Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Building Traps

He shook his head once.

“Those are all good… but not enough.”

What he needed wasn’t just strength.

He needed something that could shift the fight instantly.

His gaze returned to one skill.

Corpse Explosion.

A faint smile formed on his lips.

“…Yeah.”

On a battlefield, corpses were everywhere.

Everything could become a weapon.

“That’s the one.”

Without hesitation, he made his choice.

The moment he confirmed it, a faint surge of energy passed through him. The knowledge settled into his mind instantly, like it had always been there.

Aiden exhaled slowly, adjusting to it.

“…I see.”

He could already feel the limits.

With his current mana.

“…About a hundred normal corpses,” he murmured.

That was the safe range. Push beyond that, and his mana would drain too fast.

Then he considered something else.

“…And stronger bodies…”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“If it’s a Body Tempering practitioner…”

He let out a quiet breath.

“…Five. Maybe.”

Not many.

But the power behind those five.

That would be something else entirely.

Aiden leaned back again, resting his head against the chair.

“…That’s enough.”

More than enough.

A battlefield filled with corpses wasn’t a disadvantage anymore.

It was an opportunity.

And if that city really decided to come for him.

Aiden’s faint smile returned.

“…Then I’ll give them a proper welcome.”

—

The next morning, Aiden woke to the faint light slipping through his window.

For a moment, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting his mind settle. The drain from yesterday was gone. His mana had mostly recovered, steady and full again.

Quiet and peaceful. Suddenly, there’s a knock.

Sharp. Urgent.

“My lord.”

Aiden let out a small breath. “…Come in.”

The door opened, and Graveknit stepped inside. His posture was as composed as ever, but there was a slight tension in the way he moved.

Aiden pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“…What is it?”

Graveknit didn’t waste time.

“My lord, there is an urgent report.”

Aiden ran a hand through his hair, already half-expecting it.

“Go ahead.”

Graveknit’s hollow gaze met his.

“An army of humans is marching toward us.”

Aiden paused for a second.

“…Oh.”

No panic. No surprise.

Just a quiet acknowledgment.

“So they finally decided to move.”

He stood up slowly, stretching his shoulders as if preparing for a long day.

“How many?”

Graveknit answered immediately.

“Approximately two thousand five hundred, my lord.”

Aiden let out a low whistle.

“…That’s quite a lot.”

He walked toward the window and pushed it open. The cold morning air rushed in, brushing against his face.

Outside, his town moved as usual. Undead patrolling. Structures standing firm. Everything in place.

But now, there was something coming.

A real army.

Aiden rested his hand on the window frame, thinking for a moment.

Then he spoke.

“Alright.”

He turned his head slightly.

“Tell Carrion to start building the traps.”

Graveknit nodded. “Understood, my lord.”

Aiden’s gaze drifted toward the distance beyond the walls.

“…Let them come,” he murmured.

His voice was calm.

—

Aiden stood on top of the wall, looking out over the land beyond his town.

From up here, everything felt… smaller.

His territory wasn’t that large, just the size of a town. Nothing compared to the cities.

But the walls?

Aiden rested his hand against the cold stone, feeling its solid weight.

“…Better than Breim City,” he murmured.

He had seen those walls before. Tall, sure, but nothing like this. The system didn’t just build walls. It perfected them. Thick, seamless, and unnaturally sturdy.

These weren’t meant to hold people out.

They were meant to withstand war.

His gaze shifted outward.

Beyond the walls, the undead were already moving.

They were working.

Groups of skeletons and zombies dug into the ground, carving out pits, reinforcing them with sharpened stakes made from bone and wood. Others dragged materials across the field, setting up crude barricades and hidden traps along the likely paths of approach.

Even the undead citizens had joined in.

Slow. Silent. Tireless.

They carried rocks, filled gaps, and followed simple instructions without hesitation.

Aiden watched it all, his eyes calm.

“…Good.”

He could’ve used the system.

There were traps available, clean, efficient, and probably far more deadly.

But—

“…No gold.”

He let out a quiet breath.

After buying the blueprints, he hadn’t recovered his funds yet.

So instead, he relied on something else.

“…At least my old world wasn’t useless.”

Memories surfaced in his mind. Things he’d seen, read, learned. Simple traps. Battlefield tricks. Methods used in wars where survival depended on preparation.

Nothing supernatural.

But still effective.

“Dig them deeper,” Aiden said, his voice carrying just enough for the nearby undead to react.

A group immediately adjusted, continuing their work without pause.

“Hide the edges better,” he added. “Make it look natural.”

More movement. More silent obedience.

Aiden crossed his arms, watching as the field slowly transformed into something far more dangerous than it looked.

To an untrained eye, it was just open ground.

But step in the wrong place…

And it would be the last step they ever took.

A faint smile formed on his face.

“…Let’s see how they deal with this.”

Far in the distance, unseen but approaching, an army was coming.

—

By the time the sun began to dip, the army finally arrived.

They didn’t march straight in.

Instead, they stopped behind a hill a short distance from Dustwind Town, setting up camp where they had a clear view but remained out of immediate danger. Tents were raised, fires lit, and soldiers moved in disciplined lines, preparing for what was to come.

At the top of the hill, two figures stood side by side.

Caelus and Rhett.

From where they stood, the entire town lay exposed below them.

The walls, layout, and the things moving around inside it.

Caelus narrowed his eyes, his hands clasped behind his back.

“…This town,” he said slowly, “Dustwind’s location is good.”

Rhett glanced at him but didn’t interrupt.

“It’s hard to attack,” Caelus continued, his gaze fixed on the terrain. “But easy to defend.”

Rhett let out a quiet breath and nodded.

“Yeah. There’s only one real opening.”

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