Everlast Online

Once the secret room of the berk dungeon was emptied of anything useful, which was little to nothing, Liz quickly left the dungeon and returned to the surface.

With her undead culling the dungeon's population and her puppet using her skills to create more undead, not only had Liz removed one of the largest reasons that the previous lord could not expand further into the neutral zone, but had also gained a functionally infinite supply of corpses to turn into basic undead.

But even with the [Savage Caverns] dungeon cleared and tamed, Liz was not done.

The specific area with the dungeon was actually home to many dungeons, a highly profitable fact. With dungeons came monster hunters, and with monster hunters came business - business that Liz, as the new lord of the territory, could tax.

Liz's plan was thought up quickly, but was in no way foolish. She would build a city around these dungeons, typically this could not be done as human, or similar races of guard could not watch dungeons 24/7. However, this was not a problem for Liz who could easily station undead with the single goal of preventing any monsters escaping - all while allowing foreign monster hunters to enter and kill monsters. What was even better then, was that by having dungeons within her city, they could technically become business hubs she could charge for entry.

Even when dungeons without a charge were available, Liz was certain the added safety of a fully controlled dungeon would entice waves of monster hunters.

In fact, it was already proven.

Many other places had employed this tactic. While there were higher risks in using guards that could tire and fear and they did not employ the same number of dungeons Liz planned for, the added safety of regulated dungeons drew in crowds that could not be matched by unregulated dungeons.

Liz didn't even need to consider labour costs either. Her undead were unyieldingly loyal to her and her alone; with their inability to become fatigued a city could be built in a fraction of the time regular workers would take.

Furthermore, with Luthor's leadership as a manager, Liz was certain the building speed would again increase.

So, Liz began to clear the dungeons in the immediate area - 7 of them in total.

There was the [Savage Caverns], the most dangerous of the group due its excessively high spawn rate of relatively strong monsters.

Then there was [Blizzard Field] that was made up entirely of ice and snow golems. This was the least useful for Liz since (most) golems left no corpses for her to use; what's more its environment was incredibly harsh and so most visitors would struggle to clear it. Liz knew it was unlikely to be a dungeon that would bring in a lot of money; Liz also felt it was important to conquer as it having been left unchecked had most likely worsened the icy conditions of the territory.

Following that were the dungeons [Goblin Vault] and [Venom Cluster], which were lower ranked and levelled dungeons with goblin and spider monsters respectively. Liz had no real use for the goblin vault other than its money making ability as an easy mode dungeon; on the other hand [Venom Cluster] made for a good resource as zombified spiders made for excellent units in her army. Liz was happy to find they didn't lose their venom, nor their ability to stick to walls; the only downside was that the spiders lost their ability to create venom, meaning once they used up their entire tank they became much less useful.

However, Liz still found the spiders to be a versatile undead; especially when she realised that [Soul String] worked on undead made through [Create Undead] and so her zombified spiders made for excellent spies due to being relatively small.

(A/N: They're bigger than actual spiders, but are black in colour and not large for monster spiders - not the best spies, but better than nothing which is what Liz has at the moment)

Following these 2 was the [Haunted House] dungeon which Liz greatly appreciated as it showed her new types of undead, namely [Ghosts], [Wraiths] and finally a [Poltergeist] that acted as the boss. This was another hard dungeon that could only be cleared with magic due to spectral enemies being almost entirely immune to physical attacks; but Liz felt it was still feasibly possible for adventurers.

Liz was also glad to have 3 more entries in the [Book of Damned Souls], even if she couldn't summon a poltergeist yet due to its rather high requirements. Ghosts and wraiths were much easier though and Liz had already incorporated both, though in reduced numbers. Ghosts attacked primarily through ghost-type magic, firing from unexpected places as they phased through walls while wraiths almost exclusively made use of the skill [Life Drain] where they slowly drained HP from anything they touched by charging at enemies with incredible speed. They were amazing units, but exceptionally weak to magic, taking only a few hits of fairly basic magic to be completely destroyed.

The 6th dungeon was called [Serpents Maze] and was the most irritating of the group for obvious reasons. Filled almost entirely with snakes it made for lacklustre materials - their lack of arms before death lowering the overall strength of any undead that used limbs - and the maze element of the dungeon made it irritating to clear. Finally the boss monster, a lesser gorgon, was equally irritating to beat thanks to its petrification ability being one of the only status effects that could properly take hold of almost any undead race.

The final and 7th dungeon was the [Snowy Orc Village], there was nothing special about the dungeon. It had no qualities that the others didn't have: The spawn rate was quite fast and the monsters fairly strong, but not quite as much as [Savage Cavern]; its environment was difficult thanks to the snow, but could not match [Blizzard Field]; the orcs used weapons, but their intelligence was not much higher than the goblins within [Goblin Vault].

However, Liz found this dungeon to be the most profitable of the bunch. The difficulty was just perfect for monster hunting, allowing a challenge, but not one so dangerous it would be unappealing; and the corpses of snowy orcs made for excellent undead.

It only took a few days for Liz to fully clear the dungeons and bring them under her control with undead and puppets. The entire area was now under her control, and its flat surface was near-perfect for city building.

Liz's new city would become the largest dungeon-hub in the country and be marked among the largest of the continent; all being built in a fraction of the time of a regular city thanks to the tireless work of her undead. Liz also expected there to be numerous types of undead that were purely specialised in building or labour.

If there are service undead like zombie maids, then there are probably worker undead. Liz thought, her mind then branching into even further types of undead. There may even be more specialised types, like blacksmith undead or builder undead. The possibilities are functionally limitless.

While Liz was fantasising about the types of undead she could make, greatly appreciating the abilities granted through [Book of the Damned], she turned to her newest skill.

Clearing 7 dungeons was not as profitable as Liz would have wanted; primarily due to her relatively high level. However, she still surpassed level 110, eventually reaching 117 and gaining the skill: [Corpse Explosion (1) (C)]

[Corpse Explosion (1) (C): Infuse the flesh of a corpse with mana until it explodes. Anyone caught in the explosion has a 1% chance to be afflicted with the {Poison} debuff. Power of explosion scales with INT and skill level]

This was Liz's first major AOE attack, even if it required sacrifice of corpses. The specificity of the skill demanded flesh, so her undead skeletons could not be used to activate the skill, however, Liz found she could use zombies as literal suicide bombers as she infused their flesh with mana until they exploded in enemy ranks.

Eren and Gloria similarly reached higher levels and gained new skills.

Gloria managed to break the threshold into triple digits and become level 105, gaining the skill: [Demise Sludge (1) (C)] that launched a ball of corrosive goo. The goo would then explode on contact and apply corrosion damage to anything it touched. Unfortunately, the skill scaled with Gloria's weakest stat: INT, meaning it would always be somewhat weaker than normal.

Eren reached level 85 since she mostly healed during the raids. She gained another healing ability: [Festering Wound (1) (D)]. The skill was not a traditional healing skill, even when taking Eren's peculiar class into account. On enemies the skill would target a wound and infect it to increase damage and pain, while also inflicting the [Disease] debuff on the target; however, on undead allies it would speed up their natural recovery - as opposed to a simple healing spell that would just heal them.

The skill did however synergise quite well with her other skills as it increased how much healing each of her skills did after using [Festering Wound].

It was not long before the trio had returned back to the mansion and it was in a much different state than how they had left it. The damage was still clear, cracks running along the bricks everywhere, but it was no longer covered in filth and dirt. Even the garden had been cleared of weeds and looked much more presentable.

Waiting for her outside was the corpse responsible for the sudden change, his zombie maids lined up behind him, all waiting for their master's return.

"Welcome back, My Lady." Luthor said, bowing deeply; only for the maids behind him to follow with an even deeper bow, "I trust your venture was fruitful."

"Thank's Luthor, everything looks great." Liz responded, as she pulled Luthor back up and walked inside - marvelling at how much better things looked. The gaudy decorations had been removed and the layer of dirt that had lined every surface had vanished, "Do I have an office?" 

"Of course, please follow me, My Lady." Luthor said before he took the lead. The maids returned to whatever task they had been performing before this, likely cleaning of some kind.

Luthor took Liz to the second floor and down a number of halls until eventually they came upon a door that was much fancier than the others; made from an expensive, varnished wood that even Liz could tell was of superior quality.

Opening the door, there was much less noticeable damage in the room as a result of it being where the former viscount had spent most of their time. The furniture was much too expensive for Liz to be comfortable, but with no other options Liz walked over to the desk and sat down.

"Can I have some paper?" Liz asked, only for Luthor to produce it with ease less than a second later, "Thank you."

Luthor only nodded as Liz smiled and thanked him. With the paper Liz activated [World Map] to create a physical copy of the map of the area she intended to build upon; it was marked with each dungeon along with their details and future use.

Luthor, standing behind Liz, leaned over to look at the maps as Liz marked the best ways to make use of the space she was working with. Liz was no architect, but at the very least she wanted for her dungeons to be within a central area of the city; and on the plus side, all 7 dungeons were in extremely close proximity as they were no more than a 10 minute walk apart. This however, led Luthor to consider the possibility of further benefits for his master.

"My Lady, may I offer some advice?" Luthor spoke up, as Liz turned to face him and Eren stopped chatting with the ever-silent Gloria on the chairs in front of the desk. With Liz's nod of confirmation, Luthor continued, "There may be a lucrative opportunity beyond commercialising the dungeons."

Liz perked up at the sound of further success and leaned forward intently to listen to Luthor.

"How so?" She asked, very interested.

"As you may or not know, dungeons are formed from the abundance of mana emitted by fault lines; as such many have the misconception that only fault lines can create dungeons - this is wrong." Luthor explained, standing straight and ensuring his explanation was clear, "I suspect the seven dungeons you have taken over are such exceptions."

Liz considered what this meant, recognising that Luthor was hinting at a large mana reserve somewhere in territory she controlled.

"How certain are you of this?" Liz asked, noticing that Eren and even the stoic Gloria had taken an interest in the topic.

"It's rather simple, should you have the underlying knowledge of dungeons, My Lady." Luthor explained in a tone that made his boastful words not sound even slightly arrogant as he spoke to his master, "The simple fact is that the dungeons are much too close to be drawing from the same source."

"Fault lines are abundant in mana - one of the most abundant sources across the multiverse - but they are still only small holes in each dimension. Simply put, for a fault line to give off enough energy to simultaneously fuel 7 dungeons the gap would have to be so wide it would be visible to mortal eyes. And if that were to happen, this entire dimension would be at risk of falling into the void." Luthor explained gravely.

Liz shuddered at the thought, she had seen the void and distinctly regretted it. Gloria and Eren had similar reactions, though less vivid as their memories of it were much less clear - even though they had spent significantly more time there. Liz was extremely greatful at Luthor's seemingly bottomless pit of knowledge; he truly knew anything so long as it could be put to use in improving Liz.

"I see." Liz muttered, turning back to her map, "So what do you think it could be?"

"That is the hard part, My Lady." Luthor sighed, his confidence waning as he continued, "It could literally be anything. So long as it gave off enough mana anything can create a dungeon."

"If you're lucky, My Lady, then it could be a mana lake or a vein of mana-infused metals." Luthor said, wiping the nonexistent sweat from his brow - perhaps a remnant habit of one of the bodies used to create him?

"And if I'm unlucky?" Liz asked, desiring to weigh up the pros and cons against one another.

"In the very worst case scenario, it could be a sleeping immortal." Luthor explained, "And if that truly is the case, then it would likely be both old and powerful. Waking it up would be the worst possible decision that could be made."

The room went silent as Liz considered how she should act. It put her entire plan to build a city there into question.

If there really is something alive down there, wouldn't building a city on top of it be a bad idea? Liz wondered, considering both sides. On the other hand, even I know that mana-infused metals are expensive; getting a mine of them could quite literally build an empire.

"What do you guys think?" Liz asked, turning to Gloria and Eren who looked similarly torn. Though Eren's smile rather betrayed the turmoil she was feeling inside.

"I believe you should look and see what's down there, master." Gloria said after considering the options, "The profits are theoretically massive - it would be a waste to avoid them for fear that it may be dangerous."

Liz nodded at Gloria's suggestion, her point that it was impossible to know what was truly down there was valid and worthy of consideration. Liz turned to Eren; already knowing that Luthor would simply advise Liz to do what she believed was best.

"... I'm not sure it's the best idea." Eren said, her bubbly voice sounding hollow and forced, "Immortals can be incredibly cruel."

Liz watched as Eren looked down at the floor, her fingers gently rubbing against her neck. She became silent moments later and Liz felt it was not her place to ask, that Eren would come to her when the time was right.

"Haaah." Liz sighed, leaning back in her chair and looking at the ceiling, "What to do?"

As Liz was staring at a rather large crack in the ceiling, a message came across her screen that another one of Magnus's gang members had joined the guild and Liz remembered she had more counsel that just the 3 undead in this room. So, Liz opened up a private chat between herself, Nina, Magnus and Seb - the people currently closest to her (excluding her sister who was still recovering in Magnus's hospital).

She gave them a quick run-down of the situation and they each gave input.

[Nina: check it out, might be something cool]

[Nina: lmk if anything interesting shows up :)]

Nina added a point in favour of looking into the source of the dungeons, as Liz expected she would. Next was Magnus's reply:

[Magnus: You cannot make advancement without first taking risk]

[Magnus: I don't fully understand everything about this game, but at the end of the day that's all it is - A game]

[Magnus: If you find something valuable, then great. If you find something dangerous, then whatever. Come back when you're stronger]

Magnus was purely pragmatic, looking at the situation from the perspective of a man who didn't really understand games. However, it did shine light on the situation for Liz as he was right - even if the game was important, it was still just a game. Finally was Seb's response, and the only one that seemed negative:

[SS: too much is at risk to go poking at bears]

[SS: it might be better to just let it be, even if you stand to lose out on something big]

All 3 of the people Liz had asked for help from looked at the situation from a different perspective.

For Nina, it seemed like a fun activity that could possibly be profitable.

For Magnus, finding the source of the mana was a risk worth taking since any consequences were limited to the game.

And finally, for Seb, he recognised that the game was Liz' only source of income and that even as a game, the consequences could have effects that ripple out into reality.

Liz agonised over the choice she was being forced to make as she stared at the crack in her ceiling, her undead waiting in silence as Eren's mood seemed to have dropped after the topic of immortals was brought up.

"Haaaaaah." Liz sighed deeply, before sitting up in her seat, "I'm gonna go digging."

Eren looked slightly disappointed and sighed, her heading coming slightly loose, while Gloria remained unchanged. Luthor on the other hand got to work quickly, taking his own piece of paper and beginning planning.

"Since you have decided, this is how it would be best executed, My Lady." Luthor said, placing a sheet of paper in front of Liz. Typically he wouldn't have gone so far to help that he would create the plan entirely on his own; but this fell under territory management and therefore the duties Liz had given to him.

Liz looked over the paper with a small smile, her eyes caught by a specific part.

"What's a grave digger?" Liz asked as it was recommended in helping excavate along with what Luthor called skeleton miners, "And wouldn't miners be enough on their own?"

"Apologies for the misunderstanding, My Lady. Grave diggers are a type of undead that specialise in earth magic." Luthor explained, bringing out another sheet of paper that explained how to summon both grave diggers and skeleton miners.

Skeleton miners were easy, though slightly strange, as all they took were skeletons and mining equipment. The abnormal part was that Luthor especially emphasised that the skeletons had to have already been created - allowing Liz to discover that undead could be used to create even more undead.

I wonder what would happen if I used Eren or Gloria. Liz began to consider the consequences of using Eren or Gloria, but put the thought aside as she realised that it would likely not be good.

The grave digger was slightly more complicated:

[Ingredients: {100 Corpses}, {1 Shovel (Square)}, {1 Shovel (Round)}, {1 Pickaxe}, {500kg of grave soil}, {Mana}]

The equipment and corpses were not of much concern to Liz, it was the last one that put her in a problematic situation. She didn't know exactly what grave soil meant, but guessing wasn't too hard and 500kg of it would mean desecrating a lot of corpses.

"Haah." Liz sighed once again, "Let's get to it then."