Ding!
[Your “Undead Lord” Talent has evolved from A-Rank to S-Rank.]
[You have unlocked new perks in addition to your existing ones. Would you like to view them now?]
“Yes.”
Alex gave his answer without hesitation.
There was no point in waiting.
He had been holding off on reviewing the A-Rank perks specifically because of what Astolf had advised earlier, that the moment his talent evolved, it would be better to view all the changes in one go rather than wasting time on the mid-tier perks.
It had taken effort and grinding to get here, and now that the system had confirmed his talent had reached S-Rank, he wanted to see everything it had to offer.
“Show me the panels,” Alex said aloud, standing calmly.
“All of them.”
As soon as the words left his lips, multiple translucent panels manifested in the air in front of him.
Each one had a deep purple glow, outlined in black like aged parchment, with a grim-looking skull icon etched at the top.
The text was written in sharp white letters, making them easily legible despite the eerie glow.
Fwish! Fwoosh!
A sudden shift in the atmosphere behind him made Alex glance over his shoulder.
Dark, faintly green energy began to ripple into existence.
Shadows curled and swirled behind him as a massive, ghostly presence emerged.
It was Astolf, his towering skeletal figure partially transparent, yet still imposing, eyes hollow save for the tiny green dots of energy that flickered within his sockets.
Astolf hovered just above the ground, arms folded, his gaze fixed firmly on the panels as well.
“I want to read it directly,” the Undead King declared.
“Go ahead,” Alex said with a light shrug.
With no threats or disturbances around them, the two began reading the contents of the evolving power that had become a defining part of Alex’s build.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Undead Lord Talent (S-Rank)]
[Skeleton Limit Increased: 100 → 500 → 1,000]
That was the first line, and already, it made Alex grin.
From one hundred to a thousand, it was more than just an upgrade, it was a leap.
He knew that the five-hundred mark likely came with the A-Rank version of the talent, but this full jump to a thousand was definitely from the S-Rank upgrade.
With this, he hadn’t just improved, he had multiplied the sheer power of his undead army by tenfold.
And that was something that couldn’t be understated.
Sure, these basic skeletons wouldn’t stand a chance in the [Chosen Games] themselves.
He was under no illusions.
Against gods, chosen ones, and world-ending enemies like the Hatred Demon, they’d be wiped out instantly.
But that wasn’t the point.
Before the games began, there were still wars to fight, wars against other races, factions, and threats.
This army could help him speed that up, perhaps even give him a fighting chance against larger forces like the [Lich], whose own undead army was rumored to be endless.
Numbers alone wouldn’t be enough, of course.
He knew that.But the raw potential this brought him?
It gave him more tools, more leverage, and maybe even a better shot at the coming chaos.
Still, the number increase was only the beginning.
[Previous Undead Types Removed: Greater Skeletons, Bone Knights, Spectral Wraiths]
[These units have been retired due to being far too weak for your current level.]
Alex blinked, then let out a small breath of understanding.
Those old units had helped him tremendously back when he was starting out.
The Bone Knights had been excellent tanks, and the Spectral Wraiths had utility and mobility he’d relied on in many battles.
But at this stage of the game, their stats were frozen at outdated values.
Enemies now could breathe in their direction and they’d collapse.
Removing them made sense, even if it was a little bittersweet.
In their place, however, were two new names.
[New Undead Types Granted: Undead Reaper, Undead Lord]
[These summons are the highest-tier undead available through this talent, granted only due to your high level and unique bond with the “Undead King.”]
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly.
That was a bold statement.
The highest-tier undead the talent could offer?
“Hah,” Astolf chuckled from above, voice echoing with pride, “Now that is impressive.”
“You know them?” Alex asked, still scrolling through the panel.
“Of course I do,” Astolf nodded, the green glint in his eyes flickering brighter, “They’re real monsters, you’ve basically just unlocked SSS-tier summons.”
“Huh,” Alex muttered, brows raised.
“You’ve already reached a point where the only thing separating S-Rank from SSS-Rank is the size of your army.”
“These two are top-tier regardless.”
“The system likely gave them early due to your link with me.”
Hearing that, Alex’s grin returned.
It made sense.
The system probably realized that sending him against god-level threats with low-tier skeletons was beyond cruel, it was just inefficient.
So it gave him the best.
And judging by the names alone, they sounded promising.
“Undead Reaper and Undead Lord,” Alex repeated slowly.
“Alright. Let’s take a look.”
He tapped the panel, and the screen split into two new ones, each containing detailed descriptions and stats for the respective summon types.
The first was the [Undead Reaper].
[Undead Reaper: You may summon up to five of these units. Each one counts as 100 skeletons toward your max summon limit.]
That meant if he summoned all five Reapers, he’d only be able to call forth 500 other skeletons in total.
But that wasn’t a problem.
If they were worth a hundred each, that said everything about their strength.
He scrolled down.
[Description: Towering skeletal beings garbed in long dark robes, wielding massive scythes. They can float above the ground and command dark magic. They possess 80% of the user’s total stats.]
“Holy shit,” Alex said, blinking hard.
And that wasn’t an exaggeration.
His normal skeletons had 50% of his own stats, which already made them devastating against regular foes.
But these?
These things had eighty percent.
That put them dangerously close to his own level of strength, and with their own magic and high mobility, they were practically elite units.
“They’re beautiful,” Astolf murmured with admiration, “But wait until you see the next one.”
Alex chuckled lightly.
“One thing at a time.”
Though the mana cost hadn’t been listed yet, Alex didn’t really care.
With the [Crown of Calamity] having absorbed the [Grand Mage Hat], he had a regeneration rate of over 300,000 mana per second.
Unless something absurd happened, he would never run out.
So he lifted his hand, letting his own dark mana flow out like a tide, forming a swirling pool of shadows beneath him.
“Arise… Undead Reapers.”
[-15,000,000 Mana]
“Three million each, huh,” he muttered, watching the energy swirl and pulse.
The ground cracked beneath his feet, not from force, but from the pressure of the summoning.
Glowing purple fissures stretched outward in intricate shapes, leaking energy.
It was the first time a summoning felt this… dramatic.
And then they emerged.
[Summoned: 5 Undead Reapers] [Undead Limit Used: 500 / 1,000]
Each one rose from the cracks like ancient spirits returning from the grave.
Tall—almost three meters in height—robed in shadowy cloth that billowed despite the lack of wind.
Their skeletal faces were mostly hidden beneath their hoods, but white dots glowed faintly in their sockets.
Their feet didn’t touch the ground.
They hovered a few inches above it, their dark scythes resting in both hands, curved blades glowing with deep violet light that seemed to pulse with restrained violence.
They looked like reapers pulled straight from nightmares.
“Perfect,” Alex muttered with satisfaction, eyes sweeping over each one.
The design was flawless, and their presence alone was enough to make the area feel colder.
The difference between these and the old skeletons was like night and day.
These didn’t just follow orders, they looked like generals of death themselves.
“Alright,” Alex said, nodding to himself.
“Let’s move on to the final one.”
His gaze locked onto the second panel, the one labeled simply:
[New Summon Type: Undead Lord]
His fingers hovered above the screen for a moment.
‘Here we go,’ he thought.
Whatever was waiting inside this final panel, it was going to be even more powerful than the Reapers.
And that alone made his pulse quicken.
He tapped it.
And the last part of the system’s gift began to unfold.