While waiting for the corpses to arrive, Jolan decided to inspect his newly upgraded Lord's Hall, which had nearly doubled in size after the recent promotion.
From the outside, the hall was still made of wood, but the design had clearly improved—at least it no longer resembled the crude huts of his villagers.
Stepping inside, Jolan discovered that an additional room had been added, bringing the total to two: a Lord's bedroom and a meeting chamber. A small kitchen and bathroom had also been included in the expansion.
The meeting chamber retained the essence of the old single-room design, but with noticeable improvements. The long table and chairs had been refined in quality, and new furnishings appeared, such as a large wooden chair at the head of the table. Covered in beast fur, it towered over the other seats—clearly the Lord's throne.
When he opened the bedroom, Jolan found that the Lord's bed had been enhanced as well. It was larger, more comfortable, and far better suited for him. A small wooden bookshelf with six empty shelves stood against the wall, ready to be filled in the future. To his surprise, even the walls were decorated—one bearing a painting of snowy cypress trees, the same kind that grew in his territory.
…
After finishing his inspection, Jolan opened the Global Market to check on the herbs he had requested earlier. The orders were complete. It wasn't surprising—Lucas had told him they were all common herbs.
Even if some had been rare, Jolan believed that with the sheer number of Lords scattered across the Chaos Continent, no herb was truly unobtainable. Someone, somewhere, would always have it.
With that thought, he stored the bundle of herbs and went to find the pharmacist, Lucas.
…
"Lucas, here are the herbs you requested. Use what tools you have for now—there'll be more in the future. Once you're done with this batch, prepare me a new list of every unique herb you know of from the Ashur Kingdom."
"Yes, my Lord!" Lucas replied immediately.
Jolan handed over the herbs and gave his new order. He reasoned that since most Lords couldn't tell rare herbs apart from common ones, he could continue trading them for meat at the usual rate without issue.
With the matter of medicinal herbs settled, Jolan turned his attention to his new grave and the increased summon count of the Summoning Grave.
Upon arrival, he found the newly built Alchemy Grave aligned beside the other two. The Summoning Grave now stood in the center, with two meters of space separating each. Despite sharing the same size and structure, each grave carried unique runic markings that distinguished them.
After a quick glance at the Alchemy Grave, Jolan approached the Summoning Grave and placed his hand on the tombstone.
[Available summons today: 2]
"An increase of two… that means I can now summon seven warriors from the underworld each day? Not bad," Jolan mused. With this boost, he could create a new expedition team daily just from the Summoning Grave alone.
…
It was then that his heightened sense of smell caught something unusual. Several strange scents drifted from the recently expanded southwestern border of his territory.
Without hesitation, Jolan gripped his curved blade and sprinted in that direction.
…
Thanks to the new borders, it took him a few minutes to arrive. From a distance, he spotted several green figures hammering away at his protective barrier.
Even at that range, his enhanced eyesight revealed the scene clearly—and his suspicions were confirmed.
They were goblins.
Four creatures stood barely 120–130 cm tall, with hideous faces, green skin, and ragged coverings made from weeds and unknown hides. Each wielded a crude wooden club, striking futilely against the shimmering barrier.
"Goblins exist in the Chaos Continent too?" Jolan muttered, stunned. In his previous life, he had only seen such monsters in games and novels—never did he expect to encounter them in reality.
"Kaak! Kaak!"
Rather than retreat, the goblins snarled louder as he approached, smashing the barrier even harder. Perhaps his solitary approach emboldened them.
[Monster: Goblin]
[Strength Level: White – Intermediate]
[Introduction: Individually, a goblin poses little threat. But beware—they always travel in groups. Note: Where there are goblins, there is always a goblin tribe nearby.]
Scanning the four, Jolan saw that even the strongest among them was only at the White – Peak level. Weak indeed. But the mention of a nearby goblin tribe put him on high alert. How many were there? What levels? Where was their den? Questions he would need answered as a Lord.
Signaling the border patrol to hold back, Jolan advanced alone. He didn't want to scare the goblins off with too many soldiers.
He was more than enough to deal with this pitiful group.
Drawing upon his familiar [Savage Roar] skill, Jolan stepped beyond the barrier. The goblins froze under its effect, dazed and vulnerable.
In one swift motion, his curved blade sliced through two of them before the others could react. When the remaining pair swung their crude clubs, Jolan easily sidestepped with the help of his enhanced reflexes.
A clean strike severed the head of the third. The last goblin panicked, dropped its weapon, and fled.
But it was no faster than Jolan, whose speed talent and longer strides quickly closed the distance. A single slash ended the fight.
The battle hadn't even lasted a full minute.
"Drag the corpses inside the territory," Jolan ordered calmly.
Only then did he realize something: goblins were perfect for testing the Alchemy Grave. Their meat certainly wasn't edible, so there was no loss in experimenting.
…
"All right—throw the first body into the grave!"
The goblin's corpse sank into the dark abyss of the grave, triggering a new interface.
[One White – Intermediate corpse secured. Please select desired equipment: 1. Weapon 2. Armor]
Jolan thought briefly before choosing option 2. Weapons would wait until he had higher-quality corpses.
[Available Armor Types: Chestplate, Helmet, Greaves. Please select one.]
After some consideration, Jolan selected Chestplate.
[Refining in progress. Time remaining: 2 minutes.]
"Hm. Not long at all. Good," Jolan said, relieved.
Two minutes later, the process was complete.
[Refining finished. Please collect the item by touching the Alchemy Grave's tombstone and thinking 'Retrieve.']
Jolan touched the tombstone. A green chestplate materialized before him.
Lifting it, he judged it to weigh barely two kilograms. Though not metal, the material was unexpectedly sturdy. Its surface was coated in a deep green shade, giving it a sinister appearance.
What stood out most was the carving on the front: the furious face of a goblin, its crimson eyes glowing with a lifelike menace. The detail gave the armor a savage and terrifying aura.
Strapping it on, Jolan discovered adjustable straps that allowed it to mold perfectly to his size. He moved around, stretching and twisting—no discomfort at all.
Satisfied, he stored the armor in his inventory and signaled for the next corpse to be processed.
As he waited, Jolan couldn't help but imagine an army clad in countless unique, feral-looking weapons and armor forged from the bodies of monsters.
The image filled him with an almost uncontrollable excitement.
---
End of Chapter 20