Death Mage in Another World

Kai just kept laughing, his grin wide as he swung his Soul Scythe around playfully, twirling it in the air and spinning it with effortless control. He even started doing tricks, spinning it behind his back and over his shoulders like it was some kind of toy.

"Kai!" Sean shouted, his face contorted in frustration. "What are you doing?! That's dangerous!"

Liam threw up his hands, yelling, "Stop messing around, man! You're making us look crazy!"

Kai ignored their yelling and laughed harder. With one final flourish, he tossed the scythe high into the air, the blade vanishing into black mist as it reached its peak.

"And that's that," Kai said with a satisfied nod.

Before his friends could respond, Kai stretched, jumped up onto a nearby tree branch, and sprawled out lazily like a cat. "Well, that's enough excitement for now. I'm taking a nap."

Everyone below him yelled in unison, their voices ringing through the clearing.

"YOU'RE FALLING ASLEEP NOW?!"

Kai yawned, waving a hand dismissively as he nestled into the tree's branches. "Good night, guys."

A chorus of groans and complaints erupted below.

"Unbelievable!" "How can he sleep after all that?" "Kai, wake up! This isn't a joke!"

Sean rubbed his temples. "I give up. He's hopeless."

Liam slumped down onto a log. "Why is he like this…?"

The night passed quietly, and soon the first light of morning broke over the forest. The soft chirping of birds and the distant rustle of leaves filled the air.

Kai's eyes fluttered open. He blinked lazily, staring at the warm morning sky through the tree canopy. The distant sound of people talking reached his ears. He glanced down and saw his classmates scattered around camp, busy with their tasks. Some were gathering water, others tending to a small fire, and a few were still eating what little food they had left.

The popular leader—the one who had taken charge the day before—stood at the center of the camp, rallying the group.

"We need to find people. A town, a village, something! We can't just stay in this forest forever," the leader declared, his voice firm.

Around him, the others muttered their opinions:

"He's right. We need help." "Yeah, but where do we even start?" "I hope we're not walking into something worse…"

Kai stretched and let out a massive yawn, earning a few side-eyes from the group below as he sat up. He looked around, amused by how organized they were trying to be.

"Skill: Summon Undead," Kai said nonchalantly, his tone casual.

Suddenly, twenty dark circles appeared on the ground around the camp. The ominous glow and faint humming sound caused everyone to freeze, their faces paling.

"Oh no… not again," someone muttered.

Sean, who had just taken a sip of water, spat it out in shock. "KAI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Liam practically jumped out of his skin. "I swear, if it's skeletons again…"

Their fears were confirmed as twenty skeletons emerged from the dark circles, their bony forms clattering and glowing faintly with an eerie light. The rest of the group erupted in screams.

"WHY ARE THERE MORE OF THEM?!" "HE SUMMONED EVEN MORE SKELETONS!" "DOES HE HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY TIME?!"

Sean and Liam turned to Kai, both yelling in unison. "WHY, KAI?! JUST WHY?!"

Kai shrugged casually, completely unbothered. "Relax. My minions are useful, okay?" He pointed at the skeletons and issued his command. "Go find people. Find a town or village. When you do, come back and tell me."

The skeletons nodded in perfect unison, then bowed deeply before scattering into the forest with mechanical efficiency.

The clearing fell silent. The students stared after the skeletons, their mouths open in shock.

"D-did those skeletons just bow to him?" someone whispered.

"Why are they so obedient?" another added nervously.

Sean and Liam, still frozen, exchanged horrified glances. Sean finally found his voice. "K-Kai… you just sent twenty skeletons to scout for us. Do you even realize how ridiculous that sounds?"

Liam, still trembling, muttered, "I'm starting to think he is the final boss of this world."

Kai shrugged again, ignoring their panic. "They're efficient. Better than wandering aimlessly."

With that, he leaned back on his branch, reclining comfortably with his hands behind his head. He tilted his face up toward the morning sky, where beams of sunlight peeked through the trees.

"Ah, what a beautiful morning," Kai said with a smile, completely unfazed by the chaos he had just caused.

Sean threw his hands in the air. "He's impossible! How does he stay so calm?!"

Liam slumped onto the ground. "I give up. I'm not questioning him anymore. I just… give up."

A few hours later, Kai was still perched in his tree, lazily watching the clouds float by when a sudden commotion broke the quiet. The sound of rustling bushes and snapping branches echoed through the area.

"What's that noise?" one student shouted, jumping to their feet.

Everyone immediately tensed up, grabbing makeshift weapons and falling into battle stances. Sean and Liam stood up, both visibly on edge.

"Something's coming," Sean muttered.

"I don't like this…" Liam whispered nervously.

The tension eased slightly when, out of the bushes, Kai's summoned skeletons marched back into the clearing. Their clattering bones echoed softly as they formed up in a neat line.

Kai's face lit up with a grin. "Oh, hey! They came back!"

Everyone else immediately slumped in frustration and let out groans.

"Seriously, Kai?" "They scared us half to death!" "Can you warn us next time?"

Sean and Liam both turned to Kai, exasperated. "What is WRONG with you?!" Sean shouted.

Kai ignored their complaints, activating his skill again. "Skill: Shadow Step."

In an instant, he vanished into the shadows and reappeared in front of his skeletal minions. "Alright, guys, show me the way."

The skeletons nodded, turned, and began marching in a specific direction.

Kai looked back over his shoulder at the group, flashing a casual grin. "They found something. Let's go."

The students stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Wait, what? They found something?" "Like a town?" "You're kidding me…"

Sean groaned, rubbing his face. "Of course the skeletons are leading us now…"

Liam shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Ignoring the protests, Kai began walking alongside his skeletons, leading the group toward the direction they'd found. Slowly but surely, the others followed, muttering

Kai kept following his summons, their skeletal forms marching steadily ahead of him. Behind him, he could hear the voices of his classmates and friends sulking and grumbling, their complaints drifting through the air.

"This is taking forever…" "I can't believe we're following skeletons." "Whose idea was it to trust Kai again?"

Sean muttered under his breath, "Why does everything have to be so weird when Kai's involved?"

Liam groaned. "I'm starting to think we'll never get out of this forest."

Kai ignored their whining, keeping his pace steady. A smug grin tugged at his lips as he walked, his red eyes calmly fixed on his skeletons leading the way.

After a few more hours of trekking through the dense woods, the forest finally began to thin out. The light of the sun grew brighter as the trees cleared, and the group stepped onto an open plain.

Kai stopped as his eyes widened.

Before them stood a massive stone wall stretching far and wide, its gray surface towering above them. Beyond the wall, they could see rooftops, spires, and distant buildings clustered together. Farther up, perched on the side of a grand mountain, stood an enormous structure with tall towers and banners waving in the wind. A castle.

"A city," Kai muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the sight. "And a castle… so that's where the big shots live, huh?"

Excited voices broke out behind him as his classmates and friends finally noticed the city.

"We made it!" "It's a real city!" "We're saved!"

Sean pumped his fist in the air. "Finally! Civilization! No more wandering around like lost kids."

Liam nearly collapsed onto the ground in relief. "Oh, thank whatever gods exist… we're not going to die out here!"

Kai turned to his skeletons, his expression softening slightly. "Thank you. Cancel Summon."

The skeletons turned to face him, bowed one last time, and then dissolved into black dust that scattered on the wind. The clearing fell silent for a moment as the eerie glow of their summoning circles faded away.

"Did… did he just thank them?" one classmate whispered.

"How polite of him… to his undead minions," another added nervously.

Sean shook his head. "Classic Kai."

The group didn't waste any more time. They began walking quickly toward the massive gate, their excitement and relief giving them a burst of energy.

Kai watched them for a moment before shrugging and falling into step behind them. "I guess our new life starts now… from here," he said to himself quietly, his gaze lifting once more to the castle that loomed over the city.

A small smirk played on his lips. Something told him that this city—and whatever waited for them inside—was only the beginning.