"Wait… Magical Energy gets used up that fast?!"
[Aside from the consumption of basic resources, every act of construction or recruitment requires energy from the Territory's Core. This is why the Core is also called the 'Heart of Sovereignty.' If it is depleted, all operations will cease. ]
Shaun raised an eyebrow in surprise. "And what if… it gets destroyed?"
[…]
Silence reigned for several long seconds. The air was so still he felt as though the surrounding forest was listening in.
[ New Alert: Important Quest Added ]
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Side Quest (001): The Dawn of Civilization
Build two additional Peasant Huts (0/2)
Gather 100 Wood and 50 Stone
Activate the Watchtower to scout the fog-shrouded borders.
Reward: +50 Territory Experience, +10 Magical Energy, +Initial Map of the Forest.
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"Scout… the fog?" Shaun murmured.
He took a few steps toward the edge of his territory, where the grass gradually faded into a thick, greyish-white mist. When he tried to touch its edge, his hand recoiled as if striking an invisible glass wall.
"I can't leave yet?"
[ Reply: You cannot exit the territory before constructing a watchtower. ]
He took a deep breath. So, the game was leading him step by step.
But in that moment, he heard a sound, faint and distant, coming from beyond the fog…
A whisper… or was it a moan?
"...My Lord?" Leet asked, a hint of fear in his voice. "Did you hear that?"
Shaun didn't answer. He just stared at the fog, which had suddenly shifted, as if a sleeping behemoth had just taken a deep breath.
Then, a new window materialized in the center of his vision, its text outlined in an ominous red instead of the usual blue:
[ Exceptional Alert: An unknown vibration has been detected outside the territory's borders. ]
[ It is strongly advised that you erect a watchtower within the next 12 hours to protect the territory from unknown threats. ]
Shaun swallowed hard, glancing back at his simple, vulnerable Village Center.
In an instant, the game had transformed from a building simulation… into a test of survival.
"Leet," he said calmly, "gather all the wood you can. We're building that watchtower immediately."
"Right away, my Lord!"
As the small peasant hurried toward the nearby trees, Shaun lifted his head to the grey sky. Above, a pale light pierced the clouds, forming a circular eye of light that stared down at him in silence.
Perhaps it was just an optical illusion...
"Heh, I'm actually starting to like this game," Shaun said lightly, but deep down, he wasn't sure if it was enjoyment… or tension masquerading as curiosity.
The air around him grew slightly heavier, as if the system had responded to his emotion. A small vortex of light swirled around his wrist before vanishing.
[ System Note: First instance of 'Mental Adaptation' registered at 3%. ]
[ The player has begun to merge with the local consciousness of the territory. ]
His smile froze.
His gaze slid back to the horizon, toward the grey fog that still shifted in heavy silence, pulsing like a creature breathing in the shadows.
He swallowed, then said in a semi-sarcastic tone, "From what I understand, I need to gather a good amount of gold... for my mother's treatment."
He offered a tense little smile, a desperate attempt to break the silence, as he watched Leet toiling away, gathering wood with a determination that belied his small frame. The peasant's movements were methodical, realistic, following a rhythm so natural it was hard to believe he was the product of code.
"In any case, this is going to be an epic!" Shaun muttered, this time with a more genuine smile, as if trying to convince himself.
But as he finished his sentence, a faint hum echoed in his ears, like an electronic pulse throbbing inside his skull.
[ Warning: Disturbance detected in the Core's frequencies. ]
[ Probability of an unauthorized entity appearing within visual range: 0.3% → 3% → 7% → 12% ]
Shaun stopped moving completely.
The humming grew louder. The very air around him seemed to vibrate faintly, as if something was slipping through from beyond the veil of perception.
And in the depths of the distant fog… a faint red light glimmered, like an eye opening for the first time in a long, long time.
This game was cruel enough.
The mere thought that losing the foundation of his rule meant losing access to this world forever was enough to make his chest tighten. If that happened… his only chance to win the million-dollar prize promised to the top players of 'Sovereignty Online' would vanish into thin air.
And that million wasn't a luxury. It was life.
His mother's medical bills were rising every day, and the doctors had stopped offering hope months ago.
He was poor, and he knew it well. It wasn't the kind of poverty measured only in money, but in powerlessness, too—his inability to change his reality, to pull himself out of the swamp he lived in.
He'd had no other choice.
In a single year, he had worked over a hundred part-time jobs: a hospital cleaner, a food delivery driver, a night guard at a parking garage, even a beta tester for small indie games. None of it brought him close to covering a hundred thousand dollars, let alone a million. He sometimes laughed bitterly, remembering the time he'd slept at a train station after an 18-hour shift, just to earn enough to buy his mother's medicine.
Then came 'Sovereignty Online.'
The game that changed the rules of reality. It wasn't just entertainment; it was an official opportunity offered by its parent company, where players could convert their in-game resources into real profits, provided they could survive and establish sovereignty over their territories.
If it weren't for his two friends, he would never have even touched this opportunity. For an entire year, they had urged him to buy the new Quantum Reality Capsule—a device that cost a small fortune. Thanks to their insistence and help, he finally managed to get one.
He had sat before the capsule that day, staring at it for a long time. It wasn't just a machine… it was a gateway.
A gateway to one last chance.
To a new life that might just save his—and his mother's.
But now, looking at the shifting fog at the edge of his territory and the warning notifications flashing in his mind, he realized the path he had chosen was not a path of dreams… but one of blood and risk.
He whispered, his voice tired but firm, "Fine… Even if it's a cruel game, I refuse to be the victim."