[Processing Class Application: Grave Caller...]
When it came down to class type, potential growth, and overall rarity, Grave Caller was clearly the smartest pick.
It was a necromancer-style class, centered around controlling creatures that had been defeated by the caster, or at least, that was Ethan's understanding of how this type of magic usually worked. Not only did it offer dark, death-based control, but it didn't lock him into a purely summoner role either.
This class offered him real flexibility. He could still wield his sword, still charge into the front lines if he needed to. It was far better to have choices, to be more than just a passive conjurer cowering behind a wall of minions.
Let's see what kind of abilities the system would grant him now.
The moment the decision was locked in, he felt it again. A rush of energy, swirling dark and red, glowing brightly as it coalesced deep inside the hollow of his skeletal form.
He looked more terrifying than ever. But he'd long since made peace with that. He had no other choice.
[Class Application Successful: You are now a Grave Caller]
The process was complete.
[Skill Acquired: Chain the Dead]
[Active - Chain the Dead: Raise a defeated enemy as your permanent undead Thrall.
[Skill Acquired: Black Cleave]
[Active - Black Cleave: Slash forward with dark energy, dealing damage and applying Rot.]
[Skill Acquired: Soul Chain]
[Active - Soul Chain: Link a Thrall to an enemy. Shared damage applies when the Thrall is hit.]
Nice... Ethan had officially secured his first class. And with it came three brand-new skills.
But before he dove into what they could do, there was one thing he had to check first. Time to take a look at his updated status window.
[Name: Ethan]
[Race: Skeleton Caster]
[Level: 10]
[Strength: 43 | Agility: 22 | Magic: 20 | Constitution: 30 | Animus: 37]
[Luck: 1]
[Available Stat Points: 0]
[Class: Grave Caller]
Level 10… and already, his base stats had improved drastically compared to the day he was first resurrected.
Now, for the first time, he could allocate points into Magic. From here on out, he'd need to be far more strategic about how he distributed his stat points. Optimizing his growth as a Grave Caller meant understanding where his strengths needed to lie.
Animus stat would clearly play a major role. From what he'd gathered so far, this class leaned heavily on it. It might even determine how many undead thralls he could raise and maintain at once. He'd need to experiment to be sure, but that was his theory.
Next, Magic stat. That would boost the damage output of his spells, probably the primary source of offense from his class. No doubt it would scale directly with his dark abilities.
And finally, Strength. He couldn't let it fall behind. As a frontline fighter, he'd still be swinging a sword, still clashing with enemies up close. Strength would keep him in the fight when his summons couldn't.
He did hope the class would eventually grant him more in terms of defense, healing, or regeneration. That kind of support would give him even more staying power. But that could wait. For now, he had a solid foundation to work with.
Besides, he still had a wild card, the glitch starter pack. If he needed more stat points, he had a fallback.
No need to rush.
Ethan quickly moved to conceal his skeletal form once again. His body had grown taller and everything around him looked just a little different now. Slightly smaller.
He caught sight of his limbs. The bones were thicker, denser than before.
Were they bigger than a normal human's?
He couldn't say for sure. He'd never studied human anatomy in detail, but one thing was certain: they looked a hell of a lot sturdier now. Especially with those dark patterns streaked through the bone, almost like veins of metal fused within. If he slammed a fist into someone, he had no doubt it would hurt. A lot.
He wrapped himself in the same set of bandages, layer upon layer, covering every inch of exposed bone. Added a few more accessories, bits of cloth and ornament, just enough to mask the unnatural form beneath.
Alright. Covered. No more glowing red eye sockets to startle every living soul he came across.
Honestly, one of the cooler things about his skeleton form was... like, how the hell could he still see, even with bandages wrapped over his eye sockets?
Sure, he couldn't see through walls or anything, but somehow, if the cloth was thin and laid flush against his face, he could still see just fine. No logic to it, seriously. But he kind of loved that.
He'd probably still need a pair of sunglasses eventually, just to keep things from looking too weird. Otherwise, people might start thinking he was blind... or something else entirely.
Now, back to the good part, the new skills. There were three of them.
The first: Chain the Dead.
Unfortunately, he couldn't test it just yet. It required a defeated enemy to activate, which meant he'd need to save that for tonight's hunt. Still, the concept intrigued him. It was about claiming the corpse, turning it into something his. A unique approach to necromancy.
The third skill: Soul Chain.
This one tied directly into Chain the Dead. When activated, it linked the enemies to one of his undead thralls. Any damage they took would also be mirrored onto the enemy. Definitely a problem for anyone who thought they could just ignore the minions.
But what really caught his attention was the second skill: Black Cleave.
His only direct offensive spell, at least so far. Not bad at all. Having an actual attack spell was going to make a huge difference in close combat, especially since he intended to stay right in the fray.
Should he head out now and give it a try, even if it was still daylight?
He thought about it for a second.
No. That could wait.
**
Ethan double-checked his preparations for the night hunt, going over each detail in his mind.
One particular concern lingered in his mind, about the undead thrall.
Did this mean he'd be dragging around every creature he managed to turn? That didn't sit right with him. Hiding his own identity was already a delicate dance. Now he'd have to parade around with a corpse in tow too?
Yeah, that sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.
Especially considering he had plans. Eventually, he intended to approach human settlements, maybe even integrate among them once he was strong enough. Showing up with undead minions wouldn't exactly help his case.
But for now, no need to panic. Time to test the skills and see how this really worked.
Night had fallen, and Ethan moved through the ruined city streets with a new kind of confidence.
Soon, his first target of the night appeared: another wild boar, rooting through the debris with twitching ears and low growls. It froze the moment it noticed him, then let out a furious roar and charged.
Ethan summoned his sword, a dark element glinting along its edge.
"Let's try not to destroy this monster," he muttered, sliding into a low stance. "I need it intact if I'm going to turn it undead."
Activating skills through the system was simple enough. All it took was a mental command, and the effect would kick in instantly.
Ethan steadied his stance, placing himself directly in the boar's path. A surge of dark energy coiled around his sword, licking the air like smoke-fed fire.
The wild boar charged, hooves pounding the broken ground as it bolted straight at him.
[Black Cleave activated!]
He slashed downward, and the black energy tore from the blade like a wave, lashing out and slamming into the beast mid-charge.
"Die, you—!"
The impact halted the creature for a heartbeat. It staggered, reeling, blinking like it had been dazed. But it didn't fall. The damage clearly wasn't lethal, at least, not yet.
He lunged forward. The sword drove straight into the monster's mouth, catching deep in the gullet. The wild boar thrashed, trying to fight back, but this time Ethan felt it, he was stronger.
He shoved with force, kicking the beast square in the torso and forcing it to the ground. One foot planted firmly to pin it in place, he yanked the sword free and drove it into the neck.
The monster screamed, squirming in its final moments. But Ethan twisted the blade, spilling blood in a crimson rush that soaked the dirt.
Moments passed. Then:
[You have killed Wild Boar Lv. 13]
[Your skeletal frame has grown stronger.]
He exhaled, stepping back from the lifeless creature.
"Alright, it is time to try the skill."
Ethan held out his hand above the fallen boar.
[Chain the Dead activated!]
And then:
[Skill failed: Target level exceeds caster's current level.]
"Damn it!"