The ground continued moving for a while, the deep vibrations echoing through the soles of Verc’s boots and into his very bones.
It lasted for at least about half an hour in total. During that time, the air was thick with the smell of dry earth and the sharp, metallic tang of mana. Under the influence of [Dungeon Genesis], the raw stones and soil didn’t just move—they transformed. They compressed and shifted, turning into solid bricks that began forming some structures right before everyone’s eyes. It was like watching a high-speed construction site where the workers were invisible spirits.
And then, after a while—TAK!
All the bricks and materials that had been floating around Verc suddenly snapped into place and stopped. The heavy shaking of the ground stopped as well, leaving a ringing silence in the clearing.
The dust slowly began to settle, coating the new walls in a fine layer of gray powder.
"...?"
The orcs, who were mesmerized by the sight of houses being built quickly on their own, quickly noticed this. They had been standing at the edge of the clearing, their massive bodies frozen in place as they watched the miracle.
Now, they all looked at their leader, who was responsible for this miracle. They looked at him with a mixture of respect and pure wonder.
And there, in the middle of the clearing, in front of his castle—he was just standing still.
Verc didn’t look triumphant or proud. Instead, he was grabbing his head with his right hand, his fingers digging into his hair. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked like he was fighting to stay upright.
SWOOSH!
Seeing that, Tatum and Jed immediately rushed by his side. They moved so fast they were almost a blur. When they arrived beside him not long after, they reached out, trying to help Verc stand by grabbing his arms.
"I’m fine."
But Verc stopped them. He took a slow, deep breath and straightened his back, looking at the two with a small smile.
"I just used up a lot of my stored energy all at once, so I was a bit taken aback."
He said.
Verc’s head was aching when he stopped using [Dungeon Genesis]. It was a sharp, pulsing pain behind his eyes, likely from the mental strain of visualizing so many structures at once. Fortunately, the pain immediately disappeared not long after collecting himself.
His body as a vampire was durable, and his recovery was much faster than a normal human.
Tatum and Jed were about to say something to him, their faces full of worry, but before they could even do so—
"Ah, now that you’re here, I have a message I want you kids to relay to the orcs."
Verc spoke up first. He wanted to get things settled so he could finally rest.
"What is it, Lord Verc?"
Jed asked quickly.
"Tell them that the built houses can be occupied already, they should pick already who gets to live in them. The rest, they would need to use the first and second floors still in the castle, I fear."
Verc explained.
He had wanted to build a home for every single one of them, but the energy cost had been steeper than he imagined. Even with the blood he had consumed, there was a limit to how much he could manifest in a single go.
Tatum and Jed nodded their heads at his words, they were taking note of it mentally. They looked over at the orcs.
"Also, just like today—have half of the orcs hunt again tomorrow, and the other half to expand the clearing. That’s all."
Verc added.
"We’ll pass the message now, my liege!"
Tatum answered immediately.
Verc frowned hearing what he just called him. The word ’liege’ felt even more formal and heavy than ’lord’, but before he could even do something about the title— BAM! SWOOSH!
Tatum and Jed left, heading back to the orcs to relay his message. They were clearly eager to fulfill their duties.
"Haaa... whatever."
So in the end, he just decided to ignore it. There were more important things to worry about than how people addressed him.
Instead, he looked around to check what he just did with his skill.
... ... ...
The clearing looked much different now. Two big houses were created, then three small ones. They were made of the same dark, sturdy stone as the castle. All and all, at least fifteen orcs can live in them. It wasn’t the whole tribe, but it was a start.
And the rest, they were all incomplete structures that can’t be used. There were half-finished walls and foundations sticking out of the ground like broken teeth.
"I thought I could do more with the energy I got from the monsters hunted by the orcs... but using this skill is just way more taxing than I thought."
Verc muttered to himself as he looked around.
He was a bit disappointed at first. He had seen the mountain of corpses earlier and thought it would be enough for an entire village. But after seeing the finished houses, he was quite frankly impressed.
They were sturdy looking. The bricks were perfectly aligned, and the roofs looked like they could withstand a massive storm.
He approached one of them and ran his hand along the wall. The stone was cool and smooth. The layout was efficient, with enough space for the large orcs to move around without feeling cramped.
’I guess being an architect in my past life really helps a lot.’
Verc said internally with a smile on his face.
He had subconsciously used his knowledge of structural integrity and design while channeling the skill. It made the process more efficient, even if it was still exhausting.
Anyway, he used up all of his stored energy just to start the building of the orc’s village in his territory. His mana pool was nearly bone-dry, and he could feel a deep fatigue settled into his muscles.
So, after checking his current progress and how he did... he turned back toward the large stone doors.
Verc entered back into his castle without interacting with anyone, he was tired. He saw the orcs beginning to move toward their new homes, their voices filled with excited grunts, but he didn’t stop to talk.
And for the first time in a long time... he wants to get a good night sleep.
He can’t train anyway because if he does any more of that, he’ll get hungry.
The hunger of a vampire was something he didn’t want to deal with right now, especially when his energy was already low. And so, Verc quickly climbed all the way on the fifth floor, and after reaching his room--
THUD!
He just let himself fall into his sleeping bag and he closed his eyes. The stone floor was hard, but the sleeping bag provided enough comfort for him to drift off almost instantly.
*****
The next day, before even Verc wakes up, the orcs started moving.
They were early risers by nature, and the excitement of their new homes gave them even more energy.
The hunting team and the clearing team from yesterday switched roles for today. The ones who had been chopping trees were now sharpening their weapons, and the hunters were now picking up tools. Now that they know what Verc was going to use the monsters and the space for the clearing—they worked more diligently than yesterday.
They weren’t just working for a master; they were working for their own future.
They kept chanting loud praises for Verc, their lord. The forest rang with their deep, rhythmic shouts. They were moved, especially after knowing that he had used a lot of energy to just build them a place they could stay on.
To them, the physical exhaustion Verc showed last night was a sign of his great care for them.
But the loud shoutings of the orcs didn’t wake up the tired vampire. He was in such a deep sleep that even the tremors of falling trees didn’t bother him.
It was Onyx’s licking on his cheek that did.
Verc groaned and opened his eyes, seeing the small puppy wagging its tail excitedly on his chest. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
Anyway, Verc just checked on the kids and the orcs, walking through the castle and the clearing to see how everyone was doing. He played a bit with Bong and Onyx, enjoying the brief moment of peace.
Then, he went back to his room to train.
He didn’t want to get rusty now... even though he only rested for a night.
Verc spent hours practicing his forms, focusing on the fluidity of his movements. Tatum and Jed caught him a dozen of monsters so he could refill his energy even for a bit. They had left the small corpses in a neat pile near his door.
’They really are helpful.’
Verc thought as he consumed the blood. For that—Verc was very thankful to them two. It saved him the time of having to hunt for himself.
*****
... ... ...
... ... ...
The orc hunters came back at night, and sensing their arrival—Verc stopped swinging his sword.
He could feel the vibrations of many feet entering the clearing through his skill. He immediately started heading down before anyone could even go to him.
TAP-
He got out of the castle not long after, the cool night air hitting his face.
"How was it?"
He greeted Groo again, he’s leading the hunting team today as well. The large orc looked proud, standing in front of his group.
"It was a good hunt!"
He replied energetically.
Behind Groo was a mountain of monster corpses twice as big as yesterday. It was a staggering sight. There were massive spiders, wolves, and even some strange, tentacled forest creatures piled up high.
"...?"
Verc was surprised this time as well. He hadn’t expected them to double their results in a single day.
"How is this possible?"
Verc asked.
"Good work out there."
He turned to Groo before praising his good work. He was genuinely impressed by the efficiency.
"Thank you, my lord!"
Groo accepted his words proudly, his chest puffing out. But then, he let out a low, rumbling laugh.
"Well, we didn’t do this all on our own. We got some help."
Groo said that.
"Hmm?"
Verc turned to him, tilting his head. He was confused. Who in this forest would help a group of orcs hunt?
"What do you mean by that?"
He asked Groo.
And then, instead of answering directly—
"GET IN HERE, THE LORD WANTS TO SEE YOU!!!"
Groo exclaimed that, his voice booming toward the dark treeline.
’Huh? Who is he talking to? And I want to see them? I didn’t say anything like that.’
Verc thought to himself, turning his head to where Groo was looking.
His curiosity took over. He expanded his [Vibration Awareness] more outside the clearing.
And after doing so... he felt it; a lot of feet heading to their direction! They were smaller than orcs, but there were many of them!
’What the hell is going on?’
Verc asked in his head.
And soon—
T A P—!!!
They stepped into the clearing.
There were a lot of them... they were hyena-headed monsters wearing ragged clothes and using stone tools just like the orcs. They moved with a nervous, twitchy energy, their eyes darting around the massive stone castle and the new houses.
They were Gnolls!
There were dozens of them, standing behind the orcs. They looked at Verc with a mixture of fear and awe.
"Wha-?"
And before Verc could even ask about them—
"They helped us hunt all of these monsters, my lord. They said that they saw us walking in the heart of the forest the other day and asked us what we were on."
Groo began to explain.
"And after we told them we came were under your wing, The Great Demon King, they said they wanted to join as well!"
He declared that.
"..."
Verc stared at the Gnolls.
"So I made them join us in the hunt so they can give you offerings. Now, it’s up to you, my lord, to answer them."
Groo said that, explaining the situation to him.
The Gnolls all bowed their heads at once, whimpering slightly. They were waiting for Verc’s judgment. Verc looked at the massive pile of monsters they had helped gather, then back at the group of hyena-men.
’Another group...’
Verc thought, scratching the back of his head. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to become the leader of an entire forest of monsters, but he couldn’t deny that the extra help was useful.
"So, you want to join us?"
Verc asked, his voice calm but loud enough for them all to hear.
The Gnolls didn’t speak, but they nodded their heads vigorously, some of them even pressing their faces into the dirt in a show of complete submission.
Verc looked at Groo, who was grinning. It seemed the orcs were quite happy to have others doing the work with them.
’Well, if they can hunt like this, it would make building the village much faster.’
Verc admitted to himself.
He looked at the mountain of corpses. With this much blood, he could probably finish some of the houses he started yesterday and even build more.
Anyway, he turned his focus back to the new arrivals. Then, with a serious voice and a frown on his face--
"If you want to stay, you follow my rules. No fighting among yourselves, and everyone works."
Verc stated firmly.
The Gnolls yipped in what seemed to be agreement. They seemed more than happy to trade their labor for the protection of a ’demon king’ who could build stone fortresses in the middle of a cursed forest.
"Groo, make sure they are fed and give them a place to stay on the first floor for now."
Verc instructed.
"As you wish, my lord!"
Groo barked, clearly pleased with the outcome.
Verc sighed, watching as the orcs began to lead the Gnolls toward the castle. Things were moving much faster than he had planned. He had gone from a lone survivor to the leader of two different tribes in just a few days.
’I really am going to end up as a demon king at this rate.’
Verc thought, looking up at the moon.
He walked toward the mountain of monsters, feeling his hunger and his mana both stirring. He had work to do. He couldn’t go back to training just yet. He needed to process all this blood so he could continue the construction as soon as possible.