Chapter 10: Bestowal of Names
When Kaito woke from his slumber, the first thing to greet his eye sockets...
Was a crooked, yet miraculously sturdy wooden cabin.
It stood there in the valley, a haphazard pile of thick logs.
The gaps were stuffed with mud and grass, and the thatch on the roof looked like it had been chewed by dogs.
The only thing that could be called "design" was probably the pointed roof, though it tilted as if a stiff breeze would blow it off.
He walked two circles around the cabin, then raised a bone leg and kicked the base of the wall.
Thud!
Surprisingly solid.
Someone had even thoughtfully stuck a few wildflowers, plucked from who-knows-where, into the cracks of the wall.
These pink and red flowers looked completely out of place on an undead construction site.
"Whose brain-dead aesthetic is this?"
Kaito grumbled inwardly, but a sense of pleased relief flowed from his Soul Fire.
Just then, No. 2 through No. 5 walked over with uniform steps.
The four Tier 2 skeletons stood there, their aura completely different from the rookie eggs still huffing and puffing at work nearby.
A soul message arrived.
"Report, Ruler. Yesterday, construction, no, safe, accidents."
"Good work!"
He praised them without stinginess.
"I didn't waste my breath after all."
It seemed that promoting these four slightly smarter ones to Safety Officers and foremen was one of the wisest decisions he had made since crossing over.
He waved his bony hand, pointing at the "ugly-cute" wooden cabin, and issued a command through the soul link with heroic flair.
"Follow this standard! Give me a hundred more! Today marks the official foundation of our Undead Empire!"
Task assigned, Kaito marked out the spot for his Imperial Residence.
Joking aside, he was the Ruler; the first villa had to be his!
He personally selected the thickest log.
He directed a few Skeleton Soldiers to use their bone swords to gouge out a long, rectangular groove in the middle.
The dimensions were just right—not too big, not too small—perfect to fit his skeletal frame flatly inside.
"Perfect!"
Kaito lay in it to test it out. The cold wood pressed against cold bone.
an indescribable sense of belonging welled up.
This is the romance an undead should have!
He was very satisfied with this coffin.
As for the main hall, that was even simpler.
A large tree stump next to the bed was placed upright, with a horizontal cut in the middle to form a chair shape.
This was his Throne.
A few smaller stumps placed nearby were the seats for his ministers.
Although, currently, he had zero ministers.
Looking at this "Imperial Palace" he had built with his own hands—which was shockingly crude—Kaito felt an unprecedented satisfaction.
Just as he was preparing to sit on his throne and ponder the future development direction of the Undead Empire...
A rapid and dense clack-clack-clack sound approached from the depths of the forest.
All the skeletons at the construction site stopped their work.
A solemn flood of white bones, treading through the twilight and breaking through the forest shadows, appeared at the valley entrance.
Leading them were the Tier 2 Skeleton Swordsman No. 1 and the Tier 2 Skeleton Cavalry No. 6 on his skeletal warhorse.
Behind them followed not the eighty Skeleton Soldiers who had set out, but a full one hundred and fifty!
One hundred and fifty Tier 1 Skeleton Soldiers, each holding a standard bone sword and shield.
Their steps were steady and powerful, the Soul Fire in their sockets stable and bright.
They were worlds apart from the mud-covered, chaotic construction crew on Kaito's side.
As they approached, seventy brand new but absolutely obedient soul links surged instantly into Kaito's consciousness.
At that moment, with the increase in his own rank and the expansion of his army...
A brand new Authority quietly awakened in the depths of his soul.
Bestowal of Names!
He could consume his own Soul Origin to grant True Names to his core subordinates, helping them break their shackles.
To complete evolution on a higher level! And currently, there were only six slots!
He gathered all the skeletons—including the fifty currently doing construction—to the center of the clearing.
Two hundred skeletons stood in a dense, dark mass, completely silent.
Kaito cleared a throat that didn't exist. Through the soul link, he conveyed his majestic will to every single unit.
"Today is the day the foundation of my Undead Empire is laid! It is also the time to reward merit!"
He walked up to the six skeletons who had followed him from the beginning. They were his inner circle, the extension of his Authority.
"From this day forth, you are no longer nameless entities."
"I, in the name of the Ruler, bestow upon you True Names and Glory!"
His bony finger pointed at No. 1.
"You are my blade, ceaseless in conquest. You shall be Pride! Henceforth, your name is Skele-Pride!"
As the voice fell, a massive amount of soul energy surged from Kaito's body, pouring into No. 1's Soul Fire through his fingertip!
HUM—!
No. 1 shook violently. Countless sharp bone spurs exploded from its sword blade.
The blade elongated by half a meter, turning into a hideous, bone-cleaving greatsword!
Its frame grew taller, sharp spikes sprouting from its joints. A violent, bloodthirsty aura shot into the sky!
[Tier 3 Skeleton Berserker]!
Kaito felt a slight dizziness. The energy consumed by Naming was far beyond his imagination, but the fanaticism in his eyes grew even stronger.
He turned to No. 2.
"You are my hawk eyes, seeing a thousand miles. You shall be Envy! Henceforth, your name is Skele-Envy!"
Energy surged again!
The bone bow on No. 2's back transformed instantly, the bow limbs becoming slender and elegant.
In the quiver, three arrowheads condensed a ghostly blue, chilling light.
[Tier 3 Toxic Archer]!
"No. 3! You are my sturdy shield, devouring all things. You shall be Gluttony! Henceforth, your name is Skele-Gluttony!"
ROAR!
No. 3's frame cracked and popped, its sternum and ribs expanding outward.
The bone shield on its left arm swelled rapidly, its surface covered in heavy bone plating.
It grew a full size larger, becoming a moving bone fortress!
[Tier 3 Great Shield Skeleton]!
"No. 4! Your mind is agile, unconstrained by form. You shall wield the power of magic. You shall be Lust! Henceforth, your name is Skele-Lust!"
This was a bold experiment by Kaito.
As the majestic energy poured in, No. 4's Soul Fire shrank rapidly, turning into a point of deep, abyssal purple.
A staff made of twisted black briar wood condensed out of thin air in its hand!
[Tier 3 Skeleton Mage]!
Fighting back the exhaustion in his soul, Kaito continued his knighting ceremony.
"No. 5! You are skilled in calculation and logistics. You shall manage the Empire's supply lines. You shall be Greed! Henceforth, your name is Skele-Greed!"
Flesh and blood rapidly covered its entire body. Immediately after, dark red fascia and muscles began to grow from the bones at a speed visible to the naked eye!
[Tier 3 Ghoul]!
It gained a powerful physical body and the ability to command lower-tier units!
Finally, his gaze fell upon the majestic knight.
"No. 6! You are my iron hoof, charging into enemy lines. You shall be Wrath! Henceforth, your name is Skele-Wrath!"
Violent will injected with a boom!
No. 6 and the skeletal warhorse beneath him roared silently to the sky in unison! Crimson energy fused the two completely.
The warhorse's bones became thick and pitch-black.
And on No. 6's body, a set of black bone heavy armor condensed out of thin air. The bone sword in his hand transformed into a cavalry lance!
[Tier 3 Skeleton Knight]!
Kaito stumbled a step, steadying himself on the Throne behind him.
The intense consumption of his Soul Origin gave him a hollowed-out feeling of weakness.
But looking at the six Generals before him who had been completely reborn... he felt it was worth it.