It took a few seconds for the usual stern Hunter David to calm down enough to speak. While it didn't surprise him that there were at least some other lifeforms in the forest. He had hoped that they would be on the friendlier side.

"Johann was killed by a Shadowhound. We never even saw it coming. Fortunately, we could escape. But you know as well as I that Shadow Hounds never travel alone."

That was certainly not something he knew, but hearing about the death of his first citizen did sadden him. While Julius hadn't gotten to know the hunters too well. The fact that someone he had been eating lunch with hours before was dead hit him hard.

It made everything around him feel suddenly so much more real. This was not a game. All it would take is one wrong move for everything to go wrong.

"I couldn't see any others, but I am sure that they are around. There is no way any of us could deal with a true pack of Shadow Hounds. We need to start building up defences immediately. I do not doubt that once they have our scent they won't be letting go."

That was not the news he wanted to hear on the eve of the fifth day. It left them with little more than forty-eight hours.

While he was confident in being able to take on a single Tier 1 Beast. Leonard seemed more than capable enough to handle that. Anything more than that was a real question mark. Any defence he would be able to make would also be lacklustre compared to a pack of Tier 1 Beasts.

It was a restless sleep that evening. Thoughts of the next day made sleep evasive. The results of his scouting would force his actions.

Waking up the next day, it took a few moments to remember where he was. The pleasant dream he had been having was long since lost.

Left with no other choice he made his way to the desk to check how his items had sold overnight.

He had made full returns on everything he had earned from the bronze draws. Some even were worth two Bronze Draws in the open market.

Without looking at his Elite skill, that brought his bronze draw stockpile up to fifteen. A more than worthwhile return for the work he had put in the day before.

Finally, he looked at the Elite skill auction. Hopeful for what might come.

It seemed that the price had stabilised around the eight-draw level. But the fact he had earned the same amount as an Elite manual was still a great surprise to him.

It almost made him question his policy of drawing any manual he saw. But the returns for even the worst manuals were simply too high for him to ignore.

[56 LP (+22)]

Seeing his Lord Points made him a little depressed. Another sign of the person that had been lost. He was still far from being able to afford another Tier 1 citizen. Something that he would have to prioritize in the future.

He wished that they were able to trade Lord Points. At least for the moment, such a thing wasn't possible.

He collected the free draws once again. Hopeful for who he would be recruiting today. It would only take a single high-potential recruit with a talent for the path of healing to sway his opinion.

He once again looked for younger people. Each scout his mood declined further.

By the end of the fifteen scouts, his mood had reached a new low. Not only did he fail to find anyone with the talent for healing. He didn't find anyone with good potential at all. Since he had been choosing younger people. He couldn't even find someone to immediately replace the lost hunter.

Stolen story; please report.

His head turned once again to his makeshift coin. While he had enough Bronze draws to continue. He knew that he would be able to sell the Manual for at least two Tier 1 Recruitments. Something that would give him hope to be able to survive the Shadow Hounds.

Selecting the few Citizens that would be immediately useful in some way or another. At the very least he had found someone that had the trait of Friendly.

[Trait: Friendly,

Power: Tier 0 - 2 Star,

Potential; Tier 0 - 5 Star,

Talent: None]

A few lords had said that friendlier citizens worked better in the tavern. So he hoped that she would be able to do the same. After all, it needed all the help it could get.

With the recruits settled and the Friendly Laura now working behind the bar of the tavern. He returned to his abode.

He had thought the trait had been a little silly when he first saw it. But she did have a knack for disarming people. It took quite some effort to leave the Tavern to return to his abode.

It was only the allure of the twenty-three Bronze Draws. If he could convert them into Lord Points then he would be able to afford several Tier 1 citizens.

Unfortunately, at his level, there was no way to convert items to Lord Points. The going rate for Tier 1 Recruitments was hovering around 8 bronze draws.

He hoped that by the end of the evening, he would be able to afford a lot more.

With his talent, he had been earning close to double the Bronze draws per day. If he continued with that trend today, by tomorrow he would be able to afford five Tier 1 Citizens.

He could only hope that would be enough to defeat his first batch of enemies.

He wasn't sure if the first draw of the day was luckier. But he began with an Uncommon Manual.

[Uncommon Weak Swordsman.]

[A manual of the Martial Path. The Sword is comfortable in your hands. With a blade in hand, you can best any Tier 2 Warrior]

[17/17]

While the name didn't inspire confidence. It would be a good manual for anyone who wanted to set their warriors down the path of the swordsman. With seventeen chances to use the manual as well, he knew that he had made a profit already.

If his thinking was correct. The manual was worth around four bronze draws. But he decided to test the market a little.

Selling the Manual at a price of a Tier 1 Recruitment Order. He wasn't sure if he would be able to sell it for that price. But he saw no reason to do otherwise.

With his efficiency growing, and more than little luck on his side. He had four other manuals up on the market. All for a similar price. While he doubted that the Common Manual would be bought. He still had hope for the Uncommon Manuals. He wasn't lucky enough to draw an Elite Skill.

But the crop of Uncommon Skills was more than enough to earn him back the Bronze Draws spent.

With that done he once again checked the forums in hopes of finding someone nearby. Especially now that he discovered enemies. If he was able to find an ally, that could only be helpful.

The World Forum had quieted down. Not because of a lack of titled lords. But because of the first change he saw in the forum.

It seemed that with enough Lord's becoming a titled lord. The qualifications to post in the world forum had risen.

That made Julius more than a little concerned. He hadn't even reached the level of Titled Lord and already the forum thought there were too many.

You now had to be a High Lord to post in the world forum. While the qualifications necessary for a Titled Lord were quite varied. The same was not true for a High Lord.

It required a Mansion Lord's Abode. Something two levels above a Townhouse. As well as having at least ten thousand people in your territory. As well as that you needed one Tier 4 Elder, five Tier 3 Powerhouses, fifteen Tier 2 Warriors and seventy-five Tier 1 Citizens. That was the minimum requirement for a High Lord.

It was a level he couldn't even conceive of. The fact that there was still a steady enough flow of posts in the forum was even more so.

He stopped counting after the fiftieth unique title.

It was hard not to overthink his position in the world after seeing that.

He knew that his silver talent wasn't special. The minimum talents of the people speaking in the world forum seemed to be the Epic Level. Most of the forum was dominated by those with legendary talents.

Each post only made him feel worse. With a disheartened sigh, he returned to his territory management.

Fortunately, the Farmers had managed to earn enough to build a basic wall around the village.

He had planned enough to have an area that would hold a thousand people. With the worry of the shadow hounds, he decided to reduce his planned usage for the moment.

After all, it could be months before he would have to manage that many people. With the majority of the planning being around houses for the citizens. It wasn't hard to reduce the amount and build far less walls.

As soon as he designated the walls to be built. He heard the townsfolk begin moving the materials into place.

According to the menu, it would take about fifteen hours for all the walls to be built. Leaving plenty of time to build other defences before the end of the protection period.

With some protection in place, he idly returned to the auction to see how his manuals had been selling.

The three Tier 1 recruitment orders now in his possession seemed to jump out at him.