[Necromancy]
Peter, for multiple reasons, wished to discover just how he could put his new power into use. Other than seeing the floating system message, the young man had no idea how to activate the ability.
Still, upon looking closely at the message bar, Peter could notice a sigh at the very end of the message. Although being a pi sign used in mathematics, the young man assumed the sign had something to do with him being able to use his ability.
Concentrating on the pi sign, the young man thought of what he wished the system to do, but to his dismay, what he imagined didn't become reality. Nothing had changed. The system didn't tell him how he could use the power of Necromancy.
What was even worse was the fact that it didn't even give him a Quest that would enable him to use it. He was left drip dry. He didn't know how to activate the ability, nor would the system teach him how to do so.
'Fuck! I hate this freaking system! After all my hard work, you still wish to make me suffer?! As if not telling me the history behind this Necromancy or the system itself wasn't enough, you chose to lead me to an absolute dead end where I have the ability, but am unable to use it?!'
Peter released his fist, applying all his strength as his fist connected with the wall, releasing a loud bang as an intense pain shot through his sensory nerves. Peter had lost his cool again, this time injuring himself over his ignorance and trust in an implanted A.I. system.
[Host has inflicted severe pain on himself]
[The force of the punch has successfully unlocked a new feature]
[HP has successfully been unlocked]
[-10HP]
[HP: 90/100]
Peter's expression went blank upon reading the set of system notifications that clouded his vision. This was quite an interesting development, to say the least. Ever since that night when he had almost beaten himself to death, as well as experienced severe blood loss, Peter hadn't injured himself even once, until now.
The young man could feel certain lightheadedness and a sudden reduction in strength as blood oozed out of his bloody fist. However, before his very eyes, similar to what happened that day, the bloody fist began to heal at an inhuman rate, eventually sealing itself completely, leaving not even a scratch, and Peter, a fist looking good as new.
[Host has used his energy to heal his wound]
[New feature has been added as well]
[-15 Energy Points]
[Energy Points: 85/100]
Peter almost fell over upon reading the new set of system notifications. As if the first set wasn't enough bad news, the system just had to go ahead and grace his awareness with this new system feature.
'When that system update is just so annoying,' Peter thought to himself, getting off the floor as he pondered more about the additional features the system had out in place.
'To be honest, it makes sense for these two features to be put in place. Although I may not be a normal human, that shouldn't mean I'm immortal either. And if this system is anything to go by, I believe it's designed similar to a gaming interface, allowing me to grow stronger by completing Quests and so on.
'In that case, I need to be careful. Already losing 10HP and 15 Energy Points, I need to stop being careless and losing my emotions so easily. I remember seeing a couple of videos on Patha about meditation and controlling one's self. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two from following the videos of some of those Patha influencers.'
Patha is the number one video-sharing, entertainment, and education website in the Red Continent. Ever since the Great Awakening that took place over a century ago, Patha had become a fast-rising online platform on the internet, famously used by the citizens of the Red Continent.
Still, among other things, Peter would have to discover more information about this system's mechanics. He still didn't know how to use the power of Necromancy, or how he could get his HP or Energy Points back to a hundred.
After thinking about the matter for a while, Peter decided to head to the kitchen for a snack. Having exhausted himself overthinking the matter, the young man was willing to have a little more cheat today by opening one of the packs of chips he always had in case of emergency in the cupboard.
[+2 Energy Points granted]
Eating just three slices of chips, the system notification suddenly appeared. Reading gave Peter an idea of how he could quickly recover his Energy. Munching down on a handful of slices, the young man saw his Energy bar quickly rise back to its former glory.
[Energy Points: 100/100]
'It's safe knowing I can always refuel my energy bar when I need to. But still, other than healing my wounds, can't this be useful for something else? Like maybe helping use my Necromancer powers?' thinking about it, Peter instantly remembered the Quest the system had given him to complete not too long ago. Remembering it had entailed him paying his respects to the dead body, and now, with his Necromancer powers, a light bulb suddenly lit up in his head.
'That's it! Perhaps I need to be near a dead body for my powers to work! Damn, why am I so slow today?!' and with that, Peter waited for dusk to approach before executing his plan. Impatient, the young man wished to test out his new powers as soon as possible. It wasn't every day a normal human being could summon the dead, right?
Exiting his home, Peter was dressed in similar dark clothing with a hood like he would have any other day to mask his appearance to the general public. Still, it wasn't like many people in his area even knew him, so the precautionary measures weren't even needed in the first place. But despite that, Peter would have to deal with a different issue this time around.
It was 8:00 pm, and people could still be seen roaming the streets. Wishing not to be scouted by anyone, Peter moved swiftly through the crowd, maneuvering congested areas until he finally made it to the entrance to the cemetery.
'Shit! Maybe I should have been patient and come here tomorrow morning,' Peter thought, realizing he wouldn't be alone in the cemetery this time around. Walking inside, he noticed a few families were present, some holding a bouquet, tears flowing from their eyes as they struggled to console themselves. They were the families of the deceased, and they had come to visit their loved ones who had passed away.
Peter, realizing this, chose to lay low for a while. Noticing a portion of the cemetery was void of living people, Peter decided to move toward that section. Still, with there being people present in the cemetery, Peter thought it wouldn't be a great idea if he used his powers at this point.
'I'm still not sure if they're gonna work in the first place!' There was only one way to find that out. Placing his hand against a tombstone, Peter expected something to happen, but still, it seemed like the system was unresponsive.
Just as he was about to let go, something suddenly happened.
[Necromancer Ability Activated]
[-20 Energy Points]
From the position where the corpse was buried, the dirt could be seen moving slightly, as though something was moving from underneath. On a closer inspection, Peter could hear low grunts while placing his ear closer to the dirt.
'Oh no! Oh no! Although I said I wanted to find out whether the power works, I didn't intend to use it right now!' In a panic, Peter did the only thing he thought to be sensible in his current situation. Placing his hand back on the tombstone, he concentrated hard, hoping a reversal of what he had done would take place.
[Necromancer Ability Deactivated]
[Energy Points: 80/100]
Reading the system notification, and noticing the dirt had stopped moving, Peter let out a low sigh as he wiped off the sweat from his forehead. That was a close call, for more reasons than one. As much as Peter didn't like the people in his town, that didn't mean he wished to give them a reason to ostracize him. He still needed acceptance by his townsfolk if he desired peace in his home with his I'll mother.
'This is quite remarkable. I have a system that grants me the power of Necromancy; A Necromancer System. This could just be the beginning of what this system is truly capable of. That's it, I've made my decision.
'Every day, from 3:00 am to 6:00 am, I will come here and practice using my Necromancer powers. However, I won't start with these dead bodies just yet.
'I'll start with any dead animal I see around the graves, and if I can't find any, I'll kill some and use them as test subjects for learning how to properly use this power.
'In that case, it's settled. From tomorrow henceforth, I shall begin cultivating my Necromancy powers, but before that, there's still something I need to do.
'I need a motive; a purpose for getting stronger. Without one, I will be unfocused and might slack in the long run. I need a reason that would drive me to achieve what my ancestors deemed impossible.'