"I suppose Noctari is the name of my mutated race."
"But 10 creatures really is too few, considering this is the daily limit. I need to hurry and raise the level of the initial building as quickly as possible."
When Agnus looked at the Shadow Haven again, he noticed an information panel.
[Shadow Haven possesses enormous energy value and is currently overflowing.]
[Would you like to create shadow creatures of the Noctari race?]
[Yes][No]
"Yes."
"Immediately begin creating my creatures."
Agnus said without hesitation.
Right now, danger lurked beyond the forest. Although he was safe inside the barrier, it would only last for 7 days. With an army, he could survive in this forest.
[Ding, energy value is being consumed...]
...
Soon after, Agnus saw particles gathering from all over the several-square-meter area of the Shadow Haven toward the center of the small altar.
Then came a strange collapsing sound.
In Agnus's field of view appeared 10 formless, chaotic yet slowly writhing shadows.
They stood at the summoning point inside the altar, not moving, just twisting randomly.
Agnus wouldn't have been able to distinguish them from ordinary shadows if they weren't writhing so obviously.
Focusing his gaze, a system interface with information appeared before him.
[Shadow Creatures – Noctari (mutated variant).]
[Shadow Creatures originally born for observation; after coming into contact with the blood of a Lord, they underwent mutation and unlocked their potential.]
[Growth Stage: None (Order 0, Level 0)]
[Traits: Noctari – a race without a physical shell, and therefore incapable of any meaningful interaction with other beings or objects. Creatures of the same Order are unable to detect the presence of Noctari.]
[Abilities: Shadow Immersion, Shadow Devourment (gained through mutation).]
[Loyalty: 100 (Unyielding loyalty.)]
[P.S.: Noctari is a race without intelligence or any semblance of will.]
[P.P.S.: On the continent of Radis, creature development is divided into 9 Orders, each Order containing 10 Levels. Orders (1–3) represent the beginner level of power across the continent. Orders (4–6) are the mid-tier level of power and serve as a guarantee of a certain degree of safety across most of the continent.]
[Orders (7–8) represent the high level of power; beings at this level hold authority in any corner of the continent, and most serious matters are decided by creatures of this tier.]
[Order 9 is the closest to the divine and is therefore classified separately. Beings at this level of power are called demigods and can shape the fate of entire races at will!]
"Growth Stage: None… Doesn't that mean Noctari have no potential for development?"
The Growth Stage literally represented a creature's potential and its possible future achievements. Its absence literally indicated impossibility of growth.
Agnus also noticed that Noctari were non-material, and therefore possessed no combat power.
"Looks like I've got some small problems…"
Agnus whispered.
"And what use is being undetectable to creatures of the same Order if Noctari can't even develop to Order 1?"
"There's absolutely no sense in this. A mutated unique type of troops can't be this restricted, right?"
Agnus focused on the abilities, deciding they must be the deciding factor.
[Shadow Immersion: Noctari submerges into the shadow of a creature or special object. After immersion, Noctari merges with the shadow, making its detection extremely difficult.]
[Shadow Devourment (gained through mutation): Noctari devours the corpse of a recently deceased creature, assumes its form by covering itself with the shadow of that creature, and thereby borrows all of its attributes.]
"[Shadow Immersion] is the innate ability of Noctari, and apparently that's where the uniqueness of this troop type lies."
"This ability can be useful in various situations, but without the mutation, I clearly wouldn't have remained a Lord status after the 7-day protection period."
Agnus relaxed a little. [Shadow Devourment] looked promising.
Even if this ability had some limitations, it was his only way to survive.
Although Agnus had no other alternative, if this worked, there might still be another path.
Troops summoned by Lords had two paths of development: they could kill other creatures and monsters to raise their level.
This was the fastest path, though it still required time, effort, and carried certain risks. Strong troops would definitely choose this route to quickly surge ahead.
The second path was slower, but it was compensated by its safety and stability.
If troops summoned by a Lord gathered inside the initial building, they could — albeit slowly — gain experience and gradually level up.
This path should be chosen by Lords whose summoned troops are weak, not intended for combat at all, or when combat is not their main specialization.
"Alright, I expected something wouldn't work, but there was still a bit of hope."
Agnus watched as the Noctari covered the floor of the altar in black, yet no notification about gaining experience appeared.
"If it weren't for the mutation, this would have been really unpleasant."
Since Noctari were non-material by nature and [Shadow Devourment] required a corpse to activate, he would have to do some work.
"Didn't think I'd have to start killing so soon."
Agnus smiled.
It wasn't his first time — after all, this was his specialization.
"What's this?"
While Agnus was thinking, a red exclamation mark appeared in the bottom-right corner of his field of view, practically begging to be clicked.
However, after a few attempts, it became clear that simply focusing on it was enough for the system functions to appear before Agnus.
[Lord Information], [World Chat], [Friends Information], and [Spatial Trade Channel].
Agnus naturally turned his attention first to the status function.
He was curious to see the system's evaluation.
[Castle Lord: Agnus Morvayne.]
[Castle Level: Basic Castle.]
[Titles: Creator of Noctari.]
[Lord Abilities: None.]
[Strength: Order 0, Level 10.]
[Initial Military Building: Shadow Haven (Unique).]
[Buildings: Warehouse.]
[Energy Stones: None.]
[Strange Crystals: None.]
[Equipment: None.]
...
All the information appeared in Agnus's field of view.
"Peak of Order 1?"
"Interesting, so this practically means that the peak combat power of an ordinary human is equal to the peak of Order 0."
"Considering that I am equal to the peak of Order 0, then those old monsters could very well reach even Order 2..."
Agnus wasn't sure how large the gap between individual levels within Order 1 actually was, but he felt that he was probably right.
This led him to the thought that even if those old men were unlucky with their troop type, they could still very well survive the beast tide after the end of the 7-day protection period.
Focusing on the title, an information panel appeared before Agnus's eyes.
[Creator of Noctari: A title confirming the achievement of creating a new troop type through mutation. The title grants absolute trust from the troops that underwent mutation and increases the Lord's affinity toward Noctari and the shadow element.]