"Hm, time to get out of here, finally. That was boring. I need to enter a Rank B Gate as soon as I'm out."
And so, the boy made his way to the place where the Orc boss had been slain.
It was a Shaman Orc. He didn't know what abilities it had, but he was curious enough to de-summon one of his Razorfangs in order to obtain this Orc.
The funny thing about his ability was that no monster ever went to waste. Even if one died or was de-summoned, the undead would simply revert to bones.
Bones that could be reused to summon it again.
A perfect circular economy.
"Creation."
Then, a creature made entirely of gleaming bones emerged from the monster's carcass.
"It's huge," Jeremy thought as he stared at it. It stood as tall as it did in life, about four meters.
---
Shaman Orc
Lv 28
Potential: BEYOND
HP: 6,800
MP: 62,800
Physical: 20
Agility: 100
Intelligence: 300
Resistance: Infinite
Skills: Breath of the Fire, Rite of Protection, Blessing of the Ancestors, Fury of the Spirit.
---
Breath of the FireUnleashes a violent fire breath from the mouth, dealing area damage equal to 200% of its magic power. Applies Burn.
---
Rite of ProtectionCasts a protective veil on itself and its allies. The shield grants protection equal to 200% of its magic power.
---
Blessing of the AncestorsEnhances the resistance and resource regeneration of the shaman and its allies.
---
Fury of the SpiritIncreases the physical and magical damage of itself and its allies by 50% of its magic power.
---
"Not bad," Jeremy nodded repeatedly. "Not bad at all."
He was satisfied with its abilities. They would help a lot in battle. Buffs could stack, and with his new magical capabilities, his undead would become even stronger.
"Only Blessing of the Ancestors seems useless… my undead don't have resistance. But they can regenerate mana," he thought.
"Time to get out of here. Too bad there aren't any more Shaman Orcs. Seems like only the boss was at this level," Jeremy said before recalling all his undead and stepping through the rift that had opened next to the boss's dead carcass.
Once outside the portal, Jeremy looked around. The nauseating sensation had lessened.
Then, a familiar face entered his field of vision—a man with a shocked expression. It was the same agent who had escorted him to the Gate earlier.
"W-what?" the man muttered, voice uncertain. "How… how are you already out?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Did I take too long?" Jeremy asked, confused by the man's reaction.
"No, not at all," the man answered after recovering. "You were in there for just five minutes. How did you clear the Gate so fast? Your ID says you're Rank D."
"Oh," the boy seemed to realize the issue.
After a brief pause, he said, "It's simply because I'm too strong."
After a few more shocked glances, the man escorted Jeremy back to the teleportation portal.
---
"Finally! Level 15 reached!" exclaimed Ivan, a wide grin lighting up his round face. His eyes sparkled with pure excitement. "We're ready to complete the Rank-Up quest!"
"Yeah," Nathan replied, more composed, his voice low but firm. "We just need to take down a Rank D monster and retrieve its core."
Ivan stepped closer, surprised, and placed a hand on Nathan's neck, as if trying to shake him free of his seriousness. "Hey, Nathan, what's with that face? We should be celebrating! We're getting closer to our revenge!"
But Nathan's gaze darkened. His voice turned heavy. "No, Ivan. We're not. For every step we take… he takes five. How could we ever avenge our friend like this? Maybe we should just stop. Live a normal life. I'm sure he… would've wanted that."
The words hit Ivan like a blade. His cheeks trembled, and tears began to fall down his round face. "And how the hell are we supposed to live, knowing the bastard who hurt him is still out there, free and happy?"
"I don't know," Nathan replied, his voice cracking. Then he looked up, more resolute. "But one thing's for sure: we won't let his death be in vain. Our time will come. Not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But it will come."
After a long, emotional silence, the two exchanged a meaningful nod. Without another word, they turned and walked toward the portal area for Rank D Gates, ready to take their next step.
---
After returning, the necromancer decided to try his luck in a Rank B Gate. He headed to the Hall to change teleportation zones, but as he glanced around, he noticed two familiar faces in the crowd.
Without thinking much of it, he made his way toward them, wearing the expression of someone about to face a meeting that probably wouldn't change the course of his day.
"Hey, guys. How've you been?" he said with a smile that felt more like politeness than genuine concern.
The two youths stared at him, as if trying to figure out whether it was truly the face of their dead friend or someone who just happened to look incredibly similar.
"Is… is it really you?" one of them asked, tone unsure.
"Who else would it be?" he replied with a faint smile, trying to ease the tension.
A long silence followed. The other boy stepped forward, eyes slightly glossy, as if he wanted to say something important but couldn't find the right words. In the end, he simply gave him a hug—a bit clumsy, as if it was the right gesture but he wasn't sure how to do it.
"We… we thought you were dead," he said, voice betraying an emotion he couldn't quite hide. "We thought… you'd never come back."
Jeremy, visibly caught off guard, couldn't help but pause for a moment. Then he stepped back slightly, placing his hands on both of their shoulders, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do.
"You must have suffered because of me," he said in a calm tone. "Well, I'm here now, and I suppose you could say I dodged death by a hair's breadth."
Ivan pulled back, still visibly emotional, but trying to regain his composure. "I didn't think we'd ever see you again," he admitted.
"Probably neither did I," Jeremy replied, this time with a more genuine smile. "But... turns out I'm still around."
"What happened to you? Where have you been all this time? Why are you showing up only now?" Nathan asked, his eyes slightly red.
"I'm sorry, guys, it's... a long story," Jeremy said, avoiding their gaze. "Just know that I've just returned from another world."
"Was it hell?" Ivan asked jokingly.
"Not at all," Jeremy laughed. "It was more like a paradise. It's where I Awakened, after all... I think."
"What??" both of them said in unison."You Awakened? A natural Awakening? We thought you'd missed your only chance," Nathan added.
"Not at all, guys. Don't worry," Jeremy replied with a smile. "Anyway, it looks like you're just one step away from your Rank-up to Rank D. Well done—you've improved quickly."
"Yeah," Ivan replied. "We were just about to enter a Rank D Gate. Join us!"
"Obviously," said Jeremy. "Let's go."
"Wait a minute," Nathan stopped him. "You're not planning to come with us looking like that, are you?"
"What do you mean? Do I look that bad?" Jeremy asked, surprised.
"That's not what I meant," Nathan continued. "I mean, you don't have any gear on you. Are you sure that's okay?"
A surprised expression flashed across Jeremy's face.
That's right, he thought. He didn't have any equipment at all—he had completely forgotten!
"Actually," he said after recovering, "I've never used any… Where do you get it?"
"No way!" Ivan said, even more shocked than Jeremy.
"Alright then," Nathan said firmly. "Before we enter that Rank D Gate, we're getting you some gear. Let's go. We might not be rich, but it should be enough… I hope."
"By the way," he added, "what Rank are you? And what class did you Awaken into? I can't read your status."
"Oh, don't worry, that's just an item the Headmistress gave me," Jeremy replied casually.
"What? Rose Redspine herself gave you an item that can hide your status? How's that even possible?"
"It's a secret," Jeremy replied with a smile, glancing at the two of them.