Hazard felt his mana was depleted after activating the second wave of his Corpse Explosion skill. He could no longer even focus on the system notifications. He simply issued a command, granting his entire army full autonomy. Despite being several meters underground, the explosion had severely drained his life force.
Time passed under his own will, and when his black-and-white vision returned, he saw Cerberus towering over him, gazing into the distance. As he stood up and looked at the sky, he realized it was nighttime, and his mana had significantly recovered. However, what truly caught his attention was something else entirely.
The sheer number of heroic souls left him unable to focus on anything else—he could only stare at the count. Nearly 8,500 heroes had been present in the human army, and every single one of them had perished. In addition, his gold balance had reached approximately 3,680,000.
After calming himself, he could only survey the surroundings. Ten minutes later, he mounted Cerberus and commanded the remaining elite mounted archers—who had been scattered across the battlefield, having slaughtered all living creatures—to retreat to his shrine. The corpses were also collectible, but due to the loss of 5,800 cavalry units along with their mounts, Hazard's army had suffered considerable damage. Despite all the ambushes and hit-and-run strategies, the enemy's level had allowed them to eliminate a significant portion of his forces. However, considering his profits, he didn't care. He gazed toward the sky and the distant horizon, spotting a tiny magical crow. As soon as it realized it had been noticed, it fled. Hazard merely continued on his way—an explosion of that magnitude was bound to attract many eyes.
And indeed, it wasn't just the crow watching him.
Perched atop a massive tree in the forest, a man clad in golden fabric with minimal yet strategically placed gleaming iron armor—which protected his weak points—was observing him from 50 kilometers away. With a unique Rank A skill, "World Eye," he had a clear view.
"They're all dead… The rookies from the Solar Wrath Association, the elites of the Golden Eagle, and even the Saintess…"
Alas ran a hand across his face before breaking into insane laughter.
"You damned fools! Now you're all dead! The entire city of Solar has no champions left! Who's going to fuel this now?!"
With a wicked grin, Alas turned his gaze to the new skill he had obtained from the Demon King's loot chest—the Eye of Envy.
[Eye of Envy - Rank S]
Grants the ability to copy the skills and talents of stronger beings through eye contact, lasting for one week.
Alas scanned through the list of all the skills he had copied, then turned his gaze back to the Demon King, who was vanishing into the distance.
"Your skills belong to me now, too."
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At the Shrine
Upon reaching his shrine, Hazard began offering the heroic souls for absorption.
[Level 1 Heroic Soul absorbed - 4 points gained][Level 2 Heroic Soul absorbed - 24 points gained][Level 3 Heroic Soul absorbed - 258 points gained][Level 4 Heroic Soul absorbed - 1,280 points gained][Level 5 Heroic Soul absorbed - 9,670 points gained]
After half an hour, allowing the shrine to process the absorption, he began unlocking third-tier talents—each costing no more than 1,000 points. Then, he selected the evolution option.
Minutes passed. His bones darkened, his crown grew, his horns extended, and golden veins became more pronounced across his body.
Name: HazardFinal Race: Demonic Arch-Lich KingLevel: 4Health: 800Strength: 350Agility: 200Mana (Miasma): 3,000Endurance: -Total Points: 264,500Talents
Undead Resurrection
Can reanimate corpses by consuming dark mana, proportional to the deceased entity's level.
Negative Energy Orb
Releases a dark energy orb, dealing 30 damage per hit.Can cause confusion and paralysis, depending on the opponent's level and willpower.
Corpse Explosion
Detonates one or multiple selected corpses within a 100-meter radius.
Summon Death Scythe
A weapon imbued with dark mana, inflicting cursed wounds with intense poison and agonizing pain (10× normal).If an enemy dies while the Death Scythe's curse is active, they become a slave of the caster.Consumes 50 dark mana per minute.
Summon Vengeful Spirits
Summons spirits that can physically harm enemies.Upon death, they self-destruct, dealing significant damage to living beings.Costs 20 dark mana per spirit.Advanced Abilities
Demonic Arch-Lich King's Second Form
Doubles all abilities.Duration: 10 minutes | Cooldown: 6 hours.
Aura of the Death King
All undead units within 1 km receive double stats.Consumes 200 mana per minute.
Curse of the Death King's Aura
All weaker enemies within 1 km suffer 72 curses.Consumes 200 mana per minute.
Domain of the Death King
Enemies within 1 km suffer 20 damage per second.Allied undead regenerate 10 HP per second.Consumes 200 mana per minute.Locked Abilities
Summon Abyssal Undead (Inactive)
Can summon undead from the Abyss, depending on level and mana usage.Cooldown: 24 hours.Activation Cost: 10,000 points.
Abyssal Dead Domain (Inactive)
All undead within range transform into Abyssal variants until the skill is deactivated.Consumes 500 mana per minute.Activation Cost: 10,000 points.
Summon Twin Deaths (Inactive)
Summons two undead beings equal to the caster's level, lasting 10 minutes.Cooldown: 24 hours.Activation Cost: 10,000 points.Skill: Mana Sensitivity (D-Rank)
Hazard admired his new skills. The Abyss-related abilities at level four were clearly no joke, and Twin Deaths intrigued him the most. However, his work wasn't done yet.
As his new skills activated, the evolution option appeared once again—and the galaxy itself bore witness to Hazard's sinister grin.