Ding!
{Congratulations! You have summoned a Skeleton Swordsman [Rare].}
A pool of green goo spread across the floorboards, bubbling like something alive. From its center, a pale hand pushed upward, followed by the rattling rise of a skull and spine. Bone by bone, a humanoid figure pulled itself free until a fully formed skeleton stood before him, gripping a single sharp blade.
Rye froze.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the sight still sent a chill racing down his back.
Holy shit… it's actually working.
The skeleton twitched, joints clicking as it began stretching its limbs as if waking from a long sleep. Arms rolled. Fingers flexed around the hilt of its sword. Vertebrae cracked into alignment.
Rye could only stare, unable to form words.
Eventually, the skeleton stopped moving and simply stood there, silent and motionless like a guard awaiting orders.
It's… not doing anything?
Ding!
{Use Inspect on the summon.}
The system prompt floated in front of him.
Inspect? How do I even…?
He hesitantly moved his hand toward the skeleton. A soft shimmer appeared, forming a panel.
Ping!
[Inspect Skeleton Swordsman]
Rye selected it.
Ding!
[Name: None]
[Class: Swordsman]
[Skills: Strong Slash Lv.1, Ranged Slash Lv.1]
[Traits: None]
[Magic Power: 10]
[Strength: 50]
Rye's eyes widened.
A personal panel… for a summoned creature?
Ping!
{You can use the skills of your summons.}
Wait… what? I can use their skills too?
He stared at the skeleton, then at the Strength value.
Fifty? I thought I was gifted when I saw ten in my own stats…
He studied the panel again. No name. No traits. Strange.
He looked at the skeleton standing directly in front of him, sword in hand.
"Hey. Skeleton. Can you hear me?"
The undead warrior's head creaked as it turned toward him and gave a single, unmistakable nod.
Rye flinched. The response was immediate
So it really listens.
"Move to the corner," he instructed.
The skeleton obeyed at once. Its bony feet clacked softly against the floor as it walked toward the wall, gripping the sword with rigid intent.
Rye's fear slowly melted into excitement.
He cleared his throat.
"Skeleton… use Strong Slash."
The creature adjusted its stance instantly. Its knees bent, lowering its center of gravity. One arm extended behind it, sword pulled back in preparation for a devastating horizontal strike. The posture radiated lethal precision.., far beyond anything Rye expected.
Ding!
{Warning: This attack may kill the user.}
Rye jerked forward, heart pounding.
The aura detection skill triggered on its own, flooding his vision with a sharp glow emanating from the skeleton's blade. Power condensed in the air, thick enough to make his skin prickle.
"Stop!" he shouted.
The skeleton froze mid-motion, then straightened and returned to a neutral stance like nothing had happened.
Rye let out a long breath he didn't realize he was holding.
That one command could have sliced him in half.
What was I thinking…?
Even a normal slash from that girl earlier was enough to cleave a practice dummy in half. The memory replayed in Rye's mind.., the clean cut, the shockwave of wind, the casual look on her face like it was nothing.
And yet…
This thing in front of him.., a bundle of brittle bones held together by faint blue light had shattered stone like it was chalk.
"Shouldn't your bones be turning into dust if I flick you?" Rye muttered, eyeing the skeleton. Its skull tilted slightly, as if it somehow heard him. That didn't make him feel any better.
Right… the system mentioned he could use his summon's skills. Maybe that could explain the absurd power.
"System," Rye called out.
Ding!
A translucent blue screen appeared before him:
[Name: Rye]
[Class: Necromancer]
[Skills: Summon Undead Lv1, Aura Detection Lv1, Commander Lv1, Fireball Lv1]
[Traits: Coward]
[Magic Power: 10]
[Strength: 1]
"…Huh."
No mention of the skeleton's sword [skill]
Then...
Ping!
{You will need to learn the skill.}
Rye frowned. "But you said I can use my summon's skills. You didn't say I had to learn them."
{Your body is not yet compatible with the skill. Therefore, the skill is not granted. You do not possess even the basics of swordsmanship.}
Rye stared at the skeleton again. Its empty sockets stared back.
Great. His summon could bisect monsters with ease, while he couldn't even hold a blade properly.
The system's… surprisingly talkative...
He scratched his cheek. "Welp… can I summon more undead then?"
{You do not have the required Magic Power to do so.}
"Of course." Rye sighed. "Figures."
His eyes drifted to another tab on the screen. Aura Detection. The skill that had nearly crushed his chest earlier. He still remembered the sensation.., the suffocating pressure that crawled up his throat in the registration building. Like invisible chains tightening around him.
"I've been wondering," Rye said slowly. "What exactly does Aura Detection do? I know… the name is kind of obvious, but…"
A soft pulse.
{Aura Detection allows you to sense the intent of any living creature.., toward you or toward others.}
"That explains why the aura inside the registration building felt like it was choking me… The skill suddenly activated on its own."
{That was because it was killing intent. Aura Detection activates automatically if a killing intent is directed at you.}
Rye blinked.
Killing intent. Directed at him.
He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.
"I see," he whispered. "That… figures."
He shifted to the next skill. "What about the Commander skill?"
A brief pause.
{Commander is a support skill. It increases the status of your summons.}
"Increases what exactly?"
{Strength, primarily. At higher levels, other attributes. This skill affects only your summons, not allies.}
Rye nodded slowly, absorbing the information.