After carefully reading the benefits provided by the title, Agnus felt a little disappointed.
It had to be understood that Noctari were a troop type lacking any will of their own, and therefore inherently incapable of betrayal.
This effect was actually very powerful and would delight almost any Lord, but for Agnus, it carried no practical benefit or advantage whatsoever.
"The second effect of the title is even more questionable—it increases affinity toward Noctari and the shadow element."
"It doesn't seem like this will be useful anytime soon."
Agnus sighed and shifted his focus to the other information panels.
[Friends Information] was empty, which was to be expected, considering they had only just been transported to this world.
[Spatial Trade Channel] was likewise empty.
Agnus's gaze settled on the final information interface: [World Chat].
And it had to be said that, unlike the others, this interface was teeming with life.
Messages flashed by at an enormous speed, not giving Agnus a chance to read them all.
"Apparently, everyone is eager to share their experiences with others and gather some information."
At the very top of the chat, a pinned announcement stood out, practically begging to be read.
[World Announcement: Billions of Castle Lords from the Blue Star, welcome to the continent of Radis! Join this fair and just competition of ten thousand races! Here you will gain power and status… everything you desire. Including eternal life!]
"Well, they really went all out with the flashy announcement. Though I have to admit, it does sound quite tempting—even if it's not entirely straightforward."
Gradually, the speed at which messages were pouring in began to slow.
This wasn't surprising. Agnus checked and found that the World Chat allowed each Lord to send only one message per day.
[What kind of place is the continent of Radis?]
[Competition of ten thousand races, and soon the Beast Tide is coming… I want to go home!]
[Why is my starting unit a Strange Goblin? When they reach maturity, it's only Order 2. Didn't we agree on fairness? How am I supposed to live like this!]
[Your troops can reach Order 2 when you hit maturity. My starting unit is even worse than yours. When I reached maturity, I was only at Order 1. I'm going crazy!! What kind of troop type is White Rabbit anyway?!]
[Hahaha, how pathetic. My unit is a Giant Illusory Rabbit. Its combat power is simply incredible! Its maximum potential can reach Order 6! Don't underestimate the power of rabbits!]
[Giant Illusory Rabbit? My starting unit is a Flame Fox. When it reaches maturity, it becomes an Order 4 creature. Foxes are natural predators of rabbits—can my Flame Fox beat your rabbit even with the Order difference?]
[Oh my god, I'm so jealous of you guys! Big brother, please protect me!]
[Anyone who needs a protector can come to me. I have troops with Order 2 potential!]
[Who's this arrogant kid at the top? My potential may only reach Order 1, but I won't serve anyone below Order 4!]
[What do you even know? Order 3 is already good—how about serving me…]
…
While scrolling through these messages in the World Chat, Agnus turned his head to look at the Noctari around him. He couldn't help but think to himself.
"If it weren't for the lucky mutation, I'd probably have to look for a patron too—though for now, everyone's probably just joking around."
"We have to keep in mind that we've only just arrived in this world. We don't know what opportunities might be waiting for us."
"It's entirely possible that there are methods or treasures capable of improving the potential limit."
Agnus sighed.
"In any case, what's the point of improving potential if Noctari don't have any? If the potential is simply absent, then there's nothing to improve, right?"
Pushing aside the doubts that had crept in, Agnus scrolled further down the chat.
Thankfully, it was possible to pause the chat; otherwise the messages would have been completely unreadable.
Right away, a series of noteworthy messages caught his attention.
[Brothers and sisters, please don't leave the castle!]
[It's really too dangerous outside! I just stepped out of the castle, and a group of goblins immediately surrounded me. Fortunately, I didn't go far, or I'd be done for!]
[It's true. I just sent my kobolds to gather firewood, and my troops were torn to death by a black wolf. I'm crying!!]
[Whoa! The wild monsters outside are way too strong. My catgirls took direct hits. It was terrifying!!]
[Damn, is the guy up there complaining or just showing off?! If catgirls count as troops too, then why did I get ugly orcs instead…]
[From my observations in the chat, it seems very likely that a wide variety of creatures can appear as starting units. And judging by everything, they can be either common types or specialized ones. For example: goblin or swordsman goblin.]
Agnus found this message particularly interesting.
The sender's name was Valen, and what he said made sense. If there were races like goblins, orcs, or elves, then it was entirely possible for a specialized version to appear as troops.
"But wouldn't that be an unfair restriction for those Lords?"
Agnus noted: if they were swordsman goblins, wouldn't that mean they were limited to swords only?
At that moment, a reply to Valen caught his eye.
[Brother Valen is absolutely right. I got Archer Elves, and they can't even pick up a kitchen knife—like there's some kind of restriction. But the moment they appeared, they were already holding bows and arrows, so I can't really say I'm at a disadvantage.]
[I also have a specialized troop type — human spearmen. They don't just spawn with weapons; they also possess a basic understanding of how to use them, though I wouldn't say it's anything particularly impressive.]
[What? They just gave you a bow for free?]
[The guy above, is that all you saw in the weapon? They can also use it right away. That's so unfair!]
[It was never fair to begin with. It was foolish to think it would be.]
Chaos erupted in the chat once again.
Agnus nodded, finally understanding.
If there are troops like Human Spearmen, then they get a weapon from the very beginning and gain possession of it.
But in exchange, most likely, they are limited precisely to spears.
They won't be able to use a sword, bow, or axe properly. And perhaps they're not suited for other kinds of work either — construction, resource gathering.
«This looks like an advantage, but there are plenty of limitations too. Probably everyone has their own problems right now.»
Agnus turned off the World Chat and looked at Noctari.
He couldn't just sit there reading messages all the time.
Unlike those who were unlucky with their troops and weak on their own, Agnus was different.
He was a direct descendant of a clan that had reached the peak of the human body—or, as it was commonly called on the continent of Radis, Level 10 of Order 0.
He was not completely helpless.
Sending a mental signal to follow him, Agnus headed toward the exit of the protective barrier, in the direction of the forest.
«It's time to go find bodies for my shadows.»
"The hunt begins."