Chapter Five: A New Feature! The First Day Ends!
"A new feature? Class Advancement? What is this?" Kaiden studied the description of the new feature in the Lord's Crown with curiosity. Golan and Rob were nearby on patrol — he waved them over, and when they arrived, he pulled up their status panels one after the other.
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Name: Rob
Rank: Militia (Swordsman)
Level: 1 (Each level grants 2 stat points, maximum 5 levels)
Experience: 0 / 10 (Experience gained through kills)
Loyalty: 75%
Description: --
Future Path: Elite Soldier
Advancement Requirements:
- Reach the rank's maximum level
- Spend 2 Origin Points to complete the advancement
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"Good grief!" Kaiden exclaimed in shock. There had been no mention of an advancement system before — and now here it was. It meant his forces would grow stronger over time, just like in an RPG!
"Rob's future path is Elite Soldier? Then what is Golan's?" With that thought in mind, Kaiden opened Golan's status panel.
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Name: Golan
Rank: Elite Soldier (Spearman)
Level: 1 (Each level grants 4 stat points, maximum 10 levels)
Experience: 0 / 100 (Experience gained through kills)
Loyalty: 75%
Description: Has undergone intensive military training... etc.
Future Path: Emerging Hero
Advancement Requirements:
- Reach the rank's maximum level
- Spend 8 Origin Points to complete the advancement
---
"Emerging Hero? What? I think that would genuinely break the human limits!" Kaiden muttered, and his feet did not stop moving for the next half hour as he went through the status panels of every resident in his region. He was delighted to discover that each one had their own advancement path made up of five levels, with each person gaining experience in their own unique way.
The blacksmith gained experience by crafting tools that met the system's standards — earning 2 professional stat points per level.
Future Path: Seasoned Blacksmith
Advancement Cost: 5 Origin Points
The carpenter had a similar path: Seasoned Carpenter.
Advancement Cost: 5 Origin Points
The butcher gained experience through dissecting monsters.
Future Path: Seasoned Butcher
Advancement Cost: 5 Origin Points
As for the villagers, they had their share as well. Two of them had the path of Apprentice Lumberjack, and the other two Apprentice Miner.
Class Transfer Cost: 1 Origin Point each.
"I think I am going to need a lot of Origin Points!" Kaiden exhaled. Things were growing more complex — but he was not bothered. If anything, he felt excited.
Of course he did! As these people developed, his nascent region would grow stronger, more prosperous, and most importantly, safer. Kaiden understood that well.
"But wait — thinking about it now, am I the only one who is not gaining experience?!" Kaiden opened his own status panel and found no changes at all. A wave of misery hit him when he confirmed he was the only one left out of the party.
'Maybe when I upgrade the Crown again I will unlock a new feature that lets me grow stronger too. Either way, unlike everyone else, I also have a Region Talent that grants me all kinds of incredible fruits!' With that thought, the balance returned to Kaiden's mind.
...
When Kaiden snapped out of his thoughts, he noticed the sun was close to setting. He wanted to hold a proper feast to thank everyone for their hard work throughout the day, so he headed quickly toward Joel the butcher.
"My Lord! You have arrived at just the right time — I just finished processing the monster's body," said Joel, cleaning his tools before giving Kaiden a quick salute.
"Excellent work, Joel," Kaiden replied, noticing that Joel had already reached Level 2.
He looked over the butcher's yield:
Wilderness Lizard Meat x36 units
Wilderness Lizard Fang x4
Complete Wilderness Lizard Hide x1
Kaiden stored everything in his inventory, feeling satisfied. The meat was far more than last time, even though this lizard had been smaller. He also had four sharp fangs — no immediate use for them now, but they would come in handy later.
The best part, however, was the complete hide. Even Kaiden, with no experience in such matters, understood its value. With a skilled tailor down the line, it could be crafted into strong armor that would significantly boost his defenses or protect his forces.
Especially since after seven days, the Protective Barrier would be gone.
Kaiden pushed the branching thoughts aside and asked Joel to inform everyone to finish up their work and gather in front of the hut.
He then headed to the blacksmith's workshop, rummaged around briefly, and took a long skewer and two supports to use for grilling. He was making do with what was available for now, knowing things would improve later.
...
Stone +30 units
Wood +24 units
Bonus: +1 Stone, +1 Wood
Kaiden collected the resources in front of the hut, and when everyone had gathered, he arranged the firewood and asked Hook the blacksmith to light the fire — Hook was skilled at it thanks to his work with the forge and his flint.
He generously pulled out ten units of lizard meat and handed them to Joel to cut into suitable portions.
The carpenter was busy fashioning simple wooden stools, while Golan, Rob, and the four villagers helped set up the area.
Kaiden laughed and talked with them, and noticed something curious — every single resident of his region, all nine of them, were men.
During the conversation, curiosity got the better of him and he asked his residents about their lives before he had summoned them. The surprising answer was that they remembered nothing at all. All they knew was that they were to obey the Lord and work toward the region's development.
Kaiden did not dwell on it. He had seen far too many illogical things since his arrival, so he filed it away as one of this world's settings and steered the conversation back to ordinary topics.
Amid the talking and laughter, with the mouthwatering scent of grilled meat filling the air, Kaiden watched his first sunset in this world.
The lizard meat was remarkably delicious — similar to beef. With each bite, he felt a warmth spreading through his body. It was a new sensation, so he assumed the meat carried body-enhancing properties. As a result, he ate an entire unit on his own, roughly a kilogram and a half's worth.
He distributed water bottles to everyone, which brought his supply down to roughly half, and asked them to hold onto the empty bottles.
Once everyone had eaten their fill — barely managing to finish what was left — Kaiden sent them off to the region's two residential huts to rest. He asked the four villagers to take turns keeping watch beside the campfire. He trusted the Protective Barrier, but caution was necessary all the same.
As for himself, the long day of relentless activity had worn him out. With his new body, physical fatigue was nothing — but the mental exhaustion made his head buzz.
So he did not delay. He picked up a small branch, lit one end in the fire, and entered his hut. He lit the thick candle, which gave him some light, then made sure the branch was fully extinguished and lay down on his bed with a tired exhale.
Honestly, the bed was not perfectly comfortable — but he was exhausted, and sleep claimed him without resistance.
He still had a little energy left before drifting off, so he opened the World Chat one last time to check on his peers.
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World Chat:
Total Lord Count: 999,921,387
Notice: Each Lord may send one message per day.
Lord Johan: What rotten luck — why did most of you get at least one militia soldier, while I only got five villagers?!
Lord Sami: Same here. I barely kept their loyalty above fifty by sharing my food and water with them — and now I am starving.
Lord Edward: Hahaha, I summoned three militia soldiers, and we managed to take down a wild wolf the size of a calf. I have plenty of meat now, plus a residential blueprint.
Lord Zack: Hey, the guy above — please give me one piece of meat and I will be your little brother for life!
Lord Gina: I got lucky — one of my villagers found a Bronze Treasure Chest.
Lord Kamal: Jealousy +999!
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Kaiden watched the chat for a while, then yawned. He did not participate — he was not particularly social, and boasting was not his style. He switched over to the Region Chat next, where everyone was complaining about the lack of water and wood and grumbling about their misfortune in this barren place.
He absorbed the useful information, but his focus was fading fast under the weight of exhaustion and drowsiness. He blew out the candle, and soon drifted into a deep sleep — his first night in this world.
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End of Chapter Five