Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 16: Had a seriously lucky

Alex had a seriously lucky streak today. Killing a Level 10 Elite Giant Crab Spider? Score! +40 EXP, 20 Magic Crystals, 1 Red Crystal, and a Black Iron Chest? Jackpot!

[Killed a Level 10...]

[Killed a Level 10...]

...

This kept happening. Like, *really* happening. Alex was starting to think she'd found a four-leaf clover in her pocket or something.

But... could her luck really be *this* good two days in a row? Talk about hitting the jackpot!

After nearly two hours of relentless grinding, Arthur and John finally wiped out the entire horde of Giant Crab Spiders. Arthur leveled up three times, jumping straight to Level 8! John, not to be outdone, powered up to Level 7! Even Alex, who was basically just chilling and soaking up the experience points, reached Level 6! The EXP from those Level 10 Elites was an absolute feast for their lower levels.

And the cherry on top? Alex finally had the 5 Red Crystals she needed to upgrade her Necromantic Altar! Plus, a Black Iron Chest dropped! This haul was absolutely insane!

Casually assigning her 30 newly summoned Skeletal Warriors to the command of the Skeleton First Squad Captain, Alex, with a grin stretching from ear to ear, began taking stock of her loot.

First up:

[Skeleton Dragon (Arthur)]

[Race: Undead]

[Loyalty: 100 (Will never betray)]

[Life Hierarchy Rank: God]

[Level: Lv8]

[HP: ∞ (Undead characteristic: Soul fire inextinguishable, therefore immortal)]

[MP: 160 (Regenerates 1 point every 50 seconds)]

[Strength: 48]

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[Endurance: 48]

[Spirit: 48]

[Skill: Dragon Flame]

Dragon Flame: Spews scorching flames to incinerate enemies!

[Equipment: None]

As Alex's number one heavy hitter, Arthur, the Level 8 Skeleton Dragon, now boasted a terrifying 48 in all three stats! His skillset, however, remained limited to just Dragon Flame. New skills would unlock when he hit Level 10.

Her second-in-command, John, at Level 7, also packed a punch with 42 in all three stats. Neither Skeleton Dragon had any equipment yet, but their stats were already more than formidable.

"They really live up to their God-level ranking!" Alex thought.

Besides her two skeletal powerhouses, Alex herself had also reached Level 5... make that Level 6!

[Lord: Alex]

[Race: Human (Lich King Inheritance)]

[Life Hierarchy Rank: King]

[Level: Lv6]

[HP: ∞ (Undead characteristic: Soul fire inextinguishable, therefore immortal)]

[MP: 120 (Regenerates 1 point per minute)]

[Strength: 30]

[Endurance: 30]

[Spirit: 30]

[Castle Level: Lv6]

[Summoning Altar: Lv1]

[Initial Units: Undead (Including but not limited to Skeletal Warriors, Undead Zombies, Death Knights, Liches...)]

[Skills: Necromantic Summoning, Parasitism, Contamination, Enslavement]

Necromantic Summoning: Summons a Skeletal Warrior from a target corpse. (The Skeletal Warrior's level matches the deceased's level before death.)

Parasitism: Curses a target, inflicting continuous damage. If the target dies from this skill, their corpse automatically transforms into a Zombie under the caster's control.

Contamination: Casts dark water over an area, inflicting continuous corrosive damage to those who enter. If a target dies within the dark water, their corpse automatically transforms into a Skeletal Warrior under the caster's control.

Enslavement: Targets a single individual, forcing them into a state of mental chaos. While in this state, the caster can control the target's actions.

[Equipment: None]

Her stats were decent, but not her primary focus. As the lord, Alex wasn't expected to be on the front lines. Combat was her Skeleton Dragons' domain. Of course, if any lord-on-lord fisticuffs broke out, Alex was more than happy to throw down.

What Alex *really* cared about was her Mana Points. Sadly, the regeneration rate hadn't improved, but at least the total had increased to 120.

"Maybe when I hit Level 10, the regeneration rate will get a boost," she mused hopefully.

After reviewing her stats and those of her Skeleton Dragons, Alex turned her attention to the rest of her spoils.

"1320 Magic Crystals, 18 Red Crystals, and one Black Iron Chest!" she exclaimed. Plus, a mountain of Giant Crab Spider corpses still waiting to be harvested. 1320 Magic Crystals! Combined with the 185 she already had, that brought her total to a whopping 1505! Only 18 Red Crystals, but enough to upgrade her Necromantic Altar! And then there was the mysterious chest...

With a flick of her wrist, a plain, black, iron chest materialized before her. It wasn't exactly flashy.

"A Black Iron Chest? A little underwhelming, don't you think?" she muttered.

Despite its unassuming appearance, Alex was buzzing with anticipation. Opening loot boxes was always a thrill!

[Respected Lord, do you wish to open the Black Iron Chest x1?]

[Yes] or [No]

This time, Alex resisted the urge to rip it open immediately. Instead, she headed back to her castle, went up to the third floor, and drew herself a nice hot bath in her master bedroom's en-suite. Gotta cleanse before the bless!

After her bath, Alex returned to the chest, grabbed a piece of wood, and summoned Arthur.

"Dragon Flame!" she commanded.

*Whoosh!* The wood ignited instantly. With a solemn expression, Alex planted the burning wood in the ground. Gotta burn some incense for good luck!

Having completed the ritualistic pre-opening ceremony, Alex reverently reached out and opened the chest.

"Please be something good!" she whispered.

*Ching!* A blinding light erupted from the chest.

[Respected Lord, congratulations on opening a Black Iron Chest! You have obtained an Equipment Forge Construction Blueprint x1 and a Rank 1 Dragon Sparrow Saber Crafting Blueprint x1!]

"Holy moly!" Alex's eyes widened in disbelief. What a haul! An Equipment Forge blueprint *and* a weapon crafting blueprint?

"Looks like I'm about to become an arms dealer!" she thought excitedly. Well, in pre-Eldoria days, it would have been called a "weapons dealer," but in this world, weapons were basically military-grade.

Alex was ecstatic. "Just when I was wondering what to do after the cooked meat business dries up, this falls right into my lap!" She couldn't believe her luck. Billions of other lords were still running around bare-bones, equipment-less. Even *she* didn't have any gear yet. The equipment market was a wide-open ocean of opportunity, brimming with potential profits! She could already tell it would be even more lucrative than the cooked meat market. The thought alone made her giddy.

"Let's do this!"

She pulled out the blueprints.

[Equipment Forge Construction Blueprint]

[Required Materials: 10,000 units of Wood, 10,000 units of Stone, 1000 Magic Crystals, 10 Red Crystals]

"Are you kidding me?!" That was a steep price to pay. Not only did it require a mountain of wood and stone, but also a hefty chunk of precious Magic and Red Crystals. Upgrading her castle to Level 6 hadn't even cost that much wood!

Grumbling aside, Alex made up her mind. She was building it. The strategic and practical value of an Equipment Forge was too significant to ignore. Besides, she had the resources. Her first batch of processed orders had netted her nearly 200,000 units of wood. She had enough Magic Crystals, and even after using 10 Red Crystals, she'd still have enough to upgrade her Necromantic Altar. And let's be real, the game had practically gift-wrapped the first weapon blueprint for her. It was a sign!

[Respected Lord, do you wish to consume the Equipment Forge Construction Blueprint x1 to build an Equipment Forge?]

[Yes] or [No]

"Yes!"

[Respected Lord, please select a location...]

Alex surveyed her territory and chose a spot southeast of her castle.

*Swish!* A golden light flashed, and a two-door shop materialized before her eyes.

[Respected Lord, congratulations! Construction complete!]

[Resources consumed: 10,000 units of Wood, 10,000 units of Stone, 1000 Magic Crystals, 10 Red Crystals]