Chaos Void has taken notice.
Alexander's red eyes flared faintly in the gloom of the forest, a glow like embers stirred by wind. The forest pressed in around him — silent, dense, and ancient. Twisted trees loomed like skeletal fingers grasping toward the sky. A biting chill hung in the air. It wasn't natural.
He stood motionless for a moment, absorbing the meaning of those final system words. Something out there saw me. He didn't know what the Chaos Void was, but his instincts told him it wasn't something he wanted crawling into his mind.
He shook the unease from his thoughts. "Worry about monsters later," he muttered. "Right now, I need to live through the night."
The hunger gnawed at him first — a dull ache in his stomach. His breath came in misty puffs, and the rough terrain already tested his endurance. This was no tutorial. No guided path. Just a haunted forest full of ancient bones and things that probably shouldn't move anymore.
Alexander opened his status menu with a thought.
> [Status Window]
Name: Alexander Noir
Race: Human
Class: Necromancer
Subclass: Monarch of the Undead
Level: 1
Mana: 100/100
Health: 100/100
Skills: Raise Undead I, Shadow Fog I, Basic Shadow Bullet I
Evolution System: Active
100 Mana. Raise Undead costs 30... or 15 for me. Monarch of the Undead halves undead spell cost. A wicked little smile tugged at his lips. I should try it.
He knelt by a cluster of mossy stones. Bones jutted from the earth — old battlefield remains, still partially buried. Femur, rib cage, spine. He reached toward them, willing his mana to pulse outward.
> Skill Cast: Raise Undead I
Mana Cost: 15
Summoning 1 Skeleton...
Success.
The ground shifted.
A skeletal hand burst from the soil, then another. A moment later, a humanoid skeleton dragged itself upright, empty eye sockets lit with a faint violet flame.
It wobbled for a second, then stood at attention before him.
Alexander's heart thundered with awe and adrenaline. "Damn," he whispered. "This... this is power."
The moment shattered with a low growl behind him.
He spun, eyes narrowing.
Two wolves stood at the treeline, gaunt and twisted, patches of fur missing. Their eyes glowed faintly purple — corrupted by whatever saturated this cursed forest.
"They've been touched by magic..." he murmured.
The wolves lunged.
"Shadow Fog!"
A pulse of dark mist erupted around him, slowing the wolves slightly and bolstering the skeleton's movements. He felt the mana drain — 10 points gone.
"Skeleton, engage!"
The undead surged forward, bone blade drawn from the earth it emerged from. The clash was crude but effective. The first wolf snapped at the skeleton's leg but caught only bone and mist. The second circled.
Alexander raised his hand, summoned a dark orb of energy.
"Shadow Bullet!"
The spell flew like a silent dart and struck the second wolf directly in the chest. Its fur blackened, the flesh beneath rotting instantly. The beast yelped and collapsed, unmoving.
The first wolf howled — wounded now, but still fighting. The skeleton hacked at it with wild, tireless swings. The battle was short, brutal, and one-sided.
The second corpse hit the forest floor with a wet thud.
Alexander panted, wiping sweat from his brow. He'd only cast three spells, but already he felt the drain.
> Combat Complete.
+22 EXP
Level Up Progress: 22/100
He looked down at the corpses. "They're real. This isn't a dream." The System had made that perfectly clear.
For the first time since he arrived, he allowed himself to feel a flicker of satisfaction. I'm alive. I fought. And I won.
He knelt by one of the wolves, inspecting its corrupted body. Its organs pulsed with a faint black ooze. Tainted. This world isn't just darker — it's sick.
He stood and looked deeper into the forest.
"Let's find shelter before something bigger comes."
Behind him, the skeleton silently followed, its violet eyes fixed on its new master.