Day 2, inside the EndlessAbyss.
Kreig, Durian, and Exel subjugated a total of 25 night monsters from their previous hunt.
By making use of the limited barrier of the domain, they managed to kill ten monsters per hour, mainly because of the power-up Kreig had gotten when he tiered up.
They continued their hunt for two and a half hours before finally succumbing to their exhaustion. Out of the 25 monsters they managed to kill, only five dropped Abyss Stones, and for the first time, Essence Stones, two of them.
The carcasses of the monsters they killed scattered at the edges of the barrier, sulling the ground with their blood that seemed to hide under the moonlight, not vanishing, but were instead preserved under the moon.
The group took advantage of the moonlight, pulling the carcasses of the monsters that they deemed might fetch a valuable price.
The moment Kreig had tiered up, Exel, too, was granted newfound knowledge. He'd subtly be able to determine valuable parts of the monster. Not clearly, but was enough for their current situation.
They knew they couldn't use any settlements to store the body of the monsters, they'd spoil and might become an issue later. So they instead waited for the sun to rise as they slowly stored their loot for the hunt, before calling it a day.
Day two status update:
Lord Name: Kreig Haven
Resonance Name: Haven
Lord level: Level 1, Tier 2
Resonance: Soulbound (unique)
Essence: 1676/2999
Domain Name: Haven
Domain area: 400m
Lord skills:
Mini Map (medium-rank) – Allows the lord to visualize his domain on his head.
Extraction (Unranked) – Allows the lord to subjugate or extract Resonance and essence from the enemy lord's domains.
Summon (Unranked) – Summon units to fight for the lord using summoning stones dropped by monsters in the abyss.
Day 3, inside the Endless Abyss.
Kreig noticed how the essence he'd get from monsters dropped by at least 35%.
He asked Exel about it, in he answered.
"My lord, upon tiering up from tier 1 to tier 2, the essence you would get from the monster will lessen to 35%. Then, to reach a higher tier, my lord, the deduction will be 70%, which may seem gruesome, but with the help of the barrier, you should be able to breach that in no time." Exel paused, his face warping into a smile.
"Besides, my lord, worry not for once you reach level 2, the essence you will need will at the very least be ten times more, but from tier 1 to tier 2, there will be no deduction. However, just like how the previous system worked before you reach level 2, tiring up will add up deductible." He added.
Kreig couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly from the revelation.
According to Exel, I should be able to tier up from 2 to 3 with a 35% deduction to the essence I'd get from monsters. Doesn't that just mean I just need to kill a few more?
Kreig didn't mind killing a few more; killing them would not cause him trouble, and instead would strengthen him. Thus, to prepare for the night, he gathered his five newly summoned units to clear the surrounding area of the domain.
Most of his summoned units were combatants, and luckily, all of them were normal despite their rather shabby appearances; what mattered the most for him was that they knew how to listen.
He had Exel command the group while he and Durian will go to hunting for food.
Kreig planned to get some more fruits, or that was at least the thing he knew was edible.
He didn't lack commands.
He told Exel to cut down a few trees from their domain to have a better grasp of their location. Not solely for that reason, but because they soon will need to build a proper settlement for his domain.
In a few hours, they've successfully gathered enough food that should last for two days.
Having someone go with me makes things easier.
That was what Kreig thought.
He didn't have to worry about carrying the fruits, for Durian did it for him. Although they had yet to feel the dire situation they were truly in, they wanted to prepare themselves as much as possible, not only to fortify their domain but also to gather information about their neighbors.
Kreig knew that goblins resided somewhere within the vast forest, but it may not just be goblins, but other lords as well.
After a few more hours of exploration, they managed to find a spring pool of water. They didn't immediately rejoice; instead, they moved with caution.
They inwardly marked the place, carving bits of trees that led to the small pool.
On the other hand, to where the domain resided.
Exel commanded the group of combatants to clear the trees that cast shadows upon their domain.
They moved swiftly, two of the combatants handled chopping down the towering trees, while the rest organized the chunks inside the domain.
They didn't rush to build settlements first, since there were enough houses to accommodate them all. Exel commanded that they gather tons of wood for now, and worry about the settlements for later.
They happily did their jobs, feeling quite lucky that the lord they'd served wasn't too hard on them.
It quickly turned into a habit for them.
During the night, they'd hunt down monsters, and during the they, they'll explore the surrounding area, build settlements, and chop down trees.
They quickly got used to it.
Day 4, inside the Endless Abyss...
Day 5, inside the...
Day 6,...
Days flew by like the shift of spring to autumn, now it was Day 6 of their lodging inside the Endless Abyss.
Kreig's subject now exceeds the threshold of his expectation.
There are at least 40 units inside the domain now, as the sixth day slowly unfolds. As lucky as Kreig could be, they are all combatants. The problem lay in their battle strength.
All of the newly summoned units had already acknowledged their lord, who was cold and seemed to love battle; he was, at the very least, not the one to abuse them; in fact, they felt conflicted.
When they encountered some beasts while exploring, like the day prior, when they encountered a night monster during the day, their lord took the front, protecting them, when they felt they should be the ones to do so.
Because of that, their loyalty towards Kreig surged to its highest, obeying him, and Exel, whom they deemed the second highest authority inside the domain.
The domain has expanded several times as well, now with an encircling wooden barrier meters apart from the veil of barrier, with numerous houses that were much better looking than their initial blueprints.
They are thriving, and they can feel the days getting better for them.
...
The night was still young, but it dimmed eerily so. Unlike the days before, the moon flashed an eerily reddish light upon the land.
Murmurs rippled the domain; the final day of their protection had come, and they all wanted to savor it.
A campfire lit brightly at the center of the veil, where his summons stood firmly holding their very own weapons that accompanied them from their summon.
"Tomorrow will be the day the barrier disappears," Kreig voice shattered the murmurs of the crowd, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He stood firmly on a wooden stage with the demeanor of a lord.
"Our gruesome suffering has only just started, but we've come far, even if our objective is not. At least, not yet." He paused, his aloof voice permeating the ears of his subjects, listening with their ears wide open.
"Tonight, my dear subjects, let us have a feast!"
Upon his declaration, the crowd beneath him rejoiced in applause, chanting and muttering.
"For the lord!"
"Long live the lord!"
They knew what their lord meant when he said they would have a feast.
A phrase they've long heard.
Hunting. Purging.
Having that in mind, they readily followed their lord, rejoiced even.
Their army grew in size, and their hunting proficiency became even more efficient.
Kreig didn't use the Excess Abyss Stones he'd got, instead, he stored them. He thought of using it at least after leveling up, which proved harder than he initially thought.
Lord Name: Kreig Haven
Resonance Name: Haven
Lord level: Level 1, Tier 3
Resonance: Soulbound (unique)
Essence: 4049/4999
Domain Name: Haven
Domain area: 600m
Lord skills:
Mini Map (high-rank) – Allows the lord to visualize his domain on his head.
Extraction (Unranked) – Allows the lord to subjugate or extract Resonance and essence from the enemy lord's domains.
Summon (Unranked) – Summon units to fight for the lord using summoning stones dropped by monsters in the abyss.
??? -
Barrier cooldown: 17 hours, 51 minutes, 19 seconds.
He needs to kill 30 more night monsters to level up. But that proved a hassle given that deduction to essence, he'd killed at least hundreds already, adding to those he'd kill during the day.
The barrier should disappear at noon. We've built walls, traps outside, and fortified the settlements. This should be enough... but... I can't get complacent just yet...I need to level up.
Kreig's thought echoed in his skull. Despite his worry about tomorrow's event, and knowing that they should be resting right now, he wanted to be sure and summon as many units as he could and level up to expand his territory more.
Although they'd drowned themselves in preparation the whole day, he couldn't help but have a bad feeling about tomorrow's event,
"First Catalyst...huh..."
He muttered, his hand tightly clenched the sword he'd unsheathed.
My life has gotten interesting...