The bonfire in the boss's house was burning brightly, pine wood crackling in the flames, driving away the surrounding chill.
Kurzadh sat on a stone slab covered with animal hides, rubbing his still aching arm—although the wounds had healed considerably during his evolution, the soreness from the intense battle hadn't completely faded.
He raised his hand and made a sweeping motion in front of him, and a faint green light screen, visible only to him, appeared out of nowhere; it was the upgraded system interface.
The light screen was clearer than before, with a shimmering icon labeled "Shaman System" added to the left side.
Kurzadh tapped it with his mind, and the interface immediately switched, with lines of green text appearing:
Host has unlocked Shaman System (Special)
Description: No need to master Waaagh! energy and spells through traditional learning; spells can be directly exchanged through the system; unable to gather collective Waaagh! energy, spell power is limited by individual Waaagh! value
Currently exchangeable spells: None (requires accumulation of Waaagh! value)
Spell levels: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Exquisite
Hint: Spell consumption is directly proportional to power; the higher the level, the more Waaagh! value consumed.
Kurzadh stared at the words "no need for traditional learning" and grinned.
He had heard from the humans in the caravan that greenskin shamans had to follow old shamans for several years, performing rituals and eating mushrooms, just to barely conjure a fireball.
But he was lucky; the system had directly given him a backdoor, allowing him to use magic without effort. Wasn't this the treatment for a "high-class individual"?
Although not being able to gather the tribe's Waaagh! energy like a Great Shaman was a bit of a pity, Kurzadh was still optimistic—the Blackrock Clan currently had so few people that even if they did gather, they'd probably only be able to conjure a slightly larger fireball.
It was more practical to master it himself, casting spells whenever he wanted, without having to cater to others.
"Once I've accumulated enough Waaagh! value, I'll exchange for a one-shot spell that can beat people up," Kurzadh murmured, stroking his chin, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
In future fights, not only could he wield an iron axe, but he could also cast magic. The thought alone was exciting.
He mentally switched to other interfaces of the system and was immediately surprised by the new features that had appeared.
On the right side of the light screen, a "Building Upgrade" option had been added. Clicking into it, a dense list of upgradable buildings appeared:
Lumber Yard: Can be upgraded to Large Lumber Yard (wood production doubled, requires 100 units of wood, 50 units of stone)
Quarry: Can be upgraded to Large quarry (Stone production doubled, requires 100 units of stone, 50 units of wood)
Statue of Gork and Mork: Can be upgraded to Grand Statue of Gork and Mork (unlocks Greenskin Shaman training function, requires 200 units of wood, 200 units of stone, 10 units of iron scraps)
Boss's House: Can be upgraded to boss's Mansion (increases greenskin morale, reduces rebellion probability, requires 150 units of wood, 100 units of stone, 5 units of iron scraps)
Mushroom field: Can be upgraded to Level 2 mushroom field (mushroom production doubled, unlocks new mushroom varieties, automatically generates 10 goblin and 3 hobgoblins weekly, requires 100 units of wood, 50 units of stone)
Kurzadh's eyes grew brighter the more he read, and the iron axe in his hand clanged against the stone slab.
The old system could only show maps and issue a few tasks, but now it could upgrade buildings! And each upgrade was substantial—doubled production, automatic troop generation, and even Shaman training. If all of these were upgraded, wouldn't the Blackrock Clan soar to the heavens?
He pointed at the upgrade description for the "mushroom field" and began to calculate in his mind.
Currently, the goblin and hobgoblins in the tribe were acquired through raiding and capture, and their numbers grew very slowly.
After upgrading to a Level 2 mushroom field, 10 goblin and 3 hobgoblins would automatically appear each week. What did this mean? It meant that without fighting, the tribe's population could grow rapidly! It wouldn't be long before the Blackrock Clan would transform from its current three hundred-plus greenskins into a tribe of thousands!
Looking at the "Grand Statue of Gork and Mork," it could even train Shamans.
Although he, as a "Special Shaman," didn't need to learn, having a few more youngsters who could cast magic, helping to throw fireballs and lightning bolts during fights, that scene made his blood boil just thinking about it.
And the boss's House upgrading to a "Mansion" could reduce the probability of rebellion—greenskins were all wild, and in the past, some youngsters were always disobedient. After the upgrade, it could make them more docile, saving him the daily worry of internal strife.
"Damn it, this system upgrade came at the perfect time!" Kurzadh exclaimed, standing up excitedly and pacing back and forth in the room.
The bloodstains on his animal hide coat hadn't been washed off yet, but it didn't affect his good mood in the slightest.
He walked to the corner, picked up the beast-tooth short spear he had removed from the orc skeleton, and flicked the spearhead with his finger: "Once the buildings are all upgraded, the Blackrock Clan will transform from a small village into a large one, and then we can even build a sub-territory. The canyon to the east is good, and the rocky beach to the west is also quite good. By then, we can beat up whoever we want!"
However, despite his excitement, Kurzadh quickly calmed down. The materials needed to upgrade buildings were not a small amount—the Lumber Yard and quarry alone would require 200 units of wood and 200 units of stone, not to mention the iron scraps.
Now that the tribe had just finished fighting, although they had plundered many ratman corpses as fertilizer, the reserves of wood and Kurzadh were definitely not enough.
"We need to continue with infrastructure development," Kurzadh said, hanging the beast-tooth short spear on the wall, his eyes becoming resolute.
Outside, the snow was still falling, snowflakes hitting the wooden window with a rustling sound.
But this could not be an excuse for laziness—greenskins were never afraid of the cold, much less of working.
He pushed open the door, and the cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, assailed him, making him shiver, but also clearing his mind.
In the tribe, the greenskins were still cheering about the evolution.
Wreelx was leading a few elite archers in an archery competition, iron arrows whizzing towards tree trunks, the red cloth on the target riddled with holes; Dragu was directing the hobgoblin Laborers to drag ratman corpses to the mushroom field, the heavy corpses bending the goblins' short legs, yet no one complained; Scarface stood by the palisade, repairing the wooden palisade damaged by the ratmen with a stone chisel, his movements slow but done with skill.
"Wreelx! Dragu!" Kurzadh called out.
The two hobgoblins immediately ran over, Wreelx's quiver still hanging on his shoulder, Dragu's greenskin stained with mud and blood, but both were full of spirit.
"Boss, what's up?"
"Wreelx, you take the archers to the Lumber Yard and cut down all the trees you can, whether pine or oak, the more the better!" Kurzadh pointed to the east, "Have the goblins follow to transport the wood and stack it in the center of the tribe, don't let it get wet."
"Got it!" Wreelx left with his bow, not forgetting to shout back, "Boyz! Come with me to cut trees! Whoever cuts the most gets two extra pieces of meat tonight!"
"Dragu, you take the spearmen to the quarry and dig the stone pit deeper. All the slabs you can pry, all the stones you can smash, bring them all back to me!" Kurzadh said to Dragu again, "Be careful, don't let rocks fall on your feet."
"Understood!" Dragu responded, turning and running towards the quarry, shouting to gather his men.
Kurzadh watched their busy backs, then looked at the distant forest covered in white snow, feeling very much at ease.
The system upgrade gave him confidence, the building upgrades gave him goals, and as long as the greenskins were willing to work, the Blackrock Clan's days would only get better and better.
The snow was still falling, but the lively atmosphere in the tribe hadn't diminished at all.
The "crunch" of trees being cut came from the Lumber Yard, the "clink-clank" of chiseling stone came from the quarry, the "squeak" of the goblins and the "Waaagh" of the hobgoblins mixed together, like a messy but vibrant song.
Kurzadh leaned against the palisade, clutching his iron axe, his green eyes gleaming.
He knew that the coming days would be busy—cutting trees, digging Kurzadh, upgrading buildings, one after another. But he wasn't afraid; there was no such word as "fear" in the greenskin dictionary.
"When spring comes, we'll have a Large Lumber Yard and a Large quarry," Kurzadh muttered in a low voice, a smile playing on his lips, "By then, the entire Forest of Gloom will know that the Blackrock Clan is not to be trifled with!"
The wind was still blowing in the snowy landscape, but Kurzadh felt that this winter didn't seem so cold anymore.