By morning, the entire city knew.
They tried to keep it quiet.
They failed.
Kael Varis walked through the streets of Gravenfall under a hundred stares. Whispers followed him like ghosts.
"That's him…"
"The Necromancer."
"They should seal him."
"He'll bring calamity."
Guards escorted him toward the highest tower in the city — the Obsidian Spire, seat of the Council. Their hands never strayed far from their weapons.
As if steel would matter.
Kael kept his expression calm.
Inside, he was still replaying last night.
Thirty skeletons.
No strain.
No limit.
And when the ogre fell—
He had felt it.
The surge.
The connection deepening.
The Council chamber was circular, lined with towering windows of enchanted glass. Six seats formed a half-moon at the far end, each occupied.
The strongest Awakeners in Gravenfall.
At the center sat High Magister Elric Thorn, S-Rank Archmage.
His eyes were sharp.
Cold.
"Kael Varis," Elric began, voice echoing across the chamber. "You understand why you are here."
"Yes."
"Necromancer is not merely rare. It is recorded as catastrophic."
Murmurs rippled among the other councilors.
A silver-haired woman leaned forward. "The last recorded Necromancer led an undead uprising three centuries ago."
Kael didn't flinch. "And I haven't."
"Not yet," another councilor snapped.
Silence fell.
Elric studied him carefully. "Tell us. How many undead can you summon?"
Kael paused.
He could lie.
But they would find out eventually.
"I don't know."
That wasn't entirely false.
A flicker of tension passed through the room.
"You don't know?" the silver-haired woman repeated.
"There doesn't appear to be a limit."
The temperature in the chamber seemed to drop.
One councilor half-rose from his seat. "Impossible. All summoning classes have caps!"
Kael met their eyes evenly.
"Mine doesn't."
The chamber exploded into argument.
"This is exactly why the class was sealed!"
"He's a strategic asset!"
"He's a disaster waiting to happen!"
"Silence."
Elric's voice cut through the chaos.
He stared at Kael for a long moment.
"Whether we like it or not," Elric said slowly, "monsters are evolving. Dungeons are expanding faster each year. The frontier is failing."
His gaze sharpened.
"And we have just been handed a weapon."
Kael didn't like the way he said that.
Weapon.
Not citizen.
Not Awakener.
Weapon.
"You will not leave Gravenfall without permission," Elric continued. "You will train under supervision. Every undead you raise will be documented."
So they wanted control.
Kael bowed slightly. "Understood."
For now.
As he exited the tower, a familiar notification flickered in his vision.
Hidden Quest Triggered
The Chains of Authority
The Council seeks to bind your growth.
Reward: Skill Evolution
Condition: Reach Level 10 without Council oversight.
Kael nearly smiled.
So even the System acknowledged it.
They intended to cage him.
But they didn't understand something critical.
He didn't need permission to grow.
That night, instead of the graveyard, Kael moved toward something far more dangerous.
A recently formed E-Rank dungeon had appeared near the eastern cliffs.
Officially, it was under investigation.
Unofficially, it was unguarded.
Perfect.
The dungeon entrance pulsed like a wound in reality.
Dark stone steps descended into crimson light.
A normal Level 2 Awakener would never enter alone.
Kael stepped inside without hesitation.
The air reeked of rot.
Moments later, the first monsters appeared—Ghoul Hounds, twisted creatures with exposed bone and elongated claws.
Three of them.
They lunged.
"Rise."
From the shadows behind him, thirty skeletal soldiers emerged.
The corridor filled instantly.
Claws met bone.
The battle was swift.
Efficient.
Brutal.
Kael didn't even need to move.
Experience flooded in.
Level Up!
Level 3.
More monsters came.
Five.
Ten.
A swarm.
The skeletons advanced relentlessly, reforming when shattered, overwhelming anything in their path.
Kael raised his hand toward a fallen ghoul.
"Graveborn Command."
The corpse trembled.
Black mana seeped into it.
It rose again—
Not as a skeleton.
But as a Ghoul Servant.
Its claws sharper.
Its eyes glowing brighter than before.
A new notification appeared.
New Undead Type Acquired: Corrupted Ghoul
Undead retain enhanced racial traits.
Kael's pulse quickened.
So he wasn't limited to skeletons.
He could build diversity.
Infantry.
Assassins.
Beasts.
Maybe even…
Boss monsters.
The dungeon trembled suddenly.
A roar echoed from deeper within.
He had pushed too far.
Too fast.
The ground cracked as something massive approached.
The skeletons instinctively shifted formation around him.
Protecting.
Waiting.
Kael's eyes gleamed in the crimson light.
"Let's see," he murmured.
"How strong the Sovereign of death truly is."
From the darkness, a hulking figure emerged—
The Dungeon's E-Rank Boss.
And Kael smiled.