Reborn with a Necromancer System - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: First Training Phase – Combat & Magic Tests Chapter 37: First Training Phase – Combat & Magic Tests Kai stepped into the depths of the forest, the towering trees looming above, their gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal fingers.

The damp earth beneath his boots carried the scent of moss, rot, and lingering magic.

The summer breeze warmed his skin and caused him to smile.

‘I hated winter.

Luckily I’m not hunting in the cold.

My movements need to be perfect.’ He exhaled slowly.

His body had recovered enough to move without pain, but now came the real test.

If he was to command the dead, he first had to prove he could ensure his own survival.

Kai moved cautiously, senses heightened.

He didn’t have long to wait.

The first threat revealed itself in the form of three arcane wolves.

‘Like deadlier versions of Bert.’ Their eyes glowed like embers, their movements silent, calculated.

They circled him, testing for weakness.

Kai extended a hand, shaping the shadows around him.

With a flick of his fingers, tendrils of darkness coiled into the form of a decoy-his own silhouette, standing firm.

The wolves hesitated.

Then, the first lunged.

The decoy melted into nothing as the beast passed through, momentarily confused.

Kai took advantage, summoning a dagger of shadow and slashing at its flank.

The blade connected, but the wound closed just as quickly, crackling with residual energy.

So, their bodies rejected non-lethal damage.

He needed something more brutal.

‘Regeneration?

How did Bert die so easily?

Was it because he was a half-breed, or was it because…

I’d been touching him?

Did I kill Bert?’ With a spark of inspiration, he let the next wolf get close and summoned his strengthening magic to his arms.

As the wolf pounced, Kai dodged and gripped it’s next with both arms, barely fitting his childlike limbs around it.

Like a bull rider, he dug in his heels and squeezed his thighs.

He felt it.

The life essence being absorbed by his body.

The fur of the wolf grew more coarse and it’s movements slowed.

The other wolves attempted to pull their companion free from Kai, but ultimately failed.

The flesh shrunk and it let out a final whimper before eventually turning to ash in Kai’s grip.

‘Well, it worked, and I guess I was the reason for Bert’s death…’ Kai looked at the pile of ash beneath him, ‘I can’t really re-use its corpse if I do that, but my life essence levels should be good.’ [Life Essence: 409/3,500.] ‘Yeah.

Not bad.

Time for something else, though.’ The other wolves backed away for a moment, trying desperately to understand what happened.

Fire blazed to life in his palm.

He hurled the flames forward, engulfing the third wolf.

It howled, rolling to smother the blaze, but the magic-infused fur resisted much of the damage.

The first wolf retaliated, its maw opening to unleash a stream of frost-a counterattack.

Kai barely leapt aside in time, the cold mist searing his exposed skin.

His mind raced.

‘Fire doesn’t work well.

Ice?’ He switched tactics, channeling a surge of ice magic.

Frost coated the ground, creeping up the wolves’ limbs.

Their agility waned as the freezing tendrils latched onto their joints, slowing their movements.

Kai seized the opportunity, summoning a blade of sharpened ice and driving it into the throat of the nearest wolf.

This time, the wound remained, deep and fatal.

The wolf collapsed, its body twitching before stilling completely.

‘My shadows just aren’t strong enough yet.

Human flesh was a lot softer than arcane beasts.’ The third wolf snarled, energy rippling from its core.

Kai barely had time to brace himself before it released a surge of electricity.

He reeled as pain shot through him, his muscles locking up for a split second.

Long enough for the beast to lunge.

He reinforced his body with strengthening magic, feeling his limbs harden, his bones fortified against impact.

The wolf crashed into him, but instead of crumpling beneath its weight, Kai stood firm.

He wrapped his hands around its throat and, using the last of his strength, conjured a final burst of ice magic.

The frost spread rapidly, freezing the wolf from the inside out until it shattered into lifeless pieces.

Three down.

But he wasn’t done.

More howls echoed in the distance.

He was outnumbered.

He had tested his strength, his adaptability, but he wasn’t invincible.

Not yet.

He turned and fled, weaving through the dense undergrowth, his breath ragged.

He knew when he was outmatched.

Training would take time, and he couldn’t afford to be reckless.

Dying once taught Kai not to play with his life.

That night, he returned to Vepice’s cave.

The scarred figure barely acknowledged him beyond a glance.

They set down a fresh bowl of their foul medicine, the sickly-sweet scent of added honey making it slightly more tolerable.

Kai pulled out several cuts of wolf meat, being careful not to touch them with his bare hands, and handed them to Vepice.

Nodding, Vepice continue to cut the sections of meat down, removing certain areas as well.

Kai watched as he downed the bowl of medicine with a grimace.

Taking note of where Vepice’s slices formed to better know what to bring next time.

He might not eat, but Vepice surely did.

He turned to the cave’s exit, his mind already turning to the next hunt.

— Over the following days, Kai recovered from the fight, absorbing life essence and healing using Vepice’s medicine.

Once ready, he continued his training.

He learned how to manipulated his magic more efficiently, how to strike with precision rather than brute force.

His movement became more fluid and he put into practice all of the training he received from Rael Drakethorne.

He strengthened his endurance, adapting to the wolves’ attacks until he anticipated their moves before they happened.

He still suffered wounds, but they became fewer, his reaction time sharpening with each battle.

He continued to absorb the life energy of various things in the forest.

A shrub here, a fruit there.

Finally, on the fifteenth night, he stood over the corpses of three slain wolves.

Unlike the others he had fought, these bodies were intact enough for his next true test.

‘The magic of arcane creatures seems to hold their souls in place after death.

A curse of sorts, perhaps?

Never being able to rest, even after death.

Then what I’m about to do will change nothing.’ He knelt, pressing his palm to the cold fur of the first carcass.

“Raise Dead.” Dark energy coiled around his fingers, seeping into the lifeless form.

He felt a slight resistance between his magic and the corpse.

A hush fell over the forest as the body twitched.

A slow, shuddering breath.

Then, it stood.

A hollow growl rumbled from the undead wolf’s throat, its once-bright eyes now dark voids.

Kai felt its presence, an extension of his will.

A second and third wolf rose beside it, each bound to him, awaiting command.

Kai exhaled, a slow smirk forming.

Now, he was ready for the next challenge.

The iron bears awaited.

[New Skills: Shadow Decoy, Shadow Weaponry] [New Spells: Fireball] CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Jhaydun We have undead doggies!

Unlike Bert, these guys are full-fledged Arcane Wolves.

Let’s see what Kai uses them for!