“…Isn’t Deathvice a little too strong?”
As a test, I roamed around the forest area and hunted other monsters.
Unlike ordinary skeletons, Deathvice approached its targets silently without the usual rattling sounds… and slaughtered the monsters using only its limbs.
“It’s truly amazing.”
Senia spoke in an excited voice.
“Eriol, even if it’s a dragon soldier, it’s not supposed to be stronger than it was in life, right?”
“Yeah. It depends on the necromancer’s ability, but at most, it’s about seventy percent of its strength when alive. And this time, I didn’t even use a dragon’s fang, just a drake’s fang, so its combat power should actually be lower.”
“And yet, it’s still this strong…”
“Senia, in your opinion, what level was it at in life?”
“When it was alive, it must’ve been an incredibly powerful warrior. Even by the standards of the Artian family…”
Senia put a hand to her lips and fell into thought for a moment.
“Even in its current state, it could easily hold its own against veteran swordsmen. If you armed it, it would be even stronger. I bet it was the kind of warrior no one could take on in life.”
“That strong, huh…”
It seems I really summoned the skeleton of someone extraordinary.
Was it just luck?
‘Maybe it’s because I used Summon Dead after having fully understood the contents of the Necromancer’s Codex?’
The Necromancer’s Codex — one of the six forbidden tomes.
Even if it was only an excerpt, I had thoroughly familiarized myself with it before summoning the dragon fang soldier.
As a result, perhaps the resonance of the Baleful energy was amplified to its limit, letting me summon a hero far beyond what I could normally manage with my current skills.
‘Either way, I’ve gained an incredible ally.’
Even someone like me, who knows little about combat, could see how impressive Deathvice’s fighting technique was.
It didn’t seem like it had overwhelming strength or speed, but it excelled at striking the enemy’s weak spots with deadly precision.
Its skeletal body must have retained its battle instincts from life.
‘Once I get more skilled in necromancy, its power and speed will probably improve too. Which means it could get even stronger.’
And then… what if I gave Deathvice a weapon?
A sword or a spear — if I armed it with something like that, it might actually become strong enough to take on an army alone.
The very thought made my heart race.
‘If I use this right, it’ll be a huge asset.’
A dragon fang soldier isn’t just useful for dungeon monster hunts.
We could probably use it in the upcoming practical evaluation as well.
‘There’s that large-scale assessment coming up soon.’
A huge practical test, even bigger than the rookie torunament we had before midterms.
I’d definitely be able to use the fang soldier there.
‘It’s a test where we don’t need to worry about the professors’ opinions either, which makes it even better.’
I had already been planning a strategy for the next evaluation.
But now that I knew how powerful the dragon fang soldier was, I’d have to revise my plan.
‘I need to make sure I can score big. No room for half-measures.’
The next big practical test… was a dungeon survival evaluation.
And I’d just come up with the perfect strategy to take first place.
“Professor Piotr!”
Klein visited the headquarters of the Necromancy Department — the Necromancy Research Lab.
Despite it being a day off, Piotr was in his office as usual.
“What is it, Klein?”
“Is it true you summoned a bone dragon and flew off somewhere with Eriol?”
“……”
Last Friday, after the Intro to Necromancy lecture, Piotr had called Eriol aside.
Then, he had summoned a bone dragon using Summon Dead and disappeared into the sky with Eriol on its back.
Klein had only recently gotten wind of this and had rushed over to confront him.
“Professor, what did you say to Eriol?”
“Do I need to tell you that?”
“Eriol is a student in the top-rank class I supervise. You can’t just take him away like that…”
“That was after class. He’s free to do as he pleases.”
“Ugh…”
“I understand why you’re so worked up.”
Piotr placed a hand on the skull ornament on his chair’s armrest as he spoke.
“You’re worried I might have done something shady to recruit Eriol Valencia into the necromancy department, right?”
“N-no, I didn’t go that far…”
“You’re right, Klein.”
“Huh?”
“I did something I can’t exactly go around telling people about. That’s why I summoned the bone dragon and flew high into the sky, where no one could overhear us.”
“…!”
Klein realized his hunch had been correct.
Mages are often known for using any means necessary, but the Necromancy Department had a reputation for being especially brazen in that regard.
“Professor… did you give Eriol something special?”
“Special? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
If it were just a normal gift, Klein wouldn’t care too much.
He already knew that Professor Hephaestus from the Producing Department had given Eriol a prototype item not long ago, and he hadn’t made a fuss about it.
But if Piotr, a master necromancer, had taken Eriol somewhere and handed over a secret gift… that was dangerous.
“Professor, if you cross the line, I won’t stand idly by.”
“You’re just afraid you’ll lose a talented freshman to the necromancy department, huh?”
“No. My job as an advisor is to protect students from going down dangerous paths.”
“……”
That was a genuine answer.
“You’re still young. Very young, Klein.”
“Well, I am actually young.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Piotr tapped his fingers on the armrest with amusement.
“But don’t worry.”
“Pardon?”
“Eriol Valencia isn’t the type to fall so easily. I can guarantee that.”
“……”
“I’ve watched a lot of mages over the years — I know the type.”
Klein felt conflicted.
He couldn’t get a read on Piotr’s true intentions.
“But… it’s true that I want to bring Eriol into the necromancy department. And I’ve done everything I could to make that happen.”
“Professor…”
“If you want to bring him into the Transcendental Department, you’d better step up your game. Maybe get someone at the head professor level to help out.”
“……”
There was some truth in what Piotr said.
If rumors spread that the Necromancy Department had started making serious moves, the other departments would also begin to act more aggressively.
Klein had been trying to build a relationship with Eriol by using his position as a supervising professor, but… it didn’t seem to be yielding any results. It was clear that a drastic measure was needed.
“Next up is probably the Biological Department. Doesn’t their Biotech class start soon?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The Biological Department.
A department that studies biological magic, focusing on effects on the human body and other living organisms.
Starting next week, they would begin teaching the top-rank class.
“And the large-scale practical evaluation organized by the Biological Department is coming up soon too.”
“It’s a joint evaluation with the Transcendental Department. Since it takes place in a dungeon.”
“That’s true.”
The Ars Magna Academy doesn’t only have access to the Labyrinthos dungeon.
There’s another dungeon called the Catacomb, located on a deserted island that can only be reached by a long boat ride.
Unlike the Labyrinthos, the Catacomb has been completely conquered, and now serves as an external training facility for the Academy.
“Dungeon Survival… the biological people will probably try to approach a lot of freshmen.”
Dungeon Survival.
A three-day, two-night practical evaluation held in the Catacomb—a survival exercise in the dungeon, just like the name suggests.
Freshmen must endure for three days under extreme conditions, and if they judge that they can’t continue, they can request help from the Biotech Department’s assistants who are on standby.
“We’ll need to be careful not to let Eriol Valencia be taken by the Biological Department.”
Did he think he had already done everything he could?
As Piotr spoke in a relaxed tone, Klein bit his lip in frustration.
* * *
“Professor, I’ve brought the Bugbear’s accessory.”
“Just leave it by the door.”
“Sorry, but… could I hand it to you directly?”
“What the…?”
After a rustling noise, the door to the workshop burst open.
A messy-looking middle-aged man appeared.
“Huh…?”
“Hello, Professor Hephaestus.”
“Sorry for the sudden visit.”
Seeing me and Senia standing there with a box, Hephaestus widened his eyes.
“What’s going on?”
“You put in a request for the Bugbear’s accessory, right? We’ve brought it.”
That’s right.
The request we completed today had been posted by none other than Professor Hephaist of the Crafting Department.
“But that should’ve been handed off to the Labyrinthos management office—they usually take care of delivering it…”
“We actually wanted to meet you in person, Professor.”
“Me? I’m not sure why, but… come in for now.”
Hephaestus’s workshop was cleaner than expected.
He himself looked like a mess and hadn’t even changed out of his work clothes, but the workspace itself was well-maintained.
“Put the item on the shelf to the right.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Hmm, looks like there aren’t any chairs. Could you sit on that wooden crate over there?”
After seating us on the crate, Hephaist perched himself on the edge of a nearby workbench.
“Sorry. This place isn’t really meant for visitors, so I don’t have anything to offer.”
“That’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
“So, what exactly do you need? Did you suddenly become interested in crafting magic?”
“Well… yes, actually.”
“What?”
Hephaestus widened his eyes again and looked at us.
“Professor, there’s actually something we’d like to make.”
“Something you want to make? What is it?”
“Well…”
I turned to Senia sitting next to me.
She spoke in a cautious voice.
“Professor, would it be possible to make a sword?”
“What? A sword?”
“Yes, a longsword about this long.”
Senia spread her arms to show a length of about one meter.
“Hey, you know you can’t carry a weapon like that around the Academy, right?”
“Is there any way around that?”
“What?”
“I think I saw something in Ars Magazine once. It was a retractable sword—normally as short as a dagger, but it extends into a longsword when needed.”
“…!”
A knowing look came over Hephaestus’s face.
It was only natural.
If I remembered correctly… that was one of Hephaestus’s own inventions from the past.
“If we take advantage of a loophole in the Academy rules, could we get something like that officially recognized as dungeon exploration equipment?”
“You little…”
If he had responded that it was impossible, I would’ve backed off without complaint.
But Hephaestus didn’t say that.
He just stared at me with a surprised look in his eyes.
“You sound just like Kaisel did when he was a student.”
“My uncle used to talk like this?”
“Yeah, he was a bold one even as a student.”
Hephaestus let out a long sigh.
“So, by when do you need this thing made?”
“Well… ideally…”
Grinning after hearing his positive response, I said:
“Just as long as it’s done by Dungeon Survival.”
To achieve the best possible results in the upcoming Dungeon Survival evaluation…
I needed a weapon to put in the hands of Deathvice, my Dragon Fang Soldier, and Senia Artian.
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