Leo looked at the space where Ironjaw's territory used to be. There was nothing left but dust and the blue-tinted chest sitting on the ground. It was a strange feeling, seeing an entire base vanish just because one person died.
''So this is what happens when a Lord falls,'' Leo said. ''Everything they built just goes with them.''
Malphas stood behind him, his crimson eyes scanning the perimeter. ''A territory is an extension of the Lord's soul, my master. Without the soul, the body of the land cannot hold its form. Only the essence remains.''
Leo turned his attention to the chest.
''Well, let's see what Ironjaw left behind.''
He reached down and opened the lid.
[UNCOMMON TERRITORY CHEST OPENED]
[Summoning Scroll (Uncommon)]
[Fear Residue Crystal (Uncommon) x2]
[RESOURCE BUNDLE: Wood (x200), Stone (x150)]
Leo let out a breath of relief. ''It's a start.''
He examined the crystals. They were heavy, pulsating with a faint, dark light. The system described them as crystallized terror, capable of being refined into Death Essence or used to bolster the intimidating aura of his territory's defenses.
He swept the items into his inventory, watching them dissolve into glowing cubes. The bitter sting of being bankrupt was finally beginning to fade, replaced by the grim satisfaction of a successful conquest.
Back at Leo's territory, the new prisoners were huddled together, clutching their ragged clothes and weeping quietly.
Under Ironjaw, survival had been a nightmare of being bait. They had watched their friends shredded by beasts just to distract a monster long enough for their Lord to strike a killing blow. The memory of those screams was a permanent scar on their minds.
Among them were two professional soldiers who had survived by sheer luck. One spearman leaned toward his companion, his voice trembling. ''What is this place? Look at the workers.''
The swordsman swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the bizarre scene before them. Skeletal undead worked alongside living humans in an eerie, coordinated silence. And standing over them all was a small, green-skinned creature with a wicked grin.
''Why are they taking orders from a goblin?'' the swordsman whispered, his hand twitching toward a nonexistent hilt.
Sensing their stares, the goblin turned, tearing a strip of meat from a bone with his teeth. He looked at the prisoners with the eyes of a debt collector.
''Keke,'' he snarled, his laughter sounding like dry leaves skittering on stone. He looked at them as if they were nothing more than livestock.
The original workers of the territory gave the newcomers pitiful, hollow looks. They didn't speak, but their expressions said everything.
''Looks like we just traded one demon for another,'' the swordsman whispered, his head sinking.
The familiar, deep crimson glow of the Blood-Veined Temple emerged from the trees, greeting Leo as he returned.
In the center of the clearing, the ten human prisoners were huddled together in a tight circle. Vespar remained unseen, but the erratic flickering of the shadows around the group served as a constant reminder that her blade was never more than a few inches away.
As Leo and Malphas entered the light, the prisoners looked up. Leo's face was hidden beneath his hood, and the knight behind him radiated a pressure that made it hard to breathe.
''Please,'' a young man with a bruised face stammered. " We only followed his orders out of fear. He would have fed us to the monsters if we refused to bait them.''
Leo looked down at the desperate survivors. ''I will not promise you a paradise, but if you provide me with diligent labor, you will have a roof over your heads and a full belly. Are you willing to submit to my authority?''
''We are! We submit!'' they cried out in unison, collapsing to the dirt as the weight of the territorial bond took hold.
[Human Workers x10, Human Militia x2 - Seeking Subjugation] [Acceptance Confirmed: Population Increased]
[Territory Population: 48/50]
As Leo prepared to appoint an overseer, a goblin stepped forward with surprising bravado. He stood at attention, his back straight and chest puffed out, even though his knees were knocking together in Malphas's shadow. Leo gave a quiet, amused chuckle.
''Very well. This is Captain Goblin. He is your supervisor. You will work until the sun sets, and in exchange, you will receive two meals a day. Do we have an understanding?''
A collective sob of relief broke from the workers. ''Yes, my Lord! We will work until our hands bleed!''
To men who had been starved on a single scrap of bread, the promise of two full meals was a luxury beyond imagination.
But as they began to relax, Leo let out a sharp, piercing whistle. The Blood Hound bounded forward, its muzzle still stained with the blood of the previous hunt.
''Watch them,'' Leo commanded the beast. ''If anyone crosses the boundary, tear them apart.''
The workers' joy was instantly strangled by the sight of the hound's gore-stained muzzle and the low, vibrating growl in its throat.
'Loyalty is a fine start,' Leo thought, 'but fear is a more reliable anchor in the beginning.'
''My Lord, what is our next path?'' Malphas asked.
''The ruins Vesper found,'' Leo replied, looking toward the temple's inner sanctum. ''But first, I need something for myself. Something to bridge the gap.''
Leo took his seat, letting the heavy silence of the temple settle around him. He bypassed the summoning tome and reached for the second volume: The Legacy of the Fallen.
'Summons are effective, but I need to consolidate my own strength.'
[Current Sanguine Essence: 180]
The archive groaned open, its banners unfolding vertically. Each page was a layer of ancient artifacts, fractured bloodlines, and forgotten techniques.
1-Star: Minor Relics and Blood Traits (Cost: 20 SE)
2-Star: Refined Legacies (Cost: 60 SE)
3-Star: Sovereign Heritage (Cost: 150 SE)
Leo's hand hovered over the 3-star option. It was a massive gamble that would leave him nearly empty, but the ruins ahead were an unknown variable. He needed an edge that belonged to him alone.
''Let's see if this archive is as tight-fisted as the last one,'' Leo muttered.
He committed the 150 SE.
The tome responded instantly. Instead of a flash of gold or a crimson burst, a sickly green and purple mist began to seep from the spine of the book. The air grew heavy, smelling of acrid ozone and corrosive chemicals. Within the swirling vapor, a slender, wicked shape began to materialize, pulsing with a toxic, rhythmic light.
[Ding]
[3-Star Legacy Relic Summoned: Venom Fang]
[Grade: Rare]
[Type: Growing Weapon (Dagger)]
[Description: A relic from a Lord who mastered the path of shadows and toxins. It does not rely on brute force, but on the slow, inevitable end of its prey.]
Leo reached into the mist and caught the hilt. It was carved from dark, obsidian-like bone, and the blade itself was a shimmering emerald green that seemed to cut the very air. It hummed in his palm, feeling alive and hungry.
''It's perfect,'' Leo remarked, testing the balance and spinning the blade into a reverse grip.
**
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
Name: Leo Mordark
Race: Primordial Vampire
Talent: Primordial Sanguinary Archive(EX)
Bloodline Status: Sealed (7% Awakening)
Rank: E-Rank (Lord Path)
Titles: Progenitor
Bonded: Laura Lockwood
Racial Abilities: Reversal Regeneration, Crimson Perception, Primordial Claim
Artifacts: Ring of the Unremembered Sovereign(Mythic), Progenitor's Chain(Mythic), Venom fang(Rare)
Current SE: 30