[You have absorbed the blood of 227 humans

You absorb a small portion of your targets’ talent and attributes

+4 Strength 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

+7 Vitality

+5 Agility

+10 Intelligence

+150 Aura Reserve

Blood Reserve: 660/1600]

[Your talent has increased! Rank C -> Rank B

All attributes: +15%]

[You have successfully completed your advancement quest! The rewards have been added to your inventory! Your excess XP will be accounted for after using the Advancement Pearl and the Sword Intent Pearl.]

[Attention, you were attacked by a former Golden Lord in an attempt to retake your settlement and successfully defended yourself!

Rewards will be distributed based on your success level.

Calculating...

Success Level: Rank SSS!]

Naturally, it was a maximum-rank success.

There had barely been a real battle. Just a disorganized group of mercenaries, lacking siege capabilities and without specialists capable of shielding the lower-level soldiers.

Against an organized army with specialists of similar power, that choice would have been a disaster.

Fortunately, this was not the case.

Ethan’s talent had reached Rank B, Mireya had climbed to level sixty-two with all those souls, and now, he was finally about to reach the third stage.

He was no longer Darkwall’s failure. No longer just a degenerate beyond redemption.

Now, he could already be considered a true talent, close to reaching the same stage as his father.

[Rewards successfully calculated!

You have received:

1x Rank SS subordinate talent enhancement pill,

5x Rank S subordinate talent enhancement pills,

15x Rank A subordinate talent enhancement pills,

50x Rank B subordinate talent enhancement pills,

150x Rank C subordinate talent enhancement pills]

Slowly, the smile on Ethan’s face faded, replaced by a confused expression.

Was this a joke? Was the system playing a trick on him, only to take it all away?

"System... is this reward correct?" he asked, unable to believe his own eyes.

[Naturally. These rewards were originally intended for Erick, should he manage to recover Goldenveil, as a growth package; after all, all Golden Lords should have equal opportunities and fortunes.

The level of success would only influence the number of pills received.]

’Ah... I don’t think I have the same fortune as any other Golden Lord.’

[Well, of course not, you have me! Anyway, your start was the most miserable among the Golden Lords, so don’t feel bad for the others.

They’ll have their own fortunes, even if they’ll never compare to me.]

’I’m just glad you have good self-esteem.’

Ethan flashed a wide, bright smile as he turned his head, watching Mireya approach.

She wore a relieved expression on her beautiful face, having burned through half of her massive aura reserves just to vent her anger.

Noticing that her loyalty and opinion had already climbed to seventy percent, Ethan simply patted her on the back.

His hand lingered for a moment. He wanted to let it slide lower, but on second thought, he decided against it.

Not in public.

"Go to my mansion. If the girls haven’t started their advance yet, tell them to wait for me," he said.

Mireya just grunted, but under the threat of being punished and forced to orgasm in front of all those people, she obeyed.

Not that Ethan would actually do that. He was far too selfish, far too possessive, to allow any other man to hear the moans of a woman who belonged to him.

Ethan pulled his gaze back to the task at hand.

Naturally, he would raise Alice’s talent to Rank SS and Evelyn’s to Rank S, ensuring the smoothest possible advancement.

Elena, Doran and Cain would both receive Rank S pills as well, with the remaining one saved for the future.

The Rank C pills would go into storage for when the guard expanded, since all guards had at least Rank C talent. Those of Rank B and above would only be distributed under specific conditions, reserved for the especially loyal.

Even without the numbers, Ethan would forge a guard of unparalleled quality, especially if he managed to achieve mass production of steel armor.

"Speaking of which..."

He turned back toward the wall. The gates opened slowly, groaning with a heavy creak of iron that echoed across the clearing.

"My lord... I must say, what you did was quite dangerous and not very wise..." Doran approached quickly, beads of cold sweat visible on his brow.

Ethan didn’t even have an heir yet. How could he take such a risk?

"Don’t worry. I was confident, even if they blew me up." Ethan shook his head, his gaze rising to the people of Goldenveil.

A militia of a few hundred men had already organized, armed and ready to defend the settlement at all costs.

Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary. And it wouldn’t have been necessary even if Ethan hadn’t decided to handle the threat alone.

Erick’s forces would have been useful had Ethan not invested in that wall.

even though Goldenveil doesn’t yet have enough soldiers to defend these walls, the enemies they would face in the short term lacked the capabilities to establish a proper siege.

Especially now, when the number of third-stage specialists in Goldenveil was about to skyrocket.

"Order the guards to retrieve the loot," Ethan said, giving Doran’s shoulders a firm squeeze. "Wait for me in your office with Cain. I’ll pay you a visit very soon."

Doran nodded, and Ethan simply smiled before heading toward Roderik’s smithy.

First, of course, he pulled on a shirt, since only the lower half of his armor remained intact.

The heat from the forge hit him before he even reached the door, rolling outward along with the rhythmic ring of hammer against metal.

Roderik’s beautiful wife, whom he had officially married last month, already had a slightly protruding belly. She stood near the hearth, preparing dinner while her husband worked alongside his two new apprentices.

"My lord." Roderik stood immediately upon noticing Ethan’s arrival, wiping his calloused hands on a soot-blackened apron.

"How are your new apprentices doing?" Ethan asked with a slight smile, giving the blacksmith a firm handshake.

He couldn’t help but notice that Roderik’s level had risen significantly, likely from the XP earned through sales and crafting.

"They’re doing well, my lord. They can already repair tools and weapons, and craft some of the more basic items." Roderik gave a satisfied nod. "A few more months and they should become reliable blacksmiths."