The white light reached its peak.

Though it didn’t violently pierce the heavens and flow out of the territory like the golden pillar that had heralded Eluned’s arrival, the portal glowed with a brilliant blinding intensity and through the swirling white ether, the shifting silhouettes of ten figures began to solidify within the archway.

Silas took a step back with his hand resting casually on the hilt of his Silversteel Spirit Sword.

Beside him, Eluned stood tall and radiant, her silver-green hair catching the ethereal light of the portal.

The light abruptly snapped out.

Ten women stumbled out onto the cold stone tiles of the courtyard. They were dressed in basic unarmored linen tunics and leather boots, clutching their arms as the biting chill of the Umbral Basin hit them.

Silas narrowed his eyes, immediately assessing his vanguard.

Unlike Heroes, these troops were completely regular humans. They didn’t possess mythic auras or divine grace.

They were raw Level 1 recruits pulled from the ether by the Sovereign Realm, blinking rapidly as their eyes adjusted to the dim bruised-purple light of the alien sky.

They looked past the Ironwood Palisade... They saw the necrotic black grass, the twisted, razor-leafed trees, and the jagged black mountains looming in the distance.

But unlike experienced veterans who would have immediately recognized the terrifying hallmarks of an Unknown Zone, these women were fresh summons.

To them, the Umbral Basin wasn’t a death trap... it was simply the domain of the Lord who had chosen them.

The harshness of the environment didn’t instill terror; it only highlighted the magnitude of their new reality.

They were no longer floating in the ether... They had a purpose and a ripple of excited murmurs spread through the group.

"We’re here," one of them, a sturdy woman with braided hair whispered in awe. "We’ve actually been summoned by a Lord!"

"Look at the walls. Solid Ironwood," another pointed out, her eyes shining with admiration as she took in the massive Palisade and the heavy Reinforced Stone Keep. "He must be a powerful Lord to have such a fortress."

’They’re actually excited,’ Silas thought, a bit surprised but relieved.

He had been worried he would have to manage a panic attack on Day One, but their ignorance of the Umbral Basin’s true danger was a blessing in disguise.

He wasn’t going to ruin their morale by telling them they were surrounded by Tier 2 monsters in an uncharted wilderness.

Silas quickly brought up his Lord interface, his eyes darting across their individual status screens floating above their heads since he needed to know exactly what he was working with.

[Name]: Tamsin

[Class]: Wilderness Huntress

[Rank]: C-Rank

[Level]: 1

...

[Name]: Brida

[Class]: Shieldmaiden

[Rank]: C-Rank

[Level]: 1

...

He scanned the rest of the floating tabs.

Vanya, Thora, and Runa were also Shieldmaidens, sitting at D-Rank and C-Rank. Alys, Fenna, and Gwyn were marked as D-Rank Archers and finally, Sybil and Oona were designated as C-Rank Apprentice Mages.

’The highest among them is C-Rank, and the lowest is D-Rank,’ Silas thought, doing the mental math as a wave of genuine relief washed over him. ’At least they’re not E-Rank.’

E-Rank troops were the absolute bottom of the barrel, hard-capped at Level 10 and possessing terrible base stats that barely made them better than ordinary peasants.

C and D-Ranks meant they had actual martial potential... They could grow, learn, and become a formidable force, especially once he started pumping Upgrade Points into them using his Absolute Upgrade System.

"Attention," Silas called out. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the confidence of a commander.

The ten women immediately snapped to attention, their excited chatter dying down. They turned to face him, their eyes wide with reverence.

"I am Silas Graves and I am your Lord," he said smoothly. "Welcome to our territory. I know the environment looks a bit harsh, but as long as you follow my orders and stand your ground, we are going to build an empire here."

"We are honored to serve, Lord Graves!" the sturdy woman with the braided hair stepped forward, placing a fist over her heart. "I am Brida. My class is Shieldmaiden. Give me a frontline to hold, and I will not let you down."

"Tamsin, at your service," a lean sharp-eyed woman chimed in next. "I am a wilderness Huntress so I know how to track, survive, and set traps in any terrain."

The others quickly followed suit, their voices filled with eager determination.

"Vanya, Shieldmaiden!"

"Thora, Shieldmaiden!"

"Runa, Shieldmaiden!"

"Alys, Archer... My aim is true, my Lord."

"Fenna, Archer."

"Gwyn, Archer."

"Sybil, Apprentice Mage..." a quiet girl with sparks of raw mana dancing at her fingertips said softly.

"Oona, Apprentice Mage." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Silas nodded, highly satisfied with the breakdown.

One tactician, four heavy frontline defenders, three ranged snipers, and two arcane artillery units.

It was a perfectly balanced squad and their names gave them an old feel.

There were no generic, overly modern sounding names here; these were women who sounded like they were ready to get their hands dirty.

"Stand at ease..." Silas commanded.

The women relaxed their postures slightly, but then their eyes drifted past Silas. For the first time, they truly noticed the silver-haired woman standing quietly at his side.

The "Eluned Effect" was instantaneous.

Eluned didn’t even have to draw a weapon or speak a word of command.

The SSS-Rank Goddess simply stood there, letting a fraction of her divine presence bleed into the cool air. Her [Aura of Genesis] passively radiated outward.

The ten mortal women stared at her, their initial excitement instantly morphing into awe.

They could physically feel the sheer, incomprehensible gap in their existences. Standing before them was not just a powerful warrior, but a mythic entity... a being of pure supreme authority that belonged in legends.

And she was standing dutifully, almost affectionately, at the right hand of their Lord.

As if their puppet strings had been cut, all ten women simultaneously dropped to one knee on the stone tiles, bowing their heads in profound reverence.

Having a literal deity as their second-in-command meant their loyalty to Silas was instantly anchored in stone. If a Goddess served him, who were they to question his power?

Eluned looked over the kneeling squad, offering them a gentle radiant smile.

"Rise, warriors," She said. "You are part of our domain now."

The women scrambled to their feet with their eyes wide and shining.

Eluned then turned her emerald eyes toward the massive stone structure sitting on the edge of the courtyard.

She tilted her head, admiring the heavy iron doors of the Tier 2 Armored Barracks Silas had just constructed.

"My Lord," Eluned said, her voice carrying a hint of playful curiosity as she looked back at Silas. "If you built such a formidable place for the girls to stay... then where will I stay?"

Silas didn’t miss a beat.

He looked right at the breathtaking Goddess and offered a warm smile. "You’re my Hero, Eluned. You’ll be staying with me in the Keep."

Eluned’s breath completely hitched. Her previously dignified divine composure shattered in a fraction of a second as a furious bright red blush exploded across her pale cheeks, spreading all the way to the tips of her slightly pointed ears.

"W-with you?" she stammered, her hands flying up to cover her flushed face as she suddenly found the stone tiles beneath her boots incredibly interesting. "I... yes. Yes, of course. To protect you. Naturally. That is my... solemn duty."

A few of the Shieldmaidens in the back desperately bit their lips to stifle their giggles, while the Mages just stared in absolute awe at how effortlessly their Lord had flustered a divine being.

Silas chuckled quietly, finding her reaction surprisingly endearing.

"Come on," he said, turning back to the troops. "You can’t fight monsters bare-handed. Let’s get you all geared up."

He turned and led the group across the courtyard toward the Armored Barracks. He pushed the heavy, iron-banded doors open, gesturing for the girls to step inside.

The ten troops walked into the massive, two-story brutalist structure, their eyes widening at the quality of the building.

Two long rows of pristine, comfortable cots lined the walls, thick wool blankets folded neatly at the foot of each bed. It was warm and secure.

"Gods," Brida whispered, running her hand along the reinforced masonry of the wall.

She looked at Silas with deep respect. "We heard stories in the ether that most Lords drop their first summons in a dirt field to sleep in the mud from where we come from but you’ve already built us a fortress."

’Technically, the System upgraded my core to Gold, giving me a massive advantage...’ Silas thought, but he just offered a modest shrug.

"I don’t expect my people to sleep on the ground."

He led them toward the back half of the ground floor, stopping in the designated quartermaster’s corner.

Sitting heavily on the stone floor was the large, iron-bound Standard Weapon Chest he had deposited earlier. Next to it were the stacked crates of Military Food Rations.

Silas kicked the latch on the heavy chest, popping the lid open. Inside rested a collection of pristine, unblemished iron weaponry and thick wooden shields.

"Alright, listen up," Silas ordered. "The Novice Barrier covering the sky right now gives us absolute immunity, but it drops tomorrow morning. When that sun comes up, the native Spirit Beasts of this region are going to hit those gates."

The women stiffened with their expressions turning serious as they listened.

"You are Level 1," Silas continued pacing slowly in front of them. "If we fight them in an open field, we will take casualties. I am not losing a single one of you on Day One so we are not going to fight fair."

He looked directly at the lean Huntress. "Tamsin."

"Yes, my Lord!" she responded, stepping forward eagerly.

"You said you specialize in tracking and trap-setting," Silas said. "Do you know how to set deadfalls, spike pits, and choke-point traps?"

Tamsin’s eyes gleamed with immediate understanding as a wicked smile touched her lips.

"If you give me the raw materials, Lord Graves, I can turn the perimeter outside our gates into an absolute meat grinder."

"Good. You’re the squad captain," Silas declared, officially promoting her on the spot. "We have leftover Ironwood and Refined Stone from the Keep construction... Grab what you need."

Silas gestured to the open chest. "The rest of you, gear up based on your classes."

Brida, Vanya, Thora, and Runa stepped forward first. They reached into the chest, each pulling out a heavy, tempered iron broadsword and a thick iron-banded wooden kite shield.

They strapped the weapons to their waists with their posture immediately shifting into a defensive stance.

"Shieldmaidens," Silas addressed them. "Your job isn’t to chase kills. Your job is to hold the line right behind Tamsin’s traps... If a beast survives the spikes, you bash its teeth in and hold it in place. Do not break formation though all of this happens tomorrow..."

"Yes, Lord Graves!" the four women chorused, slamming their fists against their wooden shields in unison.

Next came the Archers. Alys, Fenna, and Gwyn pulled the polished recurve bows from the chest slinging heavy leather quivers filled with iron-tipped arrows over their shoulders.

"Archers, you will take the tactical vantage points," Silas instructed. "Two of you on the roof of the Reinforced Stone Keep, one of you stationed on the heavy scaffolding behind the main gate. You rain fire on anything caught in the traps later."

Finally, the two Mages, Sybil and Oona, tentatively approached the chest. There were no grand gem-encrusted magical staves inside, only simple, iron-shod wooden foci meant to help channel raw mana.

They gripped the staves tightly with their knuckles turning white.

"Mages, you have small mana pools right now, so you need to be highly efficient," Silas said. "You work directly with Tamsin. Use your elemental sparks to rig the traps. Ignite the oil pits, shatter the deadfall supports... You are the detonators."

The two girls nodded fiercely, their excitement completely replacing any lingering nerves with a burning determination.

Silas stepped back, looking over his fully armed ten-woman vanguard.

They were dressed in basic tunics and wielding standard iron gear, but the fire in their eyes was undeniable.

Supported by an SSS-Rank Goddess and a Lord with a Mythic Gold Core, they were ready for war.

"Alright," Silas said, drawing his own Silversteel Spirit Sword. "Tamsin, grab your materials. We’re opening the gates. We have a kill zone to build."