The final thud of the Orc Chieftain's corpse hitting the moss-covered ground echoed like a drumbeat announcing the end of war. Alexander stood in the stillness, blood—his and theirs—soaking the earth. The forest was quiet now. Too quiet.
His red eyes scanned the battlefield as his summoned skeletons stood motionless, awaiting orders. Bodies littered the area—orc, goblin, and undead alike. He took a deep breath, then looked at his status panel.
> [Level Up!]
You are now Level 20.
Rank Evolution Available: [F → E Rank]
New Skill Unlocked: Merging Undead I
System Notice: You've qualified to absorb lesser undead into stronger composite forms.
A smirk crossed his lips. "Finally."
Before he could explore the new power, something tugged at his senses—a faint pulse. Not magical energy in the normal sense. It was older. Deeper. Darker. Like the land itself was calling out.
"Something's... down there," he muttered.
Following the pulse, Alexander pushed past a thick line of brambles. The ground sloped downward, and the deeper he walked, the more twisted the trees became. Their bark looked scorched, gnarled like fingers clinging to secrets. Skeletons flanked him, their empty sockets flicking about like silent sentinels.
A hundred steps in, the forest floor gave way.
Alexander slid, barely catching himself with his arms as loose stone and dirt crumbled beneath his feet. He landed on a hard surface—stone, but ancient and cracked.
He looked up.
Massive pillars carved from obsidian jutted from the earth like the rib bones of a dead god. A half-buried ruin loomed before him, etched in runes that pulsed with faint violet light. Vines tried to strangle the structure, but they failed to conceal the aura of raw power that pulsed from within.
"…Ruins," he whispered.
> System Notification:
You have discovered a Lost Structure: [Ruins of Urazal] — Age: Unknown. Civilization: Forgotten.
Threat Level: Variable. Artifact Signature Detected.
Caution: Residual corruption detected.
He raised a hand. His skeletons stepped forward, weapons raised. He walked into the darkness, torches flaring to life in braziers long thought dead. It wasn't fire, but something darker—a black-blue flame that danced unnaturally.
As he descended deeper, the architecture shifted. What began as crude stone became elegant and arcane—angled walls with intricate carvings of undead armies, dark rituals, and crowned figures surrounded by kneeling hordes.
Alexander stopped before a grand chamber. At its center was an altar—ebony, cold, and humming with unimaginable energy. It pulsed with a slow, rhythmic throb… like a heart refusing to die.
> Artifact Found: [Undead Necro Dark Altar]
Passive Aura: Increases efficiency of undead creation by 25% while within range.
Bound Feature: Allows resurrection of named undead using harvested souls.
Locked Feature: [Throne of the Black Sovereign] — Requirements not met.
Alexander took a cautious step forward. "This... this is a forge for the undead."
He reached out and placed his hand on the altar. The moment flesh met stone, cold surged up his arm, flooding his veins with a sensation like falling into an abyss. Images raced through his mind—legions of the dead rising from beneath black soil, shadowy kings shaping worlds with nothing but will.
> Binding Successful.
You are now the registered master of the Undead Necro Dark Altar.
A domain seed has been embedded. You may now shape your kingdom from this location.
Alexander's eyes widened. "My kingdom..."
For the first time since his reincarnation, he felt the gravity of his journey settle onto his shoulders. He wasn't just surviving anymore. This place—these ruins—this altar—they were the foundation of his future empire. No longer a wanderer. Now, a sovereign in the making.
But the altar was only part of it.
In the chamber's corners were shattered statues and hollowed sarcophagi. Runes glowed faintly across the walls, written in languages even his eidetic memory didn't recognize. A few still-functioning constructs stood guard—undead statues resembling skeletal knights frozen in time.
He approached one. "Analyze."
> Subject: Black Guard Wraith Shell – Deactivated
Status: Inert. Requires restoration ritual or sacrifice to reawaken.
Rank: ???
Alexander's mind raced. "With this altar, I could revive elite units. Craft lieutenants. Shape champions from death itself."
He looked around the chamber again, calculating. If he cleared and restored these ruins, this place could become his fortress. A sanctuary. A capital. The beating heart of an empire of the dead.
He turned back to the altar, red eyes glowing. "Then let this be the first day of my rise."
The skeletons behind him shifted, seemingly reacting to the aura now pulsing from their master. With the altar bound to him, they moved more sharply, more purposefully.
This wasn't just an altar. It was the evolution of his command.
> System Notification:
Undead Territory Claimed: Forest of Echoes Ruins.
All undead within range gain +5% strength and regeneration.
You may begin construction of [Necropolis Foundation] and [Soul Forge].
Alexander stepped back, looking toward the cracked entrance he'd entered from. The fight with the orcs had drained him. The Specter was still roaming the woods. Chaos Void forces could arrive at any moment. And yet...
He wasn't afraid.
He was evolving.