Chapter 22: Necromancer Class
Narrator's POV
[Notification]
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[You have defeated: Commander of the Knights, Igris the Crimson]
[Rewards:]
Leather Pouch
Crimson Knight's Helmet
Rune Stone: Ruler's Hand
Rune Stone: Instant Teleportation
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Akira let out a small grin as he dropped heavily to the ground, sitting among the rubble. He exhaled a long sigh and closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"That… was brutal," he muttered with a tired but satisfied smile. The battle against Igris had taught him far more than he expected. He opened his eyes when he noticed the gleam of his rewards.
"Hm? Oh, I'll equip the helmet and activate the rune," he said, quickly analyzing the stats of his new gear.
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[Item: Crimson Knight's Helmet]
[Acquisition Difficulty: Rank S]
[Category: Armor]
[Benefits:]
Physical damage received: -20%
VIT: +20
Strength: +20
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"Alright… things are about to get really ugly," Akira muttered as he crushed the crimson rune in his left hand.
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[Active Skill Obtained]
[Skill: Ruler's Hand – The user can physically manipulate objects without touching them.]
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"Basically… telekinesis," he said with a grin, his eyes glowing faintly with dark energy.
He began wrapping his fists and forearms with firm, precise movements. The white bandages contrasted sharply with the darkness radiating from his body, stopping just short of his wrists. As he lifted his gaze, something caught his attention.
One by one, several portals began opening before him. Purple lightning ripped through the air, cracking reality itself. From each rift emerged armored knights, and behind them, a hooded mage stepped forward with steady, deliberate steps. Akira tightened his grip on his daggers, ready for the next round.
"Well… I already gave a hundred percent, but looks like I'll have to go beyond a hundred," he said fiercely, eyes blazing. "As a certain Symbol of Peace would say—Plus Ultra!"
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Meanwhile…
Rukia and Ichigo walked quietly down the sidewalk under the soft glow of the streetlights. Rukia's face was thoughtful—not because of the chaos earlier that day, or the embarrassment Ichigo caused when he jumped in front of a live broadcast to stop Don Kanonji while thousands of people were watching. No—her mind was elsewhere.
She kept replaying those blue eyes she had seen when she touched Akira's hand. That deep, cold gaze, charged with an energy that was definitely not spiritual. The image had burned itself into her memory like a thorn she couldn't pull out.
(What was that? A vision? A premonition? Or just an illusion from my imagination?)
No matter how she tried, she couldn't find a logical explanation. Something about Akira unsettled her—and that feeling kept her on edge.
"Hey, Rukia," Ichigo said, breaking the silence as he walked beside her. "If you're still mad about earlier, I get it… but I had to do something. I couldn't just stand there while that crazy old man sped up that spirit's hollow transformation."
He raised the ridiculous golden certificate he was holding with an irritated expression. "And seriously, what am I supposed to do with this?" he grumbled, reading it aloud.
"'Don Kanonji's Number One Apprentice.' Great. Exactly what I always wanted."
Rukia didn't even react to his sarcasm. She just walked in silence, lost in thought, that image of Akira's blue, darkly glowing eyes looping endlessly in her mind.
"It's nothing…" she finally said with a faint sigh. "I just can't stop thinking about what I told you."
"Ugh, come on—you're still on about that?" Ichigo groaned, slightly annoyed by her persistence. "I already told you, nothing happened. You saw it yourself! I even checked just to be sure—nothing weird. Akira might be quiet, yeah, but he seems like a good guy. No 'dark energy,' no 'glowing blue eyes in the shadows,'" he added, stuffing the ridiculous membership card into his pocket. "Just let it go, Rukia. Forget about it."
Ichigo had double-checked if there was anything strange about Akira… and he hadn't found a thing.
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Meanwhile…
Akira delivered a final precise slash, cutting down the last of the five mages. The rest already lay lifeless at his feet. Without pausing, he jumped aside to dodge the massive punch of the iron golem the sorcerers had summoned before dying.
"You're annoying… All size, no skill," he said as he raised his hand, summoning the power of the Ruler's Hand.
With a flick of his wrist, a massive chandelier tore free from the ceiling and came crashing down on the golem, erupting into a storm of debris and sparks.
Seizing the chaos, Akira gathered what little cursed energy he had left. Throughout the entire fight, he'd been using Quicksilver and reinforcing his body with cursed power, draining his reserves dry.
With one final punch—pouring all his remaining strength into his arm—he struck the golem with devastating force. The impact was immense, and the giant metal creature collapsed in a roaring explosion of scrap and dust.
Akira dropped to the floor, completely spent. With the final opponent defeated, he could finally allow himself to rest.
However, he couldn't use potions or full-recovery skills here—system rules forbade it. He'd have to heal and recover naturally.
"Even thinking is exhausting right now…" he muttered, barely lifting his head as a system notification appeared before him.
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[Notification]
[All monsters defeated. Class Change Mission complete.]
[Survival Time: 4:37:27]
[Analysis complete.]
[Death follows the player wherever he goes. Corpses pile along his path, the scent of blood marking his every step.]
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"What the…? Getting poetic on me now, System?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the dramatic tone.
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[Additionally, the player seeks greater power and has expressed the desire to awaken the spirits wandering through the Valley of Death.]
[The souls summoned by the Shadow Army will obey his command and open the path only for him.]
[Your new class is: Necromancer.]
[Do you wish to accept this class?]
[Yes / No]
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"Wait… mage… necromancer… magic…" he muttered as his mind made a ridiculous yet inevitable connection.
Daffy Duck the Sorcerer—the wizard who doesn't even flinch.
"Yeah… definitely accepting this one," he said with a grin, tapping the 'Yes' option on the glowing screen with determination.
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End of Chapter