After his little escape from the enemy, he did not make the decision quickly.
He kept walking as the interface hovered at the edge of his vision, the categories still open.
If he wants to survive in this new world he had to leverage the stuff he had, maybe even abuse it. This way he gets to goals faster and more efficiently without wasting time.
Which meant short-term solutions weren't enough. He needed to widen the gap, not just survive the moment.
His focus shifted away from the smaller tools, past the immediate advantages, into the deeper layers of the store where the costs stopped being convenient and started becoming commitments.
The interface responded.
[CATEGORY SHIFT: INFRASTRUCTURE & FORCE DEVELOPMENT]
[AUTOMATION EXTRACTION FACILITY]
Fully autonomous mining and resource processing unit.
Drone-Based Extraction System
Adaptive Terrain Penetration
Self-Maintenance Protocols
Output Efficiency: +300% vs standard labor/combat units
Weekly Production: 40 Extraction Drones (Scalable)
Cost: 10,000 CC
His pace didn't change, but his eyes stilled for half a second longer than before, his journey back to the cave was uneventful, he managed to near a secret entrance.
This purchase alone would solve the bottleneck he faced when mining. Not just solve it—remove it entirely.
SYSTEM UPDATE]
Conquest Credits (CC): +520 → +1860 → +8,240 → +11,980 → +12,760 → +27,400
As more credits racked up due to the Exponential Scaling effect for dominating the market, he received abnormal Rapides amounts of CC
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED]
[CC DEDUCTED: -10,000]
He bought the facility without hesitation seeing this. The interface shifted again, showing more options and that were suggestive.
[COMBAT UNIT UPGRADE TREE]
[PLASMA-ENHANCED COMBAT DROID PACKAGE]
Shoulder-Mounted Plasma Launchers (High-impact, short burst)
Retractable Plasma Blade (Close-range lethality)
Reinforced Combat Logic & Targeting Systems
Production Rate: 10 Units / Day
Cost: 15,000 CC
He analyzed these interesting driods for quite a while, in reality he was actually just stalling so he can rack up more CC. But this would still he a worthy buy, those combat droids were only useful for suicide when it came offensive operations, this would obviously make him more versatile when it comes to attacking, he also wanted to purchase the next upgrade but held himself back.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED]
[CC DEDUCTED: -15,000]
[MATERIAL INTEGRATION MODULE]
[TITANIUM FRAME UPGRADE]
Structural Reinforcement (High durability, impact resistance)
Weight-to-strength optimization
Applied to all future unit production
Cost: 5,000 CC
He confirmed it without breaking stride, he spending spree wasn't really reckless per say because these would come handy in the future, atleast thats what he assumed.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED]
[CC DEDUCTED: -5,000]
For a brief moment, the interface cleared upon his command.
[SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION IN PROGRESS…]
Far from Eldor, deep beneath layers of stone that had already been hollowed and reshaped beyond anything natural, the changes took form.
New sections unfolded with mechanical precision, space reorganizing itself to accommodate something that had not existed there moments before.
Where crude mining paths had once branched unevenly, structured corridors now extended, reinforced and calculated for efficiency.
At the center of it, the Automation Extraction Facility came online.
It activated and panels aligned. Mechanisms locked into place. A low, constant hum replaced the scattered noise that had once defined the mine. From within the facility, the first wave of extraction drones assembled themselves with quiet efficiency—sleek, purpose-built, each unit designed not for combat, but for speed, precision, and relentless output.
They dispersed immediately. No commands needed as they new their purpose.
Minerals were cut, extracted, and sorted in a continuous flow that made the previous methods feel primitive by comparison.
Three hundred percent faster wasn't an estimate but an accurate depiction with how the drones did their job.
—
Elsewhere in the tunnels, the seventy combat droids that had once served as makeshift miners stood in formation.
They had been inefficient for the task. Durable, yes. Capable. But not designed for extraction. Every swing, every impact had been a compromise between function and purpose.
Now, they had a different one.
Their configurations shifted in sequence, internal systems recalibrating.
[MODE UPDATE: SUICIDE DETONATION ENABLED]
They moved as one, not in haste, but with a shared directive that removed hesitation entirely. At the far reaches of the mine, where expansion had slowed due to density and instability, they formed clean, measured rows.
With the spacing calculated and the depth confirmed.
BOOM
Each explosion was timed, positioned to fracture the rock in controlled segments, opening new veins, extending the tunnels outward with a precision that mirrored the efficiency of the new drones that followed behind to process the debris.
Where once progress had been incremental, it now advanced in bursts.
—
Back within the core systems, production lines shifted again.
The new combat units began assembly.
Unlike the previous models, these were built with intent that extended beyond durability.
Titanium frames formed the foundation—light enough to maintain mobility, strong enough to absorb impact that would have crippled older designs.
Above their shoulders, compact plasma launchers settled into place, calibrated for controlled bursts rather than sustained fire. Along their arms, the mechanisms for retractable plasma blades locked in, dormant but ready.
Ten units per day where produced and sent to stand in formation.
—
Daruis continued walking around to confuse anyone who might be spying on him even though hes close to base.
Nothing about his outward movement reflected the scale of what had just changed.
He let the interface return one final time, not to browse, but to confirm something.
[INFRASTRUCTURE STATUS: ACTIVE]
[EXTRACTION RATE: +300%]
[DRONE PRODUCTION: 40 / WEEK (SCALABLE)]
[COMBAT UNIT PRODUCTION: 10 / DAY]
[MATERIAL: TITANIUM INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
This wasn't just control anymore, itt was acceleration towards his milestones.
The kind that turned advantage into inevitability—if left uninterrupted.
His gaze shifted slightly, catching the faintest movement at the edge of his vision, but of course it was a normal creature that looked like a bunny but abit larger and aggressive, he didn't pay any attention to it and simply went for the secret entrance to his cave.
Daruis let the interface fade completely this time.
His hand moved just enough to settle naturally at his side, posture relaxed, pace unchanged.