The sound of hammers striking wood echoed through the settlement. Sawdust filled the air as settlers worked on the wooden palisade, their faces etched with determination.
Leon stood in the center of it all, arms crossed, watching the pieces of his domain slowly come together.
Progress was being made.
The walls were rising, the first fighters were training, and the system was unlocking new features. But something was still missing—something that gnawed at the back of his mind.
They needed more. More space. More people. More power.
A single small village wasn't enough.
He exhaled. One step at a time.
---
The Lord's Mansion was barely worthy of its name. It was a large wooden house, slightly better than the other huts, but far from a true stronghold.
It was time to change that.
Ding!
---
[New Construction Available: Lord's Mansion Upgrade]
Requirements:
500 Logs (Progress: 210/500)
150 Stone (Progress: 50/150)
20 Workers Assigned
Estimated Time: 5 Days
[Upgrade Effects:]
Unlocks Summoning Gate construction
Expands storage capacity (+50%)
Improves settlement morale (+10%)
---
Leon smirked. That's more like it.
He turned to his gathered workers. "Starting today, we're upgrading the mansion."
The settlers exchanged glances. One of them, a burly man with calloused hands, hesitated. "My lord… the palisade isn't done yet. Shouldn't we finish that first?"
Leon understood his concern. The walls were important. Defense was critical.
But so was progress.
"We'll do both," Leon said. "I'll assign half of you to the walls and the other half to the mansion."
The man nodded, reassured.
"Good." Leon opened his system interface and assigned workers to each task.
---
[Construction Queue Updated!]
Wooden Palisade: (10 Workers) 55% Complete
Lord's Mansion Upgrade: (10 Workers) 0% → 5% Complete
---
Leon let out a satisfied breath. The foundation for growth was finally being laid.
---
With the construction teams set, Leon turned his attention to the surrounding world.
Up until now, they had been focused on survival—gathering food, setting up defenses. But they still knew nothing about the land beyond the settlement.
And that was dangerous.
Ding!
---
[New Quest: Explore Your Territory]
Objective:
Scout three locations within 10 kilometers of the settlement.
[Rewards: Increased Map Visibility, Potential Resource Discovery]
---
Leon's eyes narrowed.
Perfect. Now, where to start?
He pulled up a rough map of his domain, generated by the system. Right now, only their immediate area was visible. Everything beyond was shrouded in fog.
There were three promising targets:
1. The Riverlands (North) – A wide river with potential resources but also unknown dangers.
2. The Ruined Outpost (East) – The remnants of an old watchtower, possibly holding supplies or secrets.
3. The Deep Forest (West) – A thick, unexplored wilderness, home to beasts and who knows what else.
Leon cracked his knuckles.
Time to find out what's out there.
---
Leon gathered a small scouting party—himself, Garrick, and two of the more capable settlers.
He decided to start with The Riverlands.
"Stay alert," Garrick muttered as they moved through the trees. "We don't know what's waiting for us."
Leon nodded, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
As they walked, the trees parted, revealing a wide, flowing river. Sunlight shimmered off its surface, and fish darted beneath the clear water.
It was a perfect location for gathering freshwater and food.
But then Leon spotted something else—tracks near the riverbank. Large ones.
Garrick crouched beside them, frowning. "These aren't from animals."
Leon's jaw tightened.
Humanoid footprints. And fresh.
Someone else was out here.
---