With the light of dawn peeking over the horizon, Ethan remained at the top of the obsidian structure, observing the settlement that now belonged to him.
It was a strange feeling. Before, he could not even imagine living in anything other than a shared boarding house.
Now, from one day to the next, he had an entire valley to himself. Not only that, but he also had subjects, and even a beautiful and powerful Valkyrie who served as his shield and sword.
However, despite all this, he could not be satisfied.
'I will make them pay.'
At his feet, the blood of the Iron Fang Stalkers had already seeped into the cracks of the stone, consumed by the earth.
He felt every centimeter of the terrain as if it were part of his own body; the Altar was not only a building, but an external organ that processed the essence of the world for him.
'Level 27,' thought Ethan, clenching his fists.
'In Aleskra, a Rank F porter like me would have needed ten years of humiliating service to go up a single level—if the Great Tree system even allowed it.'
'Here, in one night, he had claimed more power than Kevin would obtain in a whole lifetime.'
At his side, Seraphina remained motionless. Her silver hair fluttered in the valley wind; occasionally, a lock of hair fell across her beautiful face, but far from being bothered, she remained impassive.
The wings on her back vibrated occasionally while her eyes remained fixed on the figures that had just emerged from the stone huts.
"My Lord, the inhabitants are waking," murmured Seraphina.
"I can feel their fear, but also… greed. Do you wish for me to remind them of their place?"
"It is not necessary, Seraphina," responded Ethan, descending the steps of the Altar with a firm stride.
"If they want to survive, they will need us. Malphas, step forward."
As if he had emerged from the very shadows projected by the Altar, the Architect of Shadows appeared in front of Ethan.
His white porcelain mask reflected the purple glow of the surroundings. His engraved smile seemed wider under the light of the dawn.
"My Sovereign," said Malphas, bowing until his ebony staff touched the ground.
"I have finished the topographical analysis of the valley. The veins of Blood Iron I detected yesterday are richer than I imagined. The Great Tree tried to drown this place with monsters, but only managed to fertilize the soil with the essence of the fallen."
"Explain the Shadow Quarry to me," ordered Ethan. "The Void System says I have unlocked it, but I need to know how quickly we can fortify this place."
Malphas raised his dark crystal orb, projecting a holographic map of the northern gorge.
"The Shadow Quarry does not extract common stone, my Lord. It uses the energy of the Altar to 'refine' the raw material of the valley. Blood Iron is a metal imbued with the mana of those who died here. It is heavier, more resistant, and most importantly, it is a natural conductor of the power of the Void. If we build the quarry today, tomorrow we will have the materials for the walls."
Ethan nodded, but his attention was diverted by a group of villagers who were approaching with caution, led by an old man with a tired look.
Behind them, Goran and his mercenaries kept their distance, their weapons sheathed but their hands visibly trembling.
"Lord... Sovereign," said the old man as he knelt.
"I am Elian. We have seen how your black soldiers tore the wolves to pieces. We have seen how the fog moved away. But…" Elian lowered his head until his forehead touched the ground.
"The people of the village wonder: what is the price of your benevolence? The Aleskra Guild took our gold, but you... you..."
Ethan interrupted him with a gesture of his hand.
"The only payment I want from you is your work and loyalty. In exchange, I promise you protection and prosperity."
Elian lowered his head and replied with a trembling voice, "And if we do not want to serve this… new kingdom?"
Ethan felt a flash of irritation, but he controlled it.
"Then you can leave. Cross the fog, go back to Aleskra, and tell the Guild that you want to recover your lives as servants. But do not forget this: the wolves we killed last night were only the vanguard. Without the Altar, you will die in less than an hour out there."
A deathly silence fell over the settlement.
The villagers looked at each other, seeing the remains of the wolves that Goran and his men were beginning to skin.
The reality was crude: freedom outside the purified zone was a death sentence.
"We will stay," whispered Elian. "We will work."
"Good," said Ethan, turning toward Malphas.
"Begin the construction. I want to see that quarry before dusk."
Malphas chuckled.
"As you wish, my Sovereign."
Ethan opened his system menu, feeling the dopamine run through his veins as he saw the building options illuminate.
[STRUCTURE: Shadow Qyarrt(Level 1)]
[Requeriments: 10,000 Soul Essence, 50 units of volks stone.]
[Estimated time: 4 hours (Reduced by Malphas to 2 hours and 48 minutes)]
[Confirm construction?]
'Confirm,' ordered Ethan mentally.
The floor of the valley, about two hundred meters north of the Altar, opened in a perfect crack.
A dense black smoke sprouted from the depths, and the nine Void Sentinels moved toward the site with mechanical coordination.
Under the direction of Malphas, the black soldiers began to drive their swords into the edges of the crack, channeling the purple energy of the Altar toward the abyss.
Little by little, a structure resembling a shadow crane with black bone pulleys began to emerge from the earth.
It was a disturbing but fascinating vision; the architecture of the Void did not follow the laws of physics of the Great Tree.
The materials wove themselves from the darkness itself to solidify into all types of necessary tools.
While the construction progressed, Ethan approached Goran.
The mercenary immediately stood at attention, striking his armored chest.
"Goran, take five of your best men," ordered Ethan.
"I want you to patrol the path toward the Mist Pass. Do not attack anything that is Rank B or higher. I only want information. If you see someone with the insignia of the Aleskra Guild, inform Seraphina immediately."
"Do you think they will come so soon, Lord?" asked Goran, adjusting his sword belt.
'Kevin is a coward, but Marcus is a proud man,' thought Ethan, remembering the Inspector's reddened face when his shackles broke.
"They will not let a 'Rank F' claim a territory without trying to take it back. They will want my head to save their reputation."
Goran nodded and moved away quickly, barking orders to his men. Ethan observed as the group of mercenaries entered the fog.
"My Lord," Seraphina's voice interrupted. She was looking toward the south, in the direction of Aleskra. "I can feel an energy signature moving rapidly. It is small and agile... a tracker."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Aleskra has wasted no time. At what distance?"
"Three kilometers and closing," informed the Valkyrie, deploying her wings completely. "Do you wish for me to intercept him?"
"No," said Ethan, a smile forming on his lips. "Let him approach. I want him to see what we are preparing. I want him to see the Sentinels. I want him to return to the city with a message that makes Kevin tremble in his silk bed."
Hours passed. The construction of the Shadow Quarry finished with a dull rumble that shook the foundations of the valley.
[Construction completed: Shadow Quarry (Level 1)!]
[Initial production: 10 Units of blood iron per hour.]
[Territory bonus: The fear of nearby inhabitants increases extraction efficiency by 2%]
Malphas descended from the air, landing gently in front of Ethan. "The first load is ready, Sovereign. The Blood Iron is hot and ready to be forged."
At that moment, a figure dressed in a gray camouflage cloak emerged from among the rocks of the upper gorge.
He was a scout from the Guild, a Rank B specialized in stealth. The man stood paralyzed as he observed the valley. Where there should have been a desolate wasteland full of monsters, there was now a city in the making, soldiers in demonic armor, and a mining structure that defied all logic.
The scout pulled out a communication crystal, but before he could activate it, Ethan Thorne raised his gaze and fixed his violet eyes directly on him. The spiritual pressure was so intense that the scout dropped the crystal, which shattered against the rocks.
"Seraphina!" ordered Ethan.
In a blink, the Valkyrie crossed the distance. She did not use her spear; she simply landed in front of the scout, the force of her fall creating a crater in the ground.
With one hand, she lifted the man by the neck, stifling his screams.
Ethan walked slowly toward them, his boots resonating against the valley stone.
When he arrived in front of the terrified scout, he pulled back the hood, revealing a young man Ethan vaguely recognized from his days in the Guild.
"You... you should be dead," stuttered the scout, his eyes wide. "Kevin said... he said that you sacrificed yourself..."
"Kevin lies as much as he breathes," said Ethan, leaning in so close the scout could see the abyss in his pupils.
"Go back to Aleskra. Tell Inspector Marcus that if he wants to stop us, he will have to come personally."
Ethan gave a signal, and Seraphina released the man, who fell to the ground gasping.
"Tell Kevin… to enjoy it while he can," continued Ethan. "And tell them that Volks Valley is no longer a cursed place for humans... it is a cursed place for the Great Tree system."
The scout did not wait to be told twice. He scrambled up and ran toward the fog with a speed that only pure terror can grant.
Ethan watched him disappear. He knew this would accelerate the conflict, but he did not care. The time for stealth had ended; the time for foundations was giving way to the time of war.
"Malphas," called Ethan, without taking his eyes off the horizon. "Begin the design of the walls. I don't want stone walls. I want the Blood Iron to be forged with the souls of the wolves we killed last night."
"It will be a work of art, my Lord," responded the Architect, his shadow fingers already tracing plans in the air.
Ethan looked toward the Altar, which now shone with a more intense light, fed by the fear of the scout and the resolution of its Sovereign.
'Level 27 is only the beginning,' thought Ethan, feeling the Void System vibrate in harmony with his will.
'Before the month ends, this valley will be the heart of an empire that Aleskra won't even be able to imagine in its worst nightmares.'