The Forest of Echoes was silent.
The last goblin corpse hit the forest floor with a lifeless thud, its body twitching as residual mana sparked through the air. Alexander exhaled sharply, his breath misting in the cool, humid air of the forest. Around him, dozens of undead stood motionless—skeletons in jagged bone armor, spectral wraiths floating silently, and a towering abomination stitched together from the flesh of fallen orcs.
The battlefield was his now. His victory was absolute.
And at its center stood the ruins.
The fog had begun to part, revealing ancient, vine-covered structures—half-submerged stone towers, a shattered obsidian wall, and a collapsed temple etched in runes older than the continent itself. In the heart of this decay stood a raised platform, its shape eerily symmetrical, black stone cracked but pulsing with faint crimson light.
The Undead Necro Dark Altar.
It called to him.
Alexander approached it, the altar whispering in forgotten tongues as if it recognized him. His steps slowed. His skeletons instinctively formed a circle around him, weapons raised in ceremonial salute. The Specter hovered behind him, phasing in and out of visibility, a silent guardian in the dark.
Alexander extended his hand toward the altar.
The moment his fingers touched the obsidian surface, a surge of mana erupted into the air. Ghostly images flared in his mind—armies of the dead marching beneath a blood moon, a throne of bone atop mountains of ash, and a single crown hovering above it all, pulsing with boundless power.
> [System Notice]
You have claimed the Undead Necro Dark Altar.
A Core of Necrotic Power has been awakened.
This location is now bound to you, Monarch of the Undead.
You may now begin constructing your Undead Infrastructure.
Alexander blinked. "Finally."
---
He spent the next several hours stabilizing the area. His skeletons dragged corpses into organized piles for later use. Using Raise Undead III, he increased his skeleton army significantly—some now wore crude orc armor, and others wielded scavenged goblin weapons. His mana regeneration had improved thanks to the ring he'd earned from the dungeon boss, and now, the Undead Necro Dark Altar served as a beacon, amplifying his necrotic spells within a 500-meter radius.
At the edge of the ruins, he found an ancient library half-collapsed under rubble. Dozens of crumbling tomes and scrolls were fused into the stone by time and decay. He would need time to sift through it—but the knowledge might contain blueprints, rituals, and forbidden arts. For now, he sealed the library with skeletal guards.
---
By nightfall, Alexander had organized his forces into proper squads:
Combat Units led by reinforced skeletons, each group of 10 following simple but effective tactics.
Harvest Units made from undead goblins, quick and nimble, tasked with gathering materials and dragging bodies to the altar.
Wraith Patrols, composed of spectral entities that drifted through the forest perimeter, scouting for intruders or prey.
He wasn't building a camp. He was building a kingdom.
---
> [System Alert: Evolution System — Territory Control Unlocked]
Your control over a strategic location has activated passive growth features.
Undead regeneration near the altar is increased by 100%.
Resurrection cost near the altar is reduced by 30%.
Skeletons and undead within this domain gain +1 Strength and +1 Endurance.
You are now recognized as the Lord of the Ruined Fortress (Unawakened).
Alexander narrowed his eyes at the last part. "Unawakened? So this place can evolve too?"
It made sense. Like him, the ruins had potential. They weren't just broken stone—they were the bones of something once powerful.
He would rebuild it. Better. Stronger. Darker.
---
As the undead labored silently in the night, Alexander stood on the raised platform of the altar, watching the moonlight bounce off bones and steel. He clenched his hand, and mana flowed easily through his body—more than ever before. The Monarch of the Undead passive had once again boosted his mana cap by 50% after the last level up.
And now, he could feel something new.
Power gathering.
He opened his status screen.
> [Necromancer Active Ability Unlocked]
Undead Harvest – You gain 25% of the XP from kills made by your undead minions.
Passive and automatic. No cost.
A smile crept onto his face.
With his undead army growing, and now granting him experience for every kill they made, he didn't need to throw himself into every battle anymore. He could grow passively. Strategically.
He had the tools. He had the territory.
Now, he needed time.
---
Far beyond the ruins, in the rotting core of a different world, something stirred.
The Chaos Void had taken notice.
Inside a cavern made of flesh and bone, Hive Queen Xal'thireth lifted her head, her six eyes narrowing as she turned toward the stars.
Her voice echoed across her brood telepathically.
> "A Monarch has risen in the western shadows of ArkNill. A new necromancer dares to claim the dead. Send the Scourged Seeds. Let us see if he is worthy of survival."
---
Back in the ruins, Alexander sat on a jagged throne of stone within the half-repaired hall of the fortress. His Specter stood silently behind him, whispering unintelligible warnings from the other side of the veil.
Marentina's name flickered across his mind, though he didn't yet know why.
Something was coming.
Something terrible.
But he would be ready.
The Undead Nation had begun.
---
[End of Chapter 8]
Word Count: ~1,055 words