Necromancer 1.2

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1. The Being I Met in the Ruins

Suddenly, a voice echoed from somewhere.

"Who's there...?"

[I am your servant...]

The voice echoed again.

It seemed to be coming from far ahead.

But a servant...?

With the [Necromancer] skill, I could command the lowest-level undead as my servants.

...Or rather, I could only command the lowest level ones.

Even mid-tier undead, which are still considered weak by hero standards, were beyond my control, leaving me with just ghosts and skeletons as my minions.

Both of them were the weakest of the undead, weaker than regular humans.

No matter how many of them I gathered, they were hardly a force to be reckoned with.

...Well, I guess it makes sense that my classmates abandoned me as useless.

[You desire power... That desire has reached me... Perhaps we resonated... as beings connected to the hero...]

"Resonated...? Connected to the hero...?"

[Please, come to me. Don’t you want to escape from this labyrinth...? If so, come to me.]

The voice continued.

[If you take me as your servant, your wish will be granted.]

I started walking in the direction of the voice.

There was no proof of what the voice was saying.

It could be a trap for all I knew.

But I was already out of options.

"Alright, I’ll take the risk."

Guided by the intermittent voice, I walked down the corridor and eventually reached a room at the end.

"This is it—"

The voice was coming from beyond the door.

Creak...

I slowly opened the door and stepped into the room.

At the far end, a knight was sitting, leaning against the wall.

Black chains were wrapped around their limbs.

"I’ve been... waiting..."

The knight lifted his head.

Its face was hidden behind a mask so that I couldn’t see its appearance.

Its red eyes were glowing intensely.

"Please... release me from here... In return, I will swear loyalty to you and fight as your sword..."

"Who... are you?"

"My name is Mirage, once known as the Knight of Illusions."

This being... Mirage introduced itself.

"I fought against the Demon Lord once... But I was defeated, lost my life, and remained here as an undead..."

"A knight who fought the Demon Lord—"

"I am cursed, unable to leave here on my own. But if I become the servant of a [Necromancer], the curse will be nullified..."

"Wait, does that mean—"

Was it asking me to make it my servant?

"But... you seem strong. My skill can only command the lowest level undead."

"No problem. I am a low-tier undead as well."

Mirage looked at me.

Its red eyes glowed beneath its full-face mask.

It looked powerful, but was it really a low-tier undead?

If so, my skill should be able to command him.

"Alright then—[Undead Submission]."

I activated my [Necromancer] skill.

Suddenly, a black light enveloped Mirage’s body.

"Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...!"

Mirage roared.

Crack, crack...

The black chains that had bound its limbs shattered into pieces.

"At last... I am freed. Now I can walk again—"

Mirage stood up and knelt before me.

"From this moment on, I am your servant. I am grateful that you freed me."

"Uh, yeah, I’ll be counting on you."

It was the first time I had ever commanded an undead other than a ghost or skeleton.

And then—

Oooooooohhhh!

A roar echoed from all sides.

"What’s that—?"

I quickly took a defensive stance.

I could see countless red eyes at the exit.

A pack of Dungeon Wolves—.

If it were just one or two, I could summon a horde of ghosts or skeletons to deal with them, but from the looks of it, there were over 30 of them.

I was going to be killed—.

I felt a spine-chilling fear.

I looked around, but aside from the exit where the Dungeon Wolves were, there was no other way out.

"Master, give me your orders."

Mirage spoke.

"...Do you think we can win?"

"If it is your command, even if the Demon Lord were our opponent, I would fight— that is my purpose."

Its words were so reassuring that they warmed my heart.

I was no longer powerless.

I now had a powerful ally.

So—I’ll start walking forward, too.

Just like Mirage.

With Mirage at my side.

"Mirage, the Knight of Illusions. By the power of the [Necromancer] skill, I command you—"

I addressed my servant.

"Follow me, and defeat the enemy!"