Chapter 22: Restricted Interest

Nora stopped a few steps away from them, hands in the pockets of her academy blazer, her red eyes fixed on the Beowolf before moving back to Ethan.

The morning air on the east grounds was still cool, and Ethan faced her properly, his mind going through possible reasons that she was here.

"So the rumors were true."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Rumors?"

"Raising corpses everyday on the east grounds," she said. "I thought I’d come see for myself."

Ethan didn’t answer immediately. He had seen her watching him in the Dungeon—those red eyes lingering longer than necessary after the Iron Golem finished the Stone Golems.

His gaze flickered to Lila. She had mentioned it soon after, saying that she was "worse company" in the eyes of most students.

Restricted class, same as him. That alone made her presence complicated.

Nora looked at the Beowolf. "You used it as a scout back in the dungeon. You brought it back with you?"

Ethan nodded. "New necromancer perk. It’s actually pretty handy..."

There was a brief moment of silence, then tension followed as Ethan didn’t have anything to say.

Instead of overthinking it, he decided to ask a simple question: "So? What do you want?"

Nora stepped closer, stopping just outside what would be considered polite distance. "F-rank Necromancer pulls up with an Iron Golem and drops two Stone Golems like it’s practice. Then sends the Beowolf as a scout instead of staying next to Professor Crane. It seems you are growing stronger than you’re supposed to. It’s only natural that I got interested."

Lila’s posture shifted slightly. "He didn’t have much of a choice. Marcus made sure of that."

"Marcus is an idiot," Nora said without looking at her. "But he wasn’t wrong about one thing. People are going to keep watching, and you’re a restricted class. Soon enough you’ll become too much of a problem to ignore."

Ethan studied her. Her red hair, pale skin, and those red eyes that didn’t blink as often as they should.

She was a Blood Craft user. He didn’t know the exact details of the ability—just as much as anyone else did. The only other thing he knew was that it sat in the same taboo category as Necromancy. The academy treated both like walking hazards.

"Is there a reason you’re telling me this?" he asked.

Nora’s mouth curved, not quite a smile. "Just curious. Most people with restricted awakenings either break under the pressure or start acting like some kind of villain. You’re doing neither. You’re just... grinding. It’s unusual."

Lila made a soft sound that might have been a laugh. "He’s weirdly serious about numbers and efficiency. Don’t encourage it."

Ethan ignored the comment. "You’ve been watching?."

She shook her head. "Only heard about you a few times after the awakening ceremony. Finally got a good look at you in the dungeon."

She glanced towards the Beowolf.

"Death Energy control looks stable. Your Storage function is already unlocked. And You’re moving faster than the usual restricted users do. I’m interested in how far that goes before the academy starts putting real limits on you."

Ethan kept his expression neutral. Internally, the words settled uncomfortably. He had already decided the only way forward was to keep leveling, keep improving control, keep the undead quality rising. Level 5 with 800 EXP was already enough of a motivation. But he had no intention of explaining any of that to someone he had just met.

"I’m not looking for an audience," he said.

"I’m not offering to be one." Nora replied. "Restricted users don’t get the same training resources. Instructors watch us more carefully and Other students either avoid us or try to use us."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "What do you actually want, Nora?"

"Information exchange. Observation, possibly practice" She paused. "I’m not asking for anything immediate. But I’ll be free in a week. If you’re still interested in pushing further without an instructor breathing down your neck, meet me here by then. Bring the Beowolf. Or the Golem. Or whatever else you’ve managed to store by then. Us restricted classes have to stick together..."

Lila spoke before he could answer. "He’s busy."

Nora didn’t look at her. "He can speak for himself."

Ethan considered it.... He didn’t trust her, not yet at least, and he saw it as a fair exchange. He spends a few hours with her and learns a thing or two about her ability as well.

Sounded reasonable as far as he could tell. "I’ll think about it," he said.

Nora nodded once, as if that was the answer she had expected. "A week, same place. Don’t bring an audience."

Ethan gave a nervous smile. "You saying that, knowing that I don’t have anyone is kind of insulting..."

She glanced at Lila one last time, then turned and walked away.

Ethan watched her go and replayed the whole exchange in his mind.

Then, his mind caught on something...

’Your storage function is already unlocked.’

His eyes widened.

How did she know about that?