---
Chapter 21: Dawn of the First Hunt
The sun barely peeked over the horizon when Ray stood again inside his hidden Domain.
His body ached.
His mana was only half recovered.
But his spirit burned like fire.
Before him, his first three undead waited patiently:
Frost Wolf Undead — silent, its ghostly blue eyes glowing.
Bone Rat Undead 1 — twitchy, fast, low to the ground.
Bone Rat Undead 2 — heavier, its teeth like jagged knives.
Today was the beginning of something new.
Training Day One.
---
Seventeen's voice drifted into his mind, calm and steady.
> "Formations.
Movements.
Hunting instinct.
If you don't teach them…
They won't grow."
Ray nodded slowly.
Necromancers weren't just summoners.
They were commanders.
If he wanted his army to become great someday, he had to start small — teaching each beast how to listen, obey, and fight together.
---
He raised his hand.
The undead froze, attentive.
> "Frost Wolf — Front."
"Bone Rats — Flank!"
The Frost Wolf padded forward, standing protectively in front of Ray.
The Bone Rats scuttled sideways, forming a rough triangle.
Clumsy.
Uncoordinated.
But it was a start.
---
Ray spent hours drilling simple movements:
Advance.
Retreat.
Surround.
Attack target.
The undead were slow learners — mechanical at first.
But after dozens of repetitions, they started responding faster, sharper.
It was almost... thrilling.
Ray's heart pounded harder every time they moved with even a bit more grace.
He wasn't just raising monsters.
He was building a Pack.
---
Suddenly, Seventeen pinged in his mind.
> [Warning: Presence Detected — Outer Domain]
Ray froze.
He turned sharply toward the tree line of his Domain's invisible border.
Something — alive — had wandered too close.
Seventeen murmured, serious now.
> "First real battle opportunity.
Test your Pack."
Ray's breath hitched.
A mixture of fear... and excitement coursed through him.
---
He moved carefully toward the border.
And there — emerging from the misty forest outside — was a creature:
A Scarred Horn Rabbit.
Not an ordinary rabbit — this was a mutated F-Rank beast — almost the size of a large dog, with razor-sharp horns and bloodshot eyes.
Its nose twitched.
It had smelled something.
Maybe Ray.
Maybe the faint rot of his undead.
Whatever it was — the rabbit lowered its body into a predatory crouch.
It was about to charge.
---
Ray's fingers curled.
He whispered:
> "Frost Wolf — hold center.
Bone Rats — prepare to intercept."
The undead tensed, ready.
Ray exhaled slowly.
The rabbit shrieked, its muscles coiling — and then it sprang forward, horn aiming straight for Ray's heart!
---
The battle began.
The Frost Wolf snarled, leaping into the rabbit's path.
Claws clashed against horns.
The rabbit twisted midair, stabbing sideways — scraping the Frost Wolf's shoulder.
No blood — only cold mist hissed from the undead wound.
Ray barked his next order:
> "Bone Rats, now!"
The two Bone Rats darted forward, faster than arrows.
They latched onto the rabbit's legs, biting deep.
The rabbit screamed, kicked wildly — smashing one Bone Rat aside.
Bones cracked.
The smaller rat skidded across the ground, motionless.
Ray flinched — but he stayed focused.
---
The Frost Wolf lunged, jaws snapping.
It clamped onto the rabbit's throat.
A furious struggle.
The rabbit's horn stabbed into the wolf's chest — but undead flesh didn't feel pain.
The Frost Wolf tightened its bite.
Bones cracked.
Blood — steaming, black — spilled out.
The rabbit gave a last twitch… and went still.
Victory.
---
Ray dropped to his knees, gasping.
> [Battle Complete]
[You gained: 35 Experience]
[Lesser Scarred Horn Rabbit Corpse acquired.]
Seventeen's voice was proud.
> "First Hunt Successful.
First Blood Earned."
Ray looked at his fallen Bone Rat — the one that had been kicked away.
Seventeen spoke gently:
> "Undead lost in battle can be re-summoned.
Corpses are fuel."
Ray understood.
He would raise it again.
Stronger this time.
---
He stood up slowly, looking at his small, battered, loyal Pack.
Frost Wolf: limping slightly, but alive.
One Bone Rat: clicking eagerly.
One Bone Rat: corpse, but ready to be revived.
He smiled — fierce, determined.
The world outside was cruel.
Unforgiving.
But so was he.
This was only the beginning.
Someday... he would command an army that could shake kingdoms.
And it would all start…
with small, bloody victories like this.
---
---
Chapter 22: Revive, Grow, Dominate
Ray knelt beside the fallen Bone Rat.
Its tiny, broken frame still twitched slightly — echoes of unlife fading.
He closed his eyes, placing his hand over the corpse.
A familiar chill rose from his fingertips.
Seventeen's voice came, deep and encouraging:
> "Speak it.
Give it command again.
Claim it once more."
Ray whispered:
> "Rise Undead."
Mana surged.
The fallen Bone Rat shuddered violently…
then stilled…
then jerked back to life.
Its bones knit together — not perfect, but strong.
Its red eyes gleamed brighter than before.
> [Skill: Rise Undead Activated]
[Undead Revived: +2% Combat Efficiency Boost]
Ray felt something shift — like a tiny seed sprouting inside his chest.
Every time he brought a corpse back —
Every time he refused to lose even one fighter —
His army grew not just in number, but in spirit.
---
Seventeen spoke smoothly.
> "Good.
Your bond deepens.
Repeat this cycle endlessly."
Suddenly — a soft ding echoed in Ray's mind.
> [New Passive Skill Unlocked!]
[Necro Bind (F-Rank)]
— Each Undead you revive under your command gains +2% Stats. Stacks up to 50% maximum.
Ray blinked, stunned.
His undead…
Would grow stronger the longer they stayed under him!
It was a slow power — not flashy, not instant.
But it was unstoppable.
Exactly his style.
---
Ray stood up slowly, surveying his little army again:
Frost Wolf (minor wounds).
Bone Rat (healthy).
Bone Rat (revived, stronger).
Three.
Not enough.
Not even close.
His gaze drifted to the Scarred Horn Rabbit's corpse lying nearby.
Seventeen whispered like temptation itself:
> "Claim it.
Make it yours.
Expand your Pack."
Ray hesitated only a moment before nodding.
He stretched out his hand.
> "Rise Undead."
---
The rabbit corpse convulsed, limbs twitching violently.
Its bloodless body twisted…
its broken horn reformed slightly into a jagged spike…
its eyes flickered open — glowing dull red.
A new addition to his growing army.
> [Undead Created: Scarred Horn Rabbit (Mutated)]
Ray smiled grimly.
> Pack Size: 4
Slowly… but surely…
His army was forming.
---
Seventeen spoke again — serious this time.
> "Remember, Ray.
Each beast you bind will cost mana.
Manage your numbers.
Quality before Quantity."
Ray nodded.
He wouldn't just mindlessly raise hundreds of weaklings.
He would raise monsters.
Each beast would become terrifying in its own right.
---
As Ray finished organizing his new Pack, something pulsed at the edge of the Domain.
He turned and saw…
The Beast Tree.
It stood quietly — silver bark shining faintly,
low mist swirling around its roots.
And there — nestled at the tree's base —
a fresh, newborn creature emerged.
Another Frost Wolf Cub.
Smaller than the one Ray had already summoned, but no less fierce-looking.
> [Frost Wolf Cub (F- Rank) Produced]
[Tree Production Limit: 2/10]
Ray's eyes widened slightly.
Seventeen chuckled.
> "Congratulations.
Your army…
now grows even when you sleep."
---
Ray approached the cub.
It whined slightly — more beast than undead — but completely loyal to him.
Beast Trees were miracles.
Living factories.
Each tree could endlessly produce loyal beasts up to its cap —
replacing losses, growing stronger over time.
But — Seventeen warned:
> "Beasts from Trees are alive.
You must train them too.
They will grow alongside your Pack… or die."
Ray knelt before the cub.
Soft fur.
Cold breath.
He scratched its head gently.
A fierce, protective feeling welled inside him.
> I will make you strong too.
---
[Current Army Status]
Frost Wolf (Undead)
Bone Rat (Undead)
Bone Rat (Undead, Revived)
Scarred Horn Rabbit (Undead)
Frost Wolf Cub (Living Beast)
> [Mana Cost: 45/100]
[Beast Tree Production: 2/10]
[Necro Bind: +2% applied]
---
As the blood-red sun set behind the misty forests beyond his Domain,
Ray stood proudly with his tiny army.
Small.
Weak.
Insignificant.
For now.
But seeds planted with patience grew into forests.
And armies built from bones and beasts could one day crush empires.
He clenched his fist.
> "We start small.
We grow slow.
We dominate everything."
Seventeen's voice echoed back, colder and more excited than ever:
> "Yes, my little King.
Let's take the world —
one corpse at a
---
Chapter 23: First Breath of the Domain (Continuation)
The Domain felt alive.
The earth, once silent, now pulsed with faint mana rhythms. The newly planted trees swayed even though no wind blew.
Roots, veins of power, stretched deep into the ground, connecting like a breathing, beating heart.
Ray stood at the center, eyes wide with wonder.
> "Your Domain has taken root, Host."
Seventeen's voice carried a note of quiet pride.
At the base of the Frostwolf Tree, a small glow shimmered — and slowly, painfully, a creature took shape from the ground itself.
First the paws.
Then the body, the fur, the glinting blue eyes.
A Frost Wolf Pup — tiny, fragile, barely the size of a housecat — but alive.
Its breath misted in the cold air. Its mana core, faint but pure, pulsed with life.
[Frost Wolf - F Rank - Level 1]
— Created by Frostwolf Tree —
— Loyal to the Domain's Master —
Ray knelt down.
The pup stumbled forward awkwardly, nose twitching, and nuzzled his hand.
Bond formed.
He could feel it, like a new string tied to his soul.
A line of loyalty.
A connection of spirit.
> "As long as the Tree stands, a new Frost Wolf will be born every day.
Maximum capacity: 10 at a time.
If one dies... another will replace it."
Seventeen whispered.
---
Ray's heart pounded.
This was no simple spell.
This was power that grew.
Power that could expand without end, if nurtured properly.
He stood up slowly.
The Bone Rats chittered nearby, watching curiously. The Scarred Horn Rabbit pawed at the ground, restless.
And somewhere, deep within the Domain, the other planted seeds — the future trees — pulsed with faint life, waiting for their time to awaken.
Not today.
Not yet.
But soon.
> "Today, you have planted your first root, Host.
Someday... you will grow a forest that devours worlds."
Seventeen said, almost reverently.
Ray smiled faintly, a hard glint in his eyes.
He would.
He had to.
For his village.
For his family.
For himself.
---
That night, under the stars, Ray slept in the heart of his Domain.
Surrounded by the breathing earth.
Guarded by the first of his army.
And far beyond the hills, the world stirred — sensing the birth of something new.
Something dangerous.
But for now… it slept.
Just like the boy at its center.
---
(