Standing before the wardrobe was a skeleton clad in wide, golden armor that still reflected light despite its age.
On its head rested a rusted helmet reminiscent of a knight's helm.
From its appearance alone, it was obvious—this had once been a captain… a commander among soldiers.
Seeing this commander approaching the wardrobe, Aster lunged forward with all his strength.
[Fiery Wrath: Flame Mana]
Of course, the massive skeleton did not stand idle. It raised its axe and timed Aster's leap, swinging the rusted weapon upward.
The dulled but still dangerous blade rushed toward Aster's neck.
Aster angled his sword into the path of the incoming strike.
The unpleasant screech of two sharp metals colliding echoed throughout the room.
'Ah!'
The rusted axe, no longer able to withstand a truly sharp blade, split in two at the point of impact.
The broken piece clattered heavily onto the floor.
Sensing an opening, Aster darted past the massive skeleton and rushed toward the corpse standing in front of the wardrobe. Without hesitation, he slashed at it, intending to destroy it as well.
But the sword rebounded the moment it struck the old armor covering the skeleton.
Why?
The reason lay in a small mistake Aster had failed to consider.
'Mana?!'
Despite having been dead for many years, the equipment worn by the corpse still contained mana.
It took Aster only a few seconds to understand what had happened—but those seconds were enough for him to be struck.
From behind, the massive skeleton slammed its fist into his side, sending him flying into the wall behind the wardrobe.
'Damn… that hit was heavy.'
Leaning against the wall, Aster saw the corpses advancing toward him. He tried to stand—but his body wouldn't respond.
It felt as if—
'All the strength in my body has been drained.'
He tried to move by bracing himself on his sword, but the blade felt unbearably heavy in his hand.
And then—he remembered something.
He and his master had once been training together deep in the forest. After losing yet another sparring match, Aster lay sprawled on the ground. Valorant stood over him and began to lecture him.
"How many times have I told you? When you strike, aim for your opponent's weak points! Not just wherever your sword happens to land!"
Aster lifted his head and replied,
"How am I supposed to?! You don't have any openings at all!"
Valorant's face twisted in irritation.
"What, do you expect your enemy to kindly point out their weak spot and say, 'Strike here'?!"
Those words made Aster fall silent.
"And why did you stop your flame mana when you were attacked just now?" Valorant continued, smacking him once with his staff.
"If you face a serious opponent like that, you'll die for sure. Get up—we're continuing."
Aster hadn't even been an Elestar for a full year yet. Even so, his control over flame mana could be considered impressive.
But being unable to use it properly in real combat made it useless.
True, his youth limited his control.
But in a life-or-death battle, no one would wait for him to grow stronger.
That—Aster understood very well.
His trembling hand reached for his sword, gripping the hilt tightly.
[Fiery Wrath: Flame Mana]
Reinforcing his body with mana, Aster forced himself to his feet.
At that instant, the massive skeleton's enormous fist came flying straight toward his face.
Aster twisted his head aside and leapt to the side, slashing as he moved.
His blade cut cleanly through the skeleton's arm joint.
'Joints! Their weak points. Bones form the body's structure—but movement requires joints.'
The skeleton's arm shattered and fell to the floor. A follow-up strike to its knee dropped it to the ground, and with a final cut through its spine, the creature collapsed completely, its bones scattering across the room.
'Now it's your turn.'
Aster turned his gaze to the second armored corpse standing before him.
The armor it wore didn't concern him in the slightest. No matter how sturdy the armor was, it had to leave joints exposed for movement.
Because of that, dealing with the armored skeleton wasn't difficult.
'What kind of people were they when they were alive…?'
As that thought crossed his mind, more skeletons began climbing in through the window.
"Again?!" Aster shouted.
***
Outside the mansion, Valorant was given no chance to rest. Skeletons leapt at him from every direction, trying to surround him.
He maneuvered desperately until he found a small opening. Gripping his sword with both hands, he turned to his right.
[Fiery Wrath: Flaming Arms]
The moment he spoke the words, green flames erupted around his forearms, flowing down to his fingertips. The fire did not stop there—it surged through his hands and spread across the blade, completely enveloping it.
Clenching his sword tightly, Valorant poured all his mana into it, intensifying the flames.
The fire was not only scorching hot—it extended outward, as if the sword itself were growing longer.
Once enough mana had been gathered, Valorant swung his blade horizontally. Along with the mana he had infused, a torrent of green flame was released.
The wave of fire swept forward along the path of the slash, annihilating everything in its way—reducing skeletons to nothing but ash.
Where once there had been ornamental trees and carefully trimmed bushes leading up to the mansion gate…
Now, only scorched, barren ground remained.
As the thick layer of snow melted under the intense heat, dense white steam blanketed the area. Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
Valorant walked into the fog, intent on confirming whether his attack had finally destroyed the necromancer.
"There's no way anyone could survive that. Still—no harm in checking."
As he neared the gate, he thought he saw a figure through the thinning mist. Tightening his grip on the sword, he approached cautiously.
Standing at the gate—
The necromancer was still there.
Completely intact.
Unharmed.