Chapter 27: Skeleton Evolution

Cassian carefully read through the description of the newly created skill as the panel hovered before him.

​[Death Shot]

Grade: Advanced

​A lethal archery technique born from the fusion of precision, killing intent, and overwhelming penetrating force.

​The user condenses mana into a single arrow infused with the concept of death itself before releasing it toward a designated target. Upon striking, the arrow tears through defenses and forcibly siphons life force from the victim.

​The amount drained is equivalent to sixty times the shooter’s own life force, converting the attack into a devastating execution technique capable of bringing down opponents far stronger than the user.

​As the skill directly invokes the power of death, it places immense strain upon the laws governing vitality and therefore cannot be used repeatedly.

​Effects:

​Fires a single death-infused arrow at a designated target.

​Drains life force equal to 60× the shooter’s life force upon a successful hit.

​Possesses extremely high armor penetration and killing power.

​More effective against living beings with abundant vitality.

​Bypasses conventional durability by attacking the target’s life force directly.

​Limitations:

​Single Target Only.

​Requires a successful hit to activate the life-force drain.

​Cooldown: 24 Hours (1 Day).

​"The arrow does not seek flesh, bone, or armor. It seeks the life hidden beneath them."

​By the time Cassian finished reading, he was already convinced of the outcome. A skill like this... the monstrosity the elites were facing would never stand a chance.

​The subsequent notifications only proved he was right.

​[Elite ★ Immature Bonedevourer Killed!]

[+3,000 Lord Coins]

[+310 Experience]

​A satisfied smile appeared on Cassian’s face. Yet before he could dwell on it, another prompt flared.

​[Congratulations, Lord Cassian.]

​[Area Conquered: Bonefang Wastes]

[Territory Control Increased]

​[Current Territory Progress: 3/4 Areas Controlled]

​[Lord’s Hollow] — Controlled

​[Umbralwood] — Controlled

​[Bonefang Wastes] — Controlled

​[Kragmar Dominion] — Uncontrolled

​[Rewards Granted:]

​+7,000 Experience

​+15,000 Lord Coins

​+1 Territory Treasure Chest (Refined ★)

​Cassian’s eyes briefly flickered toward the reward section.

​Fifteen thousand Lord Coins, a Refined-grade Territory Treasure Chest, and a substantial amount of experience were all exceptionally valuable gains. Yet strangely enough, they weren’t what drew his attention.

​A final notification had appeared, and unlike the others, this one caused Cassian’s eyes to narrow.

​[Elite Skeleton Archer has fulfilled the evolution requirements.]

[Evolution Successful.]

​[Elite Skeleton Archer has evolved to > Deathmark Commander]

[Grade Increased.]

[Potential Increased.]

[Command Authority Unlocked.]

[New Unit Classification: Commander-Type Soldier]

​The burial pit fell silent. Even Nyxara opened her violet eyes in surprise.

​Cassian reread the notification, once, twice, then a third time.

​A commander-type unit. Not a Champion, nor a standard Soldier, but something in between: a rare battlefield leader capable of commanding lesser undead while retaining formidable combat capabilities of its own.

​The more he thought about it, the more impressive the evolution became. The Archer hadn’t merely evolved into a stronger marksman; it had evolved into a battlefield commander capable of directing troops, a crucial role his current force desperately lacked.

​Cassian smiled slowly. "Now this is interesting."

​His fingers tapped thoughtfully against his elbow. A commander-type evolution this early... even in his previous life, he had rarely witnessed such a thing.

Most Lords required years before obtaining their first true battlefield commander, yet his Archer had achieved it before the first day was even over.

​His gaze shifted toward the soul link connecting him to the newly evolved soldier. Through the bond, he could vaguely sense the Deathmark Commander helping its injured comrades gather themselves among the wreckage of the Bonefang Wastes.

​The soul link felt noticeably stronger than before, more intelligent, more aware, as though a new layer of tactical cognition had awakened within it.

​Cassian’s smile widened.

​The Bonefang Wastes had been conquered. The Umbralwood had fallen. His forces had grown significantly stronger.

​Now, only one obstacle remained.

​His eyes drifted toward the final area displayed on the Ledger’s map interface.

​[Kragmar Dominion — Uncontrolled]

​The territory of the Graveborn Orcs.

​They were the strongest force within the Graveshade Expanse and the final wall standing between him and complete regional supremacy.

​A dangerous, expectant gleam appeared in Cassian’s eyes.

​Three areas down, one left. And judging by how the day had progressed, the Graveborn Orcs were going to be considerably more troublesome than everything he had faced today combined.

....

Cassian dismissed the Ledger and leaned back against the stone wall of the grave.

For a while, he simply sat in silence. The thrill of conquering two distinct zones in a single day gradually faded, allowing his regressor instincts to view the situation with cold, unvarnished objectivity.

In the end, he had made a mistake, not a fatal one, but a mistake nonetheless.

He had genuinely believed he was avoiding overconfidence. Clearly, he had been wrong.

A Death Zone... The title alone was enough to make newly awakened Lords lose sleep.

To countless novices entering the Lord’s Domain, Death Zones were horror stories brought to life, lands overflowing with nightmares, places where entire legions vanished without a trace, and where a single misstep meant absolute annihilation.

Yet, he had looked at such a place and casually assumed he could conquer the majority of its territory in a single afternoon.

If other Lords had heard his inner monologue, they would have assumed it was a joke, a remarkably bad one.

And the worst part? He had actually pulled it off.

Cassian shook his head. Fortunately, the triumph hadn’t blinded him to the steep price paid.

His First-Order Champion was currently lying at his side, forced into a deep recovery process inside a burial pit. His four elite soldiers had been pushed to the very brink of destruction.

The Archer had evolved into a Commander-Type unit, which was an extraordinary stroke of luck, but fortune did not erase the reality of how close he had come to failure.

Had the Bonedevourer been slightly stronger... Had the Archer awakened its fusion skill a few seconds later...

The outcome would have been catastrophic.

His gaze shifted toward the resting Nyxara. The Champion’s breathing had stabilized, growing deep and rhythmic as the Cemetery’s necrotic energy continued to knit her wounded flesh.

She was an extraordinary asset, a rare Champion he could not afford to lose.

Then there were his Elites. He still hadn’t assessed the full extent of their physical damage, and he would only know the true toll once they limped back to Lord’s Hollow.

Cassian exhaled slowly, arriving at an undeniable conclusion: he wasn’t ready. Not yet.

The Bonefang Wastes had jumped from a Low-danger classification to High-Low due to the sudden emergence of the Bonedevourer, and that single anomaly had nearly wiped out his main force.

And the Kragmar Dominion? That territory had been classified as High-danger from the very beginning.

It housed an intelligent native species, fortified settlements, standing military units, spellcasting Shamans, seasoned Chieftains, and countless unknown variables.

No matter how much experience he carried from his past life, charging blind into such a stronghold right now wouldn’t be bold, it would be suicidal.

He needed preparation. Real, meticulous preparation.

His eyes sharpened as a tactical framework quickly took shape in his mind.

First, his troops needed to become fundamentally stronger. His current Common-grade units were pushing their baseline limits; if possible, he wanted every core soldier in his squad to reach at least the Advanced grade before they launched the invasion of the Kragmar Dominion.

Second, gear upgrade. His soldiers had performed admirably while utilizing mostly Refined-grade equipment, but against an organized, intelligent military, that wouldn’t cut it.

He wanted every elite under his command outfitted with Elite-grade weapons and armor at minimum.

Third, sheer numbers. Five soldiers and a single Champion were nowhere near enough to conquer a fortified settlement.

He needed reinforcements, more troops, specialized utility units, and perhaps even a second Champion if the lottery or trade market favored him.

These three objectives formed the absolute foundation of his next phase:

Strength.

Equipment.

Numbers.

Only after securing all three would he even entertain the thought of marching on the Dominion.

Cassian nodded to himself. The plan was simple, direct, and ruthlessly practical.

With his immediate trajectory set, he materialized his Vault interface.

The dimensional storage opened before him, and resting squarely within the lightless space were two distinct rewards:

[Territory Treasure Chest (Common ★★★)] — Umbralwood Conquest Reward

[Territory Treasure Chest (Refined ★)] — Bonefang Wastes Conquest Reward

The metallic surfaces of the trunks glimmered faintly beneath the Vault’s magical aura.

Cassian’s eyes locked onto them, and a slow, expectant smile spread across his face.

....

Author’s Note: I’m undergoing a physical examination at the hospital tomorrow and may need to have a minor surgery. Depending on how everything goes, tomorrow’s Chapter might be released a bit late. Thank you all for your understanding and support!