***

Five days later.

Scouting operations continued without pause as members of the LionArk team spread throughout Lion City's surrounding territory.

From dawn until late night, they pushed deeper into unexplored regions, lifting the fog of war bit by bit.

Treasure chests were uncovered, natural resources documented, and enemy cities mapped and marked with precision.

Every discovery—no matter how small—was immediately recorded and shared.

All of that information flowed in parallel to Ethan.

Whenever the scouting teams advanced, Ethan could observe their progress in real time.

Detailed reports, updated maps, and movement logs appeared before him, allowing him to analyze patterns and opportunities with careful attention.

This constant stream of intelligence became the foundation of his early invasion strategy, enabling him to target enemy cities located closest to Lion City with ruthless efficiency.

Over the course of five days, Ethan systematically crushed every city that shared the same terrain level as Lion City.

Seven cities fell in total during that short span—two belonging to allied factions that had chosen to oppose him, and five outright enemy cities that underestimated his resolve.

The aftermath of each invasion was the same.

Bodies lay scattered across ruined streets. City walls were reduced to blackened rubble, their towers burning until only smoke remained.

The leaders of the ruling guilds, once proud and commanding, now knelt before Ethan with trembling shoulders and hollow eyes, forced to accept defeat in silence.

"People are talking about you on the global event forum," one of his teammates said cautiously. "They say you've destroyed too many cities. That you've killed too many players."

Another voice followed, quieter but sharper. "You're creating enemies for yourself, Ethan."

Ethan said nothing.

His white-and-blue LionArk uniform was stained with fresh crimson, blood splattered across the fabric from the battle that had only just ended.

The city he stood in had fought fiercely, throwing everything they had at him. Yet none of it mattered. Ethan's power had already surpassed their limits long ago.

This event imposed no penalties for killing other players.

Death was allowed, even encouraged, turning the battlefield into a stage where villains could thrive if they had the strength to endure the consequences.

To those who lost, Ethan would always be remembered as a monster.

To those who benefited from his victories, he would be praised as a hero.

Ethan continued to stare forward, his gaze fixed on the defeated guild leader kneeling helplessly before him.

"There's no good or evil in this event," Ethan said at last, his voice cold and emotionless. "There are only the strong… and the weak."

He extended one hand.

The gesture needed no explanation. He demanded all of their resources—every unit of natural materials, every stored asset, and most importantly, their Core Crystal.

The man kneeling before him clenched his fists, his jaw tight with frustration and fear. But he had no real choice.

He didn't want to die, and he didn't want to watch his comrades die either. Surrendering everything was the only option left to him.

A system notification flashed before Ethan's eyes.

[Congratulations, you have obtained a Core Crystal!]

[Total Core Crystals: 8]

[City Ranking: 3rd]

The event hadn't even reached its first full week, yet Lion City's ranking surged upward, climbing all the way to third place.

Ethan had no idea which guilds occupied the first and second positions. Their names hadn't crossed his path yet.

But deep down, he was confident.

Slowly but surely, Lion City would catch up.

The moment he finished collecting the Core Crystal and remaining resources, every member of the defeated guild was forcibly teleported back into the game's main world.

This marked the final city Ethan would conquer for the day. It lay north of the desert, nearly four hours away on foot.

Despite the distance, Ethan felt no exhaustion.

The Guild of Champions event only simulated pain for players. Fatigue, hunger, and physical strain were meaningless here.

Death itself was temporary, though the consequences lingered in lost progress and shattered pride.

Ethan rarely stayed in Lion City. Most of the city's internal affairs were managed by Hanss and the other core members.

So far, he hadn't heard a single complaint worth addressing.

A team chat notification blinked into existence.

[Team Chat:]

[Hanss: Scouting operations are halted for today. We'll resume tomorrow.]

[Nathan: I'll recall my soul servant.]

[Giroud: We need to build a tavern. I want a drink.]

[Patricia: Monitor our resource usage. Focus on critical structures.]

[Hanss: Patricia's right. We'll be building barracks soon. Resource allocation should prioritize that.]

Ethan read through every message carefully, checking the team chat intermittently as he moved.

He could tell that Hanss intended to begin constructing barracks and recruiting NPC soldiers soon.

That was a necessary step—soldiers played a crucial role in large-scale invasions during this event.

Even so, Ethan chose not to interfere while he was still away. For now, observation was enough.

As he walked alone across the desert, his steps suddenly came to a halt.

Ethan tilted his head upward.

Above him, a soul servant was conducting aerial scouting. A red cursor hovered above its head, marking it unmistakably as an enemy unit.

What surprised him wasn't its presence—but the fact that it stopped midair.

The female servant hovered silently as it crossed paths with Ethan.

It didn't descend. It didn't attack. Instead, it lingered just long enough to confirm his identity.

The servant was relaying information to its master.

Moments later, it turned and flew away, retreating in the opposite direction without hesitation.

So its master knows about me.

Ethan made no attempt to pursue it.

The faint weariness settling into him that day finally caught up to his mind. He needed rest.

He could have ordered Lyodra to chase it down, but that would only invite disaster. Lyodra would become a prime target for multiple players at once.

Sera was unavailable as well. With Luna still in cooldown mode, activating Sera was out of the question.

That power was his trump card—something he reserved only for situations where Lion City itself was in danger, or when attacking cities guarded by exceptionally strong teams.

Turning away, Ethan resumed his walk home.

Throughout the journey, he continued checking the team chat, keeping an eye on Lion City's status as night settled in.

After four long hours of walking, the outline of Lion City finally appeared in the distance. One of his teammates exited the city gates to greet him.

"Are you okay, Captain?" the man asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks for checking," Ethan replied.

They entered the city together. New residential buildings had been constructed, and the population had grown noticeably.

The increasing number of citizens meant more potential recruits for the city's military forces.

Several other team members noticed Ethan's return. They smiled, waved, and greeted him warmly.

Relief was evident in their expressions—especially after rumors of Ethan's brutality had begun spreading across the global forums.

Hanss emerged from the town center shortly after, spotting Ethan almost immediately.

The two met and exchanged a firm handshake before Hanss began delivering his report.

"Our resources are in excellent condition," Hanss said. "Thanks to your early invasions, we've secured a massive supply."

Ethan nodded. After the third day of the event, every city had begun generating its own natural resources. Once conquered, all of it belonged entirely to Lion City.

Those resources were vital for infrastructure development, and Hanss clearly had plans already laid out.

"With what we have now," Hanss continued, "I intend to construct barracks and start recruiting soldiers."

"Do we have surplus resources?" Ethan asked.

"Yes. But I was planning to use those for troop recruitment as well."

Ethan fell silent.

He glanced past Hanss, noticing the rest of the team standing nearby. They listened intently, their faces marked with exhaustion.

Determination still burned in their eyes—but Ethan knew it wasn't enough.

Morale matters just as much as strength.

The only way to truly reignite their spirits was simple.

A tavern.

"Don't push them too hard," Ethan said, placing a hand on Hanss's shoulder.

"I'm just staying alert," Hanss replied.

"As long as I'm in the city, no one will attack us."

Ethan met Hanss's gaze directly. "We need a tavern."

The reaction was immediate.

"YEEEAAAH!"

"Captain Ethan actually gets us!"

"We seriously need a tavern to blow off some steam!"

Hanss flinched, startled by the sudden cheers. He looked around at the others, none of whom objected. In fact, nearly all of them were openly supportive.

Truth be told, Hanss wanted a drink himself. Ever since the city was founded, the only beverage available had been plain water.

He missed beer. Or wine. Anything with flavor.

"But what about the military barracks?" Hanss asked carefully.

"Proceed with construction," Ethan replied. "But delay soldier recruitment."

He made that decision because there were no immediate threats near Lion City.

On top of that, three allied cities across the desert could provide support if needed.

"Use the remaining resources to build the tavern," Ethan said.

"Let them relax for a while. Constant tension only leads to burnout."

Hanss exhaled slowly, then nodded in understanding.

"I'll take care of it."

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