System Notification
Time Remaining: 18 Days, 2 Hours, 17 Minutes
Main Objective: Fortify Broken Horn Village
Progress: 21% Complete
Sub-Quest Activated: Forge Arsenal of the Broken Horn
Objectives:
Forge 50 Iron-Tipped Spears [3/50]
Craft 20 Hunting Bows [1/20]
Produce 30 Sets of Reinforced Leather Armor [5/30]
Rewards:
Blacksmith EXP Boost
+10 Village Defense Rating
Unlock: Tier 1 Armory
Failure:
Defense Rating capped below survival threshold. High risk of total loss during assault.
---
William walked around the half-built village. He made the village much stronger than before through the system. He turned his attention next to weaponry. He had gathered a lot of resources by the villagers for this.
"Limir! Kael!" William barked, his voice cracking through the soundscape like a whip.
William's eyes flicked to the nearby weapon rack.
A few crooked spears leaned against it—rudimentary things, their shafts still splintered, iron points only roughly hammered. Good for a scare, maybe, but not for war.
"Unacceptable," William growled, fingers twitching.
Kael shook his head. "We'll need more iron and leather. Garth's Tomb gave us some, but it's not enough. "
"Tch! But their quality is so low."
System Notification: EXP Investment Available
Skill: Blacksmithing [Tier 1]
Cost: 500 EXP
Bonus: Crafting Speed +25%, Weapon Quality +30%
Recommendation: Kael would be the best choice for this skill.
Confirm Upgrade — Kael (Blacksmithing)?
> [YES]
NO
William tapped the [YES] icon.
System Response: Upgrade Complete
Kael gasped, momentarily staggered as golden threads of light sank into his body like molten veins. He staggered back, hands twitching. Then he exhaled.
"My lege."
"Kael, I have given you a new skill." William said. "Finish the spears first. Make them long-range. Give it your all."
"I will not let you down."
"Good," William replied.
---
System Notification: Arsenal Queue Established
[Weapon Crafting Queue]
Iron-Tipped Spears: 10 / Cycle — Time: 4 Hours
Hunting Bows: 4 / Cycle — Time: 6 Hours
Reinforced Leather Armor: 5 / Cycle — Time: 8 Hours
Bonus Efficiency: Dual Crafter Synergy Active
Material Stocks:
Iron Ingots: 34
Wood Planks: 112
Demonic Bear Hide: 18
Bone Ash: 9
Slaver Steel Scrap: 5
---
Beyond the forge, the village's bones were slowly solidifying into muscle and sinew. The palisade had grown—twelve feet high now, with sharpened stakes leaning out like the spines of a waiting beast. Guard towers rose at intervals, their frames rough but sturdy, manned by young demon lookouts with keen eyes and twitchy fingers.
Kael approached later with a rough map scrawled in charcoal on parchment.
"We need fallback plans. Tar traps, tripwires, hidden blades under the soil. And here—" he pointed to a rocky outcrop near the south end of the wall "—we carve a tunnel. Emergency exit. If it all goes to hell, we don't die like penned cattle."
William raised a brow.
"You planning on retreating, Kael?"
Kael smirked. "Planning on surviving. So we can kill them next time."
William liked that answer. He slapped the younger demon on the back hard enough to jolt his bones.
"Then let's carve that fucking tunnel."
That night, Lily returned from the north perimeter with blood on her knife and news on her tongue.
"Scouts," she spat, tossing a slaver insignia onto the table in William's command tent. "Three of them. Not from the last raid. These ones were smarter. Quieter. I gutted two. The third ran before I could silence him."
William's jaw tightened.
"Then the enemy knows we're still alive."
System Notification: Enemy Alert Increased
Scout Interference: +10% Chance of Preemptive Strike
Time Remaining: 17 Days, 6 Hours, 22 Minutes
"Good," William said. "Let them come. Let them see what we're building here."
---
By Day 3, the weapons began to pile up like the promise of war. Gleaming iron spears lined the racks, their tips honed to needle-sharp lethality. The hunting bows were strung with gut-string, sleek and wickedly taut. Armor—stitched from the hides of beasts stronger than men—was distributed to the trainees who could handle it.
Kael reported the following:
System Panel — Arsenal Progress
Iron-Tipped Spears: 27/50
Hunting Bows: 10/20
Reinforced Leather Armor: 15/30
Bonus Progress: +1 Armory Defense Level (Temporary Buff)
Kael Blacksmithing Skill Proficiency +20%
...
Each night, William trained them.
Young demons. Frail bodies. Shaky hands. They stood on raw earth beneath a sky painted in blood and fire. And William beat them into warriors.
"You want to live?" he barked, his voice serrated. "Then bleed now or die later! There is no middle ground!"
He drilled them on spear formations, taught them how to read movement, how to kill without hesitation. He showed the archers how to use wind, slope, and instinct. Under Kael's instruction, they learned how to wield what they made. Under William's rage, they learned why they must.
---
System Notification: Skill Unlocked — [Leadership Aura: Iron Resolve]
Effect: Increases nearby allies' morale and defense by 15% when facing overwhelming odds.
---
On Day 4, the first traps were laid.
Boiling tar pits beneath false leaves. Hidden pits spiked with bone-shards. Rope traps that could whip a leg into the sky and snap it from the socket. The perimeter began to resemble something out of a nightmare.
Kael called it "a welcome mat."
William just grinned.
"You think they'll scream?"
"Oh," Kael replied. "They'll scream like pigs in a slaughterhouse."
---
System Notification: Bonus Objective Progress
Defenses Reinforced: 45%
Training Progress: 28%
Arsenal Completion: 61%
Subordinates Developed: 3 / ???
Hidden Tunnel Progress: 12%
System Update: Broken Horn Village Status
Tier 1 Settlement → Progressing Toward Tier 2
Defense Rating: 42/100
Current Morale: Rising (Moderate)
Next Milestone: 60% Fortification Completion — Unlock: Inner Gatehouse + Defense Buff