The next morning arrived wrapped in the low hum of machinery and the rhythmic crash of waves against steel. Kane sat in the central command room of the island's fortress, the holo-screens flickering to life one by one. The deep-blue light of the interface reflected in his eyes as he brought up his system balance.
[Current Coin Balance: 123,689]
A quiet exhale left his lips."All that from dungeon clear rewards, the city raid salvage, and sold materials…" he murmured. "Not bad."
Reina was curled up beside him, holding a small plush doll while half-watching the floating projections. Lena and Maya stood nearby, leaning over the console as the upgrade schematic expanded across the room. Two massive blueprints hovered in the air — the twin Warships of Sanctum's defense fleet, Vanguard and Stormbreaker, resting in their drydocks offshore.
Kane typed in the command prompt:
[Query: Available Upgrades – Fleet Assets]→ Result Found:
Reinforced Hull Plating – +45% overall durability – Cost: 21,000 Coins
Enhanced Turret Power Modulator – +30% weapon output – Cost: 18,000 Coins
Extended Missile Range Array – +40% missile distance, +15% accuracy – Cost: 25,000 Coins
He looked them over carefully. "All three for both ships will be… eighty-eight thousand," he muttered. "Worth it."
Without hesitation, he confirmed.
[Upgrade Authorization: Approved.][Vanguard] and [Stormbreaker] entering modification cycle – 12 Hours Remaining.][Hull density increased by 45%.][Turret firepower increased by 30%.][Missile range extended by 40%.]
Outside the window, mechanical cranes and drone arms began their work, stripping old plates and welding reinforced alloys infused with mana-reactive composites. The dock roared with activity — molten sparks lighting the air like stars.
Then Kane swiped the hologram again, bringing up the third vessel's display.The Submarine "Erebus", the unseen predator of the deep.
[Query: Available Upgrades – Submersible Assets]→ Result Found:
Adaptive Hull Camouflage – +65% stealth efficiency – Cost: 14,000 Coins
Advanced Torpedo Relay System – Doubles launch capacity and increases reload speed by 30% – Cost: 12,000 Coins
Kane nodded once and hit confirm.
[Erebus undergoing upgrade sequence.][Stealth protocols enhanced.][Torpedo systems optimized.]
The oceanic monitors dimmed slightly as the Erebus began to descend, its hull shimmer fading into transparency until even the sonar signatures vanished.
"Perfect," Kane said, arms crossed. "We'll have full naval control by dawn tomorrow."
Maya tapped into the new research logs as the feed adjusted. "And the researcher class tech… we just finished the new neural mesh protocol."
Kane raised a brow. "Meaning?"
She grinned slightly. "Meaning the turrets' reaction time just went up by 3% across the entire island. The defense system can now process multi-angle threats faster — basically, the island thinks like you now."
He blinked. "Parallel processing…"
"Exactly. A kind of Parallel Thinking augmentation. We're getting closer to adaptive AI behavior in turret management," Lena explained, leaning forward, her tone proud but calm. "Soon, they'll target enemies before our sensors even need to lock on."
Kane smiled faintly. "That's the kind of evolution I want to see."
Hours later, while the upgrades processed, Lena and Maya approached him.Kane was on the eastern balcony, watching the sunset.
"Hey, Kane," Lena said softly, holding a data drive. "We've been keeping some coins from our dungeon and city missions. Around twenty thousand total, after buying what we needed."
Kane turned slightly. "You two earned that. Keep it."
Maya shook her head. "No. You'll use it better than we ever could. Equipment, defense, maybe another drone facility. You always make it count."
Their eyes met — steady and silent, a quiet trust passing between them. Kane sighed softly, accepting the transfer.
[Coins Received: +20,000][Total Coins: 55,689 Remaining]
He looked at both of them with a rare warmth. "Alright. I'll make it worth it."
Reina, sitting cross-legged on the floor nearby, suddenly clapped her hands."I got something too!"
Kane turned, amused. "You bought something again?"
Reina nodded enthusiastically, holding up three glowing scrolls. Each shimmered with pale gold runes, forming tiny motes of light in her small hands.
[Item: Summoning Scroll (Rare Tier)] × 3
"I bought three!" she said proudly. "One for me, one for Maya, and one for Lena!"
Both women blinked, startled. "Reina, that's too—"
But Kane raised a hand, stopping them. His gaze softened. "No… let her. If they're tied to her mana, they'll react differently than normal scrolls."
He crouched down in front of her. "But the third one — you use that one yourself, okay? Promise?"
Reina grinned. "Promise!"
The three women held their scrolls — golden light swirling in a quiet pulse. Kane stepped back, observing.
[Summoning Scroll Activated.][Restriction: Humanoid Exclusion Active.][Summon Manifestation – Based on User Personality and Profession Alignment.]
The light expanded — three columns of radiant energy forming circles on the ground. The air rippled, mana condensing like mist.
Lena's scroll burst first. The glow dimmed, revealing a sleek, wolf-like creature with gleaming silver fur and piercing azure eyes. It let out a low growl before sitting loyally beside her — intelligent and regal.
[Summoned Companion: Frostfang – Ice Lupus Pup | Tier: Rare]
Next came Maya's. Her circle glowed a deep crimson, and from it emerged a small, fox-like creature wreathed in faint flames. Its eyes burned with mischief and intelligence, tail flicking sparks into the air.
[Summoned Companion: Emberveil – Flame Vulpi Pup | Tier: Rare]
Finally, Reina activated hers. The magic circle shimmered bright gold, and with a soft bark, a snow-white pup with golden-tipped ears appeared, bounding happily toward her. It jumped into her arms, licking her cheek while wagging its fluffy tail.
[Summoned Companion: Radiant Fang – Holy Canis Pup | Tier: Rare+]
Maya smiled, gently petting her new companion. "They're… adorable."
Lena knelt down, scratching Frostfang's ears as it pressed against her leg. "Looks like we just got another layer of protection."
Reina was giggling, holding her pup tight as it snuggled against her. "See? We're stronger now!"
Kane stood watching the scene, a faint smirk crossing his lips as the golden light faded from the room. His gaze drifted to the distant night horizon, where the island's defense systems glimmered faintly.
"Yeah…" he murmured quietly. "Much stronger."
The warships upgraded.The submarine vanished beneath the waves.The island grew sharper, faster, more alive.
And as the stars reflected in his cold eyes, Kane whispered to himself, almost inaudible—
"Step by step… we'll forge something the world can't destroy."
The following dawn arrived like a steel tide—crimson sky, heavy clouds, and the scent of salt and gunmetal in the air.
Kane stood on the upper command balcony, overlooking the deep bay where Vanguard and Stormbreaker loomed like twin leviathans of steel and fury. The island's systems hummed with synchronized energy; every turret, every railgun node, every engine core pulsed with newly enhanced power.
The warships were finally ready.
Below, the crew gathered, some veterans from the defense corps, others freshly appointed engineers who had never witnessed true combat beyond the island's borders. Their expressions were a mix of excitement and quiet dread—because their first test target wasn't a simulation. It was a city.
A ruined metropolis east of the island, still marked on old maps as Valemere Port. Now, it was nothing but a massive infected hive—tens of thousands of undead shambling across broken highways and skeletal towers. The city had fallen months ago, but its reactivation was visible from drone feeds—streets pulsing with crimson haze, signaling an outbreak cluster.
Perfect for live testing.
Kane's voice carried through the bridge speakers, low and commanding."Crew of the Vanguard, Stormbreaker, and Erebus—prepare for synchronized live-fire trial. This isn't a simulation. You're about to see what our fleet truly means."
He tapped the holographic panel.A projection of the eastern city appeared, glowing red at multiple points.
[Target Zone: Valemere Port – Infected Density: 92%][Mutation Threat Index: Moderate-High][Authorization Code: Warlord–Zero-One]
Lena, standing beside him, looked at the data feed. "That's a dense cluster. You're sure we're not drawing attention from anything… bigger?"
"Doesn't matter," Kane replied calmly, eyes on the horizon. "If anything moves, the fleet will erase it."
The deep ocean rumbled as the Erebus submerged beneath the surface, vanishing entirely. The sonar blips adjusted, showing the sub's cloaked signal moving into the black. Its task: scan for mutated marine life and test torpedo spread patterns beneath the infected waters.
Maya, monitoring the control interface, relayed updates:"Submarine stealth stable. Cloak at ninety-eight percent efficiency. Ocean mutation trace is… increasing. I'm reading mana distortion zones. Something changed the sea currents themselves."
Kane frowned. "Keep it monitored. That distortion might mean the infection is adapting underwater."
Then his attention turned to the twin warships."Vanguard, Stormbreaker — commence first volley sequence."
[Target Priority 1: Coastal Clusters][Turrets: Auto-Target – Infecteds within 500 meters of shoreline.][Missile Control: Standby – Await drone confirmation.]
Moments later, the sky lit up with the thunder of machinery.The Vanguard's triple-barrel cannons rotated with a heavy mechanical hum, locking on to coordinates fed by the scout drones above. Each drone hovered miles above the city, scanning for concentrated masses of undead.
A live feed displayed the swarm — thousands of infected packed in what used to be a stadium, feeding on each other's remnants.
"Cluster found," the drone AI reported. "Target density—four thousand entities. Confirm strike?"
Kane's hand hovered above the command seal. His crew watched, nervous and pale.
"Confirm," he said flatly.
The order transmitted instantly.Both Vanguard and Stormbreaker roared as their missile bays opened.
The sea flashed white.The first salvo of Javelin-Class Mana Missiles screamed through the sky, splitting into smaller warheads mid-flight before descending into the city like raining comets.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.Then—
BOOOOOOMMM!
A blinding light erupted across the eastern horizon, followed by shockwaves that tore through the sea air. The entire port district vanished in flame. Buildings collapsed like sandcastles; infected bodies vaporized under the impact pressure.
The command deck trembled slightly from the distance.The crew stood frozen. Some gasped softly, others whispered prayers.
Maya whispered, "Power output exceeded the calculation. That's… terrifying."
Kane only nodded. "And that was just one volley. Resume."
More turrets activated, tracking and eliminating clusters near the docks and high-rises. The accuracy had improved dramatically; each rail shot cut through a dozen undead at once, the kinetic shockwaves flattening entire intersections.
[Warship Output Efficiency: 112% Nominal][Turret Targeting Precision: +15% over baseline.]
"Stormbreaker's reactor output stable," Lena reported. "Cooling systems holding at optimal temperature."
Kane turned his gaze to the ocean monitor."Erebus, status."
[Depth: 412 meters][Torpedo Test: Phase 1 – Active.][Mutation Detection: Aquatic lifeforms—corrupted signature confirmed.]
A flicker of sonar appeared — massive shapes moving beneath the waves.Then the sub's torpedoes launched—sleek and silent, cutting through the dark. Seconds later, seismic ripples reached the surface.
"Targets destroyed," came the Erebus AI's report. "Mutation readings confirmed: 63% aquatic fauna corruption within a fifty-kilometer radius."
Maya looked uneasy. "That's… more than I expected."
Kane's voice remained calm, though his eyes darkened. "It means the apocalypse didn't stop on land. The world's entire ecosystem is rotting."
By the time the final volley ceased, Valemere Port was gone—only smoking ruins and boiling seawater remained where the undead hive once stood.
The fleet's test had been an overwhelming success.The power was beyond anything they'd used before—refined, devastating, absolute.
As silence returned, Kane stood alone at the command console, gazing at the last plume of smoke rising from the eastern sea. "We've confirmed our strike capability," he murmured. "And our next step is defense readiness."
But then—
[System Notification][Warning: Global Phenomenon – Blood Moon Final Countdown Active][Remaining Time: 12:00:00]
The air in the command center shifted. Every screen flashed crimson, bathed in the light of the coming Blood Moon event.
Reina shivered beside her brother, clutching her pup as the system continued:
[Special Store Offer Unlocked – Blood Moon Precursor Deal][Available Items: 1]
Only one.
Kane frowned and opened the store. A single slot shimmered in the middle of the interface, marked with a dark red seal—something he had never seen before.
[Item Name: ??? (Classified Tier)][Description: A relic not meant for mortal hands. Price fluctuates based on user's Fate and Influence.][Cost: Unknown]
Maya blinked. "What kind of item… doesn't even show its cost?"
Kane's gaze hardened. "Something that either saves the world… or ends it faster."
The Blood Moon loomed high above the horizon now—its scarlet glow bleeding across the waves, turning the sea into a mirror of crimson glass.
The countdown had begun.And the next twelve hours would decide what kind of future this world would face.