The sun pierced through morning fog, casting golden light over a village that, just days ago, was little more than dirt and rot. Now?
There were two watch-towers, leaning forward like drunk old men, but serviceable. A warehouse that would not fall down at one sneeze. Green things which protruded out of the farmland. And houses. Raw, out-of-proportion, dubiously insulated... but homes anyway.
Sen Zu stood in the center of it all with hands on his hips, like a general surveying a battlefield of turnips and goblins.
"This," he declared, "is what greatness looks like."
Behind him, Gob'Uno clapped. The others followed suit a beat too late, like a badly timed chorus.
"Chief very smart," Gob'Tres muttered with awe.
"Chief smell like roasted boar," added Gob'Cinco.
"That's power," Sen Zu said proudly.
Then it came.
......
[SYSTEM MILESTONE REACHED]
Basic Village Reconstruction: Completed
Population Cap Increased: 30
Unlocking Passive Recovery Boost
Reward Gained: Evolution Crystal (Single Use)
......
He saw a glittering crystal over him and it was the shape of a teardrop yet glowing with the warm light. He made one blinked. Then twice. Then grinned.
"Oh baby. We got loot."
He laid hold of it. it was like licking a battery, energy was zinging all over his fingertips. An instant reply then came.
......
[Evolution Crystal Activated]
Select one village resident to undergo evolution.
Warning: Evolution is permanent. Choose wisely.
......
Sen Zu didn't hesitate. He didn't even blink.
"I choose Rin."
........
She was stirring a pot of meat-and-turnip stew when the message hit her.
A golden beam shot down from the sky like heaven itself tapped her on the forehead.
"What in the... AHH?!"
The pot exploded.
Clang went the ladle. Thud went her knees.
The goblins screamed. Sen Zu bolted toward the house, eyes wide.
Inside, Rin was on the floor, gripping her head. Her body trembled. Glowing symbols ran across her skin like liquid fire, dancing over her arms, her collarbone, her cheeks.
"Rin!" he shouted, sliding to her side. "Hey... deep breaths! Focus on me!"
She tried. Her eyes fluttered open, and in that instant, a tidal wave of energy burst from her core.
BOOM.
The house shook. The goblins outside fled for their lives.
Her clothes fluttered violently as wind swirled in tight spirals around her. Her hair lifted, silver sparks igniting at the strands' ends. Her pupils glowed. A second later... shink... two translucent daggers appeared at her sides, hovering like guardian spirits.
She was taking slower breaths.
And then silence.
The daggers twitched one time.. then they vanished like smoke. Rin leaned on him, breathing heavily. "W-Who or what was that..."
Sen Zu smiled in a way that a proud father and a pervert would have."Congratulations you're now Body Refining Stage 6"
Her eyes widened. "That's... mid-tier cultivator level."
"You're welcome." He winked. "You are now officially too dangerous for kitchen service."
She stared at him. Her cheeks flushed bright pink.
"… You didn't have to pick me," she whispered.
He shrugged. "Goblins can take a beating, but I can't flirt with Uno."
........
They allowed her to recuperate. The goblins organized an unusual "ceremony" where they attempted to cook mud and set a tent on fire.
Simultaneously, Sen Zu was seated at the village's new planning table, drawing improvements with charcoal.
The system pinged yet again.
......
[Hidden Stat Revealed: Evolution Potential (Rin)]
Weapon Spirit: Twin Blades of the Moonshade
Affinity: Speed, Shadow
Potential Tier: High (Martial-Class)
......
He let out a low whistle.
"You're something else, Rin."
She stood on the door, a cloth on her shoulder, eyes sharp now... concentrated in a way she never had been formerly. Her presence was humming. Air would curl a bit around her.
He smirked. "So. Want to spar?"
She pulled the cloth tight with one hand. The faint shimmer of a blade appeared behind her back.
"Only if I get to hit you once."
"Scared?"
She stepped forward.
"Hope you can still walk afterward, Chief."
"...Kinky," he whispered.
"Sen Zu!"
He ran.
Clang!
The broom landed exactly on his head.
........
Let the age of the blade-maid begin.
......