Arin opened his status panel first.
He didn't expect anything strange. If there were a change at all, it would be subtle and easy to overlook.
What he saw made him freeze.
___________________________
Name: Arin
Core Talent: Lord
Rank: Soldier (53%)
Core Skills: Lord's Eyes, Lord's Imprint
Regular Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Timed Step, Anchor of Identity
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Subordinates (3/3):
1. Raul Slade — Soldier (85%)
2. Victor — Soldier (82%)
3. Mina — Captain (0%)
Lord Coins: 212
___________________________
Arin stared at the percentage for several seconds, making sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
Fifty-three percent.
Before this, his progression had been completely stalled at thirty. It didn't matter how many battles they survived or how many monsters they brought down; it never shifted, not even by the smallest margin. He'd tried to ignore it at first, then to understand it, eventually settling on the assumption that it was some kind of hidden wall, or a condition he simply hadn't met yet.
And now, just like that, it had jumped by more than twenty percent.
"…So that's how it works," he muttered under his breath.
The realization settled in slowly, piece by piece.
When Mina ranked up… he progressed a lot too.
Her advancement had stirred something inside him, a subtle shift that had been dormant for too long. It wasn't immediate or obvious at first, but when he noticed, he felt walls inside himself loosening bit by bit.
Does that mean…
His gaze drifted back to the subordinate list.
Does that mean I only advance when my subordinates rank up after a certain wall?
The thought made his stomach tighten.
Right now, it didn't seem too bad: three subordinates, all strong, all reliable. Mina reaching the Captain rank had already pushed him forward significantly.
But later?
If he ever expanded that limit, five subordinates, ten, maybe more…
He exhaled slowly.
That's going to be a nightmare.
If even one of them lagged, his own progression might slow to a crawl. Worse, if he ever ended up carrying dead weight,
"Nope. That's tomorrow's problem," Arin said quietly, shaking his head.
He dismissed the thought before it could spiral further.
"Oi," Raul's voice cut in. "You've been staring at that thing like it personally offended you. What's going on?"
Arin looked up and explained what he'd discovered, his stalled progression, the sudden jump, and his suspicion about how his rank-up actually worked.
Victor listened with his arms crossed, nodding slowly. "Yeah… that's definitely something to keep in mind."
Then he smirked. "Still, with the right people, your talent's already broken enough."
Mina nodded in agreement. "You don't need some random folks. You just need people who can pull their own weight." She glanced at Arin. "And with your talent, I don't think finding them will be very difficult."
Raul folded his arms behind his head. "Besides, next time you recruit someone, we'll screen them ourselves."
He grinned. "Anyone who can't pass through us gets kicked before they even get the chance."
The casual confidence in their voices eased something tight in Arin's chest.
"Thanks," he said simply.
Then he opened Mina's status panel.
___________________________
Subordinate: Mina
Core Talent: Necromancy
Rank: Captain (0%)
Talent Skills: Raise Undead, Undead Contract (3/10), Soul Harvest
Regular Skills: Spear Form, Unbroken Guard
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Undead Contract (3/10):
1. Rook (Undead Stoneback Lizard) — Soldier +
2. Tank (Undead Stoneback Lizard) — Soldier +
3. Ghost (Undead Ghost Scorpion) — Soldier +
Harvested Souls: 0
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Upgrade Panel (Mina)
1. Upgrade Rank to Commander — 10,000 Lord Coins
2. Upgrade Skill: Spear Form > Spear Intent— 1000 Lord Coins
3. Upgrade Skill: Unbroken Guard > Shifting Aegis — 1000 Lord Coins
Soul Harvest: Claim the souls of the slain and use them to further empower your contracted undead.
___________________________
Arin felt his brain stall.
Then reboot.
Then stall again.
"…Is she the main character of an anime or something?" he asked quietly.
Nobody answered him.
Because Mina was staring at her own status panel with the exact same expression.
Broken.
Completely, utterly broken.
Raul leaned closer. "Alright, enough staring into the void. Spill."
Mina hesitated, then shared the details.
By the time she finished, Raul and Victor were both leaning back, eyes fixed on the ceiling like they were reconsidering every life decision that had brought them here.
Victor broke the silence first.
"Man," he said softly, "life really isn't fair."
Raul let out a slow breath. "It certainly isn't."
Mina didn't look pleased. If anything, she seemed… unsettled.
She stayed quiet for a while, eyes unfocused.
"Guys?" she finally said.
"Hm?" all three replied.
"Don't you think it's weird?"
Victor glanced at her. "What is?"
Mina hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "That new skill I awakened, Soul Harvest."
She looked at Arin. "Doesn't it feel… too similar to your upgrades?"
"Kill living beings. Collect souls from them. Use it to strengthen troops."
Arin frowned.
"…So you're saying," he said slowly, "that my Lord Coins might also come from souls?"
The thought sent a faint chill down his spine.
Raul considered it. "There's a high chance that's exactly what they are."
He shrugged. "The difference is, Mina's skill is straightforward. Yours is more… abstract. Less a skill, more like a feature of your Core Talent."
"Yeah," Victor added. "Yours can upgrade ranks, skills, everything. It's like a whole framework."
Arin exhaled. "So I'm basically running a very polite soul-processing machine."
"…When you put it like that, it sounds horrifying," Victor said.
"No need to overthink it right now," Mina said quickly. "What matters is this—"
She smiled, small but genuine.
"I got stronger."
"And with you and your undead," Arin said, returning the smile, "we can gather more Lord Coins, faster and safer."
Raul stood up, stretching. "Then it's settled."
He looked at Victor with a grin. "Our junior just overtook us."
Victor snorted, pushing himself to his feet as well. "Yeah, yeah. Guess we'll have to work harder."
He cracked his knuckles. "I'll start refining armor tomorrow. Upgrade weapons with whatever's left from the monster carcasses."
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Then we go huntin'."
Sunlight streamed into Mina's hut, brightening the quiet corners.
The lingering heaviness from earlier had eased, leaving room to breathe.
It felt sharp, focused, and… promising, like there was a path forward, clear and open.