In a corner of Morningstar Academy lay a hidden graveyard.
Built in the southwest corner of the academy, a low wall of gray stone enclosed a modest plot of land. Its iron gate stood perpetually open—after all, there was nothing inside worth locking up. Those buried here were people who had graduated from the academy but lacked prominent backgrounds, choosing the academy as their final resting place after death.
The graveyard's location was remote, connected to the academy by only a single gravel path. Aside from Old Barto, almost no one ever came here.
So when Erich appeared at the end of the path carrying a black box, Old Barto was sitting outside the gravekeeper's cabin soaking up the sun. Squinting at the blurry silhouette, he called out a greeting:
“Yo, here for the night watch again today?”
Erich nodded, set the box down by his feet, and sat on the stone steps next to Old Barto.
He had been running here every night recently, skipping daytime classes whenever he could. First-year magic courses only made up a small portion of the curriculum; the rest, like politics, literature, and magical beast ecology, simply failed to interest him. He would either flip through magic books in the library or come here. He had practically memorized every tombstone in the graveyard.
On the easternmost end was Olivia White, a graduate from a hundred and twenty years ago, a fourth-tier Weaver specializing in elemental magic who died in a mana tide. To the west was Bruno “The Hammer,” a dwarf blacksmith who had forged weapons for the academy for forty years. In the row ahead of that was a brother and sister; one died at thirty-two, the other at thirty-four, their epitaph reading: “They never left each other.”
But Erich had absolutely no clue about the feeling Irene had described—of “sensing that they were still here.”
Old Barto yawned, stood up from his chair, and patted the dust off his trousers:
“I'll be slipping away first, then?”
Erich gave a word of agreement.
Someone had to watch the graveyard at night. Before, Old Barto had to handle it alone, but now that Erich was around, the old man could occasionally slip home to see his kids. Erich didn't mind; being alone was actually more comfortable.
It was a win-win.
Old Barto's figure disappeared down the end of the path, his footsteps gradually drowned out by the chirping of insects. Erich stood up and entered the gravekeeper's cabin.
The cabin wasn't large—a wooden plank bed, a table, an oil lamp, and some tools and miscellaneous items piled against the wall. The window faced the graveyard, its glass coated with a layer of dust.
Darkness fell quickly. Erich lit the oil lamp and sat at the table. Outside the window, the tombstones blurred into dark gray silhouettes in the twilight. He placed the black box on the table and rubbed his hands together.
For no apparent reason, he felt a sudden chill on the back of his neck, as if something were staring at him just out of sight.
Erich rubbed his hands again, and then stroked Isa's urn on the table.
Actually, it wasn't really an urn, since what was inside wasn't ashes. It could only be considered the predecessor to ashes.
But he immediately regretted stroking it, as his surroundings seemed to grow even creepier. The flame of the oil lamp flickered. Erich swallowed hard, his hand reaching for the wand at his waist.
Suddenly, a face pressed against the window, its pale features squished against the glass, distorted and bizarre.
Erich practically launched himself backward, landing hard on the bed. The wooden planks groaned under the sudden weight, sounding exceptionally sharp in the silence.
A sudden, unrestrained burst of laughter erupted from outside the window.
Isabella pushed the door open and walked in, doubling over with laughter. Her red hair resembled a dark fire in the dim light. She pointed at Erich, laughing too hard to speak.
Erich's face flushed. He cleared his throat twice and sat up straight. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to keep my dear deskmate company, of course.”
Isabella finally managed to stop laughing and sat down next to Erich. A crisp, cool fragrance drifted from her, carrying a hint of astringency that went surprisingly well with the graveyard's atmosphere.
Erich glanced at her, said nothing more, and opened the book he had brought, 《An In-Depth Explanation of Basic Elemental Magic》, to flip through it.
Isabella leaned in close, her shoulder brushing against his. Her warm breath fanned across Erich's face, and her red hair fell forward, brushing against his arm.
Erich turned a page.
Isabella was looking too, though it was hard to tell whether she was reading the book or looking at something else.
The flame of the oil lamp burned quietly.
The night deepened.
At some point, Isabella's head rested against Erich's shoulder. Her eyelids drooped as her gaze wandered aimlessly around the room before stopping on the black box on the table.
“What's that?”
Her voice was slurred, heavy with sleepiness.
“Do you really want to know?”
Isabella nodded, her hair rubbing against Erich's face and tickling him so much that he tilted his head away.
Erich looked at the box and said, “That is a dear friend of mine.”
Isabella didn't reply. After a moment of silence, her body slowly slid downward until she was lying across Erich's lap, her red hair spilling out like petals.
“A dear friend... Hehe.”
Whether she was talking to herself or mumbling in her sleep, she fell completely still after that.
Erich simply continued reading his book.
...
It wasn't until sunlight hit Erich's face that he realized he had slept leaning against the wall the entire night. His neck was stiff and sore, and with Isabella's head resting on his lap all night, his legs had gone completely numb.
He carefully moved her head onto the pillow, stood up by supporting himself against the table, and stretched his stiff body. Then, out of habit, he summoned his status panel.
【Name: Erich】
【Level: 30】
【Experience: 3100/3800】
【Attributes: Strength: 72; Constitution: 30; Spirit: 43; Willpower: 24; Charisma: 12】
【Free Attribute Points: 0】
【Class: Gravekeeper】
【Skill List: 【Vertical Slash Lv.10】【Fireball Lv.5】【Shell Lv.4】【Water Bullet Lv.2】【Dust Cloud Lv.2】【Electric Shock Lv.3】【Ice Condensation Lv.4】【Grave Soil Identification Lv.1】【Touch of Rest Lv.1】【End Perception Lv.1】】
Erich stared at the Class column for a long time.
Finally. He had finally become a 【Gravekeeper】!
He wasn't sure if the scare from last night had triggered it, or if his daily attendance at the graveyard over the past few days had finally earned him some form of invisible recognition. Either way, the Lord of Death seemed to have deemed him worthy.
He clicked on the new skills one by one to inspect them.
【Grave Soil Identification: You can determine whether a plot of land is suitable for burial.】
【Touch of Rest: Touch a dying person to bring them peace in their final minutes.】
【End Perception: Perceive the presence of all dying creatures within a twenty-meter radius.】
Erich fell silent.
How should he put it?
Practical. In a way, these three skills were indeed highly practical. If he ever wanted to retire in the future, he could seamlessly transition into the funeral industry and completely crush the competition.
However, this was only the first tier, so it was normal for them to be somewhat lackluster. Besides, magic was the mainstream path to becoming stronger. At this stage, the Classes provided by the various gods were merely extra bonuses; their true potential would only shine in the later stages. Erich was still counting on using the mighty power of Death to resurrect Isa in the box.
Having taken the first step from zero to one, Erich was in a good mood. Thus, he decided to sleep a bit longer. Shoving Isabella slightly inward, he squeezed onto the small bed with her.
Consequently, both of them skipped their first class.
Rate on N.U.
