Gnarl shook Chris awake, saying urgently, "Sire, the others have returned."
Chris opened his eyes to see Momo leading the other four back with a cheerful, satisfied expression on her face. Everyone looked exhausted—clothes scorched with burns, riddled with rips and tears. Their armor had taken a beating, and their weapons looked even worse for wear, but otherwise they seemed fine.
Momo walked over, placing her hands behind her back in her usual sweet, slightly mischievous posture, and said, "Mission complete, Master. I'm happy to report everyone has made great progress. I made them run through the dungeon until each of them had maxed out at least one job. All in all, it took five days."
Chris frowned, sitting up straighter. "You've been gone for only twelve hours."
Gnarl tapped his chin and said, "Yes, sire. I believe the dungeon might have a time-altering effect. It's the only explanation I can think of."
Chris groaned and rubbed his face. "Why do I never know these things ahead of time?"
He looked over the group—tired, filthy, half-asleep—and said, "All of you look like hell. Get some rest. I'll check your stats later."
The trio nodded wordlessly and found a spot to lie down before immediately drifting into sleep.
Momo approached with Nana walking beside her. Nana stepped forward, gave a polite, earnest bow, and said, "Thank you for saving me, Master. I am forever grateful." Her tone carried a mixture of sincere respect and straightforward seriousness.
Taken by surprise, Chris blinked. He had only just now noticed that Nana no longer had any rotten flesh. Her eyes were bright and focused, her hair clean and glossy, and her skin held a healthy color again.
"You've already evolved twice?" Chris asked.
Momo nodded, her tail swishing proudly behind her. "Yes, she did, and she picked Lesser Demon like me. But unlike me, she picked Warrior for her first job—which so far has meant hacking and chopping things with her great sword." She gave a playful little smirk, clearly amused.
Nana folded her arms and said, "So what? It's fun." She shot Momo a pointed look. "And don't think I don't see the crazed smile on your face when you're slicing things apart with your halberd."
Momo's cheeks flushed the tiniest bit, and she let out a soft giggle.
Momo stretched her arms with a soft, satisfied sigh, a playful glint lighting her eyes. "Well, like you said… it's fun," she chimed, her voice warm with amusement as she leaned in a little closer.
Nana flicked her tail with mild impatience before looking at Chris. "Anyway, Master, what are we doing next?" she asked, tilting her head, her tone straightforward but curious.
Chris exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, right now we're letting everyone rest," he said, his voice firm but calm. "Tomorrow, we'll go and take downtown. After that, we'll have another day of rest, and then I want to capture the rest of the city in a sprint. We should have enough people to accomplish it, especially if I send minions with everyone. I'll worry about logistics afterward."
Momo's eyes brightened with excitement, her fingers softly brushing her cheek as she smiled. "Oh, I wonder where we'll run into Onee-sama…" she murmured, a dreamy note slipping into her voice.
Nana crossed her arms and frowned slightly. "I'm more concerned with what we'll do when we run into her," she muttered, her brows tightening. She cared, but practicality always hit her first.
Momo gently tapped her lips with a thoughtful hum. "That's a good point," she admitted softly. "I'd rather not be separated from her… but the odds of her and the others willingly joining Master are low." Her voice dipped in quiet worry, though she kept her posture composed.
Chris let out a small sigh and shrugged. "I wouldn't mind having Lala working for me, but considering how often her inventions cause problems… she might cause tons of trouble."
Momo and Nana both let out nervous chuckles, exchanging a knowing look. Nana scratched her cheek awkwardly. "We'll watch her if it comes down to it," she promised, sincerity peeking through her stubborn tone.
Chris nodded, looking over his group with a determined stare. "Well, that's for later. For now, get some rest. Tomorrow, the undead massacre begins."
Quest issued: Capture Downtown
Description: Destroy the undead horde
Reward: 1 Overlord Level and one silver mine added to the quarry
Chris exhaled through his nose with a tired smirk. "Well… that solves a couple things," he muttered before heading off to find somewhere quiet to rest for the night.
The next morning, Chris lifted his hand and summoned over a hundred red minions, a hundred greens, and a hundred browns. After that, he purchased two hundred cheap iron javelins and a hundred short swords from the store and passed them out to the browns. He surveyed the group, his expression firm.
"Alright, everybody. We've got a few thousand undead to kill," he said, voice steady with command. "Those of you who specialize in ranged attacks, head to the rooftops with the reds."
Shinobu nodded and silently followed the reds, Karen rushed after them bow in hand. They quickly climbed to the roof of the nearest building.
Chris looked back at those still on the ground. "Alright. The rest of us are here. Don't get bit, and fall back if you think you're gonna be overwhelmed. Got it, Nobuyuki?"
Nobuyuki straightened his posture, raising his sword and shield. "Understood, sir," he said firmly, jaw set with determination.
Nana spun her great axe with a wild grin, her tail flicking behind her. "I'm ready," she said, excitement sparking in her eyes.
Momo stretched, cracked her knuckles delicately, and smiled with a soft, confident warmth. "Let's do this."
Chris squared his shoulders and stared out at the advancing sea of undead. He raised his hand, signaling the browns behind him. They understood instantly. Dozens of javelins soared skyward before raining down, skewering the front ranks of the horde.
The undead immediately turned toward Chris's group, letting out groans and screeches as they pushed forward with unnatural speed.
Chris pointed toward the roofs. The reds reacted instantly, hurling waves of fire down onto the zombies, lighting their decayed bodies like torches.
From the rooftop, Shinobu unleashed sharp bolts of magic energy, each one crackling through the air and piercing an undead skull. Karen followed with expertly placed shots from her bow, her expression focused but calm.
On the ground, Momo, Nana, and Nobuyuki intercepted any undead that got close. Nana hacked clean through torsos and legs. Momo sliced gracefully with measured efficiency, her movements elegant even in battle. Nobuyuki held the line with disciplined strikes.
Chris signaled the browns again. A second volley of javelins rained down, skewering another wave of undead. Within twenty minutes, the horde had shrunk dramatically.
Seeing that the group was no longer tightly clustered, Chris turned to Momo. "Momo, can you cover a large area in tall grass? Doesn't have to be the entire area… just what's in front of us."
Momo nodded, placing her hand over her chest as she channeled mana. A shimmering wave of magic rippled outward, and a thick field of tall grass erupted from the ground, swaying ominously.
Chris immediately turned to the greens. "Alright, fellas. Do your thing. Take out anything you see moving."
"Yes, Master!" they hissed excitedly before darting into the grass. Within moments, the disappearances began. Every zombie that wandered into the grass vanished without a sound.
Chris motioned to the reds again. "Aim for the undead further away. Don't burn the greens."
Momo stepped closer, placing her hand on her hip. Chris looked to her and Nana. "Momo, Nana, fly to the other side and start thinning the herd from over there. Take Nobuyuki with you."
"You got it," Momo said with a confident grin. She reached out, grabbed Nobuyuki's shoulders, and summoned her wings with a soft burst of pink light.
Nana unfurled her own wings with a proud smirk. "Let's go!"
The three lifted off and flew over the horde, landing behind them with smooth precision. Once in place, they tore into the undead ranks from the opposite side, pushing the horde inward.
Chris clenched his fist and looked at the browns. "Come on, boys. Let's join them."
The browns roared, "Yes, Master!" and charged forward with Chris at their head. They slammed into the undead with unstoppable force, cutting a bloody path through the remaining monsters. Limbs flew, heads rolled, and the sound of cracking bones filled the air.
Hours passed in a brutal rhythm of steel, flame, and shadow.
Finally, Chris sliced through the neck of the last zombie. Its head tumbled to the pavement, rolling to a stop at his foot.
He wiped the back of his hand across his brow, breathing hard but satisfied. "Alright, everyone… good work. Take a minute to rest."
The battlefield quieted, leaving only the sound of settling ashes and heavy breaths.
Chris's watch beeped, and the screen lit up with glowing text:
Quest Complete
Rewards: 1 Overlord level and a silver mine added to the quarry
New Spell Acquired
Transmogrify
Description: Allows the user to turn living creatures into sheep (Warning: won't work on creatures at or above your power level)
Cost: 8 Mana per cast
New Ability Acquired
Aura of the Overlord
Description: Passive ability that makes enemies or hostile entities see the Overlord as a terrifying being cloaked in darkness, causing intense fear and intimidation.
Chris let out a slow breath and muttered with relief, "Well, at least now I know I don't need to have the greens search the buildings for any more undead." His shoulders loosened a little as he relaxed.
He turned to the gathered minions and raised his hand with a firm sweep of authority. "Alright, start scavenging for anything useful, burn the corpses, and begin deconstructing the buildings."
The minions straightened with eager delight, their eyes glowing. "Yes, Master!" they chorused in gleeful frenzy before scattering like joyful gremlins unleashed on a playground of destruction.
Chris checked his map again, watching with satisfaction as the downtown area shifted to a calm blue. "Good," he said, a quiet smile tugging at his lips. "Only the business district, city hall, and the residential area remain."
With the area secured, Chris and the others made their way back to the harbor district. He reached into his inventory, pulling out a bundle of tents and sleeping bags he'd scavenged earlier, and handed them off to the minions. They immediately began setting everything up, chattering and bumping into each other in chaotic enthusiasm.
Once the campsite started taking shape, Chris retrieved a handful of ingredients and passed them to Nobuyuki. The chef's eyes lit up with purpose as he immediately set to work preparing dinner, knife flashing in smooth, practiced movements.
Chris finally allowed himself to sit, lowering onto a crate beside Gnarl with a tired but satisfied sigh. "We're almost done capturing the city, Gnarl. We need to start planning what comes next."
Gnarl clasped his hands behind his back, bowing slightly as his voice rasped with eager devotion. "You leave that part to me, sire. I'll need you to travel to another world and gather materials for a fresh tower heart. While you're gone, I'll oversee construction. There is a great deal of work before we're fully operational."
Chris's brow furrowed with focus. "What do we need?"
"A large, durable crystal capable of holding massive amounts of magical energy," Gnarl explained, gesturing as if describing a priceless treasure. "And after that, we also require an enormous quantity of magical energy to charge it."
Chris leaned forward slightly, curious. "What keeps it charged after that?"
Gnarl chuckled dryly. "Once it's fully charged, sire, you won't need to worry about it running out for at least a few centuries."
Chris nodded slowly, already sifting through possibilities. "I have an idea about where to get the magical energy… but the crystal itself? Well, I've got an idea for that too, but it'll be a bit more difficult."
He rose to his feet with a weary stretch, heading toward his tent as the campfire crackled behind him. "Goodnight, Gnarl."
Gnarl bowed again with a pleased rasp to his voice. "Sleep well, sire."