Ash fell like snow.
Caius Veralt knelt on one knee, hand pressed against the charred soil. The air was thick with the scent of sulfur and decay, and above him, crimson clouds churned like blood clots smeared across a gray sky. In the distance, jagged mountains pierced the horizon like broken teeth.
And ahead—looming, ancient, and half-consumed by time—stood a fortress of black stone, its walls cracked, its towers crumbling, but unmistakably alive with mana. From its open gate poured a faint purple mist that slithered across the ruined path toward him.
"[System Status]," Caius muttered, half-curious, half testing.
A screen blinked to life before his eyes.
[Name]: Caius Veralt
[Race]: Human (Sovereign Candidate)
[Faction]: Abyssal Undead
[Lord Class]: Abyssal Lord (Tier 1)
[Trait]: Hundredfold Amplification – All outputs increased by 100x
[Territory]: None Established
[Units]: 0 | [Buildings]: 0 | [Resources]: 0
Quest Activated: Reclaim the Black Spire
– Objective: Enter and Bind the Ruins of the Black Spire
– Reward: Core Territory + 10 Undead Soldiers (Amplified)
He exhaled, slowly standing. His body felt lighter, more agile—enhanced. The System hadn't just summoned him, it had changed him. He was taller by an inch, his muscle tone refined without adding bulk. Years of sluggish student life had been replaced with a soldier's grace.
Yet his mind... that hadn't changed.
He remained the strategist. The analyzer. The man who had memorized ancient military doctrines for fun. And that same mind now assessed his new reality with brutal clarity.
One thousand Lords... That means 999 enemies.
He turned toward the fortress and walked forward. His boots echoed across fractured stone steps as he crossed the threshold.
The mist thickened as he entered the massive foyer. Bone-littered floors. Faded banners bearing the sigil of a black sun. Empty suits of armor slumped against the walls, their helms long broken, their swords rusted into brittle relics.
[Do you wish to bind the Abyssal Core of this Ruined Spire?]
– Warning: Binding will claim this territory as your core domain. Enemies will be alerted.
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
[Binding...]
[100x Trait Engaged: Abyssal Energy Amplified]
[Territory Acquired: Black Spire – Core Stronghold]
[Territory Rank: E (Upgradeable)]
[Structures Unlocked: Crypt of Awakening, Boneforge, Spire Throne]
[Unit Recruitment Unlocked: Undead Soldiers x1000]
Caius blinked. "...One thousand?"
The System confirmed.
[Trait Bonus Applied: 10 Units x 100 = 1,000 Undead Soldiers Available]
So this was the true power of his "cheat."
Not just a head start.
A war machine.
Behind him, echoes rose in the darkness—bones snapping together, armor clinking, the scrape of metal on stone. Skeletons and zombies rose from the crypt's depths, kneeling as one, their hollow sockets glowing with abyssal light.
Caius ascended the black marble stairs to the throne and sat.
His first army knelt before him.
His kingdom—ruined, yet breathing—surrounded him.
And far beyond these cursed lands... were 999 other Lords, each seeking dominion, conquest, and glory.
"Let them come," Caius whispered. "I'll turn their bones into my walls."
Far across the realm, a divine presence stirred.
From a crystalline tower bathed in moonlight, a woman in white armor opened her eyes. Seraphina Dawnblade, Holy Knight and Sovereign Candidate, had sensed the surge of abyssal mana—and smiled.
Elsewhere, in a cave of flame and scale, a dragonkin woman growled with arousal and curiosity, her golden eyes narrowing.
The Abyssal Lord had awakened.
And they would all come to him.
Some to fight.
Some to kneel.
Some... to fall in love.