Standing before Broken were his Knight Commanders—Igor, Orion, Elowen, and Mira.
One na, however, was missing.
Cedric.
According to Maylock, the fae knight was currently away on a hunting expedition outside the city.
Beyond the commanders, a staggering force of 400 knights stood in formation.
Seeing their numbers in person was far beyond what Broken had expected.
And, as Maylock had told him before, this was only the beginning.
Recruitnt was limited by the available population and the number of individuals with true knight potential.
But with Slumdon's rapid expansion, more people would eventually arrive, aning more knights could be trained and enlisted into the army.
Before, the highest rank among Broken's knights had been Knight Commander.
But now—
That had changed.
He now had two Knight Grand Cross—
Orion and Elowen had both ascended to this elite rank.
A remarkable achievent.
"If things continue at this pace," Maylock added, "Igor, Mira, and Cedric should be able to reach Knight Grand Cross soon. We just need to push them a little further."
"On top of that—Karl and Inggrid are also close to achieving Knight Commander. Soon, they'll have their own troops to lead."
Broken gave a small nod, taking it all in.
"What do we need to accelerate their progress?"
Maylock crossed his arms.
"Exceptional skill scrolls, class upgrades, and most importantly—real battlefield experience in large-scale warfare."
Broken's expression sharpened.
"Understood."
Broken realized it had been a long ti since he last checked the Reputation Shop in his Land Managent system.
With the massive reputation points he had accumulated, it was ti to spend them.
Imdiately, he opened the shop nu and purchased every available item related to unit upgrades.
[You have used 50 Reputation Points to purchase a Skill Scroll (Basic)]
[You have used 200 Reputation Points to purchase a Skill Scroll (Advanced)]
[You have used 75 Reputation Points to purchase a Talent Scroll (Common)]
[You have used 250 Reputation Points to purchase a Talent Scroll (Rare)]
[You have …]
After spending a significant amount of points, he had acquired several skill and talent scrolls—items that had the potential to greatly enhance his knights.
With a deep breath, he began opening them one by one.
So were useful.
So were… completely useless.
"Tch." Broken sighed.
It was frustrating. The system clearly had a random elent, making it feel like a gamble rather than a strategic purchase.
Still, he set aside the useless talents for later and handed the valuable skills over to Maylock, who would distribute them to the knights accordingly.
Then, out of curiosity, he browsed the other available items in the shop.
And that's when he saw it.
A… rubber duck?
[Rubber Duck – A fun companion for your bath. Price: 50 Reputation Points]
Why?
WHY?
Broken stared at the screen.
Of all the advanced tools, weapons, and strategic items in this high-tech land managent system—
There was a BATH TOY!?
"System… what the hell is this?" he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
For all its complexity and advancent, this shop still found ways to annoy him.
[You have used 110 Reputation Points to purchase an Ancient Map Fragnt.]
Out of curiosity, Broken decided to purchase an item that seed at least sowhat promising.
He didn't expect much—
But when the map fragnt materialized in his hands, he couldn't help but study it.
It was old, the paper worn and brown, marked with lines and symbols that appeared to depict a town and the surrounding forest areas.
A partial map.
Apparently, he needed all five fragnts to form a complete version.
[You have used 110 Reputation Points to purchase an Ancient Map Fragnt.]
[You have used …]
Maylock, noticing what he was looking at, leaned over slightly, glancing at the opened map.
But before either of them could analyze it further, Broken simply stored it away in his inventory.
He could figure this out later.
***
Broken and Maylock moved to the side of the training grounds, giving the knights space to continue their training.
As a precaution, Broken put his helt back on, ensuring that no passing civilians would recognize him if they happened to wander near.
Once they were settled, he spoke.
"So, any interesting updates?"
"Oh, this one's definitely interesting," Maylock replied, opening his map interface and sharing the display with Broken.
A specific point was highlighted—
Near the border between Dissidia Kingdom and Keseon Kingdom, right by the forest region.
Broken studied the marked location.
"What's happening there?"
Maylock's expression shifted, a faint smirk forming.
"Over the past month, forces from Valantar City have started gathering there. They've set up camp and begun military training in that area."
Broken narrowed his eyes.
"Knights from Valantar City? What are they doing so close to the border?"
Maylock let out a low chuckle.
"You already know why. Valantar Guild Alliance, led by Lucy, moved their entire guild base to Slumdon. More and more players are choosing this city as their hunting ground instead of stopping by Valantar City like before."
Broken gave a slow nod.
"So they're… annoyed by our growth?"
"Oh, very annoyed," Maylock confird. "Especially Constantine—the Wrath Champion—who, if you rember, was the one who orchestrated the previous attack on Slumdon using Lucy and her guild alliance as pawns."
Broken's expression darkened slightly.
"Okay?"
Maylock continued.
"I think they're intentionally setting up camp this close to provoke us—to see if we'll take the first step in confronting them."
Broken fell silent for a mont, processing the situation.
"But if they don't cross into our territory, there's no issue, right?"
Maylock shook his head.
"That's the problem—they aren't crossing into the Dissidia Kingdom. Instead, they've blocked players from moving freely between regions by establishing an unofficial settlent at the border. They're forcing adventurers to stay in their outpost, then directing them back to Valantar City instead of letting them pass through."
Broken exhaled slowly.
A power play.
They weren't directly attacking, but they were manipulating the situation, trying to cut off growth for Slumdon and Dissidia Kingdom's player base.
And now—it was a problem he had to deal with.
This situation, in theory, wasn't a major issue—yet.
If Valantar City escalated their actions beyond just setting up a border camp, it would beco a direct political conflict between the two kingdoms.
This ti, they weren't just using independent player forces like before.
Now, they were deploying their official knights—a move that carried real consequences.
And in a way…
What Valantar City was doing made sense from a strategic perspective.
With Slumdon Town's rapid expansion, its economic growth would inevitably weaken Valantar City's influence.
They were reacting out of self-preservation.
But there was one more critical detail—
The City Lord of Valantar City was none other than the younger brother of the current King of Keseon Kingdom.
This wasn't just a territorial dispute. It had layers of political weight behind it.
Broken thought for a mont, then turned his gaze toward Maylock.
"I have one guess as to why you're telling all this…"
A small smirk ford on his lips.
"I know that this is sothing you could easily handle your way, isn't it? Assuming, of course… that you want to handle it the way… Broken would."
Maylock let out a quiet chuckle, his own smirk matching Broken's.
"Exactly. So, why don't you solve this problem… in a way that's uniquely Broken?"
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