[Your Death Point has been updated!]
[Fallen Bastos March, Main Bastos Residence, Palace]
Ludwig opened his eyes to a brand-new place, the air thick with the scent of decay and the weight of centuries pressing down on him. Behind him, the teleportation circle flickered erratically, its once-stable glow now waning and crumbling. The intricate runes that formed the circle dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind only a faint trace of magical residue.
Several notifications appeared in front of Ludwig, their glowing text cutting through the oppressive darkness.
***
[Eternal Quest, {Growth} has been updated]
Bastos Van Dijk has been captured by the Holy Order. You are no longer bound to him. Since the quest has been completed unnaturally, a minor adjustment will be implemented.
A new class has been added to your possible classes.
You are now able to choose one of the following classes:
[Skeleton Mage]: May grow to become a Lich.
[Skeleton Swordsman]: May grow to become a Death Knight.
[Battle Mage]: May grow to become ???
Additional Quest:
[You have failed to reach the potential expected of you.]
{Failed One’s Repentance}
Your master has been captured, and your name has been dragged through the mud. The world now knows you to be a user of Dark Magic.
You are far too weak to achieve anything on your own.
Deus Necros wishes for you to grow stronger. The current place you’re in is a great place to grow.
Become the ruler of these lands before you may leave them.
***
‘Well… that’s interesting,’ Ludwig thought,
his skeletal fingers twitching as he processed the information.
‘This Battle Mage is the new class I can assume…’
Ludwig pressed on the new class.
[Battle Mage] A class that allows the user to tap into both their physical and magical prowess, though the growth of this class is by far the slowest and hardest, it can potentially yield the greatest results.
Can further be upgraded to [???]
Once you accept a class, you will not be able to change unless you obtain a special item.
‘This needs a bit of thinking,’ Ludwig muttered. ‘I can’t be picking a class willy nilly.’
He took a moment to survey his surroundings.
The place was a crumbling palace, its grandeur long since eroded by time. The floor beneath his feet was cracked and uneven, covered in a thick layer of dust and moss. Mold clung to the walls, and the air was heavy with the stench of rot. Outside, the skeletal remains of trees reached through the broken walls, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky like desperate hands.
The palace was dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of Ludwig’s notifications and the occasional beam of moonlight filtering through the shattered roof. The sound of distant howls echoed through the air, sending a chill down Ludwig’s spine—though, as an undead, he wasn’t sure if he could still feel such things.
Ludwig realized he was on the top floor of the palace. The stairs leading downward were precarious, their stone steps wobbling under his weight as he began his descent. The walls around him seemed ready to collapse at any moment, their surfaces marred by cracks and patches of moss.
As he descended, Ludwig peered through the broken walls of the palace, taking in the landscape beyond. Hundreds of dilapidated houses stretched out as far as the eye could see, their structures barely standing against the relentless march of time. Trees sprouted from within the ruins, their roots tearing through the foundations of what were once homes. Vegetation had claimed the land, with grass and weeds growing unchecked, while the stench of death hung heavy in the air.
It was a place forgotten by time, a graveyard of a once-thriving community. Ludwig frowned, pulling a book from his inventory. It was the item Van Dijk had instructed him to take before leaving the academy.
‘This is… a diary,’ Ludwig thought, flipping through the pages. It was a record of his master’s life, his history, and perhaps even his secrets.
“This should make for a good read,” Ludwig muttered to himself. After all, he knew next to nothing about the Bastos March. According to the system, this was a small march that had been lost to time for seven hundred years. Ludwig doubted any human had set foot here in centuries—though the system’s warning about ruling these lands suggested that something still lived here.
‘I need a good place to set up camp first,’ Ludwig realized. He was here for the long haul, and he needed a safe spot to rest and plan his next move.
He continued his descent, his footsteps echoing through the empty halls. The palace, though crumbling, still had a sturdy foundation. Ludwig moved cautiously, his weapon drawn and his senses on high alert. If the quest wanted him to become the ruler of these lands, it meant there were subjects to rule—and likely enemies to defeat.
The main floor of the palace was a vast, open space, its walls lined with rotted wooden frames. The paintings that once hung there were gone, their remnants torn and burned. Rusted pieces of armor stood as silent sentinels, their once-gleaming surfaces now dull and corroded.
Ludwig inspected one of the helmets.
***
[Rusted Knight Helmet]
Durability: 1/100
1% reduction to physical attacks.
1% reduction to magical attacks.
An old helmet of the Knights of the Bastos March, once a decoration in the halls of this great house. Now, it is as old and rusted as the house itself.
***
Ludwig ignored the armor and continued his search for a suitable room to set up camp. As he moved deeper into the palace, he reached the central hall—and froze.
Before him was a horrific sight: a massive pile of bones, human remains stacked high and covered in dust and cobwebs. The sight was both grotesque and eerily familiar. Ludwig couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen something like this before, though he couldn’t place where.
He didn’t dwell on the remains for long. Instead, he turned his attention to the rest of the hall. The main door was enormous, sealed shut with thick wooden planks. The windows, too, were boarded up, both inside and out.
Ludwig approached one of the windows and pulled at the rotting wood. It crumbled easily in his hands, revealing that the window had been sealed from both sides.
‘Almost feels like they wanted no one to get inside…’ Ludwig thought, his unease growing. ‘Or maybe… they wanted something inside to not go outside.’
As if on cue, something moved in the shadows. Ludwig’s undead sight allowed him to see through the darkness, and his gaze locked onto two glowing red eyes, each the size of an apple, staring at him menacingly from the depths of the hall.
‘Well, that’s fucking fantastic…’ Ludwig thought, tightening his grip on his weapon.
The eyes blinked once, then disappeared into the darkness. Ludwig stood still, his senses on high alert. The palace was no longer silent—the sound of shuffling feet and low growls echoed through the halls.
He wasn’t alone.
Ludwig took a deep breath—or at least, he mimicked the action—and prepared himself.
‘Fine,’ Ludwig thought, a grim determination settling over him. “Let’s get this over with then, shall we.”