The Second Provision (7)

The skeletons had learned all sorts of skills by now, from crafting and alchemy to combat techniques.

'I have neglected the mages a little.'

Kim Minwoo admitted that much.

But he hadn't had much choice. In most fields, it was far more advantageous to train ordinary skeletons, since he could summon twice as many of them.

There was just one exception. If the mages had an absolute advantage in any field, it was magic.

'So I need to teach them magic to put them to use...'

That wasn't easy.

For starters, teaching them magic in the real world would be insane. Magic was one of the hardest subjects to learn. And skeletons could learn magic that even humans couldn't master? The repercussions would be dozens of times greater than clearing an A-rank gate.

He couldn't ask anyone unless they were truly trustworthy. That generally meant finding a teacher inside a gate, and mages were mostly found in fantasy settings.

But in those settings, summoning skeletons was often forbidden. They were usually considered evil, and religious orders would come to exterminate them. Even where summoning was permitted, it was hard to imagine those lofty mages teaching skeletons.

He had only been able to learn crafting techniques from dwarves and elves because his assigned role and the setting had lined up perfectly. He needed the same sort of circumstances just to attempt learning magic.

'I'm lucky the School of Death happened to be here.'

A world where summoning skeletons was possible, with mages who specialized in related magic. And he possessed something those mages desperately wanted. For Kim Minwoo, it was nothing short of a golden opportunity. Thanks to it, his mages could take magic lessons.

'I wouldn't have stood a chance with another school.'

As he spent the next several days having them trained, the practical exam drew near.

['Miles' has grasped the essence of 'Corpse Explosion'!]

[Accumulated experience creates a new skill!]

[Skeleton mages can now use Corpse Explosion (F)!]

[A thunderbolt of inspiration sweeps through all the mages!]

[They grasp the essence of 'Magic Circle Construction'!]

[They grasp the essence of 'Bone Rain'!]

[They grasp the essence of 'Bone Shield'!]

[They grasp the essence of 'Blind'!]

Teach them one thing, and they learn ten. True to that saying, the moment Miles mastered one spell, a chain of revelations began sweeping through them.

'Probably because they've learned several spells from the same school.'

Spells within a school were bound to be connected. That seemed to explain their explosive progress.

He checked the skill window.

[Summon Skeleton Mage (E) +9]

[This skill has been enhanced to its limit.]

[Consumes 20 mana to summon 2 (1+1) LV32 skeleton mages.]

[* Possesses Corpse Explosion (F), Magic Circle Construction (F), Bone Rain (F), Bone Shield (F), Blind (F)]

[Corpse Explosion (F): Explodes a corpse to deal heavy damage.]

[Magic Circle Construction (F): Constructs a magic circle to combine spells cast by multiple casters into one.]

[Bone Rain (F): Rains sharp bones down on a limited area.]

[Bone Shield (F): Creates a shield made of bone.]

[Blind (F): Places a curse on an opponent to obscure their vision.]

'Oh, lucky me.'

At a glance, Corpse Explosion looked like a spell with all kinds of uses. The same went for Magic Circle Construction. It could combine spells cast by multiple casters into one. Each might only have a power of one, but what if he combined a hundred or two hundred?

'It'll be more powerful.'

He might even produce a spell that worked against high-level monsters.

As for Bone Rain...

'Looks like a fairly wide-area attack.'

Bone Shield was a solid, reliable defensive spell, while Blind was a curse that obscured vision. All five were spells he would use often now that he had them.

The professors' eyes shone as they watched the mages cast spells.

"Good heavens! They really learned magic!"

"Th-the potential is tremendous! If only we could summon undead like these..."

"The School of Death dominating the magical world would be no mere dream! Haha!"

The professors looked ready to die of happiness, as though basking in reflected glory. With enough luck, they might somehow manage to summon undead. But summoning undead that could learn?

'That's probably impossible.'

That was the Death Lord's power. It couldn't possibly be so easy to replicate. Still, he said nothing to shatter their dreams. There were plenty of spells left to learn, and the professors needed to stay enthusiastic.

He looked at them.

"Professors, I'll be leaving for my practical exam soon."

"Th-then... will you have to take the undead with you?"

"S-surely someone of your ability is guaranteed first place even without these mages."

"Please! Don't drag these good children off to the battlefield!"

The professors gazed at him pleadingly.

"All right. Unless something truly urgent comes up, I won't unsummon them."

Opportunities to learn magic weren't common. He ought to squeeze everything he could out of this one. He would take first place without those summons anyway. Summoning Cedric or Dolsoe should be enough.

He nodded. Only then did smiles spread across the professors' faces.

* * *

The Demon Forest lay not far from the academy. Led by their professors, the students set off in pairs, and before long, the watchtowers surrounding the forest came into view.

COO.

Snowy called from his shoulder at the sight of the forest.

The students paid little attention. Over the past few days, he had quite naturally brought Snowy into their company. When he introduced the bird as a pet, everyone simply accepted it. There was no reason to make a fuss over a wealthy duke's son keeping an unusual bird.

Merhen was no different. Stopping before a watchtower, the professors addressed them.

"You will now begin your practical exam in teams of two. The task is simple. Survive in this forest for one week! Additional points will be awarded based on the types and number of monsters you hunt."

The students nodded. This was an annual event, so everyone already knew what the exam entailed. The professors handed out the first crystal orbs.

"These crystal orbs measure your additional points. When you kill a monster, the demonic energy within it will be drawn inside. The darker the color, the higher your score."

Next, each team received a second, special magic crystal orb.

"In an emergency, channel mana into this orb. It will activate a top-tier defensive spell to keep you safe."

One professor spoke with confidence. The orb's defensive spell could withstand an ogre's blows for at least half a day. And that wasn't all. Activating the orb would immediately send a distress signal, prompting the knight order and mage corps stationed here to launch a rescue.

That was how thoroughly the academy had prepared for their safety. It had little choice, really. Most of the students gathered here were children of distinguished families. They were also the future pillars of the nation, so it would have been stranger not to take precautions.

'Those must be expensive.'

Kim Minwoo eyed the orb imbued with defensive magic. He figured each one probably cost several billion Korean won.

'Well, I guess that's why the tuition is so damn expensive.'

The professor then gestured toward the forest.

"Please proceed inside."

Kim Minwoo and Merhen entered the forest. The other students did the same.

He spoke to Merhen, who was already trembling.

"We're only at the entrance. Relax a little. You'll shake your hands off at this rate."

"Y-you think that's easy? I ran into a troll here last year..."

"A troll? So you used the crystal orb?"

"... Yes. I did."

"Talk about bad luck."

Kim Minwoo chuckled.

The Demon Forest wasn't a particularly high-level area. If it had been crawling with powerful monsters, they never would have left a place like this near an educational institution. They would have wiped them all out and surrounded it with fortress walls, not mere watchtowers.

He had heard there were trolls here, but only a handful. Even if one appeared, it wasn't beyond the students' ability to handle.

'Might as well level up while I'm here.'

A little deeper in, blackened, dead plants began to appear. Merhen swallowed at the sight.

"Be careful. From here on, we're in an area affected by demonic energy."

"Does that make the monsters stronger too?"

"Yes. I've heard the more they're exposed to demonic energy, the more twisted and vicious they become."

Then they would give more experience too. He should head farther in.

Before long, they encountered a group of monsters in the distance.

KEE-HEE!

Sly laughter rang out. Small figures darted around a tree tainted with demonic energy.

'Gremlins, huh.'

They were winged, demonic monsters that resembled goblins. But anyone who charged in expecting goblins would get wrecked instead. Their average level was close to 170.

He summoned Cedric. Looking around, Cedric soon met Merhen's eyes. After a brief silence, he turned to Minwoo.

"... It has been a while. Master, are you undertaking a provision?"

Kim Minwoo nodded. Merhen's eyes widened at the talking skeleton.

Word that Kern could summon undead had already spread far and wide. Even so, it hadn't caused much of a stir within the academy. He wasn't summoning high-ranking undead, just groups of skeletons, the lowest of the low. Besides, the magic belonged to the School of Death, the smallest faction in the entire magical community.

The knights had scarcely cared in the first place, and the mages had more or less shrugged it off. Whether the School of Death made a new discovery was none of their concern. Naturally, Merhen had accepted it without much thought as well.

Still...

"I-it talks?"

A talking skeleton was rather shocking.

Cedric gave a bemused laugh at Merhen's wide-eyed stare.

"... Well, now. You really were an ordinary young lady back then."

"You hadn't met her before?"

"No. I only entered the Lord's service much later."

"... What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing."

Kim Minwoo shook his head. He could hardly tell her she would become undead in the future.

"Wait here a moment. I'm going hunting."

"... Okay."

Just in case, he summoned Dolsoe as well and stationed him beside her. Merhen startled at the monster's sudden appearance, then moved close to the golem as though reassured.

"Let's go."

"Very well."

He charged the gremlins with Cedric.

KEE-KEEK!

With piercing cries, the gremlins flew toward them, thrusting their spears. They even launched magic from their hands.

Perhaps because of the demonic energy, they certainly moved a little faster than the ones he had seen in gates. But that made no difference. He casually deflected the incoming fire arrows with his sword, then cut off their heads.

The group of nearly twenty gremlins was being slaughtered in an instant. Their stats alone put them hopelessly out of his league.

[Your level has increased by 1!]

He gained a level straightaway, likely because he had already accumulated plenty of experience before killing them.

The battle was over in an instant. Soon afterward, demonic energy began flowing into the crystal orb. Its white surface turned ever so slightly black, and a number appeared as well.

—20 points.

'One point per gremlin?'

Just then, the gremlin blood scattered across the ground began flowing into the Death Spirit Sword in his hand. The corpses shriveled into dry husks like mummies.

[The Death Spirit Sword has absorbed the blood of its prey! (20/10,000)]

'So I have to kill them for the count to rise.'

Well, the description had said as much. Hadn't it helpfully specified "when hunting" enemies of his level or higher?

The Death Spirit Sword probably hadn't absorbed Jo Piluk's blood because he hadn't finished him off.

'One good thing, though...'

It had absorbed blood from the monsters Cedric killed too, not just his own kills. So kills made by his summons counted?

'That makes the grind a whole lot easier.'

Ten thousand kills. This might be much easier than he'd expected.

"Merhen."

"Y-yes!"

She had been staring blankly at him after watching him massacre the gremlins in moments, and hurriedly answered.

"We're going to keep heading deeper in."