Chapter 406: Ghost Gate
The lake was even larger than Kazumi had imagined, so vast that she couldn’t see the shore in the distance. The clear lake surface was like a mirror, and snowflakes fell onto it, creating barely visible ripples.
Wild grass grew around the lake, emitting a foul scent of damp earth. The brownish-red soil formed a distinct boundary, completely separating it from the grayish-white decaying soil beneath the young girl’s feet, as if they were two different worlds.
Kazumi waved her hand and cast a wave of death energy, calming the ghouls that had become agitated by the sudden natural aura before them. She then crouched down and picked a leaf from a roadside tree, placing it in her palm.
The green leaf lay peacefully in the young girl’s hand. Seemingly due to direct contact with Kazumi, the leaf visibly and rapidly changed. Its original green slowly faded, becoming yellow and dry as if dehydrated. Finally, under the influence of the surrounding death energy, it turned into black dust.
Kazumi spread her hand and sprinkled the powder on the ground. She then turned to look at the nearby woods. Unlike the still calm lake surface, the once tranquil woods were remarkably lively. A large number of birds flitted through the trees, their noisy chirping carrying a distinct tone of fear and urgency.
Reality was indeed more reasonable and rule-abiding than games. Even in these incomplete world fragments, there was an ecological chain that followed natural laws. Unlike the decorative environments in games, even if the theme of this small world fragment was a lake, the animals and plants around it had integrated into it.
“With such a large quantity, there should be a chance of conversion.”
Looking at the vast expanse of green grass surrounding the lake, Kazumi calculated in her mind before turning to the Lich Governor beside her.
“Lei, after we’re done here, remember to seal off this area and keep ghouls and the like away.”
This realistic setting also helped Kazumi a lot. Creatures had a chance of being converted into undead creatures after prolonged exposure to death energy. Among them, plants, with their strongest vitality and adaptability, had the highest chance of conversion, though this also required a large base number.
Previously, Kazumi had planned to dig up some plants later to see if she could convert them into suitable death-attribute plants for survival. However, the abundant green plants by the lake saved her this effort.
If she could obtain farm-like buildings or production units with the “Planting” capability in the future, she could expand the cultivation of these death-attribute plants. This would be necessary for feeding herbivorous undead creatures or for unlocking potion technology through building upgrades. After all, the game “Undead Lord” was fundamentally a simulation gameplay, and who said the undead couldn’t farm?
“Yes, Lord. However, do you need me to use my abilities here…”
Lei nodded in response to Kazumi’s command, looking at the still calm lake and curiously looking up at the composed young girl beside him.
“No need, we’ll just wait.”
Kazumi controlled the ghouls to retreat several dozen meters away. She sat on Little Black’s back and waved off Lei’s suggestion.
The Lich Governor’s suggestion was good, but it wasn’t as simple to implement as imagined. After all, Lei was not a combat-specialized mage unit. Even though he mastered ice magic, which had a high degree of control over water, forcing out the creatures in such a large lake with magic was still unrealistic. It would be better to save that energy for developing the territory later.
As for the large creature hidden beneath the calm lake surface, a faint smile appeared on the corner of the young girl’s lips. Let’s see who would lose their patience first.
…
Time passed by the minute. The young girl stood hundreds of meters away from the original lakeside, quietly observing the realm of life that was constantly being invaded by death.
The once lush green plants all withered under the influence of death energy, revealing the yellow soil covered by a grayish-white film.
Countless snowflakes, guided by the Lich, entered the lake. Combined with the injected ice energy, they formed a thick ice layer on the lake surface. The clear lake water, under the influence of death energy, gradually turned a small patch of green, slowly spreading throughout the entire body of water.
“Lord, it’s coming.”
An obscure energy fluctuation flashed briefly from the bottom of the lake. However, Lei, who was extremely sensitive to elemental energy, still captured that momentary aura. He stepped in front of the young girl and said with a hoarse voice.
“Mhm, proceed as planned.”
Kazumi, who had already laid out the plan, showed no sign of panic. After confirming that the ghouls’ mission was complete, she waved her hands and increased the speed at which she poured death energy into the lake.
“Crack—” “Splash—”
As the young girl injected more energy, the entity in the lake finally lost its patience. A huge crack rapidly spread from the center of the lake to the shore, as if some force was pushing this ice lid from within. The surging momentum directly shattered the ice lid, followed by a turbulent tide that defied gravity and rushed towards the shore.
“Lei!”
The Lich’s prepared spell was unleashed at Kazumi’s shout. The roots of the rolling giant wave were covered by a cold wave, and wave after wave of the tide directly cut off the follow-up. However, it still rushed towards the shore with terrifying momentum, as if in a tragic charge.
“Splash— Drip—”
The giant wave, like a flood pouring down from the sky, impacted the gray land. The originally solid soil unexpectedly collapsed like paper under the immense force, revealing a bottomless cave below. The deep cave directly absorbed this large amount of water, as if it were a sturdy cage imprisoning a beast, preventing it from taking a single step no matter how much it struggled.
“Surprisingly easy.”
Kazumi crossed her arms and watched the powerless waves stop before her. Little Black’s hand extended from her shoulder, kindly blocking the last few splashes of water for her.
Under the young girl’s control, the dark green energy transformed into blades, piercing the fish struggling to get ashore from the water like playing whack-a-mole.
“ROAR!!!”
A sky-shattering roar once again came from the small pond before her. The dam formed by the soil was violently pushed open, and a huge black figure, with its eyes filled with tangible rage, finally appeared before Kazumi. With a speed completely unbefitting its size, it charged straight at the young girl like a tank.
Its giant size was like a small mountain, its skin so thick that its aura didn’t weaken even with several death arrows stuck in it. Coupled with the tidal abilities swirling around its body, this giant crocodile lord before them was probably the young girl’s true target this time.
“Lord, be careful!”
Lei, who had just recovered from his weakened state, didn’t even have time to recover his energy and anxiously reminded Kazumi of the current situation.
The only response he received was the young girl’s calm gaze. As the crocodile lord charged towards her, a black portal suddenly rose from the ground.
