《I am the Tower Administrator!》 CHAPTER 1: DREADNOUGHT-CLASS BATTLESHIP ARAVARK Aravark, a Dreadnought-class battleship from the Galactic Federation, had suffered a terrible defeat after being ambushed by space pirates. Almost all of the crew onboard, including the officers, had been killed in battle. The only survivor was the mechanic operating the spare thermal core in the secondary engine room. And even that mechanic was currently critically injured, and the System had to mobilize the few remaining maintenance golems it had to move it to the cryonic section of the main hull to preserve his life. [Pursuit team detected.] [Automatic evasive measures will be executed in fifteen seconds.] [Warp activated.] In a last-ditch effort to prevent the Dreadnought¡¯s technology from going into the hands of the space pirates, the ship used a large portion of its energy to warp to a faraway galaxy. [Energy remaining: 5.12%] [Searching for habitable planet.] [Planet capable of sustaining life detected.] [Distance: 16.3 billion kilometers.] [Initiating Emergency Landing Protocol.] [No officer above Captain rank has been detected onboard Aravark.] [As per Article 917, Section 6 of the Revised Emergency Fleet Succession Law, the nearest in rank shall be temporarily promoted to Admiral level.] [Changes shall be revoked immediately upon return to home planet.] [Ship mechanic, Petty Officer Isaac Segarus has been promoted to Ship Admiral.] [Requesting permission to land from Admiral Isaac.] [Request timed out.] [Initiating Emergency Landing.] [Target: Planet EA908-XRV of the LY78 System.] [Increasing Speed.] [Everyone, please brace for impact.] [May the Aether be with us.] [Long live the Galactic Federation.] *** [Planet EA908-XRV of LY78 System, commonly known as Earth] Thirty-five years had passed since portals connected to the other world appeared in this world. The mana seeping out of the portals caused mutations in nearly half of all the animals in the world, turning them into grotesque, mindless beasts. Moreover, from the portals came out creatures heard of only in books and legends. Goblins, ogres, orcs, harpies, kobolds, minotaurs, lizardmen, undeads, and even dragons ¨C all kinds of monsters imaginable came out of the portals and started inhabiting the planet. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. And to make matters worse, the weapons the humans were so confident of proved nearly useless before these monsters. Firearms could somewhat deal with the mutated animals and weaker monsters, but they did little to no damage against larger and stronger beasts that came out of the portal. Backed into a corner, the human race lost half of its territory during just the first year since the portals opened. And by the fifth year, only a tenth of their original territory remained. On the sixth year since the portals opened in this world, Awakened Ones started appearing among humans. Awakened Ones were humans whose body had become mutated by the mana seeping out of the portals. The changes in their constitution granted them power capable of fighting even against the monsters that came from the portals. They were real life superhumans. Strategic weapons deployed by the human race during the war in order drive away monsters and reclaim lost lands. With the help of the Awakened Ones, the human race finally started to slowly recover the territories they¡¯d lost, one region at a time. *** [Republic of Krista] ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­.¡± A man huffed as he pushed the cart containing the dismantled carcass of a minotaur. His entire body was filled with sweat, but he didn¡¯t stop as he continued pushing the cart toward the receiving station. ¡°Faster! We didn¡¯t hire you bastards to idle around like this!¡± The high-pitched voice of the angry Manager resounded in the dismantling center. Dozens of F-ranked awakeneds roamed around, carrying and moving stuff here and there. Some operated the cranes, some dismantled carcasses, and some hauled the flesh to containers. This place was the Fifth Dismantling Center in the City of Inaka in the Republic of Krista. Only mid-ranking monster corpses and above were being sent to this place, their dismantled parts transported and processed later on in another center. It was one of the largest dismantling centers in the entire country. ¡°Rocky! You piece of shit! Did you nick the minotaur¡¯s bones again?!¡± Rocky, the man pushing the cart containing the minotaur¡¯s carcass, halted in his tracks. He was a man in his late twenties. And based on his dark skin, it was apparent he was an immigrant. ¡°Manager, the femur was already in that state when I received the body.¡± Manager Craug, a D-rank awakened, strutted. His bulging belly bounced as he sneered, ¡°Hah! Evading responsibility again, I see. This is why I kept telling the Director we shouldn¡¯t hire Carvians! Another useless mouth to feed! Our city is nearly saturated because of damn immigrants like you!¡± Rocky had been experiencing bullying and humiliation from this workplace since he¡¯d transferred here half a year ago. A minotaur was a C-ranked monster that required a party of awakeners to subjugate. The monster was the very definition of brute strength. Its skin was tougher than hides, its flesh as tough as iron, and its bones stronger than steel. Even if Rocky tried, he would never be able to nick its bones with his meager strength. The Manager also knew this, too, but still chose to reprimand Rocky regardless. ¡°Listen, mutt from Carvia,¡± said the Manager. ¡°You should be grateful you¡¯ve been given a job. If not for us, you would have been wandering the ruins and the Wasteland right now, scavenging for any food on the ground.¡± Rocky felt his blood boiling, but he reined in his anger. He needed to endure it. Otherwise, he would be kicked out of this city along with his family. Manager Craug started poking Rocky¡¯s chest with his stubby fingers. ¡°I can fire you wish just a snap of my finger,¡± said the Manager. ¡°You got mouths to feed, no? I heard your mother was sick recently. Surely, it¡¯s not monsterization?¡± Hearing the word monsterization, Rocky almost snapped. Carvians like him were commonly known in the world as spawns of the devil. They were one of the few races that were susceptible to monsterization, a process opposite of awakening. Although both processes granted a person immense power, they were a stark contrast from each other. Awakening allowed one to retain their humanity, while monsterization turned one into a beast devoid of all rationality. This was the reason why Carvians were commonly shunned wherever they went. It was also the reason why their country was abandoned by the Grand Alliance a decade ago, resulting in the death of nearly all of their citizens. Now, the surviving Carvians had been scattered throughout the world, working like slaves for a pittance. Rocky deeply breathed in and out. He clenched his fists so hard that blood started to drip out. ¡°It¡¯s not monsterization, Sir,¡± said Rocky through gnashed teeth. ¡°My mother has already recovered from her fever.¡± Noticing his anger, the Manager smiled, ¡°Heh~ is that so? That woman¡­ she recovered? Good for you then. Keke.¡± For a moment, Rocky¡¯s vision turned black from rage. Thankfully, he managed to control himself at the last moment. Noticing this, Manager Craug smirked. ¡°You want to hit me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­No, not at all, Sir.¡± ¡°Lies. Keke, no matter. It¡¯s really fun seeing you struggle like this.¡± Manager Craug looked at the minotaur carcass on top of the cart, then at Rocky¡¯s shaking pupils. He tapped Rocky¡¯s shoulders twice. ¡°I¡¯ll let this one pass. Be careful next time, alright? It¡¯ll be a pity if you lose this job. Imagine what would happen if you and your family get kicked out of this city after failing to pay the tax.¡± Rocky swallowed his anger and pride. ¡°¡­Thank you, Sir.¡± The Manager spat on the ground. ¡°Ptooey! Ah, clean that one, too. You can do that for me, no?¡± Rocky slowly nodded. ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Broadly smiling, the Manager started walking away. ¡°Tsk, tsk. This is why Carvians should be banned from this center. Haaah, my head hurts just thinking what would happen if they suddenly turn into monsters.¡± After the Manager left, a tall, muscular man approached Rocky. ¡°Rocky.¡± The man looked in the direction of the Manager and frowned. ¡°If you have plans on reporting that pig to the Director, I¡¯ll help you.¡± The man was a fellow dismantler from the center. Although his hairy chest and large build made him look menacing, he was also just an F-ranked awakener. ¡°¡­Jack.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been going way overboard recently. I understand he¡¯s stressed out due to the sudden increase in quota, but that¡¯s not enough reason to take out his frustrations on us.¡± Seeing a fellow dismantler being angry for his sake, Rocky¡¯s emotions started calming down somewhat. ¡°I¡¯ll clean that spit on the ground for you,¡± said Jack. ¡°You still haven¡¯t transported all carcasses from your storage, right? Go.¡± If Rocky failed to transport all of the carcasses from his assigned storage on time, he wouldn¡¯t be paid his daily wage. As underpaid as he was, a single day of loss would spell the difference between life and death for his starving family. Missing a single day of pay would snowball into debt, eventually leading to failure to pay their taxes. Those who¡¯d failed to pay their taxes would be always kicked out of the city, no exemptions. And being kicked out of the city meant they would have to defend themselves against the monsters on their own. For a low-ranking awakener like himself, it was no different from a death sentence. ¡°Thank you, Jack. I owe you one.¡± ¡°Nah, just go. Devil spawns, my ass. All I can see is a man trying to survive. You¡¯re a good guy, Rocky. I hope you¡¯ll stick around.¡± CHAPTER 2: THE CARVIAN RACE After successfully meeting his quota for the day, Rocky took his pay from the Finance Officer and left the dismantling center. ¡°Hey, look.¡± ¡°A Carvian? They still allow those people in this city?¡± ¡°Shh¡­ don¡¯t make eye contact. I heard they¡¯re capable of hypnosis if you stare in their eyes for a long time.¡± ¡°Really? They¡¯re no different from the monsters outside the city then.¡± ¡°What are the guards doing? Why are they letting someone like him roam the city?¡± As expected, Rocky garnered unwanted attention the moment he stepped outside. He¡¯d gotten used to this by now. Be it the Manager of the dismantling center, or the residents of this city ¨C it was rare for him to find people who didn¡¯t shun those from the Carvian race. Such remarks had become so common that he¡¯d learned to shut his ears whenever he went outside. It was amazing how the human body was so adaptive when it came to matters like these. In order to preserve his sanity, he¡¯d learned to filter out words he could hear whenever he was on the streets. Thankfully, the law in the city was strict. Although Carvians were openly shunned by the other races, no one tried to openly pick a fight with him. The city guards were known to throw troublemakers outside the city, banning them entry for several days. Despite the high tax imposed in the city, the Mayor and the army he commanded were so stringent that there were hardly any crimes occurring in the territory. This was the reason why Rocky could openly walk the streets like this. It was also the reason why he was desperately clinging to his job in the dismantling center. Although the Manager was an irredeemable piece of shit, the job granted Rocky¡¯s family the right to reside in this city, where security was guaranteed even for those from the Carvian race. Rocky heard that the other cities in the Republic of Krista weren¡¯t like this. According to a traveling merchant he¡¯d met a few years ago, in the other cities, it was legal to kill those from the Carvian race. Moreover, the Mayors of the other cities were corrupt to the core, causing crimes to be rampant under their rule. ¡°I survived the day again,¡± muttered Rocky. After walking the streets for more than an hour, Rocky finally reached the alley where his family had taken refuge. The people sitting on the ground, surrounding a stone stove, noticed his arrival. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Rocky¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Big brother!¡± ¡°Haha! Just in time for dinner!¡± Rocky¡¯s family couldn¡¯t afford to rent a house. They were living in this abandoned alley, a place located deep within the slums. Although this place was putrid and dirty, it was relatively safe due to the rules imposed by the city Mayor. Even the slum dwellers dared not provoke the guards out of fear of being thrown outside. ¡°I¡¯m back, everyone.¡± Three children immediately ran to his embrace. Rocky patted their heads and embraced them tightly, one after the other. ¡°Hehe, you stink, Big Brother!¡± ¡°How was your job in the dismantling center?¡± ¡°Did the Manager praise you again? Hehe, I¡¯m sure he did!¡± ¡°Children, stop bothering Rocky. Dinner¡¯s ready. Come over here.¡± ¡°Yes, mother!¡± No one knew of Rocky¡¯s struggles in the dismantling center. No one knew that he was being mistreated every day, shunned and scorned even by his coworkers. Rocky decided not to tell them about it, lest they felt guilty for burdening him with their taxes. Three younger siblings, a crippled father, and a sickly mother. Among his family members, only Rocky was capable of taking on a job in the city. Rocky knew this, too, that¡¯s why he decided to take on all of the responsibilities in the family. ¡°Hm? Orc stew?¡± Rocky was surprised when he realized that they were having orc stew for dinner. Orcs were relatively strong monsters. Although weaker than minotaurs, they usually moved in groups, rendering them hard to hunt by the Awakeneds. Still, as strong as they may be, their meat was quite tender when cooked properly. Some even say orc meat was far superior to pork not only in taste, but also in nutrition. ¡°Rina saw a merchant throw the leg away after biting on it just once,¡± said Rocky¡¯s mother. Rina, the second eldest child, made a thumbs up. ¡°Hehe! I immediately rummaged through the trash bin after the merchant left! Look, it¡¯s still fresh!¡± ¡°And since I have the seasonings, I decided to turn it into a stew instead,¡± said the mother. Rocky ruffled Rina¡¯s hair. ¡°Good work.¡± ¡°Ummm!¡± The child closed her eyes in glee, clearly happy that she¡¯d been praised by her older brother. After dinner, Rocky¡¯s crippled father called him. ¡°Rocky, how¡¯s work in the dismantling center these days? When will the Director of the dismantling center return to this city? I¡¯m worried since Craug has a reputation for discriminating against other races. I¡¯m worried he¡¯s been giving you a hard time while the Head is away.¡± His father¡¯s words were filled not only with uneasiness and worry, but also embarrassment. He was probably ashamed of burdening his son like this. ¡°Work is going great, father,¡± lied Rocky. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you heard that rumor, but Manager Craug has been treating me well.¡± Hearing those words, his father sighed in relief. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m glad¡­ really.¡± Rocky¡¯s father held his hands. ¡°Son, if things become unbearable, just quit. I may be like this, but it should be possible for me to find a way for us to pay the taxes somehow.¡± Rocky wryly smiled. He knew what his father planned to do in the event he lost his job in the dismantling center. The man would probably volunteer as a subject for the Research Institute¡¯s branch in the city. As a Carvian, his father would be paid a hefty sum for willingly undergoing various experiments. Of course, such a job entailed numerous risks. It wouldn¡¯t even be strange if his father suddenly came back a corpse one day. ¡°People are treating me well at work, so don¡¯t worry, father.¡± Rocky¡¯s father gripped his hands tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my son. If only I wasn¡¯t so reckless back then, I wouldn¡¯t be in this state right now. If only I could move these legs¡­ you wouldn¡¯t have to shoulder everything.¡± His father was close to sobbing. Rocky felt a squishing sensation in his heart. Paying the taxes aside, one of his goals was to save enough money to buy the Elixir from the Alchemist Guild, an extremely rare potion capable of healing most wounds. They said that only around a dozen vials of Elixir were being produced each year, each of them costing half a million gold coins each. As a pauper, the goal felt unreachable, but Rocky decided to try regardless. As long as he¡¯s alive, Rocky deemed it should be possible for him to find a way to earn more money one way or another. Rocky crouched and looked his father straight in the eyes. ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize, father. You became like this because of us.¡± His father used to be a D-ranked awakened. But during one of their travels, they were attacked by monsters, and he lost both of his legs in the process. His father could have escaped alone, but he chose to stay behind to protect his family. For that sacrifice, Rocky was forever grateful. ¡°And like I¡¯ve said before, I¡¯m doing great at work, so please don¡¯t worry.¡± *** In the vast outer space of the LY78 System, a Dreadnought-class battleship continued flying toward Planet EA908-XRV at a tremendous speed. The lower half of the ship had already fallen off. The damage it had sustained was so severe its repair function failed to keep up. [Energy remaining: 2.83%] [Distance from Planet EA908-XRV: 3.35 billion kilometers.] [Emergency repair of the Cryonics complete.] [Emergency repair of the Medbay complete.] [Moving Admiral Isaac Segarus from the Cryonics to the Medbay.] [Requesting permission for emergency surgery on Admiral Isaac.] [Request timed out.] [Initiating emergency surgery.] While Rocky was conversing with his father, the Dreadnought-class battleship, Aravark, continued looming closer to the planet. CHAPTER 3: THE NEW ADMIRAL The next day, Rocky noticed the heavy atmosphere in the dismantling center upon his arrival. Workers were huddled here and there, whispering to each other. ¡°Rocky!¡± Jack ran toward Rocky, grabbed his arms, and pulled him to a corner. ¡°It¡¯s bad news!¡± Uneasiness was apparent in Jack¡¯s voice. ¡°What happened?¡± Jack quickly looked around them, confirming it was safe to talk about this matter in this place first. ¡°The Director died in an accident on the way back to the city,¡± said Jack. Rocky froze when he heard this. The Director of the dismantling center was the one who agreed to hire Rocky despite him being part of the Carvian race. She was a benevolent woman who didn¡¯t believe that Carvians were devil spawns, like the majority of people believed them to be. She was the older sister of the current Mayor, too, granting her a degree of power within the city. She was basically the shield granting Rocky protection against people like the Manager. ¡°¡­She, she¡¯s dead? What do you mean she¡¯d dead? Jack!¡± Jack rubbed his brows. ¡°Their convoy was attacked by monsters three days ago, near Aledora Plains. According to investigations, it looks like they met the Butcher!¡± The Butcher was a Named A-ranked monster that roamed the Wastelands. It was a monster so notorious even Rocky was aware of its existence. ¡°It¡¯s all over the news this morning, look at your terminal!¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have one, Jack.¡± Jack palmed his face and groaned. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I forgot. Here, look.¡± Jack took out his terminal, which was around the size of his palm, and handed it to Rocky. The local news section was filled with articles regarding the recent attack of the Butcher. In the headlines, the name of the Director of the Fifth Dismantling Center was written in large, bold letters. According to the articles, the Director of the dismantling center had died, along with her nine subordinates. Rocky shuddered when he saw the image of what seemed to be the bloody remains of the group. And beside the image was the bounty poster of the Butcher ¨C a mutated, five-meter large Orc with two heads. ¡°The corpse¡­,¡± muttered Rocky. The remains of the Director looked like mangled meat rather than a body. Rocky even wondered if it was right for the news to upload that image. ¡°¡­Director¡ªurk!¡± He felt his stomach churn. He resisted the urge to throw up. The Director of the dismantling center had been kind to him. The mere thought of how much she¡¯d suffered before her death made Rocky¡¯s entire body shudder. ¡°It must have played with its meal. The Butcher is known to eat humans alive,¡± said Jack grimly. ¡°How many people had it killed by now? At this point, the military should send another expedition to kill that bastard. Gather the rankers and end its life for good!¡± There had been numerous attempts to subjugate the Butcher before, but all of them failed. Not only was the Butcher strong, it was also highly intelligent, making it quite elusive despite its size. Whenever the Butcher felt danger, it would always run away into the deeper parts of the Wasteland to shake off its pursuers. ¡°Director¡­ Damn it!¡± said Rocky. ¡°Rocky, what do you plan to do?¡± said Jack. ¡°Manager Craug will soon become the Head of the Fifth Dismantling Center.¡± Rocky frowned. He already knew what would happen if that man rose to the highest position within the center. ¡°¡­Manager Craug¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªAnd what about me? hm?¡± Rocky and Jack looked up and saw the Manager leaning on the railings, peering at them from above. ¡°M-Manager!¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°That¡¯s Director Craug for you, Jack.¡± He hadn¡¯t even been inaugurated as the new Director yet, but he was already acting like he owned the Fifth Dismantling Center. Slowly, Manager Craug went down the stairs and walked toward the two. Behind the Manager were several workers who¡¯d decided to suck up to him now that the previous Director was dead. ¡°Rocky, you heard the news, no? Tsk, tsk. This is why you shouldn¡¯t go outside the city with very few escorts. If she¡¯d brought at least thirty soldiers with her, she might have survived the Butcher.¡± Rocky clenched his fists. He could see within the Manager¡¯s eyes that he was pleased about the Director¡¯s passing. ¡°What¡¯s with the glare? You damn Carvian, know your place. Once I¡¯m officially the new Director of this center, the first thing I¡¯ll do is kick you out!¡± The workers behind Manager Craug chuckled. They tried their best to cajole him. ¡°As expected of Director Craug.¡± ¡°A wise decision. It¡¯s hard to work here knowing that a Carvian is around. Who knows when he¡¯ll suddenly start turning into a monster? Just the thought gives me the chills!¡± ¡°Go back to the slums! That¡¯s where trash bastards like you belong!¡± ¡°You damn Carvians should have never been born!¡± Jack snarled, ¡°What did you say!¡± Rocky grabbed Jack¡¯s arms before he could even have the chance to pounce at the workers behind the Manager. ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Jack!¡± ¡°Let go of me, Rocky! I¡¯ll teach them a lesson for you!¡± The workers sneered at Jack. They knew that although he was massive, he was also just an F-rank. ¡°Huh? You wanna go?¡± ¡°This Jack finally lost it, huh!¡± ¡°Come here, little pup! I¡¯ll pluck your teeth out!¡± ¡°Hahaha! How amusing,¡± said Manager Craug, his eyes turning into crescents as he smiled. The Manager thought of a way to make this even more exciting. He knew that Jack was the only friend Rocky had in this center. What if he took him away from Rocky, too? ¡°Jack, in recognition of your skills as a dismantler, I¡¯ll give you a chance. You have two choices.¡± Manager Craug raised two fingers. ¡°First, abandon that Carvian and come under my wing. I¡¯ll personally make sure you¡¯ll be promoted to Assistant Manager before the year ends.¡± One of the workers behind protested, ¡°B-But Director! You said I¡¯ll be given that position!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°The second option,¡± said Manager Craug. ¡°Decline my offer and be kicked out of this dismantling center, together with that devil spawn over there.¡± Jack did not even ponder over the offer. Without hesitation, he roared. ¡°He¡¯s not a devil spawn! You stupid fatass! Do you think I¡¯m afraid of losing this job? Go on then, kick me! I¡¯d rather leave this damn hellhole than come under your wing!¡± ¡°Jack, what are you doing!¡± said Rocky. The veins on Manager Craug¡¯s forehead started bulging from anger after hearing the word fatass. His face flushed from rage. The workers behind him slowly moved closer to Rocky and Jack, ready to beat them up the moment they received the order. ¡°Should we teach them a lesson, Director?¡± The workers started cracking their knuckles. ¡°Please give us your orders, Director.¡± Like a criminal organization, Manager Craug immediately started exercising his authority the moment he heard of the Director¡¯s passing. His first target was the Carvian before him. ¡°It seems having a crippled father isn¡¯t enough for you,¡± said Manager Craug to Rocky. ¡°Boys! Break his¡ªW-What?¡± Before Manager Craug could complete his order, a loud grating sound rang throughout the entire city. It sounded as though a massive metallic cauldron was being scratched by a giant fork. ¡°Urrgh! What the hell!¡± ¡°Ahhh! My ears!¡± ¡°L-Look! The window! Outside!¡± Everyone looked up, toward the glass windows of the dismantling center. And they saw it. ¡°W-What¡­ what is that!¡± Everyone was stunned upon seeing a massive ship floating above the sky. By size alone, it was probably comparable to several cities combined. Half of the ship¡¯s body was crackling with lightning, and the lower hull was burning. Below it, numerous force fields were being generated one after another, reducing the impact of its landing as much as possible. Everyone in the city ¨C including those from the dismantling center ¨C went out to the streets to watch the colossal figure from a distance. With bated breaths, they watched as it slowly descended. After what seemed like an eternity, it finally landed with a deafening thud. The impact of its landing created a shockwave powerful enough to trigger the activation of the defensive shields of the city. The alarm bells of the city rang as the shields started fortifying the walls. The turrets on the walls, meant to shoot down flying monsters, started gathering energy for its ammunitions. Rocky mumbled, ¡°This direction¡­ the Wasteland?¡± ¡°Ah, look,¡± said Jack. ¡°It¡¯s disappearing!¡± To their utter surprise, the massive ship started to turn transparent, eventually disappearing from sight. On that day, the Mayor suspended all activities in the city that were unrelated to the military. After declaring that they would not be collecting taxes during this period, the Mayor started coordinating with the Central Government, asking them for their next course of action. No matter how anyone looked at it, this was no ordinary matter. The thing that appeared might even pose more danger than the monsters coming out of the portals. According to the Mayor¡¯s decree, activities would be resumed again only once they¡¯d deemed it was safe to do so. Of course, this also meant that Manager Craug¡¯s promotion to the position of a Director was also postponed. *** [Emergency landing successful.] [Admiral Isaac, welcome to Planet EA908-XRV of the LY78 System.] [Suggesting Veil System deployment.] [Request timed out.] [Initiating Veil System.] [Suggesting primary defensive shield deployment.] [Request timed out.] [Deploying primary defensive shield.] The dreadnought-class battleship, Aravark, had finally landed on the planet where Rocky lived. Three hours after Aravark landed, Isaac finally regained consciousness. ¡°Ugh¡­ this is¡­.¡± Isaac realized he was inside a capsule in the Medbay. After blinking several times, memories of the tragedy that befell their crew started pouring into his mind. Memories of how their fleet fell into a trap, how their flagship and its escort ships were bombarded into oblivion by the space pirates, and how only the dreadnought-class battleship managed to survive. ¡°Ugh! N-No, it can¡¯t be!¡± Isaac touched the internal switch of the capsule, opening it. Smoke oozed out of the capsule as Isaac stepped out, fully naked. ¡°Captain Yris! L-Lieutenant Marco! Admiral Josiah!¡± The emotional pain he was experiencing was so severe it felt physical. His entire body was trembling from denial. Before he¡¯d lost consciousness before, he¡¯d been informed by the ship¡¯s system that he was the only remaining survivor. But, how could this be? Why? Why did it have to be him? Why was it that out of all the people in the ship, someone as insignificant as him was the sole survivor! ¡°I should have died back then,¡± muttered Isaac. ¡°Admiral¡­ no, even if it¡¯s just the Captain! They should have been the ones to survive, not me!¡± Although he was a mechanic, he was a mere Petty Officer that had been serving the Galactic Federation for only seventy years. Compared to the Admiral who¡¯d been pioneering planets and fighting space pirates for several thousand years, he was disposable. Isaac was ready to lay down his life for the sake of the Federation. He would willingly die if it meant he could save the ship¡¯s high-ranking officials. But alas, fate had different plans. ¡°Why me¡­ Why me!¡± Isaac knelt on the floor and started pounding it with his fist. ¡°Damn pirates! I won¡¯t forgive you for what you did to my comrades! I¡¯ll return to the Galactic Federation and report about this, no matter what!¡± When Isaac was about to slam his head on the floor out of anger, the System AI finally spoke. [Admiral Isaac, please refrain from inflicting self-harm.] Isaac flinched. That¡¯s right. He almost forgot about it out of anger. By some sort of miracle, the System AI of the battleship was still functional. ¡°¡­Aravark.¡± [Yes, Admiral.] ¡°Wait, why are you calling me Admiral?¡± [It¡¯s because this is the only surviving ship of the fleet. And everyone in the battleship, aside from you, has perished. As per the Galactic Federation¡¯s Emergency Fleet Succession Law ¨C¡± ¡°¡ªNo, no, stop. I get it.¡± Isaac deeply breathed in and out. After calming himself, he asked the most crucial thing. ¡°Aravark, how much energy do you have left?¡± [The current energy left in the ship is exactly 0.83%, Admiral.] ¡°Only that much?¡± Isaac¡¯s head started aching when he heard it. ¡°Aravark, is the spare thermal reactor intact?¡± Before he lost consciousness, he was in the middle of fixing the spare thermal reactor. As far as he remembered, although it was malfunctioning, it was in a relatively good shape compared to the rest of the ship. [It is intact, but non-functional, Admiral.] ¡°And the golems?¡± [Currently, there are 738 golems remaining in the ship.] There used to be thirty thousand golems in the ship, serving various purposes. The majority of them must have been destroyed during the space pirates¡¯ attack. Isaac understood why the System didn¡¯t fix the spare thermal reactor despite the presence of golems. It was under the Federation¡¯s law that the AI governing the system of battleships shouldn¡¯t interfere with the sources of energy. This was the reason why Isaac was tasked to fix the thermal reactor in the secondary engine room while they were under attack by the space pirates. The mere fact that the AI didn¡¯t attempt to fix the thermal reactor despite almost running out of energy proved that the AI was functioning perfectly. The System AI prioritized orders over its survival. ¡°As the Admiral of the ship, I hereby grant you authority to access the secondary engine room and fix the spare thermal reactor.¡± [Affirmative.] Upon receiving permission from the newly appointed Admiral, the System immediately mobilized the golems to fix the spare thermal reactor. [Emergency repair of the spare thermal reactor complete.] ¡°And the energy?¡± [Energy remaining: 5.83%] Hearing this, Isaac heaved a sigh of relief. Fixing the spare thermal reactor granted them an additional 5% energy. With this, it should be possible to maintain the ship somewhat. Isaac immediately decided on his next course of action. CHAPTER 4: DOMINO EFFECT Isaac entered the control room. Numerous holograms appeared before him. With just a touch or through voice command, he could control any of them. ¡°Aravark, are the defensive systems working?¡± [Yes, Admiral. The Veil System and the primary defensive shield have been deployed.] ¡°Good. That should be enough. Aravark, disconnect 700 golems from the System. We need to conserve as much energy as possible.¡± [That would leave the ship with only 38 golems. Are you sure you wish to proceed, Admiral?] ¡°Do it.¡± [Affirmative.] Seven hundred golems were immediately disconnected from the System at the same time. Isaac felt somewhat vulnerable, but he deemed he needed to do this much in order to preserve the few remaining energy of the ship. ¡°Aravark, I know it¡¯s a bit late but¡­ where exactly are we?¡± A hologram of a blue planet, an image Aravark captured before landing here, appeared before Isaac. [We are currently on Planet EA908-XRV of the LY78 System, Admiral.] ¡°What? LY78 System?¡± He¡¯d been to numerous planets and systems before, but this was his first time hearing of it. The planets and systems under the Galactic Federation weren¡¯t even under alphabetical classification. [It¡¯s a primitive system in the UI99EK Galaxy under the Betelgeuse Empire.] Isaac combed his hair to the back using his fingers. ¡°Haaah¡­ that¡¯s basically the border of the Empire. How did we even manage to reach this far?¡± [The part of the control room responsible for the calculation of the warp¡¯s coordinates was malfunctioning back then.] [Due to the error, we ended up warping to the imperial border.] This information was driving Isaac crazy. Not only because they were currently in the territory of the Empire, but also because they were basically trapped in this place, without a way out. They would need a lot of energy to warp back to the nearest outpost of the Federation. And currently, the ship had only around 5.83% energy left at most. ¡°Aravark, have you repaired the part of the control room responsible for calculating warp coordinates?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. [Yes, Admiral. It¡¯s currently fully functional.] ¡°Good. Calculate the energy needed to warp to the nearest outpost of the Federation.¡± [Understood.] Several seconds passed before the voice of the System AI was heard again. [Based on my calculations, the ship would need around 83% energy in order to safely warp to the nearest Galactic Federation¡¯s outpost. If we include the energy needed to maintain the ship until it docks at the outpost, around 86% energy is needed.] Warping to another territory under the Empire was out of the question. Due to the Federation and the Empire¡¯s enmity, the battleship would be blown into pieces the moment the Empire detected its arrival. It was already a miracle that the Empire hadn¡¯t manage to detect Aravark when it arrived to this planet, probably due to the fact that this was the border. ¡°86%?!¡± Isaac groaned. ¡°Aravark, analyze the ambient Aether in this planet. Calculate how long it would take to gather that much energy.¡± [Understood.] From within the ship, several hundred drones flew out. After an hour, they came back. [Admiral, this planet is severely lacking in Aether. Based on our calculations, it would take approximately 4551 years and 27 days to gather enough Aether to warp to the nearest outpost of the Federation.] ¡°You¡­! You gotta be kidding me!¡± shouted Isaac. Out of frustration, he started pulling out his hair. Although it should be possible for him to live that long using the medicine remaining in the Medbay, four millennia were still a long time. [Admiral, please refrain from self-harm.] Isaac shouted even louder, ¡°I can¡¯t even pull my hair out of frustration, huh! Screw you! Four thousand years! How am I supposed to return to the Federation and report about the incident!¡± Isaac already knew that it wasn¡¯t the System AI¡¯s fault. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated when he heard how much time it would take to return to his home planet. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! System, create a practice target! A punching bag! Anything!¡± [Affirmative.] Immediately, the hologram of a punching bag appeared before Isaac. ¡°Arggh!¡± Venting his anger and frustrations, Isaac started punching and kicking the bag, even going as far as slamming his head against it. Of course, he heard the AI¡¯s same reminder about refraining from inflicting self-harm again. ¡°Haaahh¡­. Haaaahh¡­!¡± Filled with sweat, Isaac ordered the System to create a chair and sat on it. ¡°Shit¡­ shit!¡± Just like before, Isaac felt it was such a waste that it was him who¡¯d survived and not another officer. He already knew he wasn¡¯t someone exemptional or special. Surely, if it were the Captain or the Admiral, they would know what to do in a situation like this one. In the end, after pondering over the current situation for several hours, Isaac decided that the best course of action was to consult the System AI. "System, find the best route to gather Aether in this planet.¡± [Affirmative.] [Requesting permission to mobilize surveillance drones.] ¡°Permission granted.¡± From the dockyard, nearly ten thousand drones started coming out in droves. The drones flew around the Wasteland first, before flying and scattering in various directions. *** The arrival of the dreadnought-class battleship caused a domino effect in the Wasteland. Unbeknownst to Isaac, the place they landed on was the territory of the Lightning Dragon Lord Uurgamak. Although the forcefield deployed by the battleship softened the landing to a certain degree, the impact of their landing still held enough strength to pulverize the Dragon¡¯s nest, together with its owner. On the same day the dreadnought-class battleship landed on the planet, the life of the Lightning Dragon Lord, one of the rulers of the Wasteland, ended. Remotely, the System AI collected information about the planet they¡¯d landed on. Through the drones, numerous images and information were transmitted to the System of the ship. [Collecting data.] [Gathering ambient Aether sample.] [Unidentified creature spotted.] The thousands of drones that flew out of the ship started capturing the Wasteland monsters they encountered along the way. Each of the drones ¨C a product of the Galactic Federation¡¯s Fifth Weapons Factory ¨C held strength comparable to an A-ranked awakened on this planet. Suffice to say, even the Wasteland monsters, notoriously known for being fierce and dangerous, could hardly put up a fight against these flying machines. There were some monsters that managed to put up a decent fight, but whenever a drone deemed the target was troublesome, it would immediately request backup from the nearby drones, turning the capture process into a many versus one. [Delivering sample to the Specimen Room.] [Delivery complete.] [Collecting data.] [Unidentified creature spotted.] [Proceeding to capture the unidentified creature for analysis.] That day, the Wasteland monsters experienced the most terrifying moment of their lives. The monsters shuddered in terror upon seeing thousands of bird-like creatures swooping down and effortlessly capturing their kin, one after another. The System AI of the dreadnought-class battleship did not discriminate as it collected various samples throughout the land. It did not care even if the sample was a monster from the Wasteland. ¡°Kiiiik! Kiiik!¡± Even the Butcher, a Named A-rank monster, was helpless the moment the drones spotted it. ¡°Kiiiiiiiiik!¡± Carried by eight drones, the Butcher shrieked in terror as it flew toward the invisible battleship. The indiscriminate act of capturing Wasteland monsters caused the monsters to flee from the place. Those that had been living near the lair of the Lightning Dragon Uurgamak started evacuating into the outer areas, the regions near human cities. This, in turn, caused the weaker monsters to flee the outskirts, forcing them to attack the human settlements nearby. The landing of the battleship caused a cascade of events, eventually spiraling into a monster stampede. And this affected not only the Republic of Krista, but all of the countries that bordered the massive Wasteland. CHAPTER 5: CAPTAIN VALENTINO After three days of deliberation, the Central Government decided on its course of action regarding the recent incident. After coming to a consensus that the unidentified ship might pose a threat to the country, they decided to send a tactical unit to investigate it. The Sixth Company of the Republic of Krista was tasked with investigating the massive ship that had suddenly appeared and landed at the Wasteland. The Sixth Company was composed of three platoons, each of them consisting of a hundred soldiers. Each of the platoons was led by a lieutenant, while the Sixth Company itself was led by Captain Valentino, one of the rankers in the Republic of Krista. The Sixth Company had just departed from the Morigane Camp. Onboard military trucks, and escorted by dozens of soldiers riding ATVs, they were now moving toward the Wasteland at a constant pace. Most of the soldiers were D-rank, and all of them were armed to the teeth, their bodies covered by leather armor and metal plates. To take care of the weaker monsters, they also carried firearms with them. ¡°Captain, no matter how I look at it,¡± said one of the lieutenants. ¡°This¡­ is too hasty. Three hundred soldiers are not enough if we¡¯re delving to the heart of the Wasteland.¡± Although three hundred soldiers may seem a lot from the perspective of civilians, everyone in the military knew that they needed a much larger force if they wished to prevent massive casualties in this expedition. It was common knowledge that as one went deeper into the Wasteland, the probability of encountering large and strong monsters increased exponentially. ¡°Sending our Company to investigate the central part of the Wasteland,¡± said the Lieutenant angrily. ¡°It¡¯s no different from telling us to die just for the sake of information!¡± Captain Valentino smoked from his pipe. A massive scar ran through his bald head, down to his neck. ¡°Suck it up,¡± said Valentino. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything since it¡¯s an order from the higher-ups.¡± ¡°¡­But!¡± ¡°Enough.¡± Captain Valentino ignored the ramblings of the Lieutenant sitting across him. Unlike the Lieutenant, Captain Valentino was briefed on the reason why the Central Government chose to send only the Sixth Company to the heart of the Wasteland. There were three famous boss monsters in the Wasteland: The Lightning Dragon Lord, Uurgamak. The Deathworm, Sandclaw. The Black Salamander, Igiris. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The five countries bordering the Wasteland had been monitoring the movements of the Wasteland¡¯s rulers through an artifact capable of detecting mana signatures from a great distance. Using this artifact, they were able to assess the current situation in the heart of the Wasteland, and they were able to approximate those boss monsters¡¯ current location. Of course, this was possible only thanks to the sacrifice of the awakeneds who attached the tracking seal to those monsters in exchange for their lives over a decade ago. On the same day the unidentified ship appeared on the sky and landed on the Wasteland, the mana signature of the Lightning Dragon Uurgamak disappeared completely. It was as though its life was snuffed out by some entity on that same day, and this was what terrified the Central Government of the Republic of Krista the most. Unbeknownst to the rest of Captain Valentino¡¯s men, the Deathworm and the Black Salamander had already fled the central region of the Wasteland. The Deathworm was currently moving toward the Kingdom of Tiamat, while the Black Salamander had moved to the Wasteland outskirt near the Kingdom of Avalon. Basically, after the death of the Lightning Dragon Lord, the two remaining rulers of the Wasteland fled in the opposite direction of the Republic. The Central Government deemed that a company was the ideal military size for this task. A small army like them could move much quicker than a battalion or a brigade, and since the rulers of the Wasteland had already fled, it should be relatively safe. Of course, these were only assumptions, and Captain Valentino knew that there was a chance that the tracking artifact was wrong. Moreover, aside from the rulers of the Wasteland, other strong monsters lived in the central region, and an encounter with one of them could spell the difference between survival and annihilation. ¡®The Wasteland monsters aside. What is that ship? Or is it even proper to call it a ship? It¡¯s so massive it could probably fit five or six cities inside it.¡¯ Part of the reason why Captain Valentino agreed to accept this mission was out of curiosity. He¡¯d been an awakened for more than twenty years, and he¡¯d been to nearly all of the countries in the continent, but that was his first time seeing something like that. What words should be used to describe it? ¡°It looked out of place,¡± muttered Captain Valentino. ¡°Captain?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± In this world where technology had stagnated, the ship ¨C although half-destroyed ¨C looked indescribably advanced and futuristic. It even had semblance to the science fiction movies he¡¯d seen back when he was a kid. ¡°Lieutenant Kram! Captain Valentino! Monster horde ahead!¡± From the intercom, the voice of a soldier was heard. Lieutenant Kram replied, ¡°Their numbers?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s¡­ Oh god! I can¡¯t believe it! There are probably more than a hundred thousand of them! And they¡¯re all headed our way!¡± Captain Valentino nearly dropped his pipe, and Lieutenant Kram subconsciously stood up from surprise. ¡°W-What?!¡± said the Lieutenant. ¡°There must be a mistake!¡± A hundred thousand monsters were enough to overrun even a city. It went without saying that a mere company like them would be helpless against it. Instead of asking through the intercom if the reports were indeed accurate, Captain Valentino decided to see the horde himself. ¡°Captain!¡± The Captain opened the door of the military truck while it was still moving, and using nimble movements, jumped to its roof. Using his binoculars, he looked at the cloud of dust approaching them from a distance. ¡°This is¡­.¡± Captain Valentino shuddered. Scouting the Wasteland was one thing, but stopping a monster horde of this magnitude was another. Even a brigade would have a hard time stopping a horde this large without the aid of a siege or several rankers. Walls were a minimum requirement if they wished to survive against those monsters. Lieutenant Kram also went to the roof of the military truck. ¡°Orcs, kobolds, and¡­ goblins? What? Why are those three moving together? No, it doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± Captain Valentino clenched his fists. His cape fluttered from the wind. ¡°Sixth Company!¡± shouted Captain Valentino. ¡°Halt!¡± Immediately, all of the trucks and ATVs hit the brakes. Now that they were stationary, they could feel the rumbling of the ground caused by the approaching monster horde. ¡°Did a new portal open nearby? Or¡­.¡± ¡°Captain, doesn¡¯t it look like they¡¯re running away from something?¡± Captain Valentino observed the approaching monster horde through his binoculars. Indeed, the Lieutenant was right. Rather than mutual cooperation, it looked as though those monsters were running away from something right now. But the two remaining rulers of the Wasteland should be currently at the opposite direction. What caused so many monsters to flee to this place, disregarding the enmity between their races? ¡°What¡¯s the nearest city to us?¡± Lieutenant Kram replied, ¡°That would be the City of Inaka, Captain.¡± ¡°Inaka, it¡¯s a walled city. It should be much better than our camp,¡± muttered Captain Valentino. ¡°Disseminate my order to everyone. We¡¯re abandoning our mission to scout the central region of the Wasteland.¡± The horde hadn¡¯t spotted them yet, so it should still be safe to retreat from here. ¡°But if the Central Government hears about this¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take full responsibility.¡± Captain Valentino could feel that something wasn¡¯t right. After seeing the unusually large number of monsters, his intuition was screaming at him that proceeding with their mission would guarantee the annihilation of the Sixth Company. Even Lieutenant Kram felt this, too, but he was worried about the backlash from the Central Government. ¡°Understood.¡± After disseminating their orders to everyone in the army, the Sixth Company turned around and headed toward Inaka City. CHAPTER 6: A SOLDIERS INTUITION After retreating from the Wasteland, the Sixth Company immediately moved toward the City of Inaka. Of course, Captain Valentino didn¡¯t forget to report to the Central Government on his way to the city. Using his terminal, he contacted his superiors from the military. An angry voice resounded inside the truck. ¡°Valentino! What do you mean you¡¯ve abandoned the mission!¡± Lieutenant Kram trembled when he realized who the voice belonged to. It was the voice of Defense Secretary Theodoro Karvaal. He was the man who held the second highest authority in the entire military, second only to the President of the Republic. And unlike the President, the Defense Secretary was known for his iron fist. The number of officials he¡¯d sent to the gallows during his term could no longer be counted in one hand. Lieutenant Kram understood that they needed a man like the Defense Secretary during such turbulent times, but being subjected to his rage was still a terrifying experience. ¡°Forget the central part of the Wasteland,¡± said Captain Valentino. ¡°We won¡¯t even reach the middle part if we proceeded with the mission.¡± ¡°Valentino! Monster horde or not, you should have proceeded with the mission! Do you even realize how grave of an offense this is! If that massive ship ¨C or whatever that thing is ¨C turns out to be more dangerous than the Lightning Dragon Uurgamak, how do you plan to handle the consequences of not investigating it beforehand!¡± Captain Valentino firmly held his ground. ¡°Defense Secretary, Sir. I¡¯ve seen the monster horde with my own eyes. I can feel it ¨C those monsters were running away from something.¡± ¡°Can feel it? Is this how a Captain of a company should act? The military officers move based on feelings now, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the intuition of a soldier who¡¯d been to the battlefield for more than twenty years, Sir.¡± The voice of the Defense Secretary turned even colder. ¡°Captain, I¡¯ve been a soldier even before those damned portals opened in this world, thirty-five years ago, at a time when you were still a toddler. Intuition? Everyone has that! And just because the damn thing tells you to retreat doesn¡¯t mean you should order your men to do so!¡± Captain Valentino knew the Defense Secretary had a point. Not all intuitions were correct, and it was actually foolish of him to retreat because of it. But alas, he couldn¡¯t ignore that nagging feeling he got back then. Also, he¡¯d promised his men that he would take full responsibility for this, and he planned on seeing this promise to the end. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Inaudible murmurs were heard through the terminal. It seemed that the Defense Secretary wasn¡¯t alone. He was currently discussing everything with the people around him. After some time, the Defense Secretary spoke again. ¡°Hah¡­ Valentino, consider this your lucky day. It¡¯s decided that we¡¯ll be sending out the Eight Company instead. They¡¯ll be departing from the City of Kraus, so it should be far from the monster horde you¡¯ve encountered.¡± The Defense Secretary continued, ¡°In return, you and your men are to go to Inaka City as planned. Coordinate with the mayor and come up with a way to defend against the monster horde in the event it starts attacking the city.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ve received the orders clearly, Sir.¡± The Defense Secretary clicked his tongue. ¡°You will still be punished according to military law once everything is over. You understand this, don¡¯t you, Captain?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± The Defense Secretary sighed. ¡°What a waste of talent. Given a few more years, with your skills, you could have risen to the rank of a Brigadier General. But because of this incident, even if you manage to avoid capital punishment, you¡¯ll be demoted two ranks at the very least.¡± There was a long pause. The Defense Secretary asked, ¡°Valentino, do you regret your decision?¡± Without hesitation, Captain Valentino replied, ¡°Not at all, Sir. It was the best decision I could make at that time.¡± It seemed to be the correct answer. The voice of the Defense Secretary turned somewhat warmer. ¡°At least you still have your convictions with you. Proceed as ordered. Coordinate with the city mayor and help the city defend against the monsters ¨C Valentino.¡± ¡°¡ªDefense Secretary, Sir.¡± ¡°Being demoted to a mere Sergeant is far better than becoming a corpse. So. Don¡¯t You. Dare die.¡± Captain Valentino smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t, Defense Secretary, Sir.¡± *** Knowing that they would be kicked out of the Fifth Dismantling Center the moment Manager Craug became the new director, Rocky and Jack immediately searched for a new job in the city. They¡¯d talked to almost all of the store owners in the central market by now, but every employer they¡¯d met shut their doors the moment they saw Rocky¡¯s dark skin. Even those who had large ¡®We Are Hiring¡¯ signs on the window blatantly lied to their faces, saying that the position had already been taken. ¡°Jack, at this rate, you won¡¯t find a job as long as you¡¯re together with me,¡± said Rocky. Jack¡¯s massive build would easily land him a job in Inaka. The only reason he¡¯d failed to find a new job was probably due to the fact that he¡¯d been tagging along with a Carvian. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m living alone, and I have a bit of savings left,¡± said Jack. ¡°¡ªBut.¡± ¡°¡ªPeople won¡¯t even talk to you if I¡¯m not around. Those bitches. What do they think about Carvians? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re walking around with a deadly virus in your hands. Stupid assholes.¡± Hearing those words, Rocky realized the real reason why Jack insisted they hunt for jobs together. He¡¯d been tagging along so that the store owners would give Rocky even a chance to introduce himself. If Rocky were alone, he probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to talk with half of those people. ¡°I owe you one again,¡± said Rocky with a self-deprecating smile. Jack patted Rocky¡¯s shoulders. He grinned. ¡°Just treat me to an expensive hotel once you make it big, yeah? Or better yet, buy me one of those new mana-powered rifles the military had been developing recently.¡± They were wishful thinking, but Rocky thought there wouldn¡¯t be any harm in dreaming big. Besides, wasn¡¯t he aiming to obtain the Elixir? Compared to the price of that medicine, a mana-powered rifle basically cost nothing. ¡°Just rifles? Once I make it big, I¡¯ll give you a personal army, Jack,¡± laughed Rocky. ¡°Hahaha! I look forward to it!¡± As the two continued walking the streets, they noticed a commotion nearby. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s that?¡± muttered Jack. The two of them moved closer, toward the gathered crowd. ¡°Make way! Move! The Sixth Company is passing through!¡± Rocky and Jack were momentarily mesmerized upon seeing the people that had just arrived in the city. Soldiers, armed to the teeth, marched in formations. Behind them were military trucks, ATVs, and supply vehicles capable of traversing the Wasteland. Based on the emblems painted on the trucks¡¯ bodies, it was the Sixth Company under the Archon Battalion of the Second Brigade. Compared to the city guards, those soldiers were the real deal. Even the aura they were emitting as they marched felt suffocating. Those soldiers were weapons of carnage trained to kill not just humans, but also monsters. Rocky and Jack heard numerous murmurs as the Sixth Company passed through the main street. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s the Sixth Company.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the unit under Captain Valentino?¡± ¡°Holy shit, look at those rifles. Aren¡¯t they those so-called mana-powered weapons the military has been developing recently?¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard they¡¯re capable of piercing the hides of monsters, unlike ordinary bullets.¡± ¡°But why did they come to this city?¡± Jack and Rocky had the same question in their minds, too. They felt that it was too much of a coincidence that the army came here days after the ship that landed in the Wasteland was spotted. They felt that these soldiers¡¯ arrival and that unidentified ship were correlated. Until the soldiers disappeared from sight, the two stared at the Sixth Company as it made its way toward the Municipal Hall. They were probably on their way to meet the mayor. CHAPTER 7: PRIMITIVE HUMANS While the Sixth Company and the officials of Inaka City were discussing their plans on how to handle the incoming monster horde, the dreadnought-class battleship continued with its analysis of the planet. [Admiral, the Specimen Room is nearly at full capacity.] [Do you wish to move the other samples to the laboratory?] ¡°Already? System, transfer them to the laboratory.¡± [Affirmative.] After almost a week of capturing unidentified creatures throughout the Wasteland and the surrounding countries, the Specimen Room finally reached a saturated state. The thousands of drones the System AI had deployed had been scouting and analyzing the planet all this time, obtaining samples every now and then before going back. Isaac opened the database containing the list of creatures obtained by the drones after several days. Information regarding the hundreds of species the battleship had captured in the past few days was presented to him in the form of a holographic list. Next to the list were the 3D images of the creatures. ¡°Goblin, subspecies Redcap, five samples.¡± ¡°Goblin, subspecies Hobgoblin, five samples.¡± ¡°Goblin, subspecies Tengu, five samples.¡± ¡°Goblin, subspecies, Bulbas, five samples.¡± ¡°Orc, subspecies Garu, five samples.¡± ¡°Orc, subspecies Berserker, five samples.¡± Isaac frowned when the first thing that greeted him upon opening the database was the diverse list of goblin samples. As expected of the System AI. In order to analyze everything perfectly, it made sure to obtain all kinds of goblins available in the planet, and it made sure to obtain at least five of them. ¡°Goblins? Aren¡¯t those creatures part of the Argalea System? What are they doing here in a planet under the territory of the Empire?¡± The Galactic Federation, although not as powerful as the Betelgeuse Empire in terms of military, boasted a vast network of information. Even a mere mechanic like Isaac knew that the Goblins were persecuted races that had been eradicated long along. Well, to be more accurate, the Betelgeuse Empire loathed them so much that all planets where goblins lived had been blown by them to oblivion. ¡°Although this is the border, this is still a territory of the Empire. Why are goblins here? And judging by the number of samples we¡¯ve managed to obtain, it¡¯s apparent there¡¯s quite a lot of them.¡± [We have a hypothesis for it, but before that, we need to explain everything from the start.] ¡°Go on.¡± [Admiral, based on the information we¡¯ve gathered, the place we landed on is called the Wasteland.] ¡°Wasteland?¡± [Yes.] [It¡¯s one of the most dangerous places in the continent. Aside from the Wasteland, there are also two equally dangerous places.] Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. [The Ruins, where undeads roam about freely.] [And the Black Sea, where sea monsters lived.] For several days, the drones flew about the Wasteland and the countries bordering it, gathering intelligence. The drones even infiltrated various cities, spying on the residents 24/7. Of course, this was possible only due to the Veil System, an intricate technology embedded in the drones, enabling them to hide themselves from sight as long as their energy permitted them to do so. Although some of the rankers noticed that they were being watched, most people did not have an idea even when the drones were right by their side. [The Wasteland is home to various species of monsters.] [Goblins, orcs, kobolds, devouring worms, trolls, and several others. We¡¯ve even recovered the corpse of what seemed to be a Lesser Dragon.] ¡°A Dragon? And there are even Orcs and trolls?¡± Isaac did not really care much about a mere Lesser Dragon. Using the technology of the dreadnought-class battleship, it would be easy even for him to kill one if he put his mind to it. And even without the help of the ship, the nanotechnology in his body should be enough to beat that overgrown lizard to a pulp if they ever fought. Sure, he might suffer a bit of injury if he was careless, but a Lesser Dragon shouldn¡¯t be that much of a threat. What concerned him the most were the other creatures the drones spotted during their exploration. Like the goblins, orcs and trolls had been eradicated by the Betelgeuse Empire long ago. Any planet that contained even a hint of those monsters had been destroyed by the Empire without exemption. It did not make sense for all of those monsters to be present here, together, in a single continent. [Yes, Admiral.] ¡°¡­But how?¡± [Based on our investigations, those monsters arrived on this planet through portals thirty-five years ago.] [So far, during our exploration, we¡¯ve seen 97 portals, all of them fully functional.] The eyes of Isaac widened. Portal creation was restricted technology available only to the upper echelons of the Federation. It was a technology that consumed several times more energy than warping. Well, it was no wonder since it was a method that created a stable and indefinite link between two distant locations. Some even said that warping was a mere imitation of portals, since the former was clearly inferior to the latter. Out of all the vessels in their fleet, only the flagship was capable of creating one. Even the dreadnought-class battleship, Aravark, was restricted to only warping. ¡°Are you certain? Impossible¡­ how could there be so many portals in a single planet¡­.¡± [We¡¯ve verified it, Admiral. They were indeed portals.] ¡°Have you tried entering one?¡± [We¡¯ve sent a few drones inside, but they were destroyed the moment they entered the portal.] ¡°I see. There must be some restrictions.¡± For several minutes, Isaac fell silent. He was deep in his thoughts. ¡°System¡­ can¡¯t we use those things?¡± Naturally, portals contained tremendous amounts of energy. If they could harvest the energy from those portals, warping to the nearest outpost of the Federation would no longer be a pipe dream. [It is not possible, Admiral.] Isaac felt frustrated, ¡°But why?¡± [After a quick analysis, all of the portals present in this planet was found to be from natural phenomena.] [The portals came into existence due to mana, not Aether.] ¡°Mana? That¡­ inferior thing? Is it even possible to create portals using just mana?] [If nearly infinite amounts of mana are utilized, it is theoretically possible, Admiral.] ¡°Haahh¡­ you¡¯re saying this planet is ridiculously abundant in mana, and it caused portals to manifest on its land naturally.¡± [Luck plays a crucial role, since abundant mana alone is not enough, but that¡¯s correct, Admiral.] It may sound strange for a System AI to speak about luck, but even the Galactic Federation had acknowledged its existence. There were even researches published about it, and it was discovered that some people were more predisposed to great luck than others. It was one of the few studies that remained unsolved until now despite the advancement of technology. ¡°Haha¡­ crazy. What the hell is this planet? If the researchers from the Institute learns of this¡­.¡± They might even propose to wage war with the Empire just to obtain this planet. Or they might jump ship and join the Empire just to be able to study this planet closely. Those lunatics were definitely capable of it. Of course, Isaac didn¡¯t say those words out loud. Although the System AI was currently his ally, there was no assurance that things would stay the same once they were back to their home planet. Less talk, less mistake. He¡¯d decided not to speak of things that may incriminate him later on after his return to the Federation. ¡°System, the analysis of Aether?¡± [Apologies, Admiral. But the results remain the same. Although abundant in mana, this planet is severely lacking in Aether.] Isaac found that answer absurd. ¡°Does that even make sense!¡± he shouted, ¡°Aether is a highly purified form of mana! How could a planet overflowing with mana lack Aether!¡± [The mana in this planet, although abundant, is very impure, Admiral. It is not even suitable for sustaining the energy of our golems.] Isaac groaned, ¡°Damn it! Damn it!¡± Once again, he could feel his utter incompetence. If it were another person, say, the captain, they would know how to handle this situation. ¡°Is there really no way?¡± [Admiral, there is a way to harvest Aether on this planet, but it goes against the Primitive Planet Protection Law of the Federation.] Isaac immediately understood what the System AI was trying to say. ¡°You want me to extract Aether from the humans living on this planet?¡± Humans were capable of purifying the mana in their bodies. And this purified mana, once released into the surroundings, become Aether that could be harvested by the ship. [Yes.] [It is an option, Admiral.] [If you give us permission, it should be possible to do so. Of course, this will be reported to the Galactic Federation on our return, and the Admiral will be punished for the crime accordingly.] ¡°Even if it¡¯s a planet under the Empire?¡± [Yes, Admiral.] [The Primitive Planet Protection Law applies to any planets, no matter its affiliation.] Isaac rubbed his brows. The System AI would definitely report all of the actions he took during his stay on this planet once they went back to the Federation. In a way, the System AI was a double-edged sword. It guaranteed his protection, but at the same time, it also hindered his actions. ¡°Haah¡­ what to do? If it were the Captain, what would she do in this situation?¡± Well, honestly speaking, he also did not like the idea of massacring all of the humans living in this planet just to harvest enough Aether for the ship. Although a significant number of people from the Federation did not consider primitive humans as ¡®humans¡¯, Isaac wasn¡¯t part of that group. Although he wouldn¡¯t mind killing a few of them if it would enable him to go back to the Federation, slaughtering millions just for the sake of his goal would forever haunt his mind. If only there was a way to harvest Aether without killing these primitive humans, he would gladly take that route. While Isaac was lost in his thoughts, the System AI spoke. [Admiral, I have a suggestion.] CHAPTER 8: THE TOWERS ORIGIN ¡°A suggestion?¡± [Yes. There is a way for us to harvest Aether safely without going against the Federation¡¯s law.] Isaac¡¯s interest was piqued. He was aware that the System AI¡¯s intelligence was far above his. Others would be probably reluctant to consult an AI, but Isaac did not really mind lowering his pride if it meant he could easily achieve his goal. ¡°Let me hear it.¡± [First, let me discuss the current situation of this world.] [In this world overflowing with impure mana, there exist mutated humans called Awakeneds.] [Using this planet¡¯s standards, Awakeneds are superhumans akin to strategic weapons. They¡¯re basically the reason why the human race has not gone extinct yet despite the numerous portals scattered throughout this world.] [If we go by the terms used in the Galactic Federation, they would be classified among the Tainted Variants.] ¡°Hmm¡­ Tainted Variants,¡± muttered Isaac. ¡°Aren¡¯t they no different from lower lifeforms then? No matter what kind of mutations they undergo, a body modified by nanotechnology would always be superior.¡± [Yes, Admiral.] [But that¡¯s only from the perspective of someone from the Galactic Federation, like you.] [From the perspective of the primitive humans living on this planet, the Awakeneds are the pinnacle of the human race.] [According to the intelligence we¡¯ve gathered, the strongest Awakeneds are living their lives like monarchs on this planet.] It was an interesting piece of information. But honestly, Isaac had no intention of interfering with how the primitive humans wished to govern this planet. Whether those so-called Awakeneds exercised their strengths to protect others or enslave their kin, he could not care less. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± [Admiral, not all Tainted Variants are equal. Although there exist powerful Awakeneds called ¡®Rankers¡¯, the vast majority of the Awakeneds are no stronger than the orcs we¡¯ve captured.] [No, if our analyses are correct, most are only a bit stronger than goblins.] ¡°Thirty-five years¡­ Only a bit stronger than goblins¡­ and they still managed to survive this long, huh?¡± [The humans in this undeveloped planet are quite resilient, Admiral.] [If they¡¯re this adaptive, it should be possible for us to tweak their capabilities a little bit.] [A stronger constitution grants a person the ability to purify mana at a faster rate.] Isaac was starting to see where the conversation was heading to. ¡°Y-You¡­ is that even allowed? You want to introduce nanotechnology to this planet?!¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. [Admiral, introducing nanotechnology to a primitive planet with the goal of helping the residents survive does not go against the Primitive Planet Protection Law of the Galactic Federation.] [Well, it goes against the Technology Transfer Law, but if we limit the nanotechnology transfer, the repercussions should be quite lenient.] [There have been numerous cases when this has been done before.] [Planet Orga-54, one of the pillars of the 2REA5 Outpost is a prime example.] ¡°¡­But if the Empire finds out.¡± [Then we¡¯re done for, Admiral.] ¡°!¡± [With or without nanotechnology intervention, we¡¯ll be dead anyway the moment the Betelgeuse Empire detects our presence on this planet.] For a full minute, Isaac stood there, dumbfounded. Although it shouldn¡¯t be possible, it felt like the System AI was grinning mischievously at him right now. Basically, the System AI was telling him to go out there and strengthen those primitive humans. And once those humans reached a certain strength, they would be able to quickly purify the abundant yet impure mana in this world, converting it into Aether. It was a win-win situation for the two parties, but ¨C ¡°¡­is this really alright? For us to impart our technology to the residents of this planet.¡± Isaac wouldn¡¯t be this hesitant if they were currently on a planet under the Galactic Federation or even a planet unaffiliated with any nation. But this planet called Earth was part of the Betelgeuse Empire. Isaac continued muttering to himself. ¡°Imparting nanotechnology to the subjects of the Empire¡­ no matter how I look at it, this is no different from treason.¡± [That is one way to do it.] [You also have the option to forcefully gather Aether from all of the humans inhabiting this planet, Admiral.] ¡°And what? Get executed after our return? Screw that! And besides, it feels wrong to massacre everyone here, even if they¡¯re primitive humans.¡± [I am merely presenting choices. In the end, the decision is up to you, Admiral.] Isaac pondered over the choices carefully. In the end, he decided to go with the method he would likely least regret. ¡°Let¡¯s go with that option,¡± said Isaac. ¡°Tell me, System. How do you plan on imparting nanotechnology to the inhabitants of this planet?¡± [Affirmative.] [Proceeding to present plans to Admiral, Isaac.] Several holograms appeared before Isaac. He realized they were the glass tanks in the Specimen Room and the Laboratory, where the bodies of the Wasteland monsters were currently being kept. [Unlike machines, humans grow through trials and experience.] The holograms of the Specimen Room dissipated, and a large tower took its place. [Although there are still plenty of nanotech vials remaining in the Medbay, our current supply is finite. It would be prudent to give the nanotech only to those who are capable of fully utilizing it.] [This way, we¡¯ll be sure to gather as much Aether as we can using the least amount of nanotechnology possible.] ¡°You mean we should screen them before administering the technology into their body? But how do you plan on doing that?¡± [Using the limits imposed by the Federation¡¯s law and the Admiral¡¯s humanitarian tendencies, I believe a trial would be the best way to screen the worthy from the unworthy.] ¡°A trial¡­.¡± [Using the remaining power of the ship, I suggest the Admiral to create a Tower of Trials.] [And using the Tower, grant power to the worthy primitive humans.] When Isaac heard this suggestion, he couldn¡¯t help but stand up in anticipation. He got to admit, this task felt exciting. Although he would be dealing with primitive humans, a part of him wished to know what it would be like to play the role of a god ¨C no matter how fake it was. As embarrassing as it was to admit, Isaac really liked this idea. ¡°A Tower of Trials¡­¡± Isaac bit his lips. He had an epiphany about what kind of tower he wished to create. ¡°System, do you still have the layout of the Heavenly Tower from the Space Emperor movie?¡± Space Emperor! Against all odds! was a movie he¡¯d watched back when he was still a kid. In that movie, the main character entered a building called the Heavenly Tower, which transported him to an entirely different realm every time he entered the next floor. [Yes, Admiral.] Soon, the hologram of the Heavenly Tower, copied straight from the Space Emperor movie, appeared in front of Isaac. ¡°Haha! Perfect!¡± ¡°System, short-distance warp consumes very little energy, no?¡± [It depends on the mass of the target to be transported. But generally, that¡¯s correct.] ¡°If I warp humans from a certain place in this continent to another?¡± [As long as it is within the planet, the energy used should be negligible.] Isaac grinned. There was only 5.83% energy remaining in the ship. But for the standards of those living on this planet, that much energy would be more than enough to perform miraculous feats. In the Space Emperor movie, the first floor of the Heavenly Tower was your typical castle. But from the second floor onwards, the scenery vastly changed. The second floor was a massive rainforest, while the third floor was a vast desert. As long as warping was possible, Isaac did not have to recreate the environment. He could just use the ship¡¯s technology to secure those places and convert them into something that resembled another realm for the primitive humans of this planet. Moreover, they¡¯d also captured quite a lot of monsters. Those monsters were currently stored in the Specimen Room. And if needed be, they could be released into the wild to serve as enemies by the humans who would undergo his trials. [You seem to have already formulated your plans, but please remember, Admiral.] [In order to avoid problems once we returned to the Federation, all trials in the Tower must be voluntary.] [The primitive humans must enter the Tower and undergo the trials on their own volition.] [Otherwise, we would be going against the Federation¡¯s law.] ¡°I know that,¡± said Isaac. ¡°And I already have an idea in mind.¡± Isaac grinned. The number of fantasy books he¡¯d read and the number of movies he¡¯d watched had already reached the four-digit mark. He was basically an expert when it came to setting up plots, adversities, and quests. ¡°Once we¡¯ve finished setting up the first floor castle, the rainforest that would serve as the second floor, and the vast desert that would become the third floor¡ª¡± Isaac pranced around the room. ¡°¡ªLet¡¯s create a warp tower right at the center of all the cities on this planet.¡± Humans were naturally curious creatures. Isaac believed they would enter the tower on their own the moment it appeared right at their doorstep. CHAPTER 9: MOVIE ADAPTATION After finalizing the plan, Isaac rewatched Space Emperor! Against All Odds! once again, refreshing his mind about its plots and the characters present in the Heavenly Tower. Even with the help of the hyperbolic time chamber, a technology capable of slowing down time inside an enclosed room, it still took him ten days to finish everything. The Space Emperor series had nearly two thousand episodes, after all. ¡°What a blast!¡± said Isaac after leaving the hyperbolic time chamber. ¡°How nostalgic. It really reminds me of my childhood.¡± [Welcome back, Admiral.] [Do you wish to have some refreshments?] ¡°No, later. My body¡¯s still full of adrenaline after seeing the finale of the movie. It really deserves to be a classic. Duke Valcres was sooo~ cool!¡± Including the time when he was just a kid, this was the fifth time he¡¯d watched the entire movie, and Isaac still couldn¡¯t get enough of it. When Duke Valcres, the guardian of the first floor of the Heavenly Tower, died at the end of the series to protect one of the participants, Isaac shed rivers of tears. The character development of the duke, who used to be murderous and cold-hearted, really moved him. For Isaac, the Duke was probably the greatest villain to have ever been created in a movie. ¡°Ah, damn it. What should I do? I¡¯m so excited¡­.¡± The prospect of recreating the Heavenly Tower in this world genuinely excited Isaac. Of course, in order to recreate the Heavenly Tower, he needed to recreate the characters in the movie, too. ¡°The first character I should create is him, of course.¡± And the first character that came into mind when creating the first floor of the Heavenly Tower was Duke Valcres, the Constellation of Blood and Slaughter. A depraved, fallen noble, punished by the Gods to oversee the first floor as atonement for the sins he¡¯d committed back when he was still a mortal. Although the Duke was one of the most hated characters in the movie due to his wickedness and cruelty, he was Isaac¡¯s personal favorite. For Isaac, there was nothing more romantic than an evil villain giving up his life to protect a Tower participant he grew fond of. ¡°He may be an evil bastard, but he¡¯s a charismatic bastard. Hehehe. If that even makes sense?¡± The System AI found Isaac¡¯s smile creepy, but it didn¡¯t comment on it. ¡°System, show me all of the golems available currently.¡± [Even the deactivated ones, Admiral?] ¡°Yes. Include even the combat and guardian golems.¡± [Affirmative.] A second later, a diverse list of holograms appeared before Isaac. It showed the seven hundred golems remaining in Aravark. ¡°Hmm¡­ maintenance golems won¡¯t do.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Although they should be enough to handle the primitive humans on this planet, it wouldn¡¯t do Duke Valcres justice if I used them for his model.¡± ¡°In terms of games, what I¡¯m doing now is trying to create an NPC to manage the tower.¡± ¡°The golem should be capable of drawing out even a portion of the original Duke Valcres¡¯ power.¡± Isaac fell into deep thought. There were only nineteen combat golems remaining in the ship, each of them guarding key areas like the Specimen Room, Cryonics, Medbay, etc. If he decided to use one of them to create Duke Valcres, it would leave one of those key areas defenseless. This would not have been a problem if the vast majority of the golems hadn¡¯t been destroyed during the fleet¡¯s fight with the space pirates. But alas, resources were currently limited. ¡°But Duke Valcres deserves to be created using a combat golem as the base. That should be the minimum. Should I do it?¡± Isaac pranced around the hallway. And outside the hyperbolic time chamber, he spotted the unmoving golem that served as the room¡¯s guardian. Even among the combat golems, guardians were special. The golem was a faceless humanoid standing nine feet tall. It had two arms and a tail on its back. After being deactivated by the System AI before, it was currently kneeling on one knee. It was well-known that the golems guarding the hyperbolic time chamber, the cryonics, and the control room were the strongest. Their strength could not even be compared to mere combat golems. ¡°System, I¡¯ve decided.¡± Isaac pointed at the unmoving golem kneeling next to the entrance to the hyperbolic time chamber. ¡°Use that golem as the base to create my beloved Duke Valcres.¡± [Affirmative.] The eyes of the golem glowed. Slowly, without a sound, it stood up. Isaac approached the golem. Due to the height difference, Isaac had to look up. ¡°From now on, your name is Valcres.¡± A mechanical voice rang out from the golem¡¯s mouth. ¡°Understood, Admiral Isaac.¡± ¡°Using your body as the base, we¡¯ll recreate a fictional character. I will entrust you with the task of embodying my favorite character. The System AI will remodel your body. And, of course, we¡¯ll provide you with ample energy to complete the tasks given to you perfectly.¡± ¡°Understood, Admiral Isaac.¡± Isaac rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmm¡­ the response is still too stiff. System, can you do something about this?¡± [Do you wish to incorporate the data gathered from Space Emperor! Against All Odds! into that golem?] ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡± [Yes, Admiral. But since the processor of the golem isn¡¯t as advanced as the ship¡¯s system, it will take some time to complete this assignment.] ¡°How long would it take?¡± [To flawlessly recreate the character of Duke Valcres and install it into Guardian Golem 85H-UQ23, we would need fifteen days.] [Also, in order for the Guardian Golem to display even a portion of the real Duke Valcres¡¯ strength, consumption of 0.65% energy will be needed.] Fifteen days was a short period of time for someone like Isaac. What worried him was the energy consumption needed to create just this character. Although 0.65% may not seem much, that much energy would probably be enough to blow an entire city in this world into ashes. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of energy,¡± muttered Isaac, a bit hesitant after learning the costs required to recreate his beloved villain. [That is already the bare minimum required, Admiral. If we stick true to the plot in the movie, it will take 45% of the ship¡¯s total energy to recreate the strength of the real Duke Valcres.] ¡°I know. Haaahh¡­ fine.¡± ¡°System.¡± [Yes, Admiral.] ¡°Do it. I am granting you permission to utilize 0.65% of the ship¡¯s energy to create Duke Valcres.¡± [Affirmative.] Controlled by the System AI, the guardian golem started walking toward the direction of the Laboratory. [Beginning body reconstruction.] [Base body: Guardian Golem 85H-UQ23] [Model: Duke Valcres of Space Emperor! Against All Odds! movie] *** While the System AI was reconstructing the guardian golem¡¯s body to create Duke Valcres, Isaac proceeded to the creation of the first floor of the Heavenly Tower. The first floor was an ancient castle where Duke Valcres and his servants lived. ¡°Hmm¡­ where should I create that castle?¡± Isaac planned on installing warp towers in various cities ¡ª no coercion to enter them as per the Federation¡¯s law, of course ¨C and use them to transport the primitive humans to the first floor. Therefore, the castle needed to be massive. It should have enough space to accommodate thousands, maybe even ten thousand people at once. ¡°No, a man should dream big.¡± Isaac discarded his initial idea of creating a castle capable of accommodating ten thousand people at once. ¡°Let¡¯s make it so it can accommodate a hundred thousand people inside. Who knows, maybe the tower will become popular one day, and the primitive humans will decide it¡¯s safer to live in there.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be up to my beloved Duke Valcres if he¡¯ll allow them to stay in his castle for that long in the first place. Hehehe~¡± ¡°System, show me all areas in this world where we can build an ancient, massive castle. It must be huuuge! It must be snowing all year round! And there should be ferocious monsters outside, so the primitive humans will be hesitant to go out. Ah, make sure it has no nearby human settlements, too.¡± [Affirmative.] [Showing all available areas that fit the Admiral¡¯s requirements.] Soon, several holograms of potential locations appeared before Isaac. ¡°Hm¡­ this one. Where is it located?¡± [This is an area at the far north, Admiral. The location is at the peak of the highest mountain, and there are no human settlements within 5000 kilometers.] The location was so high they could see the clouds below them. ¡°And the monsters?¡± [Our drones spotted several frost drakes living in the area.] [Should we eradicate them, Admiral?] Isaac shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s better this way.¡± Isaac felt it was the perfect location to create the ancient castle, the first floor of the Heavenly Tower. ¡°System, I want you to recreate the Duke¡¯s castle in that area.¡± [How large do you want the castle to be, Admiral?] ¡°Make it at least half the size of the one in the movie.¡± This way, it would be able to accommodate even a hundred thousand people in the event that the tower became really popular on this planet. ¡°And don¡¯t forget about the traps and the secret passageways. Make sure to incorporate all of the castle¡¯s quirks, understood?¡± [Due to the distance and the scope of the project, this would take 50 days to complete.] [Do you wish to proceed?] ¡°Yes. Do it.¡± [Affirmative.]