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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 15
1.
[The power of Corpse Manipulation is proportional to the caster's mana rings.]
[Currently, Master, your mana rings are two. With the power of the White Serpent, they’ve been amplified to four. The total number of skeletons that can be raised depends on the purity of the mana, and for now, the limit is twelve.]
[To learn Spirit Summoning, you must be able to raise at least twenty skeletons. Until then, you must continue practicing Corpse Manipulation.]
＊ ＊ ＊
Equinox is an excellent teacher.
His explanations focused on the core points, leaving no room for ambiguity. Thanks to this, I was able to carry out the necessary training without getting lost.
When I recited the runic language he taught me, my mana rings began to spin, and mana started to gather in the palm of my hand.
The energy felt different from what I experienced in my past life.
I focused my mind and imagined raising a skeleton.
‘Raise Undead.’
As I cast the spell, the greenish mana that had gathered in my hand seeped into the ground.
Soon, the bones scattered on the ground began to move. They slowly started to align, gradually taking on the form they had in life.
Clink-Clink—
Three corpses slowly rose from their resting places.
“Grrr…”
These creatures were no different from the ones I raised in my past life.
The only difference was that they felt more strongly connected to me.
I could sense exactly what they saw and felt.
‘Still, they are different from the skeleton rat that Equinox raised with Spirit Summoning.’
When I locked eyes with the skeletal rat, I could hear its thoughts.
But these skeletons didn’t give off that impression. They just vacantly looked around, seemingly without any awareness.
[Now, try giving them orders.]
I immediately followed Equinox’s suggestion.
I commanded the skeletons to fight each other, and they immediately became tangled in a brawl.
A rather violent brawl began, but the result was utterly disappointing.
The punches that slammed into skulls shattered them, and the kicks that aimed for the waist bones scattered the bones as soon as they made contact—chaos ensued.
The bones rolled across the ground, breaking and scattering repeatedly. After a while, they were so damaged that no one could even stand.
I canceled the spell and turned to Equinox.
[Their skills are pathetic. Can you make them fight better?]
[For now, try raising just one. I’ll explain using that one.]
I thought about which one to choose, but my eyes were drawn to a pile of bones tucked away in one corner.
These bones were none other than Andre's.
‘Andre.’
The torturer, Andre, who had killed me and my teacher in my past life.
Now, the bones left behind were pitiful, almost tragic.
Having been offered as a sacrifice to the Demon Lord, his soul and body had been taken to the demon realm, and even the bones left in this world would become my slaves.
I used necromancy to raise him.
"Ugh..."
Even though his body was stiff, he only managed to rise up to my chest level. Like the skeletons I raised earlier, his empty eyes oozed green light as he looked around.
He looked duller and more foolish than he did in life.
"Come on, attack me."
Upon receiving the order to attack, Skeleton Andre slowly approached me and swung his arm at me.
After dodging a few of these sloppy attacks, I began to question…
‘Would it even hurt if I got hit?’
So this time, I decided to take his attack head-on.
And then—
Crunch—
His arm bone shattered.
I stopped his movement and turned to Equinox.
[He’s way too weak. At this rate, I’d lose even to a house cat. How can I increase their power?]
[What did your teacher say about this in your past life?]
[He didn’t mention much. He just said that summoning a stronger creature was the best way.]
[That’s essentially correct.]
Equinox began gathering mana as he continued.
[There are three ways to increase the power of the undead you raise. You can either raise stronger creatures, increase the purity of your mana, or boost the caster's own strength.]
The mana Equinox gathered began to take shape as a distinct club.
He struck Skeleton Andre with it, and the skeleton shattered completely.
Seeing this, Equinox spoke again.
[The bones you’ve gathered here aren’t in good condition. They’ve been exposed to the demon realm. Undead raised with these bones will have weak power. You should only use them for training. To achieve your goal, you’ll need to increase both your mana purification and combat strength at the same time.]
[Got it.]
Now that I think about it, since I got my new body, I hadn’t done any training to move it.
I had been focusing only on mana purification and strengthening my mana ring, so I hadn’t paid any attention to physical training.
‘From now on, I should balance swordsmanship training as well.’
In my previous life, I also learned swordsmanship.
Although I was limping, it was necessary for casting black magic.
Among the black magics, there were many that utilized the enemy’s blood or body parts.
That’s why I learned swordsmanship from my master and reached the level of an expert swordsman.
Of course, my style was different from other swordsmen.
Since I had a limp in my left leg, I couldn’t practice the quick strikes of a fast sword; instead, I focused on a heavier, defensive style that prioritized stance, known as the great sword style.
‘I need to regain the skills I had before.’
I grabbed Nocturne, which I had kept in the corner until now.
[You need to work now.]
- What should I do, master?
[Be my sword.]
The moment I spoke, Nocturne transformed into a wooden training sword.
The wooden sword, with a red gem set into the handle, had a red blade, almost as if carved from incense wood, and it emitted a faint, woody scent.
When I swung it, the balance was perfect.
[Impressive.]
- You flatter me, master. I’ve seen many fine swords before...
From then on, I practiced with Nocturne every morning.
Just like my master had taught me in my previous life, I swung it a thousand times with proper form.
What was different this time was my stamina.
In my previous life, swinging a wooden sword of this weight a thousand times would have left me vomiting from exhaustion, but not now.
Although sweat poured from me like rain, I could keep moving after just a short rest.
After three days of training, Nocturne’s subtle voice made a suggestion.
- Master, you’ve mastered the basics. It’s time to advance to a higher level.
[How can I improve further from here?]
I asked, as if unsure.
I could have simply continued learning the swordsmanship from my previous life, but I had a feeling that Nocturne might know something better.
Sure enough, Nocturne, glowing with a red light, continued.
- I’ve seen over 300 different sword techniques by now. Among them, I recommend the swordsmanship of Lucius, the Sword Master who dominated the continent for 100 years.
‘Lucius, the Sword Master?’
I recognized the name.
He was a famous swordsman, after all.
He was known for his strength in Deadland, located to the northwest of the continent.
Deadland was such a desolate land that no kingdom could be established there.
The region was filled with small factions, following the principle of the strong surviving, and from among them, Lucius was the one who held the top position for a century with his sword skills.
Though it was about 200 years ago, no one has yet matched his achievements, so his name lives on as a legend.
[Are you sure about Lucius’ sword techniques?]
- I’m sure. He was quite close to the one who created me, so I had the opportunity to study his swordsmanship manuals.
Nocturne gave a faint smile as he continued.
It was the basic steps from the swordsmanship manual.
From the first stance to how to grip and swing the sword, the foundational techniques were described.
As I pondered over his words, I stood up and assumed the posture.
Following the instructions Nocturne had given, I could clearly feel the stance settling in.
The sword had power behind it, and yet, my form didn’t waver.
Nocturne, seeing my progress, continued to teach me the next steps, and after about two weeks, Equinox joined in.
[It’s better to have an opponent when training. A skeleton that I’ve enhanced should be helpful for basic practice.]
Equinox independently raised a skeleton for me.
There was a clear difference from the skeletons I raised.
Equinox didn’t lend me his power when I raised the skeletons, so this one was fully empowered by his amplified mana.
The energy it emanated was different from mine—darker, more lethal.
Since I had only been practicing stances, I found it difficult to block the skeleton’s attacks.
However, I quickly adapted to the challenge.
Another two weeks passed, and by then, my swordsmanship had improved significantly. I could easily defeat the skeletons that Equinox raised.
Time passed steadily, and my skills continued to level up, step by step.
My second mana ring had noticeably been purified, and the skeletons I raised had become significantly stronger.
Then, one day, Equinox spoke.
[We're almost there now. Try sending out three skeletons to hunt.]
[This mountain is rough. Will just three of them be enough to hunt?]
[If they’re not, it means your training still isn’t complete.]
In the end, I did as Equinox suggested.
I raised three skeletons and gave them the command to go hunt.
They looked at me once with those glowing green eyes, then turned and stepped out of the cave.
[From here on, open your inner sight and observe your subordinates.]
[Inner sight?]
[Focus your mind, and you’ll be able to see anything. It’s the same principle as when you were watching your heart’s mana ring.]
Once Equinox explained, I immediately understood what he meant by "inner sight."
Just like when I had observed my mana ring, I closed my eyes and focused on the skeletons I had sent out.
Then, my field of vision opened—from the perspective of one of them.
They were walking along a mountain path.
They were tracking wild boar tracks, but the sound of their footsteps was so loud that I could hear the nearby animals scattering.
‘This won’t do.’
As soon as I had the thought, Equinox’s voice echoed in my mind again.
[You can give them orders in this state. Anything you've raised can be directed this way.]
Immediately, I gave the skeletons a command.
[Move without making noise. The wild boar isn’t far. Once I give the signal, go into hiding.]
The response was instant.
The sound of their footsteps diminished noticeably, and soon the forest had gone quiet again.
Then, Equinox’s voice returned.
[Undead rely heavily on sight. All their other senses, including smell, are processed through vision. You’ll need to get used to perceiving things this way, too. From now on, this is how you'll monitor every undead you raise.]
Taking his advice, I focused more intently and scanned the path ahead through the skeletons’ shared vision.
Just as he said, it worked perfectly.
Along with the warmth lingering in the wild boar’s footprints, a faint shimmer—like a thin veil of heat haze—hung in the air above them, resembling traces of smoke.
‘Is this it?’
I directed the skeleton to move closer to the haze. It leaned in, putting its face right into the smoky trail, but there was no scent to be detected.
Still, the hazy trail stretched on, continuing along with the boar’s tracks.
I commanded the skeletons to follow it.
Not long after, they spotted a wild boar. The beast had its back turned, busily digging up tree roots and gnawing at them.
A perfect opportunity.
If we could strike while it was off guard, we might be able to take it down in one swift attack.
‘But… Can these guys actually kill it?’
I wasn’t sure.
Despite all the training so far, I still had no clear sense of just how much stronger the skeletons had become.
To make matters worse, the wild boar in front of us was massive.
And judging by the heavy genitals swinging beneath its tail, it was a male.
‘A male that big is probably the leader of a herd.’
Looking around, I noticed that similar wisps of smoky haze were rising all over the place—traces left behind to mark territory.
That confirmed it.
This boar wouldn’t run.
Not here.
This was his domain.
‘Alright then. Let’s see what they can do.’
I issued my command immediately.
[You two, hide on each side. The one in the middle will act as bait. Once the boar charges, the hidden two will ambush it from both flanks.]
Just as I ordered, the skeletons moved into position.
The ones on the left and right slipped into the bushes, while the one in the center stepped forward.
Rustle—
The sound of movement made the boar turn its head.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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