072 Bloodclaw Eagle

After that assassination attempt, Karen’s previously good mood vanished completely. After all, were it not for Alice’s warning, the likelihood of Karen’s death would have been extremely high. Having danced on the edge of the Reaper’s blade, it would be a miracle for him to maintain any cheer.

Yet he didn’t vent his anger on the group of “Forest Guardians.” To be precise, he didn’t unleash his fury on everyone—only the young leader was dragged aside and beaten until he lost consciousness.

Afterward, Karen summoned the masked woman to take them away, instructing her to pass a message to Old Jack, demanding an explanation. Such a prime opportunity was not something Karen would let slip; he wasn’t about to miss a chance to knock on Old Jack’s door.

Of course, Karen kept all the items the Forest Guardians had brought with them; they were valuable goods. The corpses of magical beasts were treasures in themselves, and even the “Whispers of the Dead” tainted by corruption could fetch a higher price than usual—three thousand pieces equated to forty-five thousand units of territory energy. Karen had no reason to let them go.

Yet, even with this windfall, Karen felt no excitement. Once everyone had left, he settled down to reflect soberly on his situation.

This assassination attempt confirmed his suspicions: there was indeed a traitor within Moon Worship City—or among the Forest Guardians—and their status was quite high.

But for Karen, that wasn’t the main point. The key takeaway was that this attack proved he had, as he intended, exposed himself. The enemy clearly wanted to deal with him in the most direct and straightforward manner, but failed.

That, however, wasn’t something to celebrate. If Karen were the mastermind behind the Specters, he would certainly follow up this failed attempt with further action. The simplest, most effective move would be to gather forces and wipe out Karen directly!

Karen didn’t know if the Specters thought as he did, but regardless, he had to prepare for the worst.

So, after the Forest Guardians left, Karen immediately sold off the batch of corrupted “Whispers of the Dead.” With the remaining 9,820 units of territory energy in hand, he began to strengthen his forces in earnest.

First, he spent 3,000 units of territory energy to convert ten magical beast corpses into undead.

After the transformation, Karen examined their attributes, finding them rather average overall, with no special skills—except for the last one, a two-meter-tall eagle, which stood out.

This eagle, once turned undead, became much smaller. Previously nearly two meters, it now measured only about one meter, though its black feathers remained unchanged—except they now seemed even darker, almost as if they could dissolve into nothingness at any moment.

More noteworthy were its claws and eyes: the claws had become blood-red, and the pupils had turned into two blood-red runes.

Bloodclaw Eagle

Type: Specter
Strength: Tier 2 (Common) (0/2000)
Skills: Bloodclaw Lv7 (active skill, increases attack power by 500% and inflicts paralysis toxin; those scratched will become paralyzed)
Blood-Eye Lv3 (active skill, when activated, can detect blood flow within a five-mile radius and roughly gauge the target’s strength via their blood; currently lasts thirty minutes)
Phantom Form Lv1 (can become intangible to evade physical attacks; caution advised against attacks imbued with aura or special energy)

This was the attribute profile of the undead eagle—quite impressive. With it, Karen’s scouting capability, previously lacking, now gained some compensation.

After converting the ten magical beasts, Karen continued the process, but this time, he didn’t attempt to fuse or create higher-tier undead.

Instead, Karen focused on converting Tier 1 undead—spending 17,500 units of territory energy to turn all 321 Tier 1 corpses in his domain into undead.

Why did he “make such a strange choice,” favoring Tier 1 over Tier 2 undead? Partly because he didn’t have enough corpses on hand, but more importantly, after the Redwater Tribe battle, Karen realized that the “Skeletal Bow” wasn’t suitable for Tier 2 undead.

Tier 2 undead were strong enough in close combat, and most under Karen’s command excelled at melee. Even without the Skeletal Bow, they could unleash impressive power. While the bow could be utilized by them, it would inadvertently waste their fighting potential.

After all, the Skeletal Bow’s attacks relied mainly on its own skills for damage; whether used by Tier 1 or Tier 2 undead, the lethality was similar. Therefore, the most rational move for Karen was to cultivate a force of Tier 1 archers.

Once all Tier 1 corpses were converted, Karen spent another 32,100 units of territory energy to purchase 321 Skeletal Bows and arm them.

In an instant, his territory energy, which had just reached 54,820 units, dwindled to only 2,220.

Naturally, Karen’s strength had been terrifyingly enhanced.

Karen (Lord)
Territory: Land of Death
Territory Level: 3
Territory Energy: 2,220

Territory Structures: 1 Large Graveyard, 21 Small Burial Chambers
Corpses available for conversion: 912 (Tier 0)
Undead in possession:
Tier 0 Undead (856)
Tier 1 Undead (483)
Goblin Skeleton Mage (Tier 2) (20)
Goblin Skeleton Warrior (Tier 2) (87)
Tier 2 Beast Undead (9)
Tier 3 Undead: Little Green, Song One, Song Two, Song Three (Goblin Skeleton Chiefs)
Special Undead: Ironbone (Tier 2 Common), Alice (Tier 2 Common), Skeletal Boar (Tier 2 Trash), Bloodclaw Eagle (Tier 2 Common)

This was the current entirety of Karen’s territory’s power—formidable, indeed. If his opponent were only a single Specter, Karen could easily crush them beyond recognition.

However, as he upgraded his undead forces, Karen also faced a challenge: energy and the issue of Small Burial Chambers.

Previously, Karen had used the mines to circumvent the need for Small Burial Chambers and the massive consumption of territory energy.

But now, with many undead stationed in his graveyard in preparation for battle, he needed to provide Small Burial Chambers for them—it was the only way to maintain their condition.

Currently, with 601 undead of Tier 1 and above, Karen needed at least 121 Small Burial Chambers—5,000 units of territory energy.

Five thousand; at first, Karen didn’t pay it much mind. When he finally realized he needed to build them, he discovered he didn’t even have five thousand units left.

Luckily, night was falling, and Karen had the whole evening to deal with this issue.