Lucien stood outside the manor, waiting patiently under the warm afternoon sun.
Monts later, they arrived.
Lukas led the group. Twelve mbers in total.
Each one wore a look of excitent. Their eyes glead with pride. They fidgeted slightly, still riding the high of their breakthrough.
As they ca to a stop in front of Lucien, they stood tall and gave a respectful salute.
Lucien silently activated INSPECT.
Lukas was now Level 30. The others had reached Level 10.
He gave a small nod of approval.
"Well done, everyone. I know how hard you’ve worked to reach this point," Lucien said. "As promised, I’ll reward you. So tell . What would you like?"
The group froze.
A few exchanged glances. No one spoke.
Nervousness settled over them like a fog. The truth was... they didn’t know what to ask for.
Lucien had already given them so much. It felt wrong to ask for more.
Just before the silence grew awkward, Lukas stepped forward.
"We’ll leave that decision to you, Young Lord," he said with a respectful bow. "We don’t wish for anything more. We’re already deeply grateful."
The others nodded in quiet agreent.
Lucien gave a small nod.
Then with a gesture of his hand, he summoned SKILLPEDIA.
The book suddenly appeared like a flash of light and a collective gasp rose from the group.
Lukas’s eyes lit up imdiately. They glead with anticipation. He clearly knew what was coming.
Lucien flipped through the pages, stopping at the Monster Skill section.
And there it was.
Sli Shot.
Dozens of copies were available, all thanks to Skittles’s tireless farming efforts.
"Line up," Lucien said calmly.
Without hesitation, Lukas stepped forward...
So fast he almost knocked soone aside. Naturally, he claid the first spot in the line. The others quickly fell in behind him.
They exchanged looks. If Lukas, their normally gruff and no-nonsense leader, was this excited... then whatever Lucien was about to give them had to be special.
They had never seen him like this before.
Not serious.
Not frowning.
Just... eager.
It made their hearts pound with anticipation.
Lucien chuckled at their reactions.
He picked up a Sli Shot skill card from the book.
Without needing a word, Lukas stepped forward... and dropped to one knee.
Lucien raised an eyebrow... then nodded in quiet approval.
The truth was, Lukas was simply too tall for him to reach his forehead comfortably. But the fact that he knelt down without being told... it said a lot.
’Good,’ Lucien thought. ’He knows how to read the mood. Witty, too.’
It wasn’t just practical. It was respectful.
In that mont, the scene looked more like a lord bestowing honor upon a loyal vassal.
Lucien pressed the card to Lukas’s forehead.
A soft glow flared and the card vanished into his skin.
Lukas’s eyes widened. His whole body tensed in excitent, as though he were struggling to hold back a cheer.
He was thrilled... and it showed.
Then ca the others’ turn.
Following Lukas’s example, each one stepped forward and knelt respectfully.
One by one, Lucien bestowed the Sli Shot skill.
Their reactions varied.
So were stunned into silence.
Others broke into wide grins or laughed with disbelief.
A few even teared up, overwheld by the mont.
One mber even dropped into a full dogeza, pressing his forehead to the ground as he thanked Lucien with trembling sincerity.
Lucien waved them off, chuckling. "Alright, alright. No need to go that far."
He couldn’t help but laugh at their genuine reactions.
By the end of it, all twelve had received the skill: Sli Shot.
"Good," Lucien said, his voice firm but pleased. "I expect even better news from you soon. The skill I gave you is special. You’ve seen the statue I placed in the plaza, right? Within its range, the skill’s power will double. Train both within and outside that area. Learn to adapt."
The group bowed deeply and expressed their thanks once more before taking their leave. Energy and motivation practically radiated from them.
By the end of the day, word had spread like wildfire.
Naturally, it was Cecil who broke the news first. He boasted to anyone who would listen that Lucien had granted him a magic affinity and turned him into a full-fledged mage.
When others learned that Lucien was also handing out skills, excitent swept through the entire territory.
Everyone was fired up.
They pushed themselves harder than ever before... training well into the night.
Each one of them wanted to rise above the ordinary.
They wanted to be unordinary, too.
•••
The next morning.
Breakthroughs continued to surge through the the Divisions.
Even the five old n Lucien had once assigned to the Spiritual Division had leveled up. One reaching Level 30 and the other four now at Level 20.
They are already at Tier 1 and Tier 2 before and now they had beco even more formidable.
When Lucien saw them, he imdiately noticed the change.
They stood taller.
Moved with purpose.
Their eyes were sharp.
Their auras vibrant.
They looked alive and more energetic.
Lucien smiled and gave them the sa rewards as the others.
Their joy was undeniable.
To think... just days ago, sothing like this felt impossible.
They left with gratitude shining in their eyes and confidence radiating from every step.
Soon after, Elk, the representative of the Crafting Division, arrived.
She was a tailor, initially possessing the skill called Stitching.
Lucien gave her a quick glance then used INSPECT to see what brought her here.
She hadn’t reached Level 10 yet but sothing caught his eye.
A new skill.
And more than that there was a change in her past skill.
"Young Lord," Elk began with a respectful bow, "I’ve co to report that the Crafting Division has begun awakening skills."
Lucien’s gaze lingered on her. She had learned Inscription. It was a valuable skill for talisman crafting.
She continued, "Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to practice so of the more advanced disciplines like forging or slting. We still lack the proper materials. But everyone in the division has awakened at least one skill."
She smiled proudly.
"I, for example, gained Inscription. Others have learned Carving, Stitching, Weaving, Engraving and more..."
Lucien nodded thoughtfully. The Crafting Division was one he had always planned to invest in. They had enormous potential.
Although Lucien had access to the Craft feature, he didn’t want to rely on it too heavily.
He wanted his people to grow.
To learn the skills with their own hands.
To gain experience.
To build confidence through mastery.
Still, when necessary, he wouldn’t hesitate to use the feature... especially for crafting ti-consuming items or large-scale tools where efficiency was critical.
In the end, he just wanted balance.
"Good," he said. "For now, focus on learning the other skills. Once the materials arrive, we’ll begin working on the more advanced ones. Still... crafting skills are notoriously hard to learn. They require precision and a lot of practice. How did your team learn them so quickly?"
He was genuinely curious.
Elk smiled and straightened with a bit of pride. "Actually, Young Lord... it was Cecil."
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"He told us how you found loopholes in the instructions and it inspired us. So we began looking for our own. We worked together, helped each other figure out the logic and brainstord better ways to follow the instruction’s intent."
Lucien gave a small nod of approval.
’That kid... he’s turning out to be quite the sparkplug.’
But then sothing caught his attention.
"Your Stitching skill... it feels different. What happened?"
Elk rubbed the back of her neck, a bit shy but proud.
"As expected of the Young Lord... nothing gets past you," she said with a grin. "It’s thanks to the Burrower’s Eye skill you gave . I used it while working with fabric. I looked through the layers to spot inconsistencies in the weave. It helped fix mistakes before they even ford. Eventually... It feels like I broke through. My stitching beca more refined. The skill evolved. It’s now called Quick Stitching."
Lucien was montarily speechless.
He hadn’t even considered using Burrower’s Eye that way. The level of control and precision required was imnse.
’It’s not just talent,’ he thought. ’It’s creativity, too.’
Lucien couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. His people were growing faster and smarter than he expected.
"Good, good," he said, genuinely pleased. "What reward would you like?"
Elk went quiet for a mont, thinking carefully. She hesitated before speaking.
"Young Lord... before I answer, may I ask what you envision for the Crafting Division in the future?"
Lucien didn’t hesitate.
"I want your division to handle everything. Potions, equipnt, tools, talismans and anything else that can help us thrive. That’s why I want you to master the foundational skills first so crafting those items will co naturally when the ti cos. Don’t worry. I’ll provide the materials and recipes you’ll need."
Upon hearing that, Elk dropped to one knee.
"Young Lord... if it’s not too much to ask—" she looked up, "—would it be possible for us to be granted magic attributes, like Cecil?"
Lucien paused, letting her words settle.
Elk continued, more earnestly this ti.
"In talisman crafting, we won’t be able to make elental charms...like a fireball talisman if no one has an affinity for Fire Magic. And for blacksmithing... having that sa affinity will let us work with flas more efficiently. If the fire doesn’t feel hot, we can learn faster, produce better results and stay safer."
Lucien nodded slowly.
He felt genuinely pleased. Not just by Elk’s request but by the mindset behind it.
She, and clearly the rest of the Crafting Division, were already thinking ahead.
Planning for their future.
Preparing to serve the territory in more aningful ways.
’They’re not just following orders... They’re growing alongside ,’ Lucien thought.
To him, granting them magic affinities no longer felt like a reward.
It felt like a necessity.
With those affinities, they wouldn’t just craft better talismans and tools. They’d do it safer, faster and with far greater potential.
He let out a small sigh but it was one of quiet relief.
What truly made him feel good was the spark he saw in Elk.
Enthusiasm.
Dedication.
Initiative.
’A great sign,’ Lucien thought. ’They’re building sothing real.’
Without hesitation, he agreed.
Lucien handed over 22 bottles of Solar Carrot Juice. One for each mber of the division.
Alongside it, he gave Honey and several pieces of Nectar Crystal as additional rewards.
Elk bowed deeply, offering her heartfelt thanks before departing.
But before Lucien could return to his thoughts...
Stone arrived with urgency in his voice.
"Young Lord... the cube molds are finished. We’re ready to begin laying the foundation for the fortress wall."
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