Chapter 2: Trial and Evolution
Skull: Picked up.
Spine: Aligned vertebra by vertebra.
Ribs: Sorted left from right.
Pelvis: Attached.
Femur: Connected.
Kaito finished reassembling all the parts, and the silhouette of a skeleton reappeared.
Skeleton No. 1 stood up. However, its left side was empty—it was missing an arm.
Kaito walked a circle around Skeleton No. 1, inspecting his handiwork.
It could move. That was good enough.
This was his only subordinate, his only asset. He had to establish effective communication.
He decided to start with the most basic commands.
He extended his right hand, keeping his five bony fingers together, and showed it to Skeleton No. 1.
"Come. Shake hands."
Kaito clacked his jaw, issuing the command.
Skeleton No. 1 tilted its head, its empty sockets staring at Kaito's outstretched hand.
The Soul Fire inside its skull flickered, as if trying to parse the meaning of this command.
A few seconds later, Skeleton No. 1 moved.
It raised its only remaining right hand.
But its hand didn't reach for Kaito's.
Instead, its hand grabbed the back of its own head.
Click.
A soft sound of bone grinding against bone.
Skeleton No. 1 detached its own head.
Then, like passing a basketball, it steadily placed its skull into Kaito's outstretched hand.
Kaito stood there, holding a skull.
He looked down at the head in his hands. The eye sockets of the head looked back at him.
Four empty holes engaged in a silent staring contest in the quiet forest.
Kaito was silent.
Three seconds later, Kaito silently picked up the head and reattached it to Skeleton No. 1's neck.
The installation went smoothly; the joints clicked perfectly into place.
"Fine. The 'Head Handover Ceremony' is complete. I'll consider that a pass."
Kaito patted Skeleton No. 1 on the forehead, the bone collision making a crisp sound.
He decided to abandon verbal instruction and move straight to practical combat.
Theoretical knowledge was useless; practice was the only truth.
He looked around. In this forest deep at night, the one thing not lacking was small animals.
Kaito casually picked up a dead branch from the ground. With a snap of his bony hand, he broke it into two pieces, one long and one short.
He weighed the longer piece in his hand; the length and weight were manageable.
In the next second, his skeletal legs exerted force, and his entire frame shot out like an arrow from a bow, silently vanishing into the forest shadows.
As a skeleton, he had no heartbeat, no breath. His movements produced only the faint click-clack of friction between bones.
In the night forest, this sound was negligible.
Soon, Kaito returned, dangling a wild rabbit by its ears.
The rabbit struggled violently in his grip, kicking its legs, clearly still very much alive and kicking.
He walked up to Skeleton No. 1 and handed over the twitching rabbit.
Skeleton No. 1's empty sockets faced the rabbit, showing no reaction.
"Give it a quick death."
Kaito issued the command through their soul link.
He wanted to know if a kill performed by a minion would trigger any special mechanics.
Receiving the instruction, the Soul Fire in Skeleton No. 1's eyes flickered.
It extended its only right hand, five stiff fingers spreading out, and reached toward the rabbit.
Its movements were slow, even clumsy, as if it couldn't comprehend the specific operation of "a quick death."
So, it poked the rabbit with a finger bone. Then poked it again.
Feeling the touch, the wild rabbit kicked out with its hind legs, striking Skeleton No. 1's finger and knocking the digit clean off.
Kaito: "..."
Watching Skeleton No. 1 silently pick up its finger and reattach it, seemingly preparing to give the rabbit another "full body massage," Kaito felt helpless.
He had to demonstrate personally.
Kaito grabbed Skeleton No. 1's wrist, guiding its bony hand to strangle the rabbit's neck.
"Apply force."
He commanded again.
Skeleton No. 1's fingers suddenly tightened.
CRACK!
A crisp snap echoed. The rabbit's body stiffened violently, then went completely limp.
Done.
Kaito immediately focused, carefully sensing the soul link between himself and Skeleton No. 1.
A wisp of energy—so faint it was almost imperceptible—drifted from the rabbit's corpse.
It flowed through Skeleton No. 1's body like a conduit, finally trickling into Kaito's own Soul Fire.
And then... that was it.
That bit of energy was like a single drop of water falling into a dried-up lake. It didn't even make a splash.
"That's it?"
He fell into deep thought.
Kaito frowned with nonexistent eyebrows.
"The efficiency is too low. Is there a requirement for the source of nutrients?"
"Must it be an undead creature? Or... humans?"
"I can't just go around robbing graves or mugging travelers on the road forever."
Just as Kaito's brain was running at high speed, a clack-clack sound came from beside him.
Kaito turned to look.
Skeleton No. 1 had picked up a tree branch from somewhere.
The length and thickness were decent.
Skeleton No. 1 held the branch in its only right hand, mimicking something.
It was mimicking Kaito's earlier action of hunting the rabbit.
Its steps were stiff, its movements full of discordance.
A squirrel ran past it, and it immediately chased after it.
Skeleton No. 1's movements were large but slow; it couldn't even touch the squirrel's tail.
A moment later, it spotted another wild rabbit.
It tried to pounce, but tripped over its own feet—left foot hooking right foot—and collapsed, nearly shattering its frame again.
But Skeleton No. 1 didn't stop.
It faithfully executed a logic it couldn't comprehend: Imitate the Master.
It raised the branch in its hand and swung it at the empty grass.
It repeated this action, again and again.
Perhaps it was the inevitability of probability.
A squirrel leaped from a tree overhead, aiming for the trunk of another tree.
Its trajectory formed an arc in the air.
And Skeleton No. 1's branch happened to swing right to the end of that arc.
THWACK!
A dull thud of object collision.
Accompanied by a short, sharp squeal.
The squirrel tumbled a few times in the air, hit the ground, twitched twice, and stopped moving.
Skeleton No. 1 froze.
The Soul Fire in its eye sockets brightened by a level.
It clack-clacked over and poked the squirrel on the ground with the stick.
The squirrel didn't react.
Skeleton No. 1 dropped the stick and carefully picked up the squirrel with its single arm.
Then, it turned around.
Its steps were still stiff, but the frequency was faster.
It clack-clacked toward Kaito, who was still deep in thought.
It walked up to Kaito and held out the squirrel.
Its jaw opened and closed, making a slight gah sound.
Skeleton No. 1 was reporting its battle results.
At that exact moment!
Kaito felt the soul link between himself and Skeleton No. 1 fluctuate violently!
A stream of energy—a hundred times larger and a thousand times purer than the rabbit absorption earlier—surged forth!
This energy poured out from the squirrel's corpse, passing through Skeleton No. 1 as a relay.
Finally, a portion of the feedback flowed into Kaito's own soul!
[Skeleton No. 1 has successfully broken through its own limits.]
[Achieved: First Independent Hunt.]
[Evolution Conditions Met!]
[First Evolution available for Skeleton No. 1!]
A stream of information flashed through Kaito's consciousness.
Kaito looked at the lifeless squirrel in Skeleton No. 1's hand.
Then he looked at Skeleton No. 1.
The Soul Fire in its eyes was much more vigorous, and the surface of its bones had taken on a smoother sheen.
"I see!"
Kaito had an epiphany.
"The key isn't killing, nor is it absorbing!"
"The key lies in the Breakthrough!"
"Like a baby thinking independently for the first time, or taking its first step in life!"
"This 'First Time' is the key to breaking the limit!"
"Skeleton No. 1's behavior just now was its first active imitation, and its first successful hunt!"
"This threshold for 'breaking limits' is actually very low. It can be artificially intervened with and created!"
Kaito's Soul Fire pulsed wildly.
"This means I can design a 'Newbie Tutorial' to mass-produce these breakthroughs!"
"I can forge a true Undead Legion!"
Kaito suppressed the excitement in his heart and immediately focused his attention on Skeleton No. 1.
With a thought...
"Evolution!"
The command was given.
Skeleton No. 1's body began to change.
Its bones started to grow, emitting subtle cracking sounds.
The entire frame was being elongated, heightened.
A few seconds later, the transformation stopped.
Skeleton No. 1, which had been the height of an average human, was now half a head taller than Kaito.
It was still missing its left arm.
But in its right hand, it gripped a newly manifested weapon.
A short sword made of bone.
The blade and hilt were formed as a single piece, emitting the same luster as its body.
[Novice Skeleton] evolved into [Tier 1 Skeleton Soldier].
Kaito could clearly feel the change in Skeleton No. 1.
Its strength, its bone density, its soul intensity—all had received a comprehensive upgrade.
Kaito made an assessment.
If the current Skeleton No. 1 were to face that angry villager again...
It could confront him head-on, perhaps even holding the upper hand.
This was the power of Evolution.
This was Kaito's Authority.
Kaito looked at his masterpiece, a brand new plan forming in his mind.
I need more Skeleton No. 1s.
A massive plan for an Undead Calamity would begin right here, in this small forest.