon that amount at the moment, considering that Orion also wasn’t able to access all of his skills. However, Ansel also managed to reach level four after the short stint in the secret room, and with it came a reward.

  

  [System Message]

  <>

  Rewards:

  

  
• Skill token +1


  
• Crystal Cores +10


  

  Reach level 5 to unlock tier 3 skills!

  Let’s see what this does, he thought.

  [You have chosen to upgrade class skill Raise Undead!]

  

  [Raise Undead Skill Tree]

  <>

  Army of the Dead Specialization:

  

  
• Increase undead cap from 5>10 (1 Skill token) (Upgrade!)


  

  Undying Shield Specialization:

  

  
• Grant your undead 10% resistance to tier 2 and below skills (1 Skill token) (New!)


  

  Graveseer Specialization:

  

  
• Undead gain +5% experience (1 Skill token) (New!)


  

  [Undead cap increased from 5>10!]

  

  [Skill info]

  <>

  Info: Master the art of necromancy by resurrecting those who have perished in battle! Undead retain a portion of their physical capabilities, and can unlock new skills as they level up and evolve! Undead naturally regenerate based on your mana pool, and will temporarily become unavailable should you run out of mana.

  Effect(s):

  

  
• Cast Raise Undead for a chance to resurrect a corpse. This chance is based on the difference in strength between the corpse and the user. 3 attempts maximum.


  

  Army of the Dead Specialization Effect(s):

  

  
• Undead cap (2/10)


  

  Undying Shield Specialization Effect(s):

  

  
• None


  

  Graveseer Specialization Effect(s):

  

  
• None


  

  Tier up is unlocked at (3) skill token investment. Current: (2/3)

  Still, less than Kortak could hypothetically revive…

  “Kortak, could you try using your skill again?” Ansel asked, but the orc champion simply shook his head. “What’s the matter with you?”

  “The skill is clearly on cooldown, child,” Orion chastised.

  Ansel decided not to reply, instead turning to the corpses still rotting in the boss room of the dungeon. He raised a hand, then cast Raise Undead.

  Nothing happened, and the boy blinked a few times in confusion. He opened his profile once more, checking to make sure that he hadn’t inadvertently surpassed the Undead Cap somehow, then took a look at his mana pool. “I have enough mana… why is it still not working!” He shouted in frustration, kicking the head of one of the orcs.

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  Orion stifled a laugh, then tilted his head curiously. “You mean, you somehow managed to resurrect that oaf, not to mention me, but you can’t even resurrect something as pathetic as this?” He lifted an orc into the air with one hand, shaking the body a few times, then dropped it back onto the ground.

  “Not like you could do any better!” Ansel replied angrily.

  “Hmph,” Orion grunted. “Fine then, I won’t help you.”

  Ansel snapped his head around, eyeing the back of the massive Death Knight. “You were gonna help me?”

  Orion paused, but didn’t turn back. “Not with your lack of respect, impudent child.”

  Ansel grit his teeth, and the pair stayed in silence for a moment, neither making a move. “Show me,” Ansel finally muttered.

  “What was that?” Orion asked, raising a hand to his nonexistent ear.

  Ansel squinted his eyes, and he could’ve sworn that the skeleton was grinning from underneath his helmet. He sighed, then finally replied. “Please.”

  Orion turned, slowly walking over to the boy with a casual, almost bored pace. He drew his sword, then shoved it deep into the stone floor, leaning against it as if he would be there all day. “You’re doing it wrong.”

  “No kidding, I’m doing it wrong! Is this your idea of teaching?”

  “You’re too soft,” Orion continued, as if the boy hadn’t said a word. “Those creatures won’t rise for a weak-willed coward like you.”

  “I already proved I’m no coward,” Ansel muttered.

  “By doing what? You didn’t even manage to kill a single orc on your own. You relied on that idiot,” the skeleton gestured at the Orc Champion, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, quietly observing the exchange. He visibly slumped at Orion’s words, and Ansel felt a tinge of sadness at the sight.

  “How do you even know what you’re talking about? It’s not like you were a necromancer!” The boy spat in frustration.

  “Correct, I was not,” Orion said. “However, I happen to have been… shall we say, acquainted with one.”

  Ansel’s eyes widened. But there have only been two in history, aside from me, of course. Could it be? “You knew the second necromancer? You knew—”

  “No,” Orion cut him off. “I knew the first.”

  “Eltariel?!” Ansel’s eyes bulged, but he sensed no deception in Orion’s words, not that the skeleton would necessarily have a reason to lie to him. “But he’s from at least seven hundred years ago! Barely anything is even known about him! You said you killed Tarmak three hundred years ago, so how could you have been alive for that long?”

  “I happen to be quite durable.”

  Silence.

  “Are you sure you’re human?” Ansel finally asked, both in awe and fear. How could a mere human being live for hundreds of years, if not thousands?

  “Anyways,” Orion continued, waving a hand dismissively.

  “You can’t just ‘anyways’ that! Are you immortal or something?!”

  “I spent a bit of time adventuring with Eltariel, so I know a thing or two about the whole necromancer business, although that shrewd man would never tell me the whole story,” Orion began. “As I was saying, you’re weak.”

  “I know that,” Ansel complained.

  “No, not in that way, although… it would serve you well to put on some weight.”

  “That's mean,” Ansel said flatly.

  Orion didn’t miss a beat. “You’re weak in the mind. The dead will not rise for a master who doesn’t even believe in himself.”

  “You rose for me.”

  “A fluke.”

  “Uh-huh,” Ansel scoffed. “So what, do I just yell louder?”

  “No. The dead should kneel to you before you even think to cast your skill.”

  “They're dead,” Ansel complained, kicking the orc’s head once again, although he was beginning to understand what Orion meant.

  “Correct. And the necromancer controls the dead. You are the one who must bend their will to your design. A skill is not a lever to pull or a button to be pressed. It is an extension of your will.”

  “Then how did I resurrect Kortak earlier?”

  Orion shrugged. “Perhaps the fear of death was enough to overcome your incompetence. Hardly a reliable feat.”

  Ansel stared at the ground for a moment, then bent down onto his knees. He closed his eyes, letting his mind go blank. He had never thought to activate his skill verbally before, but something within him, an instinct, prompted him to speak. “Raise Undead.”

  Still, nothing happened.

  The boy shut his eyes even harder, squeezing them so tightly he felt that his entire body was about to explode, then relaxed. The muscles in his face contorted into a perfectly calm expression, and he let his hands unclench, feeling in tune with every single part of his body. “Raise. Undead.” He poured everything he had into the command, like it were the last two words he would ever say again.

  [Raise Undead]

  He slowly opened his eyes, wincing as he did, somehow having closed his eyes long enough that the dim light of the tomb was painful to look at. Then, he realized that the light was not that of the torches along the tomb’s interior.

  It was the soft blue hue that emanated from the undead orc before him.

  “I did it!” Ansel exclaimed. “I did it for real this time!”

  Kortak stood up, sizing up his new orc ally, then patted him on the shoulder. Orion looked on, and although Ansel could not see past the fiery blue eyes and black helmet, he felt somewhere inside of him that the skeleton felt some sense of pride. Whether it was due to the boy’s success or the hero’s success at being a teacher, Ansel was unsure, but he didn't much care anymore.

  “Time to build an army,” Ansel laughed evilly.

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