Minori carefully examined the appraisal results of the item.His brow furrowed slightly, and a glint of interest flashed in his eyes.
"If this magical artifact is man-made, then it's understandable.""But if it's naturally formed…"
He trailed off, considering the implications.
In this world, there were naturally occurring magical items.For example, the Lizardmen once possessed a legendary weapon—Frozen Toothache, one of their Four Sacred Treasures.It was born of the one time a certain lake, which never froze, produced ice at its very center.
That had been a natural artifact. Not created, but born.
If this item was similar… then the ramifications were enormous.
Unfortunately, without access to the "Greater Item Appraisal" spell, he couldn't be sure.That was a YGGDRASIL-level spell capable of analyzing even divine-class relics.
Still—
He glanced back at the energy indicator.
"Energy value: 300."He muttered the number under his breath, thoughtful.
"Summoning a Bone Dragon costs 100… Does that mean I can summon up to three at once?"
He remembered clearly—It had taken Khajiit five years of dark rituals to gather enough energy to summon two Bone Dragons.And now this artifact simply contained three charges' worth?
Minori narrowed his eyes, gaze falling on the nondescript Orb of Death, which still displayed a remaining value of 100.
He wondered:Would the Orb absorb energy on its own? Was it sentient?
—
Suddenly—
Boom.
The Orb of Death pulsed in the Fire Angel's hand, giving off a soft black-iron glow.
Minori's breath caught.
A sudden impulse struck him.
He wanted to pick it up. Hold it. Feel it directly.
The thought came without warning.
But—
His face stiffened.
"No. That's a charm effect."
He'd read this scenario before.
If he hadn't known what was coming, he might have walked right into its trap.
But now?
He was ready.
"Undead Will."
A silver-white aura pulsed from Minori's chest—the effect of a third-tier mind protection spell.The intrusive desire instantly receded.
But even so, his expression remained grim.
Even Khajiit, who had cast this spell multiple times, had ultimately succumbed to the Orb's influence.It could not be fully resisted.
He turned away from the glowing artifact and focused his attention elsewhere.
Skill List – Expanded.
The Fire Angel, like all high-tier summoned entities, had brought with it numerous combat spells used during its battles.
Negative RaySummon Undead – Tier 3Create Undead – Tier 3Deadfire FlameArmor ReinforcementLesser Strength Boost…and others.
Minori paused.
Besides "Undead Will," he did not rush to learn the rest immediately.
"Summon Undead…"His eyes narrowed.
He pulled up its data.
Detected magic: Tier 3 – Summon UndeadRequirement: Character level 15–21 ✅Cost: 1 skill pointWarning: Conflicts with existing skill – Angel Summoning.Learning this spell may introduce unknown risks.
"Skill conflict…?"
Minori blinked, surprised.
In YGGDRASIL, skills could overlap. There were build limitations, yes—but not direct conflicts.
This was new.
He tested the others.
Even Create Undead triggered the same warning.
Only Undead Control showed no conflict.
That raised an unsettling thought.
He recalled a minor detail from the paperback lore—the idea that summoned beings were not always consistent.Even the same spell could summon different versions of an elemental.
So—If this world had adopted that concept as truth, then certain rules in YGGDRASIL no longer applied.
That also meant…Magic with opposing themes could be mutually exclusive now.
It was a dangerous precedent.
Especially for Minori—whose trump card was angelic summoning.
Using undead magic might jeopardize his current class setup.
Worse still, Nazarick's Overlord specialized in undead-type magic. If he summoned undead creatures in front of Ainz Ooal Gown, there was a risk they could be turned—or controlled—on the spot.
"Not worth it," he muttered.
He ruled out both Summon Undead and Create Undead.
He also skipped Deadfire Flame and Negative Ray—basic damage spells that didn't offer any long-term value.
After some reflection, he narrowed the options down to just one:
Undead Control.
This spell could take over existing corpses or free-roaming undead.
And Minori had hundreds of those.
He still had piles of goblin corpses in his inventory, and more notably—fifty ogre corpses, preserved with stasis scrolls.
It was wasteful to leave them unused.
"This is efficient," he said with a dry chuckle.
It wasn't glorious, but he had limited resources.
Recycling the dead? Very economical.
He mentally confirmed the skill—
Do you wish to learn the spell: "Undead Control" (Tier 3)?Requirement: Base class – Necromancer.Warning: Class conflict with current base class: Genius.Adopting Necromancer will expose the body to constant negative energy, resulting in a continuous debuff state.
Minori's eyes widened slightly.
Class conflict… too?
So it wasn't just spells that conflicted—classes did, too.
In YGGDRASIL, a player could take levels in multiple base classes without penalty.But in this world—
The world treated magical corruption like a real thing.
Just like how Khajiit—a once-human necromancer—had been slowly rotting into an inhuman state over five years of exposure.
He had to destroy himself to be reborn as a full undead.
Minori swallowed.
This was serious.
Before he could make a decision, his status panel flashed.
Trait "Genius" activated. Adapting base class structure…Transformation complete: Genius → NecromancerSkill learned: Undead Control (Tier 3)Skill points: 40 → 39
"…Huh."
Minori blinked.
He had assumed the Genius class lacked the depth of specialized classes.
But now—It seemed Genius was capable of adapting its foundation, absorbing the properties of other classes without suffering full corruption.
That was—Extremely powerful.
In the gloom of the ancient cemetery, with twisted dead trees and rows of cracked gravestones—
Minori stood bathed in the light of six summoned angels.
The contrast between holy light and deathly silence was almost theatrical.
He turned away from his status screen and gazed at the Orb of Death, still held by his angel.
Its surface was uneven, pitted like a river stone.If not for its eerie iron-black light, it could have passed as common debris.
Minori extended a finger and touched it.
Instantly—
"Human… death is the origin and destination. I am the will of death. I can offer you eternal life… infinite power…"
A voice echoed directly in his thoughts—twisting, inviting.
But the next second—
Silence.
He had already tossed the Orb into his inventory.
"…Even with 'Undead Will,' I couldn't block that completely," he muttered, rubbing his temple.
There was only one solution.
—
The Cursed Knight class.
It held an innate trait—a curse that could destroy any magical item below level 40 simply by equipping it.
The Orb of Death was level 40 exactly.
Minori's plan was clear:
Acquire the Cursed Knight class.Then, once the Orb is in his hands again—use the curse to burn out its will.
Of course, the downside was obvious.
A Cursed Knight couldn't equip items below level 40 without destroying them.That's why Minori still used common iron weapons for now. Anything better would just be wasted.
His original plan had been to gain the class before acquiring the Orb.
But the sudden discovery of scroll-making had delayed that path.