Chapter 83: Hiccup

The skill description slowly unfolded before Cassian’s eyes.

​[Undead Summoning]

​[Description:]

​The boundary between life and death is thinner than most realize. As a wielder of this skill, you may call forth an Undead from the Nether World and bind it to your service.

​A valid corpse is required as a vessel.

​The summoned Undead Type is determined by its soul quality, remnants of its living traits, talents, instincts, and potential. Possible Types include:

​Worker

​Soldier

​Support

​Special Unit

​Champion (Rare)

​The summoned Undead retains fragments of its former instincts and combat tendencies while remaining absolutely loyal to its summoner.

[Special Effect: Champion Designation]

​Certain souls possess exceptional qualities that transcend death. By sacrificing an undead, a suitable soul may be designated as a Champion Candidate and summoned as a Champion-Type Undead.

​Cassian stared at the system window for several seconds in total silence.

​"..."

​The more he read the description, the more absurd it became.

​This was practically a mobile Summoning Gate.

​No, a Summoning Gate required expensive summoning cards. This skill only required corpses.

​That was it.

​Cassian slowly lifted his head toward the Eternal Serpent.

​"..."

​The serpent stared back silently, its golden eyes unblinking.

​Several heavy seconds passed before Cassian finally spoke:

​"Are you not going to say anything?"

​The Eternal Serpent closed its eyes, its massive form remaining motionless as though contemplating something profound.

​Eventually, its golden eyes reopened. "Did you fail to see the true value of the skill?"

​Cassian paused, then looked back at the description.

​At first glance, he had merely seen a convenient, portable summoning gate, a useful ability, certainly a powerful one, but nothing worthy of making a Cosmic Pillar look so thoroughly amused.

​Then he read it again.

​And again.

​His sky-blue eyes suddenly widened.

​A Summoning Gate required advance preparation; this did not. A Summoning Gate required expensive cards; this did not.

A Summoning Gate required him to physically return to his territory; this did not.

​Most importantly, his gaze locked onto a single, devastating line:

​A valid corpse is required as a vessel.

​Cassian felt his heartbeat quicken.

​In a normal battle, casualties steadily reduced an army’s overall strength, the longer a war dragged on, the weaker an army became. But for him?

​The exact opposite would occur.

​Every enemy killed became a potential reinforcement. Every battlefield became an instant recruitment center. Every massacre became an opportunity.

​The more enemies died... the larger his army could become right in the middle of battle.

​A terrifying realization surfaced in his mind. A Lord’s greatest weakness was usually logistics, maintaining troop growth, replacing battle losses, and acquiring rare summoning cards.

This skill solved all three problems simultaneously.

​The Eternal Serpent observed his changing expression, clearly entertained.

​Yet Cassian wasn’t finished analyzing it. His gaze moved lower.

​Soul quality. Living traits. Potential. Specialization.

​His eyes widened even further.

​Unlike a Summoning Gate, which produced largely random results based on available troop pools, this skill offered specificity, choice and selection.

​If he encountered a legendary archer in life, he could deliberately attempt to bring back an Undead specialized in archery. If he encountered a renowned scholar, he could potentially obtain a Support Unit. If he found an exceptional beast... a Special Unit.

​And in rare circumstances, Champions.

​The [Champion Designation] effect alone was terrifying: a corpse, an exceptional soul, another sacrificed undead... and a guaranteed, loyal Champion.

​Cassian’s mind immediately began calculating endless possibilities: ancient battlefields, legendary heroes, dead cultivators, fallen monsters, and forgotten kings.

The sheer number of opportunities hidden within the Lord’s Domain suddenly seemed infinite.

​Then, one final realization struck him.

​The skill didn’t consume summoning cards, Lord Coins, or rare resources, it only required corpses.

​And corpses were abundant, especially for someone whose preferred method of solving problems involved creating massive quantities of them.

​Cassian slowly lowered the ledger as his expression completely shifted.

​The Eternal Serpent noticed immediately, a knowing smile appearing across the ancient entity’s face. "There it is."

​Cassian looked up.

​The serpent chuckled softly. "You finally understand."

​The [Cosmic Pillar of Order]’s golden eyes glowed with deep amusement. "A skill’s value is rarely found in what it does; it is found in what it enables."

​Cassian stared at the skill description one final time, then back at the Eternal Serpent.

​For the first time since receiving the boon, he genuinely understood why it had been granted to him.

​This wasn’t merely a skill, it was an entire strategic doctrine condensed into a single, divine authority.

​An authority truly befitting an Undead Lord.

....

The Eternal Serpent finally closed its eyes.

​For a moment, absolute silence filled the endless expanse.

​Then, its colossal golden eyes opened once more.

​"That is all. Cassian Voss, your audience has concluded. You may now return."

​Cassian released a slow, steady breath.

​The sheer amount of information he had learned today was enough to shake even the strongest Sovereign Lord: the origin of the Lord System, the truth behind the Endless Blackness, the existence of Cosmic Pillars, Primus Vangelion, the true purpose of Lords, and finally, the divine boon he had received.

​It had been worth every single second.

​Just as the spatial pull of return began gathering around his consciousness, the Eternal Serpent suddenly paused.

​Its massive pupils narrowed slightly. "Oh."

​Cassian blinked. "Oh?"

​The serpent stared down at him for several heavy moments before speaking:

​"There is one minor matter."

​Cassian instantly felt a terrible premonition. "What matter?" he asked cautiously.

​The Eternal Serpent sounded almost thoughtful. "A Lord possessing a D-Rank Lord Seed is normally incapable of fully assimilating with this metaphysical realm."

​Cassian froze. "...What?"

​The serpent nodded smoothly. "Your existence has remained stable because I have been continuously reinforcing it using my Authority over Order."

​Cassian’s composed expression slowly cracked. "You mean I’ve been barely held together this entire time?"

​"Correct," the serpent sounded completely unconcerned. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

​Cassian stared.

​The serpent stared back.

​"..."

​"..."

​"A little warning would’ve been nice," Cassian muttered.

​The Eternal Serpent tilted its massive head. "You did not ask."

​Cassian nearly choked on his own breath.

​"The moment you leave, my Authority will no longer affect you," the serpent continued. "After all, I currently reside within my own isolated realm."

​Cassian’s eyes narrowed.

​His own realm?

​The realization struck him instantly. This wasn’t the actual physical Lord’s Domain, nor was it the true cosmos, it was a projection, a reflection, a mental replica created by the Eternal Serpent’s Authority.

It was a place where mortal minds could withstand concepts they otherwise had zero right perceiving.

​Unfortunately, Cassian was currently far more concerned about the part where his soul might spontaneously explode.

​"What exactly happens when your Authority disappears?"

​The serpent pondered the question briefly. "A small hiccup."

​Cassian felt his eye twitch. "A small hiccup?"

​"Yes."

​"Define small."

​The serpent considered the question with utter seriousness:

​"Your soul may temporarily experience severe instability."

​Cassian stared.

​"Your consciousness may fragment."

​Cassian’s stare intensified.

​"Your perception of reality may distort, and time may lose meaning for several moments."

​At this point, Cassian wanted to cuss out loud.

​Unfortunately, the spatial pull around him suddenly intensified. The audience was officially ending.