Natural Talent?

Accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound of twisting metal, the door handle was easily twisted off by Skeleton Grom.

The dormitory door broke at its connection under its unconscious manipulation and crashed down with a thunderous sound. The crowd in the corridor, which hadn't completely dispersed, immediately turned back.

Rex's heart nearly stopped beating.

Now everyone could see the massive skeleton with green flames inside the dormitory.

Rex saw the sword apprentice's face turn from blue to white, his sword clattering to the ground, several girls letting out short screams, and some even going weak in the knees and sitting down on the spot.

Most here were first-year students who had just been exposed to the professional system, hadn't passed their examinations yet, let alone entered the Forbidden Forest to face magical creatures.

They were flowers in a greenhouse.

Ordinary skeletons with soul flames were scary enough—who had seen such a fearsome monster?

Skeleton Grom tilted its head, all six eyes blinking simultaneously, seemingly confused by everyone's reaction.

It took a step forward, its three-meter height nearly reaching the corridor ceiling, the bone spikes at the end of its spine gleaming coldly in the light.

"What—what kind of monster is this!" The sword apprentice trembled as he retreated. "Where's the enforcement team?! Come back quickly!!"

Chaos erupted in the corridor—some turned and ran, others were too frightened to move.

Rex rushed to the doorway, trying to pull Skeleton Grom back, but the big guy wouldn't budge. Instead, it curiously bent down to examine a girl who had collapsed on the ground.

"Grom, come back!" Rex shouted sternly.

The giant skeleton finally obediently straightened up, but it was too late—Monica and the enforcement team, who had just left, had already rushed back upon hearing the commotion.

The red-haired senior's hand was on her sword hilt, but when her gaze fell on Skeleton Grom, her movement suddenly froze.

"This is..." Monica was speechless. "A mutated skeleton approaching first-tier?"

The corridor fell dead silent.

Everyone looked at Monica, then fearfully at the behemoth that nearly filled the entire corridor.

Rex sighed, knowing the situation was beyond salvage.

He simply stood beside Skeleton Grom and patted its leg bone: "This is my contracted undead. It won't attack humans unprovoked."

"Impossible!" the sword apprentice shrieked. "How could a first-year apprentice control this level of undead creature? It almost ate a student just now—it must have been forcibly controlled through some evil ritual—"

"Shut up."

Monica cut him off to prevent greater panic, but her gaze never left Skeleton Grom. "This is a product of Bone Summons. I can sense pure necromantic power."

She turned to Rex, her beautiful eyes scrutinizing: "Usually only first-tier or higher necromancers can summon this level of skeleton warrior. How did you do it?"

Necromancers had a major limitation—their minions couldn't exceed their own rank, or they would lose control.

If one wanted to cross this line, it required paying a tremendous price, such as blood sacrifice, as the sword apprentice worried.

In fact, outside the Kingdom of Lotus, necromancy schools were strictly forbidden in many nations.

Rex shrugged: "Natural talent?"

Monica approached a few steps, carefully examining the menacing bone spikes on Skeleton Grom's spine and its six burning undead eyes: "These mutated characteristics... what was it before death?"

"A gluttonous, um, ghoul."

Gasps echoed through the corridor. Monica's expression became even more complex: "You transformed a ghoul into a skeleton warrior? And retained some of its mutated characteristics? Rex, this is beyond the scope of ordinary necromantic arts."

"How should I put it? It's complicated."

Rex was evasive.

He couldn't possibly say he'd cleared a game and then turned the boss into his subordinate—no one would believe it if he said it.

Monica stared at him for a long time, finally saying: "No wonder you weren't willing when I invited you. You indeed have your own confidence. I suppose you look down on me."

"No, absolutely not."

Rex answered very seriously.

Monica surveyed the terrified students around them, then suddenly raised her voice: "Everyone disperse. This student has legal permits, and his undead servant is under control."

"Such a terrifying monster—what gives you the right to say it won't harm us?" came dissatisfied voices from the crowd.

"Exactly! What gives you the right?"

Monica precisely located the speaker, staring directly at him: "Because I'm a Lionheart Guild candidate, and I'll vouch for him. If anything happens, you can hold me responsible."

The two student council officers beside her exchanged glances, not understanding why Monica would vouch for a necromancer at this critical moment. One wrong move could really lead to trouble...

But once this title was mentioned, that person immediately shut up.

The Lionheart Guild name was in some ways more useful than the student council's.

The student council was semi-official, with the chief appointed by the school and still concerned about appearances. The Lionheart Guild was different—it was purely a student organization that only answered to its members.

After this incident, the crowd began to disperse. Rex could hear whispers containing words like "monster," "dangerous," and "necromancer." Obviously, it wouldn't be long before this incident spread throughout the academy.

Necromancers were like rats in the gutter—even when occasionally appearing in sunlight, everyone would shout to exterminate them.

Even with Monica's guarantee, this was only temporary relief. If people wanted to gossip behind his back, no one could stop them.

Rex didn't mind the gossip. He glanced at the sword apprentice, who didn't dare make eye contact, scurrying into his dormitory like a quail, afraid of retaliation.

The situation didn't need to blow up this big—it was all because this guy made such a fuss.

If he still didn't move out, Rex really planned to send Grom to crawl into his bed at night.

Once the corridor finally cleared, Monica looked at Rex: "Listen, Rex. I don't know how you did it, but a necromancer who can control near first-tier undead creatures absolutely qualifies to join the Lionheart Guild."

"Everyone has overlooked your talent in necromancy. I won't. I've been optimistic about you from the beginning."

She pointed at Skeleton Grom: "So bring it along. The Lionheart Guild has a Forbidden Forest exploration mission next week that needs exactly this kind of combat power."

Rex shook his head: "Thank you for the invitation, senior, but I really am used to acting alone."

Monica wasn't willing to give up easily this time, even moving closer. She didn't realize the distance between them had become intimate—she just stared directly at him.

At this moment, Rex could see every red strand of her eyebrows clearly.

"Think carefully, Rex. Talent like yours will have trouble going far in the academy without connections and resource support. I understand your situation very well because I walked this path step by step myself."

She looked around meaningfully: "Especially when everyone around you treats you like a monster, you'll find yourself unable to move forward."

This statement was directed at Rex, and he understood it well.

When this person first enrolled, hadn't she also been mocked by everyone for her distinctive red hair, ultimately proving herself with a sword?

With things said to this extent, plus the fact that she'd taken such a big risk vouching for him, Rex didn't immediately refuse again: "I'll consider it."

"I'll wait for you."

Monica, as if she'd received her answer, left directly with her subordinates.

After seeing Monica off, Rex lifted the fallen door and propped it up. Skeleton Grom stood innocently in the center of the room, all six eyes looking at him in unison, seemingly asking what it had done wrong.

"It's not entirely your fault." Rex rubbed his temples. "We really need to find a bigger place to live soon."

He looked out the window where the setting sun's afterglow fell on Saint Lor Academy's spires.

Skeleton Grom's unexpected debut had disrupted all his plans, but it also made him realize something—in this world of professionals that worshipped the law of the jungle, displaying strength sometimes earned more respect than hiding it.

Nice-guy mentality didn't work here.

Hadn't he seen how that sword apprentice pushed his luck and kept finding fault before he displayed his strength? But the moment Grom appeared, he was immediately scared witless and didn't dare utter a word.