The next day, the weekend.
Simon had come down to Rochester for the first time.
"Wow."
Rochester was a very young and vibrant city.
Everywhere, impromptu concerts and events were taking place, and students in casual clothes from Kizen were dancing and playing instruments, enjoying themselves.
Of course, compared to the large city of Langustin, it was modest in scale, but still, Simon found Rochester a bit more appealing.
First, Simon unfolded a map and headed to the necromancer shop.
Dick had recommended this place, saying it was the cheapest.
As he opened the door and stepped inside, a young employee greeted him warmly.
"Welcome... uh?" The employee's smile brightened.
"Simon! Is that you?" ...
Who was this? As Simon racked his brain trying to remember the familiar face, thankfully, the person revealed themselves first.
"It's me! Roewen! We met on the first day of the entrance ceremony!" "Ah...!" The incredibly talkative person he had ridden the hell whale with.
Despite everything, Roewen was his first friend made after entering Kizen.
"Hey! I didn't expect to see you here."
"Nice to see you! You're in Class A, right? I'm in Class D! Class D is tough! I never imagined a giant hybrid like Chatel Maer would be in our class! But Class A has Special Case No. 1... Oh right! You were Special Case No. 1! Wow, that's right! The moment your identity was revealed at the entrance ceremony, I felt a shiver all over...!" Here we go again.
Before things got more complicated, Simon quickly changed the subject.
"So, what are you doing here?" "As you can see, I'm working part-time."
Roewen shrugged.
"Gotta earn some pocket money. The pay for part-time jobs in Rochester is pretty good."
'Part-time job, huh, that's nice.' Simon was starting to worry about his finances.
The amount given by the school each month was barely enough to prepare for class materials.
"Can I find a part-time job too?" "Well, honestly, you're a bit late! All the part-time positions were filled last week! There are just too many people wanting to work."
"That's a shame."
While money was important, that wasn't why he had come to talk.
When Simon mentioned he was there to buy a skeleton set, Roewen kindly pointed him in the right direction. 'Ireland Ratman Skeleton Set, 20 pieces.' It was a hefty sum right from the start, but there was no helping it.
He needed many skeletons for the Cyclops assessment next week.
Of course, even if the skeletons' lifespans ran out, they could be incorporated into the legion's power, so there was no loss.
After purchasing a few other undead materials he wanted to practice with, Simon left the necromancer shop. 'Now, next.' Simon rustled through his notes to pull out a list of supplies. 'Weapons for the skeletons.' The next stop was the weapon shop.
Although he could buy weapons at the necromancer shop, Dick had given him a tip that they were more expensive there.
"Welcome!" A middle-aged man running the weapon shop greeted him with a bright smile.
His smile deepened as he quickly scanned Simon's school uniform.
"What are you here to see? These days, the black obsidian-made Black Sword has come out with a great new model!" The shopkeeper immediately handed Simon a sword hanging on the wall and asked him to draw it from its sheath.
As Simon applied a bit of force, the sheath opened with a click, revealing a shiny black blade.
"Th-this is a good sword. But I don't need something like this..."
"How about this! Combat gloves specifically for martial studies! The latest model has great firepower...!" "I came to buy weapons for skeletons!" Simon quickly replied.
The shopkeeper's expression suddenly turned cold, and he slumped down in his chair, pointing indifferently to a corner of the shop.
There were cheap swords piled up on the shelf.
"Thank you!" Regardless, Simon cheerfully dashed toward the shelf.
Most were failures or second-hand items, but they were perfect for the undead.
Simon carefully examined the swords, feeling the blades and flicking them with his fingertips to check their quality.
He ended up buying five swords, five spears, and two wooden shields.
"Please ring this up!" Simon dumped the weapons onto the counter.
The shopkeeper, who had been resting his chin on his hand, was taken aback and asked, "Y-you're buying all of this?" "Yes."
The shopkeeper's face relaxed as he began adding up the prices of the weapons.
However, he seemed a bit worried and casually remarked, "What are you planning to do with all this? Aren't you a first-year? Even with skeletons, managing two or three at the same time would be the limit."
"I just want to stock up a bit. They tend to wear out quickly."
A smile crept onto the shopkeeper's face as he examined the weapons Simon had chosen.
"At least you picked only the ones in good condition. Did you have some experience before coming to Kizen?" "Not really, but my father taught me how to choose good weapons."
"Wow, you have a great father!" The shopkeeper burst into laughter.
"Even though it's the age of necromancers and priests, there's still a foundation to it. A man should carry a decent sword at his waist and know how to protect himself with it!" "Of course."
It seemed this man had a strong sense of duty toward his profession.
As Simon appropriately chimed in, the shopkeeper appeared to be in a good mood, laughing heartily.
"The skeleton-exclusive weapon set, five swords for 250 silver. Five spears for 200 silver. Two wooden shields for 100 silver. All together, that's 550 silver, but I'll only take 500 silver."
"Thank you!" "I'm the one who should be thanking you. A young noble like you is willing to buy humble things. Ah! Please wait a moment."
After a short while, the equipment merchant returned with arrows and a quiver.
"This is a bow and arrow set made from ebony wood, which has high efficiency with black obsidian. Normally, I would charge 1 gold for this, but I'll just give it to you this time."
Simon's eyes widened.
"F-free? I can't accept something this expensive!" "Oh! Do you think I only sell once or twice in Rochester? I may be humble, but I have an eye for people. I can tell right away who will go home quickly and who will survive until the third year."
The shopkeeper said as he placed the bow on top of Simon's pile of weapons.
"If you're going to be buying weapons from me for three years, I hope you'll become a regular customer. It would be even better if you could introduce me to your friends."
"But still, a 1 gold item..."
"The bow won't sell well in Kizen anyway. Don't feel burdened, just take it. You know how to use it, right?" "Yes, I do."
Given how insistent he was, it would be rude not to accept it.
Simon bowed his head in gratitude.
"I'll come again!" After finishing his thrifty shopping, Simon happily headed to his next destination.
He also bought a few materials needed for other classes, including poisonous studies, and stored them in his spatial pocket. 'Pier, I'm setting off now.' [Understood!] Now, he was heading to the ruins to train with Pier.
He felt a bit scared about entering the Forbidden Forest again, but kindly, Pier had come out to greet him.
Climbing onto Pier's back, they arrived at the ruins in just a few minutes.
"How's everyone doing?" As Simon entered, the legion-formed skeletons approached him like excited puppies welcoming their owner.
Simon smiled and patted their heads.
"Pier, here are the skeletons to be legion-formed."
Simon took out the broken skeletons from his spatial pocket.
Pier clicked his tongue. [There are many injured ones.] "They got damaged a lot from the last simulation battle."
As Pier placed a hand on the skull of a broken skeleton, blue flames flickered in their eye sockets like torches.
Now, the legion's skeleton count had reached eight. [Now it's getting lively!] "Looks good."
Once the legion formation of the damaged skeletons was complete, the two sat down facing each other. [As I said before, this training will be quite intense! Are you prepared?] "Yes, of course!" The Cyclops assessment was just around the corner.
Over this weekend, he planned to maximize the operational ability of the skeletons.
First, Simon assembled the skeletons he had bought from the necromancer shop.
Soon, six skeletons stood in front of Simon, armed with weapons, while six legion-formed skeletons stood opposite them.
Simon's were summoned type, and Pier's were natural type, each forming a team.
The skeletons seemed to know this, making clattering sounds as they engaged in a mental battle against each other. [You said you could control two skeletons at the same time, right?] "Yes."
If he tried to control more than three at once, his thoughts would get tangled, and the command system would become chaotic.
Most importantly, his mental strength would rapidly deplete, causing a maddening headache that was unbearable. [Hehe, there's no need to rush! The important thing isn't how many you can control at once, but how well you can handle even one or two!] "Understood." [I'll also control only two at the same time! Bring it on, boy!] "Yes!" Simon extended his right arm. 'Charge!' The two skeletons wielding swords charged forward.
Pier also sent his two sword-wielding skeletons into the fray.
Clash! Bang! The sounds of swords clashing echoed as the battle commenced.
While Simon pondered his next move, suddenly, two of Pier's skeletons wielding spears lunged from behind. '...
Ugh, retreat!' Simon's skeletons barely managed to pull back in time.
As a result, the spear-wielding skeletons at the front pushed against the skeletons that had lost their balance.
Clash! Bang! Simon's skeletons barely managed to block the blows, their postures precarious.
Just then, the spear-wielding skeletons returned and struck the legs of Simon's skeletons, causing them to topple to the ground.
'...
I lost.' Swallowing his disappointment, Simon lowered his arm and turned his head.
"That's unfair, Pier! You said you would only use two at a time!" With a score of 4:2, there was no way he could win.
As Simon protested, Pier chuckled. [What are you talking about! I controlled only two like you!] "Huh? What do you mean... Ah!" That's right.
Pier moved the sword-wielding skeleton first, then the spear-wielding skeleton.
He kept alternating between the two, moving them back and forth. [Well, it's not that impressive.
It's called cross-operation! By quickly shifting control over the skeletons, you can expand the range of limited control.] "...... Ah."
If he couldn't connect to multiple skeletons at once, the key was to operate two at a time while making all the skeletons move! Got it?] As soon as Pier finished speaking, two of Simon's skeletons wielding spears stepped forward. 'Focus.' He made the sword-wielding skeletons spread their palms.
Then, he switched to the spear-wielding skeletons and gave them a high-five.
"Is this how it's done?" [.......] For a moment, Pier stood still, and then the corners of his mouth lifted. [Hahaha! It truly feels rewarding to teach!] "What?" [It's nothing.
If you've got the hang of it, let's move on to practical training!] "Ah, yes! Let's go!"
On the first day of the weekend, Simon trained with Pier on undead control and cross-operation.
Whether his skills had improved, he could now control up to three skeletons at once.
The next afternoon, he entered Kizen.
Together with Meilin, Kamibarez, and Dick, they practiced to synchronize for real combat.
Simon would stall for time with the undead while simultaneously feeding four Exgests and one Dark Flare to the Cyclops to start the battle.
Gradually weakening the Cyclops, he would add two more Dark Flares, leading to a victorious end to the battle.
To minimize mistakes, they repeated the practice in the same pattern.
It wasn't an Avalon simulation, nor was it a virtual battle in empty space, but it was exhausting nonetheless.
Everyone sprawled on the ground, gulping down bottled water.
"Simon! That tutoring you received in Rochester over the weekend, who did you get it from?" At Kamibarez's question, Simon felt a jolt.
"Uh, just someone I met through my father's introduction. Why?" "I think Simon's undead control has improved a lot!" "That's right. It definitely has."
Dick, who had been lying flat on the ground, propped himself up.
"Now he can use three skeletons at the same time. Is it really possible to improve that quickly?" Meilin, intrigued, leaned in closer.
"Who is this person? A professional necromancer? From Kizen?" Suddenly, all three of them focused their attention on Simon.
He gave an awkward smile. '...
What should I say to explain this?'