Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Chapter 4: Kill every last chicken here

Alex's dream of instantly raising a million-skeleton army was dashed. The rooster corpse she'd used for **[Undead Summoning]** couldn't be used again. "So, one corpse, one skeleton," she noted in her little notebook. At least, that was the rule for now. She also noticed a detail she'd missed before: **[Undead Summoning]:** Summons an Undead Skeleton from a target corpse. *Cost: 2 MP.*

Alex checked her current MP: **[MP]: 18/20 (1 point per minute)**. One summon cost 2 MP, leaving her with 18 points, enough for 9 more summons. After that, she'd have to wait two minutes for her MP to regenerate.

"So even with enough corpses," she realized, "I can only summon one skeleton every two minutes with **[Undead Summoning]**. At this rate, a million-skeleton army would take... well, let's just say it wasn't happening anytime soon. Her dream of a massive undead horde was on hold, at least for now.

"But," Alex declared with a determined glint in her eye, "one day, I *will* have my instant million-skeleton army!" She had immense faith in her troops and her Lich King inheritance. The Undying Legion would only grow with time. That was undeniable. They were, after all, *undying*. Arthur, Alex herself, and even the freshly summoned level 1 skeleton all had infinite HP. How were they supposed to die? Not only were her troops immortal, but their numbers would increase with every battle. Alex's confidence in her future was unshakeable.

...

**[Killed Level 1 Rooster, gained +1 experience]**

**[Killed Level 1 Rooster, gained +1 experience]**

**[Killed Level 2 Rooster, gained +3 experience, gained +1 Magic Stone]**

**[Killed Level 1 Rooster...]**

...

Meanwhile, Arthur, diligently following Alex's "kill them all" order, was carrying out a genocidal campaign against the roosters. Each kill granted Alex 1 experience point, and occasionally, a Magic Stone. "Magic Stones! Just what I need to upgrade the Undead Altar!"

Alex observed Arthur, who stood tall and imposing, bony wings spread, blasting flames from his massive skull at the fleeing chickens. "Dragon Flame!" The roosters, facing the mighty Skeletal Dragon, could only run. Resistance was futile.

But could they escape? Arthur's Dragon Flame had a range of 50 meters. The roosters were trapped within his fiery domain. Their frantic flight only bought them a few extra seconds of life before they met their crispy end.

"Just needs some cilantro and cumin," Alex mumbled, wiping her mouth. She targeted the nearest rooster corpse. "Undead Summoning!" The black magic circle appeared, a humanoid skeleton emerged, and prostrated itself. "My respected master!"

Alex nodded and immediately cast **[Undead Summoning]** on another corpse. "Undead Summoning!" "Undead Summoning!" "Undead Summoning!"...

Nine more times, gaining nine more skeletons. With the first one, she now had ten.

**[Undead Skeleton] (x10)**

**(Same stats as before)**

Alex reviewed the skeleton's stats and nodded in satisfaction. Then, she issued her first command to her ten prostrate minions. "Go help Arthur. Kill every last chicken here!"

"Yes, master!" The skeletons slowly rose and began their lumbering march towards the scattering roosters. Alex noticed a problem. Undead or not, they were *slow*. They couldn't keep up with the winged, occasionally flapping chickens.

"Good thing Arthur's got this covered." Unlike the slow, stiff skeletons, Arthur was surprisingly agile. He could even duck his head and blast Dragon Flame under his belly at the chickens chasing his tail. Show-off.

"Maybe that's the difference in Life Tier," Alex mused. Arthur was God Tier, while her summoned skeletons were Normal Tier. A huge difference. "Looks like these summoned skeletons are only good for cannon fodder, or maybe manual labor. The troops from the Undead Altar are my main fighting force."

Comparing Arthur and the skeletons, Alex understood their respective roles. Everything had its place. As a lord, she needed to recognize that, to put her troops in positions where they could be most effective.

...

Two minutes later, Alex's MP regenerated, and she summoned another skeleton. The process continued. Arthur as the main damage dealer, the skeletons as a distraction, and Alex as the commander. Working together, they quickly wiped out the entire flock of over a hundred roosters, leaving behind a field of roasted poultry.

Alex then spent the next few hours summoning skeletons from every corpse, gaining five level 3, seventeen level 2, and one hundred twenty-three level 1 skeletons. Her forces had grown exponentially! And there was another pleasant surprise. The rooster corpses could be salvaged!

**[Respected Lord, monster corpses detected within your territory. Decompose and salvage?]**

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

"Yes!" No hesitation there.

**[Decomposition and salvage successful]**

**[Respected Lord, congratulations! You have obtained 145 rooster combs, 321 portions of roasted chicken, and 3 Magic Stones.]**

"Jackpot!" Alex grinned at the sudden influx of resources in her castle's warehouse.

Just then, a chat window popped up.

"Bro, add me! Gotta show you my Golden Retriever King!" The message was from Sophie, Alex's younger sister.

*"Sophie's in the game too? What about my older brother, my other sister, and my parents? Universal Lords... could they all be...?"*