Morning came slowly.
Marcus woke to warmth.
Soft warmth.
Warmth everywhere.
For a brief moment his mind went completely blank.
Then he tried to move.
And failed.
His eyes opened instantly.
What the—
For a split second panic surged through him.
He couldn't move his arms.
His legs were trapped.
Something heavy pressed against his chest.
Marcus's brain instantly jumped to the worst possible conclusions.
Did something sneak into the house?!
Am I under attack?!
Then he looked down.
Blue-Eyed Rabbit was sleeping on his chest.
Green-Eyed Rabbit had her arm wrapped around his waist.
Hazel-Eyed Rabbit was pressed against his side.
And the black-eyed rabbit girl was holding his arm like a stuffed animal.
Marcus blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then quietly sighed in relief.
"Oh."
Right.
That.
He relaxed slightly.
His fear melted away almost instantly.
The room was peaceful.
Soft sunlight filtered through the window.
The rabbit girls breathed softly as they slept.
Marcus tried to shift slightly.
Immediately Green-Eyed Rabbit tightened her grip in her sleep.
"Nope."
He chuckled quietly.
"Guess I'm stuck."
Not wanting to wake them up, Marcus simply lay there.
Then he noticed something floating in the corner of his vision.
Notifications.
Hundreds of them.
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
He opened the system log.
Scout Squad 1
Wolves Defeated: 7
Goblins Defeated: 3
Loot Acquired: 16 Items
Scout Squad 2
Forest Spiders Defeated: 11
Loot Acquired: 24 Items
Scout Squad 4
Panthers Defeated: 5
Loot Acquired: 12 Items
Marcus scrolled.
And scrolled.
And scrolled.
The squads he had sent out had clearly been busy.
The undead forces had continued hunting monsters through the entire night.
Loot had been automatically transported into his warehouse.
Weapons.
Armor.
Spirit shards.
Skill cards.
Troop cards.
Marcus whistled quietly.
"Nice."
But then he saw something else.
One notification stood out among the rest.
Marcus frowned.
Combat Report – Scout Squad 7
Enemy Encountered: Player
Result: Enemy Eliminated
Loot Acquired:
• Spirit Shards x320
• Equipment x6
• Talent Scroll – C Rank
Marcus froze.
"...A player?"
His expression darkened slightly.
Someone had been close enough to run into one of his patrol squads.
And that someone…
Had died.
Marcus rubbed his forehead slowly.
"I guess that was bound to happen."
He didn't even know if the other player had attacked first.
But undead patrol squads weren't exactly known for diplomacy.
Marcus stared at the Talent Scroll notification.
Now that was interesting.
Players apparently dropped talents when killed.
That was… a bit terrifying.
He sighed.
"I'll check it later."
Nearly an hour passed before the rabbit girls finally began waking up.
Blue-Eyed Rabbit stretched first.
Her ears twitched.
Then she noticed Marcus was already awake.
"...Oh!"
She immediately sat up.
"You were awake?!"
Marcus grinned.
"For a while."
Green-Eyed Rabbit looked embarrassed.
"You should have woken us."
Marcus laughed.
"I couldn't move."
They all giggled.
Soon the girls climbed out of bed and hurried toward the kitchen.
"We'll make breakfast!"
Marcus sat up and stretched his stiff muscles.
"Thanks."
Teasing
Marcus stepped outside the house.
And immediately ran into Lyrielle.
She stopped.
Then blinked.
Then sniffed the air.
Marcus instantly noticed the smirk forming on her face.
"...What?"
Lyrielle covered her mouth slightly.
"My lord…"
She leaned closer.
Then said the words he feared.
"You smell like rabbit."
Marcus groaned.
"Oh come on."
Lyrielle couldn't stop herself from laughing softly.
"It is quite strong."
Marcus rubbed his face.
"Great."
She walked beside him as he headed toward the warehouse.
"You appear well rested."
Marcus smirked.
"Best sleep I've had since coming here."
Lyrielle raised an eyebrow.
"I wonder why."
Marcus pointed at her.
"Don't start."
She only smiled.
The Talent Scroll
Inside the warehouse Marcus opened the loot interface.
He quickly located the item.
A faintly glowing scroll.
Talent Scroll – C Rank
Talent: Living Doll Summoner
Effect:
Summon 1 Living Doll per day.
Doll class will be random.
Living Dolls require no food and never tire.
Marcus blinked.
"...That's actually pretty good."
Free unit every day.
Even if they were random.
Marcus shrugged.
"No reason not to use it."
He activated the scroll.
The parchment dissolved into glowing particles.
A warm light entered his chest.
New Talent Acquired
Living Doll Summoner
Daily Summon Available: 1
Marcus immediately activated it.
A summoning circle appeared on the warehouse floor.
Stone rose slowly from the ground.
Shaping itself.
Forming a body.
Arms.
Legs.
Wings.
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"...Wait."
The figure completed itself.
Standing before him was a woman.
Tall.
Curved figure.
Bat-like wings.
Horns.
Purple hair.
Marcus blinked.
"...That's a succubus."
But something felt off.
The woman opened her eyes.
They were completely empty.
No emotion.
No curiosity.
No personality.
Just hollow obedience.
She bowed slightly.
"Awaiting orders."
Marcus walked closer and waved a hand in front of her face.
No reaction.
Lyrielle stepped beside him.
"...A golem."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
It looked like a succubus.
But inside…
It was empty.
No soul.
No emotion.
Just a body created to serve.
Marcus crossed his arms.
"Well."
"That's creepy."
But still useful.
Very useful.
One free soldier per day.
Marcus looked toward the mist outside his territory walls.
Somewhere out there…
Other players were fighting to survive.
And apparently…
Some were already dying.
Marcus frowned slightly.
"How many players are actually near me?"
Because now he knew one thing for sure.
He wasn't alone in this forest.