"What? Is something sticking to this old face of mine that ya keep staring?" He huffed slightly.

Keren was undoubtedly the most forthcoming and easy-going out of the group as he spoke up, "Not much, m’Lord. Only if ye consider that strange thing spreadin’ across yer face somethin’ worth starin’ at." he gave a smirk in response.

Bramm sat bewildered for a moment before realisation dawned upon him, "Hmpf! Seeing ya little boys not dying... of course its a reason for smiling. Not to mention, Resven’s advancement to True red is also worth celebrating."

Bramm gave a sideways glance and nodded in satisfaction. During the battle, he had gained enough experience to advance to the next realm, whilst Telarin was not far behind him.

Currently, out of the four men, only Telarin was still in Light Red, whilst Mestin was on the verge of advancing to Dark Red.

"Aye, so ye’ve advanced? A fine achievement!" Telarin turned his gaze to Resven and slapped Resven across the back. The sound echoes like a drum.

"Haha! Nice to know ye ain’t laggin’ behind, blondie!" Keren had taken a liking to the lean and wiry Resven after the battle. Especially since Resven’s blonde hair wasn’t something that would be seen often in the northern areas.

"Don’t worry, the race has only just begun," Resven replied coolly.

The group continued to tease and chatter, and just before they could really get into it once more, Bramm interrupted.

"Keren, I want you to take the following days and scout around the area closer to the clearing. I don’t want such an incident occurring again." Bramm commanded, his tone firm.

"Aye, as the Lord commands. We’ll have it done exactly as ye wish," He saluted with a slight bow.

"While he does that, I want to recover. Telarin and Resven, you will stay here with me and recuperate, I need you guys back to fighting strength as soon as possible. As for these lynxes..." his gaze turned to the corpses strewn out across the clearing.

"Well, skin the beasts tonight and smoke the meat, cure the pelts and the smaller tooths and claws, especially those barbed tails... it will probably be able to fetch a nice penny in the city."

"Now, once you’re done enjoying yourselves we should slowly get to work."

And so the first night since he had summoned his warriors, he was able to have dinner and gather with them all present.

***

The sun continued to rise and fall for another two days, and it was by then that most of the wounds of both Resven and Telarin were as good as healed.

The group had not done much in the last few days except for preserving the meat, gathering a few supplies such as Iron oak and moss for cabins, and other lesser essentials.

Keren had taken to the woods the first morning, and just as Bramm had instructed, he had kept close to the clearing, only scaring and fighting beasts that dared to come near. Mestin had taken the priority to be stationed at the opening in the fence...

Not that the fence gave much of any type of protection in any case. With Bramm and the other two wounded, however, Mestin took no chances.

And so on the morning of the third day, the group fashioned a makeshift cart and loaded most of the meat they didn’t need, all the pelts, claws, tails, and teeth onto it. Resven, Mestin, and Telarin were to go into the town and sell their spoils.

And in the meantime, Resven was tasked with bringing a group of people from the builders’ guild who could be commissioned to start working on the cabins and a better, more sturdy fence across the perimeter.

They had set off not long after the morning sun had risen and the golden rays lit up their path.

Bramm was seated in his cabin, fully focused on meditating, when, with a sudden grunt and clear exertion on his face, he stood up, and a red hue emerged and covered his body. The color was clearly darker than it had been before.

The dust in the cabin swirled slightly with the sudden influx of energy in the cabin, but it left as quickly as it came, and Bramm opened his eyes with a clear, satisfied nod.

’I finally advanced to True Red. Did you see Bronxton? I told ya I won’t stop at Light Red!’ With pure glee, he stood up, and his eyes stared towards the ceiling as if he could see beyond the dark cages of the ceiling and into the very heavens themselves.

’If only you were here, I wish I could see your face about right now!’ he turned reminiscent as he lowered his gaze sadly.

"Don’t worry, my friends... I’ll be joining you someday, not today but soon," he gave a helpless chuckle before donning a new set of clothes and venturing out of the cabin.

Today was a day he had anticipated for a while now - it was to summon another warrior. He had gained a whopping 900 renown from the battle days prior, and as such, he was able to either summon a large group of warriors or two Dark Red Militiamen.

And he took the better part of two days to decide what he wanted to do, because there were two other options as well. One of which had been unlocked, and the other only a short few renown before it could be...

[Next Unlock - Veteran - 1500]

[Hero Summoning locked - 1000]

He had agonised whether he wanted a veteran, which clearly meant another warrior far stronger than Dark Red, an Orange-tier warrior.

He decided against it, however, as what would be most cost-effective for him was to summon a hero. And that needed only 1000 renown to unlock.

So, without wasting any more time, he spoke softly.

"Unlock Hero Summoning!"

A few seconds passed, and nothing happened. Bramm was beginning to think something had gone wrong when a light erupted from the system panel itself, and from it a column appeared.