Chapter 13

Necromancer School's Summoning Genius Chapter 13

"Hello? Senior. I'm sorry to bother you while you're sleeping."

"......."

There was no response.

Simon spoke again.

"We'd like to share this room with you, if that's okay?"

"......."

Again, there was no answer.

Lena, who had followed him, clung to Simon's sleeve, trembling.

"Let's just go back, Simon. That person is definitely..."

It was then.

From between the open blankets, bloodshot red eyes glared at them.

Dick gulped, and Lena stepped back with a frightened face.

"...... Freshmen."

Finally, the blanket was pulled back, and a man sat up with a rustling sound.

"So today is the entrance ceremony... It's already that time."

He had a lean body, but his muscles were ideally defined, sharp eyes, and a distinct scar that seemed to cut through his bloodshot right eye.

Moreover, his bare upper body was covered with small scars.

A dangerous person.

That was the first impression everyone felt.

As he glared, Dick and Lena grabbed Simon's arms from both sides.

"...... You don't need to call me senior. I'm a first-year too."

"Then, Kazan..."

"Just call me Kazan."

As he brushed his bangs aside, his fierce gaze was revealed.

It was a look that seemed like he could grab a knife and stab someone to death at any moment, not something you would expect from a teenage boy.

"I don't know how long you guys will last at this school, but remember two things. First, don't meddle in my affairs. Second, don't make noise before I fall asleep. Once I'm asleep, you can dance or sing, do whatever you want."

"...... Ah! So you're allowing us?"

"Allowing or not, since there are no empty rooms, someone will eventually come in."

Kazan lay back down on the bed and pulled the blanket over himself.

"......."

After a while, the sound of even breathing could be heard as Kazan fell asleep.

Simon and Dick exchanged glances and stepped outside.

Lena, who came out last, carefully closed the door.

"We'll take this room."

In the end, they decided on room 409. Lena asked with a worried face.

"Are you really okay with this?"

"Yes, it's fine. He doesn't seem like such a bad person."

Lena nodded and checked off the list.

Then she placed a nameplate with their names on it in the case by the door.

"Then we'll go with room 409! If anything happens... if he does something bad to you, let me know. I'll report it to the dorm supervisor immediately."

"Yes. Thank you for thinking of us."

After parting with Lena, Simon and Dick each took a spot and unpacked their belongings.

Dick chose the spot near the door, while Simon took the inner spot closer to Kazan.

As they unpacked, there were occasional noises, but Kazan didn't stir, as if he were dead.

Only small breaths could be heard from time to time.

"Is he really not going to wake up?"

Suddenly, feeling bold, Dick dropped a textbook on the floor.

Thud! The sound echoed, but Kazan remained asleep, oblivious to the world.

"...... He really meant it when he said we could do whatever we want once he's asleep."

"He doesn't seem like a bad person."

Feeling more at ease, the two finished unpacking.

"Simon! Let's go for a shower. I saw a bathhouse on the second floor on our way up."

"Bathhouse?"

It was Simon's first time visiting a public bathhouse.

This facility could accommodate over a hundred people at once, and the floor and walls gleamed like gold, with hot spring water flowing into the bath.

Simon stood under the streams of water that came from the ceiling at the push of a button, or soaked in the bubbling water to relieve his fatigue.

"Ah, this feels so good."

After finishing their bath, they headed out.

Simon, with a towel around his neck, climbed the stairs with a relaxed expression.

Dick chuckled.

"It's the first time I've seen someone so amazed by a shower booth. Did you live in the mountains or something?"

"Something like that."

Simon replied, rubbing his wet hair with the towel.

"Hehe, even so, you should hold back on going 'wow-wow' while pressing the shower button. Rumors spread fast among the students."

"Did I really do that?"

"It was no joke."

The two returned to their dorm room.

Kazan was still asleep in the same position, as if time had stopped.

Outside the window, the sky was covered in pitch-black darkness.

Feeling relaxed after the shower, Simon lay down on the soft bed.

A sigh of contentment escaped his lips.

It felt like all the happiness in the world was right there.

"Ah, I'm so glad I came to Kizen."

Hearing this, Dick chuckled.

"Everyone wants to come to Kizen. Of course, whether we can stay here depends on our grades."

"I heard there are only 300 second-year students."

"That's right. Right now, it's the student protection period, so the professors are going easy. But soon, it'll be expulsion for poor grades, expulsion for showing no promise, expulsion for breaking the rules. Life at Kizen is survival."

Dick looked up at the ceiling, supporting his head with his arms.

"If you can just endure until the end of the first year, you can get into most places. If you can break through the crazy competition and become an official graduate... then you'll be part of the mainstream that moves the continent. Practically anything is possible except for royalty. Hmm, actually, if you're a Kizen graduate, maybe even a small kingdom would offer a princess."

Simon chuckled.

"Do you want to become a noble?"

"Not really. Of course, being a noble would mean not being looked down upon and having an easier life, but that's not my ultimate goal."

"Then what is your goal?"

Dick made a coin shape with his fingers.

"This."

"......."

For someone simply saying 'I want to make money,' Dick's expression seemed too complex.

Since they had just met today, Simon decided not to ask further.

While Dick was lost in thought, Simon channeled his magic into the ring on his finger.

The ring turned black, and Simon pulled the handle.

A subspace opened from the floor, and the skeleton set of an Island Ratman popped out.

These were the class materials he had bought in Campbell Road.

"Oh! What was that just now?"

"Subspace."

Simon answered briefly and sat down in front of the skeleton set.

He opened the case and took out the packaged bones.

Running his fingers over the surface and sniffing them, they seemed properly disinfected and very clean.

A bone diagram was also included on the floor.

Dick made a face of disbelief.

"...... Class ended a while ago, and you're studying again?"

"Just. I don't want to forget that feeling."

The duel with Hector in the summoning class.

So many things happened at once that Simon wanted to relive that amazing feeling once more.

First, he poured black magic into the magic circle drawn on the skull to awaken the undead.

Click.

Clack.

The skull moved, clattering its jaw and palate.

The undead born from summoning magic regards the user of black magic as its master.

Simon slowly closed his eyes and raised his synchronization with the undead.

Countless thoughts began to settle in Simon's mind.

'This time, purely by my intuition.'

Simon picked up bones number 5, 7, and 10 and attached them to the skull.

With just a little force, the bones clicked into place, giving a satisfying feel.

He built the spine, formed the torso, and connected it to the legs.

Dick watched with his mouth agape as Simon skillfully attached the bones without a hitch.

"...... Done!"

It took 30 minutes to recreate the irregular skeleton that moved on four legs, just like in class.

However, unlike in class, it took more time, and there seemed to be issues with the legs, making its movements creaky and unnatural.

This was a matter of concentration and immersion.

Assembling the skeleton in a comfortable space without stress didn't yield the same results as in class.

Still, Simon decided to be satisfied with the fact that he had restored the creation.

Simon patted the undead's skull and said,

"Sorry."

Then he applied force with his fingers to dismantle the skeleton's torso.

Crash!

The assembled bones scattered in all directions, landing on the bed, desk, window sill, and inside the wardrobe.

Dick exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you doing, breaking it after all that effort...!"

Simon closed his eyes and focused.

Sweat began to drip from his freshly washed head.

Skeletons formed by summoning magic have a tendency to restore their previous form.

The official term is 'restorative power,' but in the field, it's sometimes called 'attraction.'

Simon sensed the black magic contained in the 53 bones scattered around the room.

'Restore!'

As Simon opened his eyes wide, the bones scattered throughout the room flew toward the skeleton's body and began to attach themselves.

While it took 30 minutes to assemble initially, it only took 15 seconds to reassemble and return to its original form.

Simon exhaled the breath he had been holding and opened his eyes.

"...... It's still amazing to see."

Dick chuckled and muttered.

The restored skeleton approached and rubbed its head against Simon's leg, acting affectionately.

Simon smiled and petted the undead.

Encouraged, he began assembling the standard Island Ratman skeleton as shown in the diagram.

Instead of just following the numbers on the diagram, he pondered why bone number 11 should follow bone number 10, why the assembly order was established this way, and noted his realizations in a notebook.

This order was the standard established by necromancers over a long time.

But to reach this standard, there must have been countless trials and errors.

Every task had a reason and meaning.

Each time he realized this, he felt a thrill and gratitude for the knowledge and efforts of his predecessors.

Simon swapped bones number 25 and 31.

"How is it?"

Simon conducted various experiments.

The skeleton, moving its arms, clattered and shook its head.

Even if there were more rational choices in terms of human anatomy, he learned that there was a more effective arrangement for the undead to move.

"...... Hmm."

Dick, who had been dozing off, rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"You're still at it? You've really gotten into summoning studies."

"Yeah, it's fun."

A smile spread across Simon's face.

"I can't wait for the next class."

Dick yawned and got into bed, but Simon's night was far from over.

He opened the introduction to summoning studies and began a proper study session.

'The basics of the undead.'

Simon still felt thirsty.

The skeleton his father used to help the villagers.

The skeleton Lorraine used to subdue the gangs.

What am I lacking compared to those two?

Click! Clack! Clatter.

He continued to ponder and repeatedly assembled.

He managed to reduce the restoration time of the skeleton from 15 seconds to 10 seconds.

But this time, something was different.

On the 70th reassembly, dark blue black magic flared from the eye sockets of Simon's skeleton.

This was something that hadn't happened even during class.

Sss.

The skeleton with burning eyes turned its head to look at Simon.

"......."

Simon also met the skeleton's gaze.

Simon's first day at Kizen continued late into the night.