The sun had only begun to crest over the treetops when the hammer rang out against stone.
A line of masons—former lumberjacks, carpenters, and tailors—now labored with precision at the eastern edge of Dawnlight, where the land had been cleared and leveled overnight.
A foundation of dark, rune-carved stone spread outward in a rectangular shape. Three spires of ironwood marked the corners. And at its heart, the framework for a new banner—the sigil of a training discipline never before seen in their world.
[COMBAT ACADEMY – UNDER CONSTRUCTION]Status: 24%Functions: Train Squad Coordination, Unlock Tactical Skills, Promote Elite UnitsRequired: 280 Stone / 190 Metal / 60 Advanced LumberProgress Boost: Leadership Bonus (Lord Present)
Evan stood at the edge of the construction zone, hands folded behind his back.
He didn't smile. He didn't speak.
He observed.
Two days ago, his people had survived their first real raid. They had emerged victorious—no deaths, no retreats. But seven had come back with injuries: cracked ribs, puncture wounds, bruised muscles, a dislocated arm.
None of them were critical.
But none of them were healing fast enough.
Rourke stood beside him, arms crossed, one eye still swollen from the gorebeast's charge.
"This academy will make them sharper," he said. "Cleaner. More disciplined."
"Discipline doesn't stop bleeding," Evan muttered.
Rourke nodded. "We need medics. Or miracles."
That morning, Evan summoned his council.
They gathered around the long stone table inside the Lord House—Tassa, Leena, Rourke, and Garin. Scrolls, ledgers, and parchment maps sprawled across the surface.
"We survived the first raid," Evan began. "But injuries slowed our output by 11% over two days. That's a tax we can't afford."
Tassa flipped open a metal-bound report.
"Three rope lines were delayed. 120 bundles of trade goods left unmade. Mila's hand injury delayed the tailoring guild by a shift and a half."
Leena chimed in. "Also lowered morale. Injured workers earn fewer Contribution Points. That creates imbalance."
Evan nodded. "I've spent the last six hours combing the Race Market and Universal Listings. We need healing options—and we need them now."
He flicked his fingers across the system interface.
Three options appeared in glowing script before the council.
🛐 Option 1: Statue of the Graceful Mother
Type: Passive Building (Decorative Class)
Effect: +3 HP Recovery/min to all within 30-meter radius
No upkeep, no unit cost
Costs: 800 Bz + 100 Stone + 40 Silver
Bonus: Aesthetic morale bonus (+2 Charisma to Lord)
SHARE Compatible: Yes (HP regen effect shared passively)
⛪ Option 2: Chapel of Light
Type: Spiritual Building
Recruits: Priest / Cleric (Healers)
Skills: [Basic Heal], [Status Recovery I]
Costs: 1,100 Bz + 220 Stone + 100 Refined Wood
Requires: 3 Holy Crystals (rare market item)
SHARE Compatible: Yes (Healers' skills can be shared passively across support citizens)
⚔️ Option 3: Bloodforge Arena
Type: Warrior Training Hall
Trains: "Revenant" Unit (Berserker-type)
Passive Skill: [HP Regeneration I]
Combat-focused only, no direct healing
Costs: 950 Bz + 300 Metal + 2 Combat Blueprints
SHARE Compatible: Yes (regen shared to all units, no heal skill)
Silence hung thick.
Garin was the first to speak.
"The statue is the fastest. Lowest cost, no dependencies. We could build it today."
Tassa nodded. "But the chapel would give us actual healing. Full recovery. Flexibility. And with SHARE—anyone who learns [Heal] would pass that effect to the others."
Leena frowned. "But priests aren't soldiers. They'll require protection. And the Holy Crystals needed for construction are sold out in the Race Market."
Evan studied the Bloodforge Arena.
"The berserker path is tempting. Regeneration on the front line would make a difference in long raids."
Rourke grunted. "But we're building stability, not madness. We need recovery, not reliance on brutality."
Evan closed his eyes for a moment.
He saw the builders hunched over scaffolds with bandaged arms.He remembered the pained grunt of a tailor lifting a crate.He saw Rek—the training soldier who sparred with him—favoring one leg.
They were strong. They were smart.
But they were still human.
"We go with the Chapel of Light," Evan said.
The table went quiet.
"The statue is too passive. The berserkers are too volatile. The chapel is expensive, yes—but healing scales. A single priest can cast [Heal] on 20 people a day. Once the skill is unlocked, SHARE spreads it. Even bakers will have healing options."
Tassa immediately flipped to a resource ledger. "We have the stone. Wood is short. We'll need to buy or harvest. I'll put in the market orders."
"The Holy Crystals?" Garin asked.
"I've located a seller in the Universal Market," Evan replied. "Their price is… unpleasant. But I'll negotiate a bulk deal using surplus arrows and rope packs."
Rourke folded his arms. "How long until construction?"
"Two days. If materials arrive fast enough—less."
System Notification blinked softly in Evan's mind:
[Order Confirmed: CHAPEL OF LIGHT – Construction Queued]Delivery ETA: 32 hoursRequired: 3x Holy Crystal (Purchase Pending)
Lord Bonus Applied: SHARE (Healer Skill Distribution Active upon Recruitment)
As the council dispersed, Evan stood alone in the war room.
He stared out the wide stone window toward the Combat Academy—still half-built. Men and women hoisted timber beams into place. Blacksmiths pounded nails. The entire village thrummed with motion.
In the square nearby, children practiced draw-and-fire stances with wooden bows, coached by retired hunters.
He could almost hear the rhythm of it.
A city without walls.A fortress without armor.But it was alive.
"Let the other Lords build towers," Evan whispered."We'll build resilience."
And with healing, they would be ready to endure the storm to come.
[Global System Announcement – Universal Chat]
⚠️ MONSTER RAID EVENT: STAGE I BEGINS IN 72 HOURS
▸ Participating Territories: All Lord-owned domains▸ Enemy Class: Randomized by biome▸ Wave Frequency: Every 7 days▸ Survival Rewards: Building Blueprints, Talent Shards, Territory EXP▸ Failure Penalty: Territory Degradation, Loss of Core Population
"Glory to those who endure. Silence to those who fall."
The system message hit like thunder across all chats.
In Dawnlight, the alert echoed through the central square's loudspeaker crystal. Villagers froze. Then whispers spread like wildfire.
"Seventy-two hours?""That's... not enough time.""They'll wipe us out.""No—Lord Evan will prepare something. He always does."
Inside the Lord House, Evan stood at the head of the table. The four council heads were already assembled.
"No greetings," Evan said. "We don't have the time."
Tassa unfurled a logistics scroll. "Our stockpile includes 1,000 units of dried food, 460 water jugs, and 900 weapons—mostly basic."
"We'll need 1,500 minimum," Evan replied.
"I'll shift all surplus woodworkers and coopers to weapon crafting," she said. "I'll triple quota targets."
Rourke stepped forward next.
"We're not dealing with a single raid now. It's waves. Staggered fatigue. We need rotation-based deployment."
He rolled out a dirt-smudged tactical scroll.
"Five-squad structure:Squad 1: VanguardSquad 2: MidguardSquad 3: Archery LineSquad 4: Rearguard (emergency medics, gear runners)Squad 5: Recovery and Resupply — always off-duty but ready to rotate in."
"Approved," Evan said instantly. "Post it on every training wall. Everyone drills by that map from now on."
Leena spoke next, her clipboard weighed down with parchments.
"We'll tie readiness drills to Contribution Points. Anyone who shows up for scheduled squad drills gets bonus CP. We'll add shop discounts for full participation."
"Make it mandatory for able-bodied citizens," Evan added. "Use incentives, not punishments. Those who help defend earn ownership."
In a moment of silence, Garin raised his hand.
"I've rotated agricultural output to fast-harvest crops: lentils, mossbeans, high-yield roots. We'll have enough to support the territory for 10 days straight—maybe more if we preserve efficiently."
Evan turned toward the window where fields shimmered with new green.
"You've done well. All of you."
Then he turned back to the table.
"Now we make it unbreakable."
🛠️ Upgrade Orders – Enacted Immediately
Barrack → Lv.3:▸ Increases soldier recruitment rate to 3/day▸ Unlocks Guard Captain promotion▸ Costs: 300 Stone, 280 Wood, 80 Iron▸ EXP Bonus: Applied via SHARE usage history
Archery Hall → Lv.2:▸ Unlocks [Precision Shot] skill▸ Increases archer training speed▸ Costs: 250 Wood, 50 Leather, 60 Resin▸ EXP Bonus: Already at cap from recent raid
Chapel of Light – Construction Priority Elevated:▸ Expected Completion: 26 hours▸ Priest Recruitment: Available upon structure completion▸ Skills to be shared: [Basic Heal], [Soothing Aura], [Prayer Buff I]
Evan issued marketplace orders next.
[RACE MARKET BULK PURCHASE – 620 Bz SPENT]▸ 400 units of Oak▸ 600 Iron Arrowheads▸ 8 Herbal Recovery Kits▸ 3 Stonewatch Beacon Crystals (used to construct watchtowers)
[UNIVERSAL MARKET TRADE COMPLETED]▸ 3 Holy Crystals for Chapel construction▸ Paid in: 500 rope bundles + 120 bowstrings + 20 iron knives
Outside, hammers rang. Arrows thudded. The smithy fires never stopped.
The village began to change shape.
From a peaceful frontier settlement… to a fortress disguised as a marketplace.
By sundown, Rourke was running full formation drills.
Five squads rotated every four hours through:
Combat: full movement and attack exercises
Rest: stamina and injury recovery
Crafting: field repairs, arrow production
Observation: tower duty and patrol
Support: feeding, healing, morale duty
The tailors made bandage kits. The herbalists turned herbs into pain-soothing poultices. The coopers reinforced training shields with steel rims.
Even children were assigned roles—water runners, messenger relays.
It wasn't chaos.
It was orchestration.
At midnight, Leena found Evan alone, outside the newly erected Chapel frame.
Its construction glowed with golden script, slowly finishing beam by beam. The Holy Crystals shimmered within its foundation—symbols of belief in a world that hadn't known gods until now.
"You're still awake," she said.
"Of course."
Leena crossed her arms. "You could've picked a statue. Passive regen. Cheap and safe. But you chose this."
"Because statues don't adapt," Evan said, eyes on the growing Chapel walls. "A priest will learn. Change. Share. Heal more people than I can count."
He turned to her.
"I'm not building a temple. I'm building longevity."
Leena said nothing, but the look in her eyes softened.
That dawn, the Combat Academy finally completed.
Its great iron banner rose into the sky, crackling with system power.
[STRUCTURE COMPLETED: COMBAT ACADEMY – Lv.1]
▸ Skills Unlocked:
[Tactical Planning I]
[Group Combat Mastery I]
▸ Function: Allows creation of elite squads▸ Bonus: Training speed doubled when Lord participates▸ EXP Shared to all citizens via SHARE
Evan stepped through its arched gate.
In the training hall, squads were already forming up. Rourke shouted drills. Arrows were fired in unified rhythm. Spears moved as one. Swords clashed in harmony.
"They move like a single will," Leena said, standing beside him.
"Not will," Evan replied."Like a single network."
As the second day ended, the sky above Dawnlight turned crimson.
A new system window opened above every Lord-owned territory.
[⚔️ Monster Raid Event Begins in: 72:00:00]→ 2 Days Remaining ←
Recommendation: Begin establishing fall-back bunkers and rally points.Visibility: Active on World MapNotable Territories: [Dawnlight – Anonymous Rank: Top 12 Efficiency Rating]
"The soil shall scream. The weak shall fold. The Lords shall rise."
Evan turned to his people—gathered for the evening report, torches lit, eyes wide, gear worn.
He said nothing at first.
Just raised one hand.
"They're coming," he said. "You already knew that."
"But so are we."
"We've bled together. Trained together. Built together. This isn't a fight for our land. This is a test—of our system, of our shared strength."
He pointed to the sky.
"Let the world see what a machine made of humans can do."
And the village roared in reply.