Richard stood in the dissolving remains of the gold cocoon, gazing at his palms as he clenched and unclenched. He could feel the raw indomitable force running through them.
He had never felt something like this before. It was as though he could level a mountain in one punch!
Roy's smiling figure slowly came into view as he nodded in approval. The new outfit that had been fitted onto Richard was stunning, to say the least. From the tactical vest to the utility belt, everything felt naturally fitting save for the empty holster… well, that would be settled sooner or later. After all, the person in question was a technician.
[Name: Richard Gunther
Race: Human
Allegiance: Lord Roy Vanders
Level: 15
…
Strength: 39
Agility: 40
Constitution: 38
Intelligence: 20
Ether Unit: 40/40
…
Comprehension:
Metal: 1.3%
…
Skills: Builder (S), Technician (SS), Creation Boost (A), Handy Man (B), Machine Demon Scripture (SS), Follow Impact Boost (SS)]
What a massive level boost! Roy exclaimed enviously. If only he could level up so easily… Richard's boost was valid though. After all, he sacrificed drops from tens of thousands of trolls for his evolution. If anything, the level seemed a little lacking.
Maybe that's how the other Lord managed to gain such a high-level subordinate. Roy nodded to himself, feeling this conclusion was the most likely.
Woof!
Alpha had already pounced on Richard, dousing his face with saliva from excessive licking. He had to wrestle the little guy away before he was free.
Roy smiled at this display, a feeling of warmth blooming in his heart. These were his guys, his very first recruits. He couldn't help himself — from this day forth, they would be like family to him.
"Boss, what did I miss…" Richard greeted after finally escaping Alpha's grasp.
Roy then proceeded to take his time walking him around the newly upgraded building, introducing the prisoners, Ashley, the civilian hunters, and also the bunch still going at it in the illusionary scape.
"Richard… I'll be leaving for somewhere soon. I have no choice but to leave the burden of management and advancement in your hands," Roy said suddenly.
Richard's brows furrowed. "What's so important that you have to deal with it, Boss? You can just send me and Alpha in your stead."
Roy chuckled as he appreciated the concern, but he still shook his head. "No, this has to be done by me… I'm going to see a neighboring Lord."
Richard gasped, his eyes widening. "Seriously? How long have I been asleep?"
Roy smiled as he then proceeded to explain the circumstances to Richard.
"I see… so to find out what this mystery resource is, you have to go. And for another Lord to be interested, it has to be valuable in the first place."
Richard finally got a full view of the situation. "I'm just worried. You said that guy was a level 19. What if the whole territory is filled with freaks like him? Will you be safe?"
"Hehe, no need to worry about me. If it comes down to fleeing, I have the perfect item for just that," Roy assured.
"Since you're assured, there's no need to worry on my side then… Just leave enough blueprints and materials. I'll be sure to rally the civilians to duty according to their unique specialties. As for the cops…"
Roy cut him off mid-statement. "No worries. If it comes to training them, we have the illusionary scape. I will give you access to the function. In there, they can face all the monsters and foes I have faced. And better — they can't die… though they would still have to bear the painful simulation of dying."
Richard nodded, his eyes glistening with anticipation. "That's better than dying, right?" It seemed he was a little too excited to be training that bunch.
"Anyway, just be ready. They'll soon be done with the battle royale. Remember, those who still decide to stay even after failure can be given a chance to join the civilian section."
Richard nodded as he wandered off toward the coffee vending machine.
Meanwhile, Roy himself got prepared. Entering the shop, he started buying any facilities he felt they needed. He bought the blueprints, including residential houses, roads, and more.
He didn't forget to make sure to buy item and weapon blueprints also. All these didn't cost that much, coming to around 19,800 JP.
But the same couldn't be said for the materials. They practically burned holes through his wallet, costing a whopping sum of 43,000 JP, leaving him drained of cash.
It hurt. His heart ached at each purchase, but he could only sigh in helplessness. This was still better than having the system build them on its own.
Richard gazed at the mountain of resources at the back of the outpost and couldn't help but exclaim in glee, "With all this, we could build a small city!"
Roy nodded, but his brows were lightly furrowed. "That's the plan, but we might not have enough human resources to carry it out… You know what? I'll give your subsystem access to the recruitment page along with my recruitment tokens. Be sure to recruit those we need."
Richard nodded, his eyes flashing a complicated light as he gazed at Roy's back. To think his Lord would trust him to this extent — not only leaving his territory in his care but also granting him permission to functions meant for only Lords. This… for this, he was grateful.
His gaze steeled. He would never let his Lord down. He would make sure this trust wasn't misplaced. Roy had told him of the impending calamity. He would make sure his Lord had a ready army and an impenetrable fortress before then. A week? That was plenty of time!
Roy nodded to himself. He had gotten everything in order. All he wanted to do now was take a nap, then first thing in the morning he'd be on his way to the neighboring territory.
With that, he went back into the outpost, slumped onto his super comfy recliner, and it wasn't long before sleep claimed his mind…
Morning came. He opened his eyes to an empty outpost. Even the cell was as silent as could be. Roy smiled — it seemed Richard was taking the assignment of training seriously.
"Good morning, Master."
"Morning, Lord."
He stepped out to meet a dilapidated bunch of workers moving about, refining materials for use, some clearing foliage. The territory construction had also begun.
He nodded in reply to their greeting. He smiled. With this, he was assured that if he got back, there would definitely be improvements. Now there was no time to waste. He had a one-week timer on his head, so he had to get going.
Space warped as a vehicle appeared midair, stunning those around. No one believed they would see modern tech anytime soon, and here it was — an otherworldly-looking Buggy!
A beautiful vehicle that stood as though it was cast from premium ether-filled metals, painted a dirty brown, its tires as jagged and rugged as could be.
Roy pulled out a key as he hopped in. Inserting the key, he started the ignition, and simultaneously he felt the drain of ether from his being. The motor purred, its exhaust shooting out clear tufts of ether-filled smoke.
Screeeeee!
The Buggy burst into motion, moving at a speed that seemed impossible for its build. Roy grinned, the map in full display in his vision like Google Maps. With this speed, he would be getting there in no time!