Having confirmed that the sun was, in fact, a giant ball of death aiming directly at him, Ragnar Vhagar turned his attention to the more immediate tools of his trade. His new Vampire form had unlocked a whole new wing of his monster creation menu, and he was eager to see if they were worth the expensive CP cost.
The impending threat of Isabelle Thorne meant he couldn't afford any weak links in his army. He needed to know exactly what he was working with.
"Time for some product testing," he announced, striding into the vast, stone Mess Hall which now doubled as his personal gladiator arena. "Let's see what this new vampire-themed army can really do."
He started with the Ghoul. It was a 20 CP investment, and he needed to know if its raw power was worth its lack of brain cells. For its opponent, he chose one of his veteran Orcs, a solid slab of green muscle armed with a crude stone axe he called 'Basher'.
"Begin!" Ragnar commanded.
The Orc, Basher, let out a bellowing war cry and charged.
BOOM!
The stone floor trembled with each of the Orc's thunderous footsteps. The very air shrieked and split apart as he swung his massive axe in a deadly arc, transforming the heavy weapon into a blur of gray stone and raw power. He was a living, breathing bulldozer.
The Ghoul met the charge with an unholy screech. It moved with a twitching, unnatural speed that defied its emaciated frame.
CRACK!
The Ghoul's long claws raked across the flat of the Orc's axe. The impact wasn't a simple parry; it was a violent detonation. A small, sharp sonic boom exploded from the point of contact, and a visible shockwave of white force blasted outwards, forcing both creatures back a step.
The Ghoul was unnaturally strong. It dodged the Orc's follow-up swing and lunged, its claws tearing through the Orc's thick green hide.
The fight was brutal and one-sided. The Ghoul fought with a mindless, frenzied rage, shrugging off blows that would have stunned a kobold. It clawed and bit, overwhelming the powerful Orc until Basher fell to the ground, broken and defeated.
"Okay, stop!" Ragnar commanded.
The Ghoul ignored him. It crouched over the fallen Orc, its guttural moans turning into frenzied snarls as it began to feast.
"Hey! I said stop! That's a 25 CP investment you're eating!" Ragnar yelled.
He had to send in three of his elite kobolds to physically drag the snarling, thrashing Ghoul away from its "meal."
Ragnar sighed, making a note on his phone.
"Ghouls: Surprisingly powerful, but completely uncontrollable. Fights with the tactical nuance of a rabid badger. High-risk, high-reward. Use only in situations where I don't care about the collateral damage. Or the cleanup."
Next, it was time for the main event. The Lycanthrope. At 40 CP, it was one of the most expensive non-unique monsters he could create. For its test, he pitted it against a single, standard kobold. The one he mentally called Gary, who was still his favorite despite his incredible clumsiness.
The fight was, to put it mildly, an embarrassment. The Lycanthrope howled, a sound that was more of a sad yelp, and charged. It was clumsy, tripping over its own feet. Gary easily sidestepped the attack.
BOOM!
Gary swung his heavy club. It wasn't a mighty blow, just a standard E-Rank swing. The wind shrieked for a fraction of a second as the club moved, a simple blur of motion.
CRACK!
The club connected solidly with the Lycanthrope's side. A small shockwave rippled out, and the sad man-wolf was sent tumbling to the floor, where it lay whimpering and clutching its ribs. It was utterly defeated by a creature that cost a quarter of its price.
Ragnar stared in disbelief. His 10 CP kobold had just effortlessly humiliated his 40 CP werewolf. The rage was immediate and all-consuming.
"This is a scam! A complete and utter ripoff!" he roared, stomping his foot. He furiously pulled up the system description for the Lycanthrope on his phone, ready to write a scathing one-star review to the cosmic entity that ran this whole mess. He scrolled past the pathetic stat line and saw the infuriating footnote again.
[Special Condition: This unit's true power can only be unlocked in a [Moonlit Night] environmental field.]
"A field effect? I have to buy expensive environmental DLC for my monster to even work properly?!" he screamed at his phone. "This is the worst gacha pull in history! I've been scammed by the universe!"
With his new army turning out to be a mixed bag of uncontrollable psychos and furry disappointments, he decided to test his own new magic. He created a simple practice dummy out of scrap wood and stone. He aimed his palm at it and focused.
"Dark Arrow," he commanded.
A bolt of pure, solidified shadow shot from his hand. It wasn't flashy, but it was fast and silent. It struck the dummy dead center, punching a clean, smoking hole through the wood. "Okay, not bad. A basic, reliable damage spell."
As for his other new spell, [Dark Induction], he couldn't exactly test it on his own minions. He didn't want Gary suddenly deciding that Smashy the Orc had insulted his mother. He'd have to save that for a live-fire exercise. Preferably on Isabelle Thorne's party.
Dejected and fuming about the Lycanthrope, he idly checked the creation cost of the Giant Bat again. It was listed at 10 CP. But as he looked closer, he saw a small green number next to it: [-10 CP]. He tapped it.
[Racial Bonus (Vampire): Cost of darkness/undead-aspected subordinates is reduced by 50%].
A flicker of understanding lit up his dark mood. His evolution wasn't just about personal power; it was about economic efficiency. He was specialized. The Giant Bat's base cost was 20 CP, but for him, it was only 10. The Ghoul's base cost was 40, but he paid 20.
He had been so focused on the Lycanthrope's failure that he hadn't noticed the hidden discount.
His new army was still flawed, his best spell was untested, and his most expensive unit was a useless, hairy coward. But at least he was getting a good deal on the rest of his spooky minions.
It wasn't much, but it was a start.