By the time they returned to the village, the moon was high in the sky. The forest was pitch black, save for a single flickering light waiting for them at the entrance.
Mira stood there, holding a crackling wooden torch. She looked tired, but her long white ears perked up instantly when she saw them.
"Lord Zero!" Mira whispered, relieved. "You returned safely"
"We are back," Lysander nodded. "Go to sleep, Mira. You did well today"
The village was silent. Everyone had retreated to their tents and makeshift shelters. Lysander walked toward the only sturdy structure—the wooden cabin he had claimed as his own.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
Seraphina followed him immediately. This made sense; she had been an outcast until yesterday and didn't have a shelter yet.
But then, Elara slipped inside too, closing the door behind her.
Lysander stopped and turned around.
"Seraphina has nowhere to go, so she stays here," Lysander said, looking at the Cat-Kin.
"But Elara, you have your own hut. And don't you have a daughter? Miko is waiting for you"
Elara didn't flinch. She crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe with a casual, predatory grace.
"Miko is having a sleepover with Mira and her son tonight," Elara lied smoothly (though it was technically true, she had arranged it specifically for this moment). "She is safe."
She looked at Seraphina, her golden eyes narrowing.
'Do you think I'm stupid?' Elara thought, her tail twitching with irritation. 'If I leave you alone with him, you will try to crawl into his bed. Not on my watch, you thieving witch.'
Seraphina glared back, her violet eyes cold.
'Damn cat,' Seraphina thought. 'I had the perfect plan. I was going to cry about my trauma and ask Zero to hold me. You ruined everything'
Lysander sighed. He was too tired for this.
"Elara, go home," Lysander ordered.
"Seraphina, you can go with her. Sleep in Elara's hut for tonight. I will build you a separate one tomorrow"
It was a logical solution. Two girls. One hut. Problem solved.
But Seraphina immediately put on her best "fragile maiden" act. She grabbed the hem of Lysander's cloak, her eyes welling up with fake tears.
"No... Zero, please," Seraphina whispered, her voice trembling. "I... I can't sleep with others. Not yet"
"Why?"
"The nightmares," Seraphina said, looking down. "Since the day I was exiled... I have terrible dreams. I scream in my sleep. I thrash around. If I sleep in Elara's hut... I might hurt her. Or I might scare the children."
She looked up at him with big, pleading doe eyes.
"I feel safe only when I am near you. Your mana... it calms me. Please, don't send me away"
'What a liar,' Elara thought, gritting her teeth.
'You just want to sniff him while he sleeps'
"I see," Lysander muttered. He looked at Elara. "Then Elara, you go. Seraphina stays"
"Absolutely not!" Elara barked, stepping forward. "If she has nightmares, she needs a guard! I will stay and... watch her"
The room temperature dropped ten degrees.
Seraphina and Elara stood face-to-face.
Seraphina's eyes said: 'Get out, you stray cat'
Elara's eyes said: 'Try me, you purple witch'
Sparks of Violet and Golden mana began to crackle in the air. The rivalry was intense. If Lysander left them alone, they would probably tear the cabin down.
Lysander rubbed his temples. The headache was returning.
"Fine," Lysander groaned. "I don't care anymore"
He walked over to his bed—a pile of furs in the corner.
"There is plenty of floor space. You both stay. But if I hear one word of arguing, I am throwing both of you out into the forest to sleep with the Goblins"
He lay down and turned his back to them.
"Goodnight"
Behind him, the two women exchanged a look of victory. They had both secured their spot in the Alpha's den.
"Goodnight, Lord Zero," they whispered in unison, before settling down on opposite sides of the room, watching him—and each other—like hawks.
Deep into the night, the breathing of the two women fell into a soft rhythm. Elara was curled up on the floor like a cat, her tail wrapped around her, while Seraphina slept elegantly, though her brow was furrowed as if fighting nightmares.
Lysander sat against the wall, wide awake. His [Cybernetic Mind] didn't require as much sleep as a normal human.
He opened his inventory, looking at the crate of Origin Bloodline Awakening Elixirs.
"28 bottles left," Lysander calculated internally.
He analyzed the villagers in his mind.
[Elara and Seraphina] (Already Awakened).
[High Potential: Mira] (The Rabbit-Kin Sentry)
[Miko (The Fox-Kin child). They were loyal]
[Under Observation The Twin Sisters. They were orphans, their mother lost to the sickness. They were young, but their eyes held a spark of resilience. They might be worthy]
[The Rest: The other 24 villagers were still unknowns]
"I can't waste these Elixirs on people who might run away," Lysander thought. "They need to prove their loyalty first"
But there was a bigger problem.
"Even if I awaken them... they are naked. They need armor. They need weapons."
He checked the System Shop.
[Standard Iron Armor Set: 500 SP]
[Standard Steel Sword: 300 SP]
[To equip 30 people, I would need 24,000 SP. I only have a few thousand. If I stay here and grind F-Rank Goblins, it will take me weeks to earn that much]
He clenched his fist.
"I need a faster way"
Suddenly, the blue holographic screen flickered to life.
"Master, why do you restrict yourself to the forest? Why not enter the Human Kingdom?"
Lysander frowned. "The Human Kingdom? Why? I am a dead man... or at least, an exile. And I don't have human currency"
"Correction. You possess something far more valuable than Gold"
"Do you recall the early days? When your Cursed Sword, Erebos, absorbed the bodies of the monsters you killed, leaving you with no meat to eat?"
Lysander nodded. It was a dark time. Erebos was a gluttonous weapon; it ate the essence of monsters to repair itself. Because there was no loot or meat left, Lysander had been forced to survive by buying food from the System Shop.
"I remember," Lysander replied. "I survived on those red 'Velkora Fruits'. They cost 10 SP each.
"Precisely. In the System Shop, a Velkora Fruit is a cheap Rank-F consumable (10 SP). You used it as rations because it was the cheapest food available"
"However, in the Human Kingdoms, the Velkora Fruit is known as the 'Dragon-Blood Fruit'. It is not eaten for pleasure; it is a raw alchemical ingredient essential for creating Mana Recovery Potions and High-Grade Healing Elixirs"
"Market Demand Human Mages are constantly desperate for mana recovery. Because this fruit only grows in S-Rank Danger Zones, it is incredibly rare"
"Market Price: A single fruit sells for approximately 10 Gold Coins. To put that in perspective, 10 Gold Coins is enough to feed a common family of four for an entire year"
Lysander froze. His red eyes widened behind the mask as a memory hit him.
He recalled the taste of the fruit. Back when he was starving, he had forced himself to eat them.
"I remember..." Lysander grimaced, touching his throat. "The taste was thick and metallic, like drinking liquid iron mixed with chili. It was disgusting"
He looked at the holographic screen with a new understanding.
"That burning sensation... it wasn't bad taste. It was concentrated, raw mana. No wonder it's used for Elixirs"
He did the math instantly.
Cost: 10 SP (System Shop).
Sell Price: 10 Gold Coins (Human Market).
Buying Power: With just 50 Gold Coins (5 Fruits), he could equip an entire squad with standard iron gear.
"I've been an idiot," Lysander realized, clenching his fist. "I was worried about spending thousands of SP on basic swords and armor for the villagers. But I don't need to spend SP on mundane items"
"Correct. Use the System Points (SP) to buy rare ingredients. Sell them in the Human Kingdom for massive Gold profits. Use the Gold to buy mundane equipment, food, and building materials for the village"
"Save your SP for things Gold cannot buy—like Skills, Bloodlines, and Divine Artifacts."
Lysander stood up, pacing quietly so as not to wake the girls. The plan was forming perfectly in his mind.
"The closest Human City is Oakhaven. It has an Adventurer's Guild"
He looked at his hands.
"If I go there, I can register as an Adventurer"
The Grand Strategy The Cover: Join the Guild to gain legal status and information.
The Grind Take High-Rank subjugation quests. Killing powerful monsters gives massive SP.
The Trade: Use a fraction of that SP to buy Velkora Fruits, sell them to the Guild or Alchemists, and become filthy rich in Gold.
The Army: Use the Gold to commission custom armor and weapons for his Demihuman army back home.
"It's perfect," Lysander whispered, a dark smile forming under his mask. "I will drain the Human Kingdom of their Gold and use it to build the Empire that will destroy them"
He looked at the sleeping girls.
"Tomorrow, we start a new mission. We are going to the City"