Chapter Four: Upgrading the Lord’s Crown!
Six or seven hours had passed since humanity's arrival in this world. Kaiden looked up at the sky — it was afternoon.
Only one quest remained before he could complete them all: "First Crown Upgrade." He recalled that upgrading the Crown had several requirements, so he opened the Lord's Crown interface to check what conditions were still unmet.
---
[Lord's Crown]
Current: Straw Crown
Properties:
- Region Land: 200m x 200m
- Summon 5 Settlers daily
Upgrade Requirements:
- Upgrade the Lord's Hall to Level 3
- Construct any additional building (Completed)
- Have at least one combat unit of any level (Completed)
- Origin Points x4
---
Two down, two to go. Earning Origin Points was out of his hands for now, but he still had enough resources for another Lord's Hall upgrade — though he was not sure if they would be sufficient.
With that thought in mind, Kaiden quickened his pace toward the Lord's Hall. He needed to stand in front of the building to pull up its information panel.
---
Building Name: Lord's Hall (Level 2)
Description: The Lord's place of residence, and the center from which all Region affairs are managed.
Upgrade Requirements:
- Wood x60 units
- Stone x40 units
---
He checked his inventory against the requirements.
---
Resources:
- Wood: x63 units
- Stone: x72 units
- Iron: x10 units
Food:
- Bread x3 loaves
- Roasted Chicken x2
- Wilderness Lizard Meat x22 units
- Grilled Fish x3
Water:
- Water Bottle (1L) x2
- Water Bottle (2L) x12
Blueprints: 0
---
He barely had enough. Kaiden chose to upgrade the Lord's Hall without hesitation. The familiar light washed over the building, then expanded — noticeably more so than before. It held for several seconds before fading, revealing the Hall's new form.
The Lord's Hall was larger and sturdier than it had been, though that was relative to what came before. At this stage, it resembled the cabin of a weathered old hunter.
Kaiden grabbed the door — already a marked improvement — and opened it to inspect the changes inside.
The interior had shifted considerably as well. A washroom had been added in the corner opposite the bed, and in the center sat a rectangular table flanked by five wooden chairs — two on each side, and one larger, more distinguished chair at the head.
"I suppose that one's mine," he muttered, running a hand along the armrests, carved with fine, delicate patterns.
He glanced at the bed, which had undergone its own clear transformation — larger now, and more comfortable. A small side table stood beside it, topped with a plate holding a thick, unused candle.
At that moment, a new interface appeared before Kaiden's eyes:
[System Notification: Your forces have slain a Wilderness Lizard — Common Tier. You have gained: Origin Points x2, Apprentice Butcher Workshop Blueprint x1. Gains deposited into Lord's Inventory.]
"Hahaha~ I was just wondering when I would get more Origin Points — and here they are." Seeing the notification, Kaiden laughed with pure relief. He had been quietly worried about failing the Crown upgrade quest due to time running out and Origin Points falling short — but that worry was gone now.
He headed out quickly and soon reached his soldiers. Before them lay the carcass of another monster — a lizard again, but smaller than the last one.
"Golan, Rob — well done, you two. We will have a proper barbecue soon!"
"Thank you, my Lord!" both said in unison. Golan added:
"This one was easier to handle — weaker than the last."
Kaiden spoke with them briefly, then dismissed them to continue their patrols.
'Hmm... these lizards seem to be common in this area. Something to keep in mind going forward.'
He made a mental note of that, then realized he had not dealt with the carcass yet.
'Wait — I got an Apprentice Butcher Workshop Blueprint earlier.'
With that in mind, he held off on salvaging the carcass immediately.
He asked the villagers to carry the carcass and follow him, then headed toward the workshop area. He was planning to build a workshop complex there, so he chose to construct the Butcher Workshop near the other two, leaving enough space between each one. The workshop appeared shortly — a small, open-fronted building with an iron rack along its side, fitted with a row of inverted hooks.
A fair-haired, middle-aged man stepped out from within, wearing a butcher's apron stained with faded bloodstains. He dropped to one knee before Kaiden.
"Joel, long live the Lord!"
"Rise, and welcome to our nascent Region." Kaiden waved his hand, then gestured toward the carcass the villagers had been hauling with considerable effort. "Take a look at that monster carcass behind me — can you handle it?"
Joel patted his chest with confidence.
"Yes, my Lord. Leave it to me. I guarantee nothing from the monster's body will go to waste."
"Then I will leave it in your hands. Let me know when you are done."
Kaiden left the butcher to his work, dismissed the villagers to their tasks, and finally — finally — he was free to do the most important thing since his arrival in this world.
Upgrading the Lord's Crown.
The moment he selected the upgrade, white light erupted and swept across the entire Protective Barrier. Kaiden watched as the barrier rapidly expanded — stretching to cover three times its previous area, meaning his region had grown considerably larger. Then the light stilled and vanished, and calm returned to the land.
[System Notification: The Lord's Crown has been upgraded to Bronze Crown tier.]
[Quest 'The First Step Toward Dominance' completed! Reward sent to Lord's Inventory: Physical Enhancement Fruit x1]
With the region's expansion, Kaiden felt a greater sense of freedom, security, and hope for what lay ahead.
"And — finally! All quests completed!" Kaiden exhaled with relief, then pulled the Physical Enhancement Fruit from his inventory. It materialized on his palm — a round, red fruit. It gave off no special aura or glow. It looked exactly like an ordinary tomato.
He studied it, and a description interface appeared.
---
Name: Physical Enhancement Fruit
Rank: Common
Description: Consuming it grants high physical fitness to the untrained.
Note: The effect is diminished for users who are already well-trained.
---
Understanding the fruit's effect sent a surge of excitement through him. This world was dangerous beyond measure — and while he had soldiers whose numbers would grow in time, personal strength would always matter most.
He did not hesitate. He opened his mouth and ate the entire fruit in one go.
Contrary to his expectations, it was not bad at all — somewhere close to strawberry. He did not dwell on the taste for long, because a warmth began radiating from his stomach and spreading through every part of his body. It was not unpleasant — it was soothing, like soaking in a warm sauna.
The sensation did not last long. After roughly a minute, it faded completely.
A strength he had never known before filled his body. He jumped several times and swung his fists through the air — the force behind each punch was enough to make the air crack around his knuckles. Kaiden, who had never given his physical fitness a second thought, was filled with delight at the sudden change.
"Hahaha — who says programmers are weak! From today onward I could take on anyone's mom!"
The nearby villagers gathering resources exchanged confused glances as they watched their distinguished Lord jumping, laughing, and punching the air.
...
Once he had gotten used to his new body, he turned his attention to the changes in his Crown.
The Crown's appearance in the interface had shifted — from a simple straw crown to a rough bronze one, carrying far more presence than before.
---
[Lord's Crown]
Current Rank: Bronze Crown
Properties:
- Region Area: 600m x 600m
- Daily Summon: 10 Settlers (Cooldown active)
New Property:
- Class Advancement System Unlocked
Description: Grants all Region residents the opportunity to break through their professional class limits and advance to higher tiers through gaining experience.
Note: Experience acquisition methods vary by class.
Upgrade Requirements:
- Upgrade the Lord's Hall to Level 6
- Have 10 buildings
- Have at least 6 combat units
- Origin Points x12
---
First — his land had tripled in size.
Second — the number of Settlers he could summon daily had doubled.
Third... a new property? What was this?
---
End of Chapter Four