The sky was wrong.
Crimson light bled through jagged clouds like torn muscle. Wind hissed through dead trees and broken stone, whispering warnings Iden couldn't understand. The world he knew was gone—erased.
He sat up slowly, fingers scraping across brittle moss. Behind him loomed a cracked mountain ridge; ahead, a rotting forest curved across the land, shrouded in mist.
[GLOBAL TRANSFERENCE COMPLETE]Zone: Kravos IX – Borderline RidgeParticipants: 4,219,888,002Class: UNIQUE – BONECASTERYou are the sole bearer of this title.
He blinked at the strange, translucent screen floating before him. It pulsed with calm blue light, unreal in its stability amidst the chaos.
A rustle. A scream.
His heart froze.
Rael.
He launched forward without thought—stumbling through thorns, down a slope of black gravel, and into the edge of the forest where he saw her: collapsed against a log, bloodied and breathless.
A Ravager Hound towered over her, its limbs an unnatural fusion of steel and sinew. Jaws spun open like a grinder.
[RAVAGER HOUND – Tier F+]Weak to: Piercing, Necrotic
Iden's scream tore through the air. "Get away from her!"
His right hand ignited—burning without fire. A black metal ring melted into existence around his finger, engraved with bone-white runes.
[Summoner's Core Activated]Skeleton Class: Worker (Base)Summon Capacity: 1 of 1Inventory: 10 Bone FragmentsCommand: Summon – Worker Skeleton?
He didn't hesitate. "Summon it!"
From the ground behind him, shadow twisted. Bones tore through soil. A humanoid form snapped together from fragments—spine, ribs, arms, skull—forming a crude but functional skeleton.
A faint blue glow lit its empty eyes.
"Command?" it rasped.
"Kill that thing!"
It lunged.
The hound turned, but the skeleton was faster. It clawed into its flank, dug into exposed wiring, and finally drove its sharpened forearm into the beast's eye.
The Ravager dissolved into crimson mist.
[Enemy Defeated]Loot Acquired: Two Bone Fragments. One Scrap Metal.Skeleton Gained EXP: +75%Iden Gained EXP: +25%Skeleton Leveled Up: Level 1 → Level 2New Trait: Basic Combat Protocol
Rael coughed and sat up. "Iden?"
He dropped beside her. "I'm here. You're safe."
She stared at the skeletal figure. "What… is that?"
"My summon. I think… it only obeys me."
Then a second screen shimmered into view.
[BLOODLINE DETECTED – RAEL VIREL: SISTER]Bonded Growth Perk UnlockedWhile within 15 meters of Rael:– Skeletons gain +25% EXP– You gain +15% Skill EXP– Minion loyalty increases slightly
Another followed.
[Support Skill Detected: Rael Virel – Sanctum Pulse Lv. 1]Effect: Empowers target with a surge of life energy.Temporarily increases Tier by +1.Heals minor injuries and restores stamina.Limited to three uses per week.
Rael held her arm, dazed. "It triggered when I saw you get hurt. I can boost… things. People. You, your skeletons—whatever you control."
Iden smiled faintly. "Then we'll survive together."
He opened the system again. The interface shifted, revealing new details.
His current skeleton capacity was limited to one, but it would double every three levels. At level 3, he could command two. At 6, four. Then eight, sixteen, thirty-two.
The growth was exponential.
His skeleton wasn't just for fighting. As he examined its interface, he found multiple assignable class roles—each requiring specific materials:
To create a Miner, he would need bone fragments and raw stone.
For a Woodcutter, he needed bone and wood.
Scouts required hide. Warriors needed scrap metal. Archers demanded bone and string. Advanced types like Mage and Tank were locked, with placeholders requiring mana cores and iron ore.
Summons gained experience from their tasks—woodcutters by chopping trees, scouts by exploring, warriors by fighting. Seventy-five percent of the experience would go to them. The remaining twenty-five flowed to him.
They learned. They adapted. They didn't sleep. And they could follow assigned schedules endlessly.
[BUILD INTERFACE UNLOCKED – Shelter Mode Available]
Iden swiped through the glowing options. He could place ghostly blueprints in the world, which would become real once supplied with materials.
A Bone Shed would require twenty bone fragments, five wood, and one scrap metal. It could shelter two people and serve as a rest and access point.
Other unlockable structures included Skeleton Beds (to enable passive learning), a Workbench, Guard Posts, and even Bone Totems that could empower his units.
Everything began with one shed.
He had twelve bone fragments, one scrap, and no wood.
He turned to his summoned skeleton.
"Class change. You're now a Woodcutter."
The blue flame in its eyes flickered.
Class Changed: Worker → WoodcutterTask Assigned: Gather WoodSchedule: Continuous
The skeleton turned and walked into the woods without pause.
Rael blinked. "Creepy."
"Efficient," Iden replied.
[SURVIVAL TRIAL: DAY ONE]Objective: Stay alive for 24 hours
Reward for Completion:– Unlock Store Access– Gain +1 Summon Slot– Receive +5 Bone Fragments– Unlock 1 Skill Upgrade
Failure Consequence: Death
Time Remaining: 23 hours, 55 minutes, 48 seconds
The interface faded as Iden turned to his sister. She was tired, but alive. His skeleton was already harvesting trees.
And the blueprint for a bone shelter glowed faintly before him—waiting to be built.
The world had ended.
But his kingdom was only beginning.