The army marched back, their hearts filled with hope for the future while their leader’s mind was elsewhere.
Kill Half-Step One-Star Zombie:
Reward: 8,000 SP
(Completed)
City-Level Expansion Mission:
• Population: 2,000+
• Controlled Distance: 30 km²
Reward: 2,000 SP
(Completed)
Breakthrough to One-Star Awakener:
• Kill a Half-Step One-Star Zombie
(These zombies are at the peak of evolution, one leg already in the One-Star realm. They often control entire cities.)
Reward: 10,000 SP
(Pending)
(Quest completed)
(Host has gained extra 10,000 SP)
---
Host: Lucien
Rank: Beginner-Level Awakener (Limit) [can Breakthrough]
Strength: 50
Speed: 50
Stamina: 50
---
Territory Status
Territory Name: Lucien Shelter (small city)
Territory Level: Basic Settlement
Population: 12,530
Controlled Area: 50 km²
Structural Integrity: Good
Defense Rating: Medium
---
Followers
Loyal Followers: 12,530
Awakeners Under Command:30
Semi-Awakener: 1,500
Total Combat Personnel: 1,530
---
Ability: All Must Bow (Available to use)
Skills: Eyes of Desire, Appraisal
Luck: 70 (increasing, killed the heroine)
Sexual Points: 30,000 SP
*****
Lucien looked at his stats, his mind calm. He had gained 20,000 SP from killing Mai. Of course, he might have hesitated if Mai still had some use, but it seemed he had drained her; she barely gave SP again. Also, he could have kept her as support, but he grew even more wary when she was able to break free from the All Must Bow ability.
He had to eliminate her. She was an unstable variable he neither wished nor wanted to keep.
Only one quest remained, so it was time for a breakthrough.
Lucien was genuinely excited for his strength to grow. With this, he would be able to protect the shelter better and get more in touch with the outside world.
Now he desperately needed another candidate that could give him SP. As long as she wouldn’t be someone who could hurt or kill him in the future like Mai, he wouldn’t mind keeping them around and helping them grow stronger.
But now, he couldn’t wait to open the system mall.
And as expected, it had changed. Now the vial he bought was a low-level one.
There was a better one
---
Supreme Level Awakener Potion:
• Reach peak Beginner-Level Awakener (40 stats each)
• 50–50 chance of success; failure leads to death
Cost: 8,000 SP
Guaranteed Supreme Level Awakener Potion:
• Reach peak Beginner-Level Awakener (40 stats each)
• 100% success rate
Cost: 15,000 SP
---
This wasn’t the only option in the mall, but it was the fastest way to increase power.
But the cost... At least the system acknowledged what the lower-cost version could lead to. Just 8k for a 50–50 chance, while the guaranteed one was almost twice as much.
He only had 30k. He definitely wouldn’t buy the 50–50 one unless necessary, but the guaranteed one wasn’t currently needed either.
At least Lucien wouldn’t consider it until he had a considerable amount of SP.
He noticed that apart from Mai, barely anyone, even at the peak of the Awakener level could reach even 30 in all stats.
He didn’t know why, but he would find out in the future.
Regardless, he knew what to do and how to proceed.
But it all had to wait. Now it was time for his shelter to absorb the spoils of war and fully integrate this city before anything else.
"System, will the breakthrough to One-Star be immediate and... painless?" Lucien asked. This was the most important part, after all. Power was survival in this world.
(Yes, pain is involved. The breakthrough takes several minutes. Host should breakthrough in a closed space.)
Hearing the system’s response, Lucien sighed.
Well, at least he knew what to prepare for. But the pain... he wondered how intense it would be.
But no matter what, he would go through it.
Still, everything had to wait until they returned, settled, or at least until he was sure the shelter was stable.
---
The journey back seemed longer. Everyone was exhausted, even Lucien. Some even wanted to stop and collapse, but many wanted to see their families, their loved ones...
More than that, they wanted to tell the people they had won, that they had succeeded, and everything was going to be alright.
So they pushed through.
Finally, when the day was almost over and the light green clouds were fading into dusk, they arrived at the familiar shelter gate.
"They are back!!!"
A scout shouted as heavy footsteps echoed and people climbed to get a better view.
At first, there was shock. The number of survivors had drastically reduced, and they looked weak and exhausted.
But even from afar, they could see large bodies... or rather, multiple large bodies.
Yes, Daemon had suggested bringing the zombie corpses (both the Half-Step One-Star and elite zombies) back to the shelter for study.
Seeing this, they understood. They had won. Tears began to fall.
The gate creaked open.
Shouts, screams, and a song rose—one of freedom, of victory—as they welcomed them back.
Happiness welled in the soldiers’ hearts as they felt strength returning to their bodies.
They entered the shelter with pride.
Immediately, the council members surrounded Lucien.
"Please, provide places for the soldiers to rest, tend to the wounded, and feed them," Lucien commanded.
"Yes, Leader," one council member replied, rushing off.
"Also, the bodies—arrange for them to be taken to the research department. Apart from studying food sources, let them research these bodies too. See if they can help normal humans or reveal something useful."
"Yes, Leader."
"You. Tell Jeff to rest well. Also tell the people to move the weapons back to the blacksmiths for sharpening. Inform the research department—if the materials from the zombies body are strong enough, try forging them into weapons."
"Yes, Leader."
"You. Tell the scouts and scavenger team to meet Daemon. They should decide how and when they will leave to gather resources and bring them back to the shelter."
"Okay, Leader."
Another council member left as Lucien continued issuing orders.
"Clean up. And have the knowledgeable ones check the power plants. They should accompany those gathering resources."
"Yes, Leader."
The last council member left. Lucien took a deep breath.
"Finally over..." he whispered as his body swayed slightly.
All around him, he could see people getting busy, moving from left to right. It brought back memories of the hustle of day and night, the honking of cars, the shouting, the stress of going to work that he used to see everyone endure.
Only the rich enjoyed life, while the masses worked for them.
Yet in this world, everyone participated. No matter how rich you were, it didn’t matter. Priority and power belonged to those with valuable skills or traits.
And if you had none, then it was simple.
Join the workers.
Lucien walked to his abode, and the moment he entered the room, his body gave out.
He collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.
Now that everything was over, he needed rest—a proper recovery before anything else.