I had it all.

Well, not really, but I’m sure many wanted to trade places with me. I do not think there was a single person on the planet who had not heard of my name. It went from “Alyssa the girl magus” to “Alyssa the next Archmage”.

I wouldn’t say that I wished for a normal life, because I didn’t, not even close, but I certainly wished that some things were different.

Then I died and came back in a different universe.

I hear a clattering of applause, not really the sound of human applause, there is a lack of… well meat. The ones who are clapping their hands are not fleshy humans but rather skeletons. They can also cheer, since they don’t have vocal chords, or any of the other parts needed to make vocalizations they just clatter their teeth.

What are they so excited about? Skeleton fist fighting.

In this rattle of skeletons stood 2 right in the middle. One was tall and broad shouldered, their skull thick with pronounced brows stance wide as if prepared to wrestle a bear. Opposite to this skeleton was a much more normal skeleton, average height and bones, their stance was compact like a boxer.

The tall one lunges forward throwing a wide haymaker which is ducked under countered by the smaller skeleton who unleashes a compact hook punch right into the tall one’s ribs. The tall skeleton backhands with his right, trying to hit the smaller skeleton, who dodges again, but right behind comes the left fist heading right for the head!

The smaller skeleton simply sways backwards, like a butterfly, and sends a powerful hook punch with his whole body into the tall skeleton’s lower spine. The in combination with the momentum of both his fist sends the tall skeleton fumbling down into the ground.

Quite a good fight, a vast improvement from when we started.

I suddenly feel something. I cannot really describe it well, it’s like a shift deep inside of me. I focus and drag it upwards.

Skeleton to Skeleton Pugilist

Gained {Stinger Jab}

Skeleton to Skeleton FistFighter

Gained {Haymaker}

Yep! This is the reason why I had these two fist fight, well that and boredom really. I have heard about it in my studies. This is the reason why I’m sure this is another universe. Well multiple reasons but this is one. My universe didn’t have this, it also did not have dungeon cores, which is what I’m assuming I am now.

From the reports I’ve read dungeon cores were supposed to be these small gems, while I am as big as a truck!

And I am hideous!

Seriously, I look like an earth elemental’s vomit, just a collage of precious gems all fused and glued together! And the "System" seems to barely be functioning, there was no explanation at all, I can’t find my character sheet either, only my skeletons, and forgive me for the pun, but they are really bare-bones.

Skeleton Pugilist LV11

Cult Initiate LV1

Squire LV3

Thankfully, after reading these way too many times I unlocked a {Analyze} skill, which lets me pull a small description of these.

Skeleton Pugilist

A skeleton who knows how to fight with their hands.

Cult Initiate

A member who has yet to learn of the cult secrets.

Squire

An apprentice preparing to become a knight.

I have the ability to manipulate mana, with it I can create skeletons and zombies, this seems to be a natural ability of my new body, which tracks with what I’ve learned from the general reports of people from other universes. I can also destroy and absorb things gaining mana, which I also absorb passively just like a human breathing.

All of my skeletons have come with these three classes, Skeleton, Cult Initiate and Squire. I have found Skeleton to be the easiest to level and evolve, which always seems to happen at Level 10. Initiate and squire have been quite a bit more difficult, I have some hypotheses why that is. But before that, I sense something.

This is again, because of my new body, I am a chunk of magical minerals, I do not have eyes or any other perception organ, instead I seem to project a aura from my shiny body and I can see anything inside of it, indeed this does mean that my field of view is completely different from a human, which would’ve given me a headache, but thankfully that doesn’t seem quite possible anymore.

It did take a while to get used to though, about a week I think? It’s difficult to keep track of time normally here, since I seem to be deep inside underground with no sunlight at all.

Anyway I take control of my skeletons and make them start moving. The bulk of them are going in the direction of what I sensed.

Intruders.

Though not humans, they are Lizards, an assortment of lizards, two iguanas and five geckos and a lone salamander, which is not really a lizard. What do they all have in common though? Their humanoid crocodilian sized bodies. They walk weirdly, first with their four legs then to two legs, their eyes wide open staring and darting to all directions in hope of catching a speck of light, sadly for them there is no light here.

I keep watching them while my skeletons march in their direction. This is not the first time lizards have appeared, they have been doing it since I excavated into an open tunnel four days ago, although the salamander is new. They are a mystery to me, which is why I have yet to close this tunnel.

For starters, they do not appear to be lizards evolved to live inside a lightless cave. This could mean that there is a connection to some other place, a place with vegetation and maybe water. The fact that they are working together is also weird and their aggression, they attack the skeleton on sight, which is not normal for most animals. They do not seem hungry, much less starving, so trying to find food should not be a reason for this.

My troops and the lizards finally meet. I take a look at the forces on the stone corridor. Eight enemies, against 16 skeletons. Most would give the odds to the eight crocodile sized monsters, skeletons are not known for their incredible battle prowess, but these are not normal skeletons.

Skeleton Soldier LV13

These are my elite skeletons, They look quite imposing. I was able to create bone spears and shields for them, and I am in the process of creating bone helmets and armor, sadly I seem incapable of creating things that are not made out of bone, which I am working on too.

My skeletons stand, the corridor is narrow enough that a line of four skeletons standing shoulder to shoulder block passage completely. Behind them are three more lines.

The lizard group stops, they can’t really see but their tongues stick and flick out of their mouths, they clearly know something’s up. The salamander is at the tail end of their group, its stomach suddenly shines, as if a fire was lit inside of its body, the light travels through the upper body and travels through the arms and to its nubby squared digits, and then it leaves forming a large ball, and I see it. Fire mana.

Shit.

I quickly command my skeletons to enter a defensive formation, forming a shield wall.

The salamander, as if pushing someone, strikes its arms and palms outwards, the ball of fire mana then explodes!

… Into a bunch of small flecks of fire, illuminating the shield wall. And not doing anything else. While I’m feeling stupid the lizards charge on two legs to the skeleton wall. But these are the cream of the crop of my skeletons, immediately, without me commanding them, they use their skill, one that all of them have {Shield Bash}.

The bone shields hit the lizards, their charge is blunted for a second, but then instinct kicks in, they throw themselves against the shields hoping their weight will break the formation. Funny fact about skeletons: They are fearless, literally.

The geckos are the ones on top of the shields, if the iguanas get in then it will be too much weight and they will collapse, so the skeletons in the front row are calmly fighting and using their spears to keep the iguanas away, while the second row is actually thrusting against the geckos. The salamander seems content to stay behind and do nothing, but I am keeping an eye on it.

This brawl goes for a little while, fun fact about skeletons: They don’t bleed nor do they get tired. My enemies meanwhile? They are bleeding from the hits that got in, and cannot break the shield formation.

Two of the geckos are dead, the rest are not dead yet, but not in any position to fight.

And then something that no other lizard invasion has done happens. The salamander runs away, literally turns tail and bolts to the entrance of the tunnel, I can actually see it glowing, meaning it’s probably using magic to enhance its retreat.

For a moment the iguanas look at the retreating form of the salamander, before my skeletons poke them again with their bone spears, and then they turn tail and run too. A Mistake.

My skeletons use their skill {Sprint} in conjunction with {March}, meaning the 16 skeletons sprint in perfect unison. The first line starts going faster leaving the rest slightly behind as they pierce the backs of the iguanas, who smack the skeletons with their long tails, the second line comes right behind and thrusts their spears too. The animals lash out, to little avail, my skeletons close in and poke them to death, the salamander is already out of my aura so I cannot see it anymore.

Just as the iguanas breathe their last, something appears in my field of vision.

{Tanning} Gained.

You may now transform any recently deceased skin in your domain into leather.

{Minion Sight} Gained

Allows you to see through a minion.

QUEST

Scaled Menace

In less than a week there have been 10 attacks on your dungeon!

All of these come from the same being.

Simply repelling the invasions is not enough, find the one responsible.

Rewards: Assortment of Skills.

Right there’s a few things to unpack here. This is the second time I’ve gained a skill, the first was {Analyze}. This is also the first time I’ve gained a quest, lots to think about, but first.

{Tanning}

The iguanas skin parts suddenly change into leather, as if the entire process was sped up to just a second. And then I have a crocodile sized iguana leather sheet, and an iguana body without skin. Neat.

I tell a skeleton to leave to the end of the corridor and into the cavern. As they pass through that threshold I lose vision of them, since it’s outside of my aura.

{Minion Sight}

I connect to that skeleton and see the outside… It’s just another corridor, but unlike mine it’s an actual cavern full of imperfections and wider. at least 7 skeletons of my wide. I’ll need more skeletons for this.