The walk back to the territory was quiet. Leo felt much stronger with the new trench coat on his shoulders. Every time he stepped into a shadow, he felt like he was disappearing from the world.
''Malphas, do not look so worried. The fish I am talking about is the one who is watching us right now,'' Leo said, glancing up at the gray sky of Origin.
Malphas looked up too, but he saw nothing but clouds. ''You mean the gods, my lord? Or Origin itself?''
''Maybe both,'' Leo replied. He stopped and took out the Void Flicker skill scroll. He squeezed it, and the parchment turned into purple dust that sank into his skin.
[Void Flicker]
Instantly, he understood how to fold space. He looked at a rock ten meters away and willed himself there. In a blink, he was standing on top of it.
''That is very fast,'' Malphas remarked, appearing beside him a second later.
'Since I have gained sufficient strength, I should focus more on my territory for the next four days,' Leo thought as he reached the center of his settlement.
The scene was one of tireless efficiency. Humans labored without pause, their efforts bolstered by the undead moving lumber and stone back and forth.
Near the perimeter, Captain Goblin had somehow managed to tame and ride the bloodhound, barking orders to maintain discipline.
Leo let out a short laugh. 'Is that little guy the protagonist of his own story or something?'
Opening his storage interface, he scanned the materials collected so far - [Wood x200, Stone x120].
Combined with his previous holdings and the loot from the Ironjaw camp, his total assets had grown:
[Wood x490, Stone x320]
The Ironjaw storage didn't have many resources, just a few units of meat and other miscellaneous items, but it was enough to fuel his next move. Without hesitation, he initiated the next phase of construction.
[Lord's Hall Lv 2 — Wood x200, Stone x120] [Construction Time: 14:58]
'Only one building at a time. I have to prioritize,' Leo thought. He walked toward the edge of the territory and pulled the dried Ironjaw corpse from his inventory. A wave of conflict washed over him. This was the race he had once belonged to; harvesting it felt like a betrayal of his very origin.
Yet, he looked at his hands and remembered the cold reality of this world. He would have to keep taking lives to survive. He could no longer afford the luxury of traditional morals. He had been pushed into the abyss of despair once before, and he vowed never to return.
A ripple in the shadows at his feet caught his eye. A small smile touched his lips. ''Vespar.''
The assassin materialized before him, dropping to one knee with fluid grace. ''Lord.''
She wore her hood and mask as always, but her eyes were visible. Cold. Focused. And beneath it, a faint ember of warmth reserved only for him.
''Vespar, do you have any memories from before your death?'' he asked quietly.
''None, my lord. As a lower-grade existence, the reconstruction of my soul was incomplete,'' she answered solemnly.
''And yet, you show far more wit and resource than any other uncommon unit I have seen.''
Vespar rose and stood beside him. "Likely because of my race, my lord. Shadow-kin."
She hesitated, then continued, her voice steady. "I do not know what decision troubles you… But trust your instincts. They are what define us."
Leo reflected on the life he had been forced to leave. He had played by the rules, worked for a future that was never meant for him, and allowed the egos of the powerful to drive him to a bridge's edge.
If not for the miracle he experienced, he would be a corpse drifting through the cold river in Vespar City.
He exhaled, his gaze drifting to the snarling monsters pacing outside the territory shield. 'I cannot allow myself to be weak. If I hesitate now, I lead everyone who follows me to their ruin.'
"It seems you have found your answer, my lord."
Vespar's voice faded as her form dissolved into the shadows, leaving only silence behind.
[System Notification: Lord-Class Entity Dismantled]
[Acquired: Sanguine Essence (Pure) x150]
[Acquired: Primeval Iron-Bone x4 -- Rare materials for A-rank craftsmanship.]
[Acquired: Heritage Fragment: Ironjaw Might — Imbues a subject with the physical dominance of the Ironjaw lineage.]
'The returns are incredible. A single minor lord yielded 300 SE and a fragment of his very soul,' Leo thought, a chill of excitement running through him.
The conflict in his heart did not vanish, but it was buried under a new layer of obsidian resolve. He was the master of the Archive, and every soul he claimed was a brick in the foundation of his empire.
'And I have just the monster to reward with this trait,' Leo thought.
''Vespar, bring that goblin here.''
His shadow assassin flickered like a dying candle, and a moment later, the small, fierce goblin was forced to his knees before Leo.
Leo looked down at the creature, noting the spark of defiance in its eyes. ''Tell me, do you crave strength?'' he asked, his curiosity piqued.
The goblin looked up at his master. The concept of power was vague to him, but the primal pull of the fragment in Leo's hand forced a frantic nod from the creature.
[System Prompt: Imbue Heritage Fragment into Subject: Goblin (Common)?]
Leo let out a dark chuckle at the raw hunger in the creature's gaze and confirmed the command.
A torrential stream of energy erupted, cocooning the goblin and illuminating the scarlet night with a violent glow.
The living subjects watched the transformation in awe, while the undead continued their tireless labor, indifferent to the shifting power.
"GRAAAAH!"
The goblin's scream tore through the air. His frame began to distort and expand, muscles reinforced like iron cables as they tore and rebuilt themselves in seconds. His bones lengthened, and he clawed at the earth to ground himself against the pain. When the glow died away, a new creature stood in the dirt.
''Well, this was not what I was expecting,'' Leo whispered.
The goblin was now a powerhouse of rippling red muscle, yet his face remained startlingly youthful- almost porcelain and 'cute' in a way that contradicted his terrifying physique.
''Than...k y..ou... Lo...rd,'' the creature rasped, his vocal cords struggling to adapt to his new form.
Leo looked at the updated status window hovering over the large, red-skinned creature. The transition from a common goblin to a mutated rare grade had changed almost everything about the monster.
[Mutation Successful]
Name: Captain Goblin
Race: Hobgoblin (Mutated)
Grade: Rare (3 Star)
Rank: F
Core Attributes: Strength: High| Endurance: High| Agility: Moderate | Mental Will: High| Aether capacity: Low
Innate Traits:
Ironjaw Might (Inherited): Physical strength scales faster than the racial average.
Skills:
Savage Cleave (Active): A powerful strike that can shatter common shields.
Bloodhound Rider (Passive): Gains 20 percent more coordination when mounted on a beast.