Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

"This is incredible…" Diana said as she realized that the dozens of koi fish here were actually for future consumption. Perhaps, it would happen during some special events like Zombie Waves, Zombie Raid, and others.

"Did Shane say where he found them?" she curiously asked.

If it was not too far, she was willing to go there herself and perhaps find more of them. To be exact, she wanted to keep a few of them as a pets. After all, she finally owned a house in Silver Mine Camp.

It was just a thatched house or a simple wooden house. It was a concrete house with a bunker. It was also quite huge and could hold a dozen visitors.

She was taking care of this house and choosing pieces of furniture carefully to a specific aesthetic that she liked.

Seeing the Koi fish, she couldn't help but imagine that an aquarium in the living room might actually be a good change of appeal in her house.

Unfortunately, Harvey shrugged. "Not sure… Maybe some sacred spring somewhere. You should ask him."

Of course, it was.

Shane would certainly not share the location of such a mystical spring that could give birth to a magical fish.

For a long moment, Diana just watched the koi move through the pond. Their movements were quite hypnotic, and perhaps, even the water used in this pond was actually magical.

After all, she felt that the stress of her work, the frustration over the mediocre ores—it all melted away as she stayed here.

Soon, she tested the water, and indeed, it was actually a Mana-Blessed Water…

'Ahh--No… Aren't those things Mana Crystals or were it Mana Stones?' Diana's eyes lit up after seeing dozens of blue stones at the bottom of the pond.

Then, another idea struck her. Perhaps, if she couldn't make them her pet, she could ask Shane if she could make leather out of the fish skin.

If these fish had such magical effects, maybe I could use them in crafting?

A handle wrapped in misty koi-preserved leather…

Her fingers twitched with excitement as she believed that the quality of her craft would increase with such a material.

"Right, has anyone tried cooking one yet?"

The guard blinked. "Uh. Not that I know of?"

Diana grinned. "Good. I'll just ask Shane to give me one…"

Although she only has a rough idea right now, she felt that it would be feasible to create an Epic or Legendary item if she also found a high-quality ore for the blade she planned to make.

"If these Mana Stones aren't so brittle, they'll be a good material." Diana complained as she felt disappointed knowing that she couldn't make a weapon out of it...

Perhaps she also had to ask Shane if he had a better option for her.

In any case, any high-quality item she made would be given to Shane, and he could decide whether to use it or give it to others.

***

In the meantime, as Shane was thinking about the possible attacks from the Necromancers, Asad had finally settled in Sector 20.

Due to the nature of his team, he decided not to set up his base on the ground but instead, underground.

Indeed, Asad had decided to renovate an abandoned underground shelter and make an underground fortress instead… It was such a difficult task, and it actually took him about a month to complete it.

His undead legion had worked for weeks. Their skeletal hands clawed through rock, mummified warriors hauled pillars of black marble, and ghouls carried pickaxes and other tools to chisel tunnels into the earth.

Now, it was finally complete. It was a good thing that the undead summons no longer cost him Spirit Energy Points as long as he summoned them through the Dark Grimoire instead of through his skills.

'I wonder what I should call this fortress…' Asad mused as he looked around.

'Necro…polis? Undead Necropolis?'

Asad then shook his head as he decided to think about it later.

In any case, he looked at the huge hall. It was what would welcome people if they entered his base. On the ceiling, Asad even summoned a huge ribcage to create arches and also some spines for columns.

It was to add some aesthetic to his fortress.

As for the light, he decided to use some Light Orbs since there was no usable electricity here. However, aside from the Light Orbs, he also summoned floating soul-lanterns with captured wisps of the dead. They may cast an eerie blue glow, but that was just perfect for him.

Of course, it wouldn't be complete without a throne. It was a seat carved from the skull of a mutant behemoth, and it wasn't really that intimidating, as he thought.

There were also many rooms or chambers in this fortress, but there was no one else who could enter those places unless he permitted them or if they managed to defeat his army of undead.

Just his Death Knights alone had already reached about 200 units!

All of them wore black plate armor and swords emitting some form of deathly blue flame.

Aside from the Death Knights that he was proud of, he also had Mummy Warriors. There were about 300 of them, ready to fight in case of a Zombie Wave. They seemed weak with bandages all over their bodies, but their healing abilities weren't something that anyone could ignore.

Lastly, he had two Elite Guards. These two were previous Zombie Lords and their strength could not be doubted at all.

At this time, Asad left the hall and checked one of his secured rooms. It was the Hatchery… Though it probably doesn't suit the name because he doesn't really hatch Zombies.

However, this was where new undead are "born."

Aside from the Dark Grimoire, he had also obtained a special item called Pits of Reanimation. It was a place where he could conduct experiments to improve his undead creatures.

Currently, he has two projects.

One of them was Project Cerberus. He wanted to create a three-headed abomination stitched from dead creatures that the Grimoire could give him.

Lastly, he was trying to create winged ghouls. There were even failed experiments littered on the floor because of this.

Well, he wanted to have an Air Force that could deal with Flying Zombies and Vampires after all.

After working for a bit, Asad finally returned to his personal quarters.

Inside, he had a small library filled with books. There were even tomes bound in human skin, which the system rewarded him after doing various quests.

"I'm back…" Asad muttered as he looked at his 'vehicle'.

His Skeleton Scorpion, "Sting," a 20-foot mode of transportation, only glanced at him for a moment before returning its gaze to him.

Lastly, there was also an Observation Pool close to his bed. It was a basin of blood and mercury that reflected events miles away. Again, it was an item provided by the system, or to be exact, the Golden Treasure Chest.

This time, as Asad was about to take some rest, a strange pulse of energy shot through his senses.

'This is… a Necromancer's Curse of the Fallen. Ahhh…'

Asad's eyes snapped open as soon as he realized where the curse was connected…

"This…"

Shane.

"What did you do this time? Also, why was he keeping that? I'm sure he could remove curses already." Asad was confused.

The mark was unmistakable: the Curse of the Fallen Necromancer, a calling to all Necromancers in the area to attack the cursed target. However, the Necromancers wouldn't just blindly attack either, and they would perhaps send scouts to assess the situation.

'So, the great Shane has pissed off the wild necromancers… Interesting…' Asad mused as he realized that Shane was also using the Curse in order to hunt those Necromancers.

In any case, now that Shane had a curse, he could actually do some interesting things about it.

First, he approached the observation pool. He then dripped a vial of liquid into it. It was just a concentrated amount of dark energy that was needed to activate it.

Soon, the surface rippled, revealing Shane's shelter—Eclipse Domain…

"How amusing," Asad murmured as he expanded his view to search for the Necromancers.

He was sure that Wild Necromancers would be converging now. They should be drawn like vultures to meat.

After all, they couldn't just ignore the curse since it would also give them an advantage by learning Shane's location every time…

Unfortunately for them, they had no idea who they were dealing with.

He knew how strong he was. He knew what he could do even as a Level 55 Necromancer. However, even with his current strength, he couldn't even think of defeating Shane at all.

It was simply an impossible task…

Nonetheless, Asad knew that he didn't have to warn Shane since he could certainly handle it.

However, he also wanted to intervene and create a positive point in his relationship with Shane. But doing that might disrupt Shane's plan to farm experience points...

"I guess I'll just let him know 25 Necromancers are gathering to hunt him."