Chapter 1: Awaken, My Servant!
— Main Story —
"Awaken! My servant!"
A skeleton with surprisingly smooth bone structure struck a pose radiating pure chūnibyō energy, raising both hands high toward a freshly dug grave.
The presentation had to be perfect.
Kaito was extremely satisfied with his current performance.
As his voice fell, the soil on the grave mound shifted, and a bony hand burst through the earth.
Moments later, a loose, rickety skeleton crawled out of the pit.
It stood up, tilted its head, and its empty sockets locked onto Kaito's empty sockets.
Four eyes met... wait, no. Four holes met.
The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
Just yesterday, Kaito was an outstanding youth of the 21st century, lying in bed scrolling through his phone.
By nightfall, he found himself Isekai'd. Worse, he had turned into a skeleton.
Location: Unknown. Suspected to be somewhere in Lugunica or a similar medieval fantasy setting.
Time: Unknown. But the sun was setting.
The Bad News: He had lost his "Excalibur." Physically speaking. He was bone-dry.
The Good News: He seemed to have inherited a terrifying Authority—the Authority of the Undead King. It sounded domineering.
Kaito could clearly feel that although he was currently just a skeleton who could run somewhat fast, he possessed the power to resurrect and craft the undead.
Even better, upon meeting certain hidden conditions, he could force his skeleton minions to undergo Evolution.
And with every evolution, he would receive a portion of the "feedback" from their Od, strengthening himself.
The Authority would continue to unlock as he grew stronger.
The future was bright. The future was promising!
He sized up the new servant before him, whom he had mentally dubbed Skeleton No. 1.
Its bones were yellowed, and the joints looked shaky at best. It looked like it would fall apart after two steps.
"You scoundrel! What are you doing to my father?!"
A furious roar erupted from not far away.
Kaito turned his skull around, stiffly, joint by joint.
A villager holding a bouquet of white flowers stood there, his chest heaving violently, his face flushed red with rage.
Kaito immediately prepared to bolt.
However, he slowly spread his bony hands, attempting to display a gesture of goodwill.
He clacked his jaw, trying to speak in what he assumed was a sincere tone.
"Oh~ my friend. I believe we have a misunderstanding of astronomical proportions."
"I merely answered your father's call and granted him the new life he so deeply desired."
However, in the eyes of the villager, the scene looked like this:
A vile undead creature had dug up his father's grave and turned his father's remains into a filthy monster.
And now, this desecrator was spreading its arms, clacking its jaws at him—click, clack, click—as if gloating over its victory.
It was a provocation! The most vicious insult a son could endure!
"Damn you, filth! You defile my father and dare to mock me?!"
The villager flew into a rage, smashing the flowers onto the ground, scattering petals everywhere.
Kaito's Soul Fire flickered violently.
Not good! Negotiation failed! He looks even angrier now!
It was no exaggeration to say that with his current "Level 1 Crook" durability, even a large wild dog would be a life-or-death boss fight, let alone this angry villager.
One punch from this guy and Kaito would be cosplaying Rebecca from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners—smashed into meat chunks!
Kaito's brain overclocked instantly. He formulated a plan in 0.1 seconds.
He grabbed Skeleton No. 1, pulling it in front of him, his five finger bones locking precisely onto its cervical vertebrae.
"Sir! You wouldn't want your father to lose his head, would you?!"
As he spoke, he used the index finger of his other hand to make a "slitting throat" gesture across Skeleton No. 1's neck.
The movement was standard. The meaning was clear.
Seeing this, the villager actually stopped.
This time, he understood.
It was a threat. That damned skeleton was holding his father's neck hostage!
This was a humiliation of the highest order!
The villager's rationality was completely swallowed by fury. Like a maddened bull, he crushed a stone beneath his foot and charged straight at Kaito.
"Crap! I forgot I don't speak 'Angry Mob'!"
Kaito turned pale—well, he was already white—and without hesitation, gripped Skeleton No. 1's spine and turned to flee.
Are you kidding? Fight? With what?
NIGERUNDAYO! (Run away!)
His two leg bones churned like pistons, creating afterimages.
Under the setting sun, a furious burly man chased across the hillside, pursuing a skeleton that was sprinting for its un-life.
Even more absurd was that the skeleton was dragging another skeleton.
The captive skeleton's body flapped horizontally in the air, its limbs flailing helplessly with every bump.
Like a tattered white flag waving in the wind. The scene was inexplicably full of youth and vitality.
The villager behind seemed to have infinite stamina, roaring as he closed the distance.
Kaito felt like his Soul Fire was about to be shaken out of his skull.
His only advantage was that the undead knew no fatigue. As long as his stamina bar was longer than the meatbag's, he could win!
"Ah, sh*t! A dog!"
A wild dog by the roadside was startled by the frantic Kaito and darted out of the bushes, blocking his path.
Kaito couldn't brake in time. His left foot tripped over his right foot, and the whole person—no, the whole skeleton—went flying forward.
Subconsciously, he threw Skeleton No. 1 forward to act as a meat shield.
CRASH!
Skeleton No. 1 hit the ground and exploded into a pile of spare parts.
Kaito face-planted into the dirt, nearly knocking his jawbone into orbit.
It's over! My only asset is broken!
He scrambled to look back. The villager was within ten meters.
With no time to think, Kaito used both hands and feet to frantically rake the bone parts on the ground into his arms.
Skull? Got it!
Ribs? Got it!
Femur? Got it!
Arm... where's the arm?
Screw it!
Clutching a pile of mismatched bones, Kaito scrambled up and continued running.
Seeing his father's remains treated like loose change, the villager's eyes turned bloodshot, and his speed seemed to increase even further.
The sky grew darker. Kaito dove headfirst into the forest he had come from.
The dense trees and bushes became his natural barrier.
Relying on his simple skeletal structure, he specifically chose narrow gaps between trees and low thorny bushes to squeeze through.
The sounds of pursuit and cursing behind him grew fainter, until they finally disappeared.
Only then did Kaito dare to lean against a thick tree, dumping the pile of bones onto the ground.
He felt his Soul Fire flickering dimly, as if it might go out at any moment.
"Damn it... no wonder the Light Novels say being a Necromancer is a high-risk profession."
He looked down at the messy pile of bones on the ground.
Skeleton No. 1... or rather, Skeleton Pile No. 1.
Kaito sighed and began his jigsaw puzzle.
— Power System Settings —
Power Scale: Tiers 1-12
Novice Skeleton (Unranked): Can solo an adult Chihuahua.
Apprentice Class (Tier 1-2)
Professional Class (Tier 3-4)
Lord Class (Tier 5-6): Qualitative Change / Elites
Calamity Class (Tier 7-8): Sin Archbishop Level
Kingdom Class (Tier 9-10): Legendary / Great Spirit Level
World Class (Tier 11-12): Mythical / Witch of Envy Level