[You have killed Duskfang Lv. 13]
[You received 19 Exp]
[Exp: 55/168]
[Your skeletal frame has grown stronger.]
"Good. Level 13."
But wait…
Why was the EXP he was getting suddenly so pitiful?
He'd never seen numbers this low before. What the hell happened?
A wave of frustration pressed down on him. Was this because he'd been fighting with his undead thralls? Was the EXP being split between them?
Seriously?
Did that also mean these monsters could level up alongside him just by participating in battle?
Ha… great. Killing monsters like this and only getting scraps of EXP didn't feel rewarding at all. It was honestly a little depressing.
Still, when he actually took a moment to do the math, it didn't seem like the EXP was being split right down the middle. Normally, he'd get around 36 EXP for killing a monster of this level. But now, he was still getting more than half that amount.
Besides, these monsters were essentially full-strength entities. That was the price he had to pay for commanding undead summons.
And then, this wolf might've been just the right level.
Ethan didn't waste time. He reached out and stored the massive, blood-soaked wolf carcass into his Dimensional Storage.
The fight had been loud. It was bound to draw attention from other monsters nearby. He needed to move fast.
He slipped through a side alley between two half-collapsed buildings, the undead wild boar silently plodding after him. After several minutes of weaving through empty streets, Ethan found a relatively clear, shaded spot tucked beneath a broken concrete overhang.
Perfect.
He exhaled, knelt down, and retrieved the wolf's body, summoning it from the void and placing it before him on the cracked ground. The corpse hit the earth with a dull thud.
The boar stood stiff nearby, completely motionless once again.
Ethan raised his hand over the wolf.
[Chain the Dead activated]
[Target qualifies: Eligible for resurrection as a Lesser Undead]
[Lesser Undead - Duskfang Lv. 13 successfully raised]
[2 Animus Soul Point slots consumed]
Another two points gone.
Both undead creatures now waited in total silence.
He pulled up his stats.
37 Animus.
If his theory was correct, and each undead of this size cost him 2 points… then that meant he could theoretically command up to 18 undead creatures at once, for now.
Eighteen. That's… absurd.
Eighteen undead, each with the power of a wild boar or this wolf. That was a walking calamity. And if they were all as obedient and relentless as these two… then yes, he might actually be unstoppable.
But Ethan quickly pulled back from the thought.
No. Don't get ahead of yourself.
This was all just theory for now. Until he reached the cap, until he tested it, he couldn't afford to get carried away. There might be hidden limitations. Besides, raising the undead was only part of the battle.
The real challenge was the storage size.
With his limited 3 cubic meters of storage, keeping even a few large undead stashed safely was already tight. Managing a full set of 18? That was a logistical nightmare unless he expanded his storage further.
Ethan stood back up, eyeing the new undead now under his command. The wild boar had a sturdier frame and delivered heavier blows, perfect as a frontliner to throw enemy lines into chaos. Meanwhile, the wolf brought speed and sharper attacks, ideal for striking swiftly and launching ambushes.
The combination of these two undead was undeniably spot-on.
"Let's go... time to hunt."
Once more, Ethan resumed his hunt just as he always had. But this time, he wielded power several times greater than anything he'd possessed before. And now, with two undead at his side, he could eliminate his enemies far more effortlessly.
Even when another one appeared, this time smaller in size, making it trickier to kill. A monstrous rat, so large it hardly resembled a rat at all. More like the size of a dog. Utterly ridiculous.
The creature released a stream of green venom, its bite absolutely lethal to anything alive. Fortunately, Ethan and his undead weren't among the living.
Another prize added to the collection.
[Lesser Undead - Venom Bite Lv. 13 successfully raised]
[2 Animus Soul Point slots consumed]
Alright, three undead now... and still no sign that the slots were anywhere near full.
One tanker, one attacker, one poisoner. At this point, Ethan had already begun imagining what it would be like to collect every type of undead he could command into battle.
And now, with even more under his control, his confidence grew. He could move faster, explore deeper. This time, he found himself near a flowing river when he happened to hear a ruckus coming from beneath the bridge he stood on.
Ethan crouched and peered down. Sure enough, a few more of those rat-like monsters were scurrying below. But... the wild boar would have trouble climbing down such a steep embankment.
No problem. Ethan quickly made his way down the riverbank, and almost instantly, the monsters' shrill noises echoed in response to his arrival. The wolf dashed forward, lunging at the rat monsters.
There were about five of them. Was Ethan being reckless, going up against this many?
The rats quickly swarmed the wolf, biting at him from every angle.
Ethan dashed in.
[Bone Dash activated!]
In a flash, he pinned one of the rats with his blade, pummeling it again and again with his fists. Another one sank its teeth into his shoulder. He grabbed the creature and hurled it aside. The wolf immediately leapt in, tearing into the enemy with swift strikes.
"Hey! Don't wreck their bodies!"
Too late, the rat's head was already rolling.
Ethan kept fighting, determined to finish the rest. A few minutes later, the battle was over. Out of the group, only two of the rat monsters remained intact enough to be worth raising, one at level 14, the other at level 15. The rest were too mangled.
But at least, the final monster he killed earned Ethan enough experience to reach level 14. Now, he could convert the new rat monsters into undead.
[Lesser Undead - Venom Bite Lv. 14 successfully raised]
[2 Animus Soul Point slots consumed]
Success... another undead monster added to his ranks.
This venomous rat had impressive speed, was agile, and its bite was laced with poison. If Ethan could gather a large number of these types, they'd certainly become a formidable asset to his growing army.
Though, he'd need to maintain balance, keeping the wild boar as a frontline tank and physical attacker.
Still, a thought crept into his mind: if only he could find a monster capable of magic attacks, that would be even better. Or, better yet, one that could heal its allies.
Wait... does healing magic even work on the undead?
So far, the undead seemed to recover naturally, either whenever Ethan eliminated a target, or when they were left to rest.
It appeared the undead shared a similar system to his own, relying on Animus by hunting or resting. Perhaps there was even a way to restore them during battle, he just hadn't figured it out yet.
As night began to retreat at the edge of the eastern horizon, Ethan finally brought his hunt to an end. With results that were nothing short of extraordinary.
Never before had he returned with this many trophies. And now, he stood at the helm of a growing, freaking army that was genuinely impressive.
Two Wild Boars, three Dusk Fangs, and five Venom Bites.
Ten monsters in total... and he hadn't even hit his slot cap yet!
If his theory was right, then the slot cap truly worked based on his Animus stat. Which, honestly, was kind of insane. Just imagine, if he ever reached level 100 and somehow had, say, 300 Animus... wouldn't that mean he could command 150 undead under his banner?
Wait... why was it, when he imagined that scenario, the image that came to mind was of a villain threatening all of humanity?
Sure, he wasn't human anymore, even though he once was. And he had no intention, at least not yet, of stirring up trouble with them.
But still... if they ever found out someone like him was out here, roaming free, hunting, building an undead army. Wouldn't they see that as a threat?
Well... screw them.
He still had no idea how far they'd advanced anyway.
Best to be prepared before trouble came knocking.
Because, realistically speaking, even with just ten monsters, even if they were still in the mid-teen levels, if he ever encountered someone in their twenties, or worse, thirties... sheer numbers wouldn't cut it.
Ethan needed to level up. He had to make sure he didn't just lead in quantity, but in quality too.
And one more thing he confirmed after leveling up. His undead thralls leveled up along with him! And... didn't that just make everything even more brutal?
This Necromancer class was absolutely savage.