The energy flowed from Mark's hand like ice water, sinking into the woman's lifeless body.
Mark felt his mana reserves drain almost completely from that single spell.
For a moment, nothing happened.
"Damn. It didn't work. I knew it was too good to—"
Elyndra's eyes opened.
They were blue.
A blue so intense and deep it seemed unnatural, like liquid sapphires lit from within.
And they were fixed directly on him.
Mark froze, unable to move or speak. The woman's body rose with a smooth, unnaturally graceful movement.
No corpse stiffness.
No clumsiness.
She moved as if she had never been dead.
"Oh, shit. Oh, shit, shit, shit."
[Summon Successful]
Name: Elyndra Ashford
Status: Undead (Partial)
Loyalty: Absolute
Statistics: [VIEW DETAILS]
Mark opened the details with a thought, and what he saw nearly made him pass out.
Strength: 9,999
Agility: 9,999
Endurance: 9,999
"Max stats. She has max stats! How in the hell is that even possible?"
But before he could process it, something else happened.
A notification window appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 2]
[New Skill Unlocked: Consciousness Modification (Lv. 1)]
"Consciousness… what?"
[Consciousness Modification – Level 1]
Type: Advanced Necromancy
Effect: Allows the alteration of memories and base personality of an undead under your control. Changes are permanent.
Use: 1 time per target.
Mark read the description three times.
Then he looked at Elyndra, standing before him, completely still as a statue, waiting for orders.
"I can… change her personality? Her memories?"
The implication was disturbing.
And tempting.
'She's dead,' Mark reminded himself. 'Technically she's not a person anymore. She's an animated corpse. She has no real consciousness. She just… follows orders.'
But that wasn't entirely true, was it?
The Wake Up description said targets didn't regain consciousness.
But Consciousness Modification implied there was something there to modify.
"This is ethically questionable at best."
The monster in the center of the chamber shifted in its sleep, letting out a low growl that made the floor tremble.
"But it's also my only shot at surviving."
Mark made a decision.
A decision that would probably earn him a one-way ticket to hell… if hell existed.
He focused on Consciousness Modification and aimed it at Elyndra.
In his mind, he shaped the changes he wanted.
"Memories: She knows me. She has always known me. I am her… her master. Yes. Her master. The necromancer who saved her from death. The most important person in her life."
"Personality: Loyal. Absolutely loyal. Devoted. Protective. And…"
He hesitated.
What he was about to do crossed a line.
A very clear line.
A very important one.
"And in love with me. Hopelessly, obsessively in love with me."
The energy surged again.
Stronger.
Deeper.
Mark felt the skill activate, felt the changes being carved into what remained of Elyndra's mind.
When it was over, she blinked.
And for the first time, her expression changed.
A smile.
Small.
Almost imperceptible.
But definitely a smile.
"Master," she said, in a voice soft and melodic as music. "You're finally awake."
Mark swallowed hard.
'What the hell did I just do?'
"I was so worried," Elyndra continued, taking a step toward him. "When I found you unconscious in this dungeon, I feared the worst. But I knew you would be alright. My master always is."
'She thinks I saved her. The modification… worked too well.'
"Uh… yeah," Mark improvised, struggling to keep his composure. "I'm fine. I just… needed to rest for a moment."
"Of course, Master. The journey here must have been exhausting."
Elyndra's eyes shone with a devotion so intense it was almost uncomfortable to look at.
Like staring directly into the sun.
Except that sun was absolute adoration.
'This is very wrong. Very, very wrong.'
That was when the monster decided to wake up.
Its roar was deafening — a sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once. Its multiple arms thrashed around, searching for the source of the disturbance.
Mark felt panic close in around him.
But before he could react, Elyndra was already moving.
It was…
Beautiful.
In a terrible, bloody sort of way.
But beautiful.
Her sword cut through the air with a whistle, leaving a trail of golden light.
The monster's first arm hit the floor before it had even registered the attack.
The second followed an instant later.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
In less than ten seconds, the thing that had terrified Mark was reduced to a trembling heap of flesh, completely incapable of defending itself.
"Shall I finish it, Master?" Elyndra asked calmly.
Mark looked at her, then at the monster.
'I just created a walking weapon of mass destruction that's in love with me. What kind of person does that make me?'
"Yes," said Mark, because what else could he say? "Finish it."
The final blow was mercifully quick.
The sword drove through what might have been the monster's heart, and the creature collapsed with one last pathetic groan.
[Victory!]
[Experience gained: 500]
[You have reached Level 3]
Mark stared at the notification, processing everything that had just happened.
He had died.
He had been reborn in another world.
He had revived a legendary heroine and turned her into his obsessively devoted follower.
And he had just killed a dungeon monster without lifting a finger.
'My old life was garbage,' Mark thought.
'But this…'
'This might actually work.'
Elyndra walked toward him, cleaning her sword with practiced ease.
"Where shall we go now, Master?"
Mark looked at the corridor that led to the exit.
To the outside world.
To the unknown.
"Out," Mark declared. "Let's see what kind of world this is."