Cloud Raising Little Zombies: Chapter 36

NECROMANCER GOD’S CULTIVATION

36. 【Mission Triggered: I Love Learning】Mission Description: Place First in the Necromancy Class’ Weekly Exam

【A friend shared this stream with me, they said there’s an online class here?】

【Yes, yes! Just… the classroom’s a bit dark, and the teacher’s a bit fierce.】

As Ye You flipped through his spellbook, he listened to the Necromancy instructor, Xia Zuo, lecturing.

Although Ye You had long mastered the Necromancy spells Xia Zuo was teaching, some of the basic magical knowledge interwoven in the lesson piqued his interest.

For instance, when chanting spells, knowing where to pause and which words to elongate.

These details were things Ye You had never paid attention to; when he read through the Necromancy spells in *Necromancy*, he naturally understood the rhythm of the incantation after one read-through.

It wasn’t until he heard his classmates chanting that he realized not everyone could instantly grasp the cadence of a spell.

“Xi-xi… mi-so-wu-ka……”

Listening to his roommate Ted haltingly chant, Ye You couldn’t help but think that if this were a battle spell, his opponent would have time to walk right up and punch him before he finished the chant.

Though, with Ted’s bear-like build, his opponent might not fare well in a fistfight anyway.

【Ba-la-la energy! Wu-ka-la-ka dark magic ¹… oops, wrong channel.】

【“Xi-xi-mi-so-wu-ka-ka!” Teacher, I got it!】

【I got it too, but I didn’t see any element. Could my element be colorless?】

【Colorless elements often represent special attributes like time, space, or spirit. You have great potential!】

Listening to Ted’s stammered spell, Ye You happened to glance at the live-stream comments and felt a bit lost.

The audience in the stream seemed to enjoy the class and learning.

Up on the podium, Instructor Xia Zuo continued, “Meditation can only be performed in the Magic Realm.

“If one were to meditate in the Undead Realm, they would absorb a great deal of resentment and death energy into their body.

“Under the influence of resentment and death energy, a necromancer would not only become obsessive and unstable, but their life force would also deteriorate, gradually transforming them into a mindless undead creature.”

As he said this, Xia Zuo’s cold, serpent-like green eyes shifted, landing on Ye You.

Ye You understood that this Necromancy instructor had noticed something about him.

He had indeed been to the Undead Realm. Although he hadn’t used meditation there, the realm’s elements naturally seeped into his body, converting into his magical energy.

After all, at his core, he was an undead being.

Ye You met Xia Zuo’s gaze calmly.

Xia Zuo looked away, his voice icy as he said, “You have one hour to meditate. After that, we will proceed to the Undead Realm. If you don’t want to miss class, use this time to gather enough magic to cover your entire body.”

Ye You wasn’t concerned; his undead mana was currently full.

Now that there was time for meditation, Ye You tried absorbing wood elements, gathering wood-type mana within his body.

“Ye You, have you sensed the undead element? What exactly does undead energy feel like?” Ted whispered, sounding like a struggling student stumped by a difficult question.

Ye You paused his wood-element absorption and said, “Hold out your hand.”

Ted, slightly puzzled, extended both hands.

Ye You raised his hand, gathering a bit of undead energy at his fingertip, then touched it lightly to Ted’s left middle finger.

Ted felt as if he had touched a frozen corpse, the chilling energy curling around him, raising every hair on his body.

If not for Instructor Xia Zuo’s cold glance in his direction, Ted might have screamed.

“This is undead mana.” Ye You retracted his hand, taking the energy that had circled Ted’s finger with him.

Ted stared at his now-numb left hand in a daze.

“Ye You, could you teach me as well?” Lucy, seated on Ye You’s left, batted her eyelashes at him.

Ye You, puzzled, asked, “You’re a Level 1 apprentice mage. How could you not know about the undead element?”

With the overwhelming amount of undead mana radiating from Instructor Xia Zuo, Ye You couldn’t gauge his exact level, but he could sense that Lucy’s undead mana was similar to his own—likely at the same level.

Lucy froze briefly, then immediately smiled, “Classmate Ye You, you’re very observant.”

【Streamer… that’s such a pretty girl. Are you destined for a lonely life?】

【Our Zai Zai’s still young. No early dating!】

【Hugging Zai Zai; he’s beautiful all on his own.】

【SCrystal nuclei are You Zai’s one true love.】

Instructor Xia Zuo descended from the platform to guide the students in their meditation.

But even after an hour, several students were still unable to gather any mana.

Those who couldn’t were visibly anxious.

Xia Zuo’s expression darkened, as gloomy as Death itself, his gaze sweeping over each student who had failed to produce mana.

“I can’t fathom how the hell such fools managed to get into the Empire’s First Magic Academy.”

【All teachers: ‘You’re the worst class I’ve ever taught.’】

【Instructor, look at me—I’ve mastered meditation to the point I can sleep sitting up.】

【Tch. Isn’t that every student’s basic skill? I can even sleep standing.】

Ted secretly shot a grateful glance at Ye You.

Thanks to Ye You helping him experience undead mana, Ted was able to identify the undead element and gather a small amount of mana, sparing him from the Necromancy instructor’s wrath.

Only after scolding the students so harshly they wanted to hide under their desks did Xia Zuo say, “Just this once, I’ll take you all to the Undead Realm. After that, you’ll have to rely on yourselves.”

With a wave of his wand, a complex magic circle appeared on the floor at one side of the classroom.

“Bring your books and step onto it,” Xia Zuo instructed.

Ye You picked up his book and joined the others in standing up.

His gaze fell on the magic circle, and he silently memorized its symbols and energy flow before stepping onto it.

Once everyone was on the circle, Xia Zuo joined them. With a flick of his wand, they all felt a dizzying whirl, and an eerie chill spread throughout their bodies.

As the vertigo faded, they found themselves surrounded by an endless field of skeletal remains.

“Ah—!” Ted let out a terrified scream, only to quickly clamp his hands over his mouth when Xia Zuo turned his gaze on him.

Ted wasn’t the only one who had screamed, but the instructor’s cold, menacing stare silenced everyone, though their trembling only intensified.

“Afraid? This is the Undead Realm. Every powerful Necromancer spends 29 days a month here.”

Xia Zuo walked to the front of the group, pointing his wand at a nearby wandering skeleton, and said, “These undead creatures are the most loyal companions of any Necromancer.

“Of course, that’s if you can form a contract with them.”

The moment Ye You arrived in the Undead Realm, he sensed the connection with his contracted skeletal creatures growing clearer.

He could feel their presence, just a few kilometers ahead.

The skeletal horde instinctively moved toward Ye You.

Calculating their speed, Ye You figured it would take the skeletons over half an hour to reach him, so he didn’t stop them.

Instructor Xia Zuo began teaching the students two Level 1 spells, “Hell Fire” and “Undead Contract.”

For students who hadn’t gathered enough mana, all they could do was watch and note down the incantations.

Ye You had memorized the spell when he overheard Lance chanting in class. Now, as Xia Zuo instructed the class, he blended in, chanting the spell inconspicuously along with everyone else.

Whoosh—

Several blue flames flickered to life around Ye You, instantly drawing all eyes toward him.

Ye You, trying his best to appear unremarkable: “…”

Everyone’s chanting the same spell; where are all your flames?

His undead attribute talent was S-grade, supposedly rare and powerful, so learning Necromancy faster than others should be… normal, right?

The looks directed at him showed surprise, astonishment, and understanding, with one notably resentful glare—from Lance.

A small blue flame also rose beside Lance, but several seconds later than Ye You’s, and slightly dimmer.

“Hmph,” Lance scoffed proudly. “This simple Level 1 spell—just a few more tries, and I’ll be able to cast it instantly.”

Xia Zuo glanced approvingly at the Hell Fire beside Ye You, then turned to Lance. “We’ll see if you can cast it instantly in next week’s exam.”

Lance, from an ancient magical family, was already familiar with the weekly quizzes and monthly exams in the Necromancy class. Raising his chin slightly, he replied, “I’ll manage it, Instructor Xia Zuo.”

As the Necromancy instructor and Lance exchanged words, a faintly visible screen suddenly popped up in front of Ye You.

[Mission Triggered: I Love Learning.] [Mission Objective: Place first in the Necromancy Class’s weekly exam.] [Reward: 5000 points.] [Failure Penalty: 5000 points deducted.]

Five thousand points… enough to buy a red-eyed crow.

It was the first time Ye You had ever received a mission from the light screen, leaving him a bit surprised.

Securing first place using only pure necromancy would be a bit challenging, considering that both Lucy and Lance in the class were also Level 1 apprentice mages, the same level as him.

Of course, Ye You didn’t think he’d lose, either.

There was no “accept” or “decline” button on the screen, so it seemed to be a mandatory mission.

Under everyone’s gaze, Ye You didn’t touch the light screen. After a few seconds, it automatically shifted from in front of him to his side.

“Those who’ve already mastered ‘Hell Fire’ and ‘Undead Contract Spell’ may leave early,” Xia Zuo said, his gaze sweeping over Ye You and a few others. “In the future, you’re excused from necromancy class if the topic covered is one you already know.”

“Yes, Instructor.” Lance stepped out of line and, instead of returning to the Magic Realm, headed toward the skeletons.

Ye You and Lucy followed, each earning envious and resentful looks from the remaining students.

Ye You walked toward his undead army, with Lucy following close behind.

Initially, Ye You thought their undead were in the same direction, but then thousands of skeletons emerged from the other direction to surround Lucy.

She kept her skeletons trailing behind him.

“Why are you following me?” Ye You asked.

“Ye You, you already have your own skeletons, don’t you?” Lucy countered.

Since she didn’t give the answer he wanted, Ye You decided not to respond, and instead walked ahead at a normal pace.

“Around a few thousand Level 1 skeletons should suffice. A Level 1 apprentice’s mana can only summon ten skeletons in the Magic Realm at most…”

Lucy sped up to keep up with Ye You, her breath quickening as he showed no sign of slowing. Finally, she got to the point:

“Ye You, would you be interested in making a pact with a Level 2 skeleton soldier? It would make you a Level 2 apprentice mage.”

Ye You paused, turning to look at her.

“I know the location of a group of skeleton soldiers. Let’s work together?” Lucy asked, steadying her breathing.

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Translator Notes

1. Reference to Mei Qi and Mei Xue’s Transformation Spell in Balala, Little Magic Fairy: a Chinese magical girl metaseries. Each series focuses on a group of magical girls fighting against evil and dark forces while following their ordinary lives and personal wishes.[↩]