Chapter 102: Resources.

The remaining scorpions pressed against the barrier with increased aggression, as if their packmate’s death had triggered deeper instincts. Claws scraped futilely against magical protection while stingers probed for weaknesses that didn’t exist.

“They’re testing it,” Sarah observed. “Looking for gaps.”

“My Lord,” Marcus stepped forward hesitantly. “What happens when the barrier falls?”

“We fight. We win. Or we die.” Ethan’s bluntness made everyone flinch, but sugar-coating the truth served no purpose. “I need crafters, warriors. Everyone contributes or everyone dies together.”

After Elena had gained the Tier 2 Magical quiver with enhanced arrows, her firepower increased by quite a bit.

Elena strapped the quiver across her back. The enhancement was immediately apparent—arrows now much more lethal and thicker, their tips razor-sharp.

“How does it feel?” Ethan asked.

She drew an enhanced arrow, testing its weight and balance. “Lighter than normal arrows, but they feel… more powerful somehow. Like they want to find their target.”

The remaining nine scorpions pressed against the barrier with increasing desperation, as if sensing their impending doom. Ethan gestured toward the agitated creatures.

“Let’s test your new equipment.”

She nocked one of the glowing arrows, drew back the enchanted bowstring, and released.

THUNK!

The projectile punched through the lead scorpion’s carapace, the arrow cracked the carapace, unlike the previous one. Where her previous shots had required precise targeting of weak points, the enhanced arrows simply broke through the armour to reach vital organs beneath.

After three arrows, the creature dropped instantly, black ichor spreading across the sand.

“Much better,” she breathed, her eyes bright with confidence.

The remaining eight scorpions seemed to sense the change in threat level. Their aggressive posturing shifted to wary circling.

Within minutes, ten scorpion corpses littered the sand beyond the barrier.

Clean sweep.

But more interesting than the kills themselves was what followed. As each creature died, they dropped components that Ethan had worried about gathering.

So, all kills drop an item, but the 0.1% drop rate is only for magical items.

“Resources,” Ethan observed with satisfaction. “Everything we need for construction.”

After the final scorpion fell, he tallied their gains:

-> 20 units of wood

-> 40 units of stone

-> 20 units of metal

-> 2 large containers of water

And various crafting components.

“Everyone, bring all the dead corpses of those beasts. We will need them.”

They nodded immediately, understanding the necessity despite the grim task ahead. Marcus, as the head archer, organised the retrieval effort while Elena and the other team members worked to drag the scorpion carcasses through the barrier.

Good.

The corpses soon made it inside the protective dome as his subjects pulled them across the protection barrier. Ten scorpions, each the size of a large dog, their chitin still gleaming despite their death.

They can provide some valuable materials. Nothing goes to waste here. I’ve got a whole territory to build, this is not a solo mission.

After gathering the corpses in a neat pile, Ethan gestured toward them. “Take out the beast crystals.”

His archers went to work with efficiency. Marcus’s experience showed as he guided the others in proper extraction techniques, using their hunting knives to carefully pry apart carapace sections without damaging the body.

They know what they’re doing. Good.

Soon, ten beast cores lay arranged before him. Beast crystals from High-Bronze monsters, perfect for enhancing his subjects.

He selected five crystals and pushed them toward his team, keeping the remaining five for future use.

Although Ethan had the required bronze cores for the territory upgrade, he didn’t show them to his subjects. He wanted to gain some more loyalty by showing them that he was treating them well, even though he needed those cores, when in reality, he didn’t.

And he was right. He was their loyalty increased by one point once again.

“Here you go. Use these five to increase your strength. But for now, let’s eat first.”

Their eyes brightened immediately, gratitude evident in every expression. Beast cores represented wealth beyond their normal reach—resources that could advance their capabilities, and the lord was giving them half of the spoils for them to advance.

“Thank you, my Lord,” Marcus said, voice thick with appreciation. “We won’t disappoint you.”

Ethan nodded with a small smile.

They gathered around the small campfire they’d constructed earlier.

He glanced at the darkened sky before speaking to his subjects.

“Tomorrow we begin scouting,” Ethan announced between bites. “We need to see if there are any threats around us. We can’t stay on the defensive.”

The subjects nodded, understanding that nothing came with ease in this hostile realm. Survival demanded proactive intelligence gathering rather than passive fortification.

The night wrapped around the sky as they settled near the campfire. Desert temperatures plummeted once the sun disappeared, making the flames essential for warmth as much as light.

Morning arrived with the sun rising like a blazing eye over endless dunes. Heat returned with punishing intensity, transforming the chilly night into an oven within minutes.

Ethan was the first to wake, his constitution requiring less rest than others.

Checking on the territory, he found that he was once again able to summon another five subjects.

He’d expected the daily reset to occur exactly twenty-four hours after his first usage. Instead, it seemed tied to the day-night cycle itself.

“It resets at midnight, huh?”

Despite the renewed summoning chance, he made no move toward the gate. There was a better approach.

Upgrade the territory first. If I improve the base to tier 2, the summoning gate upgrades too. Which means I will summon stronger subjects.

The logic seemed sound. Even marginal improvements to summoned personnel could prove useful in the upcoming challenge.

“Everyone up,” he called, voice carrying across their small camp. “Day two begins now.”

His subjects stirred with varying degrees of alertness. Marcus rose immediately, whilst Elena and the others followed more slowly.

They need proper quarters.

“Marcus, have someone prepare breakfast. Use the scorpion meat—Bronze-rank creatures are enhanced by mana. It’s good nutrition”

Though Ethan carried preserved food in his storage ring, spoiling his subjects unnecessarily would breed dependence. They needed to understand that comfort came through effort, not expectation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep