A Burning Resolve      

That day, Rain went back home troubled and downhearted.

What was he going to do now?

He couldn't place all his hope in the association's help, which might not come at all.

Was he going to die after all?

Rain hands washed over his face in a gesture of helpless distress. He then shook his head and slapped his cheeks.

It was way too early to give up.

For now, he would do whatever he could to survive until help arrived.

He prayed and hoped . . . that help would really come.

They wouldn't forsake me, right? Rain thought to himself. He decided to take a chance on the forums, hoping to find someone with a compassionate heart who could help him.

|| F O R U M ||

ItsRainingHard: Hey guys. I'm a newbie player and I want to give up my title and territory. Is someone interested?

Player #: Huh? Just go to the player association if you haven't already. They're the ones who handle these kinds of things.

Player #: Territories are sold out nowadays. The veteran players are buying them left and right and expanding their territories like maniacs.

ItsRainingHard: The thing is . . . my territory is . . . in the Barren Wasteland.

Player #: Oof. No wonder.

Player #: Poor guy.

Player #: Condolences to you.

Player #: I might consider taking your territory . . . what are your initial troops?

Player #: Sneaky. You want to take his territory if he has unique troops, right?

Player #: Figures. If you get his territory, his troops will belong to you as well.

Player #: I heard veteran players use that strategy. They would take territories, even in the harshest environment, if someone there has Unique or Fantastical troops.

Player #: Having unique troops is worth all that Soul Elixir after all.

ItsRainingHard: Uhm . . . my troops are Aasimars.

Player #: Fuck dude! You're dead!

Player #: You're so dead!

Player #: Deader than dead!

Player #: No one wants those weak troops. They consume resources but have little use on the battlefield.

Player #: Right. Who needs Aasimars when you can have healing potions? A Full Recovery potion is way better than their healing abilities.

Player #: Some even sold or trade their Aasimar troops. That's how useless they are. 

Player #: Your territory is in the Barren Wasteland, and your troops are Aasimars? Man, your luck is terrible!

Player #: DM me your address and name. As a fellow player, I'll pay for your funeral arrangements.

Player #: I'll send you flowers.

Player #: Condolence, man.

ItsRainingHard: They're not that bad. You can evolve them right.

Player #: That's why noob players stay noobs. Even if you evolve them, Aasimars are completely useless. They lack the rarity to evolve further. The best you can get are the Crusaders, their light infantry class. Beyond that, you'd need a lot of synchronization with them to evolve them to the next level.

Player #: They're still weak, though. They have low defense and low damage output. They're better for support and should just stay in the back.

Player #: Nah. They're still useless as support. Those alien-looking races are much better at support than Aasimars.

Player #: You mean the Githyanki units?

Player #: Yeah, those weird psychic alien-looking creatures.

Player #: Githyanki troops are hard to come by, though. Only a very few players are lucky enough to have them as troops.

Player #: It's because they're strong.

Player #: Nah. Dragonborns are still the strongest troops!

Player #: What's with you and your obsession with dragons?

Player #: We're living in a fantasy world! You've got to have dragons!

[ . . . multiple persons are typing . . .]

Rain logged off the forum, frustrated by how everyone labeled him as dead and mocked his troops.

Instead of feeling disheartened, he felt a burning desire to prove them wrong.

For the first time in his life, he truly wanted to show what he was capable of. If he developed his territory in the Barren Wasteland and earned his Novice Lord title, that would surely shut them up.

"Just you wait. I will make you eat your words. I will survive the barren lands, establish a high-level territory, and become a Sovereign Lord — the very pinnacle of being a Lord, which none have ever achieved — with my Aasimar troops!"

Of course, it was just the anger and adrenaline talking, and Rain was still at a loss about what to do.

Come to think of it, a player mentioned something about [Synchronization]. He learned about that word in the [Library].

Synchronization referred to your relationship with your troops, measured by [Star Points]. The more you take care of them, the more their affection towards you increases.

However, if you neglect them and they often get injured, hungry, or dissatisfied, they were more likely to disobey your orders and you wouldn't have enough Star Points to evolve them to the next stage.

The more synchronized you are with your troops, the more likely they will evolve to the next level.

That's the jest of it.

Rain stared at the 3 mL vials of Soul Elixir in his hand.

Was this enough to bring 1 L of water back to the Spirit Realm?

It was worth a try.

[Choose what to Extract]

[1 L of water, weight 1 kl. Cost of extraction to the Spirit Realm: 1 mL of Soul Elixir]

Oh? It only costs 1 mL? Rain thought, his mind racing.

He wasn't particularly good at math, but he was sure the cost of extracting water compared to the bedside table was much less.

Could it be . . . the value? Rain could only attribute this large discrepancy in Soul Elixir cost to value differences.

But water was more valuable than a piece of bedside furniture, right? Maybe furniture on Earth was far more valuable than water in the Spirit Realm?

Rain nodded to himself. That must be it.

Rain was sure the extraction cost depended on weight and value.

He also extracted a loaf of bread, which cost him 0.5 mL of Soul Elixir.

After ensuring the water and bread were in his inventory, Rain took some sleeping pills and went back to the Spirit Realm.

It was still early in the morning, and he had just woken up, so he needed the pills to get sleepy. He still had to save for a Sleeping Headgear so he could sleep anytime he wanted.

"I'm back!" Rain announced excitedly as soon as he arrived in his territory in the Spirit Realm.

However, when he looked around, he saw no one, and the tent from before was gone. The fabric was tattered, as if mauled by some beast, and broken twigs were scattered everywhere.

Rain's heart sank.

What happened here?!