Born To Raise Undead

Chapter 9: The Second Wave

In the battlefield soaked with death, where shattered bones and cracked weapons lay like discarded memories, two figures remained upright amidst the carnage—Aarav and Ghrol. Both were breathing hard, exhausted from the brutal clash of Wave One. Ghrol's once-glowing bones were cracked and splintered in places, and Aarav's cloak was torn, stained with blood, sweat, and dust.

Aarav staggered to his feet, planting his dagger into the ground for support.

"System," he rasped. "Give me my current condition."

The reply came instantly, smooth as always.

[Host Status]

HP: 47%

[Undead - Ghrol Status]

Integrity: 67%

Aarav frowned, inhaling a shaky breath. "That low, huh?"

"System, is there any way I can recover?"

[Affirmative. Host may trigger Emergency Recovery Protocol. HP can be increased by 40%. Ghrol may recover by consuming remaining bone fragments and undead essence scattered across battlefield.]

"Do it," Aarav said without hesitation.

A wave of warmth surged through him. It started in his chest and spread outward, numbing the worst of the pain. Cuts knitted slightly, bruises faded, and his hands stopped trembling.

"Gods, that's better," Aarav muttered, flexing his fingers. "I thought my lungs were about to collapse."

Meanwhile, Ghrol stood still, awaiting orders. Aarav turned to him and gestured toward the field of broken skeletons.

"Eat. Let's see what you're really made of."

Ghrol nodded once and marched forward. He picked up a rib bone and pressed it against his own frame. The bone dissolved into him with a pulse of soft white light.

[Undead has consumed Bone Fragment: +1% Integrity Restored]

One after another, Ghrol continued to consume the battlefield's remains. Every bone he absorbed stitched him together, piece by piece. His cracked ribs mended. His dented arm straightened. His spine flared with brief necrotic light.

Within minutes, he had reached 90% combat integrity.

Aarav watched with a crooked smile.

"So that's it," he whispered. "Killing isn't just survival—it's growth."

As if responding to his thoughts, the system chimed again:

[Wave One Complete]

[Congratulations, Host!]

[First Confirmed Kill Achieved]

[XP Gained: +10]

[Level Up: Level 2 Reached]

[Leveling System Unlocked: XP now awarded through confirmed kills.]

[Next Level: 30 XP Required]

Aarav blinked. "So that's how it works. I need to kill… to grow."

He laughed under his breath. "Of course it wouldn't be easy. Blood for strength, huh?"

A part of him hated the idea. But another part—the part scarred by loss, by hunger, by helplessness—understood it. Welcomed it.

"System," he asked, voice firm. "Do all kills give XP?"

[Affirmative. Stronger enemies yield more XP. Chain kills and multi-kills may offer bonuses.]

"Hah. Bonuses too?" Aarav said, shaking his head. "This world is twisted."

Then, without warning, his vision went black.

Aarav stood again in that endless void, the black realm of his evolving soul. At the far end sat the Deathlord on his throne of bone—silent, patient, and watching.

A whisper echoed across eternity:

"One wave is survival. Two is will. Three is transformation."

[Deathlord Path Resonance: 12% → 18%]

Aarav opened his mouth to speak—"What are you?"—but the world shattered around him.

He was back in the battlefield.

And the countdown had begun.

[Wave Two Begins: 60 Seconds Remaining]

He stood up straight, glancing at Ghrol who returned to his side, his skeleton polished, eyes glowing. Aarav looked into those hollow sockets and felt something unspoken pass between them.

"You ready?" he asked.

Ghrol made a low sound like grinding stone—his version of a nod.

"Good," Aarav muttered. "Let's make them regret coming."

...10...9...8...

The earth quaked. Shadows crawled. Mist thickened.

...5...4...3...2...1...

A deep, long howl tore through the sky.

From the far side of the battlefield, enemies emerged.

Seven in total:

2 Bone Reavers: armored skeletal tanks with giant cleavers.

2 Necrotic Hounds: skeletal beasts, snarling with glowing green saliva.

2 Shadow Lurkers: nearly invisible stalkers, cloaked in smoke.

1 Gravedancer: thin, fast, wielding twin curved daggers, dancing like death itself.

Aarav's throat tightened. He'd barely survived last time.

Now he faced predators.

"Ghrol," Aarav whispered. "Take four. I'll handle three."

Ghrol let out a low growl and charged without hesitation.

BOOM!

He clashed directly with a Bone Reaver, both weapons bouncing off one another in sparks and necrotic backlash. One Necrotic Hound leapt at his back, but Ghrol twisted and slammed his elbow into its skull, sending it flying.

The Gravedancer flashed toward him—twin blades aimed for his ribs. Ghrol raised his forearm and blocked both with raw bone.

Meanwhile, Aarav drew his dagger and crouched, scanning for the Lurkers.

A shimmer to his right.

He pivoted and slashed—catching only air.

Then pain.

A blade scraped his back. He staggered forward, rolled, and barely avoided a follow-up stab.

"Where the hell are you hiding?" Aarav hissed.

From the side, a Necrotic Hound pounced. Aarav spun and buried his dagger into its throat—useless.

But then—

NECRO PULSE!

A beam of black light surged from his palm, catching the hound full in the chest. It yelped and exploded into dust.

[XP +10]

Aarav grinned, bloody and wild.

"You want to play dirty? Fine. Let's burn."

One Lurker approached.

He faked left, then used his dagger as a pivot—

NECRO PULSE!

Another hit. Another corpse.

[XP +10]

But it wasn't enough. The Gravedancer had wounded Ghrol—slashes across his ribs, his left arm barely hanging.

[Warning: Ghrol Integrity 42%]

"System," Aarav gasped. "Anything I can do?"

[Ghrol Loyalty ≥ 80% Detected]

[New Skill Unlocked: Soul Anchor]

Soul Anchor: Sacrifice 10% of user HP to empower undead with enhanced strength, speed, and resistance for 30 seconds.

He didn't hesitate.

"ACTIVATE SOUL ANCHOR!"

Pain flared across his chest. His vision blurred.

But Ghrol—

He roared.

Blue flames engulfed his body. His cracked arm straightened, his spine arched, and then he moved—faster, heavier.

He grabbed the Bone Reaver and hurled it across the field.

The Gravedancer sliced—Ghrol caught its wrist, twisted, and shattered the bone.

"Get away from my undead, freak," Aarav snarled.

One hound leapt again—Ghrol spun mid-air and crushed it with both fists.

Aarav took the opportunity. He rolled forward, stabbed the remaining Lurker, and blasted it with Necro Pulse point-blank.

[XP +10]

[XP +10]

[Level Up! → Level 3 Reached]

[HP Restored +10%]

Ghrol's Soul Anchor wore off just as the last Bone Reaver tried to run.

Aarav didn't let it.

"Necro Pulse."

It turned just in time to see the black beam coming.

BOOM.

It disintegrated into ash.

And silence fell.

[Wave Two Complete]

[Auto Heal: +25% Restored]

[Ghrol Loyalty Increased]

[XP Total: 60 / 90]

[New Passive Detected: Undead Tactician – Minor bonuses when commanding more than one undead simultaneously]

Aarav fell to one knee. His breath came in ragged gasps.

Ghrol limped beside him. The blue flame had faded. Only scorched bone remained.

They looked at one another.

"…We're still alive," Aarav said, voice raw.

Ghrol didn't speak, but lifted a cracked hand.

Aarav reached up and clasped it.

The monolith in the center of the field glowed.

Symbols shifted.

And from its core, a whisper:

[Final Wave Approaches]

[Special Rule Activated: Evolution Trial Enabled]

[Deathlord Path Observation: 34%]

Aarav stared at the sigil in his hand—the rune from earlier now pulsing darker.

This was more than a trial now.

It was a test of destiny.

He looked at Ghrol, who simply raised a cracked fist.

Aarav returned the gesture.

"No more just surviving," Aarav said. "We become monsters… or legends."

And somewhere beyond the monolith, in a realm no mortal could see, the Deathlord smiled.

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"Born to Fall. Raised to Rule."