"Name."
"Rex Morthen."
"How old are you?"
"Just turned eighteen."
"What's your profession?"
"Life Cycle Reuse Scholar."
The woman in academy uniform looked up at the young man before her: "Necromancer?"
"...Yes."
Fearing a misunderstanding, the young man quickly added: "I guarantee I don't have any strange fetishes, I won't abandon teammates to die just to peek at their corpses. Everyone who knows me can tell you I'm cheerful, learn quickly, adapt fast to new environments, don't mind getting dirty or tired, and am a trustworthy teammate!"
No matter how much he pleaded, the upperclass girl simply closed her registration book: "Sorry, please leave. We don't need a necromancer."
...
...
The Kingdom of Lotus, Saint Lor Advanced Academy.
As a necromantic spellcaster, Rex had lost count of how many times he'd been rejected.
Even walking down the street now, people would instinctively cover their noses when they saw him, as if he were something filthy, and hurry away with looks of disgust.
Sigh, old habits die hard.
Everyone thinks necromancers are perverts who love corpses, but unless forced by circumstances, who would want to spend time with those rigid, cold chunks of meat?
Oh, except for the original owner of this body — a destitute orphan.
"Still no team willing to accept me. Looks like next month's examination will either be a solo attempt or I'll have to give up."
Rex opened his dorm room door, set down a stack of necromantic knowledge texts, and shook his head: "With my current strength, not even reaching first-tier necromancer, attempting the exam alone would be suicide."
Looking up, the mirror reflected a young man with dark brown wavy hair, fair skin, wearing the Saint Lor student uniform — the very image of scholarly fragility.
This was Rex Morthen, a bottom-tier student who had worked his way into the advanced academy through his own efforts. No matter what, he couldn't let himself be expelled over something like this.
Yes, if he couldn't complete the examination, he wouldn't be able to graduate as a Saint Lor scholar, which was no different from expulsion.
"Is that really the only option..."
After much contemplation, Rex finally pulled out a black handheld console from his drawer. This thing didn't need charging — it had been in his arms when he woke up after transmigrating.
In his previous life, he'd played this thing for days without sleep, then died from exhaustion.
He'd been reluctant to use it because he didn't know what would happen when he did.
But now he desperately needed a breakthrough.
Without further hesitation, he pressed the power button.
[Beep beep beep—!!!]
[Welcome back, Rex. Ready to begin conquering the Endless Dungeon?]
[Yes]
[Current progress: First floor. Good luck~]
After a bout of dizziness, Rex opened his eyes again to hear water dripping, smell mildew, and see brass braziers along the distant walls.
He was clearly in the game's dungeon.
This was a roguelike game where players continuously defeated monsters to progress through levels, gaining rewards to strengthen themselves before tackling the next challenge, in an endless cycle.
"If I remember correctly, there should be a status panel."
Rex thought, and sure enough, a translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Rex Morthen]
[Class: Necromancer]
[Rank: Unranked]
[Attributes: Strength 1, Agility 2, Intelligence 4, Constitution 1]
[Spells: First Tier • Bone Summons]
[Minions: None]
[Equipment: None]
[Materials: None]
[Evaluation: A necromancer with considerable talent]
Bone Summons was something the original owner had spent much time learning. Its main effect was using a corpse as sacrifice, stripping away flesh and blood to summon bones that would continue fighting for you after death.
It was the signature ability of the necromantic school.
Rex took a deep breath, and the damp, decaying air flooding his nostrils instantly put him on edge.
As a veteran player of this game, he still remembered the first floor's layout: winding stone corridors with brass braziers every twenty steps providing weak illumination, while the lowest-level ghouls lurked in the shadows.
These twisted humanoid monsters had pale white skin and sharp claws. Though slow-moving, they possessed tremendous strength, and most importantly, they were extremely sensitive to the scent of living beings.
"Damn, don't even have a dagger."
Rex moved along the damp wall, his fingers touching water droplets seeping from the stone cracks. He suddenly stopped, hearing the sound of fingernails scraping against stone from around the corner ahead.
A ghoul was facing away from him, hunched over gnawing at some kind of rotting flesh. But since only ghouls inhabited this first floor, it was obviously eating its own kind.
Rex held his breath, scanning his surroundings. Three meters to his right was a half-collapsed archway with stone fragments scattered on the ground.
He tiptoed over and picked up a stone slab with sharp edges. The ghoul suddenly raised its head, its rotting nostrils twitching as it turned toward his direction.
Now!
Rex threw the stone slab with all his might toward a distant brazier.
With a loud clang, the ghoul immediately shrieked and lunged toward the sound source. He seized the opportunity to charge forward, using his full body weight to slam the creature against a protruding stone ridge.
"Crack—"
After a crisp snap, the ghoul's spine broke.
But it still flailed its claws wildly. Rex quickly jumped back, though his uniform's hem still got torn.
The monster dragged its paralyzed lower body in pursuit. He grabbed scattered stones from the ground and repeatedly smashed them against its head.
On the seventh strike, the ghoul finally stopped moving.
"Huff, huff—"
Rex collapsed to the ground, only then realizing his back was soaked with sweat. He struggled to his feet on shaking legs and approached the corpse, positioning his hands in the spellcasting gesture.
"In the name of death, Bone Summons!"
As he chanted the incantation, the ghoul's corpse began writhing eerily. Its flesh peeled away like melting wax, while pristine white bones assembled themselves.
When the final finger bone fell into place, a complete skeleton knelt on one knee before Rex.
[Minion: Skeleton]
[Rank: Unranked]
[Attributes: Strength 3, Agility 2, Intelligence 1, Constitution 2]
[Special Trait: Bone Body (Physical Resistance +2)]
Rex smiled with relief and patted the skeleton's smooth skull. Immediately, two wisps of pale blue soul fire ignited in its empty eye sockets as it stood loyally beside its master.
"My magical power can still support at least three more casts of Bone Summons."
Rex looked toward the dungeon's depths. "Ghouls are pack animals. That commotion should attract more."
Howling sounds echoing from the distance confirmed his suspicion.
Rex commanded the skeleton to pick up the sharpest stone from the ground while he retreated to the corridor's corner.
As chaotic footsteps approached, two ghouls appeared in his field of vision.
"Attack!"
The skeleton charged at the enemies without hesitation.
Though its movements were somewhat stiff, it precisely split the first ghoul's throat with the stone fragment. The other immediately pounced to bite, but only left shallow scratches on the bone frame.
Rex took the opportunity to circle around to the side, furiously smashing one ghoul's head with stone fragments.
The skeleton seized the chance to thrust its finger bones directly into the creature's eye socket. After five minutes of struggle, all the ghouls lay defeated.
"Well done."
Rex praised while panting.
He noticed the skeleton's left arm bone had developed cracks, but its soul fire still burned brightly.
More surprisingly, he felt his magical power had grown somewhat. In the game, killing enemies granted experience to level up, and it seemed the same applied here.
When Rex prepared to convert the new skeletons using the same method, he suddenly noticed the second ghoul's corpse was glowing with a faint white light.
The moment he touched it, information flooded his mind:
[Obtained: Rotting Poison Gland (Material)]
[Effect: Can be used to create toxins]
"Unexpected bonus." Rex's eyes lit up as he carefully extracted the swollen gland. This gamified dungeon was even richer than he remembered.
He cast Bone Summons on all the corpses, expanding his minion army to three skeleton soldiers.
Looking at them, Rex's confidence soared.
He commanded his undead squad to advance deeper into the dungeon, calculating: "If I can gather 10 skeletons and equip them with decent weapons, I might be able to challenge the first floor's boss. If I remember correctly, that's a giant ghoul."