ch 73,74,75
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Chapter 73 – The Quiet Before the Collapse
The Bone Cathedral breathed.
Not in the way a creature did—but with pulsing mana, like the slow heartbeat of something ancient. Deep within its spined towers, Ray's army rested in silence, undead and beast alike waiting for their master's command.
But Ray was gone.
Above ground.
In uniform.
Back at the Academy.
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Academy Grounds – Two Days After the Insect Raid
Ray walked the marble halls like a ghost in human skin. His face was calm, unreadable. Around him, students laughed, sparred, and discussed the gate attack that had wiped out two small villages.
No one mentioned his name.
No one even knew he had been there.
"Ray!"
A familiar voice cut through the noise. Evan, his roommate, ran over with a tray of meat buns and a beaming smile. "You hear? The first real ranking trial's starting. They're dividing us based on combat footage."
Ray blinked. "Combat footage?"
"Yeah, the professors got some. Drones from the south. Someone wiped out over thirty insects with a group of… weird skeletons. Rumor says it's a hidden clan."
Ray smiled softly. "Must be."
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Ranking Trial – Briefing Room
Three instructors stood before the students. The ranking trial would take place in a sealed forest training area. Solo participants only. Entry was staggered. Points awarded for survival, kills, and creativity.
"Insects may be present," Instructor Diran warned. "Anyone found to be cheating with outside help will be expelled."
Ray raised his hand. "Define 'outside help.'"
Diran narrowed his eyes. "Tamed beasts are allowed. System summons must be bound to your current class. If we find hidden necromancy—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Ray nodded politely.
Inside, Seventeen whispered: "I can hide all mana traces. Let them hunt ghosts."
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Later – Dorm Rooftop
Ray sat cross-legged, watching the stars. Around him, five small shadow birds—bone crow hatchlings—hopped playfully. One perched on his shoulder.
"You'll scout," Ray whispered. "But no killing unless I say."
He fed them tiny soul crumbs — the leftover remains of broken cores. They chirped in low rattles.
Seventeen projected a visual report.
Domain Growth: 5% (Bone Cathedral assimilation ongoing)
New Undead: 7 from last raid
Warcha has begun construction of a throne
Ray exhaled. "Let him build it. He earned it."
"Your army is nearly large enough," Seventeen said. "But the Cathedral has… reacted."
Ray frowned. "Reacted how?"
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Hidden Domain – Bone Cathedral
Somewhere deep inside, where no light reached, a pulse of dark energy passed through the structure. Bone twisted into shape, forming a sealed cocoon.
Inside it, something stirred.
A fusion of undead and beast.
Half insect. Half man.
And something else entirely.
Seventeen labeled it:
[Aberrant Spawn – Unstable Evolution]
Status: Dormant – Time to Hatch: 3 Days
Ray hadn't made it.
The Domain had.
"It's building me monsters now…"
He didn't smile.
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Back at the Academy – Midnight
Ray returned to his bed and lay beneath the covers, eyes wide open.
In three days, the trial would begin.
In three days, the aberration would hatch.
And in three days, the first true war would reach the Academy gates.
He whispered into the dark:
"We're not ready. But we will be."
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Chapter 74 - The Shadow Under the Bell
The academy bell rang five times, echoing across the training fields like a drumbeat of war.
Ray stood silently in the back corner of the third-year training ground, head lowered, wearing the same dull academy robe as every other student. But his eyes watched everything.
A notification pulsed quietly in his vision:
[Warning: Tier 1 Gate activity increasing] [Stray Insect Scouts spotted 30 km from the southern wall]
Seventeen's voice whispered, calm but clear. "We may have less than two days now."
Ray nodded slightly, then turned his attention to the Ranking Trial.
Instructor Velan, a short man with a deep scar across his nose, clapped his hands. "Third-years! Today we begin Phase Two of Ranking Trials. Group Battles. Five versus five. You will be matched based on prior performance and magical potential."
Ray kept his expression blank as names flickered on the hovering magical board.
His name appeared in the final group:
Team Seven: Ray, Mako, Jerrin, Laia, Kor.
Laia again. The girl with the hawk bond.
Mako, a fire user who was too arrogant for his own good.
Kor and Jerrin were average — decent with spears and mid-tier wind spells.
The opposing team looked stronger. All upper-rankers. One was even a known dual-attribute mage.
Mako groaned. "We're dead. Why the hell is he with us?" He pointed at Ray.
Ray shrugged. "Guess they needed balance."
Laia tilted her head, studying him. "You really don't care what people think of you, huh?"
"Not really."
Instructor Velan raised his arm. "Begin."
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The battlefield was a circular stone arena surrounded by magical barriers. As soon as the match started, the enemy team struck hard.
A barrage of wind blades and flame arrows rained down.
Kor and Jerrin struggled to shield the group. Mako tried to counter with a fire wall, but it buckled.
Ray stood still.
Seventeen spoke gently. "Want to scare them a little?"
"Just a little," Ray muttered.
He stepped forward.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Step]
He vanished from sight.
Appeared behind the enemy archer.
A single chop to the neck — unconscious.
He moved again. Another.
Two down in seconds.
Laia blinked. "What the hell...?"
The dual-mage roared and cast a wide AOE flame storm.
Ray leapt back, pulled a bone dagger from under his robe, and threw it.
[Skill: Bone Pierce]
It shattered the mage's shield. Mako followed up with a burst of flame, knocking the last two down.
Silence fell.
Instructor Velan stared, stunned.
Ray dusted his robe and walked off.
Laia ran after him. "Who are you?"
He glanced at her. "No one important."
But far beneath the academy, the Tier 1 gate pulsed again.
The first true invasion had begun.
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Chapter 75 – Insects Beneath the Leaves
The forest was too quiet.
Ray stood near the southern edge of his hidden domain, eyes narrowed. The canopy above rustled, but the usual birds were gone. No beasts cried. No monkey chattered.
Only silence.
Seventeen's voice cracked through the still air, low and sharp.
> "Tier 1 Gate breach confirmed. First scouts have slipped through. Insect-type: Cutterlings. Class: F. Rank: Swarm-Type."
Ray's fingers curled tightly. He spoke softly, "How many?"
> "Unknown. Scouts move in clusters. Expect ten to fifty. More behind."
He turned to Graverend, his Bone Wolf, who growled softly.
"Murk. Warcha. Line up the undead."
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[Undead Army Mobilizing...]
• 12 Skeleton Warriors
• 6 Zombie Brutes
• Graverend (Bone Wolf)
• Warcha, followed by 6 Warcha-Spawns
• 2 Shadow Archers (recently converted skeletons with long bone bows)
• 1 Rebirth Brute (Murk) with Acid Maw
[Beast Allies Ready:]
• 2 Monkey Beasts
• 1 Shadow Lizard
• 1 Spider Viper
• 3 Bone Crows
Ray had named his undead force The First Shroud.
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Later – Southern Domain Edge
The trees trembled.
Then, like liquid shadow, they came — small, sleek insectoid bodies covered in glistening carapace. Each Cutterling was no bigger than a cat, but their legs were sharp, and their mouths clicked violently, mandibles twitching.
The Bone Crows shrieked the warning.
> "Enemies: 27 Cutterlings detected. Flanking wide, scattered pattern."
Ray barked, "Shadow Lizard! Left flank. Bone Wolf! Center with me. Skeleton line — hold!"
Warcha didn't wait. He moved ahead, dragging two of his skeletal followers with him. The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The battle began in a blur.
Cutterlings rushed in, leaping and spinning with unnatural grace.
The first wave clashed into skeletons — bone against claw, steel on carapace.
A skeleton was torn apart, but its shards exploded into bone spikes — a passive from the Bone Tree: Shatterburst.
Zombie Brutes crushed the Cutterlings with wild, angry roars. Acid spilled from Murk's chest-mouth, melting two bugs instantly.
Ray stepped forward, raising a fallen Cutterling.
[Skill Activated: Rise Undead]
The insect twitched… and rose. Its body still looked insectoid, but shadow pooled in its mouth, and a third red eye burned in the center of its skull.
> "New Variant: Undead Cutterling Created."
It skittered forward and joined the swarm — but on Ray's side.
Ray grinned.
"This is working."
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[Battle Result:]
• 27 enemies slain
• 3 Skeletons lost
• 2 Zombie Brutes injured
• Domain resources consumed: 10 mana trees (regenerated by sunrise)
• Undead gained: 4 Insect Cutters (converted)
> "This was a scout wave," Seventeen warned. "The next may not be so small."
Ray stood over the corpses. "Then we upgrade everything. We build. We summon more."
He walked toward the Bone Orchard. His fingers burned with energy.
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Midnight – Hidden Domain Core
Ray spent his points.
> [Points Used: 12] [Upgrades Activated:] – New Tree Grown: Spine Launcher Tree (creates spiked bone projectiles) – Domain Boundary Expanded by 300 meters – New Summon Available: Bone Hydra (E-Rank, multi-headed undead serpent, one-time summon)
Warcha, now surrounded by eight followers, knelt before the central tree. His armor looked darker. His core burned brighter.
Ray could feel it — the domain wasn't just growing. It was preparing.
Soon, the insects wouldn't just be an outside threat. They would come… for him.
But Ray smiled anyway.
Because now? He had monsters too.
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