Morning came quietly to Marcus's territory.
For once, the sounds of battle did not echo from the dungeon entrance.
Instead, the settlement hummed with the organized rhythm of an army preparing for expansion.
Marcus stood on top of one of the watchtowers, looking out across the mist-covered forest beyond his walls.
The fog rolled endlessly between the trees like a living ocean.
Somewhere out there…
Other players were fighting to survive.
Others were probably dying.
And in one day—
The Beginner Protection Barrier would disappear.
Marcus exhaled slowly.
"Guess it's finally time."
Behind him, Lyrielle climbed the tower steps.
Her golden hair shimmered in the morning sunlight.
"My lord."
Marcus turned.
"Morning."
She stepped beside him and looked out over the forest.
"Your orders have already been carried out."
Marcus nodded.
Below them, the gates of the territory opened.
One by one, undead squads marched out.
Skeleton warriors.
Archers.
Knights.
Priests.
Each unit moved in perfect formation.
Every squad contained exactly 100 soldiers.
Marcus had organized nearly a dozen of them.
Exploration units.
Scouting forces.
Mapping teams.
Each squad disappeared into a different direction of the forest.
Marcus watched them vanish into the mist.
"Let's see what's hiding out there."
Lyrielle nodded.
"Your army will uncover everything eventually."
Marcus smirked.
"That's the plan."
A Question About Dungeons
Later that afternoon Marcus stood inside the dungeon entrance again.
Cold air drifted through the stone halls.
Blue flames flickered along the walls.
Skeleton patrols marched through the corridors endlessly.
Marcus leaned against one of the pillars.
Something had been bothering him.
He pulled up his loot logs again.
Four dungeon runs.
Four dungeon cores.
Every single run of the wild dungeon had dropped one.
But his own dungeon?
Hundreds of runs.
Thousands of kills.
Not a single core.
Marcus scratched his chin.
"...That's weird."
Liliana happened to be nearby, supervising a group of goblins preparing for their training run.
She noticed Marcus staring at the system interface.
"What troubles you?"
Marcus looked at her.
"The dungeon cores."
She raised an eyebrow.
"What about them?"
Marcus gestured toward the dungeon entrance.
"I got one core every time we cleared the wild dungeon."
Liliana nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"But none have dropped here."
Liliana thought for a moment.
Then nodded slowly.
"That is normal."
Marcus blinked.
"...Wait what?"
Liliana explained calmly.
"Dungeons created by the world itself are wild dungeons."
She gestured toward the archway.
"Your dungeon is territory-bound."
Marcus tilted his head.
"And?"
Liliana shrugged.
"Territory dungeons are stable training environments."
"They generate resources and monsters."
"But they rarely generate cores."
Marcus groaned.
"So I have to find wild ones?"
Liliana nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus rubbed his face.
"Of course."
That meant exploring deeper into the world.
Which…
Honestly sounded exciting.
Marcus grinned slightly.
"Alright then."
"Guess we're going dungeon hunting eventually."
One Day Remaining
The sun slowly sank toward the horizon.
The territory was calm tonight.
Training squads had returned from the dungeon.
Exploration units reported their first findings.
Forests.
Rivers.
Small monster packs.
Several goblin settlements.
Nothing too dangerous yet.
The world outside still seemed relatively tame.
But everyone knew the truth.
Once the protection barrier dropped…
Everything would change.
Players would begin expanding.
Territories would clash.
Wars would begin.
Marcus sat outside his house for a while, staring at the mist beyond his walls.
The dungeon behind him hummed quietly.
His army patrolled the territory like tireless guardians.
He had resources.
He had allies.
He had nearly two thousand soldiers.
Marcus chuckled softly.
"Yeah."
"I think we're ready."
Nightfall
Marcus eventually returned to his house.
The wooden door creaked softly as he stepped inside.
The warm interior felt comforting after the cool night air.
He stretched slightly.
Then stopped.
Because all four rabbit girls were already inside his bedroom.
Sitting on his bed.
Waiting.
Marcus blinked.
"...Uh."
Blue-Eyed Rabbit smiled brightly.
"We thought you might want company tonight."
Green-Eyed Rabbit nodded eagerly.
"You always look so serious lately."
Hazel-Eyed Rabbit tilted her head playfully.
"So we decided to help."
The fourth rabbit girl with near-black eyes simply patted the bed beside her.
Marcus laughed quietly.
"You four are trouble."
Blue-Eyed Rabbit giggled.
"Maybe."
Marcus shrugged.
"Alright."
He climbed into the bed.
Immediately—
Four soft, warm bodies moved closer.
One curled against his chest.
Another rested against his side.
Two more pressed against his back.
Their fluffy rabbit ears brushed lightly against his face.
Marcus froze for a moment.
He had fought monsters.
Cleared dungeons.
Built an army.
Commanded thousands.
But somehow…
This felt more dangerous.
Green-Eyed Rabbit wrapped an arm around him.
"You feel warm."
Blue-Eyed Rabbit rested her head on his shoulder.
"You work too hard."
Hazel-Eyed Rabbit whispered softly.
"You should relax sometimes."
Marcus chuckled quietly.
"...Yeah."
Maybe they were right.
The room grew quiet.
Soft breathing.
Warm bodies.
Gentle warmth beneath the blankets.
For the first time since arriving in this world…
Marcus felt something different.
Not excitement.
Not adrenaline.
Not ambition.
Just…
Peace.
He closed his eyes.
And slowly realized something else.
Cuddling with someone…
Actually felt really nice.
Marcus smiled slightly in the darkness.
Tomorrow…
The protection barrier would fall.
Tomorrow…
The real game would begin.
But tonight—
For the first time in this strange new world—
Marcus fell asleep truly happy.