Night descends, the Blood Moon rises

Arthur was a beast! God Tier was no joke. His [Dragon Flame] could blast continuously for over two minutes, costing 2 MP per use. But he regenerated 1 MP every 50 seconds, meaning he could keep the flames going indefinitely as long as he wanted. And at level 2, his damage had doubled! He could roast three chickens per minute on average.

Of course, even a relatively weak creature like a rooster wasn't going to just stand there and get barbequed. They ran, scattered, making Arthur chase them down. Three kills per minute was still impressive.

Whenever Arthur roasted a chicken, Alex, if she had 2 MP available, would immediately cast [Undead Summoning]. The summoned skeleton would be the same level as the chicken and completely loyal to Alex. A truly god-level skill, its power would only grow as she leveled up. An ever-expanding army of immortal undead…

And after summoning a skeleton, Alex could still salvage the chicken corpse for roasted meat! Even a capitalist would weep at the efficiency! The roosters were getting the three-stage exploitation treatment: killed for experience and Magic Stones, their corpses used for summoning, and then salvaged for food. "The indignity!" a rooster might cry. "You've wrung me dry!"

With Arthur's fiery rampage, the Skeleton Squad's harassing tactics, and Alex's steady summoning and strategic direction, their teamwork was flawless. Soon, Alex leveled up too!

[Lord: Alex]

[Level: Lv2]

(Stats doubled from before)

Alex's stats had doubled! She was King Tier, one below Arthur's God Tier. Her base stats and stat growth were slightly lower. That small difference would add up. At level 100, ignoring equipment, she'd be 100 points behind Arthur in each stat. The gap between King and God Tier was real.

"But," Alex mused, stroking her chin, "I'm not the main fighter. Arthur is! And he's my soldier!" The thought filled her with glee. She was incredibly pleased with Arthur.

…

After a merciless slaughter, Arthur hit level 3! His stats jumped again, each increasing by 6.

[Strength: 18]

[Endurance: 18]

[Spirit: 18]

Another power surge! But just as Alex was basking in the joy of her growing power…

…it got dark.

[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT!]

[Night descends, the Blood Moon rises!]

[Monsters will be empowered during the night!]

[Random 1-10x stat boost!]

[Calculating tonight's boost…]

[Beep—!]

[9x!]

[Tonight, monsters will receive a 9x stat boost!]

As the announcement ended, the level 3 rooster Arthur was chasing suddenly glowed with blood-red eyes. Bloodthirsty, enraged, and very dangerous.

"Something's wrong!" Alex quickly checked the rooster's stats.

[Rooster (Night Frenzy, 9x)]

[Level: Lv3]

[HP: 480]

[Strength: 27]

[Endurance: 27]

"Holy sht!" Alex swore. This was insane! A Normal Tier level 3 monster, normally with 3 points in each stat, now had 27! Nine points higher than Arthur's level 3 stats of 18! The tables had turned. The empowered rooster was now chasing Arthur.

"Arthur, retreat!" Alex yelled, fearing for her dragon's safety.

But Arthur didn't obey. "Master, you go back to the castle! I'll hold it off!"

His words jolted Alex awake. "I'm in its attack range too!" Cold sweat trickled down her back. Retreat! Back to the safety of the invincible castle!

She ran, then calmed down slightly, issuing commands as she retreated. "Arthur, come back with me! Skeleton Squad 1, distract that rooster!"

"Yes, master!"

She could resummon lost skeletons. Losing Arthur would be devastating.

But just as she gave the order, Arthur and the night-empowered rooster clashed.

BOOM!

The tiny rooster sent the 5-meter-tall Arthur flying ten meters!

Alex gasped. Night monsters were strong. The rooster's 27 in each stat was far superior to Arthur's 18. Arthur being knocked back was inevitable.

But… Alex looked closer. Things weren't as they seemed.

[Rooster HP: 478/480]

[Arthur HP: ∞]

The Undying Legion… undying.

"Ha ha ha!" Alex burst out laughing. Arthur hadn't lost a single HP! The rooster, despite its apparent advantage, had lost 2 HP! If the fight continued, the rooster would lose! Arthur was immortal!

"Undying Legion, baby!" she yelled, her voice cracking.

But even with immortality, killing the rooster would take time. Arthur could only inflict 2 damage per hit, and the rooster had 480 HP, slowly regenerating.

"Arthur, Skeleton Squad 1, retreat!" Alex ordered. No point fighting a monster on a rampage. They could deal with it tomorrow, when it lost its night boost. "Revenge is a dish best served cold!"

…

Alex and Arthur retreated to the castle. Skeleton Squad 1 was still slowly making its way back. Their speed was… an issue. But they were also immortal, so no worries.

Alex focused on the important task: salvaging the corpses.

[Salvage monster corpses?]

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

[Salvage successful!]

[Obtained 876 rooster combs, 2034 roasted chicken, and 31 Magic Stones.]

A massive haul! Keeping 34 units of chicken for herself, Alex listed the remaining 2000 on the Free Market.

[Roasted Chicken]

[Price: 20 wood or 20 stone or 1 Magic Stone]

[Remaining: 2000 units]

Then, she went to World Chat.

[World Channel 1 (10,000 players)]

[Alex]: I've listed some roasted chicken on the Free Market, same price as before.

"Alex!"

"Front row!"

"Holy crap, are you all single? 2000 units gone already?!"

"Sold out!"

Alex stared at the messages, dumbfounded. Gone? Just like that? 2000 units?