The forest no longer belonged to no one.
It belonged to the Li Clan.
New weapons.
Better food.
More confidence.
The hunters walked differently now.
Straighter.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
At the center—
The Li ancestor.
Calm.
Silent.
Watching everything.
In the real world—
Li Chen sat forward, eyes focused.
"Good…"
"This is how a clan begins."
The system pulsed again.
🧬 [Clan Status Update]
Li Clan
Members: 67
Territory: 1 (Forest Edge)
Military Strength: Low → Moderate
Wealth: Increasing
Influence: Rising
A new option appeared.
🏛️ [Clan Expansion]
Build Storage (Cost: 20 AP)
Recruit Members (Cost: 30 AP)
Establish Trade (Cost: 25 AP)
Forge Weapons (Cost: 40 AP)
Li Chen narrowed his eyes.
"Weapons… or people…"
He paused.
Then smiled slightly.
"Both come later."
"First—economy."
Establish Trade — Confirm.
The screen shifted.
Villagers moved.
Food was gathered.
Meat prepared.
Basic goods organized.
Then—
A path opened.
Leading out of the forest.
Minutes later—
A caravan appeared.
Wooden carts.
Armed escorts.
Strangers.
The hunters tensed instantly.
"…Outsiders."
One of them whispered:
"Should we attack?"
The ancestor raised his hand.
"No."
Calm.
Firm.
Absolute.
"We trade."
The caravan stopped.
A man stepped forward.
Well-dressed.
Sharp eyes.
He looked at the Li hunters.
Then smiled faintly.
"Interesting…"
"A new clan?"
Silence.
Then—
He spoke again.
"Which family do you belong to?"
The ancestor stepped forward.
"Li."
A pause.
The man's smile didn't disappear.
But his eyes changed.
"Li…"
"…Never heard of it."
In the real world—
Li Chen smiled coldly.
"You will."
The trader continued:
"This land is under the influence of the Gu Family."
The air froze.
The hunters exchanged glances.
Tension rising.
"…Gu Family?"
One of them whispered:
"They're powerful…"
The trader nodded slightly.
"They control trade routes."
"They control resources."
A pause.
"And they don't like new players."
Silence.
The ancestor didn't move.
Didn't react.
But his eyes—
Turned colder.
The system triggered.
⚠️ [Faction Discovered]
👉 Gu Family
Rank: Established Clan
Influence: High
Military: Strong
Territory: Multiple
🧬 [Clan Conflict Potential: Activated]
Li Chen leaned forward slowly.
"…Finally."
A real opponent.
A real target.
Back in the scene—
The trader smiled again.
"So…"
He looked directly at the ancestor.
"Will you submit to the Gu Family?"
Silence.
The hunters held their breath.
Because they all knew—
This answer mattered.
Li Chen's eyes locked onto the screen.
"Say it."
The ancestor spoke.
Calm.
Steady.
Unshaken.
"We don't submit."
The trader's smile froze.
For a second—
Silence dominated everything.
Then—
"…Interesting."
His voice dropped slightly.
"Then you'll need protection."
A pause.
"Or you won't last long."
The caravan began to move again.
Leaving.
Slowly.
But before disappearing—
The trader spoke one last time.
"The Gu Family will hear about this."
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Tense.
One of the hunters turned quickly:
"…We made a mistake."
Another said:
"They'll crush us."
The ancestor didn't respond immediately.
He looked at the land.
The weapons.
The people.
Then—
He spoke.
"They bleed."
A pause.
"So can they die."
In the real world—
Li Chen stood up slowly.
Eyes burning.
"Good."
The system exploded with new updates.
⚔️ [Clan War Path Unlocked]
Expand Territory Aggressively
Disrupt Enemy Trade
Assassination Missions
Alliance System (Locked)
His phone vibrated again.
+¥80,000 received
But Li Chen didn't even look.
Because now—
This wasn't about money anymore.
This was about power.
He leaned forward.
Voice low.
Cold.
Absolute.
"The Gu Family…"
A pause.
"…will be the first to fall."