Chapter 125- The First Rare Undead class in the Group.

Chapter 125: Chapter 125- The First Rare Undead class in the Group.

Thump..

Thump....

A deep thumping sound, almost like a heartbeat, echoed loudly through the chamber.

The floor vibrated with every pulse, each thump growing steadily more prominent, deeper and more resonant than the last. The dark purple light lit throughout the formations and vein-like structures began shifting, drawn steadily toward the center with every new pulse.

The mana well rippled in response, its dark, cloud-like gas churning and swirling.

Leo, standing closest to it, felt the thumping far more intensely than anyone else in the room. He couldn’t help but instinctively retreat as a sudden force surged outward from the well’s center.

Step by step, he backed away until he’d fully cleared out of the ring of formations.

Dark gas erupted violently from the well, flooding the entire chamber before gradually settling behind the well itself. As the gas finally receded, an enormous temple came into view where nothing had stood moments before.

The temple radiated the full majesty of the Death Sovereign, every surface of it a quiet testament to her legacy.

The guardian stepped forward, positioning herself in front of the well, and addressed the group like someone making a formal announcement. "This is the temple where you’ll either receive your legacy directly, or be transported into a trial. But this place isn’t open to just anyone. Only those who carry genuine affinity, and whom the mana well itself judges worthy, will be permitted entry."

She paused, studying each of them in turn before continuing. "This works differently than the lightning legacy did. That legacy only tested raw capability — what you could do, and your affinity for lightning alone. But..."

"But the Death Sovereign’s legacy doesn’t function that way at all. Raw power means very little here. There are far too many distinct branches within the undead path for simple affinity alone to be enough. You need to genuinely resonate with a specific aspect of it."

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances. Confusion showed plainly on some faces, while others seemed to be grasping toward some flicker of understanding.

The guardian continued. "As I mentioned earlier, the undead path encompasses many distinct aspects — necromancy, soul work, spirit work, preservation, evolution, and more."

She placed both hands against the well, running her palms across its surface almost tenderly. "Each of these aspects may call out to a different path entirely."

The dark surface of the well rippled again, this time forming shadowy, indistinct figures representing the various classes.

"Resonance with necromancy might call someone toward the path of Necromancer. Resonance with soul or spirit might instead call forth Soul Reaper or Spirit Caller. Resonance with undead combat might call someone toward Undead Warrior, and so on."

Elona, who’d been listening intently, spoke up. "Can a single person resonate with multiple undead paths at once, then?"

The guardian turned her purple eyes toward her and nodded. "Yes. A person can resonate with several paths simultaneously. The more paths you resonate with, the more powerful the resulting class becomes. And if someone manages to resonate with every single path of undead known to this legacy, they’ll be acknowledged as the Death Sovereign’s true successor."

She let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "The legacy doesn’t force anyone down a single predetermined road. It simply helps uncover the path that already exists somewhere within you."

She waved a hand, and the black gas swirling within the well surged upward once more as a fresh notification panel appeared above it.

[Ding~]

[Undead Legacy Evaluation — Initiated.]

With that, silence settled heavily over the chamber. The rhythmic thumping from before finally stopped, and no one dared speak.

The guardian glanced around at everyone gathered. "So — who wants to go first, and test their affinity?"

Everyone exchanged glances again. Nobody stepped forward.

The silence held for a long, awkward stretch. Then Jae finally stepped up. He’d never been the type to enjoy waiting around for his turn.

"What do I need to do?" he asked.

The guardian gestured for him to step into the formation circle directly in front of the well.

"Place your hand against the stone stele there."

Jae nodded and pressed his palm flat against the rectangular stele standing beside the well.

He waited. Nothing happened at first.

He glanced toward the guardian, hoping for some kind of explanation, but she offered none.

Just as his patience started to wear thin, a thin strand of dark mist rose from the well and coiled gently around his wrist.

Jae’s expression shifted immediately. He felt something — not pain exactly, but the unmistakable sensation of something seeping into him, testing, checking, evaluating.

[Ding~]

[Undead Resonance — Detected.]

[Mana Resonance — Detected.]

[Soul Resonance — Weak.]

[Path Resonance — Insufficient.]

The notifications flashed above the mana well, and the dark mist retreated back into it.

He read through the results and turned to the guardian, looking for answers.

She simply shook her head. "You do carry some affinity. It’s just not enough."

Jae took the news in stride and just shrugged. "Guess it’s not meant for me, then." He stepped back from the circle without a trace of disappointment, hands sliding casually into his pockets.

Next, Dara stepped forward. Quiet and reserved by nature, she stood in front of the well and waited patiently for the mist to arrive.

It came.

[Ding~]

[Undead Resonance — Minimal.]

[Path Resonance — Insufficient.]

She read the notification, gave a single nod, and her expression never changed once, from beginning to end. She didn’t even glance back at the guardian before walking straight back to the group. No disappointment. No frustration. Just quiet acceptance.

Then another of Rook’s disciples stepped up — Hobin.

He stood at the center of the formation with his arms crossed, staring flatly at the well. Then he extended his hand, and the familiar dark mist crawled up around his wrist.

[Ding~]

[Undead Resonance — Negligible.]

[Path Formation — None.]

"Tch. Fine by me," he muttered, sounding faintly irritated but not particularly disappointed, before walking back to rejoin the group.

Watching all three of Rook’s disciples take their results in stride without a hint of disappointment, Leo glanced over at Rook. "Your disciples handle this well. No frustration, no sulking. You’ve trained them properly."

"Hmph. Of course they handle it well," Rook grunted. "If any of them showed the slightest disappointment, I’d beat them half to death for it. They know better than to try."

The disciples in question broke into visibly stiff, sweaty smiles at their master’s words.

Next up was Tina, who walked forward wearing that same tight, careful smile, clearly determined not to show even a flicker of disappointment if her own result turned out poorly.

The moment she stepped into the formation, the guardian spirit’s expression shifted. "Oh. This one feels different."

The dark mist rose from the well once more, coiling around Tina’s wrist just as it had with the others. But this time, it didn’t retreat the way it normally did. Instead, the mist within the well surged violently upward, and skeletal hands began manifesting in the air, followed by ghostly, incomplete skeletal figures forming into existence directly behind her.

"Necrotic resonance," the guardian muttered.

The system panel finally lit up above the well.

[Ding~]

[Undead Affinity — Compatible.]

[Necromancy Resonance — High.]

[Undead Manipulation Resonance — Moderate.]

[Existing Class Detected.]

[Swordsman.]

[Primary Energy Affinity Detected.]

[Qi.]

[Searching for Compatible Undead Class...]

The purple light within the well swirled violently, and the dark mist swelled up to envelop Tina entirely. Rook stepped forward immediately, ready to intervene, but Leo caught his arm and held him back. Moments later, the mist and light withdrew on their own, and the system panel flickered back to life.

[Ding~]

[Compatible Class Found.]

[Necrotic Swordsman — High Compatibility.]

"Necrotic Swordsman?" Tina repeated, uncertain what kind of class that even was.

The guardian stepped forward, genuine relief and happiness plain on her face at finally seeing someone with real affinity. "Excellent. Now, go to the temple to formally receive your class."

Tina nodded and made her way toward the temple — the massive structure with words carved deep into its entrance, marking it as the Undead Temple. Two statues flanked the entryway, one bearing a sword, the other a staff.

She stepped inside and eventually reached an altar at the temple’s heart. A dark purple crystal hovered suspended above it.

The guardian’s voice resonated directly inside her head. "Place your hands on the crystal, and you’ll be able to change your class into whichever Rare-rank option suits you best."

Tina stepped up and touched the crystal.

[Ding~]

[Undead Legacy Temple — Activated.]

[Undead Affinity — Compatible.]

[Necromancy Resonance — High.]

[Class Compatibility — High.]

[Available Class]

[Necrotic Swordsman]

[Rank — Rare]

[Classification — Undead Combat Class]

[Primary Foundation — Swordsman]

[Secondary Foundation — Undead Energy]

[Compatible Energy — Qi]

[Class Conversion Required. Do you want to begin?]

Tina read through it all and selected yes.

Another notification appeared immediately after.

[Required: 124 Gold Coins for the Undead Essence needed for class conversion.]

[Proceed with Class Conversion?]

Huh? Tina stared at the notification, eyes wide with disbelief. "You’ve got to be kidding me. Screw the Rare class, I don’t need it that badly."

The guardian’s face went stiff at that reaction, while Leo, watching the whole exchange unfold, couldn’t help but crack a wry smile at Tina’s blunt attitude.

He sent her a quick message. "Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it covered."

Before she could even respond, Leo had already paid the gold coins himself.

[Ding~]

[Gold Payment Confirmed.]

[Required Gold — Deducted.]

[Conversion Process Initiated.]

...