Chapter 12: Better Corpses Equals Higher Gains

The next day after class, Ethan stood at the edge of the east grounds and closed his eyes.

```

[Ding!]

[Death Sense (passive) has been activated]

```

The skill activated, and something like a map, appeared in his mind.

It was like a radar that mapped out the surrounding of the east ground.

It did not show him living people as it ignored the students training in the distance and the birds still flying overhead.

Instead it marked residual traces of death—faint spots scattered across the grass and near the trees. Most were old and weak, already fading, and a few were fresher and glowing bright.

He followed the strongest one.

It led him past the usual stretch of ground he had been using and into a narrow place near the outer barrier.

A stray dog lay there, partially hidden by the grass. He deactivated the skill and took a closer look at the animal.

The body was intact, and by his guess, it probably died a few hours ago. No obvious wounds as far as he could tell...

It was in a higher quality than anything he had worked with so far.

Ethan crouched, placed two fingers against its side, and pushed Death Energy through the connection and into the corpse.

```

[Raise Undead (Basic) activated]

[Corpse Quality: Average]

[Energy Cost: 9]

[Result: Basic Undead (Canine)]

[Control Capacity: 1/12]

[Death Energy: 71/80]

[EXP +14]

```

The dog rose to its feet and lifted its head. Its empty eyes that glowed green now fixed forward.

When he ordered it to walk, the movement was fluid and more stable than any bird or rat he had raised so far. The limbs held weight properly, and the response lag was shorter.

Ethan made it back to the east grounds and continued running commands.

Lila arrived while he at it, stopping a few steps away as her golden eyes tracked the undead dog as it moved in a slow circle.

"That’s new," she said.

Ethan tunred. "Found something better." Ethan dismissed the undead, watching the body drop back dead. "I have a skill callee Death Sense. It helps me track where something had died around me. Makes it easier to locate fresher ones as well, since most of what I’ve been using was already half-gone."

In all honesty, he didn’t know why he hadn’t used it all these time.

He pulled up his system for a moment and watched as his Exp bar moved.

```

[EXP: 14 / 200]

```

It was fourteen, steady progress...

His eyes moved to his Death Energy bar.

It sat at seventy one. It was enough to practice a few more times...

Lila dropped her bag and sat on the low wall. "You’re really committed to this."

"We have a Dungeon tomorrow. I’d prefer not to walk in with the same undead that could barely turn left."

He followed Death Sense again, and it led him to another trace...

He followed it and arrived at a large crow under a bush. Average quality once more, so he raised it, ran a longer string of commands, and dismissed it.

The system logged another EXP gain.

A small group of students had stopped on the path near them. One of them pointed, another said something too quiet to hear clearly, but the tone carried a mix of disgust and interest.

Ethan stared at them for a moment. Word of the confrontation with Marcus had clearly spread.

But Ethan ignored them and kept working.

After the fourth raise, Lila spoke again.

"Ethan." She called.

He glanced over. "Yeah?"

"People are already talking more because of Marcus and you’re out here every day raising dead things in the open. The instructors already watch restricted classes closer than everyone else and if something goes wrong, or if someone decides to make something go wrong, you’re the one they’ll look at first."

He dismissed the current undead and straightened.

"I know."

"Do you?" Lila looked at him, taking in how calm he was.

"Look, I’m not saying stop. I’m saying be careful. You’re Rank F right now. That dog looked better than the rats and birds but it’s still not enough to protect you if a group of Rank As decide you’re a problem. Don’t forget that the Dungeon is going to put you under even more eyes."

Ethan was quiet for a moment. Though he could have brushed it off with a joke, he answered evenly.

"However you look at it, the A ranks will still come for me sooner or later. I’m not trying to pick a fight with anyone. I’m trying to get strong enough that a fight becomes a bad idea for them. The only way I’ll be able to do that is by using what I have."

"I also don’t want to have problems with the other students."

Ethan was mostly speaking from experience from his old life. When he was in highschool, people would come for anybody that they disliked. Classic case of the strong bullying the weak. It was unavoidable.

And the fact that his ability already got him the number one spot of the academy’s watchlist meant that he had to be ready to defend himself when the time comes.

Lila studied his face, then sighed and leaned back on her hands, unable to say any other thing.

He returned to the work. Death Sense guided him to two more usable corpses: One average, one still poor but fresher than the earlier birds and rats.

Each raise cost a little less than the last as he grew used to it. The undead held commands longer, and when he tested controlling two at once, the strain remained manageable.

By the time the sun began to set, his system showed clear movement.

```

[EXP: 67 / 200]

[Death Energy: 38/80]

```

Sixty-seven... The jump from better materials was obvious.

Lila stood and stretched.

"Same time tomorrow?" she asked.

Ethan closed the system.

"Last full day before the Dungeon. I want to push a little further."

She nodded, then hesitated as she looked at him.

"I’m serious about what I said. Watch your back."

Ethan looked at her for a moment, then asked in a quiet tone.

"Did the academy send you to monitor me?"

Lila blinked, clearly surprised but gave a short laugh. "What? Why would you ask that all of a sudden?"

"I’m just being cautious," he said evenly. "I got a restricted class, and here you are following me to practice and asking about my ability. It wouldn’t be strange if someone decided I needed closer observation."

For all he knew, Ethan needed to be careful. There’s no way he would have imagined someone being this close to him knowing that his class was restricted.

Sure enough, he knew that some people didn’t really care whether or not a person’s abilities were restricted but her’s was just too weird to overlook...

And the fact that she was this interested in his ability was suspicious to say the least.

"What? So I’m not allowed to be a little bit curious?"

She had a point. More than once, he found himself asking about her ability as well....

Before he could answer, she spoke again. "Nobody sent me. You just happened to get a roommate that is also the curious type. That’s all."

Ethan studied her face for a second longer, then gave a small nod.

"Alright. If you say so..."

Lila slung her bag over one shoulder. "Also, try not to accuse your roommate of being a spy again. I could get really pissed next time."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

They walked back toward the dorms together, the walk quieter than usual. Lila still walked beside him without distance, but Ethan’s mind was elsewhere.

’Be careful.’ The words echoed in his mind. If what she said was true, then he was going to have to brace himself for another confrontation.

He couldn’t help the smile forming on his face.

Things were getting interesting...