A few days passed by—at least, it felt like a few days. Time was a slippery thing in the dungeon, it was difficult to organize it into hours and minutes. The only gauge that Pell or Enya had, was Enya's own sense of fatigue, the weight of exhaustion eventually pulling her into sleep. Not the most reliable clock, but it was the only one they had.
The murderer-zombie had been sealed behind the bookshelf, its presence vanishing completely. Not a whisper of sound, not a single rumble or thud seeped through the wooden shelf. Whatever magic operated that bookshelf’s mechanism worked exceptionally well, so well that it even silenced the very air behind it.
Enya was shaken for what felt like a day and a half, though it might have been longer. The encounter had been her first time experiencing real danger, the first time she'd seen something that actively wanted to harm her. The image of the zombie's jaw, agape and filled with the horrors of rotting flesh, coupled with its foul stench, had burned itself into her mind. And to hear Pell say that this zombie was far stronger than any of the others that roamed the dungeon wasn’t exactly comforting. Neither was the fact that it probably stood only a few meters away from her inside the study.
But time, as it does, softened the edges of her fear. Enya managed to calm herself, but the thought of the zombie still pounding against the back of the bookcase, kept her anxious. Yet, as the days passed by, she slowly returned to normal. The bookcase stood firm, unyielding, never so much as shuddering. Even her heightened senses, courtesy of her Absolute Focus skill, gave her no indication that anything was amiss.
Her own injuries, minor aches from frantically rolling across the floor, faded with some good rest. Pell had been right—it wasn’t worth using a healing potion on something so insignificant. But Pell, on the other hand, had not been so lucky during the chaotic encounter.
Both clavicles and eight ribs had been shattered and broken off of him during the battle. The zombie had snapped off Pell’s clavicles like they were twigs, while several ribs were forcibly ripped out of his ribcage immediately after. The remaining ribs he lost were due to the initial impact of him crashing against the wall, forming stress fractures all throughout his body. This, combined with Pell's last ditch attempt at a body slam against the flesh walker, caused them to finally break.
For the undead, recovery was a strangely seamless process. Most of his ribs were still in good condition; all he needed to do was press the broken pieces against their original places and channel a few pulses of mana. The bones would naturally reform and reattach themselves. However, some pieces had shattered into too many pieces to fully repair. Fortunately, Pell had a small chest filled with assorted bone pieces he’d collected throughout the dungeon, which allowed him to piece himself back together. In just two days, he was as good as new, clavicles and all.
image [https://i.imgur.com/ZiLMGqb.png]
Enya sat at the desk, the chair now positioned on the opposite side of the desk so she could keep the bookshelves fully in view. The page she read was filled with dense text and complex information.
> The undead, particularly creatures like skeletons and zombies, form the cornerstone of a necromancer’s power. Though they may seem the weakest in a necromancer's arsenal, they are the foundation upon which all other spells and magical practices are built. At the higher levels of necromancy, a skilled practitioner can extract increasingly potent energies from the dead, eventually achieving the resurrection of a corpse with all the power it possessed at the moment of its death.
She flipped the page.
> To summon a skeleton, there are two primary methods available to the necromancer. The first relies on actual bones—either a complete skeleton or partial remains. The second method involves the creation of a skeleton purely from mana. The former requires you to interact with a skeletal corpse, such as those found in graves or battlefields, and cast the Reanimate Skeleton spell. This technique consumes only a fraction of your mana to reanimate the existing bones. The second method, by contrast, does not require physical bones. Instead, you will use your mana to craft a skeleton from nothing. The more knowledge you possess about skeletal structure and bone anatomy, the more efficient and effective this process becomes.
She moved her gaze over to a different diagram, one that showed the anatomy of a partial skeleton. It was perfectly split in half, down the skull to the pelvis.
> You may also combine these methods. If you have an incomplete skeleton, you can use your mana to substitute the missing bones. It is advisable to carry spare bones with you, as even a single bone can improve mana efficiency by at least 50 percent. However, bear in mind that the bones used must come from an unanimated corpse. Bones from existing skeleton monsters or summons cannot be re-purposed.
The opposite page didn't have many words, but contained a picture of a spell circuit. She read the caption above.
> Below is a depiction of a skeleton summoning spell circuit. The circuit varies depending on whether you are reanimating an existing skeleton or creating one from pure mana. These spells are known as Reanimate Skeleton and Create Skeleton, respectively.
On the page, was two separate depictions of a spell circuit. Both looked similar, but had slightly differing patterns. The picture wasn’t labeled and didn’t have any explanation on them, and it was hard to make out the specific circuit patterns.
> I have devised a circuit that merges both spells into a single incantation, which I have named Summon Skeleton. While I cannot be certain if this is an original creation, I present it here for the benefit of all who seek knowledge. This combined spell can be used on a pre-existing skeleton or to create one from pure mana. It serves as the foundation of necromantic summoning magic, with advanced spells such as Summon Skeletal Warrior or Summon Bone Dragon building upon and greatly modifying this base circuit to increase its complexity.
Enya examined the circuit diagram, tracing the intricate lines with her fingers with a mixture of determination and frustration. This circuit was leagues beyond the simple light spell she had seen on the altars. It was her second time scanning over this passage, yet the complexity of the circuit seemed way too difficult. The light spell’s circuit was straightforward—two repeating patterns, one long and one short, looping in a neat circle around the marble altar.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
But this summon skeleton circuit was a different monster altogether. Five distinct patterns, each with varying lengths and intricacies, wove together in a design that felt almost chaotic in its complexity. Enya's gaze drifted momentarily to the bookshelf across the room. No movement, no signs of disturbance. She let out a quiet breath of relief before refocusing on the diagram.
She steadied herself, forcing her mind to quiet its distractions. The circuit demanded her full attention, and with her newly acquired Absolute Focus skill, she hoped the task might become more manageable. Though she wasn’t entirely certain how her skills would affect her spell learning, they had to be of some help—at least, that was her hope.
As Enya concentrated, her eyes glittered with a yellow hue, and the world around her seemed to slow. The air grew still. Her brain began to process the information along the page, sending rapid bursts of understanding and questioning thoughts inside her head.
Five patterns. Similar patterns. Long, short. Looping. Disconnected. Combining, splitting, reconnecting. Her mind connected all the information she was seeing. She visualized the mana flowing through the circuit, seeing how quick and efficiently each pattern affected the mana. She tried to understand where the mana would go, when it would split, and where it would loop back to complete the circuit.
She could see it now—the rhythm and pulse of the circuit, the way the mana would surge through each segment and the points where it would diverge and converge. It wasn’t just a jumble of patterns; it was a carefully crafted design, each part essential to the whole.
"Splitting the channels... it moves to these three patterns," Enya murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes traced the intricate lines on the page. "The first pattern stops midway, then the second loops back to another segment before connecting to the third. But the third... it’s not even a pattern, it only appears twice. And the fourth—it’s just a straight path that ties the previous three together... but the fifth pattern..."
Her voice trailed off as she immersed herself deeper into her spell studies. Several hours slipped by unnoticed as Enya wrestled against the logic of the circuit, her mind slowly unraveling the mysteries of each pattern, piecing together how these five distinct elements interlocked to form a cohesive spell.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she began to grasp the spell’s underlying structure. She could see how each pattern functioned, how they combined and flowed together, and the purpose they served within the circuit. The spell that once seemed impossibly intricate now began to make sense.
Enya closed the book with a soft clap. The yellow glow in her eyes dimmed as she released the hold of her Absolute Focus skill. A deep exhale escaped her lips, the mental fatigue weighing on her like a physical burden. Though the skill didn’t drain her mana, it pressed an enormous pressure onto her mind. She took a moment to steady her breath, allowing her body and mind to recuperate.
After a few minutes, Enya checked her status screen, specifically on her mana.
Mana: 20/20
Her mana had increased to 20 points upon acquiring the Visionary class, and she had also gained something called a Skill Point. However, Enya didn’t know exactly what it was, or what it did. During the chaos of recent events, she had forgotten to ask Pell about it. She made a mental note to bring it up the next time she saw him.
With her current mana, she should have enough to practice the summon skeleton spell. However, if she failed, a significant amount of her mana would be wasted, meaning she’d have to wait hours for it to regenerate. Despite the risk, she knew she had to try. Reading alone wouldn’t advance her skills—she needed to practice, just as she had with the light altars. Just that, this time, she had no engraved guidelines to help. This was all on her now.
Raising her arm in front of her, Enya began channeling mana into her palm. She coaxed the mana out of her body, letting it slowly drift into the air. It was... difficult. When she had filled the mana on the altar, she had a guideline—the engraved spell circuit that directed the flow. Now, she had to create a spell circuit in mid-air using only her memory and no physical guide. This was the most widely adopted way of casting spells.
Her mana wavered, unstable and difficult to control. The mana flowed out, wobbly and shaky, with nothing to guide it. Enya’s brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to replicate the intricate circuit patterns from the book. Unbeknownst to her, a soft yellow glow flickered in her eyes, growing brighter as her focus deepened. Without consciously being aware of it, her Absolute Focus skill activated, sharpening her mind and steadying her hands.
Her control over the mana became much easier. The unruly lines wobbled less, and she could move them into better and more accurate positions. But even with the assistance of her skill, the task remained arduous. She carefully formed the outer layer of the spell circle first, ensuring that the mana stayed confined within its boundaries—a critical step in maintaining the circuit’s integrity.
With the foundation laid, Enya moved on to the internal patterns. The first pattern came together with relative ease, a simple design that needed only to stay within the circle's edges. However, as she moved to the second pattern, the complexity increased tenfold. She had to weave the mana into a looping formation, all while keeping a precise distance from the first pattern. A single mistake would completely disrupt the spell.
As she neared completion of the second pattern, her concentration peaked. The final step required her to reconnect the pattern to itself, a delicate maneuver that demanded exact precision. But in that crucial moment, her hand faltered. The point of connection misaligned itself by just a centimeter, creating a small but critical gap in the channel.
Instantly, the circuit began to unravel. Mana spilled out of the gap, surging uncontrollably into the surrounding space. The loose energy collided with the first pattern, the central focus of the circuit, and the outer boundary, destabilizing everything. The entire circuit collapsed, and the mana exploded outward in a wave, much like the time she had overloaded the light altar.
"Arghh!" Enya screamed in frustration, the sound echoing through the chamber as the dissipating mana left the air humming.
Breathing heavily, she glanced at her side and opened her status screen, her heart sinking as she read the numbers:
Mana: 12/20
Enya scowled. She had only 12 points of mana left from the 20 needed to complete the circuit. When the mana wave exploded, she realized she could have recycled some of that mana. If she had guided the excess mana back into the circuit, she might have been able to restart. However, the entire circuit had broken apart.
If she wanted to recycle the mana that she had just wasted, she would have to expend even more of her internal mana to guide it back into the circuit. It was like trying to reverse the flow of a river by pushing against it with an even stronger current—an extremely taxing method. It worked better for a lesser cost—more simplistic spell, and ones she had full mastery over. If she made even the slightest mistake, she risked depleting her mana completely. She didn’t want her second try to be filled with such risk.
The Summon Skeleton spell was, in theory, the simplest spell she had encountered so far. But despite its relative simplicity, it still demanded a substantial amount of mana, at least, compared to her current pool. While other spells she had studied varied in their mana costs, they all shared the same foundational patterns and formations as the Summon Skeleton spell. Some of these advanced spells featured even more complex patterns, requiring significantly more mana or control.
Enya knew she needed to master this basic spell before moving on to anything more advanced. But for now, she had no choice but to wait. There was nothing else she could do until her mana had a chance to regenerate. The frustration of being forced into inactivity gnawed at her, but she had to be patient. Rushing forward would only lead to greater setbacks.