Chapter 184: Complete Overhaul

Chapter 184: Complete Overhaul

As the [Outer Mist Phase] took Aldrich, Valera, and the Death Lord to the Nexus

in a warp, Aldrich asked Valera, "By the way, what were you doing out there? If

everyone else is in the Nexus still?"

"Well, I wanted the privilege of seeing you rst, master," said Valera. "Did I...

do anything wrong? Perhaps I left the Legion unattended?"

"No, it's ne. I'm sure you wouldn't have left them if you didn't think their

safety atleast somewhat guaranteed," said Aldrich with a nod that Valera

smiled at.

"My, young love – such a wonderful sight to see. Sickeningly sweet, I must

say," said the Death Lord as she frowned and waved her hand, speeding up the

[Outer Mist Phase].

"W-what, it is not like that!" protested Valera. "Not yet at least, no, what am I

saying – I am his Guardian Knight! It would go against my vows to fall for the

one I am sworn to defend."

"Yes, yes, because rules are never broken, of course," said the Death Lord as

she rolled her eyes and twirled her pipe, causing the warp to nalize.

The mist that gathered around the group uxed and thickened, and in the next

instant, Aldrich felt his vision blacken and his body grow weightless as he

underwent the warp. When the darkness faded away, Aldrich found himself

staring at an enormous pillar of pure green, crystallized energy.

The crystal structure looked like the branches of a tree stretching upwards,

latching onto an incredibly high ceiling of dark stone that stood almost a

hundred meters high.

"You've made the place much bigger," noted Aldrich as he looked around. The

Nexus was originally a small space that functioned more like an audience

chamber to meet with the goddess Amara, so it was limited in space.

Now, though, Aldrich found himself inside a massive hallway that could easily

seat an entire football stadium inside of it.

This was a complete and utter overhaul of the entire Nexus. No, this place could

not even be called the same anymore.

Aldrich heard a massive commotion behind him, and he turned around to see

his Legion, or at least the monstrous units he had decided to take into the

Nexus, all gathered, ready to meet him.

At the head of them stood Okeanos with the Geist, Crab, and Merman behind

the Locus.

"Glad to see you all made it," said Aldrich with a smile.

"We are happy to see you, master," said Okeanos with a bow of his head. "We

waited long."

'Long? It's barely been a day,' thought Aldrich, but then again, he had heard the

exact same thing from Valera. He did not complain, though. It just meant his

units were that loyal to him.

"Geh! (You're back!)" said the Geist. "Gehgeh (When do we ght again?)"

The crab monsters Aldrich had under his command waved their pincers in the

air in their signature dance, and Crab followed along with its giant pincers,

probably having taken a liking to the dance and practiced it.

"Khos-Khal! (The king is returned!)" said Merman as he clasped his many

hands together in a gesture of deference.

"Geh? (What are you doing?)" The Geist clasped his hands together to mimic

Merman.

"Khos-Vul (Praising the king)" said Merman.

The Geist showed his clasped hands to Merman. "Geh? (Like this?)"

"Vo. Mil-Kan-il-Khos-Vul (Yes. But the more arms bound together, the greater

the respect shown)," said Merman.

"Gehgeh! (Oh, then like this!)" The Geist focused on his hands and shuddered

before explosively growing out an additional pair of much thinner arms,

clasping them together.

"Moro (Better)," said Merman.

At that moment, from the back, the Zombie Giant roared and beat his chest to

acknowledge Aldrich's return, completely drowning out every other sound in a

thunderous burst of volume.

"Geh...(He's too loud)," said the Geist.

"Vo. (Yes)," agreed Merman.

Aldrich saw that development and noted how incredibly fast the Geist was

growing in training its powers. It had gured out how to apply its explosive

growth ability not just to heal its wounds, but to grow entirely new body parts

as well.

That made Aldrich consider the Geist even higher for Dark Wisdom levels.

"Your Legion has grown so much," said Valera as she stood by Aldrich, smiling

as she looked at the diverse crowd of creatures of all shapes and sizes

interacting with each other. "Far greater than it has ever been when you were a

mortal."

"Our Legion has grown," corrected Aldrich. "Without you, I wouldn't have had

the repower or defensive capability to make all this happen."

"I only followed you." A red tint ushed in Valera's pale cheeks. "But if-if you

say so, my master."

Aldrich looked beyond his army of monsters and to their surroundings. The

giant hallway was empty, made entirely of austere grey or black stone lit up

only by the green glow of the huge crystal root structure behind him.

Though quite empty, the hallway felt strangely similar in design, and when he

reected on his memory, he came to realize why.

"Is this design a replica of your Throne Room?" said Aldrich. "Minus the

banners, throne, and, well, basically any decoration. Where did the rest of the

Nexus go? The Trial Quest pillars, the blacksmith, the goddess Amara, and the

Wellspring of Life?"

The Death Lord's eye twitched when she heard the name 'Amara', but she kept

her cool.

"My, you could tell?" said the Death Lord with a sly smile. "And my apologies

for its emptiness. I did not have much time to work with. But it is tting. This

Throne Room of yours is merely the beginning of your journey as Usurper.

When my powers are yours, this Throne Room shall be complete, lled with

your proud Legion and, of course, a Throne. That is what this will be." The

Death Lord tapped the enormous crystal roots with her pipe, letting out the

sound of wood hitting glass. "By interacting with this Throne Shard, you may

access those spaces you known as 'Trial Quests'."

The Throne Shard glowed, emitting an eerie, deep echo before projecting

multiple small portals outlined in ery green in front of Aldrich. Within each

portal, Aldrich could see snippets of dierent scenery. A muddy swamp in one,

a scorching desert in another, huge swathes of storm clouds here, and eerie

abandoned ruins there.

These were all snapshots of the environments in the Trial Quests available to

Aldrich. Specically, Trial Quests 1, 2, 3, and 4, though, of course, Aldrich had

already cleared the 1st quest.

Aldrich inspected the portals and the Throne Shard, wondering how to interact

with them.

"This Throne Shard is akin to an extension of your own will," said the Death

Lord. "Simply bare your thoughts to it, and it will fulll your wishes."

Aldrich nodded and willed the Throne Shard to show him the rest of the Trial

Quests. Bright bolts of green energy crackled outwards as Aldrich established a

connection with the Throne Shard for the rst time. He felt a jolting sensation

in his mind, but it quickly passed, and when it did, he felt the Throne Shard

linked to his mind.

The Throne Shard glowed and released its deep hum before showing seven

more portals: the rest of Aldrich's Trial Quests.

"Hm?" Aldrich noted something o. The portals for Trial Quests 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,

and 10 were lled out with green, not revealing what was within him. That, he

could understand as he technically was not high enough level to access them.

But Trial Quests 11 and 12 were completely blacked out.

"Those nal two Trial Quests are not available to you," explained the Death

Lord. "After all, originally, they were intended to seal my Deathguard and

myself. But since we are here, those Trial Quests are merely empty space now."

"Empty space? Why can't I access them, then?" said Aldrich.

"They possess the same level-based restriction as with the other Trial Quests,"

said the Death Lord. She shrugged. "I suppose once you reach those levels, you

may use those quest spaces as storage of some sort."

Quite anticlimactic, thought Aldrich. The two nal epic showdowns staged in

the ultra endgame against the Deathguard and Death Lord respectively were

now reduced to just storage.

"And where's the Wellspring, goddess, and blacksmith?" said Aldrich.

"Wellspring? Bah, that pool of disgusting sewer water? Why would you even

wonder of its presence? Those waters would rejuvenate lesser undead, but to

the likes of us higher undead, it is nothing more than foul poison," said the

Death Lord. "I would have destroyed it outright, but, there was still magical

energy within the Wellspring that I found a waste to discard.

Thus, I had it refashioned into something far better tting for you, Usurper."

The Death Lord tapped the Throne Shard proudly with her pipe.

"...You turned the Wellspring into the Throne Shard?" said Aldrich.

"Precisely!" The Death Lord laughed. "And that ugly drawing of that even

uglier goddess, I broke into raw magic and infused into the throne as well.

There was surprisingly little to use in that scribble of a shell, though, but then

again, I should not be surprised that a goddess that relied upon the mindless

faith of masses held little strength herself."

"I see," said Aldrich. "And the blacksmith? He was quite useful to me."

"Sindri was but a slave to Amara," said the Death Lord. "He too was a simple

drawn shell, but I found it right to shatter it and free him, if indeed there was

truly anything of him in there."

"So...I've lost access to all my crafting and healing?" said Aldrich.

"You called that crafting?" The Death Lord was oended. "Rolling the dice over

and over again for this treasure and that? No!"

The Death Lord placed her pipe in her mouth and snapped her ngers. In

response, behind the Throne Shard, another portal opened up. A much larger

one indicating that something big was coming through it.

A giant stepped out with his face covered in a helmet that looked like a welding

mask. He was garbed in protective metal and thick cloth that indicated not a

warrior's armor, but a blacksmith's coverings.

Blacksmithing tools like a hammer and a drill like item were skewered into the

esh of one of his arms. Dull black ames ickered around the length of his

other arm.

The giant carried a sizable anvil in one hand and an inactive, cylindrical furnace

in the other. Despite his immense size, the giant very gently set down the anvil

and furnace on the oor before turning around and waving to Aldrich.

"Hullo. My name is Bors. I smith for you now." The giant's voice was

surprisingly mellow. Not at all like the thunderous rumbling roars that

Aldrich's own undead giant could let out. Bors sounded positively friendly, on

the contrary.

"Bors is one of my nest smiths! Among the best of my giant forgers!" declared

the Death Lord. "Any work he produces here will be of the nest quality, and no

longer will you need to rely on luck for your smithing wants.

Instead, Bors will listen to your requests and work to meet them directly!"