Luke Crowe had not died with much dignity.A product manager who had received a D rating for three straight months had thrown a cup of coffee in his face.Even as the heart monitor flatlined, Luke’s final thought had been:I still haven’t archived the recording from his termination meeting. How badly is that going to hurt my performance review...?When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by rotting wood, moldy straw, and a stench so foul it nearly knocked him unconscious.【Welcome to Valorion, honored transmigrator.】【Current Title: Worthless Lord】【Current Domain: Ashenvale】【Current Rating: Bottom Tier】【Population: 3】【Domain Size: 10 Standard Size】【Treasury: 0】【Military Strength: 0】【Development: 0/100】【Cohesion: 0/100】【System Recommendation: Hopeless. You might as well start over.】Luke spent three seconds processing what the system had told him.Then another ten seconds realizing that he was tied to a half-rotten wooden post by a group of Greenskins.And another thirty

Luke stared at the hundred Orcs tearing around the training ground.For three full seconds, his expression completely fell apart.Then he took a deep breath.One hundred Orcs.Each over seven feet tall.Every single one built like a walking pile of muscle.And he-a physically helpless HR professional-had two days to turn this pack of wild dogs into wolves.Luke silently encouraged himself.You trained more than three thousand new hires back in your old life.You’re seriously going to be scared of just one hundred Orcs?Then he watched one Orc chase another across the entire training ground with a spiked club because the other guy had stolen a strip of dried meat....Yes.Yes, he was.Luke let out a long breath and walked into the middle of the field.He clapped his hands.“Gentlemen.”“Quiet down!”Nothing happened.Unlike the new employees he used to train, not a single Orc paid him the slightest bit of attention.Fortunately, this was where Dreadiron came in.“Dreadiron, could you

“No.”“I still have to go back and be a lord.”Luke smiled and turned down Grimjaw’s offer.“Fine.”Grimjaw sounded a little disappointed.But after thinking about it, he stopped caring.That miserable Domain of Luke’s was nothing but a worthless patch of land anyway.Sooner or later, Luke would figure that out for himself.And when he did, he could always come back.“Fine.”“The food you asked for is ready.”“It’s outside.”Luke followed Grimjaw out of the tent.The moment he saw the carts piled high with food, he realized that for the first time in his life, the word food sounded incredibly beautiful.“There’s one more thing.”Luke turned back toward Grimjaw.“You promised not to invade my Domain for one year and to provide military support if I’m attacked.”Grimjaw nodded.“I keep my word.”Luke thought for a moment.Then he reached into his clothes and pulled out a piece of bark covered in writing.He had written it the previous night using charcoal from the bonfire while everyone

“A freak?”Luke repeated.Garrick nodded firmly.“Yeah.”Luke glanced at Beanpole, curious to see what he thought of their mysterious third employee.After all, weirdos tended to understand other weirdos.And Beanpole was a guy who had dug up an entire vegetable garden and turned it into a minefield.But to Luke’s surprise-Beanpole nodded just as seriously.Luke raised an eyebrow.“He’s that bad?”“That weirdo has been living beside the swamp for more than half a year,” Garrick explained.“He barely interacts with us.”“Sometimes we bring him food.”“But he never says anything.”“He just sits there staring at the swamp.”Luke frowned.“Staring at the swamp?”“Exactly.”“All day.”Luke looked confused.“That’s it?”“He just... stares?”Garrick nodded.Luke sucked in a breath.“Is there something in that swamp?”“There used to be a lot of wild animals around there.”Garrick counted them off.“Wolves. Wild boars. Plenty of other beasts too.”“But that was before he arrived.”“After he c

Luke didn’t leave after the young man snapped at him.Instead, he simply sat down cross-legged beside him.Years of HR experience had taught Luke one thing.When someone who normally looked numb, detached, and completely lifeless suddenly showed a strong emotional reaction...it usually meant you were getting close to what they really cared about.“How long have you been here?”Luke asked casually.The young man didn’t answer.“Garrick said you’ve been here for more than half a year.”Still nothing.Luke looked out over the swamp.“Don’t you get bored staring at this place every day?”“That’s none of your business.”The young man finally responded, clearly irritated.Luke nodded thoughtfully.“When they expelled you, were they the ones who broke your staff too?”The young man instinctively ran his fingers across the crack in the staff.“That’s none of your business either!”Luke remained perfectly calm.“Then do you still want to be a Necromancer?”This time-the young man fell silent