REAPER SCANS
Necromancer Academy's Genius Summoner
[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 480
"A bone dragon. I wonder when you'll be able to make use of it?"
Simon was mesmerized by the breathtaking beauty of the dragon, reduced to bones, hidden amidst the orange fallen leaves.
He had ended his first year by creating a lich.
And now, in his second year, Aaron had set the goal of creating a 'dullahan', but…
"Before the end of the second year!"
An exhilarated smile formed on Simon's lips.
"I'll set myself the goal of making it before the end of the second year. No, I will definitely create it and control it."
Watching the back of Simon as he clenched his fist in determination, Nefthis smiled.
"Yeah, do your best, our student council president!"
* * *
The next morning.
Aaron's Intermediate Summoning class began.
On the first day, Aaron taught them how to create a skeleton knight, and now on the second, he moved on to the operation of one and the skill 'Bash'.
The class was held in the outdoor training ground.
The students stood spaced out with the skeleton knight they had created the previous day. The knights swung their swords powerfully through the air.
"Flow jet-black into the summoning magic circle and focus it into the sword."
Aaron was roaming around the different students with his hands behind his back, guiding them.
"The monsters mainly used as materials for skeleton knights all understood the concept of aura when they were alive. There's no need to rely heavily on magic circles. Instead, guide the undead to recall their memories and naturally reproduce the techniques."
Turning his back, Aaron shouted,
"Try again!"
Swish!
Leaving the overall progression to the chief assistant teacher, Aaron went around giving individual feedback to students.
"Alibaran Phineas, I can tell you have knowledge in swordsmanship, but don't obsess over the knight's posture. The goal of this training is to find the sword path the knight wielded most comfortably in life. Once the path is established, Bash will naturally follow."
"Thank you, sir!"
"Hector Moore, it's too stiff. Your will is too strong for the knight you created yesterday to keep up with. Adjust your tempo and intensity."
"Understood, sir."
After correcting the students one by one, Aaron looked at the next student in line.
'Simon Polentia.'
This guy had already succeeded with Bash.
In fact, his skeleton knight's sword not only swayed with black aura, but held onto it for a considerable amount of time after the attack.
'But why does he seem so unusually fired up today?'
Simon's eyes, fixed ahead, radiated a constant, serious glow.
Aaron knew what those eyes meant.
They were the same eyes he had when he alone envisioned creating a lich while others worked on skeleton mages.
Aaron thought he'd only get that 'boost' after a bit more time in the department life. Did something happen last night? Or was it some sort of change of heart?
Curious, Aaron approached him.
"Simon Polentia."
Aaron called his name, but Simon was so focused that he couldn't even hear the voice coming from right beside him.
Aaron waited silently, and with the assistant teacher's shout of "Again!" the knight Simon controlled brought its sword down.
Swish!
The clean trajectory was satisfying to watch.
Though the knight was defective, meaning the stance wasn't perfect, it was producing the best results possible for its current circumstances.
Finally breaking out of his intense focus, Simon wiped the sweat from his forehead as he let out a deep breath.
"Simon Polentia."
Startled, Simon turned around.
"Oh, yes, Professor?!"
"A knight's 'Bash' is a striking skill that gathers jet-black into a line and releases it in a single explosive blow. But what you're having the knight do now is more like an enchantment."
"Oh, you see…"
Simon scratched the back of his neck.
"I was just trying to find the path of attack that best fits my knight, and this is what I came up with."
Aaron's eyes widened in surprise.
'So, he had independently come up with and followed such a creative direction without anyone's advice.'
Aaron quickly regained his composure and looked to the next student.
"In that case, that's fine."
"Hm?"
Aaron didn't speak further, instead walking over to correct the swordsmanship of Toto's knight.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
Join our discord for updates on releases!
* * *
After the practice, they were given a thirty-minute break.
Seated on a bench in the training ground, Aaron watched Simon with strange eyes.
'At this point, he's working so hard it's almost scary. What in the world happened?'
Even during the break, Simon's training continued. When Simon commanded the skeleton knight to spin, its body rotated like a top.
And perhaps the effect of the Bash was also included, because this time, it became a dark top.
Toto threw a rock at it, and with a crack, the rock was sent hurtling toward the ground.
Simon and Toto cheered and high-fived each other.
"Right, Toto! Check this out, too! I came up with a new technique."
"What is it, what is it?"
"It's still experimental, but…"
Simon opened a subspace ahead of him.
Shwiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
And as soon as the subspace opened, three skeleton knights spun like tops, tearing through the air as they passed.
Unlike the first skeleton knight, which had only its waist spinning, these spun from their feet to their heads, their entire bodies in motion.
"A-Amazing!"
Shouted Toto.
The resting students looked on at the scene, their eyes shining.
However, perhaps he hadn't yet perfected getting them to stop. The knights' bodies shattered as they spun, scattering fragments everywhere.
Simon ran around picking up the fragments, and Toto helped him.
"Simon! You had three more knights?"
Asked Toto as he ran over with his arms full of bones.
Simon glanced cautiously at Aaron and the other assistant teachers before whispering,
"The truth is, I actually bought them yesterday in Rochest. To try this technique."
"Aha!"
"I also came up with a rough name for it. Blade Storm, maybe?"
"What about Whirlwind?"
Watching from a distance, Aaron covered his forehead with his hand and let out a deep sigh.
'…Crazy bastard.'
And a little while later…
While Simon and Toto went to the bathroom, other students began spinning their own skeleton knights.
A strange trend was spreading in the Summoning class.
* * *
That concluded the morning practice. Aaron led the students back to the lecture room.
Practicing using skeleton knights was good, but they still needed to cover the theory, too.
"Now that I think about it, there was a question several students asked me yesterday."
Aaron tapped the blackboard with his chalk as he said,
"When I mentioned creating the tier-three undead headless knight, a 'dullahan', many of you were curious about the meaning of the term 'tier'."
Students like Aseraz and Hector, who had done advanced studying, burst into laughter.
Simon, meanwhile, was just rolling his eyes.
'I don't know either.'
"Silence."
At Aaron's words, the room went quiet.
"This is a concept not covered in the first-year Summoning course, so it's natural for some of you not to know. Let me explain."
He wrote the word 'Tier' on the blackboard.
"As you may already know, it's a term that refers to a 'level' or 'rank'. I don't particularly like it, but we'll go over it since it's widely used in the field."
The chalk in Aaron's hand danced across the board.
"In summoning, the concept of a 'tier' differs slightly from a 'rank'. All of you must have a maximum number of undead you can control at one time."
Simon nodded.
In Simon's case, without using his powers as a Commander, he could currently control eight summon-type undead simultaneously.
He'd reached eight around the second semester of his first year, but it hadn't increased much since then.
Of course, by cross-operation, he could appear to handle more undead, and by deploying his 'Royal Bodyguard' technique through his Cloud, he could manage twenty-four or even more.
"I can handle five."
Toto's came from nearby.
"I can handle eight."
Said Fitzgerald, pushing up his glasses.
As the students clamored among themselves, Aaron resumed his explanation.
"The maximum number of undead one can control through thought varies greatly from person to person. Now, let's say there's a necromancer who can control up to 10 undead at once."
Aaron swiftly wrote numbers on the blackboard.
"This necromancer can control 10 tier-one undead, 5 tier-two undead, and up to 3 tier-three undead."
'I see!'
Simon's eyes widened dramatically.
'The amount of thought needed to control the undead!'
"I'm sure you're starting to get an idea."
He lowered the chalk and continued,
"Undead with strong willpower and originality requires a significant amount of thought to control. For such undead, handling even just a few can prevent you from controlling others."
The students all nodded.
"However, as I said earlier, I don't particularly like this concept or term. It could give students unnecessary biases. First, tier is a relative concept."
The act of controlling undead with one's thought was inherently tied to mental power, so it varied from person to person.
For instance, if two necromancers could control up to 10 undead, one might handle 5 second-tier, while the other might handle 5 second-tier undead and an additional first-tier undead. Some necromancers even found it easier to control tier-four undead than tier-three ones.
"Don't take this as an absolute concept. Think of higher-tier undead as more powerful but harder to control. Secondly, the maximum number of undead you can control doesn't determine a summoner's strength."
He wrote a name on the board with chalk.
"For example, an active Crow, Rengie Maholmes, is a professional necromancer who can only control up to three undead. Yet, he's reached the top of the field. His 'golem trio' is considered one of the strongest combinations of summons."
The students quickly began taking notes.
"Finally, tiers have many variables. Some of you may and may not know this, but a lich is considered a first-tier undead. That puts it in the same tier as regular zombies or skeletons. But are liches and skeletons on the same level? Of course not."
Aaron looked around the room.
"This is possible because liches have a unique feature, their Life Vessel. And, there are zero-tier undead, too."
"What's zero-tier?!"
Aaron smiled at the student's question and wrote two words on the board.
"Ancient Undead."
"…!"
Simon felt his heart sink.
"These endlessly old beings don't require a necromancer's thought to control. They can command other undead as subordinates on their own. Also…"
He wrote the word 'Commander' above it.
"Regardless of these concepts, Commanders can lead thousands or even tens of thousands of undead in their armies. They're not bound by numbers."
"Woah…!"
"That's so unfair."
Listening to Toto's grumbling, Simon broke into a nervous smile and wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"Of course, even Commanders don't overly rely on undead armies led by Ancient Undead, I heard. They are said to handle their own direct summons with near-perfect precision."
Aaron looked at the clock on the wall.
"Our time is about to end. Does anyone have any questions about the lesson?"
Amid the silent students, a hand was raised.
It was Simon.
"Simon Polentia, sir."
As Aaron nodded, Simon stood up and asked with complete seriousness,
"This might be a little random, but what tier of undead is a bone dragon?"
The already quiet classroom grew so silent one could hear a pin drop.
Aaron looked at Simon with a strange gaze and answered,
"Bone dragons start at a minimum of tier ten. There are even some bone dragons so powerful that it's questionable whether a human even could control them."
Simon's heart raced wildly.
An undead so difficult that it may not be able to be controlled even if it was created.
That was the bone dragon.
'Nice. Having a clear goal makes me even more motivated!'
Simon sat back down with burning determination.
And, Aaron, watching him from afar, felt his face solidifying in horror.
'Don't tell me, that bastard…!'
He could only hope he was wrong.
——
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