Reborn with a Necromancer System - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Final Training Phase – Control and Tempering Chapter 40: Final Training Phase – Control and Tempering Kai stood at the edge of the clearing with a satisfied smile on his lips, his eyes examining his newly raised undead pack.

‘Beautiful.’ The three arcane wolves crouched low, their bodies shadow-infused and lined with cracks of magical energies.

Their once-brilliant fur absorbed the light around them, their eyes glowing with an eerie green light.

Behind the wolves, the iron bear loomed like a walking fortress, its undead body stiff but brimming with strength.

The air around them was thick with necromantic energy, the forest withered from their presence.

Flowers and shrubs decayed from their aura of necrotic energy.

‘They weren’t like that before.

I’m getting stronger.’ [Necromancer Rank 10.] [Aura of Undead Learned.] ‘That makes sense.

The timing was uncanny, though.’ Kai wasted no time.

Raising the dead was only the first step-control and coordination were what separated a master necromancer from a reckless summoner.

He focused on the wolves first.

“Scout,” he commanded.

The wolves stayed in place, denying his order.

Kai felt for the threads of his magic that connected him to the wolves.

The connection was strong.

“Scout the nearby forest for enemies and bring back one living creature each!” In an instant, the three wolves scattered into the underbrush, their movements eerily silent despite their undead nature.  ‘So, they need more precise commands?

Maybe because they’re animals.

Humans hardly required anything to understand my orders.’ Kai closed his eyes momentarily, feeling their presence in the back of his mind.

He could sense what they sensed-smells, sounds, and the pulse of energy in the air.

They came across a horned rabbit amongst some shrubs and it hopped away from them.

‘Flank left.’ The wolves responded without hesitation, circling the rabbit with precise efficiency.

Their formation was sharp, precise, but not yet perfect.

One lagged slightly behind, adjusting sluggishly to the necrotic energy running through its veins.

‘Attack.’ The wolves lunged, sinking their fangs into the rabbit, tearing it to shreds.

Several magical energies further damaged the rabbit’s corpse.

“Well, I can’t really give that to Vepice, now can I?” Kai called the wolves back and after they returned, he looked at each of them.

Kai looked at the first wolf on his left.

It had fur like living flames, constantly shifting between deep crimson and bright orange.

Its eyes burned like molten gold, and every step it took left behind embers in the ground that burned themselves out.

When it growled, it was like a roaring bonfire, and when it howled, it sounded like a wildfire raging through the night.

“I call you…

Ignis.” The second wolf became the target of his next examination.

“Hah, now look at you.” Its fur was dark as a storm cloud, crackling with streaks of violet lightning that danced across its body.

Its eyes flashed with electric blue energy amidst the green glow, and its breath hummed with static.

The air around it felt charged, like the calm before a thunderclap.

A single shake of its body sent thin arcs of lightning snapping through the air.

“I’ll name you…

Voltis.” Kai turned his attention to the last wolf.

“And aren’t you an eerie one?” The third one had fur that looked like an icy mist that was woven into the shape of a wolf, rather than the actual fur of a creature.

its eyes were pale, almost white, glowing softly like moonlight filtering through fog.

It didn’t make a sound when it moved, and when it vanished into the fog of the forest, it’s like it was never there to begin with.

Even the air around it felt…

ethereal.

“Your name will be…

Zephyr.” — With the wolves out again, scouting the forest, they found themselves a small boar.

‘Ignis, Voltis, flank the boar!’ The two wolves listened to his command while Zephyr trailed behind.

‘Zephyr!

Finish it!’ The third wolf pounced like a creature of the night and sunk its fangs into the boar.

Frost spread from Zephyr’s bite and the boar slowed to a stop before being completely encased in ice.

Kai nodded in satisfaction, but made a mental note.

‘Their reaction time needs some work and I need to work on making more efficient commands.’ While the wolves continued their scouting, Kai turned his attention to the Iron Bear.

Its sheer mass made subtlety impossible, but its role wasn’t speed-it was endurance, protection, and strength.

A giant shield.

“I think I’ll just call you Tecton, because you’re like a freaking walking earthquake.” Kai tapped on Tecton’s hide.

Each soft strike sent a ring out into the forest.

“Okay, Tecton.

Hold position.” The bear leaned back on its hind legs and remained motionless, like a statue of ancient power.

Kai circled around it, examining its form.

The metal-infused bones resisted decay better than most corpses, but there was an unnatural stiffness in its movements.

Kai’s wolves returned with the boar, a horned rabbit, and a frog-like creature.

“Ignis, Voltis, Zephyr!

Tackle Tecton!” The wolves charged and smashed into the tower of metal.

It didn’t budge.

‘Not bad.

Not bad at all.’ “Tecton.

Your turn.

Charge into the forest!” Tecton leaned forward, his front paws striking the ground.

Everything trembled under its weight.

The bear bulldozed through trees and debris, slamming into a thick tree trunk with enough force to splinter it.

The movements were at least one third slower than before the reanimation process, but still deadly.

“Good,” Kai muttered.

“But we can do better.

Kai turned his focus to refining his minions.

Their strength was undeniable, but raw power meant nothing if they couldn’t withstand prolonged battle.

He placed his hands on Ignis, channeling necrotic energy into its body.

Shadows coiled around its bones, weaving into its form and solidifying like armour.

The effect was immediate-the creature’s frame grew sturdier, its decayed flesh reinforced with dark energy.

“That should hold you together better,” Kai mused before moving to the others, repeating the process.

The wolves, once fragile undead, now stood more resilient, their bodies no longer crumbling from strain.

Next came Tecton.

Kai followed the same steps as he did with the wolves, creating a sturdy layer of tempered shadow that covered the bear.

“Could I…?” Kai thought over the next steps carefully and then smiled weakly.

“Voltis…

Electrocute me!” Without hesitation, Voltis shot a continuous stream of electricity into Kai’s body.

Kai’s muscles tensed and he remembered the pain from one of the wolves who chased him off the cliff over half a year ago.

‘Enough.

Enough!’ The pain stopped and Kai breathed sharply.

His heart raced from the added voltage to his body and it took a moment to calm himself.

“Let’s hope this works.” Kai placed his hands together and then thought about the feeling of the electricity.

As he slowly pulled them apart, arcs of lightning formed between his hands, and then fingertips as they moved further from each other.

“Perfect.

Now for the final test.” Kai approached Voltis, and traced intricate sigils across its limbs using condensed lightning magic at his fingertip.

He used the same symbols from the obelisk that he understood.

When he was done, he stepped back.

“Run, Voltis, to the edge of the forest.” The wolf turned around and within a second, disappeared from view.

A lingering trail of lightning remained behind where it once stood, following Voltis’ path.

Before calling Voltis back, Kai repeated the process for fire on Ignis.

The effects were overwhelming.

Ignis grew in size and was now bigger than his two companions, and when Kai commanded him to strike a boulder, it left a small crater where its paw landed.

A huge boost in strength.

Kai tried a different approach for Zephyr.

Instead of limbs, Kai drew the sigil on its forehead with ice magic.

The moment it was done, Kai needed no demonstration.

He shivered.

The area around Zephyr dropped in temperature significantly, making it feel like a walk-in freezer.

Voltis returned swiftly once commanded to, and Kai turned to Tecton.

“I think we’ll leave you without sigils until I know what to do with you.” Kai attempted to add extra sigils to the other wolves, but their bodies rejected it every time.

Kai looked at his companions with pride.

Three undead arcane wolves, faster and more resilient than most undead, their bodies enhanced with shadow reinforcement and their bodies infused with their preferred elements.

One undead arcane iron bear, an unstoppable tank, strengthened with shadows to counteract its stiffness and retain some of its former resilience.

“Not yet,” Kai whispered to himself.

“I won’t leave until I know for sure.

I can’t lose anyone else, so I can’t afford to be weak.” [Name: Kai Tensen | Age: 5 Years | Specialisation: Necromancer | Rank: 9 | Awakening Requirements: Unknown | Life Essence Stored: 5,500/5,500 | Mortality Deviance: Minimal | Souls Bound: 8 (Winfried Drummond, Angelica Trunsdale, Troy Saren, Nameless Guards (2), Nameless Inquisitors (3)) | Undead Army: 17 (Joran, Rhea, Finn, Merri, Child (9), Arcane Wolf (3), Iron Bear (1) | Tethered Souls: 1 (Hunter) | Languages Translated: Imerian | Skills: Mana Manipulation, Mana Tempering, Mana Sense, Shadow Manipulation (Advanced), Strengthening Magic (Moderate), Elemental Magic (Minor), Combat Arts (Intermediate), Shadowmeld, Precision Targeting (Magic), Death Sense, Murmurs of the Departed, Shadow Weapons, Shadow Decoy, Aura of Undead, Sigilcraft (Fortification, Elemental)| Spellcasting: Novice | Spells: Raise Undead (Moderate), Thrall Control, Shadow Conjuring, Bull’s Strength, Frozen Touch (Contact), Frozen Zone (Area), Icicle Javelins (Ranged), Searing Touch (Contact), Wall of Flame (Moderate), Wither, Gravebound, Wall of Ice (Moderate), Mass Raise Undead (Lesser), Tether the Fallen, Ice Prison (Minor), Flamethrower, Tempered Shadows, Speed Sigil (Lightning), Power Sigil (Fire), Aura Sigil (Ice)] CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Jhaydun Is he underestimating himself?

Or is he being as cautious as ne needs to be before returning home?