Ares was becoming increasingly proud of the two training facilities, even going as far as calling the people there his warriors. It was only natural he wanted the barracks upgraded.
* * *
Name: Melee Fighting Barracks
Level: 5
Level-Up Requirement: Settlement Level 6
Level-Up Cost: 160,000x Lumber Units (1,600,000 MP)
: 80,000x Stone Units (800,000 MP)
Level-Up Time: 14,400 minutes (8,640,000 MP)
Description: The perfect place to train for melee combat. The barracks are equipped with all the necessary training equipment and magical automations needed to strengthen the body and increase in aptitude with all close-combat weapons. Troops that train in these barracks gain a 10% increase in Physical Attack and Attack Speed.
* * *
The cost looked laughable here too. And this was most definitely a wartime structure, whose construction and leveling up would certainly prove useful for what was to come. There wasn't much to think about. Leveling up the barracks was a big priority and I was sure that the fighters wouldn't mind their training being interrupted.
I selected “Yes” and watched the mesmerizing procedure of the building being rapidly disassembled and put back together again. No matter how many times I watched this take place, it never got old. And this was likely one of the last times I’d get to see it, since our guild had reached level six, a level I was sure not even my father's guild had reached—not that he ever gave me access to any of the guild controls or overview.
* * *
Name: Melee Fighting Barracks
Level: 6 (Maximum)
Description: The perfect place to train for melee combat. The barracks are equipped with all the necessary training equipment and magical automations needed to strengthen the body and increase in aptitude with all close-combat weapons. Troops that train in these barracks gain a 20% increase in Physical Attack and Attack Speed. Additionally, troops trained here are proficient in one-on-one duels as well as fighting in large-scale battles.
* * *
The building's footprint didn’t seem to grow but its pillars looked significantly girthier, which made me wonder whether it now had underground levels as well. The surrounding grounds were filled with tools that could be used for exercises as well as combat training, from high walls that looked impossible to scale to mud pits. And all of that was surrounded by endless racks of weapons of all sorts: small daggers thin enough to fit under doors, and swords, halberds, and war hammers large enough to tear a horse in half.
A loud roar of excitement and the violent shaking of blades in the air notified me that the warriors who’d been training in there were anything but annoyed by the interruption. As if they’d spotted an enemy, they rushed into their upgraded barracks, eager to explore everything new it had to offer. As they headed back in from the sides, I noticed them getting lower into the ground as they went, most probably down a slope, confirming my earlier suspicions about an underground expansion.
If I remembered correctly, each level the barracks had been upgraded gave a two-percent increase in Physical Attack and Attack Speed. The percentage hadn’t increased tenfold this time, but I wasn't really expecting that to happen with something like this. Even the doubling of the percentage was more than I’d hoped for. And the added benefit of the warriors being trained for both types of combat was something I hadn’t even considered. But it wasn't the first time that the Dark Energy had offered something through an upgrade that I hadn’t known I needed.
Now I was curious to see what the ranged training building would have to offer.
* * *
Name: Ranged Fighting Barracks
Level: 5
Level-Up Requirement: Settlement Level 6
Level-Up Cost: 160,000x Lumber Units (1,600,000 MP)
: 80,000x Stone Units (800,000 MP)
Level-Up Time: 14,400 minutes (8,640,000 MP)
Description: The perfect place to train for ranged combat. Everything a fighter needs in order to excel at this style of fighting can be found in these barracks, from moving targets to a multitude of training weapons and projectiles. Fighters who do their training here will see an immediate increase in their agility and control over these weapons. Troops that train in these barracks gain a 10% increase in Physical Attack and Attack Speed.
* * *
The cost was identical, so I was expecting similar results from this upgrade as well. Having heard all of the commotion from the melee fighters building next to theirs, the ranged fighters came rushing out to investigate. Most of them were fully armed, some holding longbows or crossbows, while others had throwing axes or daggers in hand.
They all put their weapons away when they saw the newly leveled-up building and turned to leave again, presumably before any of their counterparts had the change to boast about it. But this was the perfect chance for me to upgrade it, since they were already mostly outside and would be able to watch the process taking place with me.
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I focused on the words “Level-Up” and paid the full cost for instantaneous upgrade. The warriors marveled at the lumber planks and large stones flying above their heads as they took their place in their new training grounds. Even a good few seconds after the upgrade of the buildings had been finished, none of them had moved a muscle. They were just standing there, staring at the marvel that had just unraveled before their eyes. And I could totally understand what they were feeling. Magic such as that used by places of power was as hard to comprehend as it was beautiful to watch.
* * *
Name: Ranged Fighting Barracks
Level: 6 (Maximum)
Description: The perfect place to train for ranged combat. Everything a fighter needs in order to excel at this style of fighting can be found in these barracks, from moving targets to a multitude of training weapons and projectiles. Fighters who do their training here will see an immediate increase in their agility and control over these weapons. Troops that train in these barracks gain a 20% increase in Physical Attack and Attack Speed, and the effective range of their attacks is doubled.
* * *
The percentage had seen a raise very similar to the melee fighting barracks, but there was no distinction made here between duels and large battles, probably because archers were more solitary in their methods of fighting than swordsmen—who needed to watch each other's backs for encroaching enemies.
Instead, the range of their weapons, the distance from which they would be able to inflict maximum damage, had now doubled. This might not have been a big thing for a single archer fighting a monster with his party, but it was a huge deal when it came to whole battalions of longbowmen.
If the archers were able to start loosing arrows at an approaching enemy and bringing down enemy troops from twice the distance, it would give them a significant advantage. And throwing an axe at a charging enemy from twice the distance but with the same force and accuracy would make axe-wielding fighters much more efficient in closer combat too.
I was starting to think it was weird that I still hadn’t heard anything from Ares about the upgrades when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I almost fell off the roof from the surprise. But when I turned, I found the god of war behind me.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he said.
"Are you sure?" I asked, slightly irritated. "You must have really put some effort into getting up here unnoticed."
"Zeus, I shouted at you to come down before I climbed up to the roof."
"You did? I must have been more focused than I thought."
"I guess next time I'll ask you through the guild chat. The upgrades are magnificent."
"Yes, I saw the bonuses increased and both buildings have an additional effect too," I said.
"They also both have enough space to train thousands upon thousands of warriors now. They are the best fighting academies I have seen."
"Then perhaps we should rename them," I suggested.
"We can do such a thing?" Ares asked, surprised.
"I think I've seen the option…" I pulled up the status information for the melee barracks. "There it is. What do you think of it now?"
* * *
Name: Fighting Academy of Ares
Level: 6 (Maximum)
Description: The perfect place to train for melee combat. The barracks are equipped with all the necessary training equipment and magical automations needed to strengthen the body and increase in aptitude with all close-combat weapons. Troops that train in these barracks gain a 20% increase in Physical Attack and Attack Speed. Additionally, troops trained here are proficient in one-on-one duels as well as fighting in large-scale battles.
* * *
"That is wonderful," the god of war replied. "What about the ranged fighters though?”
“You’re right,” I said, and pulled that information again. "Fixed it."
* * *
Name: Fighting Academy of Artemis
Level: 6 (Maximum)
Description: The perfect place to train for ranged combat. Everything a fighter needs in order to excel at this style of fighting can be found in these barracks, from moving targets to a multitude of training weapons and projectiles. Fighters who do their training here will see an immediate increase in their agility and control over these weapons. Troops that train in these barracks gain a 20% increase in Physical Attack and Attack Speed and the effective range of their attacks is doubled.
* * *
"That’s good to see," Ares said. "She is the best archer I have ever seen."
"That she is.”
“But for all your brilliant plans and strategies, Zeus, you sometimes fail to see the simplest traps."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
"Naming buildings after people in your guild, without having a clear plan to name one after everyone," he said as he climbed down the roof. "I think you're in for an educating conversation with my sister."
"Shit," I said.
"Shit indeed," Ares replied, before he disappeared.
I would probably have been blindsided if he hadn't mentioned it. I knew exactly which building would take Hephaestus’ name, but wasn’t sure at all which one would be the best fit for Aphrodite—who, coincidentally, was also the one most likely to give me shit about it.
* * *
Name: Hephaestus’ Workshop
Level: 6 (Maximum)
Description: The blacksmith's workshop is what separates hamlets from organized village communities. Tools, weapons, and armor are only the beginning of what a smithy can offer to a settlement. Owning a blacksmith's workshop unlocks weapon and armor research as well as crafting equipment and tools. At the current level, the blacksmith's workshop is able to produce machines of war without any size limitations, as well as employ twenty spellcasters. These individuals would be able to instill major enchantments into items or break them down with the chance of creating a core that holds an existing enchantment. The quality of crafted items is now directly bound to the person crafting them.
* * *
Since Aphrodite was the only spellcaster in our guild, it made most sense to give her the warmage academy, even though she didn't teach there and wasn’t a warmage herself. But it was far easier to justify that than naming the walls after her, which were the next structure on my list. Her daily tasks revolved more around politics and dealing with merchants, but there wasn't a suitable building for that so the academy would have to do.
I didn't want the others to start noticing the new names of the buildings just yet, so I pulled up the information about the warmage academy real quick.
* * *
Name: Warmage Academy
Level: 5
Level-Up Requirement: Settlement Level 6
Level-Up Cost: 16,000x Lumber Units (160,000 MP)
Level-Up Time: 9,600 minutes (5,760,000 MP)
Description: The place to be for magic users. The warmage academy isn’t just focused on offensive magic but is rather a meeting place for all magic paths, including healing and buffing. Spellcasters that train and study in this academy gain a 10% increase in Magic Attack and Casting Speed.
* * *
Without even considering the cost of the upgrade, I accepted it and waited for the
building to come back to form before I renamed it. The structure was now adorned with multiple statues and large windows, and its training grounds were large enough for area-of-effect spells to be cast without causing damage.
* * *
Name: Aphrodite's Academy of Spellcasters
Level: 6 (Maximum)
Description: The place to be for magic users. The warmage academy isn’t just focused on offensive magic but is rather a meeting place for all magic paths, including healing and buffing. Spellcasters that train and study in this academy gain a 20% increase in Magic Attack and Casting Speed. Additionally, spellcasters studying at this academy can select a specialization, unlocking further abilities such as magical crafting, enchanting, etc.
* * *
Now that really had a nice ring to it. Considering the extra benefit of spellcasters being able to train for the crafting and enchanting of magic items, I was sure she would be happy with the choice.