As he summoned the Builder, unlike Cedric, he was a sparkling 3-star. He was a short man, not quite a dwarf, just short. Shorter than Owen, standing at around 5 foot 3 inches. He had huge forearms and a large, curling moustache. He was named Brook. They both bowed.

With Cedric and Draed out hunting, Owen gathered more stone and bricks to help the Builders. Cutting them into perfect rectangles thanks to his ability, then placed them down in front of the still working Builders. As he worked, he figured now was a good time to check the Building Interface. Many structures and rooms made themselves known. He looked at the most vital of them all. The food category.

Food Bunker: Used to chill and keep food as fresh as possible, for as long as possible.

| Bonus: Increases food shelf life by 2x

| Material: Stone x25

| Upgrade (Tier 2): Stone x100, any Tier 2 metal x5

Food Smoking Room: Used to smoke and preserve food, enhancing flavor and extending its shelf life.

| Bonus: Increases food preservation time by 1.5x

| Material: Stone x20, Wood x10

| Upgrade (Tier 2): Stone x80, Tier 2 wood x5

Along with that, were countless other buildings. Like forges, tanneries, woodworking shops, and the list went on. But, where was he going to find wood? Would Tier 2 cacti count? He'd have to test it. He couldn't remember. It had been a long time since Ansel had built anything.

Moving on from that for now, the new builder was startled at his Skill. He praised a god Owen didn’t know while trying to kneel down in front of Owen. Owen stopped him, of course.

“Okay, Brook,” Owen said to the Builder, who already had a hammer and chisel in hand, he stared at the bricks with feverish motivation. “Make, let’s say, 3 buildings. One story. One room. Once you’re finished, start on fortifications. I want a wall around 10 feet tall all around the protection dome until you meet the mountain. That should keep you busy for the foreseeable future. You’re in command of the Builders.”

“Aye, I can do that my lord!”

“Hopefully I’ll have more builders soon enough once the Hunter’s start taking down some prey to help you out.”

“Bah, even with no help, I’ll get it done. Praise the Creator!”

Owen scratched his head as Brook left, taking hold of a brick and moving it into a suitable location.

“This whole Lord thing is so confusing,” Owen mumbled. “Being in charge of lives… will I ever get used to it? I really hope the Hunters are okay. How are the others doing? Lai, Casp, Louis…”

Feeling his mind begin to jumble, he shook his head. He had to focus. Now, he was responsible for other lives, and soon, there would be a lot more of them. He looked at Pyris and said, “I’ll get you better. Hang on until then.”

Owen closed his eyes and opened up the Lord’s Market. It was a sprawling interface that was the backbone of the Lord’s force. The only downside, which was a big one, was that massive tax put in place. That’s why many Lord’s relied on their own trading caravans in the future to do business. But Owen didn’t have that luxury. Not yet, at least.

First off, he had to set a username. Already knowing what he had in mind, he placed it as Lord Talentless, so that the others would know he was alive. He placed an exorbitant offer for one unit of sand, so that it would stay there as a reminder. Owen thought with a grin. It had a nice ring to it. After that, the first thing he did was search for his friends, but didn't see anyone yet. Come on, guys.

After that was done, he put up everything he had for sale. Hide, meat, bones, and organs. The meat sold instantly. Owen wasn’t surprised. New lords, depending on where they were placed, had to have food. In a desert, tundra, or jungle, it was difficult to come by food. Food that didn’t poison them, anyway.

The hide sold moments after. It was used for carpets, armour, and warmth. The bones were the next to go. And the organs a little while after that. Both of them were used in potions, and bones could also be used for food by extracting the marrow and tools, if need be. But that was for later. Now, they just used them as very cheap food.

He received some credits, but it wasn’t nearly enough to purchase all he wanted. He had enough for a basic low-tier health potion, which he quickly bought in case Pyris’s condition worsened.

Then, all he had to do was wait until his Hunters returned. Before that, however, Owen started carving into the mountain with Unlimited Plunder. He mined out a section inside, sectioning off areas to be used as bedrooms just in case. It was cooler inside.

With that done, he returned to Pyris’s side and sat down as he watched the builders work under the beating sun. He had water ready for them.

“It’s a bit cooler over there,” Owen said, glancing over at the mountain. “With my Skill, I could create a tunnel system here. If we didn’t have to cross the sands all the time, that would be great. I don’t want to risk moving you though, in case your wounds worsen.” Owen talked to her for a while, telling her this and that about his life back on Earth. Well, his Earth, that was.

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About how he’d always procrastinate in his job, always giving minimum effort for minimum wage. He had a boss that looked down on him, coworkers that he didn’t know the first thing about, and lived alone in a boring 1 bed apartment. He’d work all day, come home, play some games, have dinner, then go to bed. Only to repeat that same routine every single day.

On the weekend, he’d spend it mostly inside, reading, playing games, or watching countless tv shows. Day by day, his mind would rot, and his motivation to accomplish anything was grinded away into nothing.

“Well,” Owen said, chuckling to himself. “I may die here, but at least I’m away from that life, I suppose. Here, I’m responsible for the lives of these people. You. I’ll do my best, Pyris.”

With a heavy heart, he sighed. He was about to say something else, but the hunters had finally returned. The moment they entered the dome, all the experience of their accomplishments entered his mind. But he wasn’t worried about that for now. Cedric was injured.

Owen rushed over, taking out his backpack from his storage, and taking out a first-aid kit. He handed it to Draed. No doubt he had more experience in dressing wounds than he did.

“What happened?” Owen asked, gazing at the gaping would gashed into Cedric’s forearm.

“We met with two ravagers at once,” Draed said, gathering his breath. “One of them ambushed us.”

“Be extra careful next time,” Owen reminded them and placed a hand on Cedric’s shoulder. “But good job. You killed 2 of them, huh?” he smiled in praise.

Draed nodded. “Next time, we’re going to lure them towards the shield. Once they’re here, killing them will be a breeze.”

“If you can do that, that would be great.”

Watching as the wound stopped bleeding on Cedric’s arm, Owen turned to the rewards. Both physical, as Shelldon dragged across the sands, and mental, from the System.

Your subordinates have defeated a Dune Ravager x2 (Level 13, 14,)

| Hunter: Draed Level 5 -> Level 8

| Hunter: Cedric Level 1 -> 4

| Owen Taylor Level 10 -> Level 13

Summoning ticket obtained: Warrior (★★★)

A 3-Star warrior, nice! Owen thought, his lips curling. Anything to increase his hunting party's effectiveness was desperately needed.

First, he placed 3 points into Dexterity. The quicker he could move, the safer he’d be. That was the theory, anyway.

Then, focusing on his Hunters, all of them seemed to have a strong distribution to Dexterity. Cedric, however, had a one-to-one split to Strength. For Draed, all points had been placed straight into Dexterity, putting him now at 31 in total. It was quite high.

Not able to wait any longer, Owen ripped the summoning ticket, and the moment the Warrior spawned, Owen took an instinctive step back. Popping out from the void was a tall skeleton around 6 foot 6 inches tall. Judging by the skeleton structure, it was a he, but it felt like an it. Dark green fire spat from within its eye sockets. It knelt down. “This one meets its Lord,” it said, its voice hollow and deep. Voice projected like magic.

“Lome,” Owen said, hardly able to maintain his excitement. “Please stand.”

The skeleton warrior named Lome stood, grabbing hold of its enormous two-handed axe.

Owen focused on its Status and noticed an unusually high Strength stat sitting grandly on 32 even at Level 1. Most likely it was the benefit of its race. Then, Owen looked at Lome’s Skills.

Overpower — Mastery: Low

| Description: Utilise stamina to produce an overwhelming attack.

Stalwart Skeleton — Mastery: Low

| Description: As a member of the Giant Undead race, increase Strength and Vitality considerably. Every Level, increase Strength by an extra point.

Owen clicked his tongue in appreciation. Lome would prove to be a beast on the battlefield. And as a skeleton, he had no use for food, no reliance on water, and the heat had no effect on him. He was an unstoppable killing machine. Owen couldn’t wait to see him in combat.

“My Lord!” Draed shouted, while sprinting over to Pyris.

Owen’s heart dropped as he chased. Owen sprinted over, his heart pounding with fear. He dropped to his knees in the sand, his breath catching as he watched Pyris convulsing violently. Cedric and Draed, the two hunters, were struggling to hold her down, their combined strength insufficient against her thrashing.

Panic surged through Owen as he fumbled for his last remaining health potion–

"My lord," Cedric said, wincing from his own wounded arm. "We need to wait for the seizure to pass."

"But she might die," Owen replied through gritted teeth, desperation in his voice. Was his first domain member going to die just like this? The first thought that hit him was to use Unlimited Plunder on her. But that was madness. He didn’t have that kind of control. He had pulled it off against the Dune Ravager, but that was driven by sheer desperation and a burning need to kill the beast. To try it on someone he wanted to keep alive? No way. He couldn’t take that risk. Not until he understood his ability more.

"Have some faith, Lord," Brook, the builder, said from the side. "She’s a strong one. She’ll make it."

"She’ll make it," Owen repeated, more to himself than anyone else.

“She will live. And if she doesn't, she will become a powerful undead General. Do not worry, my Lord,” Lome also added in an attempt to comfort his Lord. it made him feel worse, if anything.

Finally, Pyris's seizure subsided. Owen carefully fed her the health potion, drop by drop. Her condition improved slightly, the high-quality potion starting to work on her wounds, but it was clear it wouldn't be enough.

If he didn’t act quick enough, she was going to die.