Morning sunlight bathed Base 101 in golden light.
The sounds of soldiers training echoed throughout the fortress.
Steel clashed.
Arrows split the air.
Mages released spell after spell into the practice fields.
Since the beginning of Humanity's First Trial...
No one dared waste a single day.
Above the fortress...
The countdown remained.
SYSTEM DUNGEON OPENING: 5 DAYS REMAINING
---
Inside the Training Grounds...
Nearly every soldier had gathered.
Word had spread quickly.
Commander Sam was about to reveal the true power of a Necromancer Commander.
Ben stood with his arms crossed.
Leon leaned quietly against the arena wall.
Zora watched with obvious curiosity.
George carried a mug in one hand.
"I skipped breakfast for this."
Doran shook his head.
"You skip breakfast every day."
George grinned.
"That's not the point."
Even Mira, Kael, and Runa had arrived early.
Every officer wanted to see what Sam's new Legion could do.
---
Sam stepped into the center of the arena.
Two shadows emerged behind him.
The Goblin Mage.
The Goblin Chief.
Both walked with perfect discipline.
Neither spoke.
Neither looked away from their Commander.
They simply waited.
Ben let out a low whistle.
"They're... different."
Sam nodded.
"They're not mindless monsters."
"They're soldiers."
---
Inside his mind...
Rex spoke calmly.
Commander.
The Legion obeys your will completely.
Issue your first command.
Sam smiled.
"Understood."
He looked toward the Goblin Chief.
"Attack."
Without hesitation...
The massive undead charged forward.
BOOM!
Its heavy footsteps shook the arena.
A reinforced training dummy stood ahead.
The Goblin Chief swung its enormous battle axe.
CRASH!!
The wooden dummy exploded into countless pieces.
Silence.
George blinked.
"...Well."
"I don't think we're repairing that."
Several soldiers burst into laughter.
Even Ben couldn't hide his grin.
"That thing hits harder than I do."
---
Sam turned toward the Goblin Mage.
"Your turn."
The undead slowly raised its staff.
Dark mana gathered around the tip.
Instead of ordinary fire...
A black sphere formed.
It shot forward.
BOOM!
The target disappeared beneath a cloud of dark energy.
When the smoke cleared...
Nothing remained except scorched earth.
Zora's eyes widened.
"Shadow magic..."
"It retained its magical affinity."
Inside Sam's mind...
Rex confirmed it.
Correct.
Legion members preserve fragments of their former talents.
---
Sam studied both undead carefully.
"They're stronger than when they were alive."
For now... only slightly.
Rex continued.
Their true strength lies in growth.
Continue the experiment.
---
Sam pointed toward a squad of Skeleton Warriors standing nearby.
"Chief."
"Fight them."
The Goblin Chief immediately obeyed.
Five Skeleton Warriors rushed forward.
Steel collided.
The undead giant swung its axe in a wide arc.
Two Skeletons shattered instantly.
The remaining three attacked from different directions.
The Goblin Chief blocked one strike with its forearm before crushing another Skeleton beneath its boot.
Only moments later...
The battle ended.
The Goblin Chief remained standing.
Golden particles surrounded its body.
A System notification appeared before Sam.
---
Legion Member Level Up
Goblin Chief
Level 18 → Level 19
Strength Increased
Constitution Increased
---
Sam's eyes narrowed.
"It leveled."
Inside his mind...
Rex sounded pleased.
Exactly as expected.
---
Next...
The Goblin Mage stepped into the arena.
This time...
Zora volunteered.
"I'd like to test it."
Ben immediately frowned.
"Is that safe?"
Zora smiled confidently.
"If it follows Sam's orders..."
"It won't kill me."
Sam looked toward the Goblin Mage.
"Hold nothing back."
"Stop before a fatal strike."
The undead nodded.
The duel began.
Mana erupted across the arena.
Fire met shadow.
Spell after spell collided in brilliant explosions.
The watching soldiers could barely keep up.
Finally...
A lance of dark mana slipped past Zora's final barrier and stopped less than an inch from her forehead.
The arena fell silent.
The Goblin Mage lowered its staff immediately.
The duel was over.
Zora slowly exhaled.
Then she smiled.
"It won."
She looked toward Sam.
"If that's only the beginning..."
"I can't wait to see what it becomes."
---
A soft chime echoed inside Sam's mind.
Hidden Legion Condition Fulfilled
Legion members have won their first battles.
Evolution Progress Initialized.
Current Evolution Progress
Goblin Chief: 3%
Goblin Mage: 4%
Further combat will increase progression.
---
Sam read the notification carefully.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
Outside the arena...
His officers celebrated the Legion's strength.
None of them realized...
This wasn't the true reward.
The real reward...
Was that his undead could continue growing.
Just like living warriors.
Far beyond Base 101...
Other Commanders trained armies of flesh and blood.
But Commander Sam...
Had begun raising an army that could grow stronger forever.
And somewhere in the darkness beyond human territory...
Ancient eyes slowly opened.
As if something...
Had sensed the birth of the first Undead Legion.