After leaving the village, Brian and Lylia arrived at a valley guarded by Brian's men.
"Your Majesty," the guard greeted, bowing respectfully.
"Hmm. Has anything happened here lately?" Brian asked.
"At night, we've been hearing the roar of a monster, Your Majesty. But we didn't dare investigate. The sound came from about one kilometer south of here," the guard reported.
"Oh? I'll check it out later. For now, I want to enter the valley to see the Roselly and Melty flowers," Brian said.
Once inside, Brian saw a place overflowing with flowers and butterflies fluttering through the air.
"This is beautiful… how can a place like this exist?" Lylia said in awe.
Brian was also surprised. This truly is beautiful.
"What a perfect place. Lylia, let's hunt a few beasts and head back to the village," Brian said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lylia replied, still playing with a butterfly resting in her hand.
Leaving the valley, Brian immediately went to investigate the sound the guard had mentioned.
"Your Majesty, there are beast tracks here," Lylia pointed out, spotting an enormous footprint.
"Let's follow them," Brian said, and the two began tracking the trail.
"Your Majesty, look—there are so many Spirit-stage Rhynhos!" Ahead of them was a herd of massive beasts resembling rhinoceroses, but far larger.
"Some of them are Stage 2 Spirits, and there are three Stage 4 Spirits," Brian noted, thinking, If I can defeat all of these, I might be able to advance to the next stage.
"Lylia, stay here. I'll take them on," Brian said, stepping forward.
"Golden Thunder Fist!"
His punch struck one Rhynho, a burst of lightning surging through it. The beast collapsed instantly.
"This is too slow… I'll use that punch."
"Thunder Fist—Second Ring!!"
The attack took down all of the Rhynhos except for the Stage 4s.
"Only three left… should I try the Third Ring?"
"Thunder Fist—Third Ring!"
This time, wind and lightning merged before slamming into the beasts. One Rhynho's flesh was blown apart, scattering into the air.
"Too strong… I'm too strong," Brian muttered, shocked at his own power.
"Your Majesty is incredible!" Lylia said, equally stunned that a Stage 1 Spirit could unleash such strength.
System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 2 Spirit Rhynho. +1500 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 2 Spirit Rhynho. +1500 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 2 Spirit Rhynho. +1500 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 2 Spirit Rhynho. +1500 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 2 Spirit Rhynho. +1500 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 2 Spirit Rhynho. +1500 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 4 Spirit Rhynho. +3000 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 4 Spirit Rhynho. +3000 EXP.System: Congratulations! You have slain a Stage 4 Spirit Rhynho. +3000 EXP.
System: Level up! You are now Level 21. You have received one Random Reward Pouch.
'Hmm… looks like I've already reached Master level 1. If I'm not mistaken, Father's cultivation was at Master level 9,' Brian thought.
The highest cultivation level on the surface of the Alge Kingdom was Grandmaster level 8—and that position belonged to the kingdom's guardian.
'With this cultivation speed, I should be able to reach Grandmaster quickly. The sooner I reach that stage, the sooner I can declare the founding of my kingdom. For now, the most important thing is to train and recruit strong soldiers,' Brian mused.
"Let's head back, Lylia."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lylia replied.
The two immediately made their way back to Seven Beast City. They had been gone for four days, and Brian was curious if any surprises awaited him.
When they arrived at the city gates, they were greeted by the sight of an impressive wall—about seven meters high—with guards stationed at the entrance.
"Hmm… not bad for a wooden wall," Brian remarked. "But once we have more refugees, we're bound to have stonemasons among them. With their help, we can build stone fortifications. That way, the city will be better protected from enemy attacks in the future."
"Your Majesty, the defensive wall already looks amazing," Lylia said, impressed that in just four days, the soldiers had completed nearly half of the intended construction.
"Perhaps," Brian replied casually.
As they entered the city, the townsfolk bowed respectfully to Brian. However, a few people didn't bow—refugees and exiles from other kingdoms.
"Who are those two, Sir?" asked a refugee named Dyami.
"They're His Majesty Brian and Lady Lylia. Hey, bow your head, quickly!" said Frank, a young soldier.
"Ahh! So the one in charge here isn't Lord Key but the man in front!" Dyami exclaimed in shock before quickly bowing.
Brian continued onward to the large house reserved for him.
"Your Majesty, you've returned," Key said, walking into Brian's office after hearing of his arrival.
"Yes… is there anything you wish to report, Key?" Brian asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Our city has received around four thousand refugees, and as per your orders, we also purchased about one thousand labor slaves," Key reported.
"Good. I want you to select the stonemasons and carpenters among them to build better houses. Once the houses are done, have them construct a defensive wall out of stone," Brian instructed.
"Oh, and send the farmers to the southern valley where the Roselly and Melty flowers grow. They'll take care of those plants, and we'll also establish farmland and pastures there," Brian added.
When he had visited the valley earlier, Brian had seen its vast potential—it was perfect for agriculture.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Key replied, surprised that he hadn't thought of that himself. His respect for Brian deepened.
"Your Majesty, I also found these beautiful stones… but I don't know their use," Key said, remembering that the soldiers who escorted the refugees had brought back some strange but stunning rocks.
"Let me see them," Brian said with curiosity.
'If these are diamonds, I could have them made into jewelry and sell them for a fortune,' he thought, eyes sparkling.
"Here they are, Your Majesty," Key said, producing six transparent, yellow-colored stones.
"Brother, where did you get these? They're beautiful," Lylia said, her lovely eyes gleaming with desire.
"Oh, the soldiers who brought the refugees gave them to me," Key explained.
'What kind of stones are these?' Brian wondered as he examined them.
'Ah, I forgot—I can use my Divine Eyes. Let's try it.'
Name: Key Chayton / ElephLevel: 12 (Spirit Stage 2)Position: Beast Guardian of Seven Beast City (Ancient Elephant Beast)Race: HumanLoyalty: 94 (Willing to die)Equipment: Ancient Elephant Armor
'Whoa… so the Divine Eyes can also see other people's status! And I'm shocked—Key's loyalty to me is incredibly high,' Brian thought, stunned for a moment.
'Let's try checking Lylia next,' he decided.
Name: Lylia Chayton / SnailLevel: 13 (Spirit Stage 3)Position: Beast Guardian of Seven Beast City (Ancient Snail Beast)Race: HumanAffection: 80 (Fond)Loyalty: 90 (Willing to die)Equipment: Snail Armor
'Affection? What's this?' Brian wondered.
Affection: Indicates a woman's feelings toward the host(0–25: Indifferent | 25–45: Mild | 45–55: Neutral | 55–70: Likes | 70–85: Fond | 85–100: Love)
"Hahahaha!" Brian couldn't help but laugh, thinking how amazing the system was.
"Your Majesty, is something the matter?" Lylia and Key asked, puzzled.
"Oh, it's nothing. Now, let's take a look at these stones. Divine Eyes!"