It was a few years ago when Roy was handed a case file on a group of National Guards. While reviewing them, one name stood out.
Richard Gaunter — the only person among them who was an ex-convict. He had been recruited regardless of his past. Why? One might ask.
Simple. He was just that good.
A battle addict with astonishing talent for close-combat tactical operations, superb strategic instincts, and high battle IQ. A man who promised to get the job done — no matter the cost.
This was the exact information that flowed into Roy's mind the moment he made his offer. His thinking was simple: Would such a battle addict agree to sit on the sidelines?
The answer was a big fat no. Richard was undoubtedly the type who wouldn't resign to fate. He'd find a way to turn his talent into a deadly weapon — sooner or later.
Roy was merely lending a helping hand.
The moment Richard accepted his offer, space warped, dismissing all parties in the closed space. Roy and his new recruit found themselves back on his barren territory.
Richard glanced around at the open arena. He studied the lone small white outpost in sight before turning to Roy, squinting.
"Before I bow and accept you as my true Lord, I'll ask — how do you plan on upholding your promise?"
Roy smiled mysteriously. "Hahaha! That one's easy… your abilities allow you to create weapons, right?" he chuckled, replying with a question of his own.
Richard nodded. "Indeed. Technician does allow me to create weapons."
All smiles, Roy spoke. "Then what's stopping you from using the weapons? I'll provide you with blueprints that go beyond your imagination. Your job is to refine and use them against my enemies."
Richard was stunned by this reasoning. He thought, This guy is crazy… but I like crazy. After all, who in their right mind would give a blade to a blacksmith to wield?
Suddenly, Richard dropped to one knee, head bowed, and chanted:
"I accept Lord Roy Vanders as my one and only ruler — the hegemon in whose name I will win battles and decimate my enemies."
The moment Richard made his vows, a mysterious link formed between him and Roy — the unique bond of a Lord and his subordinate.
Roy smiled as a notification popped up in his view:
[Richard Gaunter has recited his vows, taking you as his Lord. Assign him a rank — this will come with a sub-system for the subordinate.]
Roy quickly gave him the rank: Police Captain.
[Host has granted subordinate Richard Gaunter the rank of Captain of Police.]
Richard's eyes flickered as his sub-system came to life. He stood, his expression strange.
"You actually have a police system?"
Roy shrugged. "Weird, right? That's how I felt initially. But don't worry — once you see the perks, you won't be feeling that way for long."
After saying his piece, he got down to serious business. "The system must've notified you already — we have less than a day to prepare for an incoming beast horde."
Richard nodded. That was one of the first pieces of info the system gave him: he was to help his Lord face a beast horde.
"So here's what we'll do. I'll purchase materials and blueprints for a sturdy fence and a mountable weapon. You make sure to build them before the countdown ends. Can you do that?"
Richard nodded. "My skills — Creation Boost and Handyman — give me a massive boost in building speed."
On confirming this, Roy was finally at peace. Hopefully, they'd finish preparations before the beast horde arrived.
Glancing at the void, he summoned the system. Open shop.
An ethereal screen appeared. On it were three category options — the rest seemed locked, probably due to his low level.
[Buildings and Structures / Blueprints for Structures]
[Weapons / Weapon Blueprints]
[Raw Materials]
[Locked!!!]
He clicked on Buildings and Structures and asked the system to filter out everything except defense-related options.
It did just that. As Roy scrolled through, he noticed everything on the list was capped at Level 5 — likely due to his low level.
After sorting through, he found one that had what he needed — a fence of a kind that even came with an inbuilt turret, though it was only one it was something.
But the price was brutal.
[Offensive Steel Rampart: 7500 JP]
Thank goodness the blueprint was surprisingly a hundred times cheaper. Once again, he thanked his stars for recruiting Richard. Without a builder, he could only afford a wooden stockade with no offensive capabilities.
[Offensive Steel Rampart (Blueprint): 75 JP]
He quickly purchased it. A scroll of fiber appeared mid-air.
[Balance: 925 JP]
Roy took it and passed it to Richard, who quickly told him all the materials he'd need for construction.
After sorting through everything, the total cost came to around 780 JP.
[Balance: 145 JP]
Though hesitant, Roy still made the purchase. Now wasn't the time to be a cheapskate — his life was on the line. And compared to the initial 7500 JP cost, this was extremely cheap.
Upon receiving the massive trove of materials, Richard quickly got to work. He assured Roy the building wouldn't take long — at most, he estimated 13 hours.
That wasn't bad. Roy glanced at the ticking warning blinking red in his vision:
[20:14:57]
Even after building, they'd still have time to spare.
And normally, after building the steel rampart, one would have to buy bullets to use — but thankfully, Roy had a cheat ability: Endless Ammo (SSS). So they wouldn't need to spend anything further.
Finally at peace, he returned to the recruitment screen. He still had two more recruitment tokens — and he was determined to spend them wisely.