Night had fallen as Marshmallow surveyed the devastated battlefield before him. Where hundreds of earth golems once stood ready to slaughter the Wyolanders, now only crumbled remains littered the ground. Those destroyed by the Super Undead lay in pieces, while the ones still "alive" had been reduced to sand, their animating energy cut off.

The airship had long since departed, and the mangled bodies of Novgovians were scattered among the ruins. The Super Undead had already dissolved into the air after fulfilling its duty, leaving behind a swirling trail of black and purple mist where it once stood.

Marshmallow took a moment to reflect on his newly acquired abilities. His mind raced, analyzing the fresh possibilities now open to him.

Unbelievable, my Unique Skills jumped from 3 to 6. Two Unique Skills and four Very Unique Skills. The total A Ranks are 9 Wyolanders and 9 Novgovians. That means I've wiped out almost half of the Novgovian A Ranks.

His gaze drifted as he pondered his new capabilities. Geokinesis, the power to manipulate earth. Lifekinesis, the ability to infuse life into objects. And Fortification, he could now feel it coursing through his being. It was a seriously badass ability: he could boost someone or something's stats by 10%. Of course, the duration and effectiveness depended on the user's level and stamina. Boosting a single golem versus a hundred different golems or even himself would be totally different ball games.

It wasn't a scalable ability - it was either 10% or nothing. But it could stack with his existing buffs! As a result, his Strength, while wielding the Supernova Titan Hammer and factoring in the Primordial Dragon Armor, would increase not by 10%, but by a whopping 60%. He figured he could probably maintain an ability like that on himself for about twelve minutes.

In any case, these new abilities filled a crucial gap in his combat strategy.

I used to need a ton of corpses around me to create a necromantic horde. But now, with Geokinesis synchronized with Lifekinesis, I can summon living creatures without corpses. The only exception is still the Super Undead, which is like a summon from another dimension.

While Marshmallow was lost in thought, his companions watched him with expressions mixing awe and disbelief. Lynx, with her green eyes wide, seemed unable to believe what she had just witnessed. Raven, their former leader, wore a look of respect tinged with fear. And Parabellum, famous for his composure, had his mouth hanging open in shock.

Marshmallow noticed their stares and sighed. "What's with those faces? Vesuvietna forged me into what I am," he said, looking at his companions. "Now's not the time to space out."

Lynx was the first to break the silence. "Marshmallow," she began, her voice shaking. "What are you planning to do now?"

"Me?" Marshmallow replied. "What about you guys? What are you planning to do? Are you with me? Or are you just gonna watch from the sidelines?"

"What do you mean?" Parabellum asked, confused. "Of course we're with you. We want to know what your plan is."

"I'm building an army," he declared firmly. "An army powerful enough to kill BloodLust and all the Novgovians following him. An army that'll let us win the Survivor Game."

His words fell like boulders in the silence that followed. The three companions exchanged incredulous glances before Raven spoke.

"What kind of army are you going to create?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Marshmallow smiled grimly. "I'm gathering all the forces I can find. Any help from NPCs is fair game. I've made a lot of connections throughout the game, and they'll all be willing to help me out." He explained. "But tell me: what level are you guys?"

The trio exchanged glances before Parabellum spoke up. "We're all at level 100." He replied as the others nodded in agreement.

Marshmallow rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm at level 100 too," he said. "But as you've noticed, I've got something extra, aside from being the Jolly Rank." He gestured to the golden armor covering him. "This is draconic armor that doubles all my stats. I got it by killing the Dragon Emperor."

"The Dragon Emperor? No way!" Parabellum's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at those words. "How can you say that so casually? The Dragon Emperor is a mindless beast! The three of us together would be in for one hell of a fight just to face it!"

"And that's not all," Marshmallow continued, ignoring his companion's disbelief. "If I wield the Supernova Titan Hammer, that weapon you saw in my Super Undead's hands, I can triple my strength. Obviously, it triples anyone's strength who wields it. But that's not the point. Since you've hit level 100, you can't get any stronger than you are now, but I can still power up by killing the remaining Novgovian B Ranks and A Ranks. And they're all holed up in a castle to the north, along with BloodLust."

A brief moment of tension hung in the air, quickly broken by Lynx. "So? Where's this army of yours?"

"In the Ashenwood," Marshmallow replied, "There's also the Goat Horse, which has now become the Dragon Goat, a creature at least as powerful as you guys."

Lynx's eyes lit up at that news, but Marshmallow wasn't finished.

"However," he continued, "I've got one last errand to run. I need to return to the Depths of Vesuvietna one more time."

"Again?" Parabellum said doubtfully.

Marshmallow ignored him again, addressing the others instead. "You guys start heading towards the Ashenwood. I'll catch up with you later."

Silence fell over the group once more. Theoretically, the A Ranks should have had 40 additional Assignable Points compared to Marshmallow. However, they couldn't even compare when stacked up against Marshmallow's equipment power-ups and all the Optional Quests he had completed.

He turned towards the bodies of the slain Novgovians. His gaze became hesitant as he weighed his options.

"Not enough to create two Undead Dragons," he muttered. Then, as if a lightbulb went off in his brain, his eyes lit up. "But maybe..."

Under the astonished gazes of his companions, Marshmallow began to concentrate. The air around him seemed to vibrate with energy as he fused multiple abilities into one in an energetic miasma.

The ground began to shake, and two imposing figures emerged from the earth. They were dragons, but not like the ones Marshmallow could generate from corpses. These were made of earth and rock, with parts of them composed of shreds of flesh, bone fragments, scattered viscera, and exposed brains, all colored with fresh blood.

"Geoundead Dragons," Marshmallow announced with a satisfied smile. "Necrokinesis to create the skeleton, Geokinesis to fill in the gaps, and Fortification to give them enough power to take flight. This way, I've managed to create two dragons capable of carrying two people each on their backs. I hope you're not too grossed out to ride them."

His companions observed the creatures with a mix of fear and admiration. They were a cacophonous union of earth and death, monstrous and magnificent at the same time. But it was then that Lynx shook her head and stepped forward.

"Marshmallow," she said with determination. "I think I need to come with you to the Depths of Vesuvietna."

Marshmallow looked at her in surprise, raising an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

Lynx bit her lip. "Well, you see... I heard that deep in the volcano, there are crystals that could boost my Xylkinesis! Yeah, that's right. That's why I have to come."

Marshmallow crossed his arms, unconvinced. "Crystals? In the Depths of Vesuvietna? Lynx, there's nothing but death, lava, destruction, and beasts that want to devour you at all costs down there."

"I know, but..." Lynx blushed, looking away. "I mean, I can't let you go alone again, can I? What if there's some Novgovian hiding out? Who... who would watch your back?"

Marshmallow stared at her for a moment, then a slight smile curled his lips. "Lynx, are you worried about me?"

"W-what? No! Of course not!" Lynx exclaimed, her face now as red as a tomato. "It's just that... that... oh, screw it! Yes, I'm worried, okay? You've already risked your life there once, and now you're going back like it's nothing. I've always been uneasy about the idea of you leaving, and I can't bear the thought of something happening to you! I already told you this when you left!"