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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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-Being created as a senior Centurion by you, Master, also played a significant role.
Thanks to that, his command had exceeded expectations.
“Still, I didn’t expect you to handle the troops so effectively in your first battle.”
-It is a testament to your power, Master. It means I was created perfectly for my intended purpose.
While bordering on flattery, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Gagar was indeed a well-made undead.
His individual combat abilities were impressive, and his command skills were exceptional. I couldn’t help but be pleased.
After collecting the corpses of the nine Red-Eyed Hyenas, we continued deeper into the Barren Lands.
Gagar continued to excel in subsequent battles.
He successfully hunted not only Red-Eyed Hyenas, but also Gray Panthers and Steel Rhinos without assistance, and the Skeleton Warrior casualties were minimal.
Even when damaged, they weren’t critically injured, requiring only a small amount of demonic energy to repair. As they gained experience, they became even more efficient, defeating the same monsters with greater speed and fewer losses.
Once I deemed further evaluation unnecessary, Orie and Baldur’s team began supporting Gagar, and together, they explored the Barren Lands, coordinating their efforts.
After about a week of exploration…
-Master, I’ve found it.
The first oasis.
It took longer than expected.
We could have reached it in three days if we had traveled in a straight line.
However, we hadn’t.
We wanted to gather more information about the monster distribution and the terrain, so we chose a slightly circuitous route, delaying our arrival.
Considering that, a week was quite fast.
This was possible thanks to some prior information.
House Lineta had once cleared the Barren Lands but had been forced to retreat after the appearance of new monsters.
They had created a map marking the terrain and the approximate locations of the oases.
While it was quite old, the locations of oases wouldn’t change easily, so we had a general idea of where to find them.
Of course, it wasn’t a complete map.
Most of the detailed maps had been lost during their retreat, and even then, it wasn’t the most up-to-date version.
Therefore, there were many blank areas requiring further investigation, and the monster distribution was undoubtedly different, which is why we chose this circuitous route.
‘I also needed to see it for myself.’
“What about monsters?”
-…There are many. Especially Desert Orcs.
Desert Orcs.
While regular orcs were settled, these were semi-nomadic.
While not as intelligent as Horned Orcs, they were physically stronger and more ferocious than regular orcs.
‘And since they’re not settled, once they target you, they’re incredibly persistent.’
I had anticipated the possibility of encountering them near oases.
They likely moved between oases for water.
The same would be true for other monsters.
Controlling a water source in the Barren Lands meant constant conflict with the monsters that relied on it.
It was a difficult task for a single individual or group to control an entire oasis.
“Share your vision with me.”
I immediately linked with Orie’s vision and saw the oasis.
‘It’s quite… no, it’s very large.’
There was enough water to support agriculture.
Oasis water wasn’t potable without treatment.
Boiling it was a given, and further purification was necessary.
‘They say it’s teeming with parasites.’
The monsters and beasts living here likely had robust immune systems and had adapted, but humans were different.
Of course, even knowing the risks, there wasn’t much choice.
‘Would an Expert be fine?’
At that level, most parasites wouldn’t be able to survive within their bodies.
‘As for me, I wield demonic energy, so parasites can’t even approach.’
Unless it was a demonic lifeform, I doubted a weak parasite could withstand demonic energy.
Oases were essential for development and had to be secured.
Of course, I didn’t intend to build a human settlement.
While I would build a tower, I wasn’t planning to create a city.
As a water source, these oases would attract numerous monsters, and if I didn’t claim and utilize them, the monsters would inevitably attack me to reclaim them.
I would lure them into attacking the Black Tower and eliminate them, increasing my power.
The water source would draw endless challengers, and they would become my strength.
-What do you think? Should we attack? Or just observe for now?
I considered Orie’s question.
While the Desert Orc tribe was a concern, there weren’t any other significant threats.
However, if they all targeted me, it would be a different story.
While that was unlikely, as they lacked any sense of unity…
‘…We won’t attack.’
Observe only, for now.
-Understood.
I would inspect the other two locations before making a decision.
Just then, a group of animals approached the oasis.
‘…There are those as well.’
I hadn’t seen them before.
A herd of wild horses.
They cautiously approached the oasis.
‘Those… are worth capturing.’
Skeletal Steeds.
I saw the potential.
After a moment of consideration, I decided not to hunt them.
Or rather, not to hunt them right away.
‘Confirmation is enough for now.’
While there were territorial disputes around the oasis, there weren’t any large-scale battles.
Everyone seemed to be cautious, aware that any major conflict could escalate quickly.
If they were truly intent on fighting, they would have cleared the area around the oasis.
‘Besides, I don’t have many Knights to use Skeletal Steeds…’
Warriors couldn’t utilize Skeletal Steeds effectively. Only Knights could, and I only had three.
And they were all stationed at the castle as guards.
‘Having a few wouldn’t be a bad idea…’
Gagar could use one, and so could Kayla and I. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to give one to Annelise either.
While Baldur needed to coordinate with the Elite Living Armors, and Athena’s fighting style wasn’t suited for mounted combat, they could be useful for transportation.
‘I should capture a few, even if not all of them.’
It was a large herd.
Close to a hundred, at a glance.
‘There seem to be some foals, but I have more than enough numbers anyway.’
If the number of Knights increased, I could capture them later and provide them with mounts.
Even for a Knight without an aptitude for command, assigning a single Skeletal Steed wouldn’t be difficult.
I deactivated the vision sharing and relayed the information to my companions.
They didn’t object to my decision to inspect the other two oases first.
We set off for the next oasis, wandering the Barren Lands for a month.
Athena returned to Desert Shield once to check on the situation and deliver news. We also hunted a few wild horses, creating Skeletal Steeds for transportation.
Crafting saddles from bone wasn’t difficult.
Kayla’s eyes lit up when I first offered her a Skeletal Steed, Athena seemed slightly apprehensive, and while Baldur didn’t show much reaction, he didn’t seem displeased.
“A horse…”
Kayla seemed delighted, stroking the Skeletal Steed.
“It’s surprisingly comfortable. Though I can’t use it in battle…”
“I can’t either.”
While initially hesitant, Athena seemed quite satisfied after trying it, and Baldur seemed slightly disappointed that he couldn’t use it in combat.
“I was worried because I’ve never ridden a horse before, but it’s obedient, and riding isn’t difficult.”
Riding experience wasn’t necessary.
It wasn’t a real horse, it was undead.
It was designed to adapt to the rider and obey my commands, making it superior to any living horse, aside from its unsettling skeletal appearance.
While it required some adjustment to the horse’s movements, it wasn’t difficult for Expert-level warriors.
Seeing their reactions, I regretted not creating them as soon as I reached 6th circle.
Annelise seemed quite burdened by receiving a Skeletal Steed as well, but she couldn’t refuse my gift and repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
“Where do you intend to build the tower?”
Kayla asked after we had inspected all three oases.
“The second one we visited.”
It was located quite deep within the Barren Lands, though not quite at the center.
The first oasis was only about three days away from Desert Shield in a straight line, while the second was at least a week’s journey even if we traveled directly.
The third was about five days away from Desert Shield in a straight line, located west of the center of the Barren Lands.
“That one is closer to the center.”
“You intend to advance towards the center?”
“There’s something I want there.”
The location where the dragon’s corpse was buried was at the center of the Barren Lands.
A massive hill, almost a mountain.
The dragon’s corpse lay beneath it.
While I ideally wanted to build the tower on that hill, it wasn’t feasible under the current circumstances.
The location wasn’t ideal, and I needed to secure the oasis.
‘I just need to excavate it. Transporting it won’t be a problem with the dimensional fragment.’
Securing the oasis was crucial for establishing a foothold, building my forces, and eventually reaching a level where I could single-handedly defend the Barren Lands.
Even as a 6th circle necromancer, I needed some unconventional methods to achieve that.
Only by single-handedly managing the Barren Lands could I secure the unique, autonomous position I desired.
‘Fortunately, the surrounding terrain wasn’t bad either.’
If it had been unsuitable, I would have chosen a different oasis.
Following my decision, we headed towards the second oasis and assessed the local forces.
-There’s only one Desert Orc tribe nearby. But… there also seems to be a pride of Blue-Maned Lions.
“A pride?”
-Yes. Over ten of them.
A pride.
A group consisting of a dominant male and several females.
They often traveled with their cubs.
“There’s only one male, right?”
While prides typically had only one adult male, there were rare cases where a nearly mature male remained.
Since the males were the pride’s primary fighting force, the presence of another near-adult male would significantly impact their strength.
Therefore, it was important to know.
The females weren’t weak.
However, the males were powerful monsters capable of using mana, requiring extra caution.
Depending on the situation, Kayla might have to intervene.
“One… that’s manageable.”
-There are other monsters scattered around the oasis, but those two are the closest and pose the greatest threat.
While I wasn’t dismissing the other monsters, they weren’t as dangerous as the orcs and lions.
After a brief rest and status check, we proceeded towards the oasis.
Some of the beasts and monsters we encountered fled.
It seemed some recognized us, likely due to our recent monster hunting spree.
These were primarily prey animals.
True predators didn’t flee easily, defending their territory.
As monsters, their recovery was rapid, making them even more aggressive.
The Desert Orc camp became agitated as we approached.
It must have been a rude awakening for them. They were likely resting and replenishing their water, wary of the Blue-Maned Lions, when a human army leading undead suddenly appeared.
“Grrr.”
An orc, presumably the chieftain, stepped forward, growling at us in displeasure.
They didn’t seem to recognize us.
Indeed, we hadn’t fought any Desert Orcs in the past month.
It wasn’t intentional.
They were nomadic, and while their overall numbers were high, there weren’t many tribes.
Therefore, encountering them wasn’t common, and even when we did, it was usually near oases, where we had chosen to avoid conflict.
Our priority was reconnaissance, and we didn’t want to cause a commotion by fighting the Desert Orcs.
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