The skeleton returned near dawn, dragging rough logs with bone arms wrapped in twine and cloth scraps. It had no mouth, no breath, no fatigue. Just a silent, tireless rhythm.
It had chopped through half a dozen trees in the night.
Rael was sleeping nearby, curled beneath a moss blanket in a hollow between stones. Her injury had stabilized after she used one of her precious [Sanctum Pulse] charges on herself—against Iden's protests.
He stood over the glowing blueprint of their future shelter: the Bone Shed.
The system highlighted the components in pale gold.
Construction Requirements Met:▸ 20 Bone Fragments ✔▸ 5 Wood ✔▸ 1 Scrap Metal ✔
Construct Bone Shed?
"Yes."
The world shifted.
Bones from his inventory snapped into the air, aligning and locking into a curved wall of rib-like structures. The wood settled into place, forming a slanted roof reinforced with plated scrap. Within seconds, the Bone Shed stood—primitive, narrow, but real.
[Structure Created: Bone Shed – Tier 1]▸ Shelter Capacity: 2 Occupants▸ Enables Resting, Save Points, and Advanced Interface Access▸ Fortification Value: 3
Rael stirred as he opened the door.
"You built it," she murmured.
He nodded. "One structure down. Thousands to go."
[QUEST COMPLETE – Survival Trial I]▸ Reward Granted:+1 Summon Capacity (New Max: 2)+5 Bone Fragments+Skill Upgrade Token
▸ Store Access Unlocked
[New Passive Trait: Builder's Instinct]– All construction costs -5%– Construction speed increased
A faint notification followed.
Skeleton Minion #1 – Gained Role Aptitude: Woodcutter Tier ISkill Progression: Chopping Efficiency ↑XP Pool: 75% retained, 25% redirected to Bonecaster
"Second one, then," Iden muttered.
He opened his [Summoner Interface].
Skeleton Capacity: 2/2Bone Fragments: 15Wood: 2Stone: 0
Available Class Summons:– Worker (Default)– Miner (Requires 3 Stone)– Warrior (Requires 2 Scrap Metal)– Scout (Requires 2 Hide)
Proceed with: Worker Skeleton?
He confirmed. A second skeleton rose beside the first—taller, this one built from cleaner bone.
Iden eyed it. "Class: Scout. Task: Map this quadrant. Avoid conflict. Report findings."
Class Changed: Worker → Scout
Assigned Role: ScoutingTerrain Intelligence: ActiveRisk Awareness: High
Schedule: Continuous Loop
It vanished into the woods, unnaturally quiet.
He checked Rael's status: pulse stable, injuries healed, energy slowly rising.
He turned back to the interface.
[BONECASTER STORE – Tier 1]
Welcome, Summoner. Trade materials for growth.
▸ 5 Bone Fragments → 1 Summoning Token▸ 10 Wood → Reinforced Bone Club▸ 3 Stone → Miner Toolkit (Unlock Miner Skeleton)▸ 3 Scrap Metal → Warrior Skeleton Unlock▸ 10 Hide → Scout Upgrade: Camouflage Layer▸ 1 Skill Token → Skill Upgrade or Reroll
He didn't waste time.
Trade: 5 Bone Fragments → +1 Summoning TokenRemaining Bone: 15 → 10New Token Acquired
He saved the token—for when it mattered.
Suddenly—
A sound.
A twig snapped. Heavy steps. Not a beast—too deliberate.
He moved to the front of the Bone Shed, where the first skeleton had taken a guarding stance, wood axe at the ready.
A boy—maybe eighteen—emerged from the trees. Leather jacket. A rusted kitchen knife in one hand. Clothes torn. Expression twitching.
He wasn't smiling.
"Hey. You alone?"
Iden narrowed his eyes.
"No."
The stranger's gaze moved to the skeleton. "Summoner, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Then hand over your resources. You've got wood. Bone. Shelter." His voice cracked. "You've got no idea what's out here."
Iden's jaw tightened. "I'm starting to."
The boy took a step forward.
Then Rael appeared at the shed's edge, leaning heavily on her staff.
The stranger blinked. "Two of you? Great. Double haul."
That was enough.
"Skeleton One," Iden said coldly, "Target: hostile human. Non-lethal. Disable. Do not kill."
The skeleton moved.
The boy screamed.
[New Event Triggered: First Player Encounter]Outcome: Hostile
Skeleton #1 engaged in combat.Bonecaster receives +5 EXPSkeleton receives +15 EXP
Loot: 2 Scrap Metal, 1 Ration, 3 Bone Fragments
New Class Unlocked: Warrior (Via Material Threshold Met)Warrior Class now Summonable
Iden exhaled.
Rael watched the boy run, limping, sobbing.
"He'll come back."
Iden nodded. "Let him. Next time, we'll be ready."
He looked out over the forest. Two skeletons patrolled the shadows now. A shelter stood behind him. His sister, empowered, leaned by his side.
The apocalypse had begun.
And his legion of bones had just started to march.