The last echo of Vorthar's roar faded into the mist-covered ruins.
Alexander stood still, red eyes gleaming beneath the shadowed hood of his cloak. The power that had surged through him when forging the binding with Gravemind Vorthar was still coursing through his veins. It was overwhelming — vast, ancient, and alien. B-Rank undead weren't just stronger; they were entities. Fused with memories of long-dead monstrosities, they carried a fragment of their former dominance into undeath.
Vorthar knelt silently before him, a towering skeletal behemoth with four thick arms, each laced with glowing veins of necrotic green energy. Its mask-like face was split with jagged bone teeth, its sunken eyes burning with undying loyalty.
> "Vorthar… rise."
The massive creature obeyed without question. Its aura was immense, and even the lesser undead nearby — dozens of skeletal warriors, ghouls, and spectral archers — gave it wide berth.
Satisfied, Alexander turned toward the eastern ridge of the ruins. Several Builder-class undead had finished reinforcing the stone walls of what was becoming his outer courtyard. The Necrotic Mason Wights clicked and clattered as they formed stone with raw bone essence, mixing the magical energies from the Undead Necro Dark Altar with materials scavenged from the ancient forest.
Alexander narrowed his eyes.
Something was off.
A low hum — subtle, almost like a vibration in the soles of his feet — rolled through the ground. It was steady… but pulsing.
He opened his status screen and looked at his mental control pool. Even as it expanded with every summon, a tiny sliver of instability flickered at the edge.
---
[New Alert]
> Dark Pulse Detected Beneath Ruins Origin: Unknown. Vibe: Chaotic | Residual Corruption | Buried Energy Source Suggestion: Investigate source before it spreads.
---
Alexander frowned. "Residual Chaos corruption?"
That wasn't good.
He raised a hand. Two Scavenger Wights emerged from the shadows nearby, covered in ragged cloth and blackened claws.
> "Dig below the southern quadrant. Focus on the deepest point where the tremors feel strongest."
The creatures bowed and skittered off, their arms reshaping into digging tools mid-motion.
Alexander turned to Vorthar.
> "Guard them. If anything moves down there… rip it apart."
Vorthar silently followed.
---
Several Hours Later
The excavation site had revealed something — and it wasn't good.
In the hollowed-out basin beneath the ruins, the Scavenger Wights had unearthed a sealed stone gate, bound with rusted chains and carved with ancient runes. The glyphs were partially melted, their structure warped by dark energy. But the real horror lay in the markings crawling around the stone — living corruption.
Thin, sinewy strands of Chaos flesh were spreading from cracks in the seal.
One strand had grown a single eyeball — and it blinked when Alexander stepped closer.
> "This isn't just old. It's infected."
His voice came out low and sharp.
The Chaos was trying to infiltrate from below.
Vorthar let out a deep, vibrating growl. Even it could feel the wrongness.
Alexander backed away. "Builder Wights — collapse the outer tunnel but keep the core sealed. I need time to figure this out. We're not opening that yet."
The undead obeyed without hesitation.
As the tunnel was refilled and stone wards reinforced around it, Alexander returned to the surface, standing atop a new high platform that overlooked the growing ruins.
The altar pulsed with dark energy behind him. And just as he turned to examine his mana pool, a new window opened:
---
[System Alert]
> First Chaos Dungeon Emergence Nearby Classification: Proto-Rift (Unstable)
Coordinates: 1.2 km northeast of current location
Dungeon Rank: C – Mutational Burst Tier
Estimated Time Before Stability: 6 Days
Opportunity: Clear before full corruption = Soul Ash Bonus + Unknown Loot
---
Alexander's expression sharpened.
> "So… the game begins."
He now had a ticking timer.
Six days.
If he cleared the dungeon before it matured into a fully corrupt nest, he could harvest Soul Ash, items, and likely stunt a major Chaos foothold.
> "Perfect."
This would be his first strategic assault against the Chaos forces. More importantly, it would be a chance to test Vorthar in live combat — against something that truly pushed back.
---
Back at the Command Platform
Night fell quickly. The mist from the forest thickened, and eerie howls echoed from deeper in the woods. A few of Alexander's new Ghoul Stalkers returned with news of Chaos-touched wolves wandering near a broken village — Phase One's early mutations were beginning to spread.
Alexander sat in his throne-like seat of bones, overlooking a map crafted from scavenged stone and enchanted ink. He pinned the Chaos Dungeon's location with a spike of shadow magic.
> "Tomorrow, we prepare a raiding party."
---
[Alexander Noir – Character Sheet]
Name: Alexander Noir
Race: Reincarnated Human
Class: Necromancer
Subclass: Monarch of the Undead
Level: 24 (E Rank)
XP: 1,200 / 2,500
Mental Control Pool: 260
Undead Units Summoned: 47 (Including Vorthar, 1 B-Rank)
---
Attributes
Strength: 48
Agility: 50
Intelligence: 94
Endurance: 55
Willpower: 76
Mana: 1,800
Mana Regen: 45/min
Free Attribute Points: 3
---
Skills
Raise Death Legion II
Shadow Fog (Enhanced)
Basic Shadow Bullet II
Undead Harvest
Necromancer's Will (Passive)
Undead Binding (Active)
Specter Command
Gravemind Link [NEW]
---
Notable Units
Gravemind Vorthar (B Rank)
Massive multi-limbed bone warrior
Four arms, high mental sync
Passive: Bone Tremor Aura
Special: "Entropic Slam" — AoE disrupt
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Infrastructure
Undead Necro Dark Altar: Grants advanced necromancy bonuses and undead upgrades
Builder-Class Units: Wights, Mason Wights
Scavenger-Class Units: Bone Rats, Wights
Warrior-Class Units: Skeleton Knights, Bone Archers, Ghoul Stalkers
---
End of Chapter 18