CHAPTER 278: THE FORBIDEN CLASS

He didn’t respond immediately. His expression remained unreadable.

"I’ll listen. But no promises until I know what it is."

She nodded nervously, then spread her hands.

A faint dark glow surrounded her palms. The air turned cold. The ground beneath them began to crack.

Crack! Crack!

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, his attention now fully focused on what she was doing. He found her actions somewhat familiar but couldn’t jump to conclusions yet.

Two faint magic circles formed on the dirt — black and blue runes spinning in opposite directions. Moments later, skeletal hands broke through the soil.

At that moment, realization shone in Gabriel’s electric gaze.

Two full-armored knight skeletons climbed out, one wielding a rusted greatsword, the other a halberd. They stood silently before Samantha and knelt.

"Rise," she whispered.

The skeletons obeyed.

Gabriel’s gaze flickered with interest. His mind immediately connected the dots. The aura, the chant, the summon structure — all matched the rarest and most hated class of them all.

"You’re... a Necromancer."

Samantha bit her lip but didn’t deny it. "Yes. It was the best class presented during my class awakening."

He took a slow breath, assessing her expression. She looked both terrified and proud at the same time.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is showing that here?" he asked calmly.

"I do. That’s why I came to you." Her voice steadied slightly. "I’ve been hiding this class since my awakening. The academy would’ve expelled me if they knew. The Church would’ve executed me. The only people who kept it secret were the association members where the awakening took place."

She stepped closer, her tone desperate. "But I can’t keep running forever. I want to join your guild — Broken Dawn. I can fight, Sir Broken. I can contribute."

Gabriel didn’t respond right away. He simply watched her, analyzing everything — her stance, mana control, the stability of the skeletons, even her confidence.

’So she awakened a forbidden class and survived this long... impressive.’

He’d met necromancers before in his past life — most had been hunted down or corrupted by their own summons. Yet this girl had control. That alone was rare.

However, he still wanted to ask more questions.

"Why me?" he finally asked.

Samantha blinked. "What?"

"You could’ve hidden in another guild. Or gone solo. Why risk coming here?"

"Because..." she hesitated, looking directly into his eyes. "Because you’re the only one who doesn’t follow the system’s prejudice. I saw what you did during the Inter-Guild Display. You accepted even refugees and builders into your guild. You don’t care about labels."

Gabriel’s expression didn’t change, but internally, he understood.

However, she was wrong about one thing... he only accepted refugees because it helped his strength, not out of pity or benevolence.

As long as it benefited him, it was fine.

But at the same time, she was right — Broken Dawn wasn’t built like other guilds. They took anyone who worked hard, regardless of race, class, or background.

"You want protection, then," he said bluntly.

"I want purpose," she corrected quietly. "And a chance to fight beside you."

A faint silence stretched between them. The skeleton knights stood motionless, faint blue flames flickering in their empty sockets.

Finally, Gabriel spoke. "Dismiss them."

Samantha hesitated, then raised her hand. The skeletons turned to ash and faded back into the earth.

He nodded slowly. "Follow me."

She blinked, startled. "You mean—?"

"I didn’t say you’re accepted," he interrupted. "But I’ll test you first. If you can handle the task I give, you can stay."

"What kind of task?"

He turned and began walking toward the training field. "You’ll see."

They reached the clearing outside the camp’s west side. Dozens of players were hunting monsters. A few stopped to stare when they noticed Samantha beside Sir Broken.

She was clearly a player, but it was the first time most of them had seen her, so they were curious.

"Dismiss!"

At his command, all the players quickly left the scene. Now it was only Gabriel and Samantha.

Gabriel gestured toward the far end. "Those are mutated beasts. You’ll fight them using only your summons. If you lose control, I’ll end it myself."

Her heart pounded, but she nodded firmly. "Understood."

With a wave of his hand, a militia member opened the gate to a fenced area.

Inside were three mutated wolf-like monsters chained to iron poles, their eyes glowing red.

Samantha walked in, her cloak fluttering slightly. She took a deep breath, then began chanting again. Two skeletons emerged, followed by a faint mist. This time, she moved her fingers sharply, manipulating their positions like a conductor.

The wolves snarled and lunged.

Her skeletons met them head-on, weapons clashing. Sparks flew as bone met claw. Samantha’s eyes glowed faintly purple as she reinforced her summons.

Gabriel stood silently, arms crossed, observing every move. Her control was decent — not perfect, but stable. When one skeleton fell, she immediately replaced it with another using a shorter chant.

In less than two minutes, the wolves were down.

Samantha panted, sweat trickling down her forehead, but she stood her ground.

Gabriel finally spoke and nodded, half-impressed. "Good enough."

Her eyes widened slightly while her heart pounded faster as she asked eagerly, "Then—?"

"You can stay," he said simply. "But your class remains hidden. Only a few of us will know."

Relief washed over her face, followed by gratitude. "Thank you."

He turned away. "Bunny will handle your registration. Anna will assign you a room. You’ll train with the night squads until further notice."

"Yes, Leader."

When she left, Sophie appeared beside him again, her veil swaying in the night wind.

"You took in a necromancer," she said quietly. "The other guilds won’t be happy about this."

"I never care about their happiness." Gabriel’s expression remained emotionless. His eyes drifted toward the timer hovering above the camp again. "Besides, she has potential. She will be useful."

In the blink of an eye, days flew by, and the time for the Tower’s Descent grew closer.

Author’s Note:

Thanks to everyone supporting Extraction Talent with your valuable Golden Tickets, Power Stones, and votes. I really appreciate it — you keep me motivated! Thank you!