Chapter 32: Overseer

Cassian stared at the sea of 1,440 Worker Skeletons stretching across Lord’s Hollow. Rows upon rows of undead laborers stood silently, awaiting his command.

​The sight was undeniably impressive, but it also reminded him of a critical world rule.

​Unlike Soldiers, Support, Champions, or Special Summons, Worker units operated under different mechanics.

Their capabilities weren’t determined solely by their individual grade; instead, their baseline potential was tied directly to the tier of the territory itself.

​At this moment, the Graveshade Expanse was only a Tier I Territory, meaning every worker under his command was likewise restricted to Tier I mechanics.

Under normal circumstances, most Lords would simply accept this limitation and slowly upgrade their territory over time.

​Cassian, however, was not most Lords.

​His gaze swept across the silent skeletal sea as a cold smile touched his lips.

​Because of the baseline restrictions of his D-Grade Lord Seed, these workers possessed D-Grade Potential. Potential didn’t directly inflate raw physical stats, but it drastically governed efficiency, learning speed, and task execution.

​The difference between an S-Grade worker and a D-Grade worker was the difference between a master artisan and a child mindlessly swinging a hammer.

A single high-potential worker could easily outperform dozens, sometimes hundreds, of lower-grade laborers.

​And since his Fusion Blessing worked on summons just as easily as items... there was zero reason not to optimize his workforce.

​Cassian reached out with his mind, invoking his primary blessing.

​Fusion.

​Golden and violet light erupted from the sky, raining down upon the assembled undead.

The Worker Skeletons remained perfectly still, obeying their Lord without hesitation as the Blessing took hold.

​The nearest three workers floated into the air, their skeletal frames dissolving into countless streaming particles of light.

​A moment later, a newly formed worker descended. Its frame was noticeably sturdier, its bones denser, and the soul fire within its skull burned with far greater clarity.

​Before the newly created worker could even touch the ground, three more rose into the air. Then three more. And another three behind them.

​The process accelerated violently. Across Lord’s Hollow, thousands of golden light streams burst into existence simultaneously as the workers merged in mass batches.

The spectacle resembled a field of falling stars collapsing inward to birth larger celestial bodies.

​Notifications flooded his vision in a continuous cascade:

​[Fusion Successful!]

[Worker Skeleton ×3 ➔ Worker Skeleton (Potential Increased ➔ C-Grade)]

​[Fusion Successful!]

[Worker Skeleton ×3 ➔ Worker Skeleton (Potential Increased ➔ C-Grade)]

​[Fusion Successful!]

[Worker Skeleton ×3 ➔ Worker Skeleton (Potential Increased ➔ C-Grade)]

​The messages flashed rapidly, but Cassian ignored the system spam, focusing entirely on the transformation taking place before him.

​The first round completed in seconds: 1,440 D-Grade workers had been condensed into 480 C-Grade workers.

​Cassian didn’t pause for even a second. He activated the blessing again.

​Three became one. Then again. And again.

​The process repeated relentlessly, the sea of skeletal workers shrinking at an exponential rate as their compressed potential skyrocketed.

​By the time the final fusion cycle ended, only a small handful remained standing in the clearing. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

​Silence returned to Lord’s Hollow.

​The vast union of thousands had vanished. In its place stood only a tiny squad, yet the aura they emitted was fundamentally different.

The soul fires in their eye sockets burned with sharp, eerie intelligence. Their skeletal bodies appeared polished, dense, and perfectly structured for high-efficiency execution.

​Originally, Cassian had intended to stop once their potential reached A Grade, that alone would have been an incredible improvement.

Yet after some thought, he decided against stopping early.

The higher a worker’s potential, the greater the results they could produce with the same amount of effort. Since Fusion could continue elevating them, there was zero reason to hold back.

​Now, the final results stood before him.

​From an initial horde of 1,440 Worker Skeletons, only eight remained. Yet Cassian knew their collective value far exceeded the initial force he had started with.

​[Worker Roster]

​Worker Skeleton ×1 — B-Grade Potential

​Worker Skeleton ×2 — A-Grade Potential

​Foreman Skeleton ×2 — S-Grade Potential

​Foreman Skeleton ×2 — SS-Grade Potential

​Overseer Skeleton ×1 — SSS-Grade Potential

​Like soldiers, worker-type units possessed their own distinct structural hierarchy:

​Worker ➔ Foreman ➔ Overseer ➔ Steward

​Workers performed raw physical labor; Foremen coordinated teams on the ground; Overseers managed complex, multi-stage projects; and Stewards governed economic and logistical operations on a territorial scale.

​The SSS-Grade Overseer standing before him was merely one step below the highest possible administrative classification.

​Cassian couldn’t help but smile. Obtaining an Overseer on Day 1 was already absurd, an SSS-Grade Overseer was a miracle that would make even veteran Lords turn green with envy.

​His gaze settled on the unique undead.

​The Overseer Skeleton stood taller than the rest, reaching nearly two and a half meters in height.

Unlike ordinary skeletons with rough, exposed frames, its bones possessed an elegant, polished refinement, resembling pale ivory etched with intricate silver runes.

​A long black coat draped over its shoulders, beneath which was a neatly fitted vest and formal attire far more suited for a high-ranking noble butler than a creature of death.

White gloves covered its skeletal hands, a silver chain hung from its waist, and in one hand rested a bone-bound ledger. In the other, it held a slender staff topped with a crystal of condensed necrotic energy.

​Yet its most striking feature was its eyes. The soul flames burning within its sockets no longer resembled mindless fire; there was unmistakable intelligence there, calculation, reasoning, and sharp tactical thought.

​The Overseer observed its surroundings before bowing deeply and gracefully, a gesture that looked surprisingly natural.

​"Greetings, my Lord."

​Cassian raised an eyebrow. It could speak, not in the fragmented, raspy syllables of lesser evolved undead, but fluently, in a calm, professional tone.

​"Your workforce awaits assignment."

​Cassian blinked, then chuckled softly. This was definitely not a normal laborer.

​The Overseer straightened its posture and stood silently, ready, waiting, and perfectly prepared to bring order to whatever chaos Cassian threw at it.

​Satisfied, Cassian studied his first SSS-Grade summon. Granted, it wasn’t a combat-oriented unit, and its existence didn’t directly inflate his frontline power.

But the long-term benefits it would bring to the Graveshade Expanse would more than compensate for that.

​In many ways, an SSS-Grade Overseer was vastly more valuable on Day 1 than a single powerful soldier.

Armies required resources, resources required efficient infrastructure, and infrastructure required master management.

​That was where this undead excelled.

​Cassian nodded approvingly. "Excellent."

​The Overseer’s soul flames brightened slightly, clearly pleased by its Lord’s praise.

​With the logistics team successfully established, Cassian turned his attention toward the next item in his Vault: the Support Summoning Card.

​A curious light entered his eyes.

​If workers were the physical hands of a territory, then support units were its brain, handling healing, research, crafting, alchemy, and logistical enhancements.

​Cassian raised the card, and the summoning gate reacted instantly, its violet runes flaring to life once more.

​A broad grin spread across his face.

"Let’s see what you bring me."