Chapter 1_Revenge of the Necromancer

Decades. It had taken decades for Raphael to get everything in place. He was standing on his balcony, the penthouse of the building, and looked over the city of Manhattan. In his right hand was a switch, no larger than a coin. Mozart’s Lacrimosa played loudly in the background.

Raphael laughed, his voice full of joy, bitterness, and hatred.

Finally. Finally, he would get his revenge. Humanity had wronged him. It was not just one group, or even race, of people. No. The entire species was full of fake, rotten beings. Each and every single one of them hid behind a mask. A mask to hide who they truly were.

Raphael remembered as he watched his own mother and sister get beaten and raped in front of him and his father, and how helpless and powerless he had felt. The sounds of them screaming in pain and the sight of their lifeless bodies bleeding out on their floor still haunted him to this very day.

Afterward, it was not very hard for the police to find the culprit. He was put in court, due to have a swift trial, followed by life in prison. Though that was not how the matter played out.

Not guilty. After days of deliberation, the man was found not guilty by the jury.

Raphael remembered the opposing lawyer vividly. His outward appearance and demeanor were enlightening, kind, joyful. Inside he was a cold, emotionless snake. They all were.

Eventually, Raphael and his father healed, as much was possible, and tried continuing with their lives. The 13-year old boy soon found himself with another mother, one he loved just as much as his first.

Yet his happiness was not meant to be. During a family vacation, his father and mother went rock climbing and were killed from a loose boulder.

Afterward, Raphael was sent off to live with some distant relatives. He lived in complete poverty and was treated like trash. Everywhere he went, Raphael experienced discrimination. Nobody was immune to it. Nobody helped him. Nobody even offered him a word of kindness.

That was why he built this thing. Raphael had struggled through his first twenty years. But soon, he got lucky. He invested in the right things and rose to the top. From there it was child’s play.

Looking down at his hand, Raphael’s finger hovered over the button. Yes, there were some people who did not own one of his devices. But they were all mostly still in tribes and completely uncivilized. It would take thousands of years before they were back to the current level of technology and state of living.

Sighing, Raphael pressed the switch.

Already could he see and hear cars crashing into one another below him. Soon, he saw huge airplanes coming down in the city, decimating buildings and people.

Flames spread everywhere, eventually developing into a huge wildfire. Explosions ripped into houses, skyscrapers, and vehicles indiscriminately.

As the damage started reaching his building, Raphael went back inside and looked around. He grabbed a needle and injected it into his neck. It was the same stuff that he had manufactured into the phones, glasses, earpieces and more that were worn by everyone around the world.

…

Raphael spawned, laying on a cold, hard surface. He sat up and tried looking around. It was completely dark, and he couldn’t see a thing. While this world was his brainchild, he knew next to nothing about it. It was created solely with Earth’s most advanced artificial intelligence. In fact, the world continued to be developed and changed even now.

As he tried to stand up, Raphael’s head slammed into the ceiling. He fell back to the ground, holding his face and cursing. After a few seconds, he reluctantly pulled his hands away.

[Gained Skill ‘Physical Endurance’ Beginner Level 1!]

Raphael felt a little better after receiving the skill and patted the stone above him with forgiveness. “Now then, where do I go?”

Raphael stumbled around in the darkness for several minutes, occasionally crashing into walls. Soon, he gained a Night Vision skill, allowing him to see slightly better.

…

[‘Night Vision’ is Now Beginner Level 5!]

It had been what seemed like a few hours, though Raphael had no idea to know for sure. His Night Vision skill had progressed enough for him to be able to see the faint outlines of the walls around him.

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It seemed as if the cave he was in was like a maze, and Raphael constantly found himself walking in circles, even occasionally finding himself back at where he had spawned.

…

Another few hours passed, and Raphael finally spied a light coming from the distance. “Yes, finally!” He walked towards it, a little nervous about what was past it. While he was kind of in the dark about this world, he knew one thing for sure. Despite the game-like nature of it, if you die, you’re dead. For good.

As Raphael neared the light source, he began to see that it was artificial. The path led slightly downward, and there was a flicker attached to the glow.

Raphael cautiously peeked his head into the room. It was circular, about 15 feet in diameter, and had five torches placed on the walls around it, each equidistant from one another.

In the middle of the room was a pedestal, and on it rested a book. In front of it, closer to Raphael, was a large red star painted on the ground.

Slightly anxious, Raphael stepped into the room. He examined a torch, wondering how it was still shining.

[Identified ‘Everlasting Torch’ (Rare)!]

Satisfied with the answer, Raphael neared the pedestal. Flipping open the ancient-looking book resting on it, a notification appeared in front of him.

[Learn Necromancy Skill? Warning: Learning this skill will leave this book useless. Proceed?]

Interested, Raphael clicked yes. Why not, anyways?

[Gained Skill ‘Necromancy’ Beginner Level 1!]

Alright, that’s cool and all, but how do I use it?

Curious, Raphael pulled up his character sheet.

[Character:

Name: Raphael

Level: 1

Race: Human

Status:

Health: 100/100 (Regen: 2/minute)

Mana: 100/100 (Regen: 2/minute)

Stamina: 90/90 (Regen: 1.8/minute)

Vitality: 10

Strength: 8

Agility: 9

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 10

Dexterity: 10

Perception: 9

Skills:

Physical Endurance: Beginner Level 1

Night Vision: Beginner Level 8

Necromancy: Beginner Level 1

Titles: None

Achievements: None]

Raphael clicked on his Necromancy skill, trying to learn more about it. His inquiry was met with success as a new screen popped up.

[Skill Necromancy: Gives the ability to summon undead creatures. To summon them, proceed with this chant:

The statement was followed by a bunch of weird characters. Thankfully, the Necromancy skill book seemed to also pass on the ability to read them, as Raphael knew he’d be able to pronounce the symbols. Nodding his head, he kept reading.

--- Environmental, physical, and mental factors can lead to a better or worse summon. For a complete work on the conditions, click here. Current Maximum Summonable Undead = 2 (Rank 1)]

Raphael clicked the word, and pages of information appeared. It read like a normal word document, for which he was thankful. He searched for the word pentagram, the satanic-like star that was in the room with him.

[Pentagram: Utilizing a pentagram is extraordinarily helpful while summoning. Undead come into being with a 200% bonus to their stats. To activate it, simply offer up 1 liter of blood, then place torches on every point of the pentagram.]

Closing the windows, Raphael walked to the pentagram. He didn’t have a sharp object to cut with, so he used his teeth. Raphael bit at his wrists until blood flowed out, at which point he reached level 2 in physical endurance.

[1 Liter of blood achieved!]

Raphael tore off a piece of the raggedy tunic he was wearing, then wrapped his wrist up. Satisfied, he took down the five forever burning torches from the walls and placed then on each point of the star.

[Torches placed successfully!

You have finished the steps necessary for an enhanced summon.]

A little giddy with anticipation, Raphael stood back behind the pedestal. He pulled up his Necromancy skill, then repeated the chant he was required to.

…

DOOHN VIER TEEL SIGT!

As Raphael finished, a screen popped up. The chant wasn’t very hard, only taking about 15 seconds to recite.

[Current Summonable Undead:

Skeletal Worker (Rank 1): 80 Mana Required

Skeletal Warrior (Rank 1): 250 Mana Required]

It seemed like the two options that popped up were the only ones his skill was high enough to summon, but Raphael didn’t have enough mana to summon the warrior.

Worker it is, then.

He tapped on the first option, and a vacuum noise filled the room. His mana and blood were sucked into the void, and in return, a skeleton came into existence, standing in the middle of the pentagram.

Raphael stepped out from behind the pedestal, getting closer to examine it. The undead in question was staying still, holding a multipurpose axe. It was about six feet in height, a little taller than Raphael, and made completely of bone, including its axe.