Housewarming (1)
Hongyeom's Mage Jane and Spear Master Bangbae decided to gather seeds by hunting monsters.
Atlas's surroundings teemed with monsters on all sides.
As they were about to set out, they spotted members of Hyun's Forge returning.
Riesel poured out his complaints.
"I've nearly died more times than I can count."
"The monsters' levels are so high that our damage barely scratches them."
"Especially the ones spilling over from Sector B—they're the real problem."
The reason Hyun's Forge had focused on clearing Sector A first was that the monsters there weren't densely packed.
The average level of Sector A monsters was in the high 360s.
Once you entered a hunting ground, a steady stream of a few monsters would appear.
The issue was that their average level matched up closely with the members of Hyun's Forge.
"And those quasi-boss monsters that pop up occasionally? Total nightmares."
"I nearly bit the dust when one showed up."
"To make matters worse, monsters from Sector B keep crossing over, making the hunt even tougher."
Unlike Sector A, the problem in Sector B was that the monsters formed packs and villages.
These village-dwelling monsters were crossing into Sector A in groups of dozens, making it hard to clear the area.
They collapsed onto the ground the moment they returned.
"Sector B was supposed to be the easiest, with seeds dropping like candy..."
"Tell me about it..."
This was a weakness of Hyun's Forge.
In truth, most guilds or territories would have swept through Sector B with ease.
The reason was that Sector B's village structure made it vulnerable to wide-area magic.
Overhearing their conversation, Jane and Bangbae exchanged glances.
'Sector B.'
'Okay.'
The two walked together and unfurled the Sector B map that Kabel had slipped them.
Sector B contained a total of nine villages.
And these villages were inhabited by ogres.
Both of them were Korea's unofficial top rankers.
In Jane's case as Hongyeom's Mage, she had long surpassed the mage rankings' number one spot with overwhelming power.
She was also the mage closest to legendary status on the Korean server.
Bangbae was no different.
He might not be as dominant as Jane, but he outdamaged even Riesel.
The moment the two entered the forest.
Transformation Complete
"Great Shield."
Jane formed a shield to protect them and stepped into the first village.
"...What do you think of Hyun's Forge, Lady Jane?"
Unlike Bangbae's calm question, a horde of ogres charged toward the intruders in the village.
"Krroooaaargh!"
"Kroooaaargh!"
Somewhere between 40 and 60 of them.
But protected by the Great Shield, the two silently walked toward the village center.
"I think it's a good guild. It'll get a lot more dangerous going forward, though."
Bangbae smiled faintly at Jane's reply.
They had thought the same while blending in as territory residents.
"Lord Hyun-soo doesn't seem like a bad guy."
"Yeah, he comes across as humble and upright. Unlike other guild masters who squeeze every last profit."
Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!
The ogres swarming from all directions madly hammered at the Great Shield.
Crack! Craaack!
Even as cracks formed in the shield, Bangbae continued.
"I agree."
But that didn't mean the two were declaring they'd join Hyun's Forge.
However, their conversation hinted at one thing.
'If Lady Jane joins a guild, it'll be Hyun's Forge.'
'If Bangbae joins somewhere, it'll probably be Hyun's Forge?'
Boom!
The ogres piled up layer upon layer finally shattered the Great Shield.
But Jane had already finished casting.
"Fire Storm."
A 6th-class spell.
One that few in the world had mastered—a flame storm engulfing a 50-meter radius swallowed the ogres whole.
As it did, Jane glanced at her staff.
"I do have one thought."
"What kind?"
"If I were holding a staff made by Blacksmith Hyun, could I have melted them in one shot?"
Soon, the ogre horde emerged with their HP plummeted to 30%.
This time, Bangbae moved toward the suffering ogres, protecting Jane while swiftly cutting off their breaths.
"Me too. If I had a spear from Hyun, I could've one-shot these guys."
Bangbae was killing ogres in an average of two strikes.
And in just three minutes.
◈ Acquired from ogre horde
In three minutes, they had gathered over ten seeds and moved to the next village.
In just two days, all the villages in Sector B vanished, creating a massive synergy.
The members of Hyun's Forge could now clear Sector A with ease.
Meanwhile.
Territory King's power descends upon Atlas.
Territory development speed increases by 20%.
Crops will taste better and be more nutritious.
Buildings will become sturdier with increased durability.
Territory King Glass.
He wasn't particularly strong, but he was surely among the world's top 100 most valuable individuals.
His Territory King class had the power to revive even dead, ruined territories.
Glass decided to cultivate the barren land alongside the territory residents.
"Aigoo, how are we supposed to farm this impossibly barren dirt!?"
Among those farming were existing territory residents mixed with the new arrivals from Hyun's Forge.
No matter how hard they drove pickaxes into the soil to till it, the ground was too parched.
That was when Glass's Farm Development skill activated.
Farm Development infused barren land with power, transforming it into fertile soil.
'If it turns fertile every spot I hit, it'll raise suspicions.'
Then Glass had a brilliant idea.
An elderly man who claimed to have lived here his whole life.
"It's fine, Elder."
"No, lad. I want Atlas to rise anew too. Count me in."
The old man looked gaunt and frail.
But he had long believed in Atlas's legend and yearned for its revival.
'Ho ho?'
Glass had a great idea.
And as the trembling old man swung his pickaxe down,
Glass slyly applied Farm Development to the struck spot.
Farm Development could be applied to dozens of spots at once.
Thud!
"Huh? Wh-what?"
The soil turned rich and oily.
The people were astonished.
Then the old man, still trembling, struck another patch.
In an instant, a sprout shot up.
"Wh-what in the world!?"
The old man was shocked. The surrounding farmers were too.
Then one territory resident, Glass, spoke up.
"Your ancestors must have gifted this to you for guarding Atlas since childhood, Elder."
"...!?"
It made sense.
This land had once been fertile, and what they were doing now was restoring it to its days as a grand territory.
Glass stuck close to the old man, and every time the elder swung his pickaxe, the soil became fertile.
Soon enough.
"Uwaaaah! Atlas! Give me strength!"
The old man raised his pickaxe to the sky and wailed.
The land was now farmable in an instant!
Sowing grains here will yield abundant fruits.
Watching the wailing elder, Glass exclaimed in admiration.
"Elder... you're incredible!"
And the elder's momentum didn't stop there.
He went to the construction site and picked up a brick.
At that moment.
"Huh? Why's this brick so light?"
Glass seized the moment.
"This elder has... long guarded... Atlas's blessing..."
"Ooooh...!"
This time, the elder headed to a dried-up well.
"Hyaap!"
Atlas's biggest problem was drinking water.
There weren't enough sources, leaving residents perpetually thirsty.
But then.
Rumble rumble rumble—
Water surged from the long-parched well, soon erupting like a waterfall.
Whoosh!
Glass shouted.
"The Territory God's return! He's received the ancient grand territory Atlas's blessing!"
"Uwaaaah! Ancient Atlas! Grant me your power!"
"Long live the Territory God!"
"Hurray!"
Glass.
He was a meticulous man.
By using the elder, he was smoothly transforming Atlas and hearing notifications.
China's Special User Management Team.
Seed of Life acquisition rate increases by 2.5x or more.
Team Leader Wang was tearing his hair out when he glanced aside and flinched.
'B-Branch Chief?'
Branch Chief Tao was tearing his hair out too.
"How the hell are those guys...?"
The reason Branch Chief Tao was tearing his hair out.
"Atlas is a growth-type territory..."
Yes, what did growth-type territory mean?
It meant slow but steady growth.
But at this rate, Atlas would awaken many ancient things.
Of course, it was still far short of reaching Saint King level.
But what worried the branch chief was this.
"Atlas has special things..."
Yes, Atlas was truly special.
From the lord saint to the exceptional talents following him.
The strongest army and knights guarding the territory.
Specialized experts in every field for development.
And the mines, rivers, fertile lands, and resources backing it all!
Plus the saint's power that once led Atlas.
Normally, you'd start with just residents and troops.
"At this rate, they might unlock the saint's special power."
Branch Chief Tao didn't yet know what that was.
But he took solace.
"Fortunately, they're still way short of the seeds needed for Saint King."
As he comforted himself, the monitor flashed red.
Atlas's Seed of Life acquisition surges explosively.
Acquisition rate unmeasurable.
They panicked.
"Several times more" was different from "explosive surge."
Puzzled by the sudden notification, they quickly traced the cause.
Click.
A click of the mouse, and their screens showed a territory resident, a burly man with massive bones, and some old guy.
Kabel.
He was the most capable among the reconnaissance team members.
He also thoroughly analyzed and executed plans.
In one day, he had gathered intel on all the special dungeons near Atlas.
Thanks to his trait, Dungeon Finder.
'This place is special.'
Dungeons and special boss monsters unbelievable for territory outskirts.
Kabel sought them out because he knew stronger forces yielded more seeds.
'Killing 100 regular monsters gives fewer seeds than one boss.'
But he hit a snag.
'Even I would be at risk solo.'
Sure, he could clear slowly.
But it would take forever.
More seeds meant more stats.
By that rule, Kabel earnestly researched solutions.
'Should I go with the other recon members?'
It might be better.
But he doubted it'd yield the desired seeds.
Then.
"Sword boy, is this the right way?"
"Old timer, can't you help look?"
"I'm old; my eyes don't work well."
"...And someone like you runs 100 meters in 3 seconds?"
"Anyway, we're lost, sword boy."
"Is housewarming this tricky?"
Hearing the voices, Kabel tensed.
He was in a forest far from Atlas territory.
As the two appeared, a spark flashed in his mind.
'This is it...!'
Ben and Barad were en route to Hyun-soo's housewarming, and it had to be discreet.
No one could know Atlas's location yet.
So the two moved in shabby disguises, so to speak.
The problem: used to subordinates guiding them, they got lost.
Then they met a territory resident.
He introduced himself as Raon, a resident serving Hyun-soo.
"I'll guide you to Atlas."
Thanks to him, the trip was smooth.
Barad and Ben chatted among themselves.
Then Raon spoke.
"Housewarming, huh. I know about housewarmings."
"Ho ho, really?"
"It's an otherworlder custom, right?"
"I've heard from otherworlders too."
Raon's eyes gleamed.
"But you two are missing the biggest part of housewarming culture."
Missing something? As kings, they wanted to do it right.
They listened closely to this resident Raon.
"What's that?"
"What are we overlooking?"
Raon replied.
"Housewarming gifts."