Sakeer carefully examined the information revealed by the item identification. His gaze flickered with curiosity, though a trace of surprise lingered in his expression.
"If this magic item was artificially crafted, then there's no issue."
"But if it was naturally formed... that would be truly astonishing."
Magic items born naturally in this world were rare, yet they did exist. A prime example was Frost Pain, one of the four treasures of the Lizardmen.
That blade was forged from the only time an eternally thawed lake had frozen—crafted from the ice at its very center.
What a pity.
If only he had access to high-level item identification, he could determine the true origins of the Orb of Death—a spell capable of identifying even the creator of an artifact.
Energy Gauge: 300—How is this value calculated?
Sakeer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It takes 100 energy to summon a Skeletal Dragon… does that mean the Orb of Death can summon a maximum of three?"
Yet, he distinctly remembered—
It had taken Khajiit five years to gather enough energy to summon two Skeletal Dragons.
His gaze remained fixed on the unassuming, featureless Orb of Death.
Currently, its energy reserve has only 100 left.
"I won't suddenly be absorbed by this thing, will I?"
Boom!
A sudden tremor jolted through the Orb of Death.
Still held in the hands of the Archangel Flame, it emitted a faint black-iron glow, pulsing with eerie energy.
Sakeer's fingers twitched involuntarily.
At that moment—
A strange urge surfaced within him—
A desire to hold it with his bare hands, to examine it closely.
His thoughts sharpened.
Wait.
Something was wrong.
If he hadn't known about its effects beforehand, he might have fallen victim to its influence without even realizing it.
But now?
He was on guard.
"Mind of Undeath."
Sakeer activated a spell—one specifically designed to resist charm and mental manipulation.
Immediately, the unnatural desire faded, as if it had never existed.
But his caution did not waver.
Even Khajiit had known this spell—
And yet, the Orb of Death had still managed to affect him.
That meant its power was not something to be underestimated.
Ignoring the pulsing black-iron glow, Sakeer turned his attention to his status panel, where a wealth of new skills had appeared.
These were the spells Khajiit had used in battle:
Negative LightThird Rank: Undead SummoningThird Rank: Create UndeadUndead FlameReinforce ArmorLesser Strength (2nd Tier)
Other than Mind of Undeath, Sakeer refrained from immediately learning any of them.
But one spell caught his attention.
"Undead Summoning"
His eyes lit up.
"Summoning magic, huh? This could be interesting."
With a single thought, he accessed the spell's details.
System Notification
Discovered Magic: [Third Rank: Undead Summoning]Requirements Met: Level (15-21)Consume 1 Skill Point to Learn?Warning: Skill Conflict Detected with "Angel Summoning." Learning may result in unknown risks.
Sakeer froze.
"Skill conflict?"
What was this about?
A slight frown crossed his face as he continued scanning the panel.
Not only did Undead Summoning conflict with his skills—
Even Create Undead triggered a similar skill conflict warning.
The only necromantic spell that didn't seem to interfere was Undead Manipulation.
Skill Conflicts?
He understood the concept—
Certain abilities overlapped, making them incompatible with one another.
But—
"This shouldn't have been the case in YGGDRASIL, right?"
A look of surprise crossed Sakeer's face.
And then—
A memory surfaced.
He recalled reading a passage in the library version of the novel—
A moment where Albedo had questioned the nature of summoned creatures.
She had scoffed at an Elven King who had named his summoned Root Earth Elemental, sarcastically asking:
"How can he be sure it's the same one every time?"
The implication was clear—
Summons weren't just data.
They existed somewhere.
So…
Did that mean some of "YGGDRASIL's" background settings had become real in this world?
Sakeer shook his head.
If Undead Summoning and Create Undead both conflicted with his current skills, there was no reason to take the risk.
After all—
They would only serve as extra options, never surpassing the sheer versatility of Angel Summoning.
For now, there was no reason to make a reckless decision.
The opponent he will face is a master of necromantic arts who has honed his craft to the extreme.
Attempting to control undead creatures in front of such an opponent was a dangerous gamble.
Summoning the dead in their presence could very well lead to betrayal, with the undead turning against their summoner in an instant.
With that in mind—
Sakeer saw no reason to learn Khajiit's magic, such as Undead Flame and Ray of Negative Energy—spells that would otherwise be useful together.
Instead, he carefully analyzed the list of available magic.
There were only three spells he deemed worth considering:
Lesser StrengthReinforce ArmorUndead Manipulation
After deliberating further—
He eliminated the first two.
In enhancement magic, only one type of buff could be applied at a time.
For example, Lesser Strength could not be stacked with Superior Strength.
There was no reason to waste precious skill points on low-tier buff spells.
One skill, however, caught his interest—
Undead Manipulation.
Sakeer felt a flicker of excitement.
He hadn't forgotten the thousands of corpses stored in his prop box.
goblins alone weren't enough to make a difference—
But among his collection, there were still fifty ogre corpses.
And in the future—
Stronger monsters will die from his hand.
With this skill, their bodies would not go to waste.
"This is quite... economical."
Sakeer smirked at himself.
With limited resources, he had no choice but to be practical.
Just as he was contemplating his newfound magic, something unexpected happened—
Ding!
The attribute panel trembled.
A new notification appeared before his eyes:
"Would you like to learn the spell 'Undead Manipulation'?"
"Basic class 'Necromancer' is required."
"Warning: This class is incompatible with the living. If chosen, negative energy will continuously affect you, causing a permanent negative state."
Sakeer's expression stiffened.
He had overlooked something critical.
If skills could conflict, then occupations could as well.
"..."
The Necromancer class was never meant for the living.
It was a profession designed for non-human entities.
Khajiit, a living person who had forcibly embraced necromantic arts, had long suffered the corrosion of negative energy.
He had become something neither human nor undead—a wretched existence teetering between life and death.
Sakeer recalled that Khajiit had hidden within E-Rantel for five years, accumulating enough negative energy to perform a dark ritual—one that would completely transform him into an undead being.
Before Sakeer could come to his senses, the information on the attribute panel changed again.
"Ding! The trait 'Genius' was activated—successful transformation: [Genius → Necromancer]."
"Skill Acquisition Complete!"
[Skill Points: 40 → 39]
New Skill:
Undead Manipulation (3rd Tier)
Cost: 15 MP
Effect: Controls the corpses of the dead. The number of corpses manipulated increases with the caster's level.
Conditions: The level difference between the caster and the controlled corpses determines success rate.
Sakeer took a deep breath.
In the past, he had felt regret that the Genius trait didn't provide additional class abilities after transformation.
But now—
Perhaps that wasn't a flaw after all.
The night was deep and silent.
The air was thick with an eerie chill.
Tombstones and dead trees stretched endlessly, creating a haunting landscape.
In the midst of this grim setting—
Six Archangel Flame stood guard, casting a warm glow over Sakeer.
Yet, against the deathly backdrop, the contrast was almost surreal—
A sanctuary of light, swallowed by the abyss of darkness.
His eyes shifted—
Moving away from his attribute panel, landing on the Orb of Death—still clutched by the angel.
Its surface was rough, uneven, and gray as ash.
Had it not been for its subtle black-iron glow, one might mistake it for an ordinary river stone.
Expressionless, Sakeer lifted a finger—
And gently tapped the orb's surface.
Instantly—
A voice slithered into his mind.
"Human… Death is the path of all things… Eternity is but the will of Death."
"If you seek immortality and power, offer yourself…"
The voice was chaotic, filled with an intoxicating allure.
But then—
Silence.
The voice was cut off abruptly.
Sakeer had already sealed the Orb of Death into his item box.
He sighed.
"As expected, even 'Mind of Undeath' can't completely block its whispers."
Reaching up, he rubbed his ears.
Until he could eliminate the consciousness within the orb, he had no intention of further experimenting with it.
He had long considered a method to deal with the Orb of Death—
The Cursed Knight class.
This class carried a trait that could destroy items below Level 40.
And coincidentally—
The Orb of Death was exactly at Level 40.
Of course, this ability was both a blessing and a curse.
Cursed Knights could not equip any gear below Level 40, as all such items would be destroyed upon contact.
This was why he had been avoiding unnecessary weapon purchases—
Because for him, low-level gear was nothing but a waste.
His original plan had been simple—
First, obtain the Cursed Knight class.
Then, acquire the Orb of Death.
With the curse's power, he would attempt to purge the consciousness trapped within the artifact.
But—
A new discovery had shifted his priorities.
With his recent acquisition of scroll-making techniques, his strategy had slightly changed.
The Orb of Death would have to wait.
For now—
He had new magic to master.
(End of Chapter)