Chapter 768: The Treasure Calls the War (Patreon)

Otto’s village was growing too fast. Two weeks had passed since the battle against the orcs in Nyvma, and a newly cleared road through the forest now connected the village to Luke’s castle. Where there had once been nothing but makeshift tents, mud, and people trying not to die, wooden houses were beginning to rise. Goblins hammered beams into place, humans carried planks, and the two groups worked side by side.

Luke walked across the castle grounds, watching it all with a strange sense of satisfaction. He still wasn’t sure what to call the feeling of watching a miserable camp slowly turn into something that looked like a home.

Near a large steaming pot, Nessa, the mother of the goblin chief Fenn, served soup to a line of humans and goblins. The old goblin had changed. She no longer needed a cane, and she had an almost offensive amount of energy for someone her age.

Luke had made a point of using [Soldier] on her, and Nessa seemed determined to turn her renewed health into a public spectacle.

“Hey, Lord Luke!” the elderly goblin shouted, raising her ladle like a weapon. “Did you know I ran from here to the village three times this morning?”

“Yeah, I believe it, Nessa.”

“I’m faster than some of those youngsters.” She cackled, far too pleased with herself.

Luke had already caught her challenging younger goblins, and even a few humans, to push-up contests. She had been like this ever since her health had improved so dramatically.

“Lord Luke,” Joseph called as he approached.

The man was sweating and covered in soot and dust, but he wore the grin of someone who had just won a war single-handedly.

“I did it, Lord Luke. I hit level 12 as a Blacksmith.” He puffed out his chest. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I just kept making tools like a madman. I promise I’ll pay you back for the materials you gave me.”

“Everything you’ve made is already helping me build up my territory. Consider us even.”

Joseph bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Lord Luke. Without you, I never would have awakened this Profession.”

“Yeah…”

Luke still had no idea how to react when people older than him bowed to him. It was strange. Embarrassing. And maybe a little dangerous for his ego.

“Joseph,” he said. “A Profession reflects your natural talent. All I did was awaken something that was already there. You’re the one who put in the work.”

“But…”

“Learn how to take a compliment, Joseph.”

The man hesitated, then smiled again, his eyes shining.

“Lord Luke, Lady Angie was right. Serving you really did make me stronger. Strong enough to protect everyone. My mana recovers faster now, and I’ve even unlocked blacksmithing skills that use it.” His smile widened. “I can make weapons. Real weapons.”

Joseph kept talking excitedly about the tools he was making, how every hammer strike felt more precise, and how the heat of the forge seemed to respond to his touch. When he finally said goodbye, he hurried back toward his work area.

“Just don’t stay up too late,” Luke called after him. “Or your wife’s going to blame me.”

Joseph laughed without looking back.

Luke surveyed the activity throughout the village. Like Joseph, several other residents had become citizens of his kingdom, and Luke had used the Core’s power to grant them Professions. Angie had carefully selected each candidate.

They now had a blacksmith, several builders, and even farmers. The goblins also knew quite a bit about growing crops, so the village was becoming more stable than Luke had expected. Little by little, the place was no longer just a cluster of cloth tents. Real houses were being built.

"What about my temple, Luke?" Artemis asked inside his head.

The goddess had been nagging him about it for days. Or rather, the version of her inside his necklace had. Artemis needed him to make a statue of her.

I already decided where I’m putting your statue.

"Where?"

In my laboratory.

"Your laboratory? Are you kidding me, Luke?"

What? My laboratory is where I run experiments on seeds. Whenever I’m at the castle, I spend a lot of time there.

"Why not your bedroom, man? Better yet, put it in the bathroom so I can watch you!"

“Hey, hey, hey,” Luke muttered, frowning. Didn’t you say the statue was only symbolic? What do you mean, you could watch me? Wait… could your goddess self spy on me through the statue?

"What? Where did you even get that idea, man?"

You literally just said it.

"What are you talking about? Could the actual goddess even do that? I’m sure she couldn’t spy on you through the statue while you were showering. And even if she could, do you really think a goddess would waste her time watching one of her believers shower? Of course not, man. You’re so immature."

Artemis, you’re never getting a bathroom statue.

Later, Luke sat in the room that served as both his office and laboratory. A rough map of the region under his Core’s influence lay spread across the desk. His territory had expanded considerably over the past two weeks.

He had also completed three quests: [Have 1 Kingdom Builder], [Have 1 Kingdom Blacksmith], and [Have 1 Kingdom Farmer].

Kingdom CoreMonarch: Luke MoonKingdom Name: -Level: 4Citizens: 332/400Soul Energy: 6,455/30,000

Skills: [Dark Lord’s Army], [Citizenship Card], [Sovereign’s Gaze], [Domain Mana], [Kingdom’s Calling], [Safe Domain], [Kingdom Bond], [Core Soul Reservoir], [Crown Vigilance], [Verdant Domain], [Hands of the Kingdom], [Granted Profession]

[Quests]: [Kings of the New Era (Optional)], [Teleportation Array (Optional)], [Establish a Large Farm], [Establish a Military Guard]

A small green sphere passed through the wall and floated into the room. Illyra.

“Another of my children has returned safely,” the sphere said.

Illyra was recovering. She could now speak normally in the physical world.

“I felt them enter the territory,” Luke replied, still sketching on the map.

“You have my gratitude, Botanist.”

Charlie and Norn were tracking down the goblins who had been taken, while the Goblin Quintet helped escort the survivors back through the forest.

The Quintet consisted of Pip, Boko, Rilo, and Mina, the future chiefs of the goblin villages. They hunted together as they traveled, trying to grow stronger through the power granted by [Soldier]. They fought creatures too weak to draw the attention of Luke’s [Sovereign’s Gaze]: Level 5 foxes, boars, and other minor beasts. Nothing impressive, but progress was progress.

Monsters gained levels differently from humans. Killing alone wasn’t enough. Dedication, lifespan, the desire to grow stronger, personal ambition, and even devouring enemies all played a role. Apparently, eating a dead enemy also granted a little experience. Luke had decided not to think too hard about that part.

“The Quintet is making the forest safer while they train,” Luke said, setting down his pencil. “We’re all helping each other here.”

“They have begun to understand that.”

“Good. Though I doubt the orcs just happened to wander into these lands.”

The sphere hovered in silence.

“The integration a year ago changed a lot around here. Maybe the orcs came from another world. Or maybe they were already here, and your continent was pulled closer to theirs.”

“Unfortunately, I possess no information about anything beyond this forest,” Illyra said.

“Neither does anyone else around here. Every human I’ve spoken to says the orcs have been on the coast for at least a year, or close to it. Apparently, they arrived by ship around the same time my world was integrated into this one.”

But it still didn’t add up. Luke couldn’t believe a newly integrated civilization had almost immediately sent an army across the sea to invade another continent. It seemed too fast.

“Or maybe other worlds were integrated months earlier,” he continued. “The system isn’t exactly transparent. All I know, is that my world was part of the final integration, along with several others. We all lived on the same planet, but in different layers of reality. Now everyone exists in the same one.”

He looked down at the rough map. Most of it was blank. The forest occupied a vague patch in the center, and the mountains were little more than a line. Luke didn’t know where the nearest major city was, how far the coastline stretched, or what lay beyond the territory he could sense. He didn’t even know the name of the continent.

“Then I need better maps,” Luke said. “The forest, the mountains, the coast, everything.”

“And how will you obtain them?”

“Good question.”

Finding the Baummans and understanding the orc invasion had just become two parts of the same problem.

Luke produced a seed with [Tree of Mother Freya] and slipped it into his pocket. He already carried a small pouch full of them, and every time his mana fully recovered, he created another.

Near sunset, he went to Franky’s room, still thinking about coastlines, mountain ranges, and the sheer size of the continent.

“Still hiding in here? By now, I thought you’d have made friends with some of the human children.”

Franky sat on the bed with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“I am not a child. Why would I befriend them?”

“There are goblin children too, you know. You’re all monsters.”

“I am a beast. A mighty serpent. Not a tiny green rat.”

“Man, you’re always in a bad mood. Puberty’s going to be a nightmare with you.”

Franky narrowed his eyes. “Have you found a way back to your rat family’s den yet?”

“The Teleportation Array? It’s not that simple. I don’t even know how large this continent is. I’d need a lot of maps before I could properly start searching.”

“Human, you are lazy. That is the real problem.”

“I literally spent the afternoon trying to solve that problem.”

“And yet you have solved nothing.”

Luke stared at him. Franky stared back.

“I want to get back to the Baummans soon, too,” Luke said.

“Who said I want to return to your rat family?”

“You did. A month ago. While crying your eyes out.”

Franky clicked his tongue and jumped off the bed. He opened a drawer and pulled out a small leather bag.

“Then why don’t we go hunting? We can search for the matrix while we’re out.”

“You have a travel bag?”

“The green rats gave it to me.”

“Not today.”

“Not today? You’ve been saying that for days.”

“I’m working on something that’ll help you gain levels once it’s ready.”

After dinner, Luke walked through the castle corridors while examining one of his skills. It was the evolved form of [Despair Aura], now called [Dread Aura].

[Dread Aura (Ultra-Rare)]: The Witch’s presence has evolved into an aura of true dread, flooding the area around her with oppressive fear. Within its range, the air grows cold, heavy, and difficult to breathe. Enemies who meet the Witch’s gaze may hesitate, tremble, or freeze as terror disrupts their thoughts, movement, and concentration. Those vastly weaker than the Witch may suffer dizziness, nausea, panic, or complete collapse, while stronger opponents must resist through sheer force of will. Even after escaping her presence, traces of dread may linger. This skill receives a moderate bonus from Perception, Willpower, and Intelligence.

Luke knew skills could evolve. The problem was, he didn’t know the requirements or how close any skill was to evolving. He suspected [Despair Aura] had changed because of the fear he had spread among the orcs and humans during the battle. He couldn’t exactly train the evolved version inside the castle, but he still wanted to know how fast it kicked in.

By the next morning, Luke had a different problem. More refugees wanted to join them. Several settlements had been destroyed, leaving their survivors with a simple choice: rebuild from scratch with fewer people or join a village that was still standing. The decision became even easier after word spread that Otto’s village had made it through the attack nearly unscathed.

Even though the orcs had seemingly vanished, everyone knew there were more of them somewhere on the continent.

Luke met with Otto, Joseph, Angie, and Boggy to discuss what they could do.

“We can accept another twenty families,” Otto said. “Maybe more.”

“Where exactly are we going to put them?” Luke asked.

Otto glanced at the builders. Joseph cleared his throat, while Boggy suddenly found the table fascinating.

Angie answered for them. “We’ll need more wood.”

“And more food,” Luke said.

After the meeting, Luke went to the Great Tree. He could now travel back and forth almost instantly, thanks to a [Teleportation Pentagram] inside the castle and another in front of the tree. The area around the Great Tree had become a sort of open-air laboratory. Every day, Luke produced potions in large quantities and poured them into the tree.

He emptied another potion over the roots. The Great Tree drank it in, and a web of silver-green veins spread across the trunk, climbing several feet before fading into the wood. A tremor passed through the ground.

[Your profession [Sentinel Botanist of Mother Freya] has reached Level 105!] (+21 Wisdom, +16 Intelligence, +13 Willpower, +10 Perception, +8 Vitality, +25 Free Points)

Luke grinned. It was paying off. Once he reached level 110, he would gain a new skill.

“Illyra, you might not be growing, but you’re getting much faster,” Luke said, watching the green sphere.

“I am. Thanks to you.”

“And the underworld?”

***

Orc General Ruax stood inside one of the caverns deep within the mountain. Two thrones stood before him, each occupied by a ratman. The king and queen sat surrounded by those most loyal to the throne. The king’s head was lowered. The queen’s was not. She stared directly at Ruax, hatred burning in her eyes. None of the other ratmen looked happy either. Their jaws were clenched, and their hands hovered too close to their weapons. But no one moved.

“Send every soldier you have into that forest,” Ruax ordered. “Search every village, every den, every hole in the ground. Trample everything until you find what I’m looking for. And don’t forget, Ratman King. I have your children.”

“Which forest?” the Ratman King asked, his voice low and strained. “There are many on both sides of the mountain.”

Ruax strode forward, seized the king by the throat, and lifted him into the air as if he weighed nothing. The other ratmen stirred, fury twisting their faces, but none dared attack. The queen rose halfway from her throne, and the king caught her wrist.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Ruax snarled. “Or I’ll rip your wife’s head off.”

The queen didn’t look away.

Ruax hurled the king back onto the throne. The ratman landed hard, choking as he clutched his throat.

“Send your ratmen into the Forest of Spiders.”

“You haven’t told us what to look for.”

Ruax bared his teeth. “You’ll know it when you find it. Bring it to me.”

With that, Ruax left the cavern. Orc soldiers were stationed throughout the mountain to keep the ratmen under control, but even they didn’t know everything that was happening.

It has to be in that forest. It has to be there.

The words repeated in his mind like a curse.

When he stepped into the shadows beneath the trees, Ruax saw a small figure in a black cloak. An orc smaller than most, nearly swallowed by the darkness between the trunks.

“Kutar,” Ruax said as he approached.

“I had to see it with my own eyes,” the cloaked orc replied. “You publicly betrayed the Orc Lord, then abandoned your army during the invasion of that human city.”

“I had no choice but to desert. The moment I learned the Orc Lord had sent Kangar and the other wolves there, I knew the Orc Treasure had to be somewhere in that forest.”

“Kangar crossed the eastern ridge yesterday.”

Ruax went still. “He’s already that close?”

“Closer than you are,” Kutar said. “And he isn’t the only one searching.”

Ruax’s fists clenched. “Then tell the king I need more time.”

“The king has already given you more time than you deserve.”

Kutar stepped backward into the darkness. “Finding the Orc Treasure is the only way he will ever forgive you. If Kangar reaches it first, don’t bother coming back.”

The shadows swallowed him. One moment, Kutar was there. The next, the forest was empty.

Ruax stood motionless, breathing heavily. Kutar hadn’t needed to explain what would happen if Ruax returned empty-handed.

He was running out of time. Kangar had an exceptional sense of smell, sharp hearing, and absurdly keen eyesight. Even with every orc Ruax trusted searching, they might not find the treasure first. Not if Kangar already had a lead.

Ruax quickened his pace, his decision made. If necessary, he would invade the Forest of Spiders himself. The Orc Treasure was out there. And whoever found it first would hold the keys to the kingdom.

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