Chapter 2: Too bad, I can only pick one

[Welcome to the Worlds' Floating Isles.]

[Current Worlds' Floating Isles, unowned, unnamed, ID: 014569]

[Randomizing your profession...]

[Congratulations, you have been assigned the profession — Lord.]

[Simultaneously activating basic skill for Lord profession — Leadership Aura.]

[Leadership Aura (Passive Skill): Possessing the Leadership Aura, you will more easily gain the allegiance of troops, other professionals, and neutral creatures, while continuously boosting their loyalty.]

[Congratulations, you have been granted a piece of land.]

[Your territory is currently a low-level village.]

[Reminder: As a Lord, developing your territory is your core task.]

[Main Quest Issued—]

[Quest Content: As a Lord, your life goal should be to conquer the myriad worlds. However, before that, your task is to conquer the current Worlds' Floating Isles and become the ruler of the island.]

[Quest Duration: None]

[Quest Reward: Unknown]

...

"Did I just become a Lord?"

Edward had barely landed in the Worlds' Floating Isles and hadn't even had a chance to survey his surroundings when a series of notifications in his mind left him utterly stunned.

The acquisition of the Lord profession was too sudden.

It caught him off guard.

And it felt like a pie hitting him right in the face—a pleasant surprise.

After all, Lords are few, and the chances of becoming one are incredibly low.

It's like hitting the jackpot.

...

At this moment, Edward stood in front of a two-story building.

Behind him stretched a vast plain.

Not far away stood three wooden huts.

Further afield lay a lush jungle, from which the sounds of unknown creatures occasionally emanated.

"Just like the leaks on the professionals' forum, the initial territory looks like this."

"The task of a Lord is to develop and expand the territory, using the resources acquired to upgrade the land from a village to a town, and then to a city..."

"The higher the level of the territory, the stronger the power."

"It's said that once the territory reaches a certain level, you can even establish a kingdom and become a king."

Edward could hardly contain his excitement.

A king.

What man doesn't dream of ruling?

The lure of power is irresistible.

And becoming a Lord is the first step in wielding power and strength.

Without exaggeration, he was now skyrocketing to success.

...

"Class Mentor always said—"

"If you're lucky enough to become a Lord, the first thing you gotta do is recruit some troops."

With that in mind, Edward quickly made his way to the two-story building.

This building, known on the forums as the "Lord's Hall," is the heart of the territory and the place to recruit exclusive troops.

In the early days, a Lord has no means of self-defense.

Unlike combat professions like Knights, Swordsmen, or Elementalists, who come equipped with combat skills like sword fighting, triple slash, or fireball spells, a Lord starts with nothing but the "Leadership Aura," which doesn't deal any damage.

Whether it's for personal safety or hunting wild creatures, a Lord needs troops, so recruiting them is priority number one.

"There are all kinds of troops."

"Dragons, giants, slimes, humans, elves, goblins... you name it."

"But there are only four levels of troops."

"Low, medium, high, and top-tier."

"The higher the level, the greater the potential. Take dragon troops, for example—universally acknowledged as top-tier with massive growth potential, at least reaching the saint level."

"Also, the troops available to a territory are random."

"If you're lucky, you might get high or top-tier troops. Unlucky Lords start with low-tier troops..."

"I wonder what troops my territory will have?"

"I just hope they're not low-tier."

Entering the "Lord's Hall," Edward muttered nervously to himself.

"Recruit troops."

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, the mechanical, indifferent tone of the [Worlds' Floating Isles] system.

[Randomizing exclusive troops for your territory...]

[Randomization complete.]

[You have activated the following troops: Goblins, Dwarf Musketeers, Dragon Knights, Titans, Angels (unique).]

[Dear Lord, you must choose one of these five types of troops as your exclusive troop. This troop will accompany you for life, and once chosen, the decision is irreversible. Please choose wisely.]

Seeing the prompt in his mind, Edward was stunned.

Normally, you get what you're given—just one exclusive troop type.

Only those with incredible luck get a choice between two or three.

But he had just randomized five.

Nobody would believe it if he told them.

Most importantly, aside from the Goblins and Dwarf Musketeers, which were low and mid-tier, the other three were all top-tier.

What kind of insane luck was this?

Snapping a screenshot and posting it on the forum would surely make every Lord on Earth green with envy.

From what's been leaked so far, the hundred or so Lords on Earth mostly have low or mid-tier exclusive troops. High-tier ones are rare.

And top-tier? Unheard of.

Yet here he was, with three top-tier options.

It was like his ancestors were looking out for him.

"Dragon Knights, Titans, Angels."

"I want them all."

"Too bad, I can only pick one."

In that moment, Edward felt like his heart was bleeding.

...

After much deliberation, Edward finally chose the last troop type, Angels.

He first ruled out the Dragon Knights, leaving just the Titans and Angels.

Compared to the Titan troops, the Angels had a note saying 'unique.'

He wasn't sure what 'unique' meant exactly, but he could imagine that the Angels must be something special compared to the Titans.

So, he figured choosing them was the right move.

[Congratulations, esteemed Lord, you have obtained the exclusive troop type for your territory—Angels.]

[Now, you can spend gold coins to recruit the Angel troop type.]

[Recruitment requirements—]

[Two-winged Angel: 50 gold coins]

[Four-winged Angel: 200 gold coins (unlocked in medium villages)]

[Six-winged Angel: 1000 gold coins (unlocked in advanced villages)]

[Eight-winged Angel: …]

[Note: When recruiting Six-winged Angels and higher-ranked Angels, there is a chance to recruit special Angels. The probability of recruitment increases with the level of your territory.]

"No wonder it's a uniquely exclusive top-tier troop type..."

"Man, they really do cost a pretty penny..."

Looking at the recruitment menu before him, Edward felt a twinge of pain in his wallet.

The higher the troop's level, the more gold coins it costs to recruit.

Low-tier troops: 5 gold coins each.

Mid-tier troops: 10 gold coins each.

High-tier troops: 30 gold coins each.

Top-tier troops: 50 gold coins each.

In other words, recruiting one top-tier troop costs as much as recruiting ten low-tier troops.

Expensive, that's the only downside to top-tier troops.