Leo looked at the red-skinned giant kneeling before him. The goblin's breath was heavy, coming out like steam in the cold night air. The creature's body was a map of raw power, yet that youthful face remained, creating a strange contrast that was hard to ignore.
''Well done. You deserve the blessing, but are you okay with that name? Should I give you another?'' Leo asked, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
The goblin raised its massive head, eyes burning with a new, sharp awareness. He looked at his own hands, then at the bloodhound he had tamed earlier. ''I... am... Captain Goblin,'' he rasped, his vocal cords still struggling to adapt to the complexity of speech.
Leo let out a short, dry snicker. ''Well then, Captain. If that is the identity you choose, so be it. Move out.''
The goblin stood with ease and made his way back to his beast with a look of immense pride. The human workers watched the exchange with trembling hands. While terror paralyzed most, a few watched with a hungry, desperate look in their eyes. They weren't just afraid anymore; they were wondering if they could also achieve such a rise in power if they served faithfully.
Malphas stepped to Leo's side, his gaze fixed on the retreating red figure. ''That creature possesses a remarkably stubborn will to have survived a forced evolution, my lord.''
''I expected a modest increase in strength, but this result is far beyond my calculations,'' Leo admitted.
''Talent fragments are volatile prizes,'' Malphas noted. " Most common-grade beings lack the mental fortitude to contain such power. Usually, their souls simply shatter under the pressure. He is a rare exception.''
'So mass-producing rare-grade units is a pipe dream,' Leo reflected. 'I cannot just throw fragments at everyone and expect an army of captains.'
He retreated into the quiet sanctuary of the temple to check his progress. [Sanguine Essence: 350].
'Ha, those ruins really took a lot of my time, but I guess it was worth it for the loot,' he thought, his thumb tracing the cold metal of the legacy ring.
Item: Queen's Legacy
Grade: Unique
Description: A guiding relic that detects and points the way to ancient ruins necessary to reconstruct the Twilight Queen's inheritance.
'Let's think about this after the trial. I wonder what others are doing,' Leo thought as he opened the chat.
Channel 86
[User: BreadIsLife]: Do you think we can become actual gods in our world once we reach Prime Lord status?
[User: NullRoot]: Dream on, idiot. There are old monsters who can slap you to death.
[User: HollowSmile]: My brother told me that Athelguard is composed entirely of high-rank lords. Their chairman is supposed to be a total nightmare who hunts lords from other races for sport.
[User: ShadowWalker]: I heard Athelguard has already claimed three entire sectors. They aren't just players; they are the new government.
[User: BigSteak]: Who cares about Athelguard? I just found a chest that gave me a Rare-grade sword. I am going to be king of my forest!
'And here I thought this chat was just for complaints. This is valuable intel,' Leo thought, his eyes scanning the fast-moving text.
[User: Dawnseeker]: Athelguard is just a group of cowards who kept Origin a secret. If they had been honest, thousands of people wouldn't have died in the initial wave.
[User: Elias Crowe]: Stop whining about things you can't change. You get the real information once you pass the trial. Until then, focus on staying alive.
[User: EmberWitch]: Has anyone seen a post from Crimson Lord or Silentmarch? They are at the top of the charts, but they never speak.
[User: AshVein]: The real players are probably too busy preparing to waste time talking to us. They just watch and wait for us to kill each other.
[User: Mercenary Kim]: Listen up, peasants! Get ready for my big announcement tomorrow. I found a dungeon right on the edge of my territory.
[User: Richie Rich]: A dungeon already? If he clears that, he'll be set for life. I'm so jealous.
[User: Fangbound]: I hope the boss inside tears you apart.
[User: Mercenary Kim]: Cry harder, loser. You can lick my boots after I come out with the loot. I will be selling the extra gear at a premium.
'If there is a single lord in the human channel who remains unpredictable, it is Silentmarch,' Leo reflected, dismissing the chat interface with a flick of his wrist. 'While the others crave the spotlight of a system announcement, he remains a ghost.'
He stepped into the Lord's Hall, feeling the structural changes before he even saw them. The air felt thicker, more stable.
[Lord's Hall successfully upgraded to Level 2].
'No new features this time, huh?' Leo thought as he roamed the hall. The building is now much more robust and reinforced. Other than the throne in the center of the room, a private chamber had been carved out, suitable for a bedroom or a strategic war room.
Leo turned his attention to the new Workshop. After ten minutes of construction, the facility was operational. It functioned by assigning a sentinel race to man the stations; for now, they were limited to crafting basic things like melting metal and ores.
The final hurdle for the next territory tier was the Palisade Fence. His territory had already doubled from its original fifty-meter radius to one hundred, so the next step required a massive resource investment. After the hall and workshop were finished, his stock fell to Wood x190 and Stone x150.
The Level 2 fence demanded Wood x300 and Stone x150.
''Thank god we can trade,'' Leo sighed. He started offloading surplus monster meat and miscellaneous loot from the Ironjaw territory to hungry lords desperate for sustenance. Within minutes, the transaction was complete. The market was flooded with people willing to give up raw materials just for a single meal.
The construction took ten minutes. When the dust settled, the fence was no longer just sharpened wood; it featured heavy stone footings and jagged spikes designed to maim anything that tried to climb.
[Palisade Fence Lv 2]
[Status: Impenetrable to Common-rank entities. Reduces Uncommon-rank damage by 25 percent.]
Leo stood before the glowing core and accessed the final upgrade prompt.
[Encampment (Lv 3) Requirements Met]
Lord's Hall Lv 2: Complete
Basic Housing Lv 2: Complete
Storage Shed Lv 2: Complete
Palisade Fence Lv 2: Complete
Watchtowers: 4/4
Workshop: 1/1
[Initiate evolution to Encampment (Lv 3)?]
As Leo confirmed, a violent pulse of energy surged from the core, rippling through the air. The translucent shield groaned as it began to push outward, claiming more of the wild forest and snapping trees like toothpicks.
As expected, the surge acted like a dinner bell for the local predators. Monsters swarmed the perimeter, clawing and biting at the energy barrier in a frenzy. The sound of their screeching was deafening.
'If we could attack from the inside, we could have a plentiful harvest,' Leo thought, staring at the monsters.
The shield did not just defend against attacks; it also prevented the lord and his units from attacking from within. To develop, lords had to step outside the safety of the barrier. Origin was not designed for the timid; it was a crucible that burned away the cowards.
An hour later, the pressure stabilized.
[Territory Evolution Complete]
Current Rank: Encampment (Lv 3)
Population Cap: 48 / 150
Territory Radius: 250 meters
Guardian Blessing: Cold Blood (Buff)
New Blueprints: Barracks, Tannery, Stone Wall.
New Feature Unlocked: Sentinel Assignment.