Acrylis is a big-shot wizard. The whole Mage system's got nine levels, with level one being the bottom rung and level nine the top. But above that, you got the Grand Wizard and the Archwizard. You can't just train your way to those; it's more about making a name for yourself. A Grand Wizard isn't just about power; it's a badge of honor. Only those who've done some serious stuff for the magical community or held some high-up position get to be called Grand Wizard. And the Archwizard? That's like legendary status.
Acrylis runs the show at Belkin Royal Magic Academy and also heads up the Royal Magic Division. So, the royal fam gave him the Grand Wizard title.
He's a fire Mage, and his Fire Magic is off the charts. Dude can pull off the Meteor Shower spell, raining down massive fireballs over a whole square mile.
Being a Grand Wizard, Acrylis messes around with other types of magic too. Today, he got a wild hair and decided to try some dark summoning magic. When he finished the spell, a half-bodied Skeleton popped up in front of him.
Acrylis stared at Gelis for a hot minute before losing it, "Kobada! A half-bodied Skeleton!" In magic lingo, Kobada's like a mix of "insult" and "kill." Used solo, it's a hardcore curse, showing Acrylis was seriously pissed.
Everyone knows a half-bodied Skeleton is the weakest thing in the Undead World, like an ant to humans. "Me, a Grand Wizard, and I summon a half-bodied Skeleton?!" Acrylis raged.
He was in a foul mood, eyeing Gelis up and down before pointing to a corner and saying, "Get over there."
Gelis, being the obedient skeleton he was, crawled over, his bones making this annoying creaking sound on the floor.
Acrylis frowned, watching him. When Gelis got to the corner, Acrylis snapped, "Come back!"
Gelis was confused. He'd just been told to go there, and now he had to come back. But he still turned around and crawled back. He was a super obedient Skeleton, with a summoning mark in his soul, making him know he had to obey the guy who summoned him.
Seeing how obedient Gelis was, Acrylis felt a bit better. He pointed to a cup on the long table to the left and said, "Get me a cup of water."
Gelis propped himself up, crawled to the table, used one hand to steady himself, and the other to grab the water bottle and fill the cup. Then, with his bony fingers holding the cup, he struggled to crawl back to Acrylis.
Acrylis took the cup, sipped a few times, and then stared at Gelis, muttering, "Not bad, pretty obedient. Too bad it's just a half-bodied Skeleton; it's a pain to move around. Go over there!" He waved Gelis off to the corner again.
Gelis crawled back to the corner. Suddenly, Acrylis's aura got way more intense.
Gelis glanced back, curious, and saw Acrylis's red magic robe flapping like there was a windstorm. He raised his hands above his head, making some weird gesture while chanting an incantation.
Weak Dark Magic spread from Acrylis and gathered in front of him. Moments later, a pitch-black hole opened up, and a full-bodied Skeleton stepped out.
Acrylis looked at the new Skeleton with satisfaction. It had all its limbs and complete bones. Should be better than the last one, he thought, glancing at Gelis.
"Go there!" Acrylis ordered the new Skeleton, pointing to a corner. The new Skeleton obediently went to the spot Acrylis pointed to and then got called back.
Acrylis looked at the new full-bodied Skeleton with satisfaction. After some thought, he poured out the water in the cup, put it back in its place, and said to the new Skeleton, "Get me a cup of water."
The new Skeleton walked to the table, picked up the water bottle with one hand and the cup with the other.
Skeletons don't have skin or a sense of touch, so they often don't know their own strength. The new Skeleton used too much force picking up the cup, causing it to crack. But the Skeleton didn't notice and still poured water into the cracked cup, with water seeping out through the cracks.
Acrylis's face twisted, and he cursed, "Idiot, stop!"
The Skeleton obediently stopped.
Acrylis grunted, "Kobada, come back."
The Skeleton turned around and walked towards Acrylis, still holding the broken cup and water bottle. Acrylis was fuming and said in a muffled voice, "Put the things down!"
The Skeleton let go, and the water bottle and cup fell to the ground. The cup shattered into pieces, the water bottle broke into fragments, and the water inside splashed everywhere, soaking Acrylis's robe.
Acrylis's face darkened. He took a deep breath, barely holding back his rage, and pointed to the corner where Gelis was, shouting at the Skeleton, "Go over there."
From Acrylis's spot to Gelis's corner, there was a long table in the way. Gelis had gone around it earlier, but this Skeleton walked straight ahead and bumped into the table.
Acrylis slapped his forehead and spat out each word, "Idiot."
Acrylis just couldn't wrap his head around why this new Skeleton was so dumb, unable to handle the simplest tasks. And why could the first half-bodied Skeleton do it? The first one was clearly a half-bodied Skeleton, and if a half-bodied Skeleton could be so smart, why was this full-bodied Skeleton so dumb!?
Muttering the incantation again, Acrylis decided to summon another full-bodied Skeleton. He couldn't believe that a full-bodied Skeleton couldn't do what a half-bodied Skeleton could.
Unfortunately, he summoned three more full-bodied Skeletons in a row, and each one made Acrylis even angrier. They either poured water directly on the ground or crushed the cup with too much force, turning the whole lab into a disaster zone.
Looking at the chaotic lab, Acrylis's face turned grim. After a long while, he finally turned his gaze back to Gelis.
"Come here!" Acrylis barked.
Gelis crawled around the long table to Acrylis's side.
"Get me a cup of water." Unlike those full-bodied Skeletons that knocked over the table, Acrylis was much happier and asked Gelis to get water again.
Gelis obediently poured a cup of water, holding the cup in one hand and crawling to Acrylis with the other.
Having been so angry just now, Acrylis didn't realize he was a bit thirsty and drank the water in one gulp. Then he stared blankly at Gelis for a long while, sighing regretfully, "If only you were a full-bodied Skeleton!"
As a long-lived skeleton who had lived for twenty generations of lords, Gelis could have evolved into a full-bodied Skeleton or even a Skeleton Lord long ago. However, in the Undead World, even the strongest Skeletons are prey to other Undead Creatures, making it easier for the weakest half-bodied Skeletons to protect themselves.
Gelis was a very honest Skeleton. He knew that the human in front of him was the one who summoned him, and he should obey this person's orders. Although this sentence was not an order, it expressed a desire. Hearing this, Gelis had to raise his head, glance at the four full-bodied Skeletons Acrylis had summoned, and then crawl towards one that was closest in size to him.
Acrylis watched Gelis in confusion as he crawled to a Skeleton, grabbed its legs, and pulled it down. Then, holding the opponent's spine, he twisted and removed the lower half of the full-bodied Skeleton. After adjusting the detached lower half, Gelis attached it to his own body, transforming from a half-bodied Skeleton into a full-bodied Skeleton.
Trembling, Gelis stood up and walked back to Acrylis. Walking on two legs for the first time, Gelis wobbled a bit but managed to reach his destination.
Acrylis was dumbfounded by all this. It wasn't until Gelis stood in front of him that he snapped out of it, staring at Gelis in shock for a long while before saying, "Is this even possible?!"
"From today on, your name is Gelis." Gelis had never had a name before because, well, he was a Skeleton, and nobody bothered naming Skeletons. But today, he got a name, and it was gonna stick with him through his legendary journey.
After naming him, Acrylis pointed to the mess caused by the full-bodied Skeletons and said, "Clean this place up. The broom's in the corner." He gestured to where the cleaning tools were stashed.
Gelis wobbled as he turned and walked to the corner. Walking upright for the first time, he was pretty shaky, stumbling a bit before covering the sixty-plus feet. But he was a quick learner. As a long-lived skeleton who had seen twenty generations of Skeleton Lords, walking was no biggie for Gelis. By the time he reached the corner, his steps were already steadier.
Just then, a wave of magical energy flared up behind Gelis. He looked back to see a pitch-black hole appear in the center of the hall. Three intact full-bodied Skeletons walked in one after another, but the one that had lost its lower half struggled to crawl to the hole.
Acrylis, looking annoyed, grabbed the half-bodied Skeleton by the neck and tossed it in, muttering, "Which book says full-bodied Skeletons are better than half-bodied Skeletons? That author must be clueless."
Gelis grabbed the broom and started sweeping the trash into a pile. Then he fetched a trash bin, dumped all the trash in it, carried it to the corner, and grabbed a mop to clean the wet floor.
Seeing the clean floor, Acrylis nodded in satisfaction. Gelis's cleaning skills were on point, like a pro janitor. Originally, Acrylis just wanted to summon a few Skeletons for fun, but seeing this, he changed his mind: "From now on, you're in charge of cleaning the entire lab. And remember, without my permission, you can't leave this lab. Got it?"
Gelis stared blankly at Acrylis, motionless. Can't go back anymore? Gelis thought to himself.
Acrylis slapped his forehead, realizing, "How could I forget that Skeletons can't talk? So, from now on, if you understand, nod your head. If not or if you didn't hear, shake your head. Got it?"
Gelis nodded.
"Smart." Acrylis looked at Gelis with satisfaction, like he was looking at a pet. "Now tidy up the lab," Acrylis ordered.
Acrylis seemed to treat Gelis like a free servant, constantly directing him to work, from organizing the experimental supplies on the four long tables to the six large bookshelves next to the lab. By the time all the work was done, it was already getting dark.