Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 2: Undead Lord

**WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT**

**Welcome, players, to the Universal Lords game!**

**Universal Lords is a hyper-realistic game developed by the gods themselves, combining management, strategy, and warfare.**

**In Universal Lords, every player is a lord, with their own territory and castle.**

**Every lord will receive the loyalty of a troop type at the beginning of the game.**

**The specific initial troop type will be randomly drawn by each lord.**

**The main goal of the game, in this boundless continent teeming with myriad races, is for each player, as a lord, to embark on the path of conquering the world.**

**In Universal Lords, as long as you are smart enough and strong enough, you will have everything!**

**Even becoming a god is no longer a pipe dream!**

...

Alex slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an old castle. She was standing right in front of it. "Castle" might be a bit of an overstatement; "tiny castle" would be more accurate. The castle before Alex wasn't big at all. It covered an area of a little over a hundred square meters, about the size of a small villa. Moreover, the castle walls were mottled and worn, looking like they were about to collapse. It made Alex seriously wonder if the whole thing would just crumble overnight.

As Alex was mentally roasting her miniature fortress, a translucent screen, looking surprisingly high-tech, popped up in front of her.

**[Respected Lord, would you like to draw your initial troop type?]**

**[Yes]** or **[No]**

*Initial troop type?!* Alex instinctively looked at the [Yes] option.

Immediately afterward:

**[Drawing initial troop type, please wait...]**

Staring at the screen, Alex suddenly had second thoughts. "Darn it! I should've played it safe and learned more about the game first!" But, as they say, there's no use crying over spilled milk.

In the blink of an eye, the initial troop type draw was complete:

**[Respected Lord, congratulations! Your initial troop type is Death Knight...]**

**[Beep—!]**

**[Detected that the Lord is exceptionally handsome and possesses the bloodline of an ancient god...]**

**[Initial troop type undergoing optimization and upgrade...]**

**[Ding—!]**

**[Respected Lord, congratulations!]**

**[You have obtained the Undying Legion's oath of loyalty!]**

**[Oath of Loyalty: Other lords will no longer be able to gain the service of the Undying Legion.]**

**[You will also receive the "Lich King" inheritance!]**

*Huh?* Alex was genuinely bewildered by the barrage of messages. "I know I'm good-looking, but what's this about an ancient god's bloodline?" she thought. "My initial troop type went from Death Knight to the entire Undying Legion? That's an upgrade from a single unit to an entire race! And now only I can command the Undying Legion? And what's the deal with this Lich King inheritance?"

Although Alex didn't quite understand what was happening, her gut told her it wasn't a bad thing.

Suddenly, a purplish-black light descended from the sky and landed on Alex.

**[Lich King inheritance acceptance in progress...]**

The message on the screen reassured her. As Alex relaxed, the purplish-black light gradually seeped into her body. In a short while, it had completely vanished within her. Outwardly, Alex looked the same, but...

She slowly clenched her fists, feeling a surge of power coursing through her. "I could punch the lights out of the world heavyweight champion right now!" Clearly, Alex's physical strength had been significantly enhanced. With her current strength, she was basically Earth's ultimate fighting machine.

She opened her personal information panel:

**[Lord: Alex]**

**[Race: Human (Lich King Inheritance)]**

**[Life Tier: King]**

**[Level: Lv1]**

**[HP: ∞ (Undying Legion trait: Soul fire inextinguishable, thus immortal)]**

**[MP: 20 (Recovery rate: 1 point per minute)]**

**[Strength: 5 (Normal creatures start at 1)]**

**[Endurance: 5 (Normal creatures start at 1)]**

**[Spirit: 5 (Normal creatures start at 1)]**

**[Castle Level: Lv1]**

**[Undead Altar Level: Lv1]**

**[Initial Troop: Undying Legion (including but not limited to Undead Skeletons, Undead Zombies, Death Knights, Liches...) (Unique)]**

**[Skills: Undead Summoning, Parasite, Contamination, Enslave]**

* **Undead Summoning:** Summons an Undead Skeleton from a target corpse. (The Undead Skeleton's level is the same as the deceased's level before death.)

* **Parasite:** Inflicts a curse on the target, causing continuous damage. If the target dies from this skill, the corpse will automatically transform into a zombie under the caster's control.

* **Contamination:** Casts dark water over an area, causing continuous corrosive damage to targets within. If a target dies within the dark water, the corpse will automatically transform into an Undead Skeleton under the caster's control.

* **Enslave:** Targets a single individual, forcing them into a state of soul chaos. While in this state, the caster can control the target's actions.

**[Equipment: None]**

...

After closing her personal information panel, Alex noticed a ten-meter diameter altar next to the castle. In the center of the altar stood a towering throne! And on that throne sat a tall humanoid figure. The figure wore imposing armor, a menacing helmet, and gripped a broad, heavy sword in both hands—a picture of pure badassery. They looked like a world-conquering overlord.

"I guess this is the so-called Undead Altar," Alex murmured. As she spoke, a screen popped up from the altar.

**[Undead Altar (Unique Building)]**

**[Level: Lv1]**

**[One summon can be performed daily]**

**[Current summonable troop types (choose one): 1. Ten Undead Skeletons; 2. Ten Undead Zombies; 3. Two Liches; 4. Two Death Knights; 5. One Skeletal Dragon; 6. One Zombie Titan.]**

**[Upgrade Requirements: 100 Magic Stones, 5 Red Crystals]**

*"Undead Altar! Unique Building!"* Anyone who'd played a game before knew that the word "unique" meant rare and powerful. "I can actually *choose* my troops!" According to the information, Alex could choose what to summon each day. Currently, there were six options.

"Six options, not bad! Judging by the summon quantities, the Skeletal Dragon and Zombie Titan are the strongest, followed by the Death Knights and Liches. Undead Skeletons and Zombies are the weakest."

Alex thought for a moment but didn't rush to summon anything. "Better get a handle on the situation first," she decided. With that, she turned and entered her castle.

As soon as she stepped inside, another screen appeared.

**[Respected Lord, welcome home!]**

**[Your castle is currently under beginner's protection.]**

**[During the beginner's protection period, your castle is invincible. No creature, not even a god, can breach it.]**

**[Please note, Lord, your beginner's protection period has 6 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes, and 18 seconds remaining...]**

**[After the beginner's period, your castle's invincibility will be lifted, and other native forces or other lords can attack your castle.]**

**[Furthermore, after the beginner's period ends, your castle will face the first wave of the beast horde.]**

**[Please take this seriously, Lord. If your castle is destroyed by the beast horde, you will lose your foothold in the Endless Continent.]**

**[And a lord who loses their castle and foothold will be—obliterated!]**

Reading the message, Alex felt a sudden sense of urgency. "Only seven days of beginner's protection! And then a beast horde... If I can't defend against it, I'm dead!" Alex wasn't ready to die. Nobody is!

"Seven days..." Her gaze hardened. "I have to develop my strength within these seven days! And my advantages are..." she thought, "the troops summoned from the Undead Altar, and... my own skills!"

After receiving the Lich King inheritance, Alex had gained four skills, three of which could create undead! "If I use them well, my army will only grow stronger!"

With her mind made up, Alex left the castle and returned to the Undead Altar.

**[Undead Altar (Summon Available)]**

**[Summon the Undying Legion?]**

**[Yes]** or **[No]**

"Yes!" Alex chose without hesitation.

**[Please select the troop type for this summon:]**

**[1. Ten Undead Skeletons]**

**[2. Ten Undead Zombies]**

**[3. Two Liches]**

**[4. Two Death Knights]**

**[5. One Skeletal Dragon]**

**[6. One Zombie Titan]**

"Time is of the essence. I'm going with the strongest!" "I choose—5! A Skeletal Dragon!"

As Alex made her choice, a purplish-black light erupted from the Undead Altar, looking eerily like some sort of evil ritual.

...

In an instant, a five-meter-tall figure appeared on the altar. It was a dragon-shaped... creature?... made entirely of bones, without a shred of flesh. Alex wasn't even sure if it qualified as a living being.

The Skeletal Dragon planted its massive bone feet on the altar, spread its bony wings, extended its neck, and roared towards the sky:

"ROAR!"

Along with the roar, a stream of blazing fire erupted from the Skeletal Dragon's mouth! Having expressed its excitement, the Skeletal Dragon lowered its head. Two soul fires ignited in its empty eye sockets as it looked respectfully at Alex.

"My respected master, your loyal servant greets you."

Thanks to the Undying Legion's oath of loyalty, Alex was the absolute, unquestionable master in the Skeletal Dragon's eyes. And finally, Alex could see the Skeletal Dragon's information panel.

**[Skeletal Dragon (Unnamed)]**

**[Race: Undead]**

**[Loyalty: 100 (Will never betray)]**

**[Life Tier: God]**

**[Level: Lv1]**

**[HP: ∞ (Undying Legion trait: Soul fire inextinguishable, thus immortal)]**

**[MP: 20 (Recovery rate: 1 point per 50 seconds)]**

**[Strength: 6]**

**[Endurance: 6]**

**[Spirit: 6]**

**[Skill: Dragon Flame]**

* **Dragon Flame:** Spews scorching flames to incinerate enemies!

**[Equipment: None]**

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