Chapter 29: Time to scale up

“Alex, I can’t smelt iron, but my aunt can sharpen needles!”

“Alex, marry me! I have… skills…”

“My lord, I’ll lend you my Elves for two days if you give me that Perfect saber!”

“I can smelt Refined Iron! My units are Grey Dwarves! They’re experts!”

Alex’s plea for a blacksmith on the world channel had resulted in an avalanche of friend requests. Millions of them. Mostly sycophants trying to curry favor with the supposed “strongest lord” in Eldoria. After all, who else had conquered a mine on Day Two?

Alex sifted through the requests until she found the one.

“I can smelt Refined Iron! My units are Grey Dwarves! They’re experts!” The desperation was palpable. This was her blacksmith.

“Grey Dwarves, huh…” she mused, accepting the request.

[Luo Jia]: “Holy crap! Alex! Is that really you? I’m friends with Alex?!”

[Alex]: “…Yes.” This girl was… enthusiastic.

[Luo Jia]: “You accepted my request! I’m so excited!”

[Alex]: “…You have Grey Dwarves?”

[Luo Jia]: “Yeah! They’re driving me crazy! Useless in combat, useless for logging, only good for mining and smelting! I haven’t even hit Level 2 yet!”

[Alex]: “…That’s… unfortunate. Dwarves are bad at fighting?”

[Luo Jia]: “Not all Dwarves! Just *my* Dwarves! The Grey Dwarves! Apparently, there are different kinds of Dwarves. Some are really strong! But mine… they just want to mine and smelt! They’re terrible fighters! I could beat them all up myself!”

[Alex]: “…Right.” This girl was a force of nature. “I need someone who can smelt. I’ll provide the iron ore. You make Refined Iron. I’ll pay you for your services. Deal?”

[Luo Jia]: “Deal! Anything to work with the legendary Alex!”

[Alex]: “How’s your production speed?”

[Luo Jia]: “No problem! My Grey Dwarves can build these… dirt furnaces! It’s amazing! They just… *poof*… make fire!”

[Alex]: “…Okay. We’ll start tomorrow.”

[Luo Jia]: “Yes, boss!”

Meanwhile, in a dilapidated castle on the Greyball Desert…

“I’m back in the game!” Luo Jia, a young woman with short hair, bright eyes, and long legs, jumped for joy. She was a 9 out of 10, easily, if not for her slightly boisterous personality.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Finally! I have fire too! I just… haven’t had much luck.”

Her Grey Dwarves, despite being Elite rank, were… special. Pacifists, basically. They loved mining, smelting, and crafting. Nothing else. They couldn’t fight, but they had a unique ability: they could build dirt furnaces and… *poof*… make fire! Luo Jia had fire on Day One! She’d seen Alex’s success with cooked meat and tried to do the same. But her Dwarves couldn’t hunt, so she had no raw meat. She tried to buy some, but she didn’t even have enough wood for that! Her castle was in the middle of a desert! She’d tried advertising her processing services, but no one believed her. She couldn’t produce a single piece of cooked meat as proof!

“I have fire too!” she’d wailed. “Why can’t I be like Alex?!”

But now, she was working with Alex! “This is my chance! Grey Dwarves or no Grey Dwarves, I’m going to make it big!”

Back at her castle, Alex was counting her earnings. 50 Dragon Sparrow Sabers sold for a total of 22,087 Magic Crystals! She’d never had so many!

“Jackpot! Equipment is where the real money is!”

The sabers had cost her 1000 units of Refined Iron and 100 Magic Crystals. Refined Iron didn’t have a market price yet, but based on what Arthas had said, it traded for 10 units of iron ore per Magic Crystal among the native Eldoria factions. The lord economy was different, but it was a starting point. So, 1000 units of Refined Iron was worth 100 Magic Crystals. Her total investment: 200 Magic Crystals. Her profit: 21,889 Magic Crystals. Over 100x return!

“Time to scale up!”

Day Three. Dawn.

[World Announcement]

[Night ends, the Blood Moon sets.]

[Monster boost deactivated.]

The lords of Eldoria rejoiced. Time to go outside! And time for the daily summoning!

The number of units summoned depended on the level of your Summoning Altar and the rank of your units. A Level 1 altar with Normal units summoned 30. Elite: 15. Commander: 8. Lord: 4. King: 2. God: 1. Higher altar levels meant more units.

Alex’s altar was Level 3.

[Necromantic Altar (Unique Building)]

[Level: Lv3]

…

She could choose three unit types today!

[Necromantic Altar (Ready to Summon)]

[Summon Undead?]

[Yes] or [No]

“Yes!”

[Choose three unit types:]

[1. 10 Skeletal Warriors]

[2. 10 Undead Zombies]

[3. 2 Liches]

[4. 2 Death Knights]

[5. 1 Skeleton Dragon]

[6. 1 Zombie Titan]

“3, 5, and 6!” She’d already decided. Skeleton Dragon and Zombie Titan were the strongest, based on their single-unit summoning limit. And Liches… Alex suspected they had necromantic abilities, just like her. Essential for building her million-strong army.

Three glowing runes appeared at the base of the Demon King’s throne.

The center rune produced a familiar sight: a five-meter-tall, twenty-meter-long Skeleton Dragon. Alex named him Baxter.

The right rune summoned… a Zombie? A massive, eight-meter-tall Zombie, even taller than the dragon. Half its face was rotted away, its teeth and gums exposed in a gruesome grin. Its eyes were vacant. It looked… not very bright. But terrifying nonetheless. A Zombie Titan.

[Zombie Titan (Unnamed)]

[Race: Undead]

…

[Skill: Blood Frenzy]

Blood Frenzy: Consumes mana to enter a frenzy. (Frenzy: +50% Strength, +50% Endurance, -50% Spirit)

“A skill at Level 1! Just like the dragons!” Alex grinned. God-rank units were born with skills.

+50% Strength and Endurance? That was insane! A Level 8 Zombie Titan, normally with 48 in all stats, would jump to 72 in Frenzy mode! Arthur would need to reach Level 12 to achieve the same stats. A four-level difference! This lumbering giant was a powerhouse!

The left rune summoned two… humans? Humanoid figures in black robes and hoods, wielding staffs. Mysterious and spooky. Liches.

[Lich (Unnamed)]

[Race: Undead]

…

[Skills: None]

A slight disappointment. No skills at Level 1. But that was normal for non-God-rank units.

Two Liches, a Skeleton Dragon, and a Zombie Titan. A good haul.

“Arthur! John!”

The dragons flew over.

“Master?”

Alex gestured towards the new arrivals. “New friends! Arthur, your mission today is to level them up!”

“As you command, Master!” Arthur bowed, then led his team out to hunt.

Just then, a horde of small skeletons marched into Alex’s territory. The Goblin Skeletons!

“Oh!” Alex remembered. “The iron ore!”

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