Our modus operandi remained the same: offering shelter and unity. We accepted those who could fall under the influence of my skill, and once secured, we eliminated the rest to loot their camps. If no one agreed to join us, we simply left without causing harm. There was no point in risking my men's health in unnecessary fights, and leaving some camps intact could be advantageous for future raids. This method may be even more ruthless than what I used to do, but it proved effective.
At first, it wasn't easy. However, as our numbers grew, everything became simpler. There's a significant difference between leading six well-armed soldiers and commanding fifteen. Facing groups of five people became almost trivial. Slowly, we began to resemble a well-organized military force, which made it easier to convince more people. At times, we managed to get entire camps to join without resistance.
Once someone joined thanks to my [Leader] skill, I used [Slave Master] to increase their loyalty by converting them into [Slaves], assigning them to the corresponding counter. I reserved the follower counter for those we planned to recruit in future raids.
We followed this system for a while, assigning each new member to specific tasks to strengthen our camp. Not only did we have to build more houses, but we also needed to establish defenses. I decided to construct at least a basic palisade to protect us from wolves and other minor threats. The increasing wildlife in the area brought both problems and opportunities: on one hand, dangerous wild animals; on the other, prey like rabbits and deer that provided food.
Our numbers grew quickly, and with them returned the hope for a promising future. However, problems also increased. For instance, venomous snakes that were once rare started appearing occasionally, and I lost one or two men to their bites. Insects, especially mosquitoes, were a constant plague. Although I tried several methods to deal with them, none were entirely effective. I also noticed a curious difference between my men and me: though they also suffered bites, they seemed less affected by them than I was.
Over time, we reached the population limit allowed by my skills, something I initially thought difficult. This growth, however, brought a reward: we met the requirements to upgrade our camp from Medium to Large. The rewards from the Neutral Civilization were modest and only for reaching this level: a few crates of useful resources, but nothing extraordinary. I assumed others had already reached this level before me.
On the other hand, the Unknown Civilization once again recognized me as the first to achieve this, and their rewards were much more valuable. I received materials to construct two additional houses, a copper-tier sword (not as good as my spear, though), and five more common-tier weapons: swords, spears, and bows.
Everything was going as planned, but that didn't make me relax. Not only because of the constant threat of monsters that could wipe us out at any moment but because my main goal was to keep improving. I actively worked on everything I could to raise the level of my skills and classes.
Each day, after finishing my tasks, I dedicated time in the clay house to observe what was happening with the other "outsiders" and learn from them. I discovered some interesting facts about people who chose to take on more than one class, as they often faced difficulties leveling up, especially if the classes were very different from each other.
For example, someone with the classes [Swordsman] and [Archer] receives only 50% of the total experience for each when performing related activities. On the other hand, more similar combinations, like [Archer] and [Crossbowman], gain a higher percentage, between 70% and 80%. Nearly identical classes can reach up to 90% of the total experience at most.
My case, however, was unique. Compared to the others, I noticed that not only did I not lose experience for multiclassing, but the [Worker] and [Slave] classes seemed synergistic, granting me between 25% and 50% additional experience compared to others. This motivated me even more to exploit their potential. Additionally, the [Slave Master] and [Leader] classes worked similarly, benefiting each other due to their overlap in key aspects.
This discovery was a turning point. With this advantage, my development was destined to be faster and more efficient than anyone else's.
...
Nine months had passed since my arrival in this world, and my camp had grown considerably. A palisade surrounded the settlement, and the tents were numerous and varied, arranged to house our growing population. However, this growth came at a cost: maintaining so many people posed a significant logistical challenge. Although our supplies were sufficient to survive for a while, it was time to consider more stable sources of sustenance.
The farmers in our group insisted on starting cultivation. After consulting with others, I gave them my approval. Thus, we established small farming plots just outside the palisade, along one side of the tents. This meant that eventually, we would have to expand our defenses or relocate them.
The construction of houses had resumed some time ago. With materials ready and an abundant—albeit mostly inexperienced—workforce, the buildings began to rise quickly. I currently live in one of the completed houses. All are designed following the local model: fortified houses. I opted for this design because, after facing monsters like the necrarios, I understood that having robust defenses was essential. While these constructions were more expensive, the advantages justified the investment.
Not all the houses were finished yet, but the progress was evident: we were leaving behind the concept of a camp and transforming into a real village, all within less than a year. To celebrate, I allowed myself a small luxury: I bought furniture and some items to make my home more comfortable. I am deeply grateful for this decision, as I had forgotten how much I missed sleeping on a bed elevated off the ground. While it didn't compare to modern beds, it was a significant improvement.
Despite this expense, I made sure not to overdo it, as my financial situation wasn't as solid as it once was. One reason for this was a recent contact from my sister, Laila, who reached out to us through the family chat asking for money.
Laila had left Attera shortly after announcing her decision, traveling with merchant caravans as a guard. She was excellent in that role, and her natural talent led her to develop her [Militia Strike] skill to gold level in just one month. During her journey, she passed through various towns and wandered from place to place, heading further north toward a country that aligned with her interests.
In my original world, a journey like hers would have been long and exhausting, but here, skills changed the rules. Not only do people possess skills; even the routes and roads can have them. High-quality roads, with levels equivalent to those of people (copper, silver, etc.), provided benefits such as speeding up the travel of those who used them. Additionally, many travelers possess support skills, both active and passive, that make journeys safer and more efficient.
Thanks to these advantages, and traveling with large, well-prepared groups, Laila reached her destination faster than expected.
Currently, my sister is in the kingdom of Vigalle or Vigale (I'm not sure of the exact name, as my knowledge of this world's history and geography is still limited). I seem to recall that this kingdom had several names at different times: Vazione and Vincia are a couple of them. It is a small country—the smallest on the continent—but notably advanced in terms of technology.
Vigalle stands out for being home to schools of engineering, navigation, art, and other disciplines. Curiously, its fame in navigation is somewhat ironic, as despite being surrounded by rivers, it lies in the heart of the continent, far from seas and oceans.
Upon arriving, Laila found a place where she felt she could settle down and start a new life, or at least stay for a good while. However, although the kingdom was perfect for her ambitions, she faced financial difficulties. To establish herself solidly, she needed money. That's why she decided to contact us, asking for a loan to start her new chapter in this world.
Our parents wanted to help, but their financial situation didn't allow them to. They could barely offer a maximum of 60 copper coins. Although their situation had improved thanks to the accelerated time in this world—which allowed them to generate income through rapidly growing crops, sometimes even harvesting within a month—they still faced great difficulties. They worked under a feudal lord who imposed taxes on them, and after covering living expenses, they could barely save a few coins each month. These savings could easily vanish if an unexpected need arose or if they simply wanted to treat themselves. Improving their quality of life depended on leveling up their skills, which would allow them to enhance their work and earn more, but that wasn't something achievable in the short term.
Ian, on the other hand, rejected the possibility of helping from the start. He didn't have much money or a stable source of income. As an apprentice in the church, he didn't receive any pay, and even though he had finished his apprenticeship months ago, he continued working at the same church. There, most of the money he earned ended up in the hands of the head priest. Despite his great talent and the fact that he used his healing skills, Ian was still the rookie. He was often treated as little more than an errand boy, and his opportunities were limited. Offering his services independently would be much more profitable, but in the country of Luxaltis—or Luxia, as we called it for short—freelance priests unaffiliated with the state were frowned upon. They could even be imprisoned if someone falsely accused them, as they lacked any legal protection.
Knowing my sister—or at least the version of her I remembered from my original world—I decided to speak to her privately and be direct:
"How much do you really need? Tell me the exact number you'd ask for if you could request anything you wanted."
"Ten gold coins," she replied without hesitation.
"Ten? That's a lot. Are you planning to buy a mansion?" I joked, though I honestly had no idea how much a mansion would cost in this world.
"You asked me how much I'd want, and that's what I feel would be enough to cover everything I have planned. Of course, I can make do with less, but it wouldn't be ideal. And having more than that would end up being a waste since I wouldn't be able to use it all."
"Is that really the figure you want? Would you be able to manage it wisely?"
"You know me. You know I'm good with money, and I'm not stupid. If I were, the people I traveled with would have already taken advantage of me or convinced me to join their groups."
"Alright, I'll send you the money. You'd better take care of it… and take care of yourself too."
Without giving it further thought, I sent her the ten gold coins. There were certain restrictions on transferring money, but the limitations were stricter when sending money from individuals to camps rather than the other way around. When my sister received the money, she was incredulous and bombarded me with questions. To avoid revealing too much—since I hadn't heard of monsters in other regions—I simply told her that I had found a treasure in the wild.
She thanked me profusely and promised I didn't need to worry about the future. When she became great and powerful, she would protect me, and even if my village didn't prosper, she would shelter me under her wings.
I trusted my sister; she had always been someone who fulfilled her goals. However, I didn't believe I would need her protection in the future. I also trusted that, with my own effort, I would succeed.
=======
[Lyricus]
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Race: [None]
Class: [Worker (87/100)], [Slave (92/100)], [Leader (69/100)], [Slave Master (82/100)]
--/--
Skills:
Jack of All Trades (Common)Great Leader (Common) [Sub: 50/50]Superior Master (Silver) [Slave: 80/80] [Sub: 40/40] [Supernatural: 0/10]Fatigue Resistance (Diamond)
--/--
Classification/Title: None
Region/Territory: Unknown Land
Civilization: [???] [Neutral]
Domain: Grand Camp
—————————————————————————
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Attributes
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[Physical]
F (Strength): 8 = 7 + 1 (Slave Master)
D (Dexterity): 6
C (Constitution): 9 = 8 + 1 (Worker)
R (Endurance): 9 = 7 + 1 (Slave) + 1 (Worker)
[Mental]
I (Intelligence): 9 = 7 + 1 (Leader) + 1 (Slave Master)
P (Insight): 8 = 6 + 1 (Leader) + 1 (Slave Master)
W (Willpower): 8 = 7 + 1 (Slave)
[Spiritual]
Faith: 37 (Low Talent)
Spirit: 42 (Low-Mid Talent)
Luck: 0
=======
I had grown quite a lot, and my leadership skills improved as more people came under my command. I had now reached the maximum allowed, ensuring that they would continue to develop quickly.
Though the situation was challenging, it was also promising. Wolves that appeared sporadically, venomous snakes in the wild, and the occasional disappearance of people in the woods no longer paralyzed me as they had at the start. What once was fear had now transformed into fuel to keep growing stronger and secure my future.