Awakening: Reincarnating With the SSS-Level Extraction Talent

As Alex uttered the name of the dreaded necromancer, "Lich, the Necromancer," the silence in the [Undead Castle] was deafening.

The [Undead Lord]'s fiery eyes flickered, and the tension between him and the [Undead King] seemed to freeze in place.

The mention of Lich had clearly rattled the Lord, though he tried not to show it.

"That name..." the [Undead Lord] rumbled, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "You speak of someone that is doing something as idiotic as that fool beside you."

The [Undead King] scoffed but said nothing, his cold gaze remaining on the [Undead Lord].

The two titans were locked in a silent war of wills, but Alex could sense that the name he'd just dropped had shifted the power dynamic, even if just slightly.

"You know of Lich's return?" the [Undead Lord] pressed, stepping forward.

The ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble with each movement.

Alex nodded, though his heart was hammering in his chest.

He was treading on dangerous ground, but it was his only shot.

"I've seen it. Lich is gathering his forces, not just here but across the other realms. He plans to enslave every undead, including you."

The [Undead Lord] stiffened, his molten eyes narrowing. "Lich has been in hiding for centuries. What proof do you have that he is preparing to make a move now?"

Alex took a deep breath.

He had no real proof beyond his knowledge from his past life, but he had to sell this. "He's already started enslaving lesser undead. It's only a matter of time before he turns his eyes here."

The [Undead Lord] seemed to consider this, his eyes flicking to the [Undead King] for a moment before returning to Alex. "If this is true... then perhaps you are not as useless as I thought."

Alex felt a glimmer of hope.

Maybe he could talk his way out of this.

But then, the [Undead Lord] raised a skeletal hand, and the ground beneath Alex's feet began to tremble. "However, I will not take the word of a mere mortal without a test of your strength."

Alex's stomach dropped. "A test?"

"Indeed." The [Undead Lord] grinned, his skull gleaming in the dim light. "You claim to be the master of the [Undead King]? Then prove your worth. Survive, and I might consider your words. Fail, and your bones will join my collection."

Before Alex could react, the ground in front of him split open, and from the dark abyss, a figure began to emerge.

The air filled with the stench of decay as an enormous undead warrior climbed out of the chasm.

Clad in ancient, rusted armor, the creature towered over Alex, its eyes glowing with an eerie blue light.

[Undead Warlord - Level 100]

[HP: 500,000]

Alex's breath caught in his throat.

This was bad—really bad.

The warlord stood three times as tall as Alex, wielding a jagged, blackened greatsword that radiated dark energy.

His skeletons, even with their doubled stats, were no match for this monster.

"Fight," the [Undead Lord] commanded, his voice booming through the hall. "Show me the strength of the one who dares claim the [Undead King] as his own."

The warlord let out a low growl and charged at Alex, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground with each step.

"Shit!" Alex cursed, quickly summoning his skeletons to form a defensive line in front of him. "Get ready, guys!"

The ten skeletons stepped forward, their swords raised, but Alex knew they were hopelessly outmatched.

He cast [Stone Barrier] on himself.

It wouldn't help much against a monster like this, but it was all he had.

The [Undead Warlord] swung its massive greatsword in a wide arc, and the force of the blow shattered two of Alex's skeletons instantly.

-21,938!

Their bodies crumbled into dust, their health pools no match for the warlord's power.

"Dammit!" Alex gritted his teeth, quickly summoning more skeletons to replace the fallen ones.

But it was a losing battle.

The warlord was too strong, and every swing of its sword decimated Alex's forces.

One by one, his skeletons fell, their bones cracking under the sheer force of the warlord's attacks.

Alex tried to cast [Grand Fireball], firing a ball of fire at the warlord, but the attack barely scratched its armor.

The warlord didn't even seem to notice.

-142!

In a matter of seconds, Alex was down to his last two skeletons.

The warlord's sword came crashing down again, and with a sickening crunch, the last of Alex's minions fell.

Now it was just him.

"Alphox!" Alex shouted in desperation. "I need your help!"

But there was no response.

"Undead King!"

Nothing either.

'What about the [Death Call]?!'

"I helped you with the gate, I consider this to be the death call."

"Fuck."

The warlord advanced, its glowing eyes locked on Alex as it raised its sword for a final blow.

Panic surged through Alex.

He was out of options.

He could try to run, but the [Undead Lord] would never let him leave now.

He was trapped.

The greatsword came down, and Alex barely managed to roll out of the way.

The blade slammed into the ground, sending cracks spider-webbing across the stone floor.

Alex scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest. "Come on, Alphox, where the hell are you?!"

And then, just as the warlord raised its sword for another strike, a deafening roar echoed through the castle.

A shadow passed over Alex, and he looked up to see Alphox, the [Shadow Dragon], materializing in the air above him.

[Alphox - Tier 4 Pet]

[Master: FateBreaker.]

"Finally!" Alex gasped, relief flooding through him.

"Wouldn't be fun to see you die and be stuck here," Alphox laughed.

Alphox let out a guttural growl as he descended, his massive wings beating against the air.

He landed between Alex and the warlord, his dark scales glinting in the dim light of the castle.

The [Undead Warlord] hesitated for the first time, its glowing eyes narrowing as it faced the dragon.

"You called, 'master'?" Alphox's voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Alex didn't care.

He was just glad the dragon had shown up.

"Yeah, yeah, just kill that thing!" Alex shouted, backing away to give Alphox room to fight.

Alphox's lips curled into a cruel smile. "With pleasure."

The dragon let out a deafening roar, and dark energy surged around him as he lunged at the warlord.

Alphox's claws tore through the warlord's rusted armor like it was paper, leaving deep gashes in its undead flesh.

-84,000! -84,000! 84,000!

The warlord swung its greatsword at Alphox, but the dragon was too fast.

With a powerful beat of his wings, Alphox dodged the attack and retaliated with a blast of shadowy fire.

-170,000!

The flames engulfed the warlord, and for the first time, the undead creature let out a pained roar.

Alex watched in awe as Alphox tore through the warlord with ease.

The dragon's power was on a completely different level.

In mere moments, Alphox had reduced the once fearsome [Undead Warlord] to a pile of smoldering bones and ash.

The warlord was level 100, but Alphox, having gained 20% of his power back, meant that he would be at around level 200, a clear overkill.

[Your pet "Alphox, The Shadow Dragon" has defeated the "Undead Warlord"]

[Experience gained: 120,000]

[You have leveled up to level 34, all attribute points have been raised by 5, and you have 4 free attribute points to assign as well as 1 skill point!]

[You have leveled up to level 35, all attribute points have been raised by 5, and you have 4 free attribute points to assign as well as 1 skill point!]

[You have leveled up to level 36...]

[You have leveled up to level 37...]

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[You have reached Tier 2!]

Alex let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

[Extraction prompt triggered...]

[Warlord Greatsword (Epic)]

[Undead Skill: Aura of Death]

[Warlord Armor (Rare)]

Not having too much time to think about that or to check the descriptions, Alex selected the skill.

He would check it out later.

"Thank god for dragons," he muttered, glancing at Alphox, who was now casually flicking the ash off his claws.

"Well, that was entertaining," Alphox said, his tone bored. "But you really need to stop relying on me for everything, 'master.'"

"Very well," the [Undead Lord] said, his voice echoing through the hall. "It wasn't you, but I consider allies as a proof of strength."

Another notification flashed in front of Alex.

Ding!

[You have earned the right to leave the "Undead Land"!]

"I have no interest in you anymore, human, go," Lord just gestured.

[Note: your token was refined, and you can now enter and leave undead land at will.]

"I have a question before," Alex risked.

"Hm?"

"Why aren't there any undead here?"

This is Undead Land, so there would be thousands if not hundreds of thousands of undead roaming.

Yet the only ones he met were the two guards at the start, the warlord, and the undead lord.

"..." the [Undead Lord] sighed, "There is nobody left but a small amount of us, human."

"?"

"Undead Land's inhabitants are currently less than a hundred, so no point in meddling on such useless talk."

"How hypocritical!" the king suddenly materialized again, "Our land has no one inside of it but you and a few others, yet you tell me that I'm a traitor that ruined everything?"

Alex didn't feel like creating problems, and so before the undead lord could even answer, he grabbed his [Undead Land Token] and used it.

[Would you like to leave now?]

A wave of relief washed over Alex.

He quickly pressed "Yes."

As the black mist swirled around Alex, signaling his exit, the [Undead Lord] gave him a final look.

"We will meet again," the lord whispered ominously, just as the world around Alex dissolved into shadows.

And then, with a flash, Alex was gone, leaving the oppressive atmosphere of the [Undead Land] behind him.