A week passed just like that.
Training in the mornings, rest when the heat became unbearable, and light sparring again once the sun dipped low enough to stop feeling personal. Mina's hands were blistered. Her grip still slipped sometimes. Her shield arm tired too fast. But she was standing straighter now, feet less tangled when she moved.
It was Raul who finally said it.
They were sitting near the edge of the village, sharing water under a crooked shade cloth, when he leaned back and glanced toward Mina.
"I think she should try fighting a monster."
Victor nearly choked on his drink. "Already? She doesn't even have a basic mastery skill yet. She's still learning how not to trip over her own feet."
Raul shrugged. "You don't learn how to swim by reading about it."
Arin watched Mina for a moment. She was practicing thrusts alone, slow and careful, stopping to adjust her grip every few tries.
"He's not wrong," Arin said finally. "We'll be there. If something goes wrong, we step in."
Mina stopped mid-thrust.
"…I want to try," she said, turning toward them. There was hesitation in her voice, but not fear. More like someone standing at the edge of something cold, already braced for the shock.
Victor sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Fine, but not anything dangerous. A regular one will do."
"Done," Raul said, already standing. "I'll grab some."
"Wait—" Victor started.
Raul vanished.
Arin chuckled. "Too late."
Thirty minutes later, Raul returned, dragging three sand lizards by thick rope loops around their necks and hind legs. They hissed and scratched uselessly, tails whipping against the dirt.
Mina swallowed.
Raul dropped the ropes and stepped back. "One at a time."
Victor moved to her side, shield ready. Raul paced wider, eyes sharp. Arin crouched and grabbed one of the lizards.
"Ready?" he asked.
Mina nodded. Her knuckles were white around the spear shaft.
Arin cut the rope.
The sand lizard lunged the moment it was free.
She made a thrust.
The spear went wide.
The lizard twisted and leapt forward, jaws snapping. Mina tried to pull the spear back, but her timing was off. She barely managed to raise the shield before the impact slammed into her chest.
She went down hard.
Dust burst up around her as she skidded backwards. The shield rang painfully against her arm, but she shoved with everything she had and rolled aside just as the lizard snapped again.
She scrambled up, breathing fast.
Her footing was off, weight leaning forward instead of centred, making every movement slower than it needed to be.
The lizard charged again.
She jabbed, missed, then she adjusted and thrusted again.
This time, the spear punched into its chest, not deep, but enough.
The lizard screeched.
Mina didn't pull back immediately. She shoved forward instead, leaning her weight into the strike like Victor had shown her, until the spear sank deeper.
The lizard collapsed, twitching once before going still.
Silence followed.
Mina stood there, chest heaving, staring down at it like she wasn't sure it would stay dead.
She let out a small, disbelieving laugh, still catching her breath, and stared at the body in front of her.
"I… I did it."
Raul grinned. "Clumsy. But you didn't freeze."
Victor nodded. "That's not too bad."
Mina looked down at the body. Something flickered in her eyes, not excitement, not fear. Curiosity.
She raised her hand.
"Raise Undead."
Mana flowed out of her, thin at first, then steadier. The corpse twitched, sand spilt from its mouth as its limbs jerked.
Then it stood.
Its eyes were empty. Its movements were stiff, but it moved.
Victor stared. "That's…"
"I don't know, but it gave me chills," Raul finished.
Arin smiled faintly.
"Things are getting interesting."
Before Mina could respond, Arin released the ropes on the other two lizards.
They lunged.
Mina's eyes widened, but she didn't panic.
"Engage," she said sharply.
The undead lizard stepped forward and met one of them head-on, claws scraping uselessly as they collided.
The other charged Mina.
She braced, shield raised, spear low. This time her movements weren't pretty, but they were quicker. She blocked a bite, felt the impact rattle her arm, then stabbed low, dragged the spear free, and stabbed again.
Behind her, the undead grappled awkwardly, biting and tearing without pain or hesitation.
The fight was chaotic. Dust, hissing, the sound of metal striking scales. Mina stumbled once again, recovered, and attacked.
She learned mid-fight.
When the second lizard fell, bleeding out in the sand, she turned just in time to see the undead finish the last one by sheer persistence.
Breathing hard, Mina raised her hand again.
Two more undead rose.
Raul let out a low whistle. "Okay. That's… yeah."
Victor crossed his arms. "That kind of feels epic."
They stood there for nearly an hour, testing commands, movement, and positioning. Then, without warning, cracks spread across the undead bodies. One by one, they crumbled into fine dust.
Victor frowned. "What happened?"
Mina blinked and pulled up her status screen.
"…There's a timer," she said slowly. "Regular undead crumble after one hour of being raised. My other skill, Undead Contract, lets me bind them properly and store them in a subspace that also heals them of any injuries inflicted after being raised. But I can only contract five for now."
Arin nodded. "Five's fine."
Raul smirked. "Five big ones will be better."
Victor sighed. "This is already pretty broken."
Mina looked at the dust, then at her hands. She was smiling, but quieter now.
"I think," she said softly, "I finally understand what I can do."
And for the first time, it didn't scare her.