Chapter 68: A Beast Tide Incoming?!
"So... today really is the last day."
Kaiden murmured this the moment he opened his eyes to the rays of the seventh morning since his arrival in this world.
He turned toward the other side of the room, but found no trace of Asra, who usually slept beside his bed.
It seemed she was still out exploring this world, driven by curiosity.
An involuntary smile spread across his face as he thought of his new pet beast — one that had inherited a small body, but possessed a mind mature enough to be astonishing.
He got up without wasting time and headed to the open balcony. The cool morning breeze brushed his face, the best time of day within his scorching Territory, as his eyes landed directly on the massive counter hanging in the sky, displaying the time remaining until the Novice Protection ended.
"Ten hours left..."
He said it calmly, then noticed something strange — he wasn't tense... nor panicked.
The complete opposite of what he'd expected over the past few days.
He shook his head, smiling, as he took in the Territory that had begun bustling with activity since the early morning hours. Workers were hauling resources nonstop since dawn, soldiers stood at their posts along the Territory's borders, and craftsmen went about their work as usual.
This Territory, with everything in it, was his capital in this world — the source of his confidence to face any challenge to come.
Before heading down, he opened the Global Chat to check on the other lords and their preparations for the end of Novice Protection.
He hadn't expected to see anything remarkable...
But the moment the messages appeared before him, his eyes widened slightly. An overwhelming uproar — everyone was talking about... a Beast Tide?!
"A Beast Tide?!"
Kaiden muttered in confusion. This was the first time he'd heard the term. He forced himself to stay calm and began scrolling through the messages, searching for the source of the chaos.
After a few minutes of scrolling, he finally found it.
The message came from a name familiar to him.
Global Chat:
Lord of the Knowledge Territory: Good morning, everyone. I'll get straight to the point.
I have important information regarding the end of Novice Protection and wanted to share it with everyone, so please read carefully.
The moment the protective barrier lifts and the defensive walls are built, your territories will face a massive Beast Tide.
I read this information at the end of a book that appeared in the library after upgrading the Lord's Hall to Level 9.
The book also mentioned that this Beast Tide represents a harsh trial for all new lords.
So I advise everyone to prepare from now — especially those lacking in combat troops. Gather as much stone as you can, and rely on defensive walls to form temporary militia forces to help repel the beasts.
Good luck to everyone.
The moment the message ended, the chat exploded with dozens of replies and questions.
But Kaiden had no interest in reading them.
He closed the chat immediately and switched to the World Market.
"Just as I expected."
He murmured, watching as stone — something no one had cared about over the past few days — suddenly became a hot commodity, with most of the cheap listings vanishing within a short time.
Kaiden didn't join the frenzied buying wave. His barren Territory lacked almost everything except stone, so he wasn't suffering from any shortage — he already had several thousand units stockpiled in his warehouses.
"But I didn't expect the books to contain information this important... I should have read them."
He turned his head toward the bookshelf in his room and let out a light sigh.
It wasn't entirely his fault.
There were dozens of books he'd acquired recently, and he simply hadn't had the time to read them all.
After a brief thought, he didn't bother searching for the specific book the Lord of the Knowledge Territory had referenced, nor did he doubt the information for a moment.
The books he'd obtained before had already contained plenty of valuable information.
Besides, he had a better way to confirm it — something called the Regional Quest Generator... his trusted Regional Talent.
Without hesitation, he activated it.
The next moment, a list of new quests appeared before him.
---
1 - Stones Soaked in Blood
Details: During the coming Beast Tide, use catapults to kill 10 or more beasts of any rank.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: Runic Weapon Package ×1.
2 - Heroes Thirsty for Kills
Details: Kill a total of 50 beasts of any rank at the hands of Emerging Heroes during the Beast Tide.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: Emerging Hero ×5.
3 - Curbing the Powerful
Details: Kill 5 beasts of Rare rank or higher during the Beast Tide.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: Special Building ×1.
4 - Lord on the Front Lines
Details: Personally kill 10 beasts of Common rank, and kill or contribute to killing 2 beasts of Rare rank during the Tide.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: +3 Levels for the Veteran Mage Class.
5 - Minimal Losses
Details: End the Beast Tide with losses not exceeding 10 troops.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: Silver Treasure Chest ×1.
6 - A Mountain of Corpses
Details: Kill a total of 150 beasts of any rank during the Beast Tide.
Time Limit: 24 hours.
Reward: Gold Treasure Chest ×1.
---
"Six full quests... all tied to the Beast Tide." Kaiden muttered as he reviewed the details one by one.
But soon, his brows furrowed.
"More than a hundred and fifty beasts?! Plus a number of Rare-rank ones on top of that?!"
Based on his experience, the actual beast count would exceed what the quests stated — for instance, the last quest mentioned killing a total of 150 beasts of any rank, which meant the number of attacking beasts would likely reach 200, if not more.
Possibly even higher.
"If this is the situation for me..." he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Then what about the rest of the lords?"
Even among the human lords, he considered himself among the better-equipped.
And yet...
He still felt that the coming Tide, even if it wasn't a life-or-death battle, would undoubtedly be a grueling one for his Territory.
So how would the others fare? But these thoughts didn't linger long. He shook his head firmly.
"Now isn't the time to worry about others."
"I need to focus on my own Territory first."
Time was passing quickly, and every minute had become precious.
He returned to his room, put on a comfortable gray outfit, then headed downstairs.
Casper was waiting for him, with three administrative officials behind him who had joined the Territory the day before.
"Good morning, my lord."
"Good morning, Casper... good morning, everyone."
He returned the greeting, then got straight down to business.
"How is the blacksmith Hook's work coming along?"
One of the two women exchanged glances with Casper, and after he nodded to her, she stepped forward and answered steadily.
"My lord, the work is proceeding as planned. Blacksmith Hook just finished forging the third weapon a moment ago, and Asil has finished engraving the first — Soldier Josh's broadsword — and she's currently working on the rest of the weapons."
Kaiden nodded, satisfied. It seemed Casper had already divided the responsibilities among them.
"Hmm... Lisa, right?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Also keep track of Chemist Luther's work. I want the largest possible quantity of Enhanced Health Recovery Potions and Stamina Recovery Potions produced as quickly as possible."
Lisa pulled out her notebook and immediately jotted down the instructions.
"Understood, my lord."
Then he turned to the other officials.
"Gather all available residents, and pull every last stone from storage."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Divide it into four piles, and place each pile near one of the four borders of the Territory."
"As you command, my lord."
"It will be carried out immediately."
The man was in charge of resources, while the other woman handled population management, so carrying out this task required their joint cooperation.
Before they left, he remembered something else.
"Ah... don't move the large stones with the rest."
They looked at him, waiting.
"Set them aside to serve as catapult ammunition."
"Understood."
After dismissing them, only Casper remained, accompanying him outside the building.
Kaiden chose a wide open square within the Territory.
Then he activated the day's Summon.
The moment the flash of light faded, fifty new people stood before him.
"Seems my good luck is still holding," Kaiden muttered, satisfied, the instant he saw this new batch.
End of Chapter 68.