The air was cold, almost lifeless. It didn't feel like a place meant for the living.
Ansh saw that the inside of the wooden structure, which was his lord hall, was empty. There were no windows, no lights, no tables—nothing.
Only one rusted sword and a few pieces of bread which looked hard to swallow.
He picked up the sword. It was not heavy, but also not strong enough to sustain a long battle.
"If this breaks... I die."
"Looks like I only got this rusted sword and a few pieces of bread… it is better than nothing."
His fingers tightened slightly around the handle. The rough metal scratched his skin, but he didn't mind.
"Now I should check which type of troops I will get."
He closed the door and walked toward the bunker.
Inside, dusty particles floated in the air.
"Cough… cough… There is so much dust here… and it smells bad."
The only source of light was a pool surrounded by runes. They were floating slowly in the air, glowing faintly—casting an eerie light across the dark room.
Ansh walked toward the pool.
It was deep.
Too deep.
The bottom couldn't be seen ,only pitch Balck darkness can be seen.
It felt like something was staring back from the darkness.
Above it—
A blue panel was floating.
[Troop recruitment hall]
[Tier 0: Damaged]
[Available summons: 5]
[Energy: 10/10]
[Note: Only 10 units can be summoned daily]
"Damaged… it can be seen just by looking at this place."
Ansh stared at the available summons.
"…So that's how it works. Fascinating."
He didn't rush.
He knew the summons were random—and haste makes waste.
The instinct to act immediately without thinking was something he had already beaten out of himself since the day he joined the arena… and lost.
That day had taught him enough.
He moved his hand and clicked the summoning option, silently praying inside.
Two options appeared in front of him.
[Select troop type]
• Random summon (Free)
• Specific summon (Conditions not met)
Ansh stared at it for a second.
"…If there is only random selection, then why the hell show two options? Just wasting time."
He clicked on random summon.
This one choice could decide if I live past today or not.
[Troop type selecting...]
[Process initiated]
[1%... 19%... 69%... 100%]
For a moment, the panel flickered.
Then new lines appeared—
[Summoning completed]
[Troop type: Undead]
[Trait detected: Undead affinity]
[Effects:
• Immune to pain
• Fixed loyalty
• Cannot be healed by holy magic]
[Summoning requirement:
Death energy / corpses]
[Note: Undead-type troops are not aligned with standard factions]
[Warning: This path may trigger hostility from human and holy-type units]
Ansh narrowed his eyes.
"So... I'm not on the side of the living anymore."
"Looks like there will be many enemies in the future… but at the time of becoming stronger, it is inevitable to not make enemies."
A rattling sound came from the pool.
Crack… rattle…
Something was moving inside.
Ansh stepped back slightly, raising the sword instinctively.
A bony little creature climbed out of the pool.
It was a skeleton rat.
Slightly bigger than a normal rat, its body made entirely of bones. A faint blue flame flickered inside its empty eye sockets.
Then—
Another one came out.
And another.
And another.
Five in total.
"... This was my army?"
[You have summoned: Skeleton rats]
[Rank: F]
[Tier:Low]
[Stats:
[HP: 352]
[STR:12 (F-)]
[AGI: 48(F+)]
[DEF: 8(F-)]
[Trait: Undead ( Feels no pain, continues movement even when damaged)]
[Skill: Bite – Low damage ,small change to cause bleed ]
Ansh stared at them.
"Is this even something that can protect itself… and now in this world I have to rely on this thing?"
"Forget protecting me-this thing might die from a kick."
The skeleton rats didn't react to his dissatisfaction.
They simply walked toward him and stood near his legs.
Silent.
Waiting.
Ansh let out a slow breath.
"As this has already happened… it can't be changed."
He turned and exited the recruitment hall.
Outside—
The sky was clearer than the sky on Earth.
Fresh air.
The sun hanging high above.
Birds chirping in the distance.
For a moment, it didn't feel like a dangerous world.
But that illusion didn't last long.
A new panel appeared.
[Lord talent awakening…]
[Condition met: First summon completed]
Ansh's eyes widened.
He stopped walking and stared at the message.
"Looks like this is the only chance that can increase my survivability."
The blue screen flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
It became unstable.
[Talent awakening failed]
Ansh froze.
"…What? Failed? My chances dropped… it should have increased."
"So even luck abandoned me ,what a cruel world."
Before he could react further—
Another message overlapped it.
[System interference detected…]
[Error… error…]
[Re-attempting talent awakening…]
Ansh blinked twice.
"....Something is wrong with this system"
Then he took a step back, gripping his sword tighter.
The skeleton rats instantly moved, surrounding him from all sides.
They didn't speak.
But they understood enough to react.
Nothing happened.
Four seconds passed.
Silence.
"…What now?"
The system screen cracked—
Healed—
Cracked again—
And then completely disappeared.
Something else appeared.
It was not blue.
Not even normal.
The letters were purple-black.
[System connection stabilizing…]
[Hidden system detected]
[Undead empire system ready to bind]
[Do you accept?]
[ Yes/No ]
Ansh's heartbeat slowed instead of rising.
"No talent… weak soldiers…"
He looked at the message again.
"I need something that helps me survive."
There was no hesitation this time.
"Yes."
The screen flickered once more—
Then stabilized.
[Status]
[Name: Ansh]
[Title: None]
[Rank: Tier 0 ]
[Territory rank: 0]
[Troops: Skeleton rats]
[Troop capacity: 5/50]
[Undead energy: 0]
[Talent: None]
Ansh frowned.
"What does this new system even do…?"
He looked again.
"Looks like nothing changed."
"And this undead empire system… I can't tell if it's dangerous or useful right now."
Outside his territory—
A roar echoed.
Then another.
Then multiple.
Not far away.
Ansh slowly turned his head toward the sound.
The peaceful sky didn't feel peaceful anymore.
Sometimes reality hits harder than expected.
He tightened his grip on the rusted sword.
The skeleton rats moved slightly closer to him.
"Guess I'm still fighting to survive."
And this time... there was no arena to save him.