"Oh."The shop owner smiled, crossing his arms."Aren't you a freshman? Already going for a Skeleton Archer?""Yes. I'm going to give it a try."There are various positions for skeletons.Skeleton Archer.Skeleton Mage.Skeleton Rider, and so on.And a 'Skeleton Archer' is, simply put, a skeleton that primarily uses a bow as its weapon.Initially, Simon tried giving a bow to an Island Ratman Skeleton and making it shoot, but it was a total disaster. It couldn't even properly nock an arrow, let alone draw the bowstring.So, to find a solution, he rummaged through his textbooks and discovered that there were specific types of skeletons suitable for Skeleton Archers."If a beginner wants to get into Skeleton Archers, Saphiros is definitely the safest bet. Come this way."Simon and the shop owner headed deeper into the spacious central hall.Simon's eyes darted around wildly. There were piles of objects whose purpose he couldn't possibly discern. He thought it would be quite interesting to come back here and browse when he had more time."Saphiros bones are over here."The shop owner knelt down and pulled out a box from a shelf below.Whoosh! He blew off the dust, revealing a silver-shimmering logo on a black background. It looked incredibly luxurious."Would you like to see inside?""Yes!!"Simon practically shouted his answer. The shop owner chuckled, looking at him like a cute junior, and opened the box."Wow......!"The inside of the box was lined with antique red cloth, and in the center lay a Saphiros skull with two horns sticking out. Around it, in separate compartments, were various types of bones: vertebrae, arm bones, leg bones, and so on."Vanilla brand skeletons are the best quality," the shop owner said, taking out an arm bone and flicking it with his finger."Hear that 'thunk' sound? That means it's been properly cold-treated. For Skeleton Archers, the arm joints are crucial. Oh! And of course, the magic circle drawn on the skull is like this."The shop owner carefully lifted the skull and showed him the inside. A very complex-looking Jet Black magic circle was visible."These magic circles are meticulously carved by professional Necromancers. The defect rate is remarkably low, and even if there's a defect, the brand offers after-sales service. Bring it to the shop, and we'll replace it with a new one."From Simon's perspective, these were enchanting and attractive words, but conversely, the smile on his lips wavered slightly."Uh, it must be really expensive?""It's 30 gold per box. But as everyone knows, it's the Vanilla brand, so it's worth the value."30 gold!Simon sighed inwardly. He knew Summoning Studies cost a lot of money, but this was no joke.Of course, as a Legion Commander, it wasn't directly his concern, but considering the short lifespan of skeletons, 30 gold for one was chillingly expensive."Is there anything a little...... cheaper?""Of course there is! I'll show you."The shop owner stood up and scanned the boxes. Then, he carefully pulled out a few boxes and placed them in front of Simon."From right to left, 27 gold, 24 gold, 22 gold."Even to Simon, who didn't know much about undead yet, the quality of the bones visibly deteriorated from left to right."And then there's the 20-gold one made by an unknown Necromancer."He opened a box roughly tied with string, and a musty smell wafted out, revealing bones haphazardly mixed together. He rummaged through the bones, pulled out a skull, and showed the magic circle."The magic circle still works properly, but whether it's a defective product or not is a gamble."I should avoid that one. Simon thought, looking at the other boxes.[What are you agonizing over, boy!]'Huh, you startled me.'[Of course, you should choose the most expensive Vanilla brand! It's not like you can't use skeletons if they break, unlike other Necromancers! They all become part of the Legion's strength!]'That's true, but.......'Simon pondered, looking at the boxes. Pier wasn't wrong.If he was going to buy it anyway, wouldn't it be better to choose a high-quality one?"......Give me three sets of Vanilla.""Oh, you're quite generous! Understood."The shop owner whistled and pulled out two more boxes with 'Vanilla' written in silver.Simon watched him for a moment, then suddenly curious, he asked,"But why is the undead product brand name 'Vanilla'?"The shop owner took out a bone and sniffed it."Because the bones smell like vanilla."".......""Just kidding. The founder's surname is Vanilla. Now, let's go to the counter.""Ah! Just a moment, senior."Simon swallowed hard and said,"There's one more thing I'd like to buy......."The shop owner smiled broadly after hearing Simon's request."Oh, that one's going to be ridiculously expensive....... Shall I show you?"[Are you crazy! Hey, snap out of it! Are you going to blow all the money you earned from the mission on that?]Simon, despite sweating profusely down his back, nodded with a smiling face."Yes, please."***"Please visit us again~ !"The shop owner bowed, and Simon left the Necromancer shop with a light smile. He even received three bows used by Skeleton Archers as a service.[Tsk tsk. Are you that happy?]Pier grumbled.[You ended up splurging on that expensive thing after all.]"Hahaha....... I'm sorry for spending money without consulting you, Pier. But."His heart pounded. He had put the items he bought today into his subspace, but he felt an urge to open it again and touch them."I thought these were absolutely necessary for this duel evaluation."[Hmm, if that's the Legion Commander's judgment, then I have nothing more to say. Since you've bought them, use them without regret!]"Yes!"He had to return to Kizen before it got too late. He pulled his hood down and quickened his pace.Perhaps he had lingered too long at the Necromancer shop, for the night had deepened, and the streets were deserted.Just as Simon was moving quickly.'Ah......!'Simon's face suddenly turned pale when he saw someone walking from the opposite direction. He immediately turned his back and entered an alley between buildings.[Hmm? What is it! What's wrong!]"It's a familiar face."Simon cautiously peeked out.Though cloaked, the face and white attire visible underneath belonged to someone every Kizen student would recognize."Professor Bahil? Why in Rochester......."[Is there a problem? He probably came for a drink after work.]"Hmm."Indeed, Simon didn't need to concern himself with a professor's private life after work.Simon watched Professor Bahil disappear down the opposite street, then emerged from the alley and ran towards Kizen.***"Haaah, I'm here."Fortunately, he arrived back at the dormitory without incident. There was a dangerous moment when he almost got caught by the Watchmen patrolling around Kizen, but he managed to escape unharmed.Opening the door to his comfortable sanctuary, Room 409, he saw the usual scene.Dick was sprawled on his bed, reading a magazine, and Kazhan was snoring, as always, with the blanket pulled up to his head."Oh, you're back! Simon."Dick sat up and said,"Today was a Watchman patrol day, anything happen?"Simon shrugged."Almost ran into them, but I escaped safely.""Hehe! You've got guts, seriously. You have a diligent image in class, but you're always breaking rules, escaping to Rochester. Aren't you going out more often than me these days?"Simon brushed it off with a laugh, took off his uniform, and hung it in the closet. He changed into a light short-sleeved shirt and prepared to leave the room."Where are you going again?""To make a skeleton.""Suddenly, at this hour......? What are you making?""A Skeleton Archer."At that, Dick sprang up from his bed like a spring."Wow! Wow! You're already trying to use a Skeleton Archer? For this duel evaluation?!""Yeah. I don't know if it'll work yet.""That's still tricky for us to assemble! What brand is it?""Vanilla."Dick's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Simon's shoulder."Ah, what are you doing? Hurry up and lead the way!""......Haha."The two left Room 409 and headed to the common room. The dormitory study room was crowded and required silence, so they came here instead."This place is perfect."It was a spacious area, and there was no one else besides two students chatting. Simon and Dick sat down."Quick! Quick, take it out."Simon opened his subspace and pulled out the box. 'Vanilla' was written in shining silver letters on the black box.Dick let out a 'Kya-ha' sound."Can I open it?""Go ahead."Dick opened the box, revealing pristine white bones on luxurious red cloth."The color is so beautiful."The students chatting nearby also grew curious and subtly approached."What's this?""Saphiros Skeleton Archer set. It's the Vanilla brand.""Wow......!""Is this Vanilla?"Everyone was examining the box as if it were a brand new product.Simon chuckled, watching the students. He liked that they had common interests, probably because it was a Necromancer school."But where's the assembly diagram?""Just a moment."Simon rummaged through the box and found a paper enclosed at the bottom. He spread it out and completed all preparations."Okay, let's start.""Go go!"Simon first infused Jet Black into the summoning magic circle drawn on the skull.The colorless magic circle turned black, and the runes interlocked and rotated, forming an ecosystem of a magic circle."Is it done?"Simon mumbled, picking up and putting down the skull.The magic circle was active, but the skull showed no movement. Examining the magic circle, he saw that some runes were not yet properly functioning."Look at this, Simon!"Dick, who was examining the assembly diagram, said."See the four corners of the magic circle here? It says you have to 'Circle' Jet Black and insert it there!""What's Circling?""It's probably a technique used in Jet Black Mechanics when creating magic circles. We haven't even learned this yet."As expected, it was a challenging skeleton for a freshman to make, presenting a hurdle right from the start. Simon pulled out his Jet Black Mechanics textbook from his subspace."Circling...... Circling......."He scanned the table of contents and found the 'Circling' entry about halfway down. Simon opened to that page."Oh, this is......?"He felt like he had heard this content somewhere before; it was similar to what Professor Bahil had explained about core operation.The circulation of Jet Black.Contemplation.Black Sun.It was almost identical to the core operation Simon was currently using. He thought that the tips Bahil had given him might have been based on this 'Circling' technique.'If it's this, I might be able to do it.'Simon slowly raised his right arm and closed his eyes.'Not transformation, but circulation. The image of circulation.'Shhhhaaaah-Jet Black slowly began to rise from Simon's palm.-Jet Black has a tendency to remember.Bahil's voice echoed in his ears from memory.-It's like a person's hands and feet. If you repeat the same movement hundreds or thousands of times, eventually, Jet Black will try to reproduce the learned flow without you even consciously thinking about it. Isn't it fascinating?Simon gritted his teeth.Just maintain the center, and contemplate. Let the Jet Black remember and get used to this flow on its own.Chwaaaaaah-The Jet Black stabilized. Sweat poured from Simon's body.'It's done.'Now, even if he briefly focused on something else and then returned, the Jet Black was rotating on its own.This was Circling.Simon compressed the vortex-like Jet Black into a small size, then inserted it directly into one of the four corners of the magic circle.Wooong!The corner lit up. Like a machine supplied with power, the runes that had been dormant around it came to life and began to move."Hey, what are you......."Dick wore a speechless expression."......You're just following this after glancing at a textbook? Are you really a genius or something?"
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