Chapter 44: The Final Hero Recruitment Scroll! Sylvie Is Finally Back!

As expected, the World Channel erupted into another frenzy, but this time, the reactions were different from before.

"Wait, guys, has anyone noticed... those skeletons get back up thirty seconds after you kill them?!"

"HOLY SHIT!!! I just sent a squad in to collect the loot, and the resurrected skeletons surrounded us from both sides! My HP is almost gone!!!"

"HELP! I’m surrounded over here too! My Level 2 units!!!"

"What the hell is this mechanic?!"

"I just want to know how Tyrant cleared the whole thing in 40 seconds... Don’t his skeletons resurrect? Or is the system specifically screwing us over?"

John watched the World Channel fill with cries of despair, his expression unchanged.

It was no wonder the players were so shocked.

The Undead race had only appeared in the Newbie Map for the first time since the 133rd Newbie Map refresh. Naturally, very few people knew about its resurrection mechanic.

The same applied to John’s hidden class, Undead Sovereign. Ever since the game launched, it had never appeared in any publicly available records.

As for the exact reason, John had no idea.

He stopped thinking about it, closed the World Channel, and turned his attention to his rewards.

A four-star unit training license?

"Better save it for now. Resources are better spent on higher-star units. There’s no point training weaker ones when I don’t need them."

Next.

[Item: Epic Resource Plot · Gold Vein]

[Quality: Epic]

[Type: Territorial Production Structure]

[Description: A rare gold vein blessed by the power of abundance. It reliably produces gold coins and has a cultivation cycle of 24 hours, yielding one harvest per day.]

[Output: 50,000 gold coins per harvest.]

[Upgrade Requirements: Water of Life ×10, Basic Wood ×50,000, Basic Stone ×50,000, Iron Ore ×50,000.]

[Current Level: Lv.1 (One harvest per day)]

Without hesitation, John waved his hand and tossed the Gold Vein blueprint onto an empty patch of ground beside the castle.

The moment his 10,000× Acceleration talent took effect, the earth began to churn.

Layers of ocher-colored rock burst out from underground and split apart. In the blink of an eye, a deep mining pit appeared.

Conveyor belts, mine carts, and support beams assembled themselves with a series of mechanical clacks.

Golden light spilled out of the pit, instantly bathing the entire area in a warm, radiant glow.

The entire process took less than a minute.

[Ding! Gold Vein construction complete!]

[Would you like to collect the first harvest immediately?]

"Harvest."

[Obtained: 50,000 gold coins!]

The number displayed in John’s resource panel jumped sharply upward.

John nodded in satisfaction.

This was great.

However, he knew that, just like the rice paddy, the Gold Vein could only be harvested once per day.

If he wanted it to produce multiple harvests in a single day, he would have to upgrade it.

"Water of Life... I can look for some tomorrow while I’m out."

John then turned his attention to the final reward.

[Hero Recruitment Scroll]

"Wait."

John paused to think.

"Didn’t all my speed-clear rewards over the past few days include Hero Recruitment Scrolls?"

"If that’s the case, as long as I keep securing the speed-clear rewards over the next thirty days, I should be able to obtain a steady supply of recruitment scrolls."

"If so, why not take a gamble? See if I can summon Sylvie!"

With that thought, John abruptly raised his head toward the night sky. He no longer hesitated.

Riiip—!

The scroll slowly tore open.

Golden specks of light burst between his fingers.

The scroll transformed into a streak of light and shot straight into the heavens.

[Ding!]

[Connecting to the Hall of Heroes...]

[Connection established!]

[Temporal interference detected. Reacquiring the hero’s coordinates...]

[Coordinates locked!]

[Hero advancement requirements satisfied. Initiating Heroic Spirit Advancement...]

[Advancement complete!]

A magnificent golden gate slowly opened in the sky.

Beyond it lay the boundless sea of stars John had seen on the game’s login screen. Just as before, countless points of light traveled between the stars.

Then, different lights began to glow.

The next instant, a brilliant crimson beam descended vertically from beyond the gate.

It resembled a miniature sun. Its red radiance flooded the center of the plaza, and the ground trembled slightly.

Yet the stone paving remained intact. The light simply spread outward.

Within the crimson glow, a figure appeared, kneeling on one knee.

She was a young woman, perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old. Her fiery burgundy hair was tied into a high ponytail, the ends bouncing gently in the waves of energy while a few loose strands fell across her forehead.

She wore lightweight burgundy leather armor edged with dark golden patterns, matching bracers covering her forearms, and a fitted belt that accentuated her slender waist.

Knee-high leather boots covered her lower legs.

As she knelt, her vivid red ponytail fell over her shoulder and hung almost to the ground.

John stood motionless, his eyes lighting up.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Lord "Tyrant"! You have successfully summoned the SSS-ranked Hero—Sylvie!]

"SSS?!"

John’s mind went blank for a moment.

It was Sylvie!

And her rank was different from what it had been in his previous life. She had actually advanced to a higher rank!

As the crimson light faded, the red-haired girl kneeling on one knee slowly raised her head.

Her burgundy eyes were round and bright like a cat’s, with slightly upturned outer corners.

Their eyes met.

Sylvie froze for a moment. Then her burgundy eyes widened slightly as overwhelming joy flooded her face.

"...My lord?"

Her voice trembled with disbelief.

The next instant—

"My lord!!!"

Her red ponytail flared like a blazing flame as Sylvie shot toward John like a bolt of crimson lightning, crashing straight into his arms.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she wrapped both arms tightly around his neck and practically hung from him.

The impact forced John to take half a step backward. He instinctively reached out and caught her around the waist.

She was warm in his arms, her body trembling slightly.

Ophelia stood to one side with her arms folded, watching the two of them with obvious displeasure.

"Hey! What are you two doing?"

Her voice rang out.

Sylvie suddenly seemed to realize something. She glanced around.

There was Ophelia, radiating an icy aura. Raistlin stood nearby with his staff, while Bladeborne looked thoroughly bewildered.

Sylvie hadn’t realized anyone else was present. She hurriedly released John and jumped backward two steps, her face instantly turning red all the way to her ears.

"S-Sorry, my lord! This subordinate has been terribly disrespectful!"

She lowered her head, her voice filled with embarrassment.

"I just... when I saw you... I couldn’t help myself..."

The entire territory suddenly fell silent.

John, however, looked at her with warmth in his eyes. He chuckled softly.

"It’s fine."

Hearing that, Sylvie smiled again and raised her head, looking around curiously.

The castle seemed somewhat familiar.

But why was everyone around her a stranger?

A flicker of confusion crossed her face. After looking around once more, she turned back to John and asked in a small voice,

"My lord..."

Her voice was soft and sweet.

"Where are we? Did we... win?"

"Have those alliances that bullied us all been driven away?"