---
Chapter 40: Fortress Defense – Instructor's Arrival
The next morning, Mana Hill stirred under a blood-red sunrise.
Ray stood atop the half-finished stone walls of his domain, arms folded behind his back.
Below him, his army moved like clockwork:
Frost Wolves patrolled the perimeter.
Undead Crows circled above.
Bone Spears grew from specialized trees, ready for launch.
The Wight Commander personally drilled the elite units.
Seventeen's voice chimed happily:
> "Host's Domain Status:
Defense: Basic Tier Activated.
Auto-repair: 1 HP per minute.
Warning: Incoming threat detected. Approximate strength: Early C-Rank."
Ray's black eyes narrowed.
> "C-Rank...?
That's an instructor-level opponent."
---
The Threat Approaches
From beyond the mist, a lone figure walked calmly toward Mana Hill.
He wore an Academy instructor's uniform: black trench coat, silver gloves, combat boots.
But most notable was the two-handed greatsword casually resting on his shoulder — almost bigger than he was.
Name: Lucas Vermilion
Class: Sword Berserker
Rank: Official C-Class Instructor
Lucas grinned wolfishly as he saw the mist and the undead patrols.
> "So this is where the little monster built his nest...
Looks like it's time for extermination."
---
Ray's Preparation
Seventeen buzzed urgently:
> "**Host, options:
1. Direct confrontation (high risk).
2. Use fortress traps and guerilla tactics (recommended).
3. Flee (coward's choice).**"
Ray chuckled.
> "Flee? In my own kingdom?
I'd rather die."
He raised his hand.
Every unit froze, awaiting orders.
Then Ray spoke:
> "Today,
we show them the strength of the dead.
Prepare for battle.
Hold Mana Hill at all costs!"
---
Fortress Awakens – Trap Phase 1
As Lucas neared the fortress gates, the mist thickened.
From the shadows, Poison Undead Hounds lunged.
>
---
Chapter 40: Fortress Defense – Instructor's Arrival (Part 2)
Lucas Vermilion wiped the mud off his boot after kicking the hound away.
> "Is that all, brat?
You're making me bored!"
His taunts echoed into the mist.
But Ray didn't respond.
Instead, from the fortress walls, a series of click click click sounds rang out.
Seventeen's calm voice echoed in Ray's mind:
> "Phase 1 activated: Bone Spear Launchers ready."
With a sweep of his hand, Ray gave the order.
> "Fire."
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Bone spears shot out from hidden launchers, raining down toward Lucas like a deadly hailstorm.
---
Lucas vs the Fortress
Lucas' grin widened.
In a flash, he moved — faster than Ray could properly track — his massive sword blurring.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
He batted the bone spears aside one by one, the sword swings creating sonic booms in the air.
> "Hahaha! This is fun!
Show me more, little lord of the dead!"
Ray's eyes narrowed.
He quickly shifted tactics.
Seventeen updated him instantly:
> "Switching to Phase 2: Beast Release.
10 Frost Wolves unleashed."
From both flanks of the fortress, Frost Wolves emerged from the mist, howling, charging with ice covering their fangs and claws.
Their breaths formed clouds of frost.
---
The Clash Begins
Lucas roared with laughter and charged head-on.
The first wolf lunged at him—
He swung his sword sideways.
BANG!
The wolf flew ten meters, its body broken.
Another tried to flank him—
He stomped the ground, shattering it, sending shards of stone upward.
But despite the slaughter, Ray noticed one thing:
> "He's slowing down."
Seventeen confirmed:
> "Analysis: Hostile Mana reserve dropping.
C-Class humans have limits.
Suggestion: Grind him down with endless waves."
Ray smirked.
He raised his black-gloved hand high.
> "Phase 3:
Undead Army — march.
Make him kneel!"
From the fortress gates, the dead flooded out — skeletal warriors, shadowy ghosts, and corrupted beasts — a tide of darkness moving to consume the lone intruder.
---
Lucas Realizes
Lucas's grin finally faded a little as the army closed in.
He wiped sweat off his forehead, his sword hanging a little lower.
> "Tch...
This isn't a 'child' I'm fighting.
This is a damn Kingdom."
Still, his battle spirit blazed even brighter.
He gritted his teeth.
> "Fine.
Let's see how much death you can summon before you tire!
I, Lucas Vermilion, will break your so-called kingdom with my own hands!"
And with a roar, he charged into the sea of death.
---
Meanwhile, Inside the Fortress
Ray watched calmly from the wall, his black coat fluttering in the cold breeze.
Seventeen whispered:
> "Host,
your first true fortress defense has begun.
This is the first stone laid for the future Empire of —
---
Chapter 41: The Roar of the Berserker – Awakening on the Battlefield
The ground trembled.
Frost Wolves lay broken.
Undead skeletons shattered into dust.
The very air seemed heavy with blood and mana.
Lucas Vermilion stood in the center, panting, his body covered in wounds — and yet his eyes burned brighter than ever.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A blood-red aura exploded out of his body.
Ray, watching from above, narrowed his eyes.
Seventeen immediately analyzed:
> "Warning: Target activating forbidden skill — Berserker Bloodline Release.
Power increasing by 2.5 times.
Defense decreasing by 50%.
Mental state: Half-mad."
Ray's heart pounded.
> "Berserker...
A bloodline class ability!"
---
Lucas: Berserker Form
Lucas roared.
His muscles bulged.
His skin cracked with lines of red energy.
His sword— already massive— now crackled with blood lightning.
He charged.
Faster.
Stronger.
A single swing of his sword cleaved through 10 undead at once, leaving a bloody path.
Frost Wolves howled and tried to freeze him — but he smashed through their attacks like a raging bull.
> "COME!"
"SHOW ME YOUR REAL POWER, NECROMANCER!"
Lucas was no longer fighting like a knight —
He was fighting like a monster.
---
Ray's Response
Ray didn't panic.
Instead, he closed his eyes for a second.
Seventeen's voice was calm:
> "Host.
You have gathered enough World Energy inside Mana Hill.
You may now activate your first Minor Domain."
Ray opened his eyes slowly.
A smirk played on his lips.
> "Seventeen.
Open it.
It's time to show him...
why I'm different."
---
The Birth of the Minor Domain
The fortress shook.
Black mist rose from the earth, swirling around Ray's body.
The world dimmed.
A notification appeared in his mind:
> [Minor Necrotic Domain – Awakened]
Instantly, a 50-meter radius around Ray was covered in black and silver mist.
Inside the domain:
All undead grew 30% stronger.
All enemies lost 20% of their stamina per minute.
Regeneration of Ray's forces increased.
Shadow chains randomly emerged, trying to bind hostile targets.
---
Battlefield Changes
Lucas slowed down — his breath became heavy without warning.
The ground grabbed at his legs — shadows turning into chains, trying to pull him under.
Skeletons he killed reassembled themselves faster than he could destroy them.
Ray finally descended from the wall, walking calmly toward him across the battlefield.
His black coat fluttered.
Frost Wolves regrouped behind him.
Undead knights knelt as he passed.
It was like a king walking through his army.
---
The Faceoff
Lucas roared and charged once again.
BOOM!
His bloody sword clashed with Ray's summoned bone spear.
The impact sent shockwaves outward.
Dust and mist swirled around them.
Ray smirked coldly.
> "You're strong, Vermilion.
But you're just a warrior."
> "I...
am a Lord."
Lucas gritted his teeth, swinging again.
But Ray didn't retreat.
With calm, surgical movements, he directed his army like a general commanding pieces on a chessboard.
The battlefield itself was now his weapon.
---
The Clash Reaches its Peak
The domain thickened.
Chains coiled around Lucas's ankles.
A Frost Wolf bit into his side.
Bone spears rained from above.
Lucas howled, breaking free again and again — but his movements grew sluggish.
His bloodline power was burning away his life force too fast inside Ray's cursed domain.
And Ray?
He looked like he had just started fighting.
---
The Final Strike?
Ray raised both hands slowly.
Seventeen whispered:
> "Permission granted.
Summoning new beast:
Lesser Death Knight – [Level 20]"
From the black mist, a hulking figure emerged — black armor, crimson eyes, a greatsword twice the size of a normal man.
Lucas' eyes widened.
> "A Death Knight?!
You... you can already summon those?!"
Ray pointed calmly.
> "Crush him."
The Death Knight charged forward like a silent executioner.
The final clash was about to
---
Chapter 42: Death Knight's March – The First Command
The battlefield grew silent.
Every surviving soldier, beast, and summoned creature paused —
watching the confrontation between two titans.
Lucas Vermilion, Berserker Knight, roared like a wild beast.
His bloody aura twisted violently around him, his armor cracked and bloodied.
Across from him stood Ray.
And behind Ray...
The Death Knight.
A monstrous figure clad in blackened armor, standing nearly three meters tall.
Its greatsword dragged against the ground, leaving deep scars in the earth.
Its crimson eyes glowed with hatred for the living.
---
The Death Knight: Status Window
Seventeen calmly opened the Death Knight's basic information in Ray's mind:
> [Lesser Death Knight]
Rank: E+
Level: 20
HP: 1800/1800
MP: 450/450
Strength: 250
Endurance: 230
Agility: 90
Skills:
— [Dark Slash] (Heavy cleaving attack)
— [Undying Rage] (Fight for 10 seconds even after death)
— [Command Lesser Undead] (Strengthen nearby skeletons)
> Note:
Extremely aggressive against "living" enemies.
Will not retreat.
Will fight until destroyed.
---
The Clash Begins
Lucas knew he was running out of time.
His bloodline form couldn't last forever —
and Ray's minor domain was draining him faster than normal.
Without hesitation, Lucas charged.
His sword roared with bloody lightning.
The Death Knight lifted its massive sword with one hand and met the charge head-on.
CLANG!!
The ground cracked beneath them.
The sheer force of their clash created shockwaves, pushing back even the undead nearby.
---
Power Difference
Lucas was strong.
Even a Lesser Death Knight couldn't simply crush him instantly.
Slash after slash echoed across the battlefield.
Blood splattered.
Mana exploded.
Ray stood quietly, watching like a cold king surveying his champion fighting for him.
Seventeen updated the analysis calmly:
> "Lucas Vermilion — Remaining stamina: 18%.
Death Knight — HP: 1400/1800.
Prediction: Victory achievable within 3 minutes."
Ray nodded slowly.
> "Don't rush.
Break him.
Let him understand the difference."
---
Lucas' Last Struggle
Lucas activated his last skill.
> [Berserker's Final Charge]
His body burned with deep crimson flames.
He gave up all defense — purely seeking to destroy.
With a roar that shook the domain, Lucas leapt forward and struck down with all his might.
The Death Knight met him.
Sword against sword.
The ground shattered.
Both fighters were forced back.
Lucas coughed blood, barely standing.
The Death Knight staggered... but its crimson eyes only grew brighter.
> "[Undying Rage] Activated."
Even if destroyed, the Death Knight would fight for 10 more seconds.
Lucas' expression twisted.
> "Monster...
You're a monster..."
---
The End of the Duel
The Death Knight moved first.
A heavy Dark Slash swung down.
Lucas tried to block —
but his arms, broken and numb, failed him.
CRACK!!
The blood-red sword shattered.
The greatsword slammed into Lucas's body, sending him flying.
He crashed into the muddy ground, sliding for meters.
Blood soaked the earth.
Lucas coughed again, this time unable to rise.
The Death Knight slowly marched toward him, sword raised for the final blow.
But—
Ray raised his hand.
The Death Knight stopped instantly, waiting silently.
Ray walked forward, step by step.
The battlefield was completely silent.
Even the Frost Wolves lowered their heads respectfully.
---
Final Conversation
Ray stood over Lucas, looking down coldly.
Lucas tried to lift his head, blood running from his mouth.
> "Kill me..." he muttered.
"Finish it... you monster."
Ray didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he asked quietly:
> "Why did you really attack me?
It wasn't just pride, was it?"
Lucas struggled to speak.
Finally, in a weak voice:
> "I... had no choice.
My family... if I didn't prove my strength here, they'd... they'd disown me.
I needed to win.
I needed to show... I was worth something."
Ray stared at him silently for a long moment.
The mist around the battlefield thickened.
A choice appeared in Ray's mind, projected by Seventeen:
[Option 1: Kill Lucas — Gain 1000 EXP and a Bloodline Core.]
[Option 2: Spare Lucas — Bind him with a Slave Collar. Potential future asset.]
---
Ray's Choice
Ray exhaled slowly.
> "Seventeen... deploy one Slave Collar.
We're not wasting good talent."
Seventeen replied instantly:
> "Understood.
[Slave Collar: Basic Loyalty Type] — Activated."
A faint silver chain appeared around Lucas's neck —
a collar that would bind his life and mana to Ray.
Lucas, too weak to resist, could only tremble as the collar locked into place.
---
New Notification
> [Ding!
You have captured your first Elite Human!
Slave: Lucas Vermilion (Condition: Severely injured)
Loyalty: 1/100
Potential: High.]
---
The Aftermath
The Death Knight returned to stand behind Ray silently.
The battlefield began cleaning itself — undead gathering corpses into piles, Frost Wolves patrolling, bone beasts repairing the damaged walls.
Ray turned away without another glance at Lucas.
Seventeen's voice was calm but proud:
> "Congratulations, Host.
Minor Necrotic Domain is now considered 'secured.'
Authority increased.
You are now qualified to initiate:
[Domain Expansion: Phase 2]."
A new era was beginning.
And Ray...
was just getting started.
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(Chapter 42 End)