Chapter 545 - 1

EXTRA SURVIVAL GUIDE TO OVERPOWERING HERO AND VILLAINC75: Necro Arch Magus Grimoire III

Chapter 75: Necro Arch Magus Grimoire III

Fenric's expression didn't change, though his silver eyes glinted faintly. "Exactly. And if you already know the consequence, don't repeat it."

He gestured for Aria to begin again. She knelt beside her assigned skeleton, her hands steady this time. The dark threads of mana flowed smoothly into the bones, weaving through joints and sockets until the figure rose upright with surprising grace. It moved two careful steps, then held its balance like a soldier at attention.

Aria looked over her shoulder, a hint of pride slipping through. "See? Rhythm. Not force."

Laxin squatted next to his own pile of bones, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, rhythm. Got it." He pressed his palm to the sternum, and mana surged outward like a wave.

The skeleton jerked upright all at once—arms flailing, legs stiff. It looked less like a soldier and more like someone panicking in a crowded market.

"Control, Laxin!" Fenric barked.

"I am controlling it!" he snapped back, struggling to guide it. The skeleton staggered forward, arms windmilling wildly, before crashing straight into Aria's stable construct.

Both collapsed in a heap, bones scattering like dice across the floor.

Aria pinched her nose. "Unbelievable."

Fenric exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. "If your goal was sabotage, you've mastered it."

Laxin raised both hands. "Hey, at least mine stood this time! Progress!"

Aria shot him a glare. "Progress toward killing my skeleton."

Despite himself, Fenric's lips curved faintly. "Enough. Both of you again. From the start."

Hours passed in that cycle: anchor, stabilize, collapse, repeat. Sweat dampened their clothes, mana bled from their cores, and yet—slowly—results began to emerge.

By evening, Aria had a skeleton that could march in a full circle without falling apart. Laxin, after countless failures, finally coaxed his bones into holding steady for ten full minutes.

He collapsed on the floor beside his creation, grinning. "Look at that. He's still standing. I might actually be good at this."

The skeleton wobbled once, then fell over onto him with a hollow clonk.

"Or not," Aria said, smirking.

Fenric chuckled softly, closing the grimoire. "Even failure teaches more than success, if you're willing to see it. Tomorrow—we begin coordination. One mind guiding more than one body."

Laxin groaned, still buried under bones. "More than one? I can barely handle one drunk skeleton."

Aria smiled faintly, brushing sweat from her brow. "Then tomorrow should be fun."

Fenric's silver gaze lingered on the scattered bones for a moment longer before he spoke, voice calm but edged with iron.

"Fun is not the word, Aria. Tomorrow we will test discipline. If you cannot command two constructs with clarity, they will devour each other's flow of mana—and then you."

Laxin sat bolt upright, bones still dangling from his shoulders. "Wait, wait. Devour me? As in—rip me apart? Or, like, chew on my soul a little?"

"Both are possible," Fenric said without a blink.

Aria chuckled under her breath. "At least you'd make an interesting lesson."

"Ha-ha," Laxin muttered, dusting a femur off his head. "I'd rather not become your cautionary tale, thanks."

Fenric rose to his feet, sliding the grimoire shut with a resonant snap. "Then rest. Tomorrow, you'll each attempt to bind two skeletons simultaneously. Balance of flow, rhythm of command, and most importantly—split focus. The true art of necromancy is not in raising the dead, but in ruling them."

The next morning, the training chamber felt heavier than before—like the air itself remembered last night's failures. Piles of bones were arranged neatly in twos, one set for each student.

Aria inhaled deeply, grounding herself. Her palms pressed against both sternums, mana flowing into each simultaneously. Two skeletons shuddered, then rose together—one jerky, one smooth. She frowned, adjusting her rhythm. Slowly, they steadied into unison, taking synchronized steps like paired dancers.

Laxin, meanwhile, was already sweating. He slammed mana into both skeletons at once, and predictably, chaos erupted. One skeleton shot upright and saluted the ceiling. The other spun in a full circle and collapsed flat.

"Great teamwork," Aria quipped, her constructs marching neatly past his disaster.

Laxin grit his teeth. "Shut it. I've got this." He forced his will outward again, struggling to divide his focus. One skeleton began to rise. The other shook violently, bones rattling like dice in a cup. Then—pop!—the skull flew clean off, smacking Laxin square in the nose.

"OW! Son of a—!" He toppled backward, clutching his face as blood trickled out.

Aria actually burst out laughing this time, nearly losing her own control. "Oh spirits—you've been head-butted by your own skeleton!"

Fenric's lips curved in the faintest smirk, though his tone remained measured. "Better the head than the heart. Again."

Groaning, Laxin shoved the skull aside and tried again, muttering curses.

Hours dragged by in trial and error. Aria managed to make her pair move in clumsy but coordinated patrols, weaving through the room like soldiers on a drill. Laxin... after much swearing, bone collisions, and two more bloody noses, finally achieved a breakthrough.

Both of his skeletons stood at once. They took one shaky step forward, then another. Laxin's eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes, look at them—perfect symmetry!"

And then one tripped. Right into the other. Both collapsed in a heap, dragging Laxin down with them.

"Perfect symmetry," Aria deadpanned, arms crossed.

Fenric finally allowed himself a small, genuine chuckle. "It seems your soldiers march best in the afterlife, Laxin. Tomorrow—we test combat drills. Pray you survive them."

The next day dawned with an ominous hush, as though the castle itself braced for what was about to unfold.

Fenric led them not to the training chamber, but to a courtyard ringed in blackstone walls. Sunlight fell harsh and unmerciful, illuminating rows of skeletal remains already lined up like recruits awaiting inspection.

"This," Fenric said, his voice steady and commanding, "is where your constructs cease being toys and begin being weapons." His silver gaze cut into them both. "Skeletons without purpose are bones waiting to betray you. Today, we instill purpose—through combat."

Aria's expression sharpened, her usual wry amusement dimming into focus. Laxin, however, rubbed the bridge of his still-bruised nose."Combat?" he echoed warily. "As in—against each other? Or against the pile of corpses staring at me like they want revenge?"

Fenric ignored the question. With a flick of his wrist, mana pulsed outward. A set of bones at his feet knit together with terrifying speed, rising into a skeleton armed with a rusted sword. Its hollow sockets locked onto Laxin.

"Lesson one," Fenric said. "Your constructs must fight for

you before they can fight with you."

Aria, calm as a lake, pressed her palms to her skeletons. Both rose swiftly, a faint shimmer of mana linking them to her. "I'm ready."

Her constructs advanced toward Fenric's skeleton. At first, their movements were stiff, but her commands came sharp and steady: strike, parry, press. The clash of bone against rusted steel echoed across the courtyard. Though her rhythm faltered twice, she quickly adjusted, the pair of skeletons holding their own.

Laxin, meanwhile, was already sweating buckets."Alright, you two bags of bones," he muttered, pushing mana into his own pair. "Don't embarrass me this time."

One skeleton rose smoothly. The other flopped onto its side and gave what could only be described as a bone-rattling shrug."Really?!" Laxin groaned.

The standing skeleton turned its head toward him, cocked it at an odd angle, then raised both arms like a toddler asking to be picked up.

Aria burst out laughing mid-command, nearly losing control of her fighters. "Oh gods—your skeleton wants a hug!"

"Shut up, Aria!" Laxin snapped, though his ears flushed red. "It's... it's a combat stance!"

Fenric didn't even bother hiding his smirk this time. "If that is your warrior's stance, Laxin, may the gods pity your enemies."

Desperate, Laxin shoved harder with his mana. The second skeleton finally stumbled upright—only to immediately trip forward, tackling its partner in what looked suspiciously like an enthusiastic embrace. Both crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.

Laxin dragged his hands down his face. "I swear they're conspiring against me."

Fenric's tone cut in like a blade. "They are not conspiring. You are failing. The dead reflect their master's will. If they flail, it is because your intent is fractured. If they cling to each other, it is because you cannot command them apart. The failure is yours."

Silence followed. Even Aria sobered, watching Fenric with wide eyes.

For the first time, Laxin didn't joke back. His shoulders sagged, but his jaw tightened with resolve. "...Then I'll fix it."

Fenric inclined his head once, approving. "Good. Because next—your skeletons will not fight each other. They will fight mine."

At his words, five more skeletons stirred from the bone piles, rising with eerie precision. Each one carried a weapon, each one radiated his flawless control. Together, they marched forward like an army.

Aria's breath hitched. Laxin paled.

Fenric folded his arms. "Survive three minutes."

The skeletal soldiers raised their weapons as one.

And then the courtyard exploded into chaos...like children fighting for toys.

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EXTRA SURVIVAL GUIDE TO OVERPOWERING HERO AND VILLAINC76: Necro Archmagus Grimoire IV

Chapter 76: Necro Archmagus Grimoire IV

The clash was instant. Fenric's five skeletons surged forward like a tide of sharpened bones, their movements crisp, dangerous, drilled with perfect precision.

Aria braced herself, her two skeletons intercepting the first strike. The sound of bone against rusted steel rang out sharply. She clenched her teeth, forcing her rhythm into them. Left guard, right strike, hold—steady! Her constructs moved, a little clumsy but functional, crossing their arms to block a downward slash. Sparks scattered as the sword scraped bone.

Meanwhile, Laxin's skeletons... did not march so elegantly. One lurched forward with arms raised like it was preparing to hug Fenric's soldiers. The other half-tripped, half-stumbled, dragging behind like a drunk.

"Focus!" Fenric barked. "The fight is not waiting for you."

"I am focusing!" Laxin yelled back, sweat dripping down his forehead. His mana surged clumsily, and one of his skeletons actually managed a swing—though it was more of a wild slap that accidentally knocked a sword out of one enemy's hand.

"Ha!" Laxin grinned triumphantly. "See that? Disarmament! Totally planned!"

But then his second skeleton face-planted directly into the dirt. The disarmed enemy simply stepped over it and drove a sword straight through the ribs of Laxin's first one. Bones shattered, scattering across the courtyard.

"No, no, no—don't die on me already!" Laxin cried, frantically trying to pull the fallen skeleton back together with raw mana. All he got was a twitching pile of bones that looked more like a spider than a soldier.

Aria, panting, was holding ground better. Her two skeletons moved almost in rhythm now, covering each other, taking small precise steps. They weren't overpowering Fenric's constructs, but they weren't being cut down either. Still, every time her focus wavered, her soldiers faltered—one missing a block, another stumbling half a pace late. She growled in frustration, pouring more mana in.

Fenric's expression didn't shift. He stood calm and still, arms folded, watching like a teacher at a test he already knew the answers to. His silver eyes flicked between them.

"Aria—your steps are too rigid. Adapt, don't force.""Laxin—stop flooding mana. Direct it, shape it. They are not buckets for you to drown."

Aria adjusted, letting her mind flow instead of forcing. Her skeletons bent lower, sidestepped a slash, and retaliated with a double strike that knocked one of Fenric's minions onto its back. She gasped, then smiled—her first true victory.

Laxin, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and tried to listen. He cut back his mana, focusing only on the spine and joints. His fallen skeleton twitched... then reassembled slowly, shakily rising. His grin returned, manic with relief. "YES! Rise, my bony boy! Rise!"

The skeleton got up... and immediately fell forward again, landing flat on his chest.

Aria actually barked out a laugh mid-command. "Oh gods—you're hopeless."

"Hey, it stood! That's half the battle!" Laxin shot back, though his skeleton now lay groaning in bone clacks.

Fenric let out a single low chuckle, though his tone stayed razor-sharp. "Half the battle, perhaps. But in war, half is death."

Minutes dragged on. Aria managed to keep her skeletons alive, even knocking another of Fenric's back with clever timing. Laxin, after numerous failures, finally got both of his to stand upright again and swing—wildly, ungracefully, but at least in the right direction. He even managed to trip one of Fenric's soldiers by accident when his skeleton toppled forward like a falling log.

By the time Fenric raised his hand to end the drill, both students were drenched in sweat, mana-drained, and shaking. Their skeletons collapsed into piles around them like discarded puppets.

"Three minutes," Fenric said, his voice calm, though a rare note of approval softened it. "Barely. But you endured."

Aria fell onto the ground, clutching her knees, breathing hard. Yet there was a faint smile on her lips. "They moved together... I actually made them move together."

Laxin lay flat on his back, staring at the sky, bones littered across his chest. "I survived... and so did my nose. I'll take it as a win."

Fenric stepped forward, his silver gaze cutting through both of them. "You are learning. But remember this: raising the dead is easy. Commanding them—commanding them to kill for you, to protect you, to obey without falter—that is the mark of a true necromancer. Tomorrow... we begin strategy. Not just surviving—but winning."

Aria's eyes lit with determination. Laxin groaned, dragging a femur off his stomach.

"Strategy?" he muttered weakly. "I can barely strategize my breakfast..."

Aria smirked at him. "Then you'd better start. Or next time, Fenric won't stop the fight after three minutes."

Fenric didn't deny it. He only closed his eyes for a brief moment, the faintest trace of satisfaction on his face.

The courtyard was silent again—except for Laxin's skeleton, still twitching on the ground like it hadn't gotten the memo that training was over.

The following day dawned with an almost ominous chill in the training chamber. The braziers burned lower than usual, shadows crawling across the walls like watchful specters. Piles of bones were now stacked into neat formations resembling miniature battalions—Fenric's doing, of course.

He stood at the center, silver hair glinting faintly in the dim light, gaze sharp as he addressed his two pupils.

"Raising and balancing skeletons is foundation. But necromancy is not performance art. It is warfare. If your constructs cannot obey under pressure, they are liabilities. Today we test combat."

Aria squared her shoulders, determination burning in her eyes. Laxin, meanwhile, swallowed audibly, his bruised nose still sporting a faint swelling.

Fenric snapped his fingers. Instantly, two skeletons clattered to life before him, each armed with rusted training blades. They moved with unnerving precision—flowing as though tied by one soul, not two.

"These will serve as your opponents. You are to control your skeletons and engage. Should you lose command..." Fenric let the silence hang. The air seemed to shiver. "Then you will defend yourselves with your own flesh."

Laxin paled. "Wait—you mean they'll actually try to kill us?"

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EXTRA SURVIVAL GUIDE TO OVERPOWERING HERO AND VILLAINC77: Necro Archmagus Grimoire V

Chapter 77: Necro Archmagus Grimoire V

"These will serve as your opponents. You are to control your skeletons and engage. Should you lose command..." Fenric let the silence hang. The air seemed to shiver. "Then you will defend yourselves with your own flesh."

Laxin paled. "Wait—you mean they'll actually try to kill us?"

"Of course," Fenric replied, voice flat. "What worth is a soldier who cannot kill?"

Aria's lips curved into a grin. "Finally. Something worth testing."

Fenric's eyes flicked toward her. "Then prove it."

He raised his hand, and the two enemy skeletons lunged forward with sudden ferocity. Aria's mana surged instantly, her own pair rising in mirror to intercept. Bones clashed, steel rang, sparks danced. Her constructs stumbled at first, but under her sharp corrections, they recovered, forming a clumsy shield wall that caught the enemy's blades.

Laxin, however, fumbled immediately. His first skeleton swung too early, missing completely and smacking its partner's skull with the flat of its hand. The second staggered sideways, nearly collapsing under the blow.

"Come on, come on!" Laxin shouted, pumping more mana into them desperately. The first skeleton charged wildly—straight past the enemy. The second tripped over its own leg and fell face-first with a splintering crack.

One of Fenric's test skeletons didn't hesitate; it pivoted sharply and rammed its sword into the fallen construct, shattering it into a rain of bones. The other pressed Aria harder, pushing her to split focus.

"Laxin!" Aria barked, sweat running down her forehead. "Do something before you get us both killed!"

"I'm trying!" he wailed, forcing his lone skeleton upright. It staggered drunkenly, somehow holding its blade backward.

Fenric watched calmly, arms folded. "You're pouring mana without precision. Control comes from intent, not panic. Breathe, or you will feed your soul to the wrong corpse."

Laxin froze at the words. Then—gritted his teeth, inhaled sharply, and steadied his hands. His remaining skeleton righted its grip, blade clinking into proper position. With a sudden burst of clarity, he directed it forward.

The clumsy construct actually blocked the enemy strike—though the impact sent both skeletons tumbling in opposite directions.

Laxin blinked, stunned. "...Did you see that? I did it! It worked!"

Aria, still locked in her duel, growled, "Less bragging, more fighting!"

Fenric's lips quirked faintly. "A seed of control. But seeds are fragile. Next strike—if you fail, it will be your body that cracks, not the skeleton's."

The enemy skeletons reset their stance, blades gleaming faintly in the brazier light.

The next round was about to begin.

The next day, the chamber echoed with sharp cracks as bone met stone. Fenric stood at the front, arms folded, silver hair catching the dim torchlight, while Aria and Laxin faced their skeletons.

"Today," Fenric said, voice low but commanding, "we test control under pressure. Skeletons do not hesitate, do not tire, and do not forgive. If you falter—"

"—they dogpile us, rip us to shreds, and turn us into bone broth," Laxin muttered, rolling his shoulders.

Fenric ignored him. "Begin."

Aria's skeletons advanced first, smooth and steady. She wove her hands through practiced motions, her mana strings tugging the constructs into a coordinated strike-and-block rhythm. A skeletal blade clashed against another, sparks flying.

Laxin, meanwhile, jabbed both hands forward dramatically. "Charge!"

His skeletons bolted. One charged too far and smacked head-first into the stone wall with a hollow bonnnng. The other veered left, straight into Aria's duel. Her skeleton sidestepped gracefully—Laxin's construct stumbled, tripped over its own leg, and somersaulted right into his master's lap.

"AGH—GET OFF ME!" Laxin screamed, flailing as the bony heap clattered over him like a drunk spider.

Aria snorted mid-focus, nearly losing her rhythm. Her skeleton seized the opportunity and clocked its partner in the jaw. Bone shards flew.

Fenric pinched the bridge of his nose. "...This is not a tavern brawl."

"Could've fooled me," Laxin groaned, crawling out from under his own construct, ribs sticking into his cloak like oversized knitting needles.

Moments later, Aria's skeletons attempted a defensive maneuver—but one lagged behind the timing. The other pivoted too sharply, clubbing its ally in the skull with its sword. The head popped off like a cork and rolled neatly to Fenric's feet.

He looked down at the skull, sighed, then looked up again. "Aria."

She winced. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Your skeletons should not execute each other mid-drill."

"...It was a creative tactic?"

"Creative incompetence," Fenric corrected dryly.

The chaos escalated.

Laxin, now desperate, ordered his skeletons to "double-team" a target dummy. Instead, both raised their swords high—then smashed them down on each other's arms. The bony limbs flew off, landing in Aria's path.

She almost tripped but caught herself, glaring at him. "Are yours trying to win the fight or assemble themselves into a puzzle?"

"Hey, hey, don't mock the process!" Laxin barked, waving frantically to fix their positions. His skeletons misinterpreted and saluted. One whacked the other in the face with its detached arm while standing stiffly upright.

Aria finally broke into full laughter, her control faltering again. Her skeletons, sensing weakness in her focus, turned abruptly and started chasing each other in circles like rabid dogs.

The chamber became chaos: skulls bouncing, swords clattering, bony feet slipping across the floor like it had turned into a skating rink.

Through it all, Fenric stood tall, hands behind his back, expression caught between regal composure and the resigned patience of a man babysitting two particularly unruly graveyard clowns.

"Enough." His voice boomed across the chamber, instantly halting every skeleton mid-flail. Silence fell, broken only by the faint rattle of a loose rib rolling across the floor.

Fenric exhaled slowly. "Tomorrow... we focus on discipline drills. If you cannot keep a skeleton standing upright for longer than thirty seconds, there will be no combat, no patrols—only stance training."

Aria was still trying not to laugh. Laxin, nursing yet another nosebleed from a rogue bone, groaned loudly.

"This is less necromancy and more slapstick murder," he muttered.

Fenric's silver eyes narrowed. "Then perhaps you will learn fastest at the edge of humiliation."

Laxin blinked. "...That sounds like a threat."

Fenric closed the grimoire with a final snap. "It is a promise."

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EXTRA SURVIVAL GUIDE TO OVERPOWERING HERO AND VILLAINC78: Necro Archmagus Grimoire VI

Chapter 78: Necro Archmagus Grimoire VI

The next morning, the chamber felt colder. The piles of bones were stacked neatly again, waiting like silent judges.

Fenric stood before them, hands behind his back. "Discipline drills. No combat. No flair. You will raise your skeletons and hold their stance—unmoving—for thirty minutes. Break formation even once, and we start over."

Aria nodded, calm as ever. Laxin groaned. "Thirty minutes? Standing still? That's torture!"

"Good," Fenric said flatly. "Perhaps you'll finally learn the meaning of control."

They began.

Aria's skeletons rose smoothly, planted their feet, and locked into soldier's stance. Her mana flow was steady, her breathing even. She stood tall, focused.

Laxin... not so much. His skeletons wobbled the instant they stood. One leaned forward like it was about to vomit, the other leaned back as if admiring the ceiling.

"Straighten up, you idiots," Laxin hissed. He pushed mana harder. Both skeletons jerked into place—but the sudden stiffness caused one to snap a femur and collapse sideways into the other.

CRASH. Both went down in a pile.

Fenric didn't even blink. "Reset."

Groaning, Laxin tried again. This time the skeletons held for... twenty seconds. Then one sneezed. Or rather, it shook violently for no reason and sent its skull flying off its spine. The head rolled across the floor, stopping at Laxin's boots.

He stared down at it. "...Are you kidding me?"

Aria snorted, her focus slipping for half a second. One of her skeletons swayed dangerously before she caught it.

Fenric's silver gaze shifted toward her. "Lose your rhythm, and you'll share his fate."

"Noted," she said quickly, regaining control.

The drills dragged on. Every time Laxin thought he had his skeletons stable, something ridiculous happened:

One's jaw dropped off mid-stance and clattered like teeth chattering on the ground.

Another keeled over backward so stiffly it looked like a falling tree.

Once, both stood perfectly still... until one slowly raised its arm and slapped the other in the face for no reason.

Aria tried to ignore him, but every mishap tested her composure. At one point she was biting her lip so hard she nearly drew blood to keep from laughing.

By the third hour, Laxin was sprawled on the floor, drenched in sweat, glaring at his skeletons like they'd betrayed him. "This isn't training. This is public humiliation."

Fenric finally broke the silence with a calm, cutting tone. "If you cannot control bones, how do you expect to command an army? Again."

Laxin groaned into the floor. Aria's skeletons remained steady, statuesque in their stance.

And so the day ended with one student holding flawless formation... and the other still trying to convince his skeletons not to faceplant every five minutes.

Fenric closed the grimoire with that same sharp snap. "Tomorrow, we return to combat drills. Pray your discipline improves... or you will bleed for your failures."

Aria exhaled slowly, wiping sweat from her brow. Her skeletons still stood.

Laxin raised a hand weakly from the floor. "...I think I already bled enough for both of us."

The chamber was quieter the next morning, the air heavy with the kind of tension that comes before a storm.

Fenric strode in, his cloak trailing across the floor, grimoire tucked under his arm. He didn't waste time. "Combat drills. Yesterday you learned the price of weak control. Today you learn the cost of poor timing. Summon."

Aria and Laxin obeyed. Aria's skeletons rose with their usual crisp precision, twin soldiers awaiting command. Laxin's emerged with less grace—one climbing upright like it had arthritis, the other shaking off its own ribcage before standing crookedly.

"Pairs," Fenric ordered. "Skeletons against skeletons. You two are commanders. Every command must be clear, concise, and exact. Stumble, and your soldier will stumble."

The first clash began.

Aria's skeleton thrust forward like a disciplined soldier, shield raised, sword stabbing. Laxin's skeleton blocked—sort of. It raised its shield halfway, then decided to adjust its posture mid-swing. The blade went straight into its skull.

Clunk.

The skeleton collapsed face-first.

Laxin shouted, "Wait, wait! I didn't tell you to commit seppuku!"

Fenric's expression didn't twitch, but his silver eyes gleamed. "Reset."

Laxin revived the fallen skeleton, muttering under his breath. "I swear they're doing this on purpose."

The second round lasted longer. Aria gave a sharp command, and her skeleton swung in a tight arc. Laxin, trying to counter, screamed: "Block left!"

His skeleton obediently swung its shield—not left, but in a full circle, accidentally bashing its ally

instead of blocking. Both of his skeletons crumbled into a tangled heap.

Aria's skeletons stood tall, victorious without lifting a finger.

Aria pressed a hand to her mouth, her shoulders trembling. "Don't laugh... don't laugh..."

Fenric, with absolute calm: "That was not an opponent defeating you, Laxin. That was you defeating yourself."

"Tell that to my skeletons!" Laxin snapped, gesturing at the pile of bones. "They're rebelling!"

By the fifth reset, the chamber echoed with absurd moments:

One skeleton attempted to parry but ended up twirling its sword like it was showing off in a circus act before dropping it on its own foot.

Another lunged too hard, missed completely, and crashed head-first into a wall, sticking there like a mounted decoration.

In one spectacular mishap, both of Laxin's skeletons swung at Aria's... only to smack each other so hard their skulls popped off simultaneously and rolled to Fenric's feet.

He looked down at them in silence, then flicked one with his boot so it rolled neatly back toward Laxin. "Retrieve your men."

Laxin was on his knees, clutching his head. "Men? They're not men, they're saboteurs!"

Aria couldn't hold back anymore—her laughter rang across the chamber. "S-saboteurs!"

Her skeletons faltered at the sound, one almost losing balance before she quickly reasserted her control.

Fenric's voice cut sharp as a blade. "Distraction is a weakness. Even laughter." His gaze landed squarely on Aria. "If you cannot stay focused under strain, you are no better than him."

Her laughter died instantly, a nervous look flashing across her face. "...Understood."

"Good," Fenric said, shutting his grimoire with a heavy snap. "Today's lesson ends here. But tomorrow—" His gaze hardened. "—tomorrow, you fight me."

Laxin's jaw dropped. "...Excuse me, what?"

Fenric turned, his silver hair catching the torchlight as he walked away. "If you cannot command your skeletons against me, then you will never command them against an enemy. Rest well, both of you. You will need it."

The door closed behind him, leaving the two of them staring at each other.

Aria whispered, half-excited, half-terrified: "We're dead."

Laxin groaned and flopped on his back. "Finally. At least then my skeletons will stop betraying me."

Silence lingered for a beat, broken only by the clatter of Laxin's skeletons trying—and failing—to reassemble themselves properly. One had attached its arm where its leg should be, the other was stuck holding its skull under its armpit like a football.

Aria crouched, hugging her knees, her laughter fully spent now, replaced with a tight knot of anxiety. "...You know he's serious, right? Fenric doesn't bluff."

Laxin peeked at her from the floor, eyes wide. "You don't say? I thought maybe tomorrow he was just planning to read us bedtime stories from the Grimoire of Doom."

Aria frowned, whispering sharply, "Mock him all you want, but you saw what he did to the mercenaries. If he fights us, even holding back..." She didn't finish. Her eyes drifted toward her skeletons, standing like motionless sentries, perfectly obedient. "I'll have to make them sharper. Faster. I won't... embarrass myself."

Laxin groaned again, throwing an arm over his face. "Great. You'll look like a shining prodigy, and I'll be the court jester dying in the background while my skeletons juggle their own heads."

"Maybe—" Aria hesitated, biting her lip. "Maybe we could... coordinate? If we practice together, your skeletons might follow along better."

He squinted at her. "...You're suggesting we train as a team? Against him?"

Her small smile was sheepish, but determined. "I'd rather die standing beside you than die watching you trip over your own minions."

Laxin sat up, staring at her with mock horror. "...That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Truly, I feel blessed." He slapped his knee, then pointed dramatically at one of his skeletons. "Alright, Saboteur One, Saboteur Two—we're going to war tomorrow. No more comedy routines, you hear me?"

Both skeletons tilted their heads in perfect unison, as if to say: we make no promises.

Aria shook her head, laughing under her breath. Then, softer: "We have one night."

Laxin flopped back down with a dramatic sigh. "One night to prepare for execution. Lovely."

But beneath the sarcasm, his fingers were already moving, weaving faint patterns of necrotic light to reinforce his skeletons' joints. Aria caught it and smiled.

For once, they were both dead serious.

The ruined courtyard echoed with rattles and clanks as midnight stretched on. The moonlight spilled across scattered bones, forming a battlefield that looked more like a comedy stage than a graveyard of champions.

"Left! No, your left!" Laxin barked, sweat dripping down his temple as one of his skeletons shuffled into the wrong position again.

It turned, obediently enough—straight into the path of Aria's skeleton, who swung a rusted sword in perfect precision.

Clonk.

The blade lodged into the first skeleton's ribcage, locking them together like two drunks trying to dance.

Aria pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering, "This is hopeless..."

"No! No, it's progress," Laxin argued, rushing forward as his skeletons tripped over each other. He yanked at one skull, only to have the spine stretch like a grotesque puppet string before snapping back into place. "See? They're bonding. That's teamwork!"

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Chapter 79: Necro Archmagus Grimoire VII

Aria's lips twitched despite herself. "Teamwork? They look like they're slow-dancing at a tavern."

The skeletons, still locked together, staggered a few awkward steps and collapsed in a heap. A single femur rolled away with a mournful clatter.

"Fine," Laxin muttered, scrambling to pile them back up. "They're still... choreographing. Just needs polish."

"One of them tried to grab my skeleton's waist," Aria said flatly.

He gasped, scandalized. "Impossible! I didn't program romance into their mana flow."

"Maybe you didn't. But apparently they did."

Before Laxin could retort, one of his reassembled skeletons stood, snapped rigidly upright—then immediately faceplanted, skull-first, into the dirt.

Thunk.

He froze, staring down at it with twitching eyes. "...Okay, now they're just mocking me."

Aria lost it. A laugh burst out, sharp and bright, breaking through her controlled exterior. She tried to smother it behind her hand, but another chuckle slipped free.

Her skeletons wavered dangerously. She snapped back into focus, tightening her mana flow, and they returned to their stance. Still, her shoulders shook.

"Laugh all you want," Laxin grumbled, hauling his skeleton upright again. "But when these guys finally get it right, they'll be unstoppable."

The skeleton straightened dutifully. For five whole seconds. Then, slowly, its arm creaked up—and patted Laxin gently on the head, like a parent comforting a child.

"...See?" he said, voice breaking. "They're encouraging me now."

Aria doubled over, clutching her stomach, her laughter ringing across the courtyard. Her skeletons nearly lost balance again.

Laxin jabbed a finger at her between his own wheezing chuckles. "Don't you dare lose control because of me

. If Fenric sees us laughing, he'll turn both of us into skeletons!"

The thought sobered her instantly. Her laughter dwindled to quiet snickers, though her eyes sparkled. "You're right. We'll never survive if we can't take this seriously."

Silence lingered, broken only by the faint creak of bones. The night grew colder, the weight of tomorrow pressing on them both.

And yet, amid the failures, the fumbling, and the comedy of errors, something subtle began to change.

Their skeletons stood straighter. Their commands grew sharper. Aria's focus deepened, her mana weaving smoother patterns. Laxin, through gritted teeth and muttered curses, began reinforcing joints, adjusting postures, steadying what once wobbled.

It wasn't flawless—but it was better.

For the first time, their skeletons stood side by side without collapsing. A ragged, crooked line of bone soldiers, but soldiers nonetheless.

Aria exhaled, almost in disbelief. "...We did it."

Laxin dropped onto the ground, arms spread wide, panting. "We? No. I dragged my circus troupe into order. You just—" He paused, then cracked a grin. "Fine. We did it. But if they embarrass me tomorrow, I'm blaming your skeletons for being bad influences."

The chamber was colder than ever that morning, the torches dimmer, as though the room itself knew what was coming.

Fenric stood in the center, cloak flowing like shadow, grimoire already open in his hand. His silver eyes fixed on them, unreadable.

Aria and Laxin entered together, side by side. Both were pale with nerves, though Aria carried herself straighter, her jaw set with quiet resolve. Laxin, by contrast, muttered a prayer under his breath to any god willing to listen.

"Summon," Fenric commanded.

Bones rattled. Aria's skeletons rose with perfect synchronicity, crisp and sharp. Laxin's emerged a beat later, but—for once—they didn't wobble, collapse, or slap each other. They stood. Crooked, perhaps, but standing.

Fenric's gaze flicked over them once, then shut the grimoire with a decisive snap.

"You face me. Together. If you fail to command, I will crush your soldiers in seconds." He lifted his hand, and from the piles of bones around him, a single skeleton rose—taller, broader, clad in ghostly fragments of spectral armor. Its eyes glowed faint silver, mirroring his own.

Aria's breath caught. Laxin whispered, "Of course his skeleton looks like it eats ours for breakfast."

"Begin," Fenric said.

The duel started instantly.

Aria barked, "Advance, shield up!" Her skeletons surged forward in formation, blades raised.

Laxin followed, shouting, "Flank him, left side!" His skeletons moved—not gracefully, but they moved, one even managing to hold its shield in the right direction.

Fenric's skeleton strode forward like a knight. It blocked Aria's thrust with flawless precision, then slammed its shield into one of her soldiers so hard it flew back and shattered against the wall.

Aria gritted her teeth, tightening her control, forcing the bones to knit back together.

"Faster!" she snapped, pouring mana to rebuild.

Meanwhile, Laxin's skeletons lunged clumsily at the enemy's flank. One tripped but the other managed a slash that scraped against the armored figure's side. Sparks flew—and faded without a mark.

Laxin paled. "Oh, we're so dead."

Fenric's voice cut through the clash. "Your coordination is sloppy. Your timing is weak."

The armored skeleton swung, shield-bashing one of Laxin's minions straight into Aria's. Both crumbled into a bone heap.

Aria shouted in frustration, "Laxin, keep yours upright!"

"I'm trying!" he yelled, sweat pouring as he forced the bones to reassemble. "They've got stage fright, alright?!"

But then—something clicked.

Aria's voice rose sharp, commanding: "Left strike, shield high!"

Laxin snapped, almost in sync: "Circle right, distract him!"

For the first time, their skeletons moved as one. Aria's blocked the enemy's shield, locking it in place, while Laxin's darted clumsily behind and swung down at the knee. The armored skeleton staggered—just for a breath, but it staggered.

Fenric's silver eyes gleamed. "Better."

Then his grimoire flared, and his soldier exploded with sudden speed, scattering theirs in all directions like toys. Bones skittered across the floor.

Aria fell to one knee, clutching her chest, breath ragged. Laxin collapsed onto his backside, groaning, "I think my soul just herniated..."

Fenric stepped forward, his voice cold but edged with something sharper—approval.

"You lasted longer than I expected."

Aria blinked up, stunned. "...Was that... praise?"

Laxin wheezed. "Mark this day... he almost said something nice."

Fenric ignored the comment. He snapped his grimoire shut, the spectral skeleton dissolving into mist. "But you are not ready. Not yet. Tomorrow, you will face me again. And next time, I will not hold back even this much."

The two of them stared in silence as he strode past, his cloak brushing like a blade of shadow.

When the door shut, Laxin flopped flat on the ground. "...I'm never summoning another skeleton again."

Aria, still panting, smirked faintly. "Yes you will. And tomorrow, they'd better not start slow-dancing."

One of his skeleton skulls, lying nearby, rolled slightly as if nodding.

Laxin groaned. "...Traitors. All of them."

That night, the training chamber was empty, but neither Aria nor Laxin found rest.

Aria sat cross-legged in the courtyard, the moonlight spilling over her like a silver veil. Her skeletons stood behind her like statues while she worked, weaving threads of mana into their joints and testing how quickly they responded. She whispered each command carefully, repeating the motions again and again.

Across the courtyard, Laxin was... less calm. He had his skeletons circling a broken training dummy, barking orders between heavy breaths.

"Alright, you block, you swing—no, not each other! The dummy! The straw head!"

The skeletons obeyed badly. One swung its shield and missed completely, smacking the dummy below the belt. The other stabbed at the head, but its sword bounced off and stuck into its partner's spine. Both toppled over in a messy heap.

Laxin groaned and dragged his hands down his face. "At this point, I should just call you Disaster One and Disaster Two."

The pile of bones rattled faintly, almost insulted.

Aria tried to stifle a laugh but couldn't. "You'll never get anywhere if you keep yelling like that. Skeletons copy intent. If your head's a mess, so will they."

He shot her a look, sweat running down his forehead. "Oh, thank you, Professor Perfect. Sorry I wasn't born with a skeleton manual tucked under my arm."

"Discipline, Laxin," she said, walking over. "Fenric was right. They're only as strong as your control. Treat them like brats, and—"

"They'll act like brats," he muttered, shoulders sagging. "...So I'm just a bad parent."

One skeleton, missing an arm, crawled across the ground and clutched at his ankle like a needy child.

Aria burst out laughing. "See? Even they agree."

Laxin pointed at it. "That's not a soldier, that's an emotional blackmailer." He sighed and dropped beside her, the skeleton still holding on.

For a while, they sat in quiet. Only the faint clatter of bones and the night wind filled the air.

Aria spoke first. "We actually made him stumble today. Even if it was just for a second... we did it together."

Laxin tilted his head back to look at the stars. His smile was tired, but honest. "Yeah. Which means tomorrow we'll last... what, two seconds before he flattens us?"

Aria looked down at her skeletons. "...Then let's make it three."

This time, Laxin didn't argue. He just sat there with the skull in his lap, as if daring it to act up.

And under the pale glow of the moon, two half-trained necromancers and their half-broken skeletons kept training for what tomorrow would bring.

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Chapter 80: Necro Archmagus Grimoire VIII

The next morning, the chamber was even colder. The torches barely held their light, flickering like they too were nervous about what was about to happen.

Fenric stood in the center again, cloak pooled like a shadow at his feet, grimoire open. His silver gaze flicked toward them as they entered.

"Summon."

Bones rattled up from the floor in two waves. Aria's skeletons rose sharp and steady, their formation cleaner than ever. Laxin's came a heartbeat later. To his shock, both managed to stand upright without wobbling—or tripping—on their first try.

He grinned. "See that? Discipline. Progress. My boys are ready."

One of his skeletons immediately sneezed. Or at least, its ribcage convulsed violently and popped a rib loose, which clattered to the ground.

Aria side-eyed him. "...Ready?"

Laxin pointed defensively. "That was... a warm-up sneeze."

Fenric's stare alone was enough to silence them both. He lifted a hand, and from the bone piles, another armored skeleton rose—this one taller than the last, plated in thicker spectral armor, its eyes burning brighter.

"Begin."

The fight exploded instantly.

Aria's skeletons advanced, shields high. Laxin's flanked with surprising coordination, moving in crooked but determined arcs. The armored soldier met them like a wall, deflecting blows with effortless precision.

"Hold steady!" Aria commanded, her voice sharp. Her soldiers locked their stances, bracing against the crushing shield bash that followed.

"Circle wide! Don't let him pin us!" Laxin yelled. For once, his skeletons actually listened—one darting awkwardly but successfully behind, the other distracting at the front.

Their timing wasn't perfect, but it was better. A strike landed. The armored skeleton staggered, forced a half-step back.

Aria's eyes widened. "We pushed it—"

WHAM. The enemy's shield came down like a hammer, blasting her skeleton into shards.

Laxin's soldiers tried to pounce on the opening, but one tripped on a stray rib and tackled the other by accident. Both went down in a heap.

"Disaster One, Disaster Two—NOT NOW!" Laxin bellowed.

Aria almost laughed, but Fenric's cold voice cut through the chamber. "Focus."

They scrambled, dragging their bone soldiers upright again. Aria pushed harder, mana flowing hot through her veins as she forced her skeletons to reform mid-stride. Laxin gritted his teeth, weaving commands with surprising clarity—shorter, sharper, more controlled.

And for a moment, their efforts clicked.

Four skeletons surged together, striking high and low, pressing the armored figure from two sides. Its shield faltered. Aria's soldier locked blades. Laxin's jabbed for its knee.

The armored skeleton dropped one leg, catching both strikes in a crushing sweep. Bones shattered like glass.

The courtyard fell silent except for the rain of fragments.

Aria dropped to one knee, clutching her chest, exhausted. Laxin collapsed flat on his back, panting like he'd run a marathon.

Fenric stepped forward, closing his grimoire. "Improved. Slightly." His tone was as sharp as ever, but something softer lingered under it. "Again tomorrow."

He turned to leave, cloak whispering against the stone.

When the door shut, Laxin groaned, flinging an arm over his eyes. "Slightly? That's it? I almost coughed out my soul for slightly?"

Aria managed a faint smile. "Better than nothing."

One of Laxin's skeleton skulls rolled across the floor and bumped against his arm. It tilted, staring at him with empty sockets.

He groaned louder. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not crying."

Aria chuckled weakly, shaking her head. "Tomorrow, then."

Laxin flopped his other arm out to the side. "Tomorrow... Disaster One and Two will make history."

The skull rattled as if doubting him.

The following morning, the chamber felt heavier, as if the stone itself was watching them.

"Summon," Fenric said, voice like steel.

Bones rose. Aria's skeletons snapped into formation with clean precision. Laxin's staggered a little, but managed to stand upright in a half-decent line.

Fenric raised a hand. Another armored skeleton rose from the piles—this one hefting a massive spectral axe that hummed with faint light. Its eye sockets burned cold silver.

"Begin."

Aria's soldiers charged first, shields braced. The axe came down in a thunderous swing, shattering one shield in a single strike. She hissed and immediately forced mana into the pieces, bones knitting as the skeleton stumbled back into place.

"Distraction, now!" she barked.

Laxin's skeletons rushed in—not elegant, but determined. One ran wide, circling the enemy's back, while the other lunged for its exposed side.

The armored skeleton pivoted with frightening speed. Its axe swept across the floor, catching Laxin's soldier mid-sprint. The poor thing spun twice in the air like a windmill before exploding into bones.

Laxin nearly screamed. "You can't just—just yeet my skeleton like that!"

Aria snapped, "Focus!" as her skeletons pressed in again.

Laxin clenched his teeth, pulling the bones back together with furious effort. This time, his command came out clearer, steadier: "Get up! Reform! Shield high!"

To his own shock, the skeleton obeyed—rising shakily but raising its shield on command.

"Good," Aria muttered, impressed despite herself. "Keep it steady!"

Together, their forces pressed again. Aria's skeleton locked the axe in a clash, struggling against its raw force, while Laxin's darted in for a low slash.

The armored skeleton actually staggered.

Laxin gasped. "We did it! We—"

The axe lifted, slamming both skeletons into the wall with bone-crushing force.

Aria swayed, sweat pouring. Laxin collapsed onto his knees, panting.

Fenric shut his grimoire. "Better."

He turned to leave, but this time, paused at the door. His voice was low, deliberate: "One day more. And if you fail then, you'll never keep up."

The door shut behind him.

Silence.

Laxin rolled onto his back, groaning. "...My skeleton's spine is in my spine. I can feel it."

Aria sat down heavily, wiping her brow. "...At least he said better."

Laxin raised one finger in mock triumph. "That's... practically applause, coming from him."

A stray rib clattered off the ceiling and landed on his stomach. He wheezed. "...Never mind. I'm cursed."

Aria laughed despite her exhaustion, shaking her head. "Then let's make sure tomorrow breaks the curse."

The next morning, Fenric was already waiting when they stumbled into the chamber. His grimoire floated at his side, pages fluttering in a phantom wind.

"Summon."

Bones rattled across the floor. Aria's skeletons marched out like soldiers. Laxin's clattered together—one crooked, one missing a femur—but somehow managed to stand in a line.

Fenric didn't summon his armored knight this time. Instead, with a flick of his hand, three skeletons rose from the piles. Their movements were fast, sharp, and in perfect unison—his control through them obvious.

"Formation," he ordered.

The three moved as one, shields locking, blades gleaming with ghostly light.

Aria's heart thumped. "We're fighting... actual formation drills?"

Laxin muttered, "Great. His skeletons have military training. Mine think they're in a puppet show."

"Begin," Fenric said.

Aria commanded first, crisp: "Advance, shield press!"

Her skeletons surged forward, meeting the enemy wall with a loud clash. Laxin scrambled to add support. "Uh—flank, left! No—your other left!"

His skeletons hesitated, turning in opposite directions. One circled the wrong way, the other bumped into Aria's soldier mid-strike, nearly knocking it off balance.

"Laxin!" she shouted.

"I'm fixing it!" he yelped, sweat pouring as he yanked the wayward one back into line.

Fenric's skeletons advanced with ruthless rhythm, shields slamming in unison. One thrust broke straight through Laxin's soldier, bones scattering.

"Stay up, stay up—don't you dare collapse!" Laxin begged, forcing it back together.

Aria's jaw tightened. She poured mana into her commands, crisp and sharp. "Block, strike, pivot right!" Her skeletons responded instantly, catching one of Fenric's in the ribs with a clean blow.

It staggered a step.

Laxin blinked, then suddenly grinned. "Wait... wait, I see it! It's like—like a rhythm game!"

"What?" Aria snapped.

He started clapping to his own beat. "Block-step-swing, block-step-swing! Oh-ho, yeah! Dance with me, bone boys!"

To Aria's horror, his skeletons actually began moving smoother—offbeat, sloppy, but together. They swung almost in sync with hers, crashing down on one of Fenric's defenders hard enough to break its shield arm.

Aria gaped. "...That worked?"

"Of course it worked!" Laxin said proudly. "They just needed choreography!"

Fenric's silver eyes glinted faintly, unreadable. His skeletons surged harder, sweeping aside their rhythm and scattering their formation with brutal precision.

In moments, their army lay in bone heaps again.

Both necromancers dropped to the floor, drained.

Fenric closed his grimoire. "Sloppy. Chaotic. Amateurish."

They flinched.

"...But not entirely useless." His gaze lingered on them a moment longer before he turned, cloak sweeping behind him. "Again tomorrow."

Silence.

Then Laxin rolled onto his stomach, wheezing, "Hear that? He said not entirely useless. That's basically a love letter."

Aria couldn't help but laugh, exhausted but lighter somehow. "If that's a love letter, I don't want to know what an insult sounds like."

A stray skeleton hand gave Laxin a thumbs-up before collapsing again.

He pointed at it weakly. "See? Even they agree with me."

On the seventh day, something changed.

Aria's stance was steady, her voice crisp. Laxin's eyes burned with that weird manic determination that only comes after too many humiliating losses. And for once, their skeletons actually stood in formation instead of wobbling like mismatched scarecrows.

Fenric's silver gaze lingered on them longer than usual. Then, he snapped his grimoire open. A page turned, glowing faintly with silver script.

"You've scraped together the bare minimum," he said. "Now... we go further."

The script hovered before them, the words pulling at their minds like whispers from the abyss.

[Bone Lance]

[Soul Shackle]

[Spectral Hands]

Aria's breath hitched. "Spells?"

Fenric nodded once. "Your skeletons are extensions. But true necromancers command death itself."

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Chapter 81: Necro Archmagus Grimoire IX

The silver script hovered in the air, thrumming with a faint, dreadful resonance.

Aria's eyes darted between the glowing words, her pulse racing. Bone Lance. Soul Shackle. Spectral Hands. Each name carried weight, as if the grimoire itself whispered promises of strength—and warnings of cost.

Laxin squinted at the hovering text. "Alright, but which one makes things explode? I call dibs."

Aria groaned. "This isn't a tavern menu, Laxin. They're spells."

Fenric's gaze was sharp as a blade. "Yes. And spells are more dangerous than any blade. Without precision, they will turn on you."

He flicked his wrist. The letters shifted, showing skeletal diagrams—bones twisting into spears, chains coiling around ghostly figures, translucent hands clawing out of the ground.

"Each spell requires intent, clarity, and force of will. If you falter..." His eyes slid to a pile of bones half-buried in shadow. "...you will join the heap."

Laxin swallowed. "...Noted."

They started with Bone Lance.

Aria closed her eyes, picturing the shape, forcing her mana into a single bone shard. The fragment quivered, trembled—then snapped upward, stretching into a crooked spear.

"Yes!" she gasped, hurling it at a dummy. It flew—straight into the ceiling, where it stuck like a badly-thrown dart.

Laxin burst out laughing. "Deadly to chandeliers. Terrifying."

"Shut up," she hissed.

He tried next, gripping a femur. "Alright, let's see... spear of bones, rise!"

The femur twitched—then exploded into fifty tiny toothpick-sized lances that shot in every direction. One clipped his ear.

"OW! Why do mine always try to kill me!?"

Aria couldn't stop laughing this time.

They moved on to Soul Shackle.

Aria pictured chains, thick and unbreakable, lashing out from the air itself. Shadows stirred. For a heartbeat, dark links coiled around a dummy—then promptly whipped back and tied her own wrists together.

She yelped. "Oh—no, no, no!" She tumbled sideways, struggling against her own spell.

Laxin doubled over. "Congratulations, you just arrested yourself."

She growled. "Try it, then!"

He did. His shadows twisted into something that looked suspiciously like... a jump rope. It flopped uselessly on the ground.

Fenric's silver eyes narrowed. "Pathetic."

By mid-afternoon, they attempted Spectral Hands.

Laxin clapped his hands dramatically. "Rise, ghostly minions of doom!"

The floor rumbled. His grin widened—until dozens of glowing hands erupted, not to claw at enemies, but to grab his legs.

He screamed as they dragged him across the chamber. "HELP! THEY'RE TAKING ME TO THE UNDERWORLD!"

Aria fell to her knees laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

She tried moments later, more cautiously. Wisps of dark mana seeped from her palms. One spectral hand clawed upward, swiping at a dummy before dissolving.

Her smile widened. "I did it!"

Laxin, still half-dragged across the floor, yelled, "Good for you! Now tell them to LET ME GO!"

Aria dismissed her spell, and mercifully, the hands sank back into the stone. Laxin lay flat, panting.

"...I hate this training."

Aria smirked. "You love it."

Fenric closed the grimoire with a snap. His voice was cold, but his eyes carried the faintest flicker of approval.

"Clumsy. Weak. Unrefined. But you touched the edge of necromancy. That is enough... for now."

He turned away, his cloak swirling as shadows clung to him like a second skin.

"Tomorrow, you will show me more. Or you will break."

The torches guttered as he left them in silence.

Aria stared at her trembling hands, still tingling with dark energy. For all the failures, for all the disasters, she could feel it—her control sharpening, her power expanding.

Laxin groaned, rolling onto his back. "If we survive tomorrow, I'm naming my skeletons Victory One and Victory Two."

Aria chuckled, lying back beside him. "...Don't get their hopes up."

But somewhere deep down, both of them believed it.

Tomorrow, they wouldn't just fail louder. Tomorrow, they might actually succeed.

The days that followed were chaos—explosions of bones, accidental self-arrests, ghost hands pulling Laxin across the floor like a mop. But somewhere in the middle of all that disaster... something changed.

Aria's Bone Lances no longer stuck in ceilings—they cut clean through training dummies, pinning straw heads to the wall like trophies.

Her Soul Shackles, once clumsy, now wrapped around targets like steel serpents, locking dummies in place long enough for skeletons to crush them.

Even Spectral Hands obeyed her, dragging enemies instead of her.

Laxin—well, his spells still had a sense of humor. But they worked.

His Bone Lances split into three sharp spikes at once, turning a single strike into a scatter shot. His Soul Shackles were wild, but strong enough to yank two skeletons to the floor at once. And his Spectral Hands? They seemed to have... personality. They high-fived each other after clawing down a dummy, making him cackle like a madman.

Fenric, watching from the shadows, finally nodded. "Adequate."

He raised his hand. The floor trembled. Bones shifted—not into soldiers this time, but into towering shapes.

One skeleton formed into a knight, plated in bone-forged armor, a rusted sword clutched in its grip.

Another shimmered with runes, its skull glowing as faint wisps of mana curled from its bony hands—a skeletal mage.

The last rose heavier, thicker, more brutal: a skeletal warrior with an axe bigger than Laxin.

Aria's jaw dropped. "...They can be more than just soldiers?"

Fenric's silver gaze pinned them. "Skeletons are the foundation. But knights, mages, and warriors... they are the arms of an army. Without them, you are nothing but children playing with bones."

Laxin whispered, eyes wide. "...That's it. This is it. We're making a skeleton guild."

Aria smacked him. "Focus."

Training the Knights was brutal.

Aria's first knight moved like a clumsy drunk in heavy armor, tripping over its own sword. But after hours of repetition, it began marching steady, shield up, strikes crisp. She felt the difference—commanding one knight required ten times the focus of a regular soldier.

Laxin's knight... immediately stabbed itself in the foot.

He wailed. "Why do mine hate me?!"

But after two days, it learned to at least swing in the right direction. Sometimes.

Training the Mages nearly killed them.

The first time Aria funneled mana into a skeletal mage, it sneezed out a fireball that torched half the training dummies.

Laxin's mage, on the other hand, coughed up sparks that fizzled—until it accidentally sneezed lightning straight at him, knocking him flat.

"Okay," he wheezed, hair smoking. "This one's a keeper."

Training the Warriors was worse.

Big, heavy, slow—but terrifying once they got moving. Aria's warrior swung its axe in wide arcs, scattering anything in its path.

Laxin's warrior, meanwhile... couldn't stop spinning the axe like it thought it was in a circus act. It twirled until it collapsed, dizzy.

Laxin put his head in his hands. "...It's me. I'm cursed. Even my warrior's a clown."

But Fenric only said, "Even clowns kill, if aimed properly."

By the end of the week, the chamber floor was a graveyard of shattered dummies. Aria stood tall, sweat dripping, her knights and mage flanking her like a true commander.

Laxin leaned against a wall, panting, but grinning—his own knight crooked, his mage sparking, his warrior dizzy but standing.

Fenric closed his grimoire slowly. His voice, though still cold, carried the weight of something new.

"You have taken the first step. You command not just bones... but an army."

Aria's heart pounded. Laxin's grin widened.

"...So," Laxin said, wiping his brow. "When do we get the dragon skeletons?"

Aria groaned. "Don't even joke."

Fenric's silver eyes flickered—just enough to make them both go silent.

"Not yet," he said.

But the way he said it made their blood run cold.

The next day, Fenric was already waiting when they entered the chamber. His grimoire floated beside him, pages glowing faint silver.

"You've learned to summon knights, mages, and warriors," he said. "Now... you will test them in a battle."

Aria and Laxin both tensed.

Bones rattled across the floor. This time, Fenric didn't summon just one or two enemies. He raised an entire squad—three knights in armor, two skeletal mages glowing with ghostly fire, and a heavy warrior carrying a massive hammer. They moved in perfect formation, every step sharp, every weapon steady.

Aria whispered, "That's... an army."

Laxin gulped. "And we're about to get buried by it."

"Begin," Fenric said.

Aria shouted, "Shields forward!" Her knights marched in a line, blocking the first wave of attacks. Her mage raised its hands, firing a bolt of blue fire that burst against an enemy's shield.

Laxin barked, "Warrior—swing wide! Mage—zap something, anything!"

His warrior roared, axe spinning in a sloppy arc that actually smashed into two of Fenric's knights. His mage sneezed lightning again—this time striking one of Fenric's mages and making its bones rattle apart.

Aria blinked at him. "...Did that actually work?"

He grinned. "See? Strategy!"

Their skeletons pressed forward together. For once, their timing wasn't awful. Aria's knight locked blades with an enemy while Laxin's warrior crashed into its side. Her mage fired again, and his followed up with a crooked lightning bolt. The enemy squad actually faltered.

Fenric's voice cut through the clash. "Better."

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EXTRA SURVIVAL GUIDE TO OVERPOWERING HERO AND VILLAINC82: Necro Archmagus Grimoire X

Chapter 82: Necro Archmagus Grimoire X

But just as their confidence sparked, Fenric's silver eyes glowed brighter.

He raised a single hand, and the enemy squad responded like a single organism. The three knights suddenly shifted formation, shields locking together, blades thrusting in perfect rhythm. The skeletal mage in the back raised its staff high, weaving fire and shadow into a spiraling orb, while the heavy warrior's hammer swept in a brutal arc.

Aria's stomach dropped. "They're not just skeletons... they're soldiers."

"Correction," Fenric said coldly, "they are mine."

The hammer smashed down. Her knight barely blocked, the shield cracking as bones splintered apart. One of Laxin's warriors tried to intercept, but the glowing orb of the enemy mage burst across the field—knocking it flat, smoking.

Laxin cursed. "Oh, come on! That was my good one!"

Aria grit her teeth. "No—we can still do this!" She focused hard, channeling her mana. Her Soul Shackles snapped out, black chains lashing across the floor. They caught one of Fenric's knights, binding its sword arm.

Her mage seized the opening, launching a firebolt into its chest—bones shattered, fragments flying.

"Yes!" she cried.

But in the same breath, Fenric's voice whispered, cold and merciless: "Adapt."

The enemy warrior grabbed the bound knight and used it as a club, swinging its still-shackled body into Aria's squad. The impact bowled over her second knight like bowling pins, scattering them across the floor.

Aria gasped. "That's cheating!"

Laxin groaned. "Cheating is just advanced strategy." He scrambled upright, mana flaring wildly. His mage lifted both arms, and this time lightning speared down with surprising force, striking Fenric's hammer-wielding warrior.

The giant skeleton convulsed, dropping to one knee, sparks crackling over its bones.

"NOW!" Laxin shouted. "Aria—finish it!"

Aria pushed her energy into her warrior, and the hulking skeleton charged, axe raised. It slammed into the crackling enemy, cleaving its spine clean in half. The hammer wielder collapsed into a pile of ash-white bones.

They both froze.

They'd... actually taken one down.

Aria's lips parted in awe. Laxin pumped his fist. "YES! Victory Number One!"

But Fenric only flicked his wrist.

The fallen bones began trembling... then rose again, reforming. Only this time, runes glowed across its surface, burning with silver fire. The warrior was stronger. Heavier. Faster.

Aria's hope vanished. "That's not fair—"

"It is reality," Fenric said, his voice cutting like ice. "Your enemy does not stay dead. Until you break their will... they rise again."

The reforged warrior roared, charging with twice the force.

Aria and Laxin both screamed.

The reforged warrior thundered forward, silver runes flaring with each step. Its hammer came down like a falling mountain.

Aria's knights raised their shields in unison—but the blow shattered both, bones exploding outward. She staggered, clutching her chest as the backlash of broken control tore through her.

Laxin panicked. "Okay, okay—new plan: run away screaming!"

Aria barked, "Shut up and FIGHT!" Her voice cracked, but her eyes burned. She forced her focus into her mage, weaving its hands upward. Ghostly blue fire ignited and shot at the rune-covered warrior.

The flames hit—but the runes absorbed them, glowing brighter.

Laxin swore. "Of course it eats magic! Why wouldn't it?!"

Fenric's voice, maddeningly calm: "Stronger enemies demand stronger will. What will you do, little necromancers?"

Aria's mind raced. We can't match strength. Not head on.

She turned sharply to Laxin. "Scatter shot!"

He blinked. "Scatter what—oh! Right!" He grabbed his bone lance, funneled mana, and three jagged spikes erupted from his hands. He launched them at the warrior—not to pierce, but to force it back.

The warrior staggered half a step. Just enough.

Aria lashed out with Soul Shackles, binding its legs in a web of black chains. They strained, cracking, but held for a moment.

"Now what?!" Laxin shouted, sweat flying.

Aria's eyes darted. Their warriors were down. Their knights shattered. Only...

Her gaze fell on the pile of bones strewn across the floor.

"...Then we rebuild."

She thrust both hands forward. The bones rattled, then leapt together—not into knights, not into mages, but into a crooked, hulking abomination of mismatched limbs.

Its skull was sideways. Its arm was too long. It carried a sword in one hand, a shield in the other, and half a ribcage for armor.

It looked ridiculous.

Laxin's jaw dropped. "That's... hideous."

Aria grit her teeth. "Hideous or not—GO!"

The abomination roared like a dying donkey and tackled

Fenric's warrior full-force, smashing it to the ground. The two clattered across the floor, bones against bones.

Laxin cackled. "Oh my gods—it's winning!"

"Don't just stand there!" Aria yelled.

"Oh, right!" He funneled his mana into his mage, and for once the lightning shot straight, spearing into the rune warrior's skull. The runes flared... then cracked, one by one.

The massive skeleton twitched, convulsed, and finally collapsed into stillness.

Silence filled the chamber.

Both Aria and Laxin panted, doubled over, barely able to keep standing.

Fenric's silver eyes swept over the field. His grimoire closed with a heavy thud.

"...Better," he said. "You adapt. You survive. Barely."

Laxin flopped onto his back, groaning. "Barely is my specialty."

Aria collapsed beside him, still shaking, but a small, defiant smile tugged at her lips.

For the first time, Fenric did not look disappointed. He simply turned, shadows wrapping around him, and left them in the wreckage of their battle.

Laxin whispered, staring at the ceiling, "Aria... we just beat a skeleton super-soldier with a bone... donkey."

Aria closed her eyes, exhausted. "...Don't name it that."

"I'm naming it that," he said smugly. "Victory Donkey the First."

Despite herself, she laughed.

The next morning, the chamber was darker than usual. The torches barely flickered, shadows clinging to the stone like living things.

Fenric stood in the center, grimoire already open, his silver gaze fixed on them. Without a word, he raised his hand.

The floor shook. Bones rattled, but this time they didn't rise into crooked soldiers or clumsy knights. A single figure emerged—towering, plated in corroded armor, a rusted but massive blade in its gauntlet grip. Its skull glowed faint crimson, a mockery of life.

An Undead Knight.

Aria froze. "...That's... not just a skeleton."

Laxin's face drained of all color. "That's the thing you send when you hate someone. That's the boss fight at the end of a dungeon, Fenric!"

The knight lifted its blade and slammed it against the ground with a sound like thunder. The shockwave alone sent their weaker skeletons tumbling apart like dominoes.

Aria cried out, forcing hers back together with sheer will. "It's too strong!"

Laxin shouted over the quake, "How is this even fair?! How did you summon that?!"

Fenric's expression didn't change. His voice was cold, almost amused."I created the spell. So I did it."

Both of them gawked.

"You—" Laxin nearly choked, pointing. "You just made it up?!"

Aria snapped at him, "Stop panicking and MOVE!"

They scrambled, sending knights and warriors forward, but the Undead Knight cut through them like paper. Shields shattered. Blades cracked. A single swing obliterated two mages in one sweep.

Aria clenched her fists, forcing her Soul Shackles to coil around its legs. For a heartbeat, it slowed. She shouted, "Now, Laxin—Bone Lance!"

Laxin hurled a scatter shot, three lances streaking at once. They hit—one in the chest, one in the shoulder, one right through its skull.

The knight... barely staggered. Then it roared, crimson fire bursting from its eye sockets, and tore free of the shackles like they were threads.

Laxin's jaw dropped. "It shrugged it off! That was my good shot!"

The Undead Knight raised its sword, aiming straight for them.

For the first time, Fenric's voice carried a challenge."Then adapt. Or be broken."

The blade came crashing down.

Aria screamed, throwing up a wall of bone shields. They shattered instantly, the impact slamming her to the floor.

Laxin dragged her up, pale and gasping. "We can't win this!"

Aria gritted her teeth, sweat dripping. "...Then we don't win."

He blinked at her. "That's... encouraging."

"No—we don't win. We survive." Her eyes narrowed. "Together."

She poured everything into a twisted mass of bones, forcing them to rise into another abomination, hulking and misshapen. Laxin, teeth clenched, backed her up—his spectral hands erupted, dragging at the knight's blade, slowing it just enough.

The bone abomination tackled the knight, locking it in a brutal grapple. Sparks flew as blade met shield, bone against rusted steel.

Aria screamed from the strain. Laxin fell to one knee, blood at the corner of his mouth from mana backlash.

The knight was still winning. Slowly. Inevitably.

Fenric watched, silent. His eyes gleamed like silver fire.

The chamber was shaking.

The Undead Knight's blade hacked down, sparks hissing where it bit into Aria's bone abomination. Its shield arm cracked under the pressure, splintering like firewood.

Aria's veins burned with strain. "Hold—damn you, hold!"

Laxin knelt beside her, forcing his spectral hands to claw higher, clutching the knight's shoulders. They held for a second—just a second—before the undead shrugged and tore them apart in a spray of silver wisps.

He coughed blood, groaning. "I think it just bench-pressed my soul."

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EXTRA SURVIVAL GUIDE TO OVERPOWERING HERO AND VILLAINC83: Necro Archmagus Grimoire XI

Chapter 83: Necro Archmagus Grimoire XI

The knight's sword cleaved through the abomination at last, scattering it into shards of bone that clattered across the stone floor. Dust and marrow filled the air, the echo of its destruction still reverberating like a drumbeat of doom.

Aria collapsed forward on her hands, gasping, sweat and blood mingling at her lips. Her chest heaved as she spat out, "Damn it... damn it!"

Laxin's face was pale, but his voice—tired, cracked—still found its way to humor. "Well... that went about as well as trying to hug a bear trap."

The Undead Knight turned, its crimson gaze locking on them. Step by step, it advanced—each stomp like thunder rolling down a mountainside.

Aria forced herself upright, shaking. "We're... not done." She clenched her teeth, summoning a pair of skeletal mages from the shattered remains. They rose crooked, one missing a jaw, the other missing an arm—but their eye sockets burned with her will.

Laxin raised a trembling hand. "Seriously? That's your grand play? Jawless Jerry and One-Armed Ollie?"

"They'll buy us seconds!" she barked, forcing them forward.

The mages unleashed twin firebolts—crooked, weak, and desperate. The knight simply raised its shield, absorbing both without a hitch.

Laxin coughed into his hand, saw blood on his palm, and muttered, "Okay, so... Plan B?"

Aria's jaw set. "No Plan B. We push until we break."

The knight raised its sword for the killing strike.

But before it could fall, the air froze.

Silver light snapped across the chamber, freezing the knight mid-swing. Its body locked, runes shimmering faintly as though pinned under invisible weight. The crimson glow in its skull flickered, dimmed.

Fenric lowered his hand, his grimoire still glowing faintly with silver fire. His gaze swept over them—sharp, cold, but not without a trace of recognition.

"Enough." His voice echoed like steel across stone.

The Undead Knight slowly sank to one knee, then dissolved into a pile of inert bones.

Silence.

Aria collapsed to her knees, her face pale, her body trembling as mana drained away like water through broken glass.

Laxin flopped on his back, wheezing, eyes wide at the ceiling. "...I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes. Spoiler—it was mostly naps and bread."

Fenric closed the grimoire, tucking it beneath his arm. "Pathetic," he said coldly. Then after a beat, his eyes lingered—just slightly—on both of them. "But... not hopeless."

Aria looked up, breathless, clutching her chest. "We... we held it off."

Fenric's silver gaze was sharp as a blade. "Barely. And only because I intervened."

Laxin groaned, raising a limp hand. "Yeah, but we still get, like... half a victory point, right?"

Fenric did not smile. But for a fleeting moment, the corner of his mouth twitched—so subtle it could've been imagined.

"Rest," he commanded, turning away. Shadows coiled at his feet, curling toward the exit. "Tomorrow... you will face worse."

The torches dimmed with his departure, the chamber sinking back into stillness.

Aria slumped against Laxin, exhausted, but her lips pulled into the faintest of grins. "Worse... huh?"

Laxin wheezed a laugh. "Yeah. At this rate, next it's gonna be a skeleton dragon with abs."

Despite herself, she chuckled weakly. "Shut up..."

And in the silence that followed, they both realized something terrifying.

They weren't just surviving Fenric's trials.

They were beginning to adapt.

The next day came far too quickly.

Aria's body ached everywhere. Every nerve still throbbed from mana backlash, and she felt like her bones might crumble if she sneezed too hard. Laxin wasn't doing much better—he limped into the training hall with his hair sticking up in six different directions, a blackened scorch mark still on his cheek from yesterday's lightning recoil.

"Morning," he croaked. "I dreamed about bread, then woke up chewing my pillow."

Aria pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're hopeless."

The torches flickered to life on their own, and the chamber thickened with shadows. Fenric stood in the center, already waiting, his silver eyes unreadable. The grimoire floated in front of him, pages turning as if blown by some unseen wind.

No greetings. No warnings.

With a single gesture, the floor cracked open.

This time, it wasn't one monster. It wasn't even a handful.

A dozen skeletons rose, but unlike the clumsy warriors they'd trained against before, these wore fragments of robes, staffs clutched in their bony hands. Faint runes burned on their foreheads, synchronized—like a chorus of the dead.

Aria's stomach dropped. "...Skeletal mages."

Laxin groaned, slapping his forehead. "Nope. Nope. This is how it ends. I always knew I'd die in a magical group project."

The mages raised their staffs as one. Their voices—empty rattles of air and dust—chanted in eerie unison.

The first volley struck like a storm—fireballs, ice shards, arcs of shadow lightning all at once.

Aria yelped, throwing up a wall of bone shields. The barrage smashed it apart in seconds. She hit the ground hard, rolling out of the blast radius.

Laxin scrambled behind a fallen pillar, panting. "Okay, okay—think! Aria, how do you fight twelve spellcasters?!"

"Usually," she hissed, "with another twelve spellcasters!"

He peeked over the rubble just in time for an ice lance to smash into the stone, exploding it into shards. He ducked again, yelping, "Okay, okay, that checks out, but we don't HAVE twelve spellcasters!"

Aria growled, forcing her focus into the scraps of bones scattered around. "We'll make do. Cover me!"

"Cover you with WHAT?!" Laxin shrieked, but he still hurled a hasty Bone Lance at the nearest mage. It missed by a good three feet, but at least drew its attention.

Aria's hands shook as she pulled bones together, weaving them fast. Not knights. Not warriors. Not even abominations. This time, she forced the mana to twist into crude copies of the enemy—four skeletal mages of her own. Their bones rattled weakly, sparks of unstable energy crackling at their fingertips.

"Go!" she shouted.

Her mages unleashed crooked firebolts and shadow blasts, colliding with the enemy barrage in midair. The chamber lit up like a storm of sparks and flame, explosions shaking the floor.

Laxin's jaw dropped. "You made... skeletons that make skeleton spells. This is so stupid I love it!"

"Focus!" Aria snapped.

But already, the enemy mages were adjusting—splitting into two groups, weaving spells in tandem. A perfect formation.

Her own summoned mages cracked under the pressure, their bones splintering as fire tore them apart.

Aria gasped, struggling to hold the bindings. Sweat poured down her face.

Laxin gritted his teeth. "Alright, enough defense. Time for something reckless!"

Before she could stop him, he charged into the open, both hands glowing with unstable mana.

"Laxin, NO—!"

He thrust his palms out, unleashing a wild storm of bone shards—hundreds of jagged pieces flung like a shotgun blast. They scattered across the chamber, stabbing into walls, ceiling, and enemy alike.

Three of the skeletal mages fell, their runes sputtering as their bones cracked apart.

Aria's eyes widened. "...It worked?"

Laxin blinked at his hands, stunned. "...It worked." Then his arms started smoking, bones in his forearms glowing red from backlash. "Oh gods—it worked too much!"

He dropped to his knees, groaning, clutching his arms as cracks ran up his skin like glowing veins.

Aria rushed to him, half-shielding them both with the scraps of her magic as another barrage rained down.

Fenric stood in silence, silver eyes gleaming, watching their struggle with cold patience.

"Not enough," he murmured.

The enemy mages raised their staffs again.

Aria's lips trembled. Her mana was almost gone. Laxin could barely move.

And still, Fenric's voice cut the chamber like a blade.

"Adapt. Or be erased."

The mages unleashed their next storm.

The storm of spells came like a flood.

Aria's shields cracked instantly, the wave of fire and ice slamming her back against the wall. Dust and ash filled her lungs. Her vision blurred—but through the haze she saw Laxin, still kneeling, hands trembling as if his own bones would split apart.

She grit her teeth. No. Not like this.

Her mana was gone, her summons broken—but bones still littered the floor. Hundreds of them. Every piece shattered by every failure they'd endured.

Her hand pressed flat to the stone, voice raw.

"Rise."

The bones rattled.

Laxin coughed blood and lifted his head. "Aria...? You don't have enough—"

"Then I'll take more," she whispered, her eyes glowing faint blue. The bones surged—not as neat knights or careful mages, but as a storm. Jagged ribs, splintered femurs, cracked skulls—all pulling together into a whirling mass.

The skeletal mages unleashed another barrage—bolts of fire and lightning lashing forward.

But the bone storm ate it. The spells struck, shattered bones scattering and rejoining, swirling faster and faster until it became a howling cyclone.

The shockwave blasted outward, slamming into the enemy mages. Three were torn apart instantly, their glowing runes snuffed out like candles. The others staggered, struggling to hold formation.

Aria staggered too, her nose bleeding, body shaking from the overload. "I... I can't hold it long."

Laxin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His grin came through the blood. "Then let me make it count."

He forced himself upright, throwing both arms wide. What was left of his mana flared, unstable, sparking like lightning.

"Bone storm plus lightning storm... let's make this suicidal!" he yelled.

Aria wanted to shout at him, but there was no time. He poured everything he had into her whirling cyclone of bones—blue-white lightning lanced through it, igniting the storm into a roaring tempest.

It crashed into the enemy like a living beast, devouring them in a crackling hurricane of bone and thunder.

One by one, the skeletal mages shattered. Runes burst like dying stars. Silence fell at last, broken only by the rattle of falling fragments.

Aria collapsed forward, panting, barely able to keep her eyes open. Laxin flopped onto the floor beside her, smoke rising from his arms, grinning like an idiot.

"...We lived," he wheezed.

"Barely," she whispered, her whole body trembling.

The chamber was silent—until the sound of a book closing echoed.

Fenric stood with the grimoire in hand, his expression unreadable. His silver eyes swept over them—Aria, bleeding but unbroken, and Laxin, still smiling despite his pain.

Finally, he spoke, voice low.

"...Acceptable."

Aria blinked weakly. "That's it? Acceptable?"

Laxin groaned. "We just unleashed a skeleton hurricane and he grades us like a school essay."

Fenric's lips curved—so faintly it might have been imagined.

"Rest. Tomorrow... you face more."

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