Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flames and explosions erupted, as the defense towers unleashed relentless barrages. With Lucian resupplying their stockpile, the towers mercilessly annihilated the skeleton soldiers.
Soon, peace returned to the surroundings.
"Good thing it was just a small batch of ordinary monsters," Lucian muttered, exhaling in relief as he gathered the loot.
Without pausing to count his gains, he trudged back to his quarters, washed off the battle's grime, and collapsed onto the bed.
By 10 a.m., Lucian stirred awake. A dull ache pulsed through his head, and a feeling of emptiness weighed on him.
Blinking off the haze, he muttered, "So much to do today, and the monster wave hasn't even begun yet. Time to get moving."
With renewed determination, he slipped on his boots and stepped out of his cabin.
The territory seemed eerily quiet.
Without his 40 Steel-armored Wild Boars, it almost felt lifeless.
Lucian's gaze drifted toward the wooden walls. Lin Daiyu and Qin Keqing were perched on one of the walls, guarding vigilantly.
On the ground nearby was a pile of "Slaughter Loot Boxes."
"Must've been a small wave this morning," Lucian guessed, his eyes catching the sheer number of boxes—easily three or four hundred.
Approaching, he called out loudly.
From atop the walls, Lin Daiyu turned to see him. Leaping gracefully, she landed beside him.
"Young Master," she said softly, "these were the rewards from this morning's monster incursion."
"Thank you for the hard work," Lucian replied with a nod of gratitude.
Lin Daiyu's lips curled into a faint smile. "This is my duty, Young Master. However…"
Her voice trailed off as her gaze darkened. "According to the rules of the trial, today's invasion will be more intense than yesterday's. Our current defenses…"
A flicker of worry crossed her enchanting eyes.
Lucian, however, remained unfazed. He chuckled. "Don't worry, I have plans in place."
Hearing this, Lin Daiyu's eyes glimmered with trust. Her lips curled into a serene smile.
"Keqing! Come over here!" Lucian called.
Qin Keqing flinched at the sudden summons but quickly jumped down from the wall and hurried over.
"Young Master!" She greeted him with an elegant bow.
"I need you two to handle these loot boxes," Lucian said, gesturing to the growing pile around him. "There are far too many for me to deal with on my own."
Qin Keqing's delicate face lit up with enthusiasm. "Understood, Young Master!"
Her small hands clenched into fists, and an almost childlike eagerness showed in her eyes. Lin Daiyu remained more composed but nodded in agreement.
Lucian chuckled and left them to it. As they worked, he opened the Territory Panel to manage his next steps.
[Territory Information]
Level: 4 → 5 (0/1000)
Size: 2,500 → 5,000 square meters.
Buildings: (Details omitted for brevity).
After upgrading to Level 5, Lucian expanded his territory's size and tossed out four new Arrow Towers. When transformed, they yielded:
One Fire Tower,
Two Lightning Towers,
One Quake Tower.
Fire Tower and Lightning Tower were standard elemental towers, while the Quake Tower was rare, capable of unleashing Earthquake Spells to deal significant damage and control large areas.
"Perfect." Lucian smirked in satisfaction as he arranged the new layout.
He expanded the wooden wall to a 50x100 grid and extended the perimeter using some Void Crystals.
Then he strategically deployed his towers:
Fart Towers were prioritized at each corner and along every major approach.
Damage-dealing towers such as Elemental, Ballista, and Machine Gun Towers were spaced evenly.
Rain of Fire Tower and Quake Tower were placed at the center, their wide attack ranges ensuring they could hit enemies from any direction.
After completing his arrangement, Lucian braced himself for the next step, upgrades.
Void Origin Stones -1,500!
Void Origin Stones -1,500!
Void Origin Stones -1,500!
He upgraded the towers to Level 5, watching as their designs transformed and their power skyrocketed.
The sharp depletion of resources stung, and he clutched his chest melodramatically. "This is worse than getting robbed!"
Temporarily holding off on further upgrades, Lucian returned to his heroes.
Lin Daiyu and Qin Keqing were busy opening loot boxes at a breakneck pace. Their enhanced attributes allowed them to move with such speed that they were almost blurs to the naked eye.
It wasn't long before every box was opened and neatly organized. The two handed Lucian the summarized results.
Void Crystals: 11,200.
Void Origin Stones: 3,240.
Skeleton Knight Job Transfer Certificate.
Special Building: Flame Burst Tower.
Territory Building: Apartment x1.
Equipment: 35 items.
Skill Books: 2.
Lucian's eyes sparkled at the wealth of resources. "A Skeleton Knight job certificate, another tower, and even an apartment? Not bad!"
As he reviewed the spoils, he couldn't help but grin. "It seems fortune truly favors the prepared!"