The air became cold. Each breath Kerry took came out white against the gray fog.
The ground beneath him was cracked and dry, littered with bones of things that once lived.
Then came a sound, a low growl, deep and guttural.
It echoed through the mist, vibrating in his chest.
Kerry raised his eyes. Something massive moved ahead, crawling.
When the creature stepped into view, his stomach tightened.
Its skin was a patchwork of rough scales and rotting flesh, long claws dragging through the dirt with every step.
Two rows of fangs jutted from its jaw, each dripping black saliva that hissed when it touched the ground.
Its eyes red, burning with hatred, as they locked onto him.
> [Target Identified: Fang Devourer Beast]
Rank: E
Type: Aberrant Corpse Beast
Weak Point: Neck (unstable bone link)
Kerry clenched his fists, his mind racing with how to defeat the beast.
He had no weapon. No armor. Just his body… and the System.
> [System Tip: Physical combat advised. Use the environment.]
The beast rush towards and lunged.
Kerry barely rolled aside. Its claws tore a crater where he'd stood. Dust exploded through the air, heavy with the stench of rot.
He stumbled to his feet, his breathing ragged. "If I die again… that's it, huh?"
The creature turned, growling. He grabbed a broken femur from the ground, a bone nearly as long as his arm and swung it with every ounce of strength left in him.
The bone hit its jaw, snapping one of the beast's fangs clean off. But that only enraged it. The creature roared, and its claw slammed into his chest, sending him flying back into a pile of bones.
Pain flared through his ribs. As he spat blood gasping for air.
The System's voice echoed sharply in his head:
> [Vitality dropping.]
[Activating Combat Subroutine.]
A new line of text appeared before his eyes, glowing cold and dark:
> [Skill Unlocked — Bone Grasp (Lv.1)]
"Command the remnants of death to obey your will."
Before Kerry could even react, the bones scattered around him began to rattle.
They rose from the ground, hundreds of white fragments moving together.
He raised his hand instinctively.
The bones fused into a massive skeletal arm that coiled around his forearm like armor. Veins of black energy pulsed through it.
> [Skill Active: Bone Grasp.]
The beast charged again, roaring. Kerry stepped forward, thrusting his hand out.
The skeletal arm extended, bones reshaping into claws midair and grabbed the beast by the throat.
CRACK.
The creature screamed, thrashing violently, but the bony hand didn't let go.
Dark mist coiled from Kerry's palm, crawling up the beast's neck.
> [Soul Drain Initiated.]
The red light in its eyes began to fade. The flesh around its neck turned to dust.
Kerry felt a cold energy rush into his veins, the power and the strength.
The beast struggles slowed then fell silent.
It crumbled completely, collapsing into ash.
> [Target Eliminated.]
[E-Rank Gate Cleared.]
Reward: Soul Core (E-Rank) obtained.
Skill "Bone Grasp" proficiency increased.
Kerry stood there, panting, staring at his hand.
The skeletal arm slowly broke apart, returning to dust.
The System's voice echoed softly:
> "You command the dead now, Kerry. This is only the beginning."
The mist faded. The world around him shattered like glass and he was pulled back into reality.
By the time Kerry realized where he was, the sun had already begun to sink behind the horizon. He stood again at the center of the statues, the same place he had been practicing earlier.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
"Huh… did I really spend the whole day on that quest?"
The sky had turned into a deep shade of crimson when the familiar interface shimmered into view before his eyes.
> [E-Rank Gate Cleared.]
[Mission Complete.]
[Processing rewards…]
A faint smile touched his lips, though exhaustion pressed down on his body like weight. His vision flickered for a second as the next line appeared.
> [Reward: Soul Core (E-Rank)]
[Absorption Recommended.]
He let out a tired breath and lifted his hand to open the full display.
---
> [SYSTEM STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Kerry
Age: 16
Level: 3
Race: Human (Soul-Bound)
Class: Necromancer — Unawakened Tier
Title: The One Who Returned from Death
⚔️ Attributes
Stat Base Bonus Total
Strength 6 + 4 10
Agility 8+3 11
Endurance 7+4 11
Vitality 0+3 3
Intelligence 12+2 14
Luck 4 +0 4
---
"Ha…" He let out a long breath, shoulders slumping as he stared at the screen.
"That's something, at least."
He turned away from the statues, dragging his tired legs back toward the hospital. The streets were quiet, and his shadow stretched across the cracked pavement under the dying light.
He didn't have a home yet. The hospital was the only place he could rest for now. Maybe tomorrow, he'd start looking for somewhere else… though he didn't even know the name of the town he was in.
With that thought, Kerry disappeared into the fading light, his footsteps echoing softly against the empty street.
---
Kerry blinked, dazed, as something rolled against his hand, a small orb glowing like dying embers. Its light pulsed faintly, releasing a warmth that crawled beneath his skin, both soothing and strange.
> [Reward: Soul Core (E-Rank)]
[Absorption Recommended.]
He hesitated, fingers hovering just above it.
"Absorb… this?"
The moment his skin touched the orb, it shattered into dust, melting into a swirl of dark mist that forced its way into his veins.
Pain followed. Not the kind that tore at flesh, but one that burned through his soul. His jaw tightened as voices filled his head, countless whispers, weeping, growling, chanting in a language he didn't understand.
> [Soul Core Assimilation in Progress…]
[Strength +3]
[Intelligence +2]
[New Passive Skill Unlocked: Grave Instinct (Lv.1)]
— "Perceive killing intent and death energy within a 10-meter radius."
Kerry gasped as the mist finally settled. His breathing evened out, deep and heavy.
Now… he could feel everything. The air itself carried weight, cold, sharp, and filled with unseen presences drifting in the dark.
He exhaled slowly, voice low.
"This power…"
The System gave no reply. Instead, a new notification appeared not blue but crimson this time, pulsing softly.
> [New Path Available: Necromancer's Evolution Route]
───────
Paths:
1. Bone Sovereign – Command armies of skeletal beasts.
2. Soulbinder – Manipulate the spirits of the dead.
3. Death Warden – Consume souls to strengthen your own.
───────
[Select One Path to Begin Advancement.]
Kerry stared at the choices, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. Each option radiated a presence of its own, cold, ancient, and filled with promise.
"So this is it… the Necromancer's path," he murmured.
And in that stillness, his reflection shimmered faintly on the stone floor, his eyes no longer the soft brown they once were, but a ghostly silver, glimmering with death's quiet light.
The Necromancer was born.
---