The altar shone, and then an evil lich emerged—standing two meters tall, with long horns and a skeletal black body streaked with gold. It bore a striking resemblance to Hazard himself and knelt before him.
["Lord of Death, I praise you. Deliver me from misguidance and guide my path."]
Hazard gave it a strange look. Why did every unit have its own unique dialogue? Whatever the reason, he didn't bother to respond and simply ordered it to rise.
["Your name is Zal, and from now on, you are in charge of command and daily management."]
["I am grateful that you have granted a name to this nameless being. I will dedicate my utmost efforts to your realm and repay your trust with diligence."]
["Good!"]
With that, Hazard left him and ascended to the upper floors of his fortress.
At 180 meters above the ground, Hazard observed his soldiers, who were constantly engaged in their duties. Patrols were being conducted regularly, constructions were underway, and knights were receiving twenty fur cloaks taken from twenty elite undead swordsmen. After donning the cloaks, they looked up at Hazard standing atop the tower.
Feeling their respect, Hazard turned his gaze toward the distant village.
["The path to conquest is not difficult."]
A month passed in the blink of an eye. The number of Demon Kings had dwindled to 264,000, meaning that nearly seventy-five percent had been eliminated. The remaining ones were mostly at the second level, with a significant number at the third and fourth levels, and only a handful at the fifth.
Meanwhile, Hazard's fortress had advanced to the third level, now towering at 500 meters. Its enhancements extended over a 10-kilometer radius, and its curses against enemies were, in Hazard's opinion, well worth their exorbitant cost.
During this time, Hazard's decision to explore more of his domain led to the discovery of 47 additional dungeons containing hellhounds. Except for one, all had been cleared. Twelve of these dungeons contained fire gem mines, prompting Hazard to recruit a large number of ordinary undead to work in them.
In total, the month's revenue amounted to 17,000,000 gold coins. After repairing the army's losses, 16,560,000 gold remained. Constructions included:
A Level 4 Temple of the God of Death: A massive structure standing 40 meters tall with an area of 1,600 square meters. A throne-like seat was positioned at its far end.Effect: The temple granted a 20% boost to all undead stats within a 50-kilometer radius and a 10% boost even outside this range.
Though useful, the cost of its construction and materials was high, and since Hazard had yet to obtain a Level 4 blueprint, he had to trade ten Level 2 blueprints. Other useless blueprints were also exchanged, resulting in the following acquisitions:
120 Level 1 Vengeful Spirit Towers35 Level 3 Undead Tombs (Each produced one randomly chosen Level 3 undead per day)
According to Hazard's settings, since the generated undead were weaker than demonic undead, only skeletal giants were produced.
After heavy expenditures and trading the remaining fire gems, Hazard was left with 6,010,700 gold coins. Summoning 980 demonic undead knights and 49 liches reduced it to 4,051,000 gold. Meanwhile, the number of undead hellhounds grew to 14,000, including 50 greater undead hellhounds. Additionally, 13,470 elite archers were summoned, all mounted on undead hellhounds, while the 50 greater hellhounds guarded the liches.
Now, atop his fortress, Hazard observed his remaining 10,000 gold coins and reviewed his army:
300 ordinary demonic undead3,500 demonic undead archers1,150 demonic undead swordsmen50 elite swordsmen14,000 elite archers20 demonic undead mages220 undead giants6 demonic undead giants1,000 demonic undead knights50 demonic liches14,000 undead hellhounds50 greater undead hellhounds1 massive undead hellhound (Cerberus, Hazard's mount)
For a month, there had been no encounters with heroes, yet Hazard hadn't assembled this army without reason. Then, he received the long-awaited report from the 220 Level 1 Undead Giant Lords he had sent out:
["You have defeated the Rank 2 Lord-Class Colossal Hellhound of the Ten Millennia" – Reward: 200,000 gold]["You have cleared the Rank 2 Lord-Class Threat: Hellhound Den"]["You have obtained an Ultra-Rare Shining Silver Treasure Chest"]["800,000 gold, Blueprint for Level 3 Hellhound Den, Blueprint for Special Level 3 Building, and 1,000 Fire Gems acquired"]
Hazard smirked and turned his gaze toward the remaining 164 undead giants. Their sheer numbers and synergy had enabled them to clear a dungeon far superior to the others, located 100 kilometers away.
After claiming his rewards, he sold the Hellhound Den, exchanged the 1,000 fire gems for death essence, and upgraded his fortress to Level 4. This increased its height to 800 meters, making it even more massive and terrifying. The protective barrier, which now absorbed surrounding mana, became so resilient that even a Level 1 Warlord-Class Powerhouse couldn't break it.
Hazard then leaped from the terrace of his designated chamber. Using the Rank C Flight Skill, which he had learned from several knight groups who had trespassed into his domain, he landed atop Cerberus, his massive undead hellhound mount.
A thousand demonic undead knights, each clad in fur cloaks made from greater hellhound hides, rode behind him. They were followed by 14,000 elite archers, each mounted on undead hellhounds.
At this point, no force—short of a Warlord-Class Powerhouse or higher—would dare face such an army head-on.