The walk back to Marcus's territory took nearly twenty minutes.
The forest slowly grew brighter as they moved closer to the safe zone. Sunlight filtered through the tall trees in golden beams, illuminating drifting particles of dust and pollen in the air.
Marcus walked at the front of the group.
Lyrielle followed close behind him, bow ready but relaxed now that they were nearing the barrier.
Behind them came the four rabbit girls.
They moved carefully, occasionally glancing around the forest as if expecting something to leap from the shadows at any moment.
The wolves padded quietly through the undergrowth on either side of Marcus, their ears constantly twitching as they scanned for danger.
Marcus noticed something interesting.
The wolves kept subtly positioning themselves between the rabbit girls and the deeper forest.
Protective.
He smiled slightly.
"Good instincts."
A few minutes later the trees thinned.
The familiar glow of Marcus's territory barrier shimmered faintly ahead.
The rabbit girls slowed when they saw it.
Their ears perked up in surprise.
"A barrier…" the blue-eyed one whispered.
Marcus stepped through it first.
The moment he crossed the invisible wall, the pressure of the mist disappeared from his lungs.
Clean air rushed into his chest.
He inhaled deeply.
"God that feels nice."
The others followed.
The rabbit girls froze the moment they stepped inside.
Their eyes widened.
Before them lay Marcus's clearing.
The grass inside the territory was greener.
Healthier.
The small wooden house stood peacefully in the center, sunlight reflecting off the windows.
The wooden fence formed a circle around the land, glowing faintly with protective energy.
And for the first time since Marcus had met them…
The rabbit girls relaxed.
The hazel-eyed one let out a soft breath.
"It feels safe."
Marcus stretched his arms.
"That's the idea."
Lyrielle walked toward the house.
"My lord, we should organize the materials we gathered."
Marcus nodded.
"Yep."
He opened his system interface.
The inventory screen appeared instantly.
Territory Storage
Wood: 760
Stone: 650
Spirit Shards: 690
Food: 850
Water: 520
Unit Cards:
Gray Wolf x2
Alpha Dire Wolf x1
Goblin Archer x5
Skill Cards:
Fireball (C Rank)
Marcus rubbed his chin.
"Oh yeah."
The goblin cards.
He remembered something from the market earlier.
Some players were desperately trying to build armies.
That meant unit cards were valuable.
Marcus opened the Player Market.
The interface filled his vision with thousands of listings.
Weapons.
Armor.
Materials.
Food.
Unit cards.
His eyes quickly found the section he wanted.
Goblin Archer cards were selling for ridiculous prices.
Goblin Archer Unit Card
Average Price:
120 Wood
100 Stone
Marcus blinked.
Then laughed.
"Oh this is perfect."
Lyrielle looked over his shoulder.
"My lord?"
Marcus grinned.
"I'm about to commit legal robbery."
He began listing the cards.
Goblin Archer x5
Trade Offer:
120 Wood
100 Stone each
The listing went live.
Marcus barely had time to lean back before the notifications appeared.
Trade Completed
Wood +120
Stone +100
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Within thirty seconds all five cards had sold.
Marcus whistled.
Lyrielle's eyes widened slightly as the resource totals updated.
Wood: 1,360
Stone: 1,150
"My lord…"
She looked impressed.
"That is more than enough to build several structures."
Marcus grinned.
"Exactly."
He opened the Territory Construction Menu.
A list of structures appeared.
Barracks — 400 Wood / 300 Stone
Warehouse — 200 Wood / 200 Stone
Watchtower — 150 Wood / 100 Stone
Farm Plot — 100 Wood / 100 Stone
Marcus rubbed his hands together.
"Alright."
He began selecting structures.
"Barracks."
The resources vanished instantly.
A blue construction circle appeared near the house.
Three seconds later—
Wood and stone materialized out of thin air.
Boards assembled themselves.
Walls rose.
A roof formed.
Within moments a sturdy barracks building stood beside the house.
Marcus blinked.
"...Okay that's awesome."
The rabbit girls gasped.
The green-eyed one stared at the building in shock.
"It appeared!"
Marcus nodded proudly.
"Magic construction."
Lyrielle smiled slightly.
"My lord, what next?"
Marcus selected another structure.
"Warehouse."
Again the resources vanished.
Three seconds later—
A large wooden storage building appeared near the barracks.
Marcus kept going.
"Watchtower."
A tall wooden tower rose near the fence line.
Then another.
And another.
Soon three towers stood around the clearing, giving a full view of the surrounding forest.
Marcus stepped back and admired the view.
"Now this is starting to look like a real settlement."
The rabbit girls gathered near the house, staring around with growing excitement.
The hazel-eyed girl whispered.
"You built all this… today?"
Marcus shrugged.
"System perks."
He turned back to his inventory.
One item remained that he hadn't used yet.
The Alpha Dire Wolf card.
Marcus smiled slowly.
"Alright."
"Time to expand the army."
He activated the card.
The crystal shattered into swirling silver light.
Energy gathered in the center of the clearing.
The shape grew larger.
Bigger than the normal wolves.
Then the light faded.
The Alpha Dire Wolf stood before him.
Massive.
Muscular.
Its dark fur rippled in the sunlight as it lifted its head.
Golden eyes locked onto Marcus.
The beast immediately lowered itself in submission.
The other wolves backed away slightly.
Instinctively recognizing their leader.
Marcus nodded.
"Good."
He summoned the remaining two wolf cards as well.
Two more wolves appeared.
Now five wolves stood in the clearing.
Three normal ones.
Two newly summoned.
And the towering Alpha.
Marcus crossed his arms.
"Alright."
"Listen up."
The wolves tilted their heads slightly.
Marcus pointed toward the Alpha.
"You're in charge."
The Alpha lifted its head proudly.
Marcus continued.
"Your job is scouting."
He pointed toward the forest.
"Circle the territory."
"Watch for monsters."
"Warn us if anything dangerous gets close."
The Alpha wolf barked once.
Sharp.
Commanding.
The other wolves immediately moved toward it.
Marcus grinned.
"Perfect."
The Alpha led them toward the fence line.
Moments later the five wolves slipped through a small opening and disappeared into the forest.
Scouts.
Lyrielle watched them leave.
"A wise decision."
Marcus nodded.
"I want to know what's coming before it gets here."
The green-eyed rabbit girl stepped closer.
Her ears twitched curiously.
"What will we do?"
Marcus looked around his growing territory.
The house.
Barracks.
Warehouse.
Watchtowers.
His small village was beginning to take shape.
He smiled.
"Next?"
He looked toward the forest.
"We grow."
Behind the towers, beyond the trees…
The mist shifted again.
But now Marcus's territory had eyes watching it.
Five wolves ran silently through the forest shadows.
And soon…
They would discover something far more dangerous than goblins.