Reborn with a Necromancer System - Chapter 79

Chapter 79: The Watcher
For nearly a week, Kai had felt it. A presence. Subtle, constant, unwavering.

At first, he thought it was paranoia. A lingering anxiety after his duel with Emille, a heightened awareness from the transition to E-class. But no, this was something else entirely.

Whoever was watching him wasn’t sloppy. There were no footsteps out of place, no stray breaths too close, no flicker of mana to track. It was as if a phantom followed his every move, always just beyond his perception, yet there.

In the cafeteria, the feeling lingered behind him while he ate. Each bite felt heavier than usual, and he found himself keeping his back to the wall. He tested his senses, tried to hone in on the presence, but nothing.

He tested it in subtle ways. Dropping a spoon in the cafeteria, pretending to stretch while sneaking glances over his shoulder, even weaving a whisper of shadow magic behind him to see if it caught on anything. Nothing. No flicker of mana, no footsteps, no sign that anyone was there.

During elemental magic class, he felt the pressure of unseen eyes, watching as he formed a sphere of shadow and compressed it with unnatural precision. His professor praised his control, but Kai barely registered the compliment.

—

Kai and Willam sat in their dorm room, both in their own little worlds.

“So, it’s really like casting magic onto your brain itself while taking in information, right?” Kai asked while browsing a huge heavy book about arcane creatures.

“That’s one way to put it, I suppose.” Willam responded.

‘So, it’s like storing something on a computer, I guess.’

The sensation of being watched sharpened. This time, Kai didn’t ignore it. His voice lowered, his tone deliberate. “You feel that?”

Willam frowned. “Feel what?”

Kai studied his roommate, but there was no hint of recognition in his expression. If Willam didn’t notice, that meant whoever it was, they were far beyond ordinary. That realisation sent a chill through him, but he forced his face to remain neutral. No need to give away his unease.

Even seated in a closed room, someone watched him. That was the strangest thing of all. If his own room wasn’t safe, was anywhere safe?

And when he was outside on the academy grounds, standing beneath the twilight sky, talking to Willam about shadow magic, the presence remained.

At least Willam was proving useful. Kai had nearly perfected the memorization magic Willam had promised to teach, and it was already proving invaluable. Every sigil, every incantation, every historical reference burned into his mind with perfect recall. His studies were progressing faster than ever.

Yet, despite all the advantages he had gained this past week, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hunted.

Then, as the last rays of sunlight faded behind the academy’s spires, the sensation vanished.

Gone.

Just like that.

Kai tensed, expecting something. A threat. A shift in the wind. An attack.

Instead, a girl stepped in front of him.

She was small, petite even, with soft brown curls that framed an angelic face. Wide, puppy-dog brown eyes looked up at him, shimmering with an innocence that was almost too perfect. Her school uniform was immaculate, her movements graceful, deliberate.

Like a heroine from a dating sim that every player falls in love with.

Kai swallowed, suddenly uncertain of what to say.

There was something wrong about this moment.

Then she smiled. Sweet, warm, disarming.

And the first words out of her mouth were:

“You’re an idiot.”

Kai blinked.

His mind, which had been running battle scenarios just moments ago, momentarily derailed itself.

Before he could even formulate a response, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him standing there like an absolute fool.

A soft breeze rustled through the academy courtyard, and for the first time in days, Kai was completely, utterly at a loss.

Even more unsettling? The sheer confidence with which she had insulted him, like she knew something he didn’t.

Willam, standing beside him, let out a scoff.

“Who was that?” Kai asked, eyes still locked on the girl’s retreating figure.

Willam shrugged, adjusting his bag. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

Kai turned to him, frowning. “You care about everyone if you can learn something from them.”

“Exactly.” Willam gave him a pointed look. “Which means I really don’t care about her.”

Kai barely heard him. His mind was already racing.

‘That girl… What was that?’

She had been watching him all day. He was sure of it now. Yet, despite his heightened senses, despite his mastery over shadow and perception, he hadn’t been able to pinpoint her presence once.

Either she was a master of concealment magic… or something far more dangerous.

For the first time in a while, a thrill of intrigue ran through Kai’s veins.

This girl, whoever she was, had managed to shadow him without him knowing.

And then she called him an idiot.

He smirked to himself.

‘This is going to be interesting. I can feel it.’

“You’ve got a creepy smile going on there. You like her?” Willam asked bluntly.

“Like her? I only just met her and she called me an idiot.”

“Maybe you like that?”

“Maybe…”

The two of them laughed about it on the way back to their dorm room. They theorised what made him stupid. The duel with Emille, moving to E-Class, or something else entirely.

Whatever it was, life at the academy was going to be more engaging.

Later that night, as they returned to their dorm, Kai brought it up again. He turned to the other students in their shared quarters. “Anyone know a girl with curly brown hair, puppy-dog eyes, about this tall?” He gestured vaguely.

A few shook their heads, others ignored him entirely. One of the older students raised a brow. “You talking about some noble girl? If she was watching you, it’s probably bad news.”

Kai frowned. That much was obvious, but it still didn’t help. He needed to find out who she was. And more importantly, how much she knew.