The murky grey-black fog returned, and the Eternal Night retreated into the depths of the unknown.

Edgar stood at the top of the ⟨Watch Tower⟩ and looked down upon the massacre he had caused.

As far as his eyes could see through the fog, there were dead bodies upon dead bodies of Nightmare monsters.

Edgar had lost count of how many he had killed last night.

In a fit of rage, he had even consumed almost his entire reserve of Nightmare Stones.

Taking in a deep breath and fighting back his sleepiness, Edgar turned and walked to the other side of the ⟨Watch Tower⟩.

There, Andrew and his mother were sleeping alongside old man Oswald.

Edgar observed Oswald, who was having a hard time breathing properly.

’The stress of constant life and death battle is too much for a person of his age.’

His presence stirred Andrew, who groggily opened his eyes.

"Young master?"

"Get up." Edgar said with a smile. "We have work to do."

The young boy quickly nodded and gently adjusted his sleeping mother’s position.

He walked down the staircase alongside Edgar and stepped onto the ground.

The first thing they did was check on the chicken coop, but thankfully, being close to the ⟨Watch Tower⟩ had kept them safe.

The moment they opened the small wooden door, a chorus of clucks greeted them.

Edgar closed the coop for now, as he had different plans that could keep them safe.

He then checked on the young horse, even though it was frightened, it was safe.

After making sure everything was in order, the two walked outside the broken walls.

The morning fog still covered the landscape making visibility harder.

But the aftermath of the battle looked even worse from down below.

Craters covered the ground, and scorched earth stretched in every direction.

Broken scales, shattered claws, and chunks of black flesh littered the battlefield.

But most importantly... their entire line of sight was filled with Nightmare Stones!!!

"Holy Mother..."

Andrew subconsciously whispered before looking at Edgar.

"Y-young master...?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"What are you waiting for?" Edgar replied, rolling up his sleeves. "Get to work."

The two of them began collecting the Nightmare Stones from all over the place.

At first there was no need for buckets, but their pockets couldn’t hold them all.

Andrew quickly rushed inside and brought out the cart they had.

Edgar walked around the broken battlefield and noticed quite a few similar-looking Nightmare Materials.

He picked one up, and multiple lines of text appeared over it.

⟨Nightmare Material: Ashscale Drake Fragment⟩

⟨Grade: White⟩

⟨Ability: A fragment that can be used to create high-quality armour.⟩

Edgar keenly noticed something amiss.

’There is no need to perform a ritual to use it.’

But the more he thought about it, the more such conditions made sense.

The fragment could be crafted into armour without a need of ritual, it was afterall hard enough as it is.

’And with how many of them are here, I can definitely create quite a few suits of armour.’

Edgar put aside the Nightmare Materials and began collecting the stones.

Suddenly, he noticed a clay-like object close to a dead body.

’A Nightmare Shard!’

⟨Nightmare Shard: Stonehide Colossus⟩

⟨Grade: Green⟩

⟨Ritual: Bury it beneath a boulder for seven days and seven nights.⟩

⟨Ability: Increase physical durability.⟩

Edgar’s eyebrows rose.

"A defensive ability..."

It was the first time Edgar had gotten his hands on something like this.

A direct enhancement to durability was considerably more straightforward and better.

He carefully stored it inside his pocket.

No matter what, a Nightmare Shard was valuable, especially to someone as poor as him.

The two of them continued collecting the stones.

After half an hour, the cart, which was capable of carrying hundreds of kilograms, was completely filled.

Edgar and Andrew walked back to the fortress and placed the cart beside the Unbroken Fire.

Viera, who had been awake for quite some time, spoke cheerfully.

"The food is ready."

’She is doing a good job keeping her cool, even though she was terrified last night.’

Edgar thought and nodded with a gentle smile.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Lady Viera came out carrying bowls of soup and bread she had made with her own hands.

"Let me count them for you, young master!"

Oswald, who had walked down the staircase, said in a ragged voice.

He sat down beside the cart and began counting.

Viera handed one bowl to Edgar and another to Andrew.

---

By the time Edgar was done eating, old man Oswald had finished counting the Nightmare Stones.

"We have a total of 438 White Nightmare Stones, young master." Oswald informed him delightedly.

"Additionally, we have 6 Green Nightmare Stones, 4 Nightmare Shards, and 15 Nightmare Materials."

Edgar rubbed his face and began calculating his next course of action.

’Even though that lizard monster ran away, there is a high chance it will come back.’

He stared in the direction where the monster had vanished.

’If my instincts are right, it will attack tonight with a larger force.’

Edgar was worried about the monster.

But he was more worried about the one controlling it.

The unknown monster was far more dangerous than the lizard.

’I need to upgrade the entire fortress,’ Edgar thought, standing up. ’Starting from the outer layer.’

He turned his head and looked at the fortress wall, which was almost broken.

At his will, a screen appeared in front of him.

---

⟨Level 1 Fortress Wall⟩

Can withstand attacks from low-level Nightmares and provide shelter.

Cost: 5 Nightmare Stones per meter.

---

Edgar quickly began calculating in his mind.

’A five-metre-tall wall with around a fifteen-metre circumference will cost 375 Nightmare Stones...’

With the fortune he had made, Edgar didn’t hesitate this time.

With a single thought, he decided to create a Fortress Wall around his new home.

The moment Edgar confirmed the upgrade, the pile of Nightmare Stones beside the Unbroken Fire began to tremble.

One after another, they floated into the air.

"Not this again..." Andrew grumbled, nearly dropping his bowl.

The familiar sight of hundreds of Nightmare Stones rising into the sky was still difficult to get used to.

The stones shattered one after another.

Milky-white liquid poured out and surged toward the old fortress walls.

New stonework began forming from scratch right in front of everyone.

The white liquid continued breaking apart the old wall and building a new one in its place.

It resembled an invisible craftsman rebuilding the fortress piece by piece.

Before long, the old fortress wall had completely disappeared.

In its place stood an imposing five-metre-tall stone wall that encircled the entire fortress.

For the first time since arriving here, Edgar felt as though he actually lived inside a fortress.

A system notification appeared.

⟨Fortress Wall Upgraded Successfully⟩

⟨Current Level: 2⟩

⟨Durability Increased Significantly⟩

⟨Resistance Against Green Grade Nightmares Increased⟩

⟨New Feature Unlocked: Patrol Path⟩

Edgar immediately focused on the last line.

’Patrol Path?’

Yet before he could investigate it, old man Oswald suddenly fell down.

It was as though his legs had given up.

A faint whisper of disbelief escaped his lips.

"Impossible..."