Day 9 of the Ascension Royale
Luis stood atop the village's rickety watchtower, the wind tugging at his coat as he watched Rico's team gear up for another hunt. Below him, villagers bustled with their morning routines—oblivious to how fragile their safety truly was.
The defenses were laughable.
Wooden palisades. Two towers. A couple of rusted rifles. One serious raid—from a Silver-class monster or a hostile guild—and everything would collapse.
"We need better defenses," Luis muttered.
Zyx materialized beside him, swinging his legs in midair. "Oh, now he thinks about defense. Not like there's an apocalypse happening or anything."
Luis ignored him, swiping open his blueprint screen. Numbers and costs shimmered in front of his eyes.
Required Soul Essence: 15,000
Current: 4,720.
Not enough.
The Hunt for Souls
"Luis!" Rico called from below. "We're heading northeast—scouts found a Rustfang den. You in?"
Luis shook his head. "Not this time. The village needs walls more than I need another kill."
Rico raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Suit yourself. Try not to die while we're gone."
As the team departed, Luis turned to Icon, who stood beside him like a silent guardian.
"We're farming. Hard."
Icon's eyes flared. "AFFIRMATIVE. I WILL PUNCH MANY THINGS."
Perimeter Sweep: Blood and Levels
For four brutal hours, Luis and Icon patrolled a ten-kilometer radius around the village, wiping out everything hostile:
Rustfang Hare packs — 5 Souls each
Bramble Crawler nests — 15 Souls
Two Shade Stalkers — 25 Souls
A wounded Iron-class Boar — 50 Souls
By noon, Luis's Soul Essence glowed brightly on his HUD:
SOULESSENCE: 18,720LEVEL UP: 4
New Ability Unlocked:Fortress's Heart(Area Buff)
Radius: 50 meters
Effect: +25% Defense & Resistance to allies and structures (10 min)
Cooldown: 1 hour
Zyx whistled. "Look at you. General Mendoza. Next you'll be charging rent."
The Village Reforged
Luis activated Divine Blueprint—and the village transformed before their eyes:
Reinforced Palisade(Cost: 8,000 Souls)
Twelve-foot-high walls, forged from celestial brass and timber, lined with cruel spiked edges.
Pulley-Driven Portcullis
Could drop in seconds during a raid.
Iron Sentry Turrets x4(3,000 each)
Mounted on the towers
Self-reloading soul-forged rounds
Aimed automatically for weak points
Rune Alarm System(1,000 Souls)
Triggered if a threat came within 100 meters.
As the final turret clicked into place, Luis activated Fortress's Heart.
A wave of blue light pulsed through the structures—reinforcing every wall, turret, and rune with a divine shimmer.
Villagers gathered, murmuring in awe.
Even Old Man Dazo, who'd called Luis "that city boy" since he was seven, gawked openly.
"Damn, Mendoza," the old man said, voice thick. "You actually did something useful for once."
Return of the Hunters
At dusk, Rico's hunting party returned—and stopped dead at the village's transformed silhouette.
Mara's knives slipped from her hands. "Holy shit."
Rico approached the wall slowly, tracing a finger along the glowing brass inlay. When he turned to Luis, his trademark smirk had vanished.
"You did this… alone?"
Luis shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Had some help." He gestured to Icon, who stood proudly next to a humming turret.
The village elder stepped forward, eyes wet as he pressed a hand to the barrier. "These markings… they're like the old stories. The gods have returned to us."
Zyx snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Where's my shrine?"
That night, under newly glowing walls, the village erupted into celebration again—this time not for a monster slain, but for something far rarer in the Royale:
Hope.
Rico clapped Luis on the back, grinning for real this time. "You're full of surprises, Mendoza. Next time, warn me before you turn the village into a fortress."
Luis smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"
The firelight danced off brass walls. Laughter rang into the dark. And for the first time since the Ascension Royale began, the village slept beneath a sky that no longer felt so heavy.