Chapter 414: Players' Undead Minion (End)
Seeing the faint expressions of hesitation on several Players ahead of him, Singo couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
Good thing I came prepared.
He patted the bulging pouch at his side—packed with over a thousand gold coins. As a Dragon Blood Viscount with dividends from a major military-industrial conglomerate, such wealth was nothing out of reach.
Among the group of dozens, a few had to leave dejectedly due to empty pockets, which dramatically accelerated Singo’s turn in line.
The 【Undead Knight】 at the front grumbled reluctantly as he handed over his coins, then shouldered his Corpse Sack and strode briskly into the 【Undead Research Institute】.
Maxi pocketed the gold coins and gave a polite nod to the Players waiting outside.
“Please don’t rush. Kindly wait here.”
“No need to worry—Orestes, the supervisor, is highly efficient.”
Not long after, the 【Undead Knight】 emerged, grinning from ear to ear, holding a freshly signed 【Undead Minion Rental Contract】. Whistling a cheerful tune, he summoned forth a stunning, long-haired ghostly maiden amid the envious glances of the onlookers.
“Dude, that was fast!”
“This Undead Minion’s actually kinda hot.”
“Wait, what?!”
“I’m so jealous—I never thought I could summon a wife!”
“Cut it out, you animal!”
“It’s a battle companion, not a romantic interest!”
Next up was the famed Necromancer Player 【City in the Rain】, who promptly paid his gold coins and hurried into the research facility.
Within minutes, the transformation was complete.
“Hmph.”
“Let me show you something.”
City in the Rain adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses with a light touch, tipped his hat with a smirk, and stepped out of the institute.
Behind him marched three imposing, uniquely styled Undead Skeletons—his famed “Three Home Guardians,” each hailing from one of the three major Clans of the Northern Regions.
One wielded a Sword, another raised a Long Spear, the third swung a massive warhammer.
These were no ordinary skeletons—each had been exhumed from ancient coffins, meticulously selected from legendary warriors and Paladins in life. Even in undeath, they carried a Challenge Rating of Gundam Sixth Level—equivalent to three Minor Bosses combined.
With the Necromancer’s buffs amplifying their power, their combat potential skyrocketed.
The surrounding Players were visibly envious.
“When’s my turn?”
“Man, that’s cool.”
“I want an Undead Minion too!”
“I’ve decided—starting today, I’m switching careers to Summoning!”
Singo watched City in the Rain walk away, his expression serious.
“That lineup’s way too strong for this patch. He’s definitely a high-value opponent.”
A few more Players entered in succession.
“Oh no…”
“Who’s still not in line yet?”
Langli BaiTiao soon appeared, dragging a line of Bosk ancestors’ Undead Skeletons, clutching his rental pact like a trophy as he strutted past.
“Three summonings a day, and you’re using them just to flex?” Singo shook his head, amused.
But now it was finally his turn.
Without hesitation, Singo handed five gold coins to Maxi at the door. Accepting the transaction with a friendly smile, Singo dragged his half-giant corpse, still buzzing with flies, into the research institute.
“This is the Undead Research Institute?”
“Not quite what I expected.”
In Singo’s mind, it should’ve been a desolate graveyard, thick with cobwebs and decayed bones. Instead, it looked like a proper research facility.
Neat rows of electric lamps, clean, well-maintained corridors, clearly marked directional signs—all of it screamed professionalism.
Even the bloodstains left by his dragging corpse were automatically erased by cleaning spells embedded in the walls.
Singo’s gaze lingered on the heavy iron door at the end of the corridor, its skeleton emblem glowing faintly in the dim light. Only then did he begin to feel the true weight of Death.
Then let me experience what they call the “Eternal Soul Chanting.”
He placed his hand on the skeleton’s shoulder. The iron door creaked open slowly.
“Orestes, I’ve come to transform an Undead.”
“Enter.”
The voice was low and gravelly—yet Singo detected something beneath it.
A deep, bone-weary exhaustion.
Like a corporate drone after a sleepless week—half-dead, barely alive.
Had he misheard?
This was a Lich—the Undead Sovereign, the master of endless secrets, a cruel and cunning immortal.
Singo looked up, his eyes drawn to the nameplate above the figure.
【Soul Cantor – Orestes】
Faction Power: Empire of Ashen
Affiliation: Undead Research Institute
Challenge Rating: ????
There sat the Lich—perched casually on a plain wooden desk, draped in tattered robes, his soul flames dim and flickering in his eye sockets. The Bone Staff of Milcor on the nearby shelf, however, radiated an unnerving aura.
His skeletal fingers clutched a bone quill, scribbling endlessly on a stack of documents.
Singo struggled to describe the feeling.
It was as if he were witnessing a Lich who’d been reduced to a laborer—no aura, no dignity, just a sense of sheer, unrelenting apathy.
Orestes paused, then snapped impatiently.
“Still waiting? Get on with it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Singo pushed aside his thoughts and stepped forward, opening the shop’s Character Sheet.
【Wight Rental Shop】
Base Price:
- Skeleton: 5 gold coins, 350 Experience Points (XP)
- Mummy: 5 gold coins, 350 Experience Points (XP)
- Wandering Spirits: 20 gold coins, 950 Experience Points (XP)
- Zombie Lord: 100 gold coins, 1550 Experience Points (XP)
- Bound Spirit: 100 gold coins, 1550 Experience Points (XP)
- Undead Skeleton: 100 gold coins, 1550 Experience Points (XP)
- Death Knight: 12,500 gold coins, 75,000 Experience Points (XP)
- Lich: ????, Conditions Unknown
[Please present the item you wish to transform.]
The higher-tier options—Death Knight, Lich—were clearly not for current Players. Singo skipped past them. Since he had brought a full, intact corpse, the best choice was the 【Zombie Lord】, capable of turning slain creatures into undead.
“Orestes, I’d like to transform a Zombie Lord.”
He untied the heavy corpse sack, revealing the bloated, rotting remains of a half-giant.
The Lich glanced at it, then muttered flatly:
“Half-giant professional. Requires additional payment.”
A new transaction window popped up.
[Soul Cantor – Orestes is proposing a new deal.]
【Half-Giant Corpse Leader: 800 gold coins, 5,500 Experience Points (XP)】
[Accept? Yes / No]
“This…”
Even Singo felt a pang of pain in his wallet.
Those gold coins and experience points amounted to nearly all his savings over the past few months. Even he hesitated.
“Hurry up,” Orestes snapped.
But the lure of power proved too strong. With a grimace, Singo confirmed the transaction on his Character Sheet and handed over his bulging pouch.
“Sir, please perform the transformation.”
“Fine.”
Orestes lifted the Bone Staff of Milcor, waving it with practiced precision over the swollen, stinking corpse.
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the corridor.
Gray mist of negative energy surged from the staff, wrapping around the corpse. The dark eyes flared with an eerie light. Then, with a groan, the corpse rose—three meters tall, its flesh a mess of decay, yet still bearing the remnant strength of its former form.
【Half-Giant Corpse Leader】
Challenge Rating: 7 (3,100 experience points)
Orestes pulled a blank scroll from a drawer, scribbled a few lines, then tossed it onto the table before Singo.
“Done.”
“For the Empire of Ashen.”
He spoke the classic phrase—yet it sounded oddly unnatural coming from a Lich.
“For the Empire of Ashen,” Singo echoed, striking his chest with his right hand in response.
Inside, he couldn’t help but think: A Lich loyal to the Empire… that’s strange.
But soon, his attention returned to his newly transformed Zombie Lord, a wide grin spreading across his face.
“Perfect! A true Boss-class companion!”
With the scroll in hand, Singo departed. The half-giant Zombie Lord remained under the control of the 【Undead Research Institute】.
After all, Players only rented—they didn’t own. The true ownership belonged to the Empire’s official authority… or more accurately, to the Emperor himself. Or, as he preferred to think: to this dragon.
“How much longer will this go on?” Orestes sighed, watching the heavy door close behind Singo.
Transforming the undead—what a tedious job.
Yet, every time he transformed one of these “Stellarfallen,” a pure, spiritual energy surged into his body, replenishing his Fate Chest. It was the only thing keeping him from collapsing into true oblivion.
Maybe… this was the path to true immortality.
“Tch.”
“Thanks to my Master.”
The exhausted Lich muttered, his voice fading. But outside, the sound of footsteps echoed again—another Player approaching for transformation.
By now, the queue outside the 【Undead Research Institute】 stretched into the hundreds of thousands.
Unbeknownst to Orestes, Kai Xiusu had imposed a 90% tax on all experience points earned by the Lich—strictly to suppress his power.
Word quickly spread across the forums. The sight of boss-tier companions sent waves of envy through the Player community.
And so, the Empire erupted into a booming frenzy—the so-called “Corpse Scramble,” dubbed the “Great Excavation Movement.”
Over a hundred thousand Players scoured the Empire, digging up graves, scouring ruins, even unearthing fallen enemies from battlefields. Indigenous inhabitants stared in disbelief.
A high-tier Warrior’s skeleton could fetch hundreds of gold coins on the black market. Desperate souls even dug up their ancestors’ graves to sell to Players.
Meanwhile, specialized industries flourished—Coffin Crafting, Corpse Preservation—giving rise to several “Emerging Enterprises.”
Whispers spread across the land: “The Stellarfallen love old bones.”
“They prefer skeletons with age.”
“They’re always hungry for the ancient.”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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