Chapter 63: A Race Against Time!
The alarm sirens blared for only about two minutes before falling silent. But in that brief span, they had accomplished their intended purpose — leaving Lords of every race across the world in a state of panic and chaos.
Kaiden was no exception. He felt the panic too. He immediately looked at the Territory Chat and World Chat and found them boiling. Everyone was facing something similar, just as he had expected.
He turned his head and looked at the countdown that had remained in place, calculating quickly in his mind. "Hmm… thirty hours remaining, and midday hasn't even arrived yet… in other words, I have until tomorrow afternoon, and then the protective barrier will be removed!"
He had known in advance that not much time remained — but he hadn't expected it to be this little.
Kaiden felt his head begin to throb. The enormous counter above him felt like a guillotine slowly drawing closer to his neck. Who knew what dangers would come with the end of Beginner Protection?
No. Now is not the time for panic. I need to calm down.
He shook his head forcefully and compelled his mind to return to composure. Panic would do nothing for him now. Little time remained — that was the reality — and he needed to use it wisely.
At least… now I know the exact moment when Beginner Protection will end.
With that thought, Kaiden settled and began thinking clearly. First — he needed to finish today's quests so he could focus on preparing for the end of Beginner Protection.
With a course of action in mind, he returned to his usual composure. If the sky was going to fall, let it fall. All he had to do was prepare so he wouldn't regret anything later.
The first thing he did after regaining his composure was order a number of militia soldiers to spread throughout the territory in his name, reassuring everyone and directing them back to their work.
He also told Aws to continue the catapult testing. But he personally no longer had any desire to watch. He had a war against time on his hands. With that in mind, Kaiden opened the territory quest board to review his tasks once more.
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1 — Breaking the Boundary:
Details: Break the rank threshold and reach the next level in the Mage path.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: +5% Earth affinity.
2 — An Army of Nascent Champions:
Details: A total of ten Nascent Champions in service to the Lord.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: ×10 Rune-inscribed armor pieces crafted from mithril ore.
3 — All Walls Are Paper Before Me:
Details: Produce the first catapult.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: ×2 Catapults. (Completed)
4 — Logistical Problems:
Details: Solve the problem of storing meat and vegetables.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: ×3 Administrative Units.
5 — Your Soldiers Need You:
Details: Fully heal all wounded soldiers.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: ×1 Special Unit.
6 — Beast Master (2):
Details: The Lord possesses three pets.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: Pet Rank-Up Card to Rare tier ×1.
---
He had already completed one quest. Five remained. Kaiden studied them carefully to map out a plan for completing them as quickly as possible. First, he set aside the quests he couldn't directly influence. Then he looked at what remained.
Hmm… I can consider the sixth quest as already done. Accounting for that, only two quests were left for him to work on personally: the first, Breaking the Boundary, and the fourth, Logistical Problems.
He already had a preliminary idea of how to resolve the meat and vegetable storage problem — but that would likely require a significant amount of mana. So it would be better to advance his rank first.
With a clear plan now in his mind, he asked Casper to follow him and set off. His destination was, naturally, the Lord's Hall, where he would carry out his rank advancement. Based on his first experience, the process would most likely involve screaming. And if he was going to scream, he preferred to do it without any of his people watching.
On the way, an eager villager came rushing toward Kaiden. But when he saw the Lord's serious expression and rapid strides, he hesitated and didn't dare interrupt. So he redirected his approach toward Casper at the rear and quickly whispered something in his ear.
Unlike the villager, Casper didn't think twice before stopping his Lord — knowing the importance of this matter. "My lord, Alchemist Luther has finished cooking the first batch of the improved Health Recovery Potions." The eager villager had indeed been one of Luther's assistants, and that was precisely what he had whispered to Casper.
"What?… Excellent!" Kaiden exclaimed. This was welcome news that eased his pressure somewhat. He thought for a moment and continued: "Casper, I'm still occupied with something. Go to the alchemist and pass on my commendation, then take the improved potions and deliver them to our wounded soldiers. Keep me informed of the results."
He had been planning to deliver the improved potions to his wounded soldiers himself — which was what they deserved. But with the enormous countdown looming over his head constantly reminding him of his remaining time, he chose speed over formality.
"Oh, and also — if there are any potions left over, please give them to my pet Piedra." He hadn't forgotten his pet, whom he hadn't seen since her taming.
"As you command, my lord!" Casper bowed respectfully, then set off alongside Luther's assistant toward the Alchemist's Workshop.
Kaiden resumed his path, this time alone. In truth, the reason he had asked Casper to follow him in the first place was as a precautionary measure in case he suffered a serious injury during the rank advancement or something similar. But it was fine — it had only been a precaution with an extremely low probability of being necessary.
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In the Lord's Hall, Third Floor.
Kaiden sat cross-legged on the floor and drew a deep breath to prepare himself for what was coming. He opened his status board, and several notifications appeared before him.
[System Alert: Verified that the user has reached the rank threshold.]
[System Alert: Verified that the Lord's Crown has reached the Silver Crown tier.]
[System Alert: All advancement requirements have been met. Do you wish to spend 40 Origin Points to advance your rank from Nascent Mage to Seasoned Mage? Yes / No.]
Kaiden read through the notifications and drew another deep breath. Then he selected confirm.
[System Alert: Confirmed. Rank advancement in progress. The process may involve pain — please endure.]
"AHHHHH!"
The second rank advancement was not a single bit easier.
The moment he confirmed the advancement, the pain struck immediately. He felt the arteries throughout his body being forcibly expanded to the point of nearly tearing. At the same time, he felt a sharp drill boring into the inside of his skull.
He couldn't understand it. Why was he the only one in the territory who suffered this kind of pain during rank advancement? Why didn't that white light simply descend and envelop him, completing the upgrade the same way it did for everyone else?
But he had no capacity to think in his current state. He was writhing on the floor of his room in a way he could not control. The process continued for several minutes before finally ceasing — accompanied by a series of notifications.
[System Alert: Congratulations! Your rank has been upgraded to Seasoned Mage. Please open the Lord's Status Board for further information.]
[System Alert: You have acquired a passive skill: Mana Control (Rare).]
This was followed by a notification dispatched from his territory talent.
[Quest "Breaking the Boundary!" Completed! Reward applied: Host's Earth affinity increased by 5%.]
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— End of Chapter Sixty-Three —
I’ve almost fully recovered from an illness that knocked me out for two days, but my body is still quite weak. In fact, I didn’t used to get ill very often, but since I started writing I’ve been falling ill a lot due to the pressure; after all, my job takes up 12 hours of my day, with just one day off a week, and then I spend another 5–6 hours a day writing. I’m not complaining to you; I chose this path myself and I accept the consequences. Ambition requires sacrifice. Although my novel is modest at best, it was only achieved through late nights, hard work and perseverance. Strive for your ambitions, mates, and do your very best, for life will pass by in any case, so let’s try to make it meaningful