After the battle noise had died down, and before everyone retired for rest, Alistair quietly stepped out of his tent, heading alone toward the goal for which blood had been spilled...
The mine.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale silvery glow over the valley. Silence cloaked the area, as if the land itself were watching what would happen next after all this destruction.
Alistair stood before the entrance of the mine, towering ten meters high and wide enough for twenty men to walk side by side.
He whispered:
"Let's see if you're worth the blood that was shed."
He stepped into the mine, and soon a notification from the system appeared:
[Congratulations! You have obtained a mid-grade gold mine.]
Note: A mid-grade gold mine produces over one million gold coins annually, equivalent to the income of an entire duchy.
His eyes widened slightly.
"A mid-grade mine? That's… incredible."
A small smile crept onto his face.
"With this... House Alvarin will surely rise again."
But suddenly…
The system's voice returned, this time louder, like a grand announcement:
[Gold Mine Bonus Event Activated!]
[Mid-grade Gold Mine >> Upgraded to Legendary-grade Gold Mine!]
Note: A legendary-grade gold mine can fund an entire empire for years.
"…What?"
Alistair froze, then muttered:
"A single mine... capable of feeding an empire."
And then, he burst into laughter:
"Hahahahahahaha!"
He laughed loudly, for now he realized every drop of blood spilled had been worth this treasure.
He returned to his tent and opened his status screen:
Name: Alistair Alvarin
Title: Baron
Class: Knight
Rank: C
Attributes: Fire, Lightning, Wind, Ice, Water, Darkness, Space, Earth, Earthquakes, Gravity
Level: 43
XP to Next Level: [20,000 / 13,000]
Stats:
Strength: 190
Agility: 138
Endurance: 155
Intelligence: 101
Charisma: 115
Available Points: 630
Shop Points: 17,440
Alistair smiled and closed the screen.
"I've become much stronger."
He had earned those points through quests and level-ups, and after being quintupled, they reached their current total.
"I won't spend anything for now… I don't know what's coming next, better to save them."
He shook his head, closed his eyes... and drifted into a deep sleep.
Dawn of the Next Day
Alistair awoke before everyone. He completed his morning training, bathed, changed his clothes, and emerged to find the soldiers beginning to stir.
He gathered his troops and selected twenty of them, ordering them to guard the mine.
"Yes, my lord!" they shouted in unison.
He opened the system shop and quickly purchased gold-mining tools:
[Purchase Complete: 100 Sets of Magical Metal Mining Tools – Increases extraction efficiency by 200%.]
He chose one soldier among the twenty—bald, muscular, in his thirties—named James, who had reached Rank D. He appointed him as commander of the mine's garrison.
Then he ordered James to bring the prisoners of war.
James returned five minutes later with one hundred prisoners.
Alistair gave them a cold look:
"You fought for our enemies... you killed our brothers. Even death and feeding you to the dogs would be too kind."
The prisoners trembled in fear. They thought he would execute them.
But Alistair continued:
"However… I offer you a chance at freedom. Work in the gold mine, and you might earn it. Or die, for I will not feed one hundred useless mouths."
"What say you?"
"We'll work, of course!" they cried out instantly.
Alistair opened the system again and spent 500 points to purchase:
[10 Houses – Each housing up to 50 people.]
The houses appeared on flat land near the mine—elegant, practical, and ready to be inhabited.
"They'll live here. Eat, drink... and work."
Then he spent 100 more points to buy:
4 Gold Storage Houses
Food supplies enough for months
"Alright… it's all under your command now." Alistair told James.
"I'll take care of everything, my lord." James bowed respectfully. Alistair nodded in return.
Then he mounted his horse… and set off back to Brixton.
The morning sun began to warm the northern mountains, and silvery light still glinted on the massive gate of the mine behind him.
He cast one final glance at the place… then rode off.
The mine was located fifty kilometers west of Brixton, at the border of four baronies: Alvarin, Stoneheart, Griff, and Sarvinger.
The journey took nine hours.
As the convoy neared the city gates, the soldiers began whispering:
"We're almost home."
And when the walls of Brixton came into view, joyful cries erupted.
Soldiers leapt off their horses. Children ran to their fathers, voices ringing out:
"Daddy!" "Brother!" "They've returned!"
But in one corner of the scene…
Tears flowed.
Women whose loved ones were not among the returning. One woman knelt, clutching a broken shield, weeping. Another gasped and hugged her child asking, "When is daddy coming back?"
Alistair stood silently. He saw the joy—and did not forget the sorrow. He was the reason they returned… and the reason others never would.
He then announced loudly:
"All who died will be recorded in the Alvarin family records as honorable soldiers. As long as our house exists, none of their kin shall go hungry. I promise this... in my name."
Then he added quietly:
"Send their names to the engraver. I want them carved into the Honor Stone in front of Brixton Castle, so their children may know they died with honor."
Alistair entered his castle in the city center, where his loyal servant Garth greeted him with tears of pride.
"You're back." said Alistair.
"Welcome home, my lord." Garth replied.
He took a long bath, then went to bed to rest from the long journey.
Dawn of the Next Day
Alistair woke up, ready to train as usual. But to his surprise, all seventy soldiers were already waiting—led by Arthur and Henry.
"My lord!" they saluted with a bow.
Alistair smiled at them:
"What dreams did you have to make you this energetic, you fools?"
They laughed, but Arthur responded seriously:
"We want to grow stronger… so we don't lose our comrades again."
Alistair looked at him quietly:
"Don't burden yourselves with guilt… this is war. In war, people die. If you want to honor the fallen, then live with a strength that brings them pride."
They nodded with resolve.
"Alright then… let's begin training!
He completed his system's daily training and began working on mastering his elemental powers.
He started with wind—unleashing multiple slicing gusts and combining wind with a halo slash, doubling the attack's speed and power.
He even used it on his body—making himself light as a feather, moving faster than ever.
Then he used water. His strikes became more fluid, more graceful—and deadlier.
He moved on to the Earthquake element—each strike cracking the very space around it. He channeled the element into his weapon and slammed it into the training ground, creating a crater 5 meters wide and 10 meters deep.
Terrifying.
The Earthquake trait was purely offensive—it spared no one, friend or foe. It had to be used with caution when allies were near.
Then came the Gravity element. He began by doubling gravity. After some training, he pushed it to five times normal gravity. He stopped there—deciding to proceed slowly.
Next was Space—but strangely, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't use it properly. The only effect was a ripple in space when striking.
Odd.
Unlike Earthquake, which shattered space… Space felt like the attack existed within the space itself.
He pondered for a while, then moved on.
Darkness.
The moment he began using the Darkness trait, several memories rushed into his mind, followed by system alerts:
[New Skill Acquired: Foresight]
Skill Description: Allows you to see one second into the future.
[New Skill Acquired: Shadow Swap]
Skill Description: You can swap places with any non-living object within your line of sight.
"....."
Alistair stood frozen, eyes wide in awe. These two skills, tied to the Darkness trait, each had the potential to change a battle entirely.
"Let's see what happens when I apply this to my body and sword."
He closed his eyes and activated the trait again. Suddenly, black threads appeared across his body and face like markings.
He opened his eyes. It wasn't just markings… his senses were enhanced. His focus increased. His stats boosted. Even his body's cellular functions improved.
He grabbed a dagger and cut his hand. The wound sealed shut in less than a second—like it never happened.
He then infused the Darkness trait into his attacks. They became faster, stronger, and carried a decay effect.
"Looks like this is my strongest trait." he muttered, before sensing his energy drop—the markings faded from his body.
He opened the system and bought a C-rank skill for each element he possessed. Then he moved to the combat skills section.
"I don't need to buy breathing techniques—my B-rank one is more than enough for now… What I really need is a combat technique to support me in battle. The Alvarin family technique is strong, but it's C-rank—it won't be enough in future fights."
As he kept browsing, a notification popped up:
[The system has detected that your personal skill "Moonblade" is the first volume of the SS-grade technique belonging to the royal family of the ancient Alvarin Empire.]
[Would you like to purchase volumes two and three? Original price: 50,000 points. Discounted price (due to owning vol. 1): 5,000 points.]
[Yes / No]
"A technique… from the Alvarin Empire? Is this a coincidence… or?"
Alistair thought deeply before shaking his head and pressing Yes.
A flood of knowledge entered his mind. It took several minutes before he regained awareness.
"A terrifying technique," he thought. His former C-rank technique had rivaled B-rank ones… but this?
This was monstrous.
It blended brutality with elegance, power with fluidity—a truly complete style.
Alistair shook his head and returned to training. This time, he activated gravity across the entire training field—causing nearby soldiers to feel the pressure.
"This is gravity resistance training. Anyone who can't move under this weight doesn't eat tonight."
His tone was firm.
"Understood, sir!" the soldiers shouted, continuing their drills.
After a long day—half of it spent training—Alistair bathed and headed to the dining hall. The table was filled with all kinds of food, and as always, Garth was waiting, standing proudly with a faint smile.
Alistair sat and began eating.
"Tell me… how's the city?"
Garth nodded confidently, opened a small notebook, and said:
"The city… is improving, my lord."
He stepped forward with pride:
"The cows and chickens you purchased are producing enough food for the people. No one goes to bed hungry anymore—not even the children in the slums."
Alistair nodded quietly.
"And the houses?"
"We've built 100 wooden homes—enough to shelter 100 full families. They're simple, but sturdy. With these houses, no one is homeless anymore. In fact, many have started working in various jobs. We've received 500 enlistment applications—and that number rose by 250 just yesterday after your return. I've held the requests for your personal review, sir."
"Good…"
Garth continued:
"The internal roads have been leveled, and the main road connecting the city's northern gate to the palace square is complete. As for the outer wall—just two more days until it's finished."
Alistair raised his eyebrows in genuine admiration.
"Two days? I expected five at least."
Garth smiled proudly.
"Our men work as if they're in battle, sir. It seems their faith in you gives them strength we've never seen before."
Alistair stood a moment, gazing out the window toward Brixton's town square.
Vendors displayed vegetables. Children ran through alleys. Men dug and built. Women taught their kids to read.
He whispered:
"All of this… started with one decision."
Then he turned to Garth:
"Have the names of the fallen been recorded?"
Garth nodded:
"Yes, sir. The engraver arrived this morning. In two days, the Honor Stone will be placed in front of the palace—just as you commanded."
Alistair fell silent for a moment, then said in a quiet tone:
"I want a ceremony for them. And don't let any family go without support. Any widow left behind—I consider it treason to the honor of House Alvarin."
"As you command, my lord."
Alistair sat on his grand chair, and before his eyes, the image of the city began to form. It was no longer just a neglected outpost at the kingdom's edge…
It was now a dream, a project, a future