Chapter 106: Levelling up the territory

Each impact shattered more armour plating, revealing the soft tissue beneath. Black ichor splattered across the chamber walls as the creature’s defences crumbled under systematic destruction.

The Guardian made one final desperate attempt, rearing up to drive its massive stinger downward. Poison dripped from the weapon like acid, promising death to anything it touched.

But Ethan interrupted its attack.

A concentrated burst of cutting wind removed the stinger at its base. The severed appendage flew across the chamber, trailing toxic fluid.

Game over.

Ethan’s final punch drove through the Guardian’s chest cavity, crushing its heart in a single motion.

The massive creature toppled backward, its death throes shaking dust from the chamber ceiling.

Ethan activated his Water talent, cleansing streams flowing over his bloodstained hands. The crimson ichor swirled away into nothing, leaving his skin pristine.

After killing the massive guardian, Ethan checked his resources with a quick glance. The numbers had increased dramatically from his slaughter.

-> 210/100 units of wood

-> 200/100 units of stone-> 220/100 units of sand

-> 7 large containers of water

Those thirty scorpions gave me a decent number of resources.

The resource gains followed a clear pattern—Silver-ranked creatures dropped twice the materials of Bronze-ranked ones, but sub-tier differences like Low versus High yielded identical amounts.

Store this monster for later.

He activated his spatial ring, the large Guardian disappearing into dimensional storage. The C- Grade talent it possessed would prove valuable later.

Time to collect the rest.

He left the burrows and called for the archers waiting above ground.

“Come on, everyone! We need to take all these bodies back to the territory!”

The archers, seeing him emerge without visible injury, rejoiced immediately. Their relief was equal to a farmer seeing rain in a drought; they’d witnessed him descend into unknown depths and return victorious.

“Yes, my Lord!” Marcus responded, already organising his team for corpse retrieval.

Ethan surveyed the battlefield littered with scorpion carcasses. There were too many for his subjects to transport efficiently.

I’ll help out a little.

He grabbed two nearby corpses by their tails, then selected three more of the larger specimens. His strength made their considerable weight feel negligible.

“I’ll take the first load. Follow as quickly as you can.”

Ethan activated his enhanced speed and dashed.

The desert landscape blurred around him, five scorpion bodies trailing like macabre banners. Sand exploded in his wake as the corpses bounced and dragged across dunes, leaving deep furrows in the golden surface.

The journey compressed into mere seconds at his enhanced pace. The protective barrier welcomed him back, its blue glow unmarred by the violence he’d just unleashed.

Inside the territory, solitude greeted him. His archers remained on their way, their Bronze-rank speed no match for his.

Perfect timing for upgrades.

With resources now secured beyond immediate needs, he approached the Town Hall.

[Town Hall]

[Territory Tier: 1]

[Town Hall Effects: Currently, the Lord’s residence. Has no buffs.]

[Territory’s Buildings: Town Hall (Tier 1), Summoning Gate (Tier 1)]

[Upgrade Available!]

[Construction Upgrade: 100 units of wood, 100 units of stone, 50 Bronze-Tier Monster Cores]

[Upgrade?] [Yes| No]

Finally.

Ethan pressed “Yes” without hesitation.

The Town Hall exploded with radiant energy, wooden planks dissolving and reforming into more sophisticated architecture. Stone foundations emerged from nothing, supporting reinforced walls. Windows appeared where none had existed, their glass perfectly clear despite the desert environment.

[Congratulations! Your territory has advanced to Tier 2!]

The transformation didn’t stop with the building. The protective barrier expanded outward like a growing bubble, its radius increasing until it encompassed five hundred meters in every direction.

[Territory expansion complete. Area increased to 500 meters radius.]

[All hostile creatures within new boundaries have been expelled.]

[Passive monster suppression now active within territory limits.]

Good. No more surprise attacks from spawning creatures.

[Tier 2 Territory Bonus Received: Residential Blueprint]

Blue light coalesced in his palm, solidifying into rolled parchment tied with a cord.

[Residential Blueprint]

[Tier: 1]

[Function: Advanced housing construction guide for skilled professionals]

[Maximum Capacity: 0/1]

[Required Materials To Build: 10 units of Wood, 10 units of Stone, 10 units of sand]

[Construction Upgrade: 50 units of Wood, 50 units of Stone, 50 units of sand]

[Special Requirement: Architect-class Professional needed for construction]

Useful, but currently impossible to implement.

Without an architect among his subjects, the blueprint remained theoretical. Another item for the growing list of territorial needs—specialists, not just soldiers.

Speaking of which…

Ethan examined the next upgrade tier, curious about future requirements.

[Tier 3 Territory Upgrade Requirements:]

[Construction Upgrade: 200 units of Wood, 200 units of Stone, 200 units of sand, 75 Bronze-rank Monster cores, 25 Silver-rank Monster Cores]

The resource requirements had doubled, while the core demands introduced Silver-rank cores, manageable with his current capabilities.

Time to check the summoning capabilities.

Ethan approached the Gate of Summoning, noting its unchanged appearance despite the territory upgrade.

[Building Name: Gate of Summoning]

[Building Tier: 1]

[Building Effect: Every day, five natives of the First Sanctuary can be summoned to become subjects of the Lord. There is a chance to summon professionals.]

[Construction Upgrade: 100 units of wood, 100 units of sand, 100 units of stone, 50 Bronze-Rank Monster Cores!]

[Upgrade?] [Yes| No]

Still have enough resources left.

His current reserves: 110 wood, 100 stone, 120 sand. More than sufficient for the Gate’s upgrade requirements.

Ethan pressed “Yes” again.

The simple stone archway dissolved in brilliant white light, reforming into a larger portal. Energy swirled within its frame with greater intensity.

[Building Name: Gate of Summoning]

[Building Tier: 2]

[Building Effect: Every day, eight natives of the First Sanctuary can be summoned to become subjects of the Lord. One professional-class summon is guaranteed per daily activation.]

Significant improvements.

The upgrade had increased daily summoning capacity from five to eight subjects—a sixty percent improvement. More importantly, professional-class summons had shifted from chance-based to guaranteed.

Eight subjects per day, with guaranteed professionals. Hopefully, I can get an architect.

Within a week, he could have fifty-six subjects, including seven guaranteed professionals. The mathematics was encouraging for rapid territorial development.

[Do you want to summon (8)?] [Yes| No]

Might as well use today’s allocation.

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