Ludwig took a closer look at the body on the table, his hollow eyes scanning the intricate runic carvings etched into the flesh. The sigils were eerily similar to the ones he used for Rise Undead, but they were more elaborate, with additional symbols that Ludwig didn’t recognize. They looked advanced, but something about them felt… off.
“From first glance,” Ludwig began, his voice calm but thoughtful, “they’re trying to resurrect this corpse. Carving the sigils directly into the flesh instead of using mana sigils is probably their way of testing things. The symbols are also a bit off. Not that I know which ones are proper.”
Van Dijk raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of curiosity and mild disappointment. “Is that all you can see?” he asked, his tone sharp but not overly critical.
Ludwig’s eyes glowed faintly as he activated [Inspect].
Name: Lumia Siel
Race: Human
Title: Black Tower Academy Student
Level: 11
Status Effects:
[Dead]
[Faulty Necrotic Sigils]
[Blessed]
[Conflict of Interest]
Ludwig frowned as he read through the details of the status effects.
[Faulty Necrotic Sigils] – The attempter of reviving into undeath made imperative mistakes in carving the necrotic sigils upon the body of the corpse. The revival process might require more mana than needed.
[Blessed] – A body that was once blessed by a priest or a servant of Dishana. The soul remains protected inside the River of Souls, never to be disturbed after death.
[Conflict of Interest] – It will require far greater resources to use necromancy on a blessed corpse than usual. Failure to resurrect is more prone to occur. Revival will only happen if a different soul is introduced to the body, as the owner’s soul is protected.
“Hmm, something isn’t right,” Ludwig muttered, his voice low.
Van Dijk’s lips curled into a faint smile. “You can inspect the corpse closer if you want,” he said, gesturing toward the body.
Ludwig nodded and stepped forward, placing his hand on the corpse. The moment his skeletal fingers made contact, a faint -1 HP notification flashed in his vision.
“I see,” Ludwig said, pulling his hand back. “I don’t think they’d notice that.”
“What is it?” Van Dijk asked, his smile widening.
Ludwig hesitated, not wanting to reveal the full extent of what he saw in his inspection screen. “Holy magic,” he said, his tone cautious. “Perhaps a blessing of sorts. Maybe a religious parent or religious origin. It’ll create a conflict between necromancy and revival. I don’t know about the sigils, though. They look different than the ones I use. Maybe they have more proficiency than me and know better sigils, so I’m not one to judge. But for some reason, they just feel… wrong.”
Van Dijk’s smile widened, his expression one of approval. “Good eyes you have. Indeed, you hit the nail on the head. That body still has a holy presence to it, which is quite honestly surprising that these two self-proclaimed necromancers couldn’t even notice.”
Ludwig glanced over at Sebas and Evan, who had returned with Van Dijk’s coat and tools. Both of them were glaring at him, their expressions filled with resentment.
“You tried to revive something that has a holy touch,” Van Dijk said, his tone sharp and accusatory. “Have you not been snubbed before?”
Evan hesitated, his voice trembling slightly. “We thought we could bypass the holy aspect, right, Sebas?” he said, nudging his friend.
Van Dijk sighed, his frustration evident. “Waste of resources, I swear. Hand over the coat and tools, useless!” he snapped, his voice sharp and commanding.
As Van Dijk turned to walk away, he paused and glanced back at Ludwig. “Ludwig, how would you handle this? If you had to revive this corpse.”
Ludwig opened his mouth to respond, but Sebas interrupted, his voice filled with disdain. “Master, he’s just a skeleton. He wouldn’t know right from wrong even if you hit him in the face. We’ll try better, I promise.”
Van Dijk’s expression darkened, his voice low and dangerous. “If you try and tell me how to do things one more time, the next corpse Ludwig will be practicing on will be yours.”
Sebas immediately gulped, his face pale as he lowered his head in submission.
Ludwig ignored the exchange, his mind focused on the task at hand. “Well, seeing the blessing…” he said, pointing his hand at the corpse. “I might be wrong, but what if… [Taint].”
A black stain began spreading over the corpse, but the blessing fought back, causing the stain to recede almost immediately. Ludwig frowned, his expression determined. “[Taint],” he cast again, followed by “[Enfeeble]” and “[Exhaust].”
The sigils spread across the corpse, the taint emulsifying within the flesh as it shuddered and shook under the strain of the blessing. But the holy magic was too strong, and soon the blessing overtook the body, destroying all the curses.
“I can’t do it, Master,” Ludwig said, shaking his head.
Evan snorted audibly, his disdain evident.
Van Dijk, however, smiled faintly. “No, Ludwig, you had the right idea. You just didn’t have the experience. It is correct, in fact. The blessing that this corpse received is neutralizing all that is unholy and necrotic. But if you pile up curses upon it, you’ll be able to wither the blessing. Although there are better spells for it, let me show you using your own spell. [Taint].”
Van Dijk’s casting was far more potent than Ludwig’s. The taint immediately penetrated the body, carving through the blessing and rotting the bones and flesh. Within moments, the corpse was almost unrecognizable, its form twisted and decayed.
“[Rise Undead],” Van Dijk said, his voice calm but commanding. The symbols from his hand spread across the corpse, and it shuddered violently before sitting up straight on the table, its hollow eyes glowing faintly.
“However,” Van Dijk said, his tone dismissive, “this corpse is useless.” He turned to Sebas and Evan, his expression cold. “I still wonder why the headmaster had the two of you come to me specifically. Necromancers who can’t resurrect a corpse properly—what a waste. [Turn Undead].”
The corpse shuddered once more before disintegrating into ash, leaving nothing but a faint pile of dust on the table.
Ludwig’s eyes widened in awe. The ease with which Van Dijk had both resurrected and destroyed the corpse was staggering.
“Clean up and leave us,” Van Dijk said, his tone sharp. “Go play somewhere else.”
Sebas and Evan hurried to comply, their expressions a mix of fear and resentment as they left the room.
Van Dijk turned to Ludwig, his expression calm but serious. “Follow me. We have much to discuss.”