Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 53: Promoted to Commanding level

Alex turned to watch the chaotic battle between the Hobgoblins and the undead, and only then did Chi-Chi shift her gaze from Alex to the battlefield behind them.

Standing next to Alex, Chi-Chi could catch a whiff of her faint body fragrance and couldn't help but glance at her stunning profile.

It's true what they say, comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable. Miss Alex is not only beautiful but also incredibly powerful.

Alex stood at the edge of the battlefield, watching calmly. Although Chi-Chi was nervous, she tried to appear composed next to Alex. If any reckless Hobgoblin dared to attack Alex, it would be met with a fireball and sent flying.

Alex noticed that most of these Hobgoblins were just standard level, except for the strong, bulky Hobgoblin and a Hobgoblin mage at the center, both at Commanding level.

Alex informally referred to the bulky one as "Big Guy." This Big Guy was quite dumb, lacking any means to attack from the air, making it an easy target for the bone dragons.

The Hobgoblin Mage was somewhat more capable, not only able to shoot fireballs but also able to summon a barrier.

When the barrier hit the ground, it created a shockwave that could shield nearby Hobgoblin allies—a useful support skill.

However, that was about it. It seemed that once the barrier took enough damage, it would shatter, proving ineffective against the undead.

If it weren't for the presence of two Commanding level Hobgoblins among their ranks, and the absence of any Commanding level undead arriving yet, these Hobgoblins would have been wiped out already.

"Go fetch the Ethereal Wraith," Alex instructed the gargoyle that had served as her mount, which immediately flew off. It wasn't that Alex didn't want to call another Commanding level Skeletal Demon; it's just that the creature was too slow. By the time it would arrive, it might well be dawn the next day.

"Miss Alex, that big Hobgoblin seems to be charging towards us!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, noticing the Big Guy breaking through the undead's lines and heading straight for them.

Relying on its Commanding level attributes, the Big Guy bulldozed its way through, scattering the undead blocking its path and resisting the Phantoms' mental attacks with the shield provided by the Hobgoblin Mage, all while advancing through the bone dragons' flames.

"Step aside," Alex said calmly.

"Ah, okay."

Alex gently pushed Chi-Chi back and stepped forward, raising her right hand towards the charging Big Guy.

Do you think it's nighttime? You've messed with the wrong person!

A magic circle appeared on the ground right in front of the Big Guy, perfectly sized to encompass it. Unaware or perhaps undeterred, the Big Guy stepped right into the magic circle.

As soon as its entire body was inside, the ground's fire elements rapidly converged, and a massive pillar of fire shot up, engulfing the Big Guy completely.

Alex's Mana Points visibly decreased at a rapid rate.

Soon, the protective shield the Hobgoblin Mage had provided shattered under the excessive damage, and the Big Guy, engulfed in flames, endured Alex's magic thanks to its own physical resilience and defense.

Only a few hairs on its head were singed—though perhaps not only those.

As the Big Guy stepped out of the magic circle, Alex clenched her fist, and the red magic circle on the ground darkened, losing its brightness. The flames turned into eerie black fire, and the Big Guy screamed in agony, falling to its knees.

The black flames disappeared almost instantly because the Mana Points Alex used were enormously draining; just that brief moment had nearly depleted her reserves.

As the flames dissipated, the Big Guy was left kneeling, screaming in pain, its body still burning with black flames that it couldn't extinguish no matter what it tried.

"So powerful!"

Chi-Chi watched in awe as Alex effortlessly handled the situation with a single skill. The Big Guy, clearly the leader of the Hobgoblins, was brought down by Alex in one move.

"Arthur, finish it off!" Alex called out to Arthur in the sky.

If Arthur made the kill, both he and Alex would gain experience. If Alex did it alone, only she would benefit, which would be a loss.

Besides, the main reason was that Alex was out of mana.

Arthur, hearing Alex's call, unleashed a Nether Dragon Breath. Just as it was about to hit the Hobgoblin Big Guy, Alex withdrew the black flames from its body.

Seeing the black flames disappear, the Big Guy tried to get up and flee, but Arthur's dragon breath arrived too swiftly, freezing it into an ice sculpture and extinguishing its soul instantly.

[Your troops have successfully killed a lv1 Commanding level Hobgoblin Brute, gaining 120 experience points.]

"It'sover," Alex informed Chi-Chi, who finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the distance, the Hobgoblin Mage, seeing how easily the Hobgoblin Brute was dispatched by the white-haired human girl, immediately started its escape.

However, lacking the brute's size and defense, and knowing only a fireball spell and a shield spell, it couldn't break through like the Hobgoblin Brute. Even though it knew magic, there would come a moment when its Mana Points ran out.

Just then, the gargoyle returned, accompanied by a Commanding level Ethereal Wraith.

The efficiency was quite impressive.

The Ethereal Wraith immediately spotted the strongest Hobgoblin Mage below. Seeing the Hobgoblin Mage attempting to flee, the Ethereal Wraith launched its ability, Soul Curse.

A black chain made of soul energy shot towards the Hobgoblin Mage.

Although the mage was intent on escaping, it kept a vigilant watch on its surroundings and saw the attack coming. Without hesitation, it cast a shield spell on itself.

What the Hobgoblin Mage didn't expect was that the black chain was intangible, passing right through its magical barrier and striking it directly. The mage felt as if its soul was being torn apart, a powerful Mind attack that it had no way of anticipating.

The Hobgoblin Mage spat out a mouthful of green blood inside its barrier and then fell to the ground lifeless, the magical barrier dissipating with its death.

So powerful, is this what a Commanding level mind attack looks like? Alex felt a slight shock.

[Your troops have successfully killed a lv1 Hobgoblin mage, gaining 120 experience points.]

It might have been the Hobgoblin mage's frail body that led to its instant defeat by the Ethereal Wraith.

But wait, aren't mages supposed to have strong mental powers?

It turns out that the Hobgoblin mage had already depleted its Mana Points and was overexerting its mental strength to cast spells, which made it particularly vulnerable when the Ethereal Wraith, who specializes in soul attacks, struck.

Chi-Chi watched in awe. The two strongest Hobgoblins were dead just like that? With the Ethereal Wraith joining the fray, the standard Hobgoblins were even less of a challenge, easily obliterated by a single mental attack.

Moreover, Ethereal Wraiths, unlike other undead, are inherently intelligent, making them much easier for Alex to command.

"Remember to leave a few alive!" Alex shouted. The undead understood and began a one-sided slaughter of the Hobgoblins.

Ten minutes later, Alex finally achieved a level up.

[Lord: Alex]

[Strength: lv1 Commanding level (can be increased by killing enemies)]

[Territory Level: lv9 Initial Castle]

[Troops: undead race]

[Equipment: Grim Reaper's Scythe]

[Health Points: 250]

[Mana Points: 120]

[Strength: 65]

[Stamina: 62]

[Agility: 66]

Sweet!

As expected, advancing to Commanding level significantly boosted her attributes, with each increasing by about 15 points. Her health alone had increased by 50 points, and her Mana Points by 20. It was fantastic.

After this enhancement, it seemed that among her undead peers, only Arthur had higher attributes than Alex. This at least proved that Alex's growth potential was high.

She couldn't guarantee she was at a Divine level, but her attributes were currently better than those of a same-level bone dragon, whose growth limit was at the Emperor level.

[Congratulations Lord on reaching lv1 Commanding level, Companion Weapon [Grim Reaper's Scythe] will also advance.]

So this is what a Companion Weapon means? It will advance as Alex levels up.

When Alex was at Standard level, the scythe was at Commanding level. Now that Alex herself is at Commanding level, does that mean the scythe has become King gear?

Dare to dream bigger, when Alex breaks through to Monarch level, does it mean she will directly obtain a Divine gear? Wow, just thinking about it is exciting.

[Companion Weapon: Grim Reaper's Scythe]

[Quality: Monarch level weapon (upgradable)]

[Soul Concentration: 12%]

[Active Skill: Undead Summoning Magic (Tier 3), Dark Magic (Tier 2)]

[Passive Skill1: Attacks include soul strike and withering effects, victims slain by the scythe will be converted into undead.]

[Passive Skill2: The weapon can be enchanted with magic, no chanting or magic circle needed.]

Undead Summoning Magic (Tier 3): Can summon two of the four basic troops each time, with unchanged Mana Points consumption.

Indeed, it has become a Monarch level weapon! Not only have the magic levels been upgraded by one tier, but it also gained an additional passive skill. This Passive Skill essentially cancels the casting delay, no need to foolishly stand still while casting.

Undead Summoning Magic has also advanced to Tier 3, although it's still not very useful. Although the variety of summonable undead has increased, Alex has tested that this magic will always produce two undead.

That means using the scythe's Undead Summoning Magic can only summon the four basic troops, and this highly unstable double summoning currently does not work on anything above Commanding level, making it somewhat useless. It probably needs another upgrade to become useful.

Alex summoned a gargoyle, which is certainly better than two Skeleton Soldiers and a zombie, right? If Alex could describe her current weapon in one word, it would be: powerful! It's just too strong!

At the moment, Alex really wanted to play with her scythe, but with Chi-Chi around, she felt a bit embarrassed.

A master shouldn't casually show their trump cards, huh. They must be revealed at a critical moment to shock everyone!

...

The battle between the undead and the Hobgoblins was nearing its end. Three gargoyles each grabbed a Hobgoblin by the neck, bringing a total of six to Alex.

"Miss Alex, why are you capturing these Hobgoblins?"

Chi-Chi, now seasoned by significant events, wasn't easily shocked anymore and believed more in Alex's strength.

"Don't you want to know what kind of place this is, and what forces and dangers exist here?"

"Wow, Miss Alex truly is my idol Lord, I've never thought about these things!"

Indeed, Chi-Chi's thinking clearly lagged behind that of a Big Shot like Alex.

"Alright, enough with the flattery!" Alex said as she watched the six Hobgoblins being dumped on the ground by the gargoyles. They stood up instead of kneeling or begging for mercy, understanding that they might as well die than submit to the despised human race.

Alex looked at the ugly Hobgoblins in front of her. They were about 2.1 feet tall when they stood up, barely reaching Alex's legs.

How to describe them? From a human aesthetic point of view, they were hideously ugly.

"Despicable and foolish humans, we, the mighty Hobgoblin warriors, will never submit to you, even in death!" one of the Hobgoblins snarled at Alex, baring its yellow teeth.

"Grant its wish!" Alex had no belief in creatures that weren't afraid of death.

A gargoyle behind her promptly grabbed the Hobgoblin's head and crushed it like a watermelon. The warm mix of green and white splashed onto the face of another Hobgoblin next to it, which shuddered in fear.

Even Chi-Chi, standing behind Alex, jumped in fright as if it wasn't the Hobgoblin's head that had been crushed, but her own.

"I ask, you answer. If you cooperate, I'll spare your lives." Alex's voice reached the ears of the remaining five Hobgoblins. The one that had just spoken immediately knelt down.

"I'll talk, I'll talk, respected human warrior, please spare my life!"

"Traitor!" Another Hobgoblin that refused to submit tried to attack the kneeling one but was instantly blown away by a fireball from Alex. Half of its shoulder melted away, and it fell to the ground, wailing in agony.

"My hand! My hand!" The screams of the Hobgoblin terrified the other three, who quickly knelt down before Alex.

So there are those who fear death after all. Alex firmly believed that no intelligent creature truly wishes to die.

"Good. First question, why are you here?" Alex asked.

"The swamp's Goblins were sent by our Hobgoblin kingdom to monitor the Frostwind snowy mountain. Today was the scheduled day to contact the Goblins, but we found their tribe annihilated, so we were sent to investigate."

The kneeling Hobgoblin spoke tremulously. Alex understood the situation and became more interested. It seemed these Hobgoblins suspected that a nearby Lord was responsible, especially since Chi-Chi's castle was close by and had shown signs of conflict with Chi-Chi's troops.

Alex guessed that the Hobgoblins had clashed with Chi-Chi's Red Blood Gorillas. Coincidentally, Arthur and his minions were leveling up nearby and encountered the Hobgoblins, leading to the fight.

It turned out the Goblins were just a watchful eye the Hobgoblin kingdom had placed in the snowy mountain, too weak to stay there and had to hide near the swamp.

"What's on the snowy mountain?" Alex continued her questioning.

"I don't know, I'm just a regular member following orders, that's all I know."

Alex suddenly wondered if the Moon Silver Wolves on the snowy mountain were also there on a mission, similar to the Goblins.

"Do you know what the Moon Silver Wolves on the snowy mountain are up to?"

"I know that. They belong to a branch of the werewolves from the Skyreach Mountains, relatively weak and probably also sent to the snowy mountain on a mission."

The Skyreach Mountains?

Indeed, behind the Moon Silver Wolves was a larger organization of werewolves, using them merely as cannon fodder.

"How does the Skyreach Mountains compare to your Hobgoblin kingdom?"

"Stronger... a bit stronger."

"Hmm?" Alex clearly didn't believe the Hobgoblin's understatement.

"Much stronger, much stronger than our Hobgoblin kingdom!"

Afterward, Alex gathered some basic information about Eldoria continent from the Hobgoblins, though they knew little else.

This world wasn't a single landmass but was divided into seven continents, separated by vast, endless seas that only Divine beings could cross alone.

The continent where Alex was located, known as Eldoria, was so vast that even the Hobgoblins had limited knowledge about it.

According to the Hobgoblins, Eldoria had never been united historically. Although they didn't know about the other six continents, it was likely that Eldoria was the most chaotic of them all.

The most powerful forces on Eldoria included demons, angels, titans, dragons, and slightly less powerful races like humans, elves, orcs, and dwarves.

It was said that the strength of humans wasn't as simple as it appeared; the Holy Court's influence, for example, spanned all seven continents of Eldoria. The dragon race even ruled an entire continent, and there were powerful sea gods in the endless seas.

Of course, these claims were yet to be verified, merely hearsay. For ordinary lords, even leaving Eldoria continent was a significant challenge, let alone understanding the powers of other continents.

Alex and the billions of other Lords were scattered across these seven continents. The native human populations of Eldoria viewed these Lords as extraterrestrial visitors, seeking to exterminate all Lords. Other races also saw the Lords as invaders from another world, harboring great hostility towards them.

Indeed, Alex now had a basic understanding of Eldoria continent. Simply put, this game was a confrontation between all Lords and the native races of Eldoria, where ultimately, perhaps only one side could survive.

The relationships between Lords and the native races of Eldoria were the same; they shared common enemies yet each fought their own battles.

This information was quite a shock to Alex, and even more so for Chi-Chi beside her.