Chapter 7: Undead Troop

Cassian’s feet sank slightly into the soft earth as he landed.

​The first thing he noticed was the silence. An oppressive, unnatural silence.

​No insects chirped. No beasts prowled. No wind rustled through the leaves. It was as though the entire world had forgotten how to live.

​Slowly, Cassian lifted his head. Above him stretched a vast purple sky, where dark violet clouds drifted lazily across the heavens, illuminated by the eerie glow of two moons hanging overhead.

One moon was pale silver; the other shone with a faint crimson hue.

​Together, they bathed the land in an unsettling twilight, painting everything in shades of purple, black, and blood-red.

​Looking around, Cassian found himself standing in the middle of a barren plain. The ground was dark and cracked, resembling flesh that had long ago dried out beneath an unforgiving sun. Not a single blade of healthy grass could be found.

​Instead, countless withered plants protruded from the soil. Dead trees stood scattered throughout the landscape like skeletal fingers clawing toward the sky, their branches completely devoid of leaves, twisted, blackened, and lifeless.

A thick layer of gray ash covered portions of the earth, crunching softly beneath his feet.

​Even the air felt wrong. Cold, dry, and empty, it carried the faint scent of old earth and something far more ancient... something buried.

​Cassian swept his gaze across the surrounding expanse. For nearly a kilometer in every direction, nothing living could be seen. No animals, no monsters, and no signs of civilization.

​Only death. Endless, absolute death.

​It was as though an invisible boundary surrounded the region, a sacred, or perhaps cursed, land where life itself had been forbidden from entering.

​’This isn’t my territory?...’

​At that moment, a glowing system notification materialized before his eyes.

​[Lord’s Domain Notification]

[Welcome, Lord Cassian Voss.]

[​Assigned Territory: Graveshade Expanse] 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

[Tier: I ]

[Classification: Death Zone]

[​A land shrouded in death and darkness, the Graveshade Expanse is home to numerous Dark and Death-aligned monsters.]

[​Death Zones possess greater dangers than Safe Zones, but offer faster development, richer resources, and greater opportunities.]

​Current Structures:

​Summoning Gate ×1

​[Warning:Death Zone Lords experience significantly higher mortality rates.]

​Survive, develop, and claim your dominion.

May your Domain never fall.

[Safety Period: Seven Days]

​Cassian read through the notification as only a single word crossed his mind.

​’Shit.’

....

Cassian stared at the notification in silence before slowly sweeping his gaze across the barren wasteland once more.

After the initial wave of shock settled, he took a deep breath and forced himself to stay grounded.

​’First order of business: I need to put on some clothes.’

​Because the transfer process stripped away mundane physical wear upon entry, Cassian was currently stark naked.

Reaching into his Vault, he retrieved a fresh outfit, a long, durable black robe layered beneath a dark steel chestplate, finished with heavy black cavalry boots.

​Dressed and properly protected, Cassian turned his full attention back to his surroundings.

​’Instead of the Lunar Woods, I got dropped into this place... the Graveshade Expanse. And it’s a Death Zone, no less.’

​In his previous life, Cassian had spawned in the Lunar Woods, a standard Safe Zone where the vast majority of new Lords began their journey.

The odds of a Lord being assigned to a Death Zone were roughly one in a hundred million. The Domain typically placed newcomers in protected environments to nurture their growth.

​A Death Zone was not meant for development. It was meant for slaughter.

​Yet, despite the staggering disadvantage, Cassian remained unnaturally calm.

​’It seems returning to the past used up most of my luck,’ he mused quietly. ’Still, there’s a silver lining.’

​High risk meant absurd returns. The few legendary figures across the cosmos who had managed to survive and conquer a Death Zone went on to become unstoppable forces, relying solely on the starting Troop they were assigned.

​And unlike those historical figures, Cassian possessed advantages no one else in the cosmos could match.

​"Open Ledger."

​A sleek, translucent interface materialized before him.

​[Lord’s Ledger]

​[Status]

​[Chat]

​[Trade]

​[Map]

[Infrastructure]

​Cassian selected [Status], and the interface shifted to display his core parameters.

​[Lord: Cassian Voss]

[Rank: Novice Lord]

[Lord Seed: D Grade]

[Anchor: Astral Dominion]

[Troop Type: Undead]

[Territory: Graveshade Expanse]

[Champions: 0]

[Soldiers: 0]

[Support: 0]

[Workers: 0]

[Special: 0]

[Mana: Infinite]

[Blessings: Infinite Mana | Fusion | Regression]

....

A Lord’s assigned territory directly determined the type of Troop they commanded.

In his previous life, Cassian had commanded wolves due to spawning in the forest territory of the Lunar Woods.

​Now, stationed in the desolate Graveshade Expanse, his assigned Troop was the Undead.

​’This is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a Troop classification.’

​Curious, Cassian tapped the screen to expand the Troop’s detailed description.

​[Undead]

​All summons originate from the Nether World—the realm where souls gather after death. Most Lords can only summon a single race from this realm, limiting them to a specific species.

​You are different.

​As the Lord of the Undead, every soul within the Nether World is a potential summon.

​Humans.

Elves.

Dwarves.

Beasts.

Dragons.

​Death makes no distinction.

​Unlike other Lords, who return souls to life, your summons remain suspended between life and death. They rise as Undead.

​[Special Effect:]The Undead Legion is not restricted by race. Any soul within the Nether World may one day answer your call.

​"To death, all races are equal."

​Cassian stared at the glowing description in complete silence. For several seconds, his mind worked to process the sheer scale of what he was reading.

​Finally, only a single word managed to escape his lips.

​"Damn."

Cassian wanted to start summoning immediately.

​The ability to summon across multiple species wasn’t just a simple boon, it was a world-shattering foundation upon which entire galactic empires could be built.

Under this rule, even the wolves he had commanded in his past life could still answer his call. There was simply no limit to what his legion could become.

​Yet, despite the overwhelming temptation, Cassian held back.

​He had plenty of time. First, he needed to thoroughly examine every advantage granted to him by his regression.

​He had already seen his new Troop type. Now, it was time to inspect his Blessings.

​There had been no grand fanfare for their awakening; the moment he stepped foot into the Lord’s Domain, they had quietly registered within his ledger.

Though he could already guess their function from their names, and his currently infinite mana pool, he still wanted to see their exact mechanics.

​Cassian quickly tapped on the three glowing Blessings.