A few hours later—
Dungeon, Third Floor. Inside what used to be Dreadwitch Castle.
Ding!
"Would you like to activate the Castle Heart?"
"Confirm!" Ethan didn’t hesitate for a second. Standing at the heart of the castle, he plunged his Sub-Castle Heart into the core of what was once the Dungeon King’s stronghold.
Vrrrmmm!
A surge of imnse, ancient magic exploded outward, rippling through the castle, seeping into the earth, and stretching far beyond the horizon. It was like the land itself was waking up—recognizing a new master.
In that instant, Ethan felt it—this place was his now. The entire fortress, the vast territory beneath his feet, the dark, fertile soil—it had all submitted to him. It was now part of the Erald Castle’s domain.
Ding!
"Congratulations, player Valkarion. Castle Heart activation complete. Please na your new castle."
Ding!
"Congratulations, player Valkarion. You’ve successfully claid territory within the Dungeon. Mission progress: 1%. Keep going—plunder resources, seize land, wage war, dominate the Dungeon, and beco the ultimate victor!"
...
"Only one percent?"
Ethan’s eye twitched.
He’d ntally prepared himself for a grind, sure—but this? This was the forr capital of a Dungeon King, and it only bumped his mission progress by one percent?
Seriously?
How long was this going to take?
Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
Still, he shook his head and sighed. "Whatever. One step at a ti..."
Nothing worth having cos easy.
And hey, the harder the mission, the better the reward, right?
"As for the na of this castle..." Ethan glanced over at Balthazar, and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Let’s call it Ragehowl Castle."
Howl Castle had once been the proud capital of the Beastkin—like AvLee was to the Forest Faction. Ethan didn’t want to just rip off the na, so he gave it his own spin.
"Ragehowl" was a tribute to the raw fury and primal power of the Behemoth.
This wasn’t just another fortress.
This was their beast-throne—built on roars, rage, and blood.
Ding!
"Congratulations, player Valkarion. Your new castle has been nad: Ragehowl Castle!"
Ethan nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Balthazar. "How’s the cleanup going? We don’t have much ti."
"My lord," Balthazar rumbled, "I’m not the one handling that. I left it to Lilith. She knows this place better than any of us, and frankly, she’s way more suited to this kind of work. If you want and my kin on the battlefield, we’ll be the first to charge in, no question. But..."
He paused, then gave a sheepish, almost embarrassed smile.
"But when it cos to logistics and administration... Lord, that’s really not our thing."
Ethan blinked—then burst out laughing.
Yeah, expecting a bunch of Behemoth brutes to handle castle managent?
Not exactly a genius move.
"Forget it, never mind. I’ll just wait for an update from Lilith," Ethan said, shaking his head. Then he turned back to Balthazar. "Oh, right—there’s sothing I wanted to ask you."
"My Lord, go ahead."
"I’m planning to station your people here in Ragehowl Castle. Any objections?"
"None at all! That’s a brilliant decision, my Lord."
Balthazar’s eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Honestly, this place suits us perfectly. Here, we can unleash our full strength. Even if a Black Dragon shows up, we’ll hunt it down like any other beast!"
It was clear Balthazar had already guessed Ethan’s intentions—and he was all for it.
Truth be told, this was exactly what the Behemoths had been hoping for.
You don’t really know your limits until you fight. And once they’d tasted battle in an environnt that played to their strengths, they realized just how powerful they could be. That feeling? Absolutely addictive.
To be fair, Balthazar had always been a little wary of Black Dragons. They were both Tier 14 Mythic Units—both lee monsters—but he’d never beaten one before.
Until now.
After that crushing victory, his confidence was through the roof.
Black Dragon? Bring it on. He’d be the one doing the stomping this ti.
"Good," Ethan said with a grin. "Then I’m leaving Ragehowl Castle in your hands for the ti being." He paused, then added, "Don’t worry—I’ll send reinforcents to help you hold it down."
A castle like this couldn’t go without a Hero Unit to anchor it. And with how things were going in Erald Castle, they were practically swimming in Crimson Ultimate heroes. Pulling one or two over here wouldn’t be a problem at all.
As for who he had in mind...
He already knew.
He’d leave Kaiin here—along with the Ebonite Colossus tribe.
First off, there was no need to expand outward in the Dungeon just yet. No need to go conquering new territory or pushing borders.
Right now, their job was simple: take over the massive swaths of land left behind after wiping out the Malenthia faction. One step at a ti.
That kind of work? Perfect for Balthazar and his Behemoth warriors.
And if anyone tried to ss with them—if so opportunistic faction thought they could swoop in and take advantage?
Kaiin and the Ebonite Colossi would be the unbreakable shield.
Balthazar and the Behemoths would be the unstoppable spear.
Together, they’d be a damn near perfect combo.
More than enough to hold this place down for a long ti.
And, well... Ethan had another reason too.
He wanted to give Kaiin a chance to level up.
The truth was, after comparing him to Orryn, it was painfully obvious—defensive Hero Units leveled way slower than their offensive counterparts.
...
They’d fought in the sa war, side by side.
Orryn had already hit level 57 after his second awakening.
Kaiin? Still stuck at 54—just one level shy of his own second awakening.
And the worst part?
If it hadn’t been for the system’s mission rewards and the XP he leeched off Seraphina’s kill on Malenthia, he might’ve fallen even further behind.
So yeah, it was clear as day: if he wanted to get a tank-type Hero Unit like Kaiin up to speed, he’d have to invest so serious ti and resources.
As for Orryn, who was already awakened and sitting pretty at level 57?
Easy.
He’d be heading back to join the main faction war effort.
Wherever there was a fight, he’d thrive. Didn’t matter where you dropped him—he’d level up fast no matter what.
"Still," Ethan muttered to himself, "defensive Hero Units might be slow to grow... but once they’re fully leveled, they’re probably even more valuable than the frontline brawlers."
...
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