Roy stared wide-eyed at the beautiful weapon floating in ethereal form before him. Its description, displayed at the side, read:
[M16 Crystal Crimson Drake (Assault Rifle): Epic Rank!!!
Damage: 54
Firing Rate: 3 per second
Mag Capacity: 45
Bullet Type: Caliber, 5.56mm]
This… isn't this like that old game, what was the name again? Yeah — Call of Duty! Roy thought in wonder. Wanting to confirm, he asked the system:
"System, does the gun have a kill effect?"
[No. Only guns of Legendary Rank and above are powerful enough to evoke a killing effect.]
i knew it! it is indeed like the game... Roy confirmed his conjecture, he smiled at the thought, thinking of something he asked.
"System, how can I summon the items I won? Do I get an inventory or something?"
[Yes. Host owns a spatial inventory.]
[Slots: 5/20]
Roy's grin widened. Things were just getting better and better. But before he could ask another question, the system, sensing his worries, responded:
[Host just needs to check his status details, and you will see that finding bullets isn't a problem.]
Then it dawned on Roy — he had yet to check his status since arrival. One couldn't blame him; he had too much to worry about. Quickly willing it, the system responded as a transparent screen warped into view, showing his full details:
[Name: Roy Vanders Race:
Human Status: Lord (Bearer of the Justice Order)
Territory: Tier 0
Level: 0 —
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Constitution: 1
Intelligence: 5
Ether Unit: 10/10 —
Skills: Bash (SSS), Eyes of Truth (SSS), Endless Ammo (SSS), Electric Amp (SS), Eidetic Memory (A), All Tactical Knowledge (A), Martial Arts (A), Regal Aura (A), Lord's Territory Blessing (SSS)]
Holy shit! Isn't this a little too overpowered? Roy stared at his skills in shock. His stats were low, but those skills…
[Host jests. Compared to you, other Lords might have even more broken skills. At the end of the day, it all depends on the user.]
Roy nodded in understanding. That was true — who was to say others didn't have something more powerful? He just had to make sure he worked harder and faster so he wouldn't end up falling into mediocrity.
Glancing at the open, vacant space of his territory, he decided in his heart: he would definitely make this place great.
[That's the spirit.] [Reminder: Beast Horde incoming — 21:58:37]
"System, how do I use the recruitment vouchers?" Roy asked quickly upon seeing the warning. It reminded him there wasn't time to waste. This wasn't a game — this was his new reality. Any mess-up, and he'd end up dead.
[Host just needs to go to the recruitment store. There, the host will see available Hunters up for recruitment.]
On hearing this, Roy quickly gave the command. A wide screen popped up in his view, displaying a list of Hunter profiles, each with a picture and brief description.
Gazing at the agonizingly long list, Roy frowned. He couldn't sort through all this…
Not to mention the time it would take — and the problem of choice paralysis, something he didn't have the luxury to entertain.
"System, optimize the search. List only Hunters with skills I'm in urgent need of."
[Accessing Host condition…]
[Optimized list generated.]
Finally, a manageable list appeared in his vision. Though still numbered in the thousands, it was better than the millions he'd been given previously.
Just as he began searching, he noticed the rapid disappearance of some profiles. He grimaced. He didn't need to ask the system — he could already guess this was the result of other Lords making their moves.
Still, he kept calm. He couldn't let this fluster him and push him into picking a subordinate that wouldn't be useful or have high potential.
So he calmly sorted through the list. Minutes passed. He also noticed the list didn't only consist of humans — there were all sorts of beasts listed. It reminded him that the voice had said all inhabitants of Earth would be transported, not just humans. It made him wonder: Would there be beast Lords?
After a patient and detailed sort, he finally found a profile that caught his eye:
[Name: Richard Gaunter
Race: Human
Status: Hunter
Allegiance: ???
Level: 0 —
Strength: 4
Agility: 3
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 4
Ether Unit: 8/8 —
Skills: Builder (S), Technician (SS), Creation Boost (A), Handyman (B)]
Others might have assumed Roy would go for a battle-oriented subordinate at this stage — but Roy didn't.
He quickly inquired, "System, using Justice Points to equip structures or buying the materials directly — which is cheaper?"
[Buying materials and blueprints is around 10x cheaper than directly equipping structures with Justice Points.]
[Using a builder is more cost-efficient, while using the system is more time-efficient. The same goes for weapons — finding a technician to build is cheaper than buying directly from the store.]
Roy's lips widened into a big grin. This guy was basically a two-in-one package. He quickly looked at the cost to recruit the Hunter — it was priced at 3 tokens.
Rubbing his hands in excitement, he tapped to purchase quickly, lest anyone beat him to it. Alas, he was too late. A screen popped up — not to verify his purchase, but to announce something else:
[A total of 9 Lords seek to recruit Hunter Richard Gaunter. All parties involved will be transported to Auction Space…]
Roy's vision spun as his surroundings warped. By the time he reappeared, he was in a closed space with eight other shadowy figures standing around a man — the only person whose visage wasn't censored.
Glancing at his hands, all he saw was a shadowy void, making Roy aware that he and the other Lords had their identities concealed.
[All Lords may make your offers. Only the one who manages to convince the Hunter may recruit him.]
Right then, a spotlight turned on, casting its brilliance on Richard, who stood in silence.
Richard was a young man who looked to be in his late thirties. His figure was robust, his hair silky and gray, his eyes radiating an electric blue glow. An intersecting scar ran across his left eye. All in all, he gave off the aura of a military veteran.
Suddenly, one of the Lords made an offer. Even the voice was censored — all that resounded was an inhuman, mechanical tone that seemed to shift from male to female with every word.
"Join ME and I will grant you a permanent position as Head Utility Officer."
Another quickly chimed in, lest others outdo them. "Join me and you'll get a percentage on every loot we acquire, and you'll be granted status in my inner circle."
"Hmph! Join me and you'll have armies, women, riches, and satisfaction till the day you die," one scoffed.
"Vanities. Join me and you'll have a first seat in my council," another enticed.
"Work for me not as a subordinate, but as a partner. We'll share joy, riches, and sadness together," one tried the empathetic approach.
"I won't promise much, but just know that working for me means working for future domination. You'll be granted status and wealth beyond your imagination," another tried intimidation.
"Work with me and you'll be head of my artificer team. I have a system that suits your talents perfectly. No one here can cultivate you like I can," one tried the tactical route.
"Join me and you'll be given the first territory I conquer!" — finally, an offer that shocked the rest. Even Roy was startled.
The system had informed him previously, In a battle between Lords, the winner would undoubtedly be given the chance to usurp the loser's territory. But this guy was planning to give that chance to someone else. This was akin to guaranteeing the Hunter a future status as a Lord.
They all gazed at Richard, but he remained unmoved. In fact, his expression seemed bored.
Staring at the stoic visage of the Hunter, Roy's skill Eidetic Memory kicked in as he recalled something, something he saw by chance.
Smiling, he made his offer: "Join me, and you'll partake in the most blood-pumping and exciting battles you've ever faced. I won't just set you aside as my builder — you'll be my very first soldier, my right arm of death. Join me and become my general."
The ever-stoic Richard beamed into a smile as a notification rang out in Roy's ear:
[Congratulations on recruiting the Hunter: Richard Gaunter!!!]