"I’m just saying," Alys muttered, pulling a heavy leather strap tight across her iron cuirass. "the man didn’t even flinch when that massive wolf charged him. He is undeniably hot."

"The hottest man I’ve ever laid eyes on, without a doubt..." Vanya agreed immediately, securing her greaves with a sharp nod.

"Aye," Thora chimed in, checking the tension on her bowstring. "With those striking eyes and that jawline? He’s hotter than any man I’ve seen back home, that’s a fact."

"I’m just being practical!" Fenna shot back, though a nervous, flushed smile played on her lips as she slotted iron-tipped arrows into her quiver. "I mean, think about it. If the portal only pulls women... if this whole territory ends up being entirely female... who is going to father the next generation? An empire needs citizens, right?"

"I’m saying," Tamsin, the Wilderness Huntress, interrupted with a wicked, teasing smirk as she checked the edge of her dagger. "that if Lord Graves wants this territory to have a future generation, he’s going to have to personally provide it. I certainly wouldn’t mind... With his strength and bloodline? I’d happily bear his children."

A collective furious blush swept through the barracks.

Even Brida, the hardened Shieldmaiden captain, let out a loud barking laugh that completely drowned out the terrifying roars of the Umbral beasts outside for a fraction of a second.

"Gods above, Tamsin!" Brida cackled, slamming her massive iron-banded shield against her forearm. "The man is going to have to fight a war outside the walls all day, and then fight a war in the barracks all night! Our poor Lord will die of exhaustion before the monsters even touch him!"

"Do you think he and the silver-haired woman are already getting busy?" Sybil whispered with her face completely red as she adjusted her grip on her staff. "She looks at him like she wants to devour him."

The girls erupted into a chorus of nervous blushing laughter with the absurdity of the joke completely dissolving the paralyzing fear of the Unknown Zone.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the stone path outside and the laughter died instantly.

All ten women scrambled, snapping into a rigid military formation with their faces burning completely red as the heavy iron-banded doors swung open.

Silas strode into the room, but his appearance immediately caught them off guard.

He was no longer wearing his simple black hoodie from the slums.

Instead, he was dressed in a stunning, high-tier-looking set of long, flowing combat robes.

The fabric was a deep, rich black lined with elegant silver-green trims that seemed to shimmer with magical energy.

It was entirely Eluned’s doing.

Before leaving the Keep, the Goddess had completely fabricated the magnificent garments out of enchanted grass and ambient mana, claiming her Lord could not step onto a battlefield looking like that.

And right on cue, Eluned stepped into the room, clinging fiercely to his right arm.

The SSS-Rank Goddess looked breathtaking and she pressed her soft curves against his side, practically glaring at the wooden doors of the barracks as if daring any monster to step through them.

Silas blinked, looking at his vanguard.

They were standing perfectly straight, but almost all of them were refusing to make eye contact with their cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

’Did I interrupt something?’ Silas thought, highly confused by their flustered expressions.

He cleared his throat, raising his free hand to gently massage the back of his neck.

A genuinely shy, somewhat apologetic smile broke through his stoic commander facade.

"Morning, girls," Silas greeted smoothly. "I, uh... I have an apology to make. I was so caught up in the excitement of managing the territory and checking the traps that I completely forgot to distribute your breakfast rations. You fought really well, and I left you starving."

The entire vanguard completely short-circuited.

The overwhelming contrast between the terrifying golden-aura warrior who effortlessly cleaved Tier 2 monsters in half and the genuinely sweet, slightly embarrassed man standing before them was too much.

’He’s so cute...’ the ten women thought collectively with their hearts hammering against their ribs.

"We don’t mind at all, Lord Graves!" Brida was the first to speak, her voice slightly higher-pitched than usual. "We are ready to fight on empty stomachs if we must!"

"No one fights on an empty stomach in my territory," Silas replied firmly. "But before we eat, I want to bolster our numbers... I received some new Troop Summoning Cards, and I want to activate them before the barrier drops. Everyone, out to the courtyard."

The women immediately filed out of the Armored Barracks, stepping out into the cold biting air of the Umbral Basin.

The golden dome of the Novice Barrier was still holding strong, casting a shimmering light over the dark stone tiles.

They gathered around the massive stone archway of the Summoning Portal.

"Say," Alys murmured, unable to contain the joke from the barracks as Silas approached the place. "What happens if it’s all women again, my Lord? The territory needs to expand, after all. Are you going to have to get us all pregnant?"

Silas completely froze with his hand hovering over the portal’s interface.

He sweatdropped, looking back at the archer in sheer disbelief. ’Where did that even come from?!’

Before Silas could formulate a response, Eluned’s head snapped up. The Goddess narrowed her emerald eyes, stepping slightly in front of Silas in a highly defensive yet incredibly proud posture.

"They cannot all be women!" Eluned complained, pouting slightly as she looked at Alys but then, a fiercely competitive spark ignited in her eyes. "However... if that were to happen, there is no need to worry. As a divine entity of nature, I possess the ability to supply my Lord with infinite stamina. He will not falter!"

THWACK!

Silas lightly chopped the side of his hand down onto the top of Eluned’s head, completely halting her unhinged rant.

"Ouch..." Eluned squeaked, immediately dropping her divine posture and grabbing her head with both hands, looking up at him with wide teary eyes.

"Enough of that," Silas said, fighting back a massive blush of his own while the mortal girls in the vanguard desperately giggled into their hands. "Let’s just see who we get."

Silas slotted the bundle of cards into the portal’s stone pedestal.

Instantly, the archway roared to life as a blinding pure white light erupted from the center, completely illuminating the dim courtyard and pushing back the oppressive shadows of the early morning.

Silas stepped back, his hand naturally resting on the hilt of his Umbral-Forged Mythril Blade as the light reached its absolute peak.

Through the swirling ether, ten new silhouettes began to solidify.

The light snapped out.

Ten women stumbled out onto the cold stone tiles.

Just like the first batch, they were dressed in basic linen tunics and leather boots, shivering violently as the freezing air of the Unknown Zone hit their lungs.

Panic immediately seized them as they looked past the palisade walls, their eyes widening at the necrotic trees and the terrifying, bruised-purple sky.

Before the panic could fully set in, Eluned simply sighed and let her [Aura of Genesis] bleed out.

The smell of fresh pine washed over the new recruits. Their racing hearts settled and their fear melted away into absolute awe as they looked upon the silver-haired Goddess, and the striking dark-haired Lord she was clinging to.

Silas quickly pulled up his Lord interface, his eyes darting across the floating tabs above their heads to assess his new forces.

[Name]: Hilda

[Class]: Heavy Shieldmaiden

[Rank]: C-Rank

[Name]: Morwen

[Class]: Swift Archer

[Rank]: D-Rank

He scanned the rest.

Astrid, Sigrid, and Eydis were D-Rank Infantry... Ysolde and Maeve were C-Rank Apprentice Mages... It was a solid, highly balanced pull.

But as his eyes landed on the final tab hovering above a deeply shy quiet girl standing at the back of the group and his heart completely skipped a beat.

She had long, dark hair and was clutching her arms nervously, but the magical signature radiating from her was completely different from the others.

[Name]: Rowena

[Class]: Rune Weaver

[Rank]: B-Rank

[Level]: 1

’A B-Rank!’ Silas thought with genuine excitement flaring in his chest. ’A Rune Weaver... That’s an incredibly rare class. They don’t just cast spells; they literally weave mana into physical patterns. They can craft intricate runes on the fly... either burning offensive runes to shred armor or complex defensive runes to create impenetrable barriers. To pull a B-Rank out of standard summoning cards is a miracle.’

"Welcome to the Umbral Basin," Silas called out with his voice instantly capturing the attention of the ten new recruits. "I am Silas Graves, your Lord. The environment is harsh, and the monsters outside those walls are deadly but you are not alone. You stand with the Vanguard."

The new girls quickly fell to one knee, offering their absolute loyalty as they rattled off their names and classes, just as the first group had done.

"Stand up," Silas commanded, looking over his newly expanded army.

Twenty loyal, capable warriors, and an SSS-Rank Goddess. "Head into the Armored Barracks. We have a battle to win, and you need gear and food."

The twenty women filed into the massive stone barracks.

Silas directed the new recruits to the quartermaster’s corner, opening the Standard Weapon Chest.

He handed Hilda and the infantry thick wooden shields and iron broadswords and he gave the new archers their bows.

When Rowena stepped up, Silas handed her a beautifully balanced staff placing it in the woman’s hands.

"Here you go..."

Rowena’s eyes widened in awe, her cheeks flushing as she took the weapon from his hands.

"Y-yes, Lord Graves. Thank you."

With everyone armed, Silas materialized the crates of Military Food Rations into the center of the room.

He leaned back against the solid stone wall, crossing his arms over his chest as the women sat down on the long rows of cots.

"Let me assist you, my Lord," Eluned murmured happily.

The Goddess raised her hand.

Instead of making the girls line up... glowing semi-translucent green roots sprouted effortlessly from the wooden floorboards.

The roots moved with gentle, precise care, picking up the heavy blocks of dried meat and canteens of purified water from the crates and carrying them directly to each of the twenty girls.

The Vanguard watched in sheer amazement as the divine magic catered to them like personal servants.

Eluned, however, saved a single piece of the high-calorie dried meat for herself.

She walked over to where Silas was leaning against the wall and stood incredibly close to him.

With a deeply affectionate smile, she held the piece of food up to his lips.

"Would you like me to feed you my lord?"

Silas could have taken it from her hand, but seeing the genuine devotion in her eyes, he simply smiled and leaned forward, taking a bite directly from her fingers.

Eluned’s breath hitched with her cheeks burning slightly at the intimate contact.

Not wanting to leave her out, Silas reached out, broke off a small piece of the ration, and gently held it to her lips.

"F-for me?"

The Goddess practically melted, closing her eyes as she accepted the food from her Lord, chewing happily.

Across the room, the girls watched the exchange with massive smiles.

"Lord Graves!" Tamsin called out boldly, stepping off her cot with a piece of her own ration. "If you’re accepting offerings, I have a piece of perfectly salted beef right here!"

"Me too!" Fenna chimed in, rushing over with her canteen. "You need to hydrate, my Lord!"

Within seconds, Silas was surrounded by his boldest troops, all playfully offering to feed him or give him water.

Instead of asserting harsh military discipline, Silas just threw his head back and laughed, thoroughly enjoying the wholesome camaraderie.

He accepted a sip of water from Fenna and a piece of meat from Tamsin, cementing their diehard affection for him but the joyful atmosphere was violently shattered by a sound that shook the very dust from the ceiling.

BOOOOOOM.

It sounded like a massive boulder slamming into the golden dome of the Novice Barrier.

The terrified roars of the Umbral beasts outside reached a deafening crescendo.

Silas’s smile vanished.

"Breakfast is over," Silas barked, his voice cracking like a whip. "Helmets on! Archers and Mages, to the high palisade scaffolding! Shieldmaidens and Infantry, form the phalanx behind the gates! Move!"

The twenty women moved like lightning with their previous exhaustion completely erased by the food and the morale boost.

They flooded out of the barracks, taking up their defensive positions.

Silas drew his massive Umbral-Forged Mythril Blade with the purple veins glowing violently as he walked to the very front of the formation.

"Brida! Vanya!" Silas ordered. "Open the gates!"

The two strongest Shieldmaidens heaved the heavy locking bar off the Ironwood Palisade.

The massive doors swung open revealing the absolute nightmare waiting for them.

The golden dome of the Novice Barrier was currently holding back a literal sea of monsters.

There were easily over a hundred Tier 2 beasts churning at the edge of the barrier.

Mutated Umbral Wolves the size of draft horses frothed at the mouth.

Massive, low-slung reptilian creatures covered in jagged stone scales slammed their bodies against the golden light.

Towering, corrupted bears with exposed bone spikes roared in feral madness.

"Gods above..." Rowena, the new B-Rank Rune Weaver whispered.

Silas narrowed his eyes,

He had 20 troops and an oil-flooded trap zone but if he had to run around and manually land the killing blow on over a hundred monsters just to harvest the Upgrade Points, they were going to get overrun.

It was physically impossible to secure every kill in a massive melee.

’System,’ Silas called out in his mind. ’I need an answer right now. If my summoned troops who are bound to my territory and my soul kill a monster without me touching it... do I still receive the UP?’

A pristine glowing tab materialized directly in the center of his vision.

[System Query... Affirmative. All Vassals summoned via the Territory Portal are extensions of the Lord’s Authority. Any kills secured by your troops will deposit Upgrade Points directly into your balance.]

A massive grin spread across Silas’s face.

He didn’t have to hold them back anymore since his army was his weapon.

"Vanguard, listen to me!" Silas roared, raising his black sword high into the air. "You do not hold back! You do not maim! Every single beast that steps past that gate is to be slaughtered! Annihilate them all!"

"YES, LORD GRAVES!" the twenty women screamed in unison, drawing their weapons.

Silas looked up at his digital interface as the blue holographic numbers were aggressively ticking down.

[Novice Barrier Duration: 00:00:05]

[00:00:04]

[00:00:03]

The horde of monsters pressed against the barrier with their claws scraping uselessly against the golden light as their jaws snapping in hunger.

[00:00:02]

[00:00:01]

Silas lowered his center of gravity, gripping his sword with both hands.

[00:00:00]

With a sound like a shattering cathedral window, the massive impenetrable golden dome of the Novice Barrier burst into millions of dissipating light particles.

The shield was gone.

For a fraction of a second, the Umbral Basin was completely silent and then, the massive, bone-plated alpha wolf at the front of the pack let out a deafening howl and launched itself forward.

The entire horde charged as the dawn wave had begun.