11
New chapter.
----------------------------
"How much time has passed?" Dave slowly regained consciousness and stood up. His skeletal arm, which had been destroyed, was already healed. Around him, his skeletal soldiers were scattered, keeping watch over the area.
All that remained from the previous battle were scattered bones and the large armor on the ground, along with a... "Talking helmet?" Dave wondered as he saw the severed head of the black knight he had cut off, grunting and trying to crawl back to its body.
Curious, Dave picked up the helmet and removed it, revealing a black skull filled with dark mana that roared at him and tried to bite him. "I see, even with the head severed, skeletons don't die, do they?" Dave thought, grabbing the skull with both hands before injecting sacred energy.
"AHHH!" The skull let out a sharp cry of pain as the blinding light enveloped it while the conversion took place. Soon, the dark mana was purified, and a notification sounded in Dave's ear.
(Skeleton Knight N(30) converted to Sacred Skeleton Knight. Your skill level has increased.)
"Level 30?" Dave wondered as he heard the notification and looked at the skull, which now emitted a faint sacred aura. "Where am I?" To his surprise, the skull spoke, startling Dave, who dropped it.
"Hey, don't throw me on the ground like that! You want to kill me?"
"Oh, sorry, you scared me." Dave spoke directly into the knight's mind, surprising him. He picked up the head again, and the two stared at each other. "So, what's your name? And what happened to me?" the knight asked, and Dave remained silent for a moment.
"My name is Dave, and as for how you ended up like this, I have no idea. What do you remember?" Dave asked, and the knight thought for a moment before responding.
"I don't remember much either. All I can recall is my name, Regnar, my knight techniques, and my last order," Regnar said, surprising Dave.
"And what was your last order?"
"Defend the castle." Regnar spoke decisively, as if the order still echoed in his mind. "I see," Dave said and decided to explain the current situation before placing Regnar's head back on his body.
"Haha, so I attacked you, and you defeated me with sword aura? Not bad! What level are you?" Regnar laughed when he heard about their battle and asked Dave his level.
"Wait, let me check."
---------------Status---------------
Name: Dave
Race: Awakened Sacred Skeleton
Mana: 330\800
Level: 26 (0\3.000)
Class: Skeleton Soldier
Talents: (Low Mana Sensitivity), (High Sacred Magic), (Medium Death Magic), (Command), (Instinct).
Skills: (Beginner Sacred Magic), (Basic Swordsmanship> Intermediate Swordsmanship Level 1), (Unarmed Combat Level 5), (Dodge> Intermediate Dodge Level 1), (Mana Strengthening Level 9), (Convert Undead Level 6) New (Basic Shield Technique Level 1) New (Sword Aura Level 1).
--------------------------------
"I'm at level 26 now," Dave said casually, and Regnar stroked his own chin. "Hoho, not bad. Using sword aura before level 30? You must be a genius! How many levels did you gain by defeating me?" Regnar responded, and Dave was silent for a moment before continuing.
"I was at level 17, so nine levels," Dave said, and Regnar froze for a moment.
"Level 17 when you defeated me and used sword aura?!" Regnar asked, his voice trembling, and Dave nodded, leaving him incredulous. "How is that possible?! It took me years of training to unlock my sword aura, and I only managed it at level 28. Although my memory is vague, this is called being a genius where I was alive," Regnar said, incredulous, and Dave just shrugged.
"Ahem. Well, you were lucky I was weakened. Now that I've regained my consciousness, I can fight at full strength," Regnar coughed and explained.
"Well, that's good. We need more strength at the moment, but for now, let's not fight." Dave spoke and gathered his forces to retreat back to the city. He decided to consolidate his gains for now and increase his troops.
Moreover, he now had a powerful ally, despite nearly losing his life in the process. "By the way, Regnar, when did you upgrade your class to knight when you were human?"
"I originally upgraded to Sacred Knight at level 30, but I think something happened shortly after because I couldn't train and level up," Regnar said.
Thus, the small skeleton army retreated back to the city and prepared their forces.
--------------------------
4 days later...
(Level up. You have reached the class level limit. Evolve to continue leveling up.)
"Whew, finally," Dave said as he lowered his sword. In front of him, Regnar was also holding his sword. For the past four days, they had been training like this nonstop, sparring with their swords.
According to Regnar, it was possible to gain XP simply by performing other actions, and it wasn't really necessary to defeat monsters for it. This explained several things to me, so I divided my skeletons into various different tasks.
Most took up their weapons and began fighting. Two other skeletons evolved into clerics, who, along with Sebas, healed the wounded skeletons, helping them level up their skills as well.
A minority of skeletons began doing tasks such as cleaning, forging, and resource gathering. Soon, a large area of houses was demolished, and a small fortress began to be built.
Dave had the idea that there might be highly intelligent skeletons beyond the walls, capable of properly commanding the smaller troops. This would be a major problem for him if caught off guard in an attack.
--------------------------------