Rise to Tier Two!

Deep in the Endless Forest.

A human village stood atop a mountain peak.

A graceful woman lay on the bed in a wooden hut, completely unconcerned with her image as she gnawed on the Excellent Food she had just received.

The food in her hands was so delicious that her big, doll-like eyes curved into crescents.

"So delicious!"

After finishing a piece of Excellent Food, the girl rubbed her slightly bulging belly with lingering satisfaction.

Whoosh!

A flash of Golden Light swept past.

The girl's level rose by one.

"What a blissful life. I can level up just by eating. I'm so jealous of the owner of Universe Shop!"

Thinking of how the meat in her stomach had cost her 200 units of wood, however...

The girl's dreamy expression turned somewhat sour.

She got up and walked out of the wooden hut. It was incredibly lively outside.

Some were chopping trees, while others were hammering rocks.

It was a scene of bustling activity.

Seeing all 110 of her subjects working diligently without anyone slacking off,

the girl nodded in satisfaction and waved her fist at them.

"Keep it up, everyone!"

"Whether Xuan Ji gets to keep eating meat tomorrow depends on all of you!"

"Don't worry, Lord!"

Hearing Xuan Ji's words, all 110 subjects answered in unison.

Then they threw themselves back into their work.

Xuan Ji clapped her hands in satisfaction and walked behind the wooden hut.

There, a mountain of wood and a mountain of stone had been piled up.

So many materials...

Xuan Ji scratched her head in distress.

Her subjects had worked all day, yet they still had not eaten!

Maybe I should open a shop too.

I can sell these and trade them for meat for everyone!

Inside a canyon.

Twenty black-clad, masked warriors holding wooden spears drove five antelopes as large as warhorses to the foot of a rocky cliff.

Then, the warriors formed an orderly battle formation.

Using the wooden spears in their hands, they continuously attacked the antelopes.

Baa!

Suddenly, the last surviving antelope leaped into the warriors' ranks.

Its hard hooves were like hammerheads.

The instant it landed, it kicked one warrior so hard that his brains burst out.

Then its long horns turned into sharp spears.

They pierced through another warrior and flung him into the air.

"Kill!"

The masked warriors roared and surged forward together, stabbing it to death.

But the other two warriors were beyond saving.

Lin Qi, who had been watching the battle from the village, had initially been heartbroken over losing two warriors.

But after advancing to LV2 and obtaining Soul Crystals, he regained his previous ambitious spirit.

"Food and Soul Crystals will come!"

"With the exceptional Yan Xing Army, I, Lin Qi, will never fall behind anyone!"

The Chaotic Continent was boundless, and human lords found themselves in vastly different circumstances.

Some were still complaining and struggling to adapt.

Others had gradually gained the ability to survive on their own.

Huang Yu was not concerned about the other human lords, because his Fire Seed was about to level up.

He took stock of his assets.

He had 220 Soul Crystals, 2,300 units of wood, and 1,050 units of stone in total.

Upgrading the Fire Seed to Tier Two required 100 Soul Crystals, 1,000 units of wood, and 500 units of stone.

He fully met the requirements.

The surplus resources were even enough to upgrade the Spartan Training Camp to Tier Two afterward.

Upgrade the Fire Seed to Tier Two?

Yes / No

"Yes!"

It was getting late, and the Spartan Warriors had yet to fully recover.

The subjects needed rest as well.

Since there was nothing else to do during this time, it was perfect for upgrading the Fire Seed and the Spartan Training Camp.

In an instant,

220 Soul Crystals became 120.

The Fire Seed's flames surged, releasing a wave of energy that enveloped the entire territory.

Huang Yu walked out of the wooden hut.

Everything in sight was bathed in soft Golden Light.

The wood and stone slowly disappeared.

The wooden hut behind Huang Yu transformed into a small two-story castle made primarily of stone.

Meanwhile, the thatched huts where the subjects lived became neatly arranged wooden houses.

Huang Yu counted them. There were exactly twenty.

There was also a warehouse that occupied a considerable area.

The upgrade process lasted about an hour.

Then the Golden Light faded, and the entire territory had taken on a new look.

Ding! The Fire Seed has been upgraded to Tier Two! (10 subjects added daily)

Note: Upgrading the Fire Seed to Tier Three requires 1,000 Soul Crystals, 10,000 units of wood, 5,000 units of stone, and 1,000 units of Fine Iron.

Territory: Huanyu Town (500 x 500 m)

Lord: Huang Yu (LV4)

Ordinary Building: Warehouse (Tier One: Can store 11,000 units of wood, 5,500 units of stone, and 1,100 units of Fine Iron)

Special Building: Spartan Training Camp (Tier One)

Note: Players may purchase relevant building blueprints to construct their own territories.

The subjects' residential area actually occupied less than one-tenth of the territory.

The larger portion was reserved for the lord to develop himself.

For example, he could lead the subjects in reclaiming farmland and planting crops.

Or he could purchase resources such as ranches and mines from the Chaos Mall.

Huang Yu had seen many building blueprints and various mineral resources in the Chaos Mall.

He simply could not afford them yet.

Night had fallen.

Chilling roars occasionally echoed from the distant forest.

The town stood on relatively high ground.

Once, while standing on the second floor of the castle, Huang Yu had vaguely spotted a hulking humanoid creature.

Its single scarlet eye had stared toward the territory for a long while before it slowly retreated.

Once night fell, the monsters in the forest seemed even more active than they were during the day.

"Let's upgrade the Spartan Training Camp to Tier Two while we're at it."

"Ten subjects will be born in the town tomorrow."

"Once the Spartan Training Camp reaches Tier Two, the number of people it can train each day should increase too."

Leaning against a window on the castle's second floor, Huang Yu looked at the Extraordinary Grade building, the Spartan Training Camp.

The training camp's information panel appeared before him.

Upgrade the Spartan Training Camp to Tier Two?

Yes / No

"Yes!"

A beam of light shot from the Fire Seed toward the Spartan Training Camp.

Then,

the Spartan Training Camp was enveloped by a golden barrier.

It remained that way for half an hour.

Then the barrier vanished.

The Spartan Training Camp had more than doubled in size.

It had originally been supported mainly by wood.

Now, most of it had become stone pillars.

It finally had the feel of the 300 Spartans.

Huang Yu looked toward the Spartan Training Camp.

Spartan Training Camp (Extraordinary Grade Building)

Level: Tier Two

Note: Upgrading to Tier Three requires a Tier Three Fire Seed, 600 Soul Crystals, 3,000 units of wood, 6,000 units of stone, and 600 units of Fine Iron.

Function: Can train 10 humans into Extraordinary Troops—Spartan Warriors—with a 100% success rate each day.

That's it?

Huang Yu stared at the Spartan Training Camp in surprise.

Other than the increased training slots, the Spartan Training Camp's other functions had basically not changed.

That left him somewhat disappointed.

He could only console himself that perhaps, after a few more upgrades, the Spartan Training Camp's abilities would improve.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

Behind the hazy clouds, the stars surrounded three moons.

One red, one purple, and one white.

The largest moon was purple.

The world was also dyed in a strange violet light.

It looked exceedingly eerie.

"Rest..."

Huang Yu set aside the worries in his heart.

"The seven-day protection period is the perfect time to get some good sleep."

"After seven days... perhaps things won't be so easy anymore!"