The moment Edgar stepped outside, he noticed that the atmosphere around the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩ had changed.

The tower didn’t seem to emit cold like before. It had a weird calmness around it.

The runes engraved across its dark surface glowed with a soft gray light.

Even the darkness beyond the archway appeared calmer than before.

Andrew and Oswald were already standing nearby.

Clearly, they had also noticed the strange changes.

"Young Master." Andrew pointed at the tower. "It’s making weird noises."

’...Is it like an alert after all the refinement is complete? Wait, what if I leave the refined items inside? Will they spoil after a while?’

With questions in his mind, Edgar walked closer to the tower.

A new prompt immediately appeared before him.

---

⟨Level 1 Tower of Souls⟩

⟨Refinement Complete⟩

⟨Products Ready For Collection⟩

---

His heartbeat quickened, but Edgar quickly got a grip on his feelings.

"Collect."

A low humming sound echoed from the darkness within the tower.

Objects slowly floated out of the darkness and into the light.

The first object was a pale white crystal roughly the size of a fist.

The second was a small black orb, the third was a pile of gray powder.

And the last object was a sheet of hard cloth made of scales.

All four gently landed on the stone platform.

System notifications immediately appeared.

Edgar’s eyes immediately locked onto the floating notifications.

The first one appeared above the white crystal.

⟨Soul Crystal⟩

⟨Grade: White⟩

⟨Description: A crystal containing purified soul energy extracted from Nightmare creatures. Can be used for construction, rituals, and special creations.⟩

His gaze shifted to the black orb, which emitted a gentle light.

⟨Nightmare Essence⟩

⟨Grade: White⟩

⟨Description: Condensed essence of Nightmare creatures. Can be used to enhance blueprints and perform rituals.⟩

Edgar shifted his focus to the gray powder, which looked the most ordinary.

⟨Soul Ash⟩

⟨Grade: White⟩

⟨Description: The remaining impurities after refinement. Can be used as fertilizer or potion ingredients.⟩

"Huh."

That one wasn’t particularly impressive.

Still, Edgar wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate system items.

If the Tower of Souls considered it worthy of refinement, it would likely have its uses.

’And I still have no clue about potions and their uses.’

Finally, Edgar looked at the black cloth made from countless overlapping scales.

The moment he saw it, his pupils contracted.

⟨Ashscale Drake Hide⟩

⟨Grade: Green⟩

⟨Description: A refined hide woven from the scales of Ashscale Hatchlings. Suitable for armour, cloaks, and defensive equipment.⟩

Edgar moved forward and picked up the hide.

The material felt surprisingly light, yet when he pulled on it, the cloth barely stretched.

His eyes widened slightly. ’This came from fifty corpses?’

The value alone was already worth the twenty-five Nightmare Stones he had spent.

’I can make a really good set of clothes out of it.’

Unlike ordinary materials, refined materials were far easier to use.

Which meant he could directly use this hide in the future.

A thought surfaced in Edgar’s mind as he turned to look at the pile of corpses.

’How many more can I make?’

There were at least a hundred and fifty corpses still waiting.

He slowly looked back at the tower.

’This might genuinely be the best investment.’

Andrew scratched his head.

"So..." He pointed at the tower. "Can we put more corpses inside?"

Edgar let his lips curl into a smile.

"Every single one of them."

"Alright!"

The young boy, eager to do some work, quickly rushed towards the cart and the horse.

He planned to complete the task as quickly as possible.

Edgar shifted his focus to the black orb as he picked it up.

The ⟨Nightmare Essence⟩.

The moment he focused on it, countless possibilities appeared in his mind.

’What if I make a crude blueprint and use this to refine it?’

The more Edgar thought about it, the more curious he became.

Still, he kept his plans to himself and focused on the task at hand.

’I only have around an hour before the Eternal Night descends.’

Edgar picked up the cloth, orb, and crystal and passed them to Oswald.

"Please put them in my house."

The old man nodded.

"As you wish, young master."

With that, Edgar walked towards the Fortress Wall and climbed the staircase.

The sighing wind came once again, carrying the smell of corpses.

Beyond the fortress, the fog-covered wilderness stretched endlessly in every direction.

Edgar silently stood there and replayed what had happened yesterday in his mind.

’The lizard monster from yesterday was like a commander testing my fortress.’

And after discovering resistance it couldn’t easily overcome, it had withdrawn.

The smaller monsters were like another test meant to put strain and pressure on him.

Another attempt to gather information.

The conclusion made Edgar deeply uncomfortable.

Because it meant they had already revealed most of their cards.

If he had been a normal fortress owner, he wouldn’t have had enough strength to stop it tonight.

’Too bad for you, lizard, but I am no ordinary fortress master.’

Edgar looked at the fortress wall and nodded to himself.

He had enough strength to at least defend himself.

’I just need to survive one night, and the next night I will come back stronger than before.’

That was perhaps the greatest advantage he possessed over everyone else in this world.

Other people spent months gathering resources; he needed only a day.

Other Builders needed months to complete a project; he needed minutes.

As long as he survived, his strength would continue growing at a terrifying rate.

The fortress he stood upon today was already unrecognizable compared to the ruin he had inherited a week ago.

Edgar remained silent for a long moment before taking out a green jade stone from his pocket.

He played with the jade as he waited for the Eternal Night to come.

In his mind, he began creating all the contingency plans that could save him.

As he was lost in thought, a system prompt appeared before his eyes.

---

⟨Refinement In Progress⟩

⟨Time Remaining: 06:59:43⟩

---

Edgar nodded in satisfaction. ’Andrew really is hardworking.’

He decided to reward the boy for his work as soon as possible.

The murky fog slowly began to vanish as the Eternal Night regained its control.

As soon as the night arrived and the Unbroken Fire shed its light, Nightmares began to appear.

’...Hmm?’

Edgar frowned when he saw something strange.

....The trees around the fortress had begun moving.