"Alright...let's face it. We're fucked," Bright commented, looking at everyone around the room.

Seeing as no one decided to answer him, he continued, "We can't keep going like this. We are not equipped enough to deal with the Staff attacks. If they keep increasing in size exponentially, they'll eventually overpower the Guardian and whatever the hell the Enforcers are and butcher our quaint little settlement," Bright stated, his joking nature turned serious for once.

"Then what do you propose we do?" Vernon asked, concerned.

"Really, we only have a few options. The first is to simply leave and never return, head back into the IKEA, and hope that the attacks will lessen since we went back in," Bright started, only to be interrupted by the furious council members.

"Or...not. The second option is that we ramp up our scouting missions, brute force our way through the Biomes to see if we can find help," Bright stated.

"More than likely not possible. We are not nearly strong enough to take on the higher-level monsters and dinosaurs roaming the biomes. The best we could do is ramp up our hunts and level up, become stronger, strong enough to defend ourselves, and eventually get through the biomes," Jay commented.

"Do we truly know if the Guardian and the Enforcers won't be able to protect us forever? Surely, at some point, the Staff won't be able to get past the Guardian and the Enforcers. Honestly, I think the problem is that we built too close to the portal. Perhaps if we move the settlement closer to the fence and expand the wall to add multiple layers, we will be able to more easily fight against the Staff, which should give us some time to either become strong enough to clear out the Jungle or any of the other biomes and make it through to the other side," Sarah, the Quartermaster gave her thoughts to the others.

"Hmm. I can't really say, but I can't help but agree with Sarah. If we expand the wall, make some traps, and move the town a bit, we shouldn't have any problems with the Staff; if anything, it might mean we can let the Guardian and Enforcers deal with the majority of the Staff while we attack from a distance. We have access to wood and metal from the Jungle and the IKEA, so we should be able to make Bows and arrows, right Bright?" Vernon stated before looking over to Bright and asking, getting a nod in response as Bright confirmed.

"Yes. I already made some crossbows with whatever we could scrounge up in the IKEA, but with the excess we gather from the Jungle, I should be able to make plenty of bows and arrows, though I will say I might need some help if you guys want me to make more than a few bows. Against the Staff, the bows would be more useful too, seeing as they are unarmored and we can fire off more arrows faster than if we used only crossbows," Bright commented.

"Bright, you think you can make a few more crossbows for the scouts? They've proven useful against the dinosaurs and monsters, and they give a ranged option for our [Warriors]," Jay asked Bright.

"Sure, but as I said, I'll need help, especially since they'll probably attack again in a few days," Bright shrugged, going back to his casual self, acting as if he was not bothered in the slightest by the fact that they could all die in a few days.

"I still think we should have some kind of exit strategy in case the Staff make it through the Guardian and Enforcers," Vernon stated, worried.

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"What do you have in mind?" Clair finally spoke.

"Two options: we either try to find a way to get through the biomes in case we need to evacuate and let the monsters and dinosaurs of the biomes take care of the Staff or, if we have to, make some kind of passage that would allow us to flee back into the IKEA," Vernon suggested.

"I... disagree. Both of those options are far too risky. We have no idea how far those biomes go. For all we know, it could go as far as hundreds of miles before we find respite or civilization. Meanwhile, if we had to flee back to the IKEA, we would have to face the Staff head-on, which would prove to be a death sentence due to their sheer number," Jay said.

"That's why I mentioned creating a passage, perhaps a tunnel of some sort," Vernon proposed.

"No. Too risky. The weight of all the Staff could very well collapse any tunnel we make under the portal, and that would give them a way to get past our walls," Bright commented, denying that sort of plan.

"Not to mention we have hardly any time as is before the Staff attack again," Sarah commented.

"So, have we decided?" Clair asked, looking over everyone in the room.

Getting nods in return, Clair continued, "Good. Jay, Bright, I want you two to start venturing deeper into the Jungle, level up, and get stronger as fast as possible. Split off into two different groups and take seven men each. Jake? I want you and the guards to assist the lumberjack and builders. Sarah, I want you to get started on building two more walls to surround the first. Make sure that there are some gates or tunnels where our people can retreat to the second and third walls when we need to. Once that's done, I want you to begin tearing down the old houses and moving them closer to the western gate. Vernon, I want you to make sure we are all fed. The Hunters and Gatherers will bring you everything you need. Let's get moving people!" Clair ordered.

...

Now that the Humans had a plan, I realized that I would have to protect them, or at least continue protecting them, as a large part of their plan resided in having my Guardian and Enforcer hold them back.

Outside the portal, a large number of Staff continued to gather, acting as if my portal was a beacon and they were all flies.

The Enforcers I had butchered all of the Staff that came anywhere close to the portal, and they attacked all the same, ignoring the supposed rule that the Staff attack only at night.

It was getting worse, and I was wondering if I should pull back. Take down the portal and leave.

Now that I think about that...what's stopping me from taking down the portal and reopening it somewhere else in the IKEA?

That should buy time until the Staff finds it again, or at least slow down their advance.

Hmmm...then that is what I will do.

Once all of the humans return for the night, I will close the portal and guide my dimensional bubble along IKEA's dimension. After a few hours, I will reopen the portal. The humans will likely notice, but I should be able to reopen the portal before they start a panic and all of the Humans wake up.

All that was left to do was patiently wait and watch the Humans.

The humans worked like busy bees. Everyone had a job, and no one was allowed to get any rest as they were working on a time limit.

With the enhanced physiques and advantages a majority of the Integrated received from their classes and levels, many of them were able to work far harder and longer than any base-line human, so within the first couple of hours, they took down over a dozen houses and were already working on moving the supplies and building materials to the western security gate.

Hmm. That's another idea that the Humans have given me.

Insects.

What were the possibilities if I created a Monster Hive of giant insects?

A hive mind.

That would grant a large stream of EXP to the other monsters, and all I would need to do is provide biomass and territory. However, if I were to do such a thing, the insects would be at a low level due to the low amount of EXP the individual ants would receive.

There are yet more reasons why I should keep the humans and ensure they survive until they become self-sufficient. They provide so many fascinating ideas and possibilities that one can't help but wonder what else they shall inspire.

...

Unknown to the humans, the small white star at the center of the sky glowed ominously for a few brief moments as it floated in the eye, watching over the humans with its calculating and eldritch gaze.