ch 42,43,44
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Chapter 42 – Bone Meld Experiment
The sky above Ray's hidden domain darkened with mist.
Faint stars shimmered unnaturally above his floating necrotic altar, and around him, the undead stood motionless—waiting, silent.
Ray held the Necromancer's Shard, now embedded into his staff like a cursed gem. It pulsed faintly in sync with his heartbeat.
> "Time to test this."
He stepped down toward the center of the field, where two Rotten Hounds snarled and waited.
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First Fusion
Ray raised his hand.
> "Bone Meld: Rotten Hound."
The shard flashed. A low hum echoed through the domain.
The two undead wolves convulsed, their bones stretching and snapping together. In seconds, they merged—fangs sharpened, muscles twisted, eyes glowing brighter.
> [Fused Unit Created: Putrid Fang – F-Rank Elite]
[Skill: Rot Bite – Infects enemy wounds, reducing defense]
Ray watched as the new beast snarled once and stood loyally before him.
> "Good boy."
Seventeen's voice rang in his mind.
> "Bone Meld lasts 12 hours or until death. Fused units can't separate early unless forcefully recalled. You'll need more basic undead to keep fusing."
Ray nodded.
> "Then I'll plant more trees."
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Domain Expansion
He returned to his personal god shop. The points from the last dungeon buzzed in his mind.
> [God Points: 21]
He scrolled.
— F-Rank Tree: Shadow Bat Tree – Cost: 7 Points
— F-Rank Tree: Carrion Rat Nest – Cost: 6 Points
— Weapon Tree Upgrade – Cost: 8 Points
> "I'll take the bat tree and upgrade the weapon tree."
The trees materialized with a pulse of light.
Shadow Bat Tree: Small, with black leaves and hanging nests. Will produce 1 bat per day.
Weapon Tree (Lv. 2): Now creates stronger weapons—bone bows, daggers, and even spears.
He glanced at the domain map—his army's camp, training grounds, and planting areas were all expanding. The sky above shimmered like a dome, slowly widening as the domain leveled with him.
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Inventory Growth
Ray reviewed his current assets:
Undead Army
1 Putrid Fang (Fused Rotten Hounds)
6 Skeleton Archers
4 Skeleton Swordsmen
1 Twisted Squire
1 Warcha (Undead Commander)
1 Bone Archer Elite
2 Ravenbeak (Spectral)
3 New Shadow Bats
Trees
Wolf Tree (produces F-Rank Wolves)
Raven Tree
Shadow Bat Tree
Weapon Tree (Lv. 2)
Items
1 Skill Core (Unopened)
1 Slave Collar (Unbound)
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Slave Collar – First Use
Ray held up the black-ringed collar Seventeen gave him during the last god shop visit.
> "Choose your target wisely," Seventeen advised. "Slaves from the wild must be captured or bound after defeat. They cannot disobey, but be warned—abuse weakens loyalty."
Ray looked toward the dungeon entrance.
A prisoner stood there—bound in chains, unconscious. A human boy from a defeated party, left behind. Pale and thin, but still alive.
> [Do you want to bind this person with the Slave Collar?]
Ray hesitated.
But the voice of Warcha echoed softly through their bond.
> "Strong masters tame the world. Weak masters lose everything."
> "Do it."
The collar vanished in a dark flash and wrapped around the boy's neck. Symbols burned onto his skin. The connection was established.
> [Slave Bound: Name – Elen | Level 7 | Class: Bone Sculptor]
Ray's eyes widened.
> "A rare class..."
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Plans for Power
Ray returned to the summoning altar.
Tomorrow, he'd enter a new dungeon—a Tier 2 rift had opened near his grandmother's territory, and he had a pass from the academy.
But this time, he wouldn't go alone.
He'd bring Elen, Warcha, and a full force of fused beasts and elite undead.
And this time, he wouldn't lose a single summon.
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Chapter 43 – The Cold Flame and A New Classmate
The academy was in full swing.
After a long morning of basic dungeon theory and class rune studies, Ray wandered toward the beast garden behind the eastern library. Warcha had disguised himself as usual—tall, silent, and covered in bandages—and followed a few steps behind.
Ray had already built a tiny reputation: a quiet, intense kid who stayed out of trouble... but somehow had powerful backing. Few knew the truth.
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An Unexpected Meeting
A snow-white fox jumped from the trees, landing just a few steps away.
Ray blinked. "...A beast?"
But before he could move, a girl landed behind it, dressed in light winter gear. Her combat boots were caked in mud, and she looked... irritated.
"Why are you touching my fox?" she said flatly.
Ray raised both hands. "Wasn't going to."
The fox yawned.
The girl squinted at Ray, then glanced at Warcha. "...You're weird."
Ray paused. "...You too."
She didn't smile, but her eyes softened. "I'm Mira."
"Ray."
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First Friend?
It wasn't much, but over the next few days, Ray kept running into her in odd places—beast classes, dungeon field drills, and once near the training hall's back exit while she secretly tried to feed a F-rank bird steak to her fox.
She was blunt. Quiet. Loner vibes, just like Ray.
But she never asked him questions. She didn't pry.
That's what made him talk.
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A Small Spark
One night after a mock dungeon raid, she helped him bind an injured academy beast.
"Where did you learn this?" she asked, tightening the bones around the wound with surprising care.
"My... father taught me," he said quietly.
She looked at him for a long second but didn't push.
Instead, she said, "Mine taught me how to lie with a smile."
Ray blinked. That was the first real thing she said about herself.
Got it! Here's Chapter 44—with a focus on academy life, beast battles, the growing bond
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Chapter 44 – First Combat Trial: Undead, Beast, and Snowfire Fox
The academy's training grounds buzzed with energy.
Hundreds of students gathered in the circular combat arena. This wasn't just another lecture—it was the first official trial. Team battles. Beasts. Summons. Strategy.
And in Ray's case... undead.
He stood at the edge, hands behind his back, face calm.
Warcha waited behind him, his hulking body wrapped in shadows. On Ray's left, a small group of F-rank beasts watched from the shade—wolves, bone-feathered birds, and a thick-furred beast grown from his very first beast tree.
They were low rank... but evolving.
On his right stood Mira. Her face was passive, but her snow-white fox rubbed against her boots like a spoiled child.
They were assigned to the same team.
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Trial Rules
"Two teams enter," barked the instructor. "You win by making the other side surrender or forcing all summons to fall. No killing."
"Use your brain, use your bond, and—most importantly—use your power correctly."
Mira leaned toward Ray. "You ready?"
"I always am," Ray murmured. "You?"
She smirked. "Born ready."
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The Opponents
Their opponents weren't nobodies.
One had a Rank-E ironhide boar, another had a shadow hound, and the third—a rare earth mage—was famous for summoning golems even outside the dungeon.
Ray scanned them.
They'd underestimate him. Necromancer summoners were rare, and most thought their strength came late.
They were wrong.
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Begin.
The whistle blew.
Ray raised a hand. "Bonefield."
Three skeletal wolves erupted from the earth like howling ghosts, followed by the Bone-Eyed Buzzard flapping into the sky with a screech.
Mira whispered an order. Her fox dashed ahead, body glowing pale blue. Ice bloomed in its wake.
The ironhide boar charged.
Warcha stepped forward.
He didn't roar.
He didn't run.
He simply appeared, behind the boar in an instant, grabbing it by the tusks.
Snap.
The boar slammed into the ground with a scream.
Ray's wolves ripped through the shadow hound seconds later, using numbers and speed. One fell, but three more took its place.
> [System Notice: You've lost 1 F-rank wolf. Beast Tree will replenish it tomorrow.]
Ray didn't react.
He turned his eyes to the golem mage.
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The Master Watches
Up in the stands, a man cloaked in dusty robes and mismatched sandals chewed an apple and watched Ray carefully.
"Kid's interesting," he muttered.
The dean beside him blinked. "You don't usually watch new batches, Master."
"I was bored." The man smiled. "Besides... he's his kid, isn't he?"
The dean paled. "You know?"
The master winked. "Let's keep that between us. For now."
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Victory
Ten minutes later, the arena was quiet.
The enemies had surrendered.
Warcha stood like a mountain of death behind Ray. The snowfox curled around Mira's leg, lazily licking its paw.
And Ray?
He smiled for the first time in days.
"I like this place," he said.
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