After sending his goblins to hunt, his gaze turned once more to the hovering black screen.
[ Unused Stats: 20 ]
He studied it for a moment, then made his decision.
Ten points into Intelligence — the heart of his summons.
Seven into Constitution, to strengthen his vessel.
Three into Strength.
When he finished, the panel shimmered, its lines rearranging.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Name : ?
Age : 0
Race : Void Born [God]
Law : Death
Level : 4
Rank : Mortal
Traits : Devourer, Boundless Growth
Attributes :
-Strength : 23
-Constitution : 20
-Dexterity : 20
-Intelligence : 30
Unused Stats : 0
Skill : Ensoulment
---
Time passed. The goblin soldiers returned, dragging two bodies behind them — one Level 4, the other Level 3.
He looked down at them, expressionless.
"Ensoulment"
His voice was low, yet the forest seemed to still.
Black mist poured from his chest, coiling like serpents.
Chains hooked the corpses, then reached upward, seizing the fleeing souls.
They screamed — a shrill, distant sound — before being ripped back into the flesh they once owned.
Moments later, the bodies stirred. Their eyes turned black.
Both knelt before him in silence.
"Kill. Bring more."
They obeyed without question, vanishing into the dark.
---
When they were gone, he began to move.
The forest opened around him — thick roots, heavy branches, the air soaked in damp decay. He ran until the trees thinned, until the sound of water reached his ears.
A river. Narrow, shallow, and clear enough to see the smooth stones below.
On the opposite bank, faint traces of death coiled through the air — not rot, but something purer.
To others, it would have been a stench.
To him, it smelled sweet — nourishment.
He stepped into the current, the water barely reaching his waist. Coolness washed over his skin. He removed the rag tied around his waist and rinsed it clean, then sat for a while — silent, unmoving — before crossing to the far bank.
The sun was beginning to rise, faint orange bleeding through the horizon. The trees here stood sparse and broken. Some had fallen; others leaned, twisted by time.
He took a step forward—
—and something massive swung out of the shadows– fast.
A wooden club, studded with nails, tore through the air.
He twisted aside just in time. The nails grazed his abdomen, drawing a thin line of blood.
He landed lightly, gaze sharpening.
Before him stood a hulking, green-skinned creature with jagged teeth and small, burning eyes.
With a thought, the boy scanned it
[ Race : Orc ]
[ Level : 15 ]
"Not too hard," he murmured, "but still…"
His thoughts reached for his servants — a silent call. The goblins turned, beginning their return.
Before they arrived, another figure emerged from the shadows — another orc, club in hand.
Two now.
Both grinned, crude amusement flashing in their eyes.
They charged.
The first orc swung horizontally, the club whistling through the air. He ducked, the blow shattering a tree behind him. Bark exploded in a shower of splinters.
The second orc lunged to grab him, but he slipped past.
He darted forward, closing the distance, and struck.
His heel smashed into the first orc's knee.
It roared, staggering.
He leaped, landed on its shoulder, and drove his fist down on skull again and again.
Bone cracked. The creature's scream broke into a gurgle — and then silence.
[ Level Up! ]
The system's voice rang through his mind.
Moment later, the goblins arrived — dragging another corpse behind them, a Level 6 Goblin.
One of them had grown stronger. He could feel it.
"Attack," he ordered simply.
All four lunged.
The Level 7 goblin leaped first, blade flashing — a shallow cut across the orc's gut.
Enraged by the audacity of these lesser creatures, the orc swung his club in a blind fury.
The weapon cleaved one goblin in half. Black blood spilled onto the ground –
But even as it fell, the body twitched… and began to mend.
Within seconds, it rose again, whole once more.
The boy watched from atop the fallen orc's corpse, eyes cold and unblinking.
"They'll manage," he murmured — and extended his hand.
"Ensoulment."
Chains of darkness erupted, coiling around the dead orc.
Its soul resisted fiercely this time, writhing against his pull, it's struggle rippling through his body like molten lead. The strain tore through him — but he did not relent.
When the mist settled, the orc knelt, eyes empty, black energy leaking from his skin like smoke.
"Assist them," he commanded.
The undead orc obeyed instantly, lifting its club and charging into the fray.
The forest echoed with battle — shrieks, the crash of bone and steel, the endless rhythm of death and rebirth.
The living orc fought with savage fury, wounds deepening, blood pouring freely.
Then — a flash of movement.
The undead orc's club struck from behind.
A wet crack split the air. The living orc crumpled.
[ Level Up! ]
All goblins leveled up once more. The strongest reaching Level 9.
The boy's gaze flicked to his own notification.
[ Level 4 → Level 8 → Level 10 ]
[ Unused Stats: 60 ]
He allocated them swiftly:
+10 Strength
+10 Dexterity
+10 Constitution
+30 Intelligence
A faint warmth spread through his veins, then vanished — replaced by something cold and vast.
He approached the fallen orc.
The goblins were poking the corpse, while the undead orc waited still, like a statue.
"Ensoulment."
This time the soul barely fought back. The chains dragged it easily into its vessel.
When the mist cleared, another orc kneeled before him — silent, obedient.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Race : Orc [Death Servant]
Level : 15
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"The same command," he said. "Find. Kill and Bring me their corpses."
The goblins scattered into the woods.
The orcs moved in separate directions, each a hulking shadow in the morning light.
Only one Level 5 Goblin corpse remained.
"Ensoulment."
The body twitched, then bent the knee.
"Find the edge of this forest," he commanded.
It rose and vanished between the trees — the first scout of army.