Iron Backbone

Eight undead: six elite of the first rank, one ordinary of the first rank, and one second-rank of inferior quality.

To put it plainly, Kairen wasn’t exactly satisfied with today’s gains. In truth, from the very beginning, he’d set his sights on gathering eight, or even ten, all of them second-rank undead.

This wasn’t just wishful thinking. With a bit of luck, it was entirely possible! After all, in that goblin tribe, almost all the chieftains were at least second-rank. Every generation had several individuals of such stature, and during their heyday, there might have been even greater existences.

Logically, after combing through the entire graveyard, finding ten second-rank corpses should have been a simple task. Yet reality proved otherwise.

Kairen soon realized that luck had nothing to do with it. The problem lay with the graveyard itself.

“There should be another goblin burial ground,” Kairen mused. “When I used Corpse Manipulation before, I sensed that this batch was already the best available. Though the graveyard still holds many of similar quality, there are almost no second-rank corpses left.

I recall Old Jack and Little Green both said that goblins of the Goblin Forest are obsessed with mines. Perhaps the bodies of the tribal chieftains were interred there?”

It wasn’t impossible. But if that were the case, retrieving those corpses would become a troublesome affair.

Even though Kairen was only speculating, his head began to ache. He understood all too well that this theory was likely correct.

If so, then quietly collecting enough second-rank corpses would be impossible. For the sake of his territory’s advancement, he might have to clash with the goblin tribe.

The thought alone made Kairen’s head throb.

“Forget it for now,” he muttered. “Let’s first gather all the goblin corpses from this graveyard. If that’s still not enough, I’ll think of something else!”

With that, Kairen turned his focus back to the territory. He casually constructed two more Small Burial Chambers to house the newly converted undead, then cast his gaze toward Ironbone Skull and “Spendthrift.”

He’d tried converting both corpses earlier, but neither transformation succeeded. It seemed their original nature as undead prevented the process, which left Kairen at a loss.

“So undead corpses can’t be converted. I wonder if they can be fused…”

With that thought, Kairen activated the Corpse Fusion function of the Ordinary Grave, selecting Ironbone Skull and “Spendthrift” for fusion. This time, it worked.

[Ding! Would you like to spend 100 territory energy to perform Corpse Fusion?]

A hundred units right off the bat—fusion was certainly not cheap. Fortunately, Kairen had just struck it rich at the goblin graveyard. After converting eight undead, he still had 1,560 left; spending a mere 100 was manageable.

Once the fusion succeeded, the corpse’s quality was elevated to Second Rank (Ordinary). Without hesitation, Kairen immediately began the conversion.

This time, everything went smoothly. After spending 200 territory energy, a brand new undead stood before Kairen.

Somewhat Agile Ironbone Skull Miner

Type: Skeletal

Intelligence: Medium

Strength: Second Rank (Ordinary) (0/2000)

Skills:

Ironbone lv3 (Active Skill: Bones turn to steel, increasing defense and attack by 300% for thirty minutes!)

Swiftness lv1 (Active Skill: Increases movement speed by 20% for thirty seconds after activation)

Mining lv3 (Passive Skill: Can mine ore quickly and accurately!)

Description: An undead who, through fusion, has awakened special instincts. Though it possesses considerable combat power, its true passion lies in mining!

With this new undead, Kairen’s forces now boasted a fourth second-rank undead, and his second with medium intelligence.

Yet Little Green was far from pleased with this newly transformed companion—not only because the newcomer’s gaze was fixed on the iron shovel Little Green clutched, but also because Little Green recognized it as the very one who’d just knocked Kairen down.

No sooner had the undead appeared than Little Green, accompanied by its newly recruited underlings, surrounded it.

“Shoo! Go on, stop your mischief for once!” Kairen said with an exasperated grin, lifting the troublemaking Little Green by the scruff and snatching the iron shovel from its grasp, tossing it to the newly converted undead.

“This is yours now. From today on, you’ll be called Ironbone. When I’m not around, listen to Little Green. Don’t leave the burial chamber during the day, and at night, if I’m not here, don’t leave the graveyard—understand?”

Kairen named his minions with increasing casualness, but Ironbone didn’t mind what it was called. The moment it received the shovel, it hugged the tool tightly, its eye flames dancing with joy. To it, there was no one better than its master; what did it care about its own name?

But while Ironbone was overjoyed, Little Green was left utterly aggrieved.

Not only had its master forbidden it from taking revenge on the “villain,” but he’d also returned the stolen weapon. Did this mean the master didn’t like Little Green anymore?

The more Little Green dwelled on it, the more wronged it felt, squatting down and “clacking” in sorrow, leaving Kairen dumbfounded and helpless.

Who would have thought that after just a few days, Little Green’s intelligence had soared to the point of throwing a tantrum!

Still, the little fellow was easy to placate. Kairen went over, ruffled its head, and purchased a Bone Bow from the Territory Shop for it. Instantly, Little Green’s spirits soared.

Clearly, the master still loved it best!

Cradling the Bone Bow and basking in Kairen’s gentle touch, Little Green felt its “bones” reach new heights. Smugly, it shot several provocative glances at Ironbone, who was grinning foolishly with the shovel in its arms.

Noticing Ironbone’s gaze linger on the hand Kairen was stroking, Little Green became even more pleased with itself.

“They’re even competing for affection now,” Kairen thought, at a loss for words.

Still, his heart was light. As his undead minions grew stronger, their intelligence also steadily improved.

Little Green, of course, was the most advanced—already capable of sulking and seeking affection.

The other undead, too, were developing. Though they couldn’t yet communicate like humans, Kairen was certain they were more than cold, lifeless corpses.

And so, Kairen realized he was not alone. At the very least, he had this strange, loyal band of undead at his side.

They would not only help Kairen gain a foothold in this world, but also provide a haven for his wandering soul—a place to belong.