NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27: CLASH BETWEEN BONES
The moment Selene's mana surged through him, Eran felt it an intoxicating rush.
The system purred in his mind
[HIGH RESENANCE MANA DETECT]
MANA STAT:6000/10000 {Counting...}
FULLY ERUPTED/STAKE HIGH
{...00000022%}
He inhaled slowly, steadying himself as the numbers etched into his vision burned bright. So this is her surge… he thought. With the banner and her mana bound together, it stabilizes me perfectly. Enough to stand against whatever Evelis throws.
But deep inside, beneath all masks, Eran knew what no one else could sense. His true core the raw mana locked by the system rested untouched, hidden from every noble eye. He was playing a different game entirely.
Then, it shifted again. Selene's surge flared hotter, sinking deeper into his veins.
The system purred in his mind again like a beast stirred awake:
SYSTEM NOTICE!
{.....COMPLETED}
Mana Current State: 6000 / 10000
MANA SURGE DETECTED: 8000 / 10000
And then...
Light burst from the circle beneath his feet. A radiant white-gold, blinding in its purity, unlike anything seen from his peers. The banner crested on his wrist pulsed in response, flaring so brightly that even the nobles of Grade C stared.
Gasps broke through the chamber.
"What impossible!"
"If it was borrowed mana… it shouldn't resonate like that!"
"No student's crest has ever flared that high"
The whispers spread like fire. Even the arrogant nobles couldn't mask the unease pressing at their voices.
Eran stood calm within the storm of light, his expression neutral, but beneath his stillness… a smile flickered in his thoughts. So this what it feels like, unlike my peers who has [4000 mana stats and miyu /6000.]
Miyu's eyes never left him. Her arms pressed beneath her chest, head tilted high as if she refused to show interest, but her flushed cheeks betrayed her. Her gaze clung to him with a heat she couldn't explain, a mix of defiance and something deeper.
And Evelis?
He didn't laugh. He didn't mock. His smirk had melted into something sharper watchful. His eyes narrowed as though dissecting every flicker of light around Eran, searching for a truth hidden just out of reach.
With a snap, Evelis closed his book. The surging light cut instantly, leaving silence in its wake.
"You've passed the verdict," Evelis said at last, voice low but clear. "Stand with your peers."
The air was thick with disbelief. Students shifted, whispering furiously, their pride shaken, their curiosity burning.
Eran stepped calmly from the circle, his gaze flicking toward Selene for only an instant. The violet traces of her gift still lingered on him. And when his eyes slid back to Evelis… he caught the faint curl of that his lips. Not mockery this time. Something far more dangerous.
Evelis's tone was steady, but his words carried the weight of command.
"Three at a time. That way, I see not only your strength… but how your pride stands when crushed against another's."
His eyes shifted like blades tracing their mark, first on the boy to Eran's left, then on Miyu. She stiffened, her gaze darkening, but she said nothing. She couldn't. Not here, not under the suffocating weight of Grade C nobles who towered above her own pride.
Finally, Evelis's eyes landed on Eran. The stare lingered, probing, as though trying to unmask something no one else could see. Eran kept his face calm, his breath even. But inside, the system hummed in his chest, its silence promising more than Evelis could imagine.
"Step forward," Evelis commanded.
The three moved as one. The other students shifted back quickly, giving way. A ripple of mana cut through the air as Evelis snapped his fingers, and a barrier unfolded, a massive blue panel sealing around them like a dome of living glass.
Eran's chest tightened as he crossed the threshold. The barrier wasn't just a wall—it was another world. His body tingled, as though every nerve had been plucked and attuned to the pulse of the field. Mana pressed against his skin, heavy and sharp, almost daring him to stumble.
From outside, the other students whispered in awe. Their faces pressed forward, eyes wide, caught between envy and disbelief.
"Did you see the crest?!"
"It's glowing brighter than before "
"Even Miyu looks unsettled…"
Evelis's voice cut across the murmurs like a knife.
"Your raw essence reacts to the banner bound to your wrist. That balance is your lifeline. Without it, the resonance of this field will crush you flat. But with it… you can surge your power, shape it, and unleash what lies in your core."
His words vibrated inside the barrier itself, the mana responding to his command.
Eran flexed his wrist subtly, feeling the golden crest flare against his skin. He glanced once at Miyu, who stood rigid, arms folded, jaw tight. She refused to meet his eyes.. but her silence, her stubborn defiance, only made the faint flush creeping across her cheeks more visible.
The third boy rolled his shoulders, already eager, his grin cocky as his aura crackled faintly in preparation.
From beyond the barrier, the whispers only grew louder.
"Three of them, Together?"
"Why those three?"
"What's Evelis planning…?"
The air cracked.
One instant they were only standing across from one another, the next—space itself seemed to stretch, widening the gulf between them until it felt like three separate stages had been carved out within the barrier.
Miyu didn't flinch. Her chin stayed high, her eyes narrowed like sharpened glass. Fury radiated off her, not fear, an iron vow wrapped in pride.
The other boy shifted uneasily, stance tense, but his grin remained, if thinner now. Eran only let his gaze slide across the barrier walls, curious more than alarmed.
Then...
The wind.
Evelis's robes rippled though there was no storm, no air from outside. His figure burned brighter, his eyes molten with a crimson-gold flare that made the barrier itself seem to hum in recognition.
Slowly, deliberately, his hands rose.
A silence fell over the watching nobles. The hum became a thrum. The ground shivered.
And then—Bones.
One jagged spine after another pushed out from beneath the glowing stone floor. Fingers clawed up, then arms, then entire torsos snapping into place with grotesque jerks. Six skeletons emerged, their hollow maws clattering, their ribcages shuddering with ghostly echoes.
Snarls low, hollow, unnatural...ripped through the barrier.
The outside crowd erupted, gasps and whispers colliding.
"Skeletons ?!"
"Necromancy…?"
"Is he serious ? That's not training.. that's battle!"
Eran's system purred inside his mind like a whispering beast, its words clear, sharp, intimate.
NOTICE!!
[DETECTED HIGH-TIER NECROMANCY]
[ Caster: Evelis Duskmire ]
Summon Count: 6 ]
[ Danger Level: Low - Grade C Combat ]
[ Recommended Action: Neutralize summoned skeletons first to break caster's control ]
Eran's eyes lingered faintly on the system for a moment too long.
But Miyu...
Her eyes widened for the first time. Her breath hitched, though she masked it with a firm jaw a second later. She had trained, yes. She had fought duels, sparred nobles, bested rivals with her mana. But this… this wasn't a duel. This was death given shape.
The other boy's grin faltered altogether now, his stance lowering into something almost defensive.
Evelis's voice cut sharp through the growing dread, his back already turning, robes sweeping the stone like he owned even the dead at his heels.
"This..." he said, tone low but carrying through every ear in the chamber, "—will test not just your strength, but the power you carry in silence. Fight them. Survive them. Show me if you are worthy to walk these halls."
And without waiting for a response, Evelis simply stepped out...
The six skeletons parted instantly, making way for him like loyal beasts. He passed through them, their hollow skulls turning as one to lock on the three left behind.
The barrier shuddered shut behind him.
Now it was only Eran, Miyu, and the boy sealed in with the gnashing dead.
Miyu's eyes burned. The boy hissed between his teeth.
And Eran tilted his head slightly, watching the skeletons advance, their growls vibrating through the bone in his chest. He exhaled once, calm.
So this is Grade C's "training," is it?