Chapter 18: The Peril Facing the Underworld Palace (Please Support)

[Ding! The Tree-Bound Spirit ritual is complete. The Underworld Ecosystem is officially activated. Current level: 1. A total of 3 Tree-Bound Spirit zones can be established.]

[Underworld Ecosystem Level 1 (Special Skill): Establishes an Underworld Ecosystem exclusive to an Underworld city, used for cultivating special lifeforms capable of living in the Underworld. This system features a unique upgrade method; experience points cannot be used for upgrades. Upgrading requires the establishment of three different types of Tree-Bound Spirit zones (1/3), one of which must reach level 2.]

[Tree-Bound Spirit (Aquatic Grass-Murloc System) Level 1: A symbiotic system of evil aquatic grass and Murlocs located in the water burial zone. Upgrading requires 200 living common Murlocs (0/200), 50 Murlocs transformed into the Underworld state (0/50), 10 Murlocs specialized in Underworld professions (0/10), and a hidden requirement: 1 Murloc must be elevated to Hero rank (0/1).]

Looking at these prompts, Ryuji knew his Underworld Ecosystem would take a long time to complete. Other tasks might be faster—such as planting trees, where Ryuji’s divinity of harvest could accelerate plant growth—but he could not produce Murlocs that quickly. Without a steady influx of Murloc eggs, relying on the twenty existing Murlocs to breed would take at least a year or two just to meet the first requirement.

And that was not all; the most critical point was that he needed three such Tree-Bound Spirit systems, meaning he had to repeat this entire process twice more.

Yet, Ryuji could not afford to neglect it. Ever since he began practicing the "Breath of Nature" meditation technique, he understood that this was a unique path for the Id family, directly tied to the advancement of a Necromancer’s level.

Advancing as a Necromancer was not like playing a typical game where one simply dumped experience points into a bar; experience was meant for improving skill proficiency. A player’s level was tied to their chosen path and their specific profession. Moving from level 1 to level 2 was relatively simple: one only needed to raise the corresponding meditation technique and special skills to level 2. Beyond level 2, specific mission requirements would emerge, making progression increasingly difficult.

Ryuji’s requirement for promotion was to raise one meditation technique to level 2 (any kind would suffice) and to have at least three special skills raised to level 2. For the former, Ryuji had many options, but for the latter, apart from "Master of the Underworld Palace," the "Underworld Ecosystem" was his only other special skill. This meant he would eventually need to learn another special skill, or he would be stuck in a state of agonizing stagnation.

Sighing, Ryuji glanced once more at the preparations in the water-deficient lake. He had already decided that once he left, he would ask the police officers if they could source a large quantity of Murloc eggs. Honestly, relying on only twenty eggs meant that the slightest mishap would force him to start over; while he had the mental stamina, he could not afford the loss of time.

With these thoughts, Ryuji headed toward the mass grave. Ever since the Id family had provided enough flesh and blood, the mass grave had finally undergone its first upgrade.

The mass grave now occupied twice its original area. In the innermost section, several wooden tombstones had appeared. Of course, it was still called a mass grave primarily because the mounds were chaotic; sometimes, weapons or stones were simply used as makeshift headstones.

Standing at the control panel of the mass grave, Ryuji noticed new changes. The interface was now divided into two categories: Combat Troops and Labor Troops.

In the Combat Troops section, in addition to the original Skeleton Soldiers, Gold Skeletons, Skeleton Archers, and Ritual Skeletons, two new units had been added—both converted from zombies: Plague Zombies and Clawed Ghouls.

[Plague Zombie: A zombie beginning to rot, carrying corpse poison and constantly emitting a green plague, functioning like a walking source of pestilence.]

[Clawed Ghoul: A zombie with sharpened hands. They possess decent movement speed, but their greatest strength lies in their pair of claws.]

In the Labor Troops section, besides Skeleton Sailors, Skeleton Goldsmiths, Herb-Gathering Skeletons, and Skeleton Laborers, four new types had appeared: Skeleton Mine Carts, Miner Zombies, Blacksmith Zombies, and Skeleton Farmers.

[Skeleton Mine Cart: Crafted from Bone-Crushing Crawlers and wood, this self-propelled cart can move across the ground and carry 100 kilograms of ore back to the surface per trip.]

[Miner Zombie: A zombie that has mastered mining skills; it lacks self-awareness and only knows how to dig incessantly.]

[Blacksmith Zombie: A zombie that can be assigned to the smithy for menial tasks. They feel no reaction even if burned by fire.]

[Skeleton Farmer: Capable of clearing land, planting seeds, and harvesting; as long as it involves farm work, the Skeleton Farmer can handle it.]

Observing these developments, Ryuji finally understood how the mass grave worked. Bone-Crushing Crawlers, Wandering Skeletons, and Zombies were the foundation, and all other units were developed from these three basic types of undead. This meant there was significant room for experimentation, especially regarding the Bone-Crushing Crawlers, which he had initially overlooked. While they might not be top-tier combat units, perhaps they had value in other areas?

Ryuji felt as though there were so many things he hadn't considered. Just as he was planning to study this further, he heard the sound of a horn blowing from the city walls.

"What's going on? I don't recall my Underworld Palace having a horn."

Filled with doubt, Ryuji flashed to the location where the sound originated. Upon arriving, he noticed it was Mand blowing a horn he had brought with him. Seeing Ryuji appear, Mand did not stop, continuing to blow as Ryuji’s various troops rushed to the walls, taking up combat positions as directed by Mand.

"Lord of the City, the state of your troops is not ideal. The ranged units—those Skeleton Archers—look quite weak. They may shoot far, but they lack any accuracy. I think we need to supplement them with other troops. Additionally, we are lacking fast assault units, and an anti-air unit needs to be established."

Listening to Mand, Ryuji knew his troops were mediocre, but his Underworld Palace had only just begun; was it not normal to lack a substantial army?

"Lord of the City, please ensure you supplement the troops as quickly as possible. I have discovered that your city is currently located in a highly dangerous region."