Visiting The Dead [2]: Morgan's New Army I.

Asher didn't wait for Ardent's response. He simply bowed, turned, and left the office. His mind was already set on the next plan.

He had no intention of even stepping into the classes, despite being early. But since there was a mission, if they called them to address and lay out strategies, then he would go.

He also had something more important to do than attend classes.

Asher strolled through the academy grounds casually, without being spotted, which was quite easy.

Most students were in their classes, still in the dorms, absent, or in the massive training building, while a few lingered in the corridors, barely paying him any attention.

He kept his movements within the shadows of the buildings, behind pillars, statues, fountains, and trees, while using his enhanced senses to avoid patrols and other students.

The academy was large, though, and luckily, Asher had the map permanently printed in his mind. He knew every single part of the academy, so he knew exactly where to go.

The cemetery grounds were located behind one of the older sections of the academy, abandoned halls where obsolete, abolished, and useless courses were once taught.

The closer he walked toward it, the quieter it became. The air was even colder, close to the temperature of a fridge, if not worse.

He was stunned by the immediate drop in temperature, but he was glad he wore a hoodie over his clothes.

The mana and energy that filled the academy also faded, making Asher brace himself for anything.

Once he had gotten used to the change in his surroundings, he finally stepped past the rusted gates into the graveyard and paused.

It was a large, vast expanse of blackened and green grasses. Directly on the spots where he assumed the bodies were buried, lilies of various types grew—blood-red, black, violet, and pink.

And he remembered they each held different meanings, but he had forgotten exactly what they were.

Rows of headstones stretched in every direction. Some had been broken, others had worn down to dust, and many still stood tall.

There were various statues of warriors and students standing at a few graves, positioned at the corners, as if guarding the resting places of important figures.

He walked deeper with slow, calculated steps, careful not to step directly on the graves, to avoid some curse or show disrespect, until he arrived at the center.

[Target Located: Arcane Battlemage—Commander Orin.]

[Target Located: Grand Combat Master—Darius.]

[Target Located: Royal Knight—Elena.]

[Additional warriors detected.]

"Not bad," he mumbled with a smile and lowered his gaze to the silver headstones, with names written boldly and decorated.

These weren't just fallen warriors.

They were the first students registered and Awakened in the academy after it had opened.

Commander Orin, as he had read, died at the hands of an elder dragon, and torn apart by superior dragons, with his remnants thrown into the academy as a warning.

Combat Master Darius was assassinated by the Outcast Guild after he was found guilty of abusing the guild master at the time.

She was unfortunately killed by beasts during a raid, as a result of depression and injuries.

However, he had defended himself, claiming she often lost her mind and attacked him, so his actions were in self-defense.

But before investigations could be completed, members of the guild and their master guild members killed him, before protection could be assigned.

Knight Elena, on the other hand, died during a dungeon break.

Asher didn't care about their past stories, he only cared about their powers.

Since they were the best, and records showed they fought even in their worst states, that was enough for him.

[Perform Blood Offering.]

The blue screen appeared before him. He already knew what that meant.

Without hesitation, he pulled out a small dagger from his hoodie pocket, one he had taken unnoticed from one of the students.

He held out his hand and made a small cut across his palm. The pain was barely registered as crimson liquid dripped onto the ground.

The effect came immediately.

The temperature dropped even more. The ground shook as his blood disappeared into the earth, as if being absorbed.

[Offering Accepted.]

[Initiating Awakening.]

Black smoke rose from the graves, the headstones cracked, and the soil above them began shaking and splitting.

Dark mist began rising from the graves as well, he headstones cracked, and the soil beneath them also shook violently.

From the smoke, the first, Orin's body, rose from the ground, his skeletal form was clad in rusted armor, an empty socket where his eye had once been.

However, From where Asher stood, he could feel the immense energy emanating from Orin alone.

The second figure followed, with a broad frame wrapped in chains, there were old battle scars still visible on the bones, even while dead.

The last to rise was Elena Vorst. Her decayed and gripped a massive sword tightly, the same weapon she had been buried with.

Asher watched as the figures before him split into two, leaving behind what looked like a shadow. When they slowly began shifting into their regular forms as shadows, he immediately understood.

The black smoke spread around the cemetery, moving over other graves and into the soil, causing slight tremors.

Asher, however, did not notice this, he was focused on the figures before him and the temperature drop in his own body.

He could see the dark aura surrounding him, while his blood dripped steadily to the ground, and with each drop, another warrior emerged from the earth.

The three figures he had summoned first stood before him, and they had amber glowing eyes like his.

And their original bodies sank back into the ground like cocoons, leaving only their souls in the form of shadows.

[Expanding Resurrection.]

The ding rang in his head, and he didn't hesitate. He lifted his bleeding palm higher, letting the droplets scatter across more graves.

First, a group of arcane soldiers, in mage robes, their bone hands still gave off an incredible amount of energy, since they had died while conjuring and using magic.

Though their bodies had withered, the magic remained, and that was astonishing, but the mana and energy moved to Asher's body.

Then, in the same way, they split from their original forms, becoming shadow warriors, assassins, and scouts.

Following them were the berserkers, a massive warriors whose armor reformed on their bodies. And they kept coming.

By the time Asher's vision became blurry from continuous blood loss, fifty soldiers stood before him, arranged in a semi-circle, awaiting orders .

He exhaled slowly and lowered his hand, watching as they stood together like a large ball of shadow.

[Reawakening Complete.]

[Fifty soldiers bound to Player, Asher Morgan.]