Marcus stood in the center of his territory with a stack of glowing cards in his hands.
Thousands of them.
The dungeon archway behind him pulsed with cold blue light, its bone pillars towering over the settlement like the entrance to some ancient cathedral of death.
Lyrielle stood at his side.
The four rabbit girls had gathered nearby.
Liliana leaned against a wooden post with her arms crossed, watching with open curiosity.
Around them, wolves and arachne moved through the camp preparing for what Marcus was about to do.
Marcus stared at the cards again.
Then he let out a slow breath.
"...Okay."
He looked up.
"This might get a little crazy."
The girls looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Marcus lifted one card.
Then another.
Then another.
Lyrielle's eyes widened as realization struck.
"My lord..."
Marcus grinned.
"Oh yeah."
He raised the cards toward the sky.
Summon.
The Army is Born
Light erupted across the territory.
Cards began dissolving into streams of energy.
One after another.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Figures began appearing everywhere.
Skeleton warriors rose from glowing circles on the ground.
Armored skeletal knights formed in tight ranks.
Skeletal archers materialized with bows already in their hands.
Undead priests emerged wearing tattered robes.
Each card became a soldier.
Each soldier immediately bowed toward Marcus.
The entire settlement rapidly filled with undead troops.
The rabbit girls stared in complete disbelief.
Green-Eyed Rabbit whispered:
"...That's a lot."
Blue-Eyed Rabbit nodded slowly.
"A lot a lot."
Even Liliana looked impressed.
Marcus continued summoning.
Goblin archers.
More wolves.
More skeletons.
More priests.
More knights.
The light of summoning circles flickered across the ground like a field of stars.
And when the final card dissolved—
Silence fell across the territory.
Nearly two thousand soldiers now stood inside Marcus's walls.
The system chimed softly.
Army Total: 1,982 Units
Marcus blinked.
"...Holy crap."
Lyrielle exhaled slowly.
"My lord..."
She gestured toward the endless ranks of undead.
"You have an army."
Marcus rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah."
"That escalated."
Liliana pushed herself off the wall and walked closer.
Her yellow eyes scanned the troops.
"Undead."
"Wolves."
"Arachne."
"Goblins."
She smirked.
"Your territory has become a small kingdom already."
Marcus chuckled.
"I guess so."
But the most important thing about the army…
Was something else entirely.
Most of them didn't need to sleep.
Didn't need to eat.
Didn't feel fatigue.
The skeletons stood perfectly still.
Endless.
Patient.
Waiting for orders.
Marcus grinned.
"Oh this is broken."
Lyrielle smiled faintly.
"Indeed."
The Dungeon Training Begins
Marcus turned toward the dungeon entrance.
"Alright."
He clapped his hands once.
"Training time."
The next few days passed in a blur of combat.
Every day.
Every hour.
The army entered the dungeon.
Skeleton warriors clashed with skeleton warriors.
Archers fired volleys down dark hallways.
Priests cast healing spells constantly.
Knights smashed through undead formations.
And Marcus's personal squad led the charge every time.
Floor by floor.
Fight by fight.
The dungeon was constantly reset.
Run again.
Reset.
Run again.
Reset.
And because Marcus owned the dungeon…
All loot dropped directly into his warehouse storage.
The results were insane.
After the first full clear of the twelve-floor dungeon…
Marcus opened the storage window.
Then nearly had a heart attack.
Wood: 12,500
Stone: 11,900
Iron Ore: 4,200
Food: 3,600
Water: 3,200
Spirit Shards: 9,480
Weapon Drops: 170+
Armor Drops: 140+
Skill Cards: 60+
Troop Cards: 180+
Marcus stared at the screen.
Then slowly sat down.
"...What."
Lyrielle looked over his shoulder.
Her eyes widened.
"This is far more than the wilderness dungeon."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
He pointed at the numbers.
"We're getting almost five times more loot."
Liliana whistled softly when she saw the totals.
"This dungeon is extremely productive."
Marcus looked back toward the archway.
Then grinned like a lunatic.
"We built a loot factory."
Level 20
By the end of the third day of constant training—
Nearly every unit in the army had reached Level 20.
Skeleton knights had grown faster.
Their armor now gleamed with dark mana.
The priests cast stronger healing magic.
The archers fired faster and more accurately.
The wolves had grown larger and more muscular.
Even the arachne moved faster and deadlier than before.
Marcus himself had gained several levels as well.
But something bothered him.
Late that night…
He opened the dungeon reward logs again.
Scrolling.
Scrolling.
Scrolling.
Weapons.
Armor.
Troop cards.
Skill cards.
Resources.
Spirit shards.
Mountains of them.
But one thing was missing.
Marcus sighed.
"No dungeon cores."
Lyrielle nodded.
"They are extremely rare."
Liliana added from nearby:
"0.01%."
Marcus groaned.
"Yeah yeah I know."
He leaned back in his chair.
Still, he couldn't complain.
He now had:
• Nearly 2,000 soldiers
• A Level 3 territory
• A 12-floor dungeon
• A mountain of resources
• And an army that barely needed rest
Marcus stared at the glowing dungeon entrance outside.
The mist beyond the walls drifted quietly through the forest.
Five days ago…
He had arrived with nothing.
Now?
He commanded a force strong enough to wipe out most beginner territories.
Marcus smiled slowly.
"This world is about to get interesting."
Outside the walls—
Something in the mist moved.
And somewhere far away…
Other players were beginning to discover just how dangerous this world truly was.
But none of them yet realized one simple truth.
Marcus…
Was already building something unstoppable.