Chapter 28: A Higher Grade

Cassian placed his hand on the first chest.

​The wooden trunk trembled briefly before bursting apart into countless particles of light that shot directly into his Vault.

​Notifications immediately flooded his vision.

​[Common ★★★ Territory Treasure Chest Opened!]

​[Rewards Obtained:]

​Resources:

​Death Essence ×17 (Common ★★★)

​Spirit Fragment ×15 (Common ★★★)

​Withered Grass ×21 (Common ★★★)

​Soulstone Shard ×13 (Common ★★★)

​Bone Marrow Crystal ×16 (Common ★★★)

​Materials:

​Necrotic Timber ×18 (Common ★★★)

​Deathsteel Ore ×14 (Common ★★★)

​Bone Fragment ×20 (Common ★★★)

​Grave Dust ×19 (Common ★★★)

​Blackstone Ore ×15 (Common ★★★)

​Weapons & Equipment:

​Bone Bow ×14 (Common ★★★)

​Bone Blade ×16 (Common ★★★)

​Bone Spear ×18 (Common ★★★)

​Bone Shield ×13 (Common ★★★)

​Gravekeeper’s Armor ×15 (Common ★★★)

​Basic Construction Materials:

​Wood ×32

​Stone ×29

​Iron ×27

​Special Rewards:

​Special Summoning Card ×1

​Worker Summoning Card ×1

​Cassian’s eyes brightened.

​The consumable resources alone were already immensely valuable for their fusion potential, and the basic construction materials would greatly accelerate future infrastructure projects.

​Most importantly, the Bone Bows could finally properly arm his newly evolved commander, while the Special Summoning Card was a welcome surprise that directly aligned with his plans to expand his army.

​Overall, the haul was outstanding.

​"Not bad."

​Cassian nodded in satisfaction before shifting his attention toward the second chest: the Refined ★ Territory Chest. This one promised significantly higher-tier loot.

​Without hesitation, he placed his hand upon the latch and opened it.

​The chest exploded into a radiant burst of light far brighter than the previous one, and new system logs flared across his view.

​[Refined ★ Territory Treasure Chest Opened!]

​[Rewards Obtained:]

​Resources:

​Death Essence ×24 (Refined ★)

​Soul Crystal ×17 (Refined ★)

​Spirit Fragment ×22 (Refined ★)

​Withered Grass ×19 (Refined ★)

​Graveheart Sap ×16 (Refined ★)

​Materials:

​Deathsteel Ore ×21 (Refined ★)

​Necrotic Timber ×18 (Refined ★)

​Soulstone Shard ×27 (Refined ★)

​Black Iron Ore ×20 (Refined ★)

​Grave Dust ×23 (Refined ★)

​Weapons & Equipment:

​Deathsteel Sword ×15 (Refined ★)

​Deathsteel Spear ×17 (Refined ★)

​Bonepiercer Bow ×18 (Refined ★)

​Gravekeeper’s Armor ×16 (Refined ★)

​Corpsefire Bomb ×25 (Refined ★)

​Special Rewards:

​Worker Summoning Card ×1

​Support Summoning Card ×1

​Cassian scanned the extensive list before his gaze locked onto one specific item: Corpsefire Bomb.

​It was a devastating consumable weapon, if deployed correctly in tactical choke points, it could obliterate dense enemy formations or breach fortified siege positions.

​The Bonepiercer Bows and Deathsteel armaments were equally vital, providing the initial basis for the leap in gear quality his forces required before marching on the Kragmar Dominion.

​Then came the utility cards: another Worker card, and more importantly, a Support Summoning Card.

​A slow, satisfied smile spread across Cassian’s face.

​His preparations for conquering the final region of the Graveshade Expanse had just taken a massive leap forward.

After examining the resources, Cassian didn’t hesitate as he began fusing them. As usual, the fusion process itself was seamless.

​One item after another dissolved into vibrant streams of light before reforming into stronger versions under the influence of his Fusion Blessing.

​Cassian watched calmly as the system logs updated continuously.

​[Common ★★★ Chest Fusion Results]

​Elite ★★★:

​Elite ★★★ Death Essence ×1

​Elite ★★★ Bone Marrow Crystal ×1

​Refined ★★★:

​Refined ★★★ Death Essence ×2

​Refined ★★★ Spirit Fragment ×5

​Refined ★★★ Withered Grass ×7

​Refined ★★★ Soulstone Shard ×4

​Refined ★★★ Bone Marrow Crystal ×2

​Refined ★★★ Necrotic Timber ×6

​Refined ★★★ Deathsteel Ore ×4

​Refined ★★★ Bone Fragment ×6

​Refined ★★★ Grave Dust ×6

​Refined ★★★ Blackstone Ore ×5

​Refined ★★★ Bone Bow ×4

​Refined ★★★ Bone Blade ×5

​Refined ★★★ Bone Spear ×6

​Refined ★★★ Bone Shield ×4

​Refined ★★★ Gravekeeper’s Armor ×5

​After finishing with the Common chest rewards, Cassian immediately moved on to the contents of the Refined ★ chest.

​The familiar glow of fusion illuminated the Vault once more.

​[Refined ★ Chest Fusion Results]

​Elite ★★★:

​Elite ★★★ Death Essence ×8

​Elite ★★★ Soul Crystal ×5

​Elite ★★★ Graveheart Sap ×5

​Elite ★★★ Deathsteel Sword ×5

​Elite ★★★ Deathsteel Spear ×5

​Elite ★★★ Bonepiercer Bow ×6

​A few specific items from the Refined ★ chest could not be fused, not because he lacked enough copies, but because they possessed no higher-grade equivalent.

The Fusion Blessing could only advance an entity if a stronger version already existed within the domain’s framework.

​Likewise, several leftover components remained from both fusion sessions, but Cassian paid them little attention.

​His eyes were locked onto something else entirely: a new system notification.

​His breathing slowed, then quickened.

​Until now, the highest item grade he had successfully produced through fusion was Elite. Even the Bone Marrow Crystal, which had advanced from Common ★★★ all the way to Elite ★★★, had ultimately reached its max limit.

​Yet the Ledger was currently displaying something unprecedented.

​Cassian immediately inspected the highlighted items: the Bonepiercer Bow and the Graveheart Sap.

​Both were currently Elite ★★★. Yet neither had reached their cap, the Fusion Blessing was still actively responding to them, acknowledging them as valid fusion targets.

​For a moment, the entire Vault fell silent. Cassian could hear nothing except the heavy pounding of his own heart.

​Thump. Thump. Thump.

​His gaze remained fixed on the two items. Slowly, almost mechanically, he opened their detailed information panels.

​His pupils contracted as a sharp breath escaped his lips.

​"...No way."

....

The descriptions of the two items were displayed before Cassian:

​[Graveheart Sap]

Grade: Elite ★★★

Type: Consumable

​A rare substance formed from the crystallized essence of ancient undead trees that have absorbed death energy for centuries. Possessing a dark crimson hue reminiscent of coagulated blood, the sap pulses faintly with necrotic vitality despite originating from creatures long devoid of life.

​Among undead races and death-aspected beings, Graveheart Sap is considered a precious growth resource. Rather than directly increasing raw physical strength, it stimulates the soul core and accelerates the assimilation of experience, allowing undead to advance through their ranks at a significantly faster pace.

​The effects are temporary, but during its duration, every battle becomes far more rewarding.

​Effects:

​Increases Experience Gain for undead units.

​Accelerates Rank Advancement and Evolution progress.

​Enhances the efficiency of absorbing experience from defeated enemies.

​Particularly effective when consumed before prolonged combat campaigns.

​Duration scales with the quality and compatibility of the consumer.

​Limitations:

​Temporary effect.

​Benefits undead and death-affinity beings far more than living creatures.

​Multiple doses consumed simultaneously provide diminished returns.

​"Power is earned through battle. Graveheart Sap simply ensures every victory is worth more."

​[Bonepiercer Bow]

Grade: Elite ★★★

Type: Attack

​A finely crafted death-aspected bow forged from refined bone and infused with powerful necrotic energy. The limbs of the bow possess an eerie silver-black sheen, while crimson runes pulse faintly along its frame like a beating heart.

​Unlike ordinary bows, the Bonepiercer Bow does not require a physical quiver. By consuming mana, it continuously generates arrows formed from condensed death energy, allowing the wielder to maintain a relentless barrage without fear of running out of ammunition.

​The arrows created by the bow possess exceptional penetration capabilities, making them highly effective against armored opponents and heavily defended targets.

​Effects:

​Automatically generates mana arrows.

​Does not require physical ammunition.

​Increases arrow penetration and armor-piercing capabilities.

​Enhances the power of ranged attacks infused with death energy.

​Greatly improves sustained combat effectiveness by eliminating ammunition limitations.

​"A warrior fears exhausting his arrows. A hunter fears missing his mark. The Bonepiercer fears neither."