When Victor turned off the video call with Lizbeth, a familiar melodious ding rang inside his head.

  [Mission Accomplished!]

  [Congratulations on passing the mission. You have successfully embarked on an expedition and located and acquired the necessary resources as well as secured a consistent supply channel.]

  [The reward (2,500 academy points and 10 Elemental Adept lootboxes) has been issued.]

  Gacha!

  How long had it been since the last time he indulged in gacha pulls? Victor’s fingers twitched involuntarily, much like someone suffering from withdrawal syndrome. He remembered that the last time he did one was about a month ago, and even then, the previous pull wasn’t out of pure whim but a mission reward. He had been careful not to squander the academy points. After all, as the academy progressed, those points were better spent on more critical needs and upgrades.

  But he didn’t relish the moment for long because a completed mission was usually accompanied by a new main mission. Sure enough, when he checked the Headmaster’s Journal, there was indeed a new mission.

  —— [Headmaster’s Journal] ——

  Mission: Prelude to a Great War

  Disturbing signs point to an impending invasion from a fearsome entity lurking deep within the Thornwood Forest. With the academy in its current state, your chances of winning against these foreign invaders are close to nil. Nevertheless, it is absolutely important to bolster the academy's defenses and prepare meticulously for the looming threat. Your survival, and that of the academy, hinge on your readiness to face these new enemies.

  Type: Main mission

  Academy Grade (Level 4): 0/1

  War Preparations: 0%

  Reward: Instant progression to your sigil forming and insights into the understanding of your meditation technique.

  As Victor read the mission’s description, an unsettling chill crept down his spine — his hair stood on end in fear. This was the first time that the mission was brutally pessimistic about his chances of winning. Even surviving had become a big problem that couldn’t be guaranteed.

  Wait a minute… foreign invaders? The words were strangely at the edge of his tongue. As far as he knew, foreign invaders could mean they were beings that didn’t originate from this world. Enemies from beyond Seraphia, from another world or plane entirely. Though Seraphia was a high-grade plane, one that few could rival, it wasn’t immune to the threat of invasion from powerful outsiders.

  That realization made his blood run cold. Only beings beyond the level of Nexus Temporal Magi could cross the boundaries between planes. As an Elemental Adept Magus, even if he formed all six sigils, he would be utterly insignificant against such beings — an ant facing a giant. He wouldn’t be worth shit.

  “Patron, is the problem back at the academy really that bad? Why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?” Eleanor tilted her head, amused, though a hint of genuine concern showed in her eyes. She hadn’t stopped helming the dirigible below despite making a snippy remark.

  Victor felt a small tug on his hand, and Lillie’s soft voice broke through his thoughts. “Are you okay, Mentor Victor?”

  They couldn't see the mission notification on his screen, which made him realize how odd he must have looked — staring off into space, his expressions shifting as if he were losing his mind. Though admittedly, the reality was really on the mark.

  “It just… there’s a lot to think about,” Victor said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. After promising Lillie that he would handle everything, he couldn’t afford to back down now; otherwise, he would lose face. Besides, retreating wasn’t an option.

  But then, Victor’s eyes lit up with an idea. “No, this could be an opportunity…” he murmured to himself. Foreign invaders would be suppressed by Seraphia’s natural laws, and they wouldn’t be able to exert their full power. And while these entities were dangerous, their rarity made them incredibly valuable be that for materials for elixirs, and magic artifacts, among other things depending on what they were.

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  In addition, Victor reminded himself that he had an army of immortal players on his side — an army that grew larger and stronger with each passing day. Once the golems at the citadel were fully repaired, his chances of winning would significantly improve. He couldn’t believe that his forces would be incapable of at least surviving this ordeal.

  Besides, it was about time to roll out the next major update for the players, which also meant entering a new phase of the game’s development: the transition to the closed-beta phase. Considering that the enemies he might face were an undead army, plus its likeliness to be of a huge scale and the potentially protracted nature of the impending war, it might not end up just a normal update. In fact, Victor was planning to make this as an expansion — the first one in the game!

  By rolling out the expansion, Victor knew the players would be hyped to dive headfirst into the action, eager to become his unstoppable meat shields. If they charged together relentlessly, wave after wave, they might even be able to hold back the enemy long enough to make a real difference. Who knows? With the players’ overwhelming enthusiasm and numbers, he might not even have to lift a finger to deal with this crisis.

  He truly was an evil genius!

  “Now you’re smirking like a freak,” Eleanor quipped, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “Mentor, I’m scared…” Lillie took a step back, her innocent eyes filled with concern as she gazed up at him.

  Victor coughed, quickly wiping the smirk from his face. Maybe he should focus more on these plans after he returned to the academy, where he could strategize accordingly. For now, he needed to get back to his meditation — he was on the cusp of a breakthrough, and that required his full attention.

  ***

  SuperNova trudged through the twisted, withered undergrowth of the Thornwood Forest. Behind him shuffled a host of other undead creatures marching toward the unaffected part of the forest. Zombies groaned as they dragged their decaying limbs through, while ghouls scurried ahead with their twisted and malformed bodies. Skeletons marched in a stiff, eerie rhythm while their bones rattled as they moved. The sight was eerie — a macabre parade of death in a forest where life had once thrived.

  Never once in his life did SuperNova imagine he’d be leading an undead army. Never once!

  But here he was — not by choice, but by the twisted fate of his transformation. Still, being turned into an undead had its perks. For example, his undead body gave him abilities beyond that of his living self. He no longer felt exhaustion or hunger in-game and he didn’t have to worry about dying in the game anymore since the Ghost Necromancer would be able to resurrect him. Or at least that was what she told him. Though that was a small comfort, considering his current state.

  Speaking of which, he was tasked by her to lead an undead army of about a thousand strong to scour the forest for cooking ingredients. Indeed, when he heard that it was the task he was entrusted to, he had to pause and wonder if his hearing had malfunctioned.

  But then he thought of the dish the Ghost Necromancer had cooked and his mouth watered. How come a being like her can cook something so perfect and delicious? Well, it’s an NPC designed by the devs, after all.

  SuperNova signaled to the undead horde to fan out with a growl, scouring the forest with mindless, relentless purpose. Ghouls clawed at the earth, unearthing roots and leaves. Skeletons hacked at trees with broken blades, revealing strange-looking sap within. Zombies picked through the debris, scavenging whatever they could find. This part of the forest, which had been untouched, seemed to start to decay under their touch.

  At one point, SuperNova knelt, pressing his hand to the earth and brushing a nearby plant. For an unknown reason, the moment his fingers made contact, the plant began to wither, crumbling into decay just like everything else touched by the undead. With concentration, he willed the decay to stop, halting the rot from spreading further by controlling the infused mana within his body.

  How peculiar, he thought. Despite his transformation, he still had control over his magic.

  In fact, his powers had grown considerably. His affinity for Necro and Umbra elements had been enhanced manifold, making his spellcasting more potent than ever. If he had to estimate, he was likely as strong as a third-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte. Unfortunately, he couldn’t access his Shadowlink Mark, preventing him from checking his true stats or communicating with the outside world.

  Worse still, he hadn’t logged out from the game for a couple of days. Luckily for him, he had just finished his thesis, and his university wouldn’t call for him for a month or two for the thesis defense thanks to his fast speed at writing it. His parents also wouldn’t be searching for him since they would think that he was busy studying… But would he be able to log out in that span of time?

  But as he led the undead through the forest, another concern gnawed at him, which was the inevitable clash between them and the academy. At first, receiving a hidden mission felt like a stroke of luck, a chance to become the best in the game. But now, he couldn’t help but think of the implication: What would happen if his side won and the academy was destroyed?

  To put that into perspective, he recalled the first invasion event in the past. It was mentioned that the academy’s destruction would cause a server-wide reset, basically wiping away all progress. If the academy fell, what would be the point of him winning? Everything he’d worked for would vanish, along with everyone else’s progress.

  No, I can’t let that happen. Somehow, he needed to warn the academy, to give them a chance to prepare before it was too late. But how could he, when he was on the enemy’s side, with no way to communicate?

  Whatever he did, it had to be soon.