Reborn Soul Master: The Rogue's Counterattack

"You look angry?" Cardin thought as he looked at the tip of Mathias' sword pointing at him.

It was clearly a practice for experience, so why did I feel my life was threatened? Even though it was a blunt sword without a sharp edge, I would still get hurt if I was stabbed.

"Shall we begin?" Matthias didn't seem to care about Cardin's concerns. He smiled brightly and gently shook the tip of the sword.

"Well, I'm ready." Anyway, Cardin had no intention of refusing. Where else could he find an opportunity to practice with the disciples of the Mercenary King?

With gratitude, he decided to do his best.Matthias was a powerful person known as the strongest second-year student, and he was also one of the disciples of the famous Mercenary King.

In short, this training was a valuable experience. Moreover, the other party was willing to provide such valuable experience regularly, so Cardin had no reason to refuse.

Cardan was ready, he gripped his dagger tightly and took a defensive stance.

-No, brother! How many times have I told you to take a defensive stance first? The dagger is not a weapon, but a shield. The moment I grasped the dagger, the memory of my past life flashed like lightning.

-Brother, you know I'm a famous knifeman in the gang world, right? I'm a double knifeman!

- So proud. Invincible.

-Brother, I have beaten people and been to jail, but I have never stabbed anyone with a knife. Do you understand what this means?

-What's the meaning?

-I just use this knife as a defensive tool. Kadan, no, it should be Huang Peng, the reason he picked up the dagger was to survive from an opponent with a weapon.

-Brother. You can beat your opponents, but please don't stab them. This knife is a guy who will eat away people's reason. Always hold on to the spirit.

Would the swordsmanship he had learned as a defensive method work in this world? He had neither confidence nor self-confidence. This was the first time he had picked up a weapon and fought in this world.

Moreover, the opponent was a master who was proficient in swordsmanship. Sword and dagger. The disciple of the mercenary king and the necromancer. In this absurd gap, Cardan's failure was obvious.

"But I still have to give it a try." He had no intention of running away. In this world where you either kill or die, in order to become stronger, you need countless experiences.

He didn't want to be intimidated and run away before he even started. "Oh?" Mathias raised his eyebrows in surprise as Cardin got into position.

"This guy is calmer than I thought?" Cardin showed no fear. He was just concentrating on this moment. Cardin's eyes scanned the tip of Mathias's sword, his shoulders, and his knees, keeping a tense state ready to react at any time.

"No matter what, I'm going to try this. I'm a freshman who just enrolled." Such a freshman can remain calm when facing the strongest sophomore.

Although he didn't show it, Matthias was indeed surprised to see Cardin like this.

"Although the posture is a bit strange, it's a bit creepy." This is not the arrogance or courage of a freshman. Cardin is preparing for this exercise seriously.

"I will adjust to the same level as you. You have to be prepared. There is a chance that you can win."

"Yes, I understand."

"Well, shall we begin?" As soon as Cardin finished his reply, Matthias thrust his sword forward. Just a simple thrust.

Although it was a basic attack move, Cardin, who was standing in front, swung his dagger quickly as if in a panic.

Clang! Was it because he didn't use enough force? The sword that collided with the dagger fell to the ground helplessly. Whoosh——Matthias easily retrieved the falling sword and got back into position.

"You're better than I thought." Mathias was surprised at Cardin's reaction speed. Although his posture was clumsy, he didn't expect much, but he didn't expect him to be able to block the sudden attack.

"Although it was a simple attack without any force, the Necromancer's reaction speed shouldn't be so fast." Although it was an attack without any force, the instantaneous attack speed was very fast.

Even a Necromancer, even one who excels in melee combat, would be confused by the speed.

"Interesting. Shall we continue then?" Mathias asked with a pleasant smile while Cardin nodded expressionlessly.

"Yes." Cardin thought. It seems that it is impossible to fall asleep easily tonight. After a while.

"You are also talented in close combat." Mathias, sitting on the bench, stroked his sword.

"To be honest, I'm surprised. With your level, no matter which knight academy you enter, you can reach the upper-middle level." These were his true feelings.

"If you had received systematic training, you might have been at the forefront of the Knight Academy." After observing Cardin, he found that he did not seem to have received systematic training in close combat.

However, Cardin surprised Mathias with his split-second, efficient choices and instinctive moves.

"How come you have such great physical strength?" Even among the second-year students, there were not many students with such excellent physical strength as Cardin.

"Aren't you a necromancer?"

"I am a necromancer." Cardan's voice came from the floor of the training ground. Cardan, who never looked tired even during physical training, was now lying on the floor of the training ground covered in sweat.

"Monsters are indeed monsters." Cardin sat on a bench nearby, looking at the excited Mathias and thought.

"If this wasn't a practice, I probably wouldn't last even a minute before I died." Throughout the practice, he never took the initiative to attack. Dodging and defending had exhausted him.

He played defense until he ran out of energy, sat on the floor, and practice was over.

"As expected of the next Guardian." For the first time, he felt an obstacle. A seemingly insurmountable wall. Mathias, who was only one year older than him, had such strength, so how much better would the people above him be?

"There is still a long way to go." Facing the unknown future, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Cardan. Did you also enter the academy to become a guardian?"

"Um, yes," Cardin replied with a chuckle at the casual question.

"Why do you want to be a guardian?"

"To repay a favor." Although he couldn't tell the whole truth, it wasn't a lie. To be precise, he wanted to become a guardian in order to repay the kindness of his father, Charlotte Ingmar. After becoming a guardian, the chance of revenge would be closer.

"There's still a long way to go."

"Repay a favor? Repay a favor for what?"

"It's a secret."

“It’s really mysterious.”

"Senior, why do you want to become a guardian?"

"That's a secret too." Cardin chuckled and shook his head. Matthias looked at Cardin and continued.

"I can't teach you specific skills. Even if I teach you, you may not be able to learn it." The sudden words made Cardin's eyes widen, looking forward to the next words.

"But I can accumulate experience through practice and force you to correct your posture. Didn't I say that? Although it's hard every day, I'm still willing to meet you like this and be your practice opponent. Because I hate acting without a goal." Mathias stood up and walked straight towards Cardin.

"So next time you practice with me, be sure to concentrate." Mathias, who was standing in front of Cardin, extended his hand, and Cardin grabbed his hand and stood up.

"I see. If you are willing to help me, I will be honored." Cardin thought. By the time he graduates from the academy, he may no longer consider close combat to be his weakness.

"Today we are going to have a class about the undead that a four-star necromancer can control." Isaac, standing on the podium, looked at Cardan and continued.

"Starting from the fourth star, you can control intermediate undead, such as living armor and ghosts." Click. Isaac took out a rusty full body armor from the space and placed it on the ground.

"First of all, living armor is a kind of undead that can only be awakened by the grudges of the dead attached to the armor." Whoosh. Green magic flowed out from Isaac's hands, enveloping the armor on the ground.

Snap! Snap! Then, the armor assembled itself, as if there was someone inside, and stood up on its own. A green fluorescent light shone from the helmet, making a strange and incomprehensible sound, staring at Isaac.

"The strength of living armor increases as the resentment of the dead in the armor increases. Do you know these basics?"

“Yes.” How could he not know? He had accumulated knowledge for ten years and watched with his own eyes the various undead collected by Charlotte grow up.

Therefore, even if Isaac's armor is seen alive, there is no surprise or curiosity.

"Please describe the characteristics of the living armor."

"Even if the armor is broken, as long as the necromancer has enough magic power, it can be repaired infinitely." Living Armor is a kind of undead that is difficult to deal with when encountering enemies.

"Besides, it cannot be defeated with physical attacks alone. Only by destroying the souls within the armor can it be completely defeated."

"That's right. Among Necromancers, there is even a saying that a living armor with a deep grudge is more powerful than a hundred skeleton soldiers." The living armor is the most effective and powerful undead that a four-star Necromancer can control.

"Of course, this doesn't mean it's invincible. As long as you can manipulate magic, you can definitely defeat it." It's not without weaknesses. Using magic, arcane, and divine power can relatively easily deal with this kind of undead.

“More durable and stronger than skeleton soldiers. And unlike stone golems, living armor relies on the power of the dead to move, so its intelligence level is also higher.” As an undead that excels in all aspects, the living armor is also the first undead that the four-star necromancer tries to control.

"So, what kind of undead is the next one, the ghost?" Cardin answered without hesitation in the face of the next question.

"It is a kind of incorporeal spirit. It has the ability to absorb the enemy's vitality."

"Correct." Pop! Isaac smiled happily and snapped his fingers. Then, a humanoid translucent ghost in a black robe appeared in the air.

"An Undead used primarily for reconnaissance. Unfortunately, it is sensitive to sunlight, so is not often used in combat." Unlike Living Armor, the Ghost is completely resistant to physical attacks.

It is an undead that can only be defeated with magical attacks. Although it has the ability to absorb life force, it is not particularly threatening and is not often used in combat.

"Also, since it doesn't like sunlight, it can only be manipulated at night, which is a big disadvantage. Despite this, why is the ghost classified as a mid-level undead?"

"Because they can communicate with the Necromancer." Unlike low-level undead such as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and stone golems, they have self-awareness starting from the intermediate undead.

Thanks to this, more detailed orders can be given and even various communications can be carried out. "However, even with such a ghost, there are tactics that can be exploited. First of all..."

Isaac happily taught the use of ghosts and living armor and effective strategies.

"It seems that Professor Isaac doesn't know either." No matter how long he waited, Isaac did not give the explanation of the undead that Cardan expected.

"It seems that the necromancy my father knows is real." Cardin thought so, turning his head temporarily and looking out the window. "According to my father, the first thing a four-star necromancer should try is not living armor or ghosts..."