Working tirelessly, day after day, from sunrise to sunset, with no entertainment except talking to people with whom I barely share anything in common (we come from different worlds, even different times), was anything but motivating. However, I think I've grown accustomed to it. All the effort I'm putting in now is for a better future—or at least, that's what I keep telling myself.
Fortunately, the work has borne fruit in some areas. In these past months, leading up to the next disaster, both my people and I have worked with greater intensity. I didn't want to be caught off guard again, so preparing became my top priority.
I didn't know if the next disaster would be something tangible, like the wolves we faced before. Just in case, I decided to repair, reorganize, and reinforce the palisades. It was a costly project in terms of time and effort, but we managed to erect a solid wall of logs and stakes surrounding our camp.
On the other hand, it could also be a natural disaster, like the ones others have suffered: earthquakes, torrential rains, fires... Against those, there's not much I can do. I can only hope for the best, endure it, and pray that this time we don't face something supernatural. Though, I must admit, the necrario that appeared during the last disaster did half the work... though at a terrible cost.
Despite everything, I feel prepared. Things have improved as much as possible. Deaths are rare now, though they still occur. In our effort to prosper, we built small farms, and I obtained seeds through trade—common plants, nothing exotic. Thanks to the accelerated time, we achieved our first harvest in just a month. It was impressive to see the plants grow so quickly and eat from them without issues, but also unsettling. If crops grow that fast, what might happen to people?
My subjects have adapted to this life under my leadership, which has also improved over time. We now have a clear organization for our daily tasks, increasing our efficiency. Additionally, with more people available, we've started exploring the surroundings to better understand our environment.
Lastly, we managed to build most of the houses needed to evolve from a camp to a village. With this came great news:
[Congratulations on founding a village for the Generic Civilization]
[You are no longer the leader of a wandering group but of a developing people—a budding nation. Grow and strengthen so the name of your village will not be forgotten, or take it even further.]
[Rewards: 50 copper coins, materials for one house, 10 common-level weapons, a farm animal, various seeds, and assorted tools.]
[Village assets distributed: blueprints for a barracks, quarry, well, corral, sawmill, store, and town hall.]
[Granted: Book of Records (Generic): A book where all achievements and events of the village and its future evolutions will be recorded. Various achievements can lead to rewards, and great achievements may grant special benefits to the village, its people, and/or its ruler (Lyricus).]
As before, several items appeared in the cleared center of the camp, but this Book of Records materialized directly in my hands. It was heavy and large, surprisingly finely crafted for this ancient era. Its edges and metallic details were intricately carved; they looked like copper, though I wasn't entirely sure.
When I opened it, I found little content—just some initial data: a contract granting me sovereignty over the village, marking me as its founder, accompanied by my signature. It also included details about its foundation, such as the population and its location, although the latter appeared in strange characters that constantly changed. Beyond that, there wasn't much to see besides a list of available or existing classes in the village.
Still, I had more important and exciting matters to attend to.
[Congratulations! You have founded the first village of the "???" Civilization!!!]
[You no longer lead a handful of slaves but have established your own land, destined to grow and dominate everything. Grow, strengthen, and become the supreme master of all that surrounds you. May your name be remembered, even in the worst nightmares.]
[Rewards: 25 gold coins, gold-level skill enhancement token, materials for five houses, a Master's Mansion, a prison, a church, and a barracks, one silver-level weapon, five copper-level weapons, ten farm animals, three bags of high-quality seeds, assorted tools for work and production of copper and common quality, two horses, and a cart with assorted resources.]
[Village assets distributed: blueprints for a depot, blacksmith, barracks, quarry and mine, workshop, well, corral and farm, mill, sawmill, market, tavern, dock, library, wall, tower, prison, torture chamber, and Master's Mansion.]
[Granted: Book of Records (???): A book where all achievements and recognitions of the village and its future evolutions will be recorded. Various achievements can bring rewards, and great achievements may grant special benefits to the village, its people, and/or its Master (Lyricus).]
I was ecstatic. There was an enormous difference between being the first and being just another among the crowd. The 25 gold coins alone were a fortune. For a moment, I stopped worrying about the money I had given to Laila; now I had more resources than I ever imagined—enough to arm my people and face any disaster. Equipping a single person with common-level gear—weaponry and some protection—cost about 250 copper coins, which was expensive, but I preferred most of the healthy, capable men to be armed.
The silver-level weapon and the copper-level ones would be a valuable addition to our army. Although we still lacked skilled individuals to wield them properly, I would assign them to the best until we found more capable warriors.
Additionally, I received a significant number of blueprints and construction materials exclusive to the "???" civilization. Like the houses, these buildings had unique qualities that differed from those of other civilizations. Aside from their particular architecture and other features, one distinction stood out: while other villages had a town hall, we were granted a Master's Mansion—a different building serving a similar purpose.
Being the first recognized village offered far greater advantages than those obtained by villages founded later. It was clear this was a unique opportunity to carefully plan future development. Now, with these resources and blueprints, the path to greatness was within our grasp.
I had many things to review, but I decided to start with the record book that appeared before me once again. However, this book was different. The first thing I noticed was its size—a bit larger than the previous one—and its metallic cover no longer had the coppery tone but rather a radiant golden shine. It seemed to radiate a sacred, powerful, and captivating aura.
But that magnificence lasted only a few seconds. As soon as it stopped levitating, the book lost its celestial glow and transformed. Its appearance changed, becoming more subdued, almost ordinary. The golden metallic details shifted to silver, red, and black tones, and the enchanting aura vanished completely, leaving behind an object that, while elegant, no longer seemed as special as it did at first.
When I opened it, its contents were not very different from the previous book, although its design and layout were slightly more exotic. The list of classes was also nearly identical. However, one notable difference was that this time, the village's location was clearly recorded, though it still didn't help me orient myself entirely. Additionally, a recorded achievement was listed: the defeat of the Necrario during the early months after our arrival. However, according to the book, this achievement didn't grant any of the extraordinary benefits it so often promised.
Then, an unexpected message appeared:
[It has been detected that you possess two record books under your name—an unprecedented event. You have obtained a unique achievement for accomplishing something no one has managed before.]
[Unique Achievement Detected.]
[Establishing an appropriate benefit...]
[Benefit Granted: "Achievement Guide."]
[Achievement Guide: Your record book will now display various available achievements along with their requirements. These achievements will appear based on your proximity to completing them or when a specific event or occurrence is triggered.]
I couldn't help but smile upon reading this. I had achieved a unique milestone in such a short time and earned a reward that promised to be incredibly useful! Now I understood what they meant by special benefits. The idea of earning more achievements and unlocking such intriguing rewards filled me with excitement.
Shortly after, another message appeared:
[Owning more than one record book grants no particular advantage. Would you like to merge both books for greater convenience?]
The suggestion was logical. These books were heavy and bulky, so having just one would be much more practical. Without hesitation, I accepted.
[Record Book (Generic) - Copper Level is being merged with Record Book (???) - Silver Level (Heroic Suppressed).]
[Record Book (Neutral/???) - Gold Level (Heroic Suppressed) obtained.]
Once the fusion was complete, the book in front of me regained its golden tone, though it now also retained accents of red and black. Seeing the notification, I realized the book had an assigned level, but it wasn't typically visible.
Now that I knew, I decided to investigate further, taking advantage of the identification permissions now available after the fusion. I discovered that the book's level was directly related to its security. Record books were already known to be incredibly resilient and durable, but the higher their level, the greater their fortitude.
For instance, if the place where the book was kept caught fire, a high-level book could emerge unscathed from the flames. Additionally, a higher level made it significantly harder for enemies to open and read its contents. While someone could potentially manage this without my permission, it would only be possible with low-level books. In contrast, my book, being of Gold Level, would require at least a Heroic Level to be breached without an astronomical cost, making it practically impenetrable at this stage.
What intrigued me most was the mention that its level was "Heroic Suppressed." Could that mesmerizing and dazzling aura it emitted at first be related to this? Unfortunately, I couldn't gather more information about it, but I was determined to uncover the truth in the future. For now, I learned that I could summon the book to my hands from anywhere within my territories. I could also make it disappear and transport it to my home, a government building, a library within my domain, or, in emergencies, even to allied territories. An interesting and convenient ability.
Having finished analyzing the book, I reviewed the resources obtained and instructed my men to organize everything immediately so we could start planning how to use them. Meanwhile, my attention shifted to the sword I had claimed from the rewards.
[Steel Sword (Silver - Medium)]
+50% to all weapon stats.
-5% weight for the wielder.
It was an excellent weapon. Although spears provided me with security due to their reach, I had always preferred swords. Honestly, having one of this level filled me with confidence for future challenges.
However, what lifted my spirits the most at that moment was the state of my classes, which had improved significantly. I had already noticed progress before, but now they had evolved in a remarkable way.
To explain better: I was right to think that leadership classes became stronger the more people were under my control. These classes were extremely synergistic, as each one had a limit on the number of people it could directly affect. However, any additional number of people under my command granted me bonuses. Furthermore, since my followers' loyalty didn't come solely from any single one of my abilities but rather a combination of both, it was calculated as though I had personally earned that loyalty. [Leader] focused on how I guided people and their loyalty to me, while [Master of Slaves] relied solely on the number of individuals I could dominate.
Nevertheless, leadership classes granted by the world to "Empire Founders" had a peculiarity: they couldn't evolve in a normal way. As such, they usually stagnated at a certain point. However, having founded the village, these classes were finally unlocked and evolved, which made me deeply grateful I had leveled them to the maximum before founding the village, as otherwise, I would have missed the opportunity to rank them up as I had.
My [Great Leader (Common)] skill had ranked up to [Great Leader (Copper)] upon reaching level 100. After founding the village, it evolved into [Junior Mayor (Copper)], though it reset to level 1, meaning I could continue leveling it up. Similarly, my [Superior Master (Silver)] skill transformed into [Superior Master (Gold)] and, finally, into [Shading Master (Gold)].
While the highest rank didn't directly increase the number of people under my control, it granted me more precise control and better insight into them. Additionally, I acquired new abilities related to management and governance. In the case of [Shading Master], I even gained supernatural capabilities, such as the ability to inflict pain on those I dominated—a potentially useful tool in certain situations.