Chapter 5 — The Watchtower Blueprint
The Forgotten Creation Valley was no longer silent.
Only a few days ago, the valley had been empty wilderness filled with ruins and wild beasts.
Now smoke rose gently from cooking fires, villagers walked between houses carrying tools, and militia soldiers patrolled along the newly built wooden wall.
Life had begun.
Aren Valerian stood atop the wooden gate, looking across the settlement he had built.
Ten houses stood near the river.
Farmland stretched across the plains.
Three hundred villagers worked the land.
Fifty militia soldiers guarded the territory.
The system panel appeared before his eyes.
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HOST: Aren Valerian
Level: 3
EXP: 0 / 300
Territory: Forgotten Creation Valley
Territory Rank: E
Population: 300
Army: 50 Militia Soldiers
Skills
• Unknown Craft — F Rank
• Basic Swordsmanship — F Rank
Authority
• Power of Creation
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Aren crossed his arms.
"Not bad for a few days."
But he knew something important.
This was only the beginning.
A settlement without proper defenses would not survive long in the wilderness.
The wooden wall helped, but it wasn't enough.
Captain Roderic approached him.
"My lord."
Aren turned.
"What is it?"
Roderic pointed toward the forest.
"Our scouts saw movement last night."
"Possibly monster packs."
Aren frowned slightly.
"How many?"
"Three to five wolves at least."
Gray Fang Wolves again.
Individually they weren't dangerous.
But a large pack could threaten villagers.
"We need better observation points," Roderic continued.
Aren nodded.
"Good idea."
He opened the system interface again.
Among the quest rewards from the previous mission was something new.
Watchtower Blueprint.
He selected it.
Immediately a detailed design appeared before his eyes.
A tall wooden tower.
Nearly fifteen meters high.
With a platform for archers and scouts.
Perfect for monitoring the valley.
Aren smiled.
"This will work."
---
Construction began immediately.
Villagers gathered wood while soldiers cleared land near the settlement wall.
Aren stood at the center of the construction site.
The Power of Creation flowed through his body again.
Wooden beams lifted into the air.
They aligned perfectly with the blueprint.
Pillars sank deep into the ground.
Support beams locked together.
Slowly, the tower began rising.
Villagers watched in amazement.
Even after seeing Aren use his power many times, they were still stunned.
Within minutes—
The watchtower stood tall beside the wall.
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CREATION COMPLETE
Structure: Wooden Watchtower
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Captain Roderic immediately climbed the tower.
From the top, the entire valley could be seen.
The river.
The farmland.
The forest.
And the mountain pass entrance.
He climbed down again.
"My lord, this tower will greatly improve our defense."
Aren nodded.
"Good."
Just as he expected—
The system appeared again.
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NEW QUEST AVAILABLE
Expand Surveillance
Objective
Construct 3 Watchtowers around the settlement
Reward
Archer Squad ×30
EXP +200
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Aren raised an eyebrow.
"Archers?"
That would significantly improve their military strength.
Right now the militia only had spears and shields.
Archers would allow them to attack enemies from a distance.
"Looks like we have more construction to do."
---
Over the next several hours, Aren continued working.
The second tower was built near the farmland.
The third tower was placed at the edge of the forest.
Each tower gave the soldiers a better view of the surroundings.
By evening, all three towers stood tall around the settlement.
The system flashed again.
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QUEST COMPLETE
Expand Surveillance
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The reward window appeared.
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REWARDS RECEIVED
Archer Squad ×30
EXP +200
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Thirty new soldiers appeared inside the settlement.
Unlike the militia, these soldiers carried bows and quivers filled with arrows.
Their armor was lighter.
Designed for speed and range attacks.
Captain Roderic inspected them carefully.
"My lord, these are trained archers."
"With them guarding the towers, our defenses will be much stronger."
Aren nodded.
Another notification appeared.
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LEVEL UP
Level 3 → Level 4
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Energy flowed through his body again.
The system updated.
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HOST: Aren Valerian
Level: 4
EXP: 0 / 400
Population: 300
Army: 80 Soldiers
(50 Militia + 30 Archers)
Territory Rank: E
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Aren smiled slightly.
Their army had grown quickly.
But the system wasn't finished.
Another panel appeared.
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NEW TERRITORY MILESTONE
Small Settlement Established
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Aren read the description carefully.
His settlement had reached the minimum requirements for recognition.
More population.
Basic defenses.
Food production.
Everything needed for survival.
However…
The panel displayed another warning.
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WARNING
Nearby Territories Detected
Other Noble Territories exist within this region.
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Aren frowned.
"So I'm not alone in this area."
Captain Roderic looked curious.
"My lord?"
Aren explained the notification.
Roderic nodded slowly.
"That makes sense."
"The kingdom grants many nobles land in the frontier regions."
"Eventually their territories will meet."
Aren looked toward the distant mountains.
"So sooner or later…"
"…we'll meet other nobles."
Roderic smiled slightly.
"And not all of them will be friendly."
Aren already expected that.
Territory competition was inevitable.
Stronger nobles might attempt to take weaker lands.
Which meant one thing.
They had to grow stronger.
Faster.
Aren looked across the settlement again.
Villagers working.
Soldiers training.
Watchtowers standing tall.
This was just the first step.
He opened the system interface again.
"System."
The glowing panel appeared.
"Show me the next development quest."
The system responded immediately.
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NEW QUEST
Expand Territory Influence
Objective
Explore the surrounding valley and secure resource points
Reward
Population +300
Elite Soldier Squad ×20
EXP +300
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Aren smiled.
Exploration.
More land.
More resources.
More power.
He turned toward the forest where the wolves had appeared earlier.
"Looks like tomorrow we go exploring."
The Forgotten Creation Valley was beginning to grow.
And soon…
Other nobles would realize something important.
A kingdom was rising in this forgotten land.