Chapter 69

Nothing else had the power to alter their lives so drastically overnight. But why? Until now, the system had only favored pioneers and ignored commoners altogether.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through the streets.

“Wake up, everyone! Listen up, this is important!”

Henry’s eyes twitched at the unmistakable voice of Derek—one of the lord’s closest enforcers and a man known for his brute strength and foul temper.

“Yeah, I know you’re all confused by the changes! Looks good, doesn’t it? Well, it didn’t happen on its own! Our lord made it happen!”

“The lord? That dictator?” Henry’s disbelief deepened as Derek continued.

“There’s a domain development feature tied to the system! The lord spent all the mana stones we earned from that dungeon—forty thousand stones—to upgrade the entire territory!”

“Forty thousand mana stones…?” Henry’s mouth hung open in shock. He had never even seen a hundred mana stones in one place, let alone tens of thousands. The amount was staggering beyond belief.

“Be grateful for his generosity, you bastards! If you keep working hard, who knows? Maybe you’ll be rewarded even more! Our lord is merciful—so show some damn respect! That’s all!”

The speech ended abruptly, leaving only stunned silence behind.

Henry rushed outside, desperate for proof that this wasn’t some elaborate dream.

“…!”

The entire village had transformed.

Every home had been rebuilt. The muddy streets had become clean stone pathways, and in the center of the village, a sparkling fountain now stood where a swampy pit once lay.

What had once resembled a plague-ridden medieval slum now looked like something out of a fantasy novel.

“Forty thousand mana stones…”

For the first time, Henry truly understood the power the lord held—and for the first time, a sliver of doubt crept into his heart.

A flicker of doubt gnawed at Henry as his anger, which had once burned so fiercely, began to waver.

“No, this isn’t for us… He just couldn’t stand seeing his land in such a miserable state.”

That’s what he told himself. This couldn’t possibly be for the benefit of the commoners. It was for the lord’s pride—because no ruler wanted their domain to look like a slum.

Yet, another thought crept in:

“But if this wasn’t his land, why would he spend so much to change it? Why even bother?”

The upgrades weren’t done for altruistic reasons, perhaps, but the results were undeniable. The same logic applied to the mana stones—would anyone else have pooled 40,000 mana stones for the good of the domain? Would any commoner have voluntarily contributed their own valuable stones for the benefit of others?

The answer was obvious. No one would have done it.

“Long live the lord!”

A sudden shout snapped Henry out of his thoughts.

One of the commoners, around his own age, had begun cheering loudly in the square, his voice ringing with enthusiasm.

“Long live the lord! Long live the lord!”

The chant quickly spread, other villagers joining in, half from fear and half from genuine hope that aligning themselves with the lord’s favor might bring more rewards.

Henry sneered, his lips curling in disdain. “Cowards…”

And yet, as the voices grew louder, he found himself hesitating. His fists clenched tightly at his sides.

“…Long live the lord!”

The words tore from his throat before he could stop himself, his voice rising above the crowd.

This isn’t submission, he told himself. This is strategy—a way to ensure more wealth is redistributed to us. If it pleases the lord to hear our cheers, so be it.

Deep down, though, he knew the truth: if given the choice between equality and returning to the miserable conditions of before, he would choose this new life every time.

“Now this looks like a proper village.”

Justin stood at the center of the newly transformed domain, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

Gone was the grim, disease-ridden slum of before. Now, it resembled a vibrant fantasy village, complete with cobbled streets, manicured gardens, and even a fountain in the town square.

“Exactly how a domain should look,” Justin muttered proudly.

“Yeah, after we poured a fortune into it,” Derek grumbled as he returned from delivering the news to the commoners.

“Two thousand gold coins are gone in a flash! How does a mountain of gold disappear in ten minutes?”

“That’s with the discount from defeating the field boss,” Justin reminded him. “Without that, it would’ve cost us 4,000 gold.”

“That makes it worse! We could’ve used that gold for something else!”

“And what, build a brothel for you to waste your time in?” Justin shot back with a smirk.

“Ahem! That’s not what I meant!” Derek coughed awkwardly, avoiding his leader’s amused gaze.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll build facilities later—when there’s actually enough people who’ll use them.”

Just as Derek sulked in silence, Rachel approached with a concerned look.

“The village looks great, but wouldn’t it have been smarter to invest in defenses too? What about building walls around the domain?”

Her voice was tinged with unease—no surprise, given her experience with previous conflicts.

“Walls are useful,” Justin agreed. “They limit enemy movement and make it easier to defend the domain.”

“Exactly.”

“But they also send the wrong message,” Justin continued, cutting her enthusiasm short. “A wall doesn’t just keep enemies out—it also makes the people inside feel trapped.”

Rachel froze at the realization, the weight of his words sinking in.

“Walls give us a sense of security, but the commoners don’t see it the same way. They’ve never witnessed an invasion firsthand. As far as they’re concerned, it’s just another symbol of control.”

“Even if they risk becoming slaves if we’re overrun?”

“They wouldn’t know that. They’ve never experienced it, so to them, it’s an abstract fear at best.”

In the eyes of the commoners, battles between pioneers were irrelevant—they were powerless, always under someone’s control, regardless of who won.

“Instead of walls, investing in improving their living conditions directly impacts their loyalty. If their lives improve under my rule, they’ll have fewer reasons to leave—especially when news of other domains starts spreading.”

“If I do this right,” Justin thought, “I might even attract settlers from other territories.”

His ultimate goal wasn’t just dominance—it was creating a domain so appealing that people would willingly choose his rule, despite the hierarchy.

But achieving that would require more resources—and that meant clearing more dungeons.

“Brother! Big problem!”

The sound of frantic footsteps interrupted their discussion as Nathan burst into the room, panic written all over his face.

Everyone shot to their feet at once.