NOVEL NEXT Chapter 198: A Lord?
"A hidden quest?" Gabriel murmured in a dazed voice, not expecting this at all.
Moments later, another screen appeared, this one announcing the results.
[Ding! For successfully gathering over one hundred followers, you have been granted the title Lord]
'Lord title?' Gabriel blinked. The Lord title wasn't a secret; it was a title that granted one the power over a territory.
What does this mean? It gave special privileges of a ruler… like a permit one needed to start their own settlement out here in the wild.
However, this title was not easy to come by. One could have over a thousand followers and still not awaken this title, as hidden conditions needed to be met.
Without wasting a moment, he returned his gaze to the screen. With a little thought, more information about the Lord title cascaded down.
[Lord Title: Beginner Lord 3500/10,000]
Effects:
Grants authority to establish and govern a territory.
Unlocks [Lord's Domain]: Claim and register land as your settlement.
Unlocks construction of [Lord's Hall], the heart of your domain.
Passive aura [Lord's Presence]: +5% Morale and +5% Combat Efficiency to all subordinates within 500m.
Followers gain +5% Strength when within territory.
For every 100 followers, the Lord gains +1 to all attributes (scales automatically as population increases).
Gabriel was very excited reading the perks of the title. However, what struck him the most was the last perk, which increased his strength whenever the population of his base grew.
It was one of the reasons why Kairos and Bai Young never had a problem accepting stranded refugees—doing so directly increased the Lord's strength.
With the number of refugees here and the ones in Northern and the Eastern Camp, such a Lord could become very powerful and difficult to deal with.
Of course, Kairos wasn't the Lord. He was simply a placeholder ceremonial head to keep things in check.
The real boss was actually one of his elder brothers in the Eastern Camp.
'Eastern Camp?' Gabriel furrowed his brows. 'Why does it sound so familiar?'
He had heard the name before, most likely in his past life, but he couldn't accurately remember. He had joined the game pretty late, when it was very close to the merging.
Gabriel made a mental note to find out more information about the Eastern Camp. For the meantime, there were several things he needed to fix—one of which was bringing this place to order.
"Anna," he spoke. "I need you and the others to sweep around and see if we missed anyone."
"Yes, Master!" the huntress affirmed as she, along with Bunny, dashed into the bandit village.
One after the other, the inhabitants of the camp returned to what they were doing.
As for the rest of the bandits who had once been loyal to Kairos and Bai Young, Gabriel had a very interesting offer for them.
'What is he going to do with us?'
'Is he going to kill us?'
Seeing those cold, electric-blue eyes, the bandits started to tremble, their expressions growing pale. A few even pissed themselves just staring at the one who had killed the formidable Bai Young.
They were all wondering what was going through his head, but merely from the look in his eyes they could tell he didn't mean anything good.
After what felt like hours—though it had only been seconds—Gabriel finally gave his verdict.
"Ragnarok99, BrawlerX, and SniperBowLegend, I need you guys to oversee these ones as they rebuild all damaged parts of the wall."
""Yes sir!"" they echoed and quickly got to work.
The bandits were inwardly happy that their punishment was only labor and not death, but little did they know Gabriel had something else planned for them.
When they were gone, he approached the city square and picked up the twin golden blades that had belonged to the now-deceased Bai Young.
[Twin Dragonfangs – Gold]
[Durability: 199/400]
[Description: Requires 100 Strength and 100 Agility to wield. Each strike deals +15% true damage and can absorb low-tier spells or skills, converting them into bonus damage. Consecutive slashes unleash dragon-shaped shockwaves. Grants +50 Strength while equipped, and attack speed increases the longer the fight continues.]
The sword was just as Gabriel had expected. It not only possessed special traits, it also boosted one's strength.
No wonder the tempo of the fight had changed when Bai Young pulled it out.
Naturally, Gabriel claimed the sword for himself.
After placing it inside his inventory, he decided to check out the tower where Kairos used to reside. Naturally, it was well-furnished; the standard didn't pale in comparison to the fancy mansions back in the Capital.
Stepping into the hallways, he saw several figures peeking at him with fear in their eyes.
They were all girls.
What was worse—they were scantily dressed, revealing their bodies. Some were even teenagers who were supposed to be abstaining from such things.
Gabriel's expression immediately darkened.
The girls froze where they stood, shoulders trembling under his electric-blue gaze. Most couldn't even meet his eyes; instead, they pressed themselves against the walls, arms wrapped tightly around their scantily covered bodies.
At first, his anger had only been directed at Kairos and Bai Young, but after seeing the women, a disgusted look appeared on his face.
Anna and Bunny, who had just caught up behind him, were slightly stunned and confused when they saw the scene.
Gabriel glanced at the girls with a softer gaze and said, "You're free."
The words seemed to confuse them. Some blinked rapidly, as if not understanding. Others shook their heads quickly, muttering under their breaths, "No, no… we can't leave, they'll kill us if we leave…"
One girl, with tangled blond hair and a bruise along her cheekbone, whispered hoarsely, "Is… is this another trick?"
Gabriel sighed, retrieved Dragonfang, and stabbed it deep into the polished wooden floor beside him. The blade sank through like butter, emitting a dim golden radiance.
As they saw the sword, the girls gasped. They knew the owner of that weapon too well. If it was here, then… did it mean—
"This sword used to belong to Bai Young. Unfortunately, I erased Kairos from existence, so I have no proof to show you," Gabriel's voice was calm, almost too calm. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be ashes."
Slowly, realization began to dawn on their faces. The monster who had ruled this place… was gone. The one who had caused them so much pain every night was gone.
Anna stepped forward and said firmly, "You heard him. You're free. Leave this place, or stay and rebuild on your own terms. No one here will force you again."
At that, one of the youngest girls—a petite brunette who couldn't have been older than sixteen—suddenly collapsed to her knees and began sobbing. The others quickly followed, their muffled cries filling the hallway.
Gabriel began to walk away, saying, "Anna. Find blankets, food, whatever supplies are left intact. These ones will be taken care of first."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Now, where should I check if I want to learn more about the new Eastern Camp?" he pondered to himself as his gaze slowly trailed to a particular room.
***
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