Alex slipped out of her dress and tossed it aside, diving naked into the cozy confines of her bed. There was nothing quite like the bliss of curling up under the covers after a long day.
With the castle's invincible protection, not even god intervention could disturb her sleep.
Yet, despite the comfort, Alex was driven. She knew that once the newbie protection period ended and the protective shield was gone, her nights might not be so restful.
The thought of potential enemies attacking was frightening enough to keep anyone on edge.
Drifting into sleep, Alex found herself caught in the grip of a strange dream—the first since her arrival in Eldoria.
She dreamt of a horde of green-haired monsters storming her castle. They laughed menacingly, looting and somehow bypassing the castle's protective shield.
Her undead army was nowhere to be found, and in the end, the monsters dismantled her castle completely, not even leaving a stone unturned. They left her shivering, clutching her chest on the cold, barren ground, not even sparing her a single undergarment.
"Ah, this is intolerable, utterly unbearable!" Alex jolted awake, relieved to find her castle still intact.
"Damn it, isn't this bedroom supposed to enhance mental recovery? Why am I having nightmares instead of waking up refreshed? And why such a miserable dream at that?"
Checking the system time, she realized she had only slept for three hours.
"Green-haired monsters, huh? I'll wipe you out myself!"
In Alex's mind, green-haired monsters equated to Goblins. It was logical—both were green, after all.
With over three hours until dawn, the timing was perfect. The only real challenge was the Goblin Commanding.
Alex wasn't sure of its strength, which is why she had planned to wait until she was stronger to confront them. But the night's dream had infuriated her.
Anger demanded action—she would take her frustrations out on the Goblins.
Among the thousand or so Goblins, only the leader was at the Commanding level, with a few level 9 Goblin Warriors and Goblin Mages.
Alex doubted these level 9 Goblins were stronger than the level 9 werewolves she had faced; at most, they might be comparable to the Moon Silver Wolves before their transformation.
Goblin Mages might be a bit tougher, but to Alex, they were useless. First, her undead were immortal; second, Arthur and the gargoyles were immune to magic.
Checking Arthur's stats:
[bone dragon king (Arthur)]
[Race: undead race]
[Loyalty: 100% (Never Betray)]
[Life Tier: Standard]
[Level: lv7 (can be increased by killing enemies)]
[Health Points: Undead trait, immortal as long as the soul fire burns]
[Mana Points: 110]
[Strength: 70+10]
[Stamina: ∞]
[Agility: 70+10]
[Growth Limit: Divine level]
[Active Skill: Nether Dragon Breath]
[Passive Skill: Elemental Magic Immunity, Dragon's Presence]
Arthur had leveled up, though Alex wasn't sure if he had been level 6 or 7 when he fought the werewolves. Knowing that Arthur's current strength surpassed that of most level 9 creatures was enough.
Level 9 werewolves, even with their attributes doubled at night, were only about as strong as Arthur at level 6.
Previously, Alex might have hesitated to attack a Goblin tribe, but not tonight. She now had a level 9 bone beast werewolf, a top-tier force just below Commanding level, plus Arthur's formidable power. What was there to worry about?
Alex assessed the forces: the Goblin tribe had one Commanding, several level 9 Goblin Warriors and Mages, and over a thousand other Goblins.
Alex's undead army was led by the level 7 Arthur, included a level 9 bone beast werewolf and a level 7 Bone Beast Griffin, along with other level 7 to 5 bone beast werewolves.
She counted over 60 undead of level 5 or higher, half of which were newly transformed bone beast werewolves tonight.
The total undead count was 1823!
Sweet, even Alex was stunned by the number. It was a testament to the undead's ability to always maintain a numerical advantage. She had thought her forces would be fewer than the Goblins, but now it seemed today was the day to take revenge for the unfortunate neighboring Lord.
The Goblins better be ready; tonight was going to be sleepless!
Alex estimated the strength of both sides. Aside from the Goblin Commanding, whose power was an unknown, the undead army seemed poised to crush the Goblins.
Excited, she jumped out of bed, the red moonlight casting a glow on her flawless skin. A cool breeze reminded her of her nudity, prompting her to quickly find clothes to wear.
Dressed and calculating the time until dawn—just over three hours—she figured there was plenty of time for the undead army to annihilate all the Goblins.
At night, that meant double loot drops.
Just think, each Goblin could yield two experience points; a thousand Goblins equaled over two thousand experience points, and with double drops, four thousand. What a thrill!
The only downside was the distance of the Goblin tribe from her castle, which meant no extra 1.5 times experience bonus. Nonetheless, it was enough for Alex to reach level 9, a significant boost.
Alex's eyes sparkled with the prospect of wealth. "We're going to be rich!"
She thought of the neighboring Lord resting below, promising to avenge him. And surely, the Goblin tribe held other treasures, not to mention the magic crystals and Essence Shards left from the fallen Lord's castle.
If the Goblin Commanding proved too strong, Alex planned to exploit the undead's immortality by dragging out the fight until dawn.
Once the enemy's double attributes faded, even a strong Goblin Commanding would tire against her vast undead forces. Alex hadn't heard of any self-healing Goblins.
If the Goblin Commanding turned out to be weaker than expected, she'd have to kill it before dawn for the double rewards.
Over a thousand corpses would significantly boost her undead army's numbers. Alex realized that the strength of her undead forces wasn't built—it was fought for.
Tonight's thirty-plus werewolves had already increased her army's overall strength by at least half. If she could also absorb the Goblin tribe, her power could double.
More resources, more experience, and a stronger undead army. Alex finally understood the core gameplay of the undead: War!