After the sale of the ten third-order swords, Rufus Knox had 6 million credits in his hands. The money was more than just capital; it was the first step toward a vision he had been crafting in his mind for weeks. A vision of a legion, a coordinated force that could fight as one under his command, and one that could be scaled, trained, and controlled without relying solely on individual talent.
He started by analyzing his options. Talent alone was unreliable — he had seen classmates with high potential falter under pressure, and those with low talent sometimes survive and excel when properly guided. He needed loyalty, discipline, and teachability, qualities he could measure over observation, not just talent rank.
Rufus spent days walking through the slums near his home, revisiting old neighborhoods, noting who had given up, who had fallen through the cracks of the system, and who still had a spark of ambition despite hardship. He observed behaviors carefully:
Who took initiative even in small tasks.
Who followed instructions without questioning, but still retained independent thought.
Who had patience and persistence, even if slow to act.
He made notes mentally, forming a preliminary list of potential recruits. He didn't approach anyone yet; first, he needed to know what each person wanted, feared, or resented, because that would determine how he could appeal to them. He couldn't simply offer power or weapons — he had to offer purpose.
Meanwhile, he was also considering the equipment for his future team. The shields and short swords he purchased would act as both tools and anchors for the Dominion Spheres. The spheres themselves would remain a secret, a hidden mechanism for power amplification, loyalty reinforcement, and training control. The spheres wouldn't force obedience instantly; instead, they responded to the bond between Rufus and the wielder, and their potential would only unlock through training and guidance.
The following days were a careful process. Rufus approached his potential recruits subtly, helping them with small tasks, testing their reactions, offering advice, and gauging their character. Some were too lazy, some too stubborn, some too reckless — they were removed from consideration quietly. A few stood out: attentive, willing to push past failure, but not overconfident. These were the first candidates for his legion.
Once he had a shortlist of seven or eight, he introduced the concept of training and shared purpose, without revealing the true extent of the Dominion Spheres. He gave them basic weapons and armor — functional, unassuming, second-order at most — and began teaching them formations, coordination, and discipline.
Every exercise was designed to show them: strength is multiplied through teamwork, not personal talent alone. Gradually, Rufus allowed them to experiment with releasing energy through the weapons, without ever explaining the underlying mechanism. They could feel themselves grow stronger when coordinated, but it seemed almost instinctive, a natural response to the exercises.
Inside Rufus' inner world, the remaining energy from the Monster Cores pulsed gently. A fraction had already been used to enhance his first batch of swords, but the rest remained stored, linked to the spheres in training. This energy was like a reservoir, quietly amplifying the recruits' abilities as long as they maintained discipline and focus. Any excess energy he absorbed back into himself, ensuring that he remained the central hub of the Dominion, while the recruits experienced only a fraction, enough to grow and learn.
By the end of the week, Rufus had successfully:
1. Identified the right personalities for loyalty and persistence.
2. Provided basic weapons and armor suitable for training and enhancement.
3. Begun structured training in formations, coordination, and energy manipulation.
4. Connected the recruits subtly to the Dominion Spheres without exposing their full power.
The recruits didn't yet know the full potential of the weapons, the spheres, or Rufus' power. They only knew that following his guidance brought results — more strength, more control, more confidence.
And Rufus, observing from the shadows, smiled faintly. This was only the beginning. One step at a time, the seeds of a disciplined, loyal, and powerful legion were being planted.