It took him quite a few moments to come to terms with his new haul. He hadn't been expecting much when he put the prices of the better skills at a Tier 1 Recruitment Order.

But now his entire world had turned upside down. He cursed himself for settling for a simple return for each of the skills. While only a few had sold for the price of a Recruitment order. There were still enough others to continue his bronze draw addiction without any worries.

He was only annoyed that he had already used up his scouting opportunities for the day. He had wasted them on simple recruits. Even the worst Tier 1 Citizen was worth several times their number.

He would have to wait until tomorrow to summon the Tier 1's. He needed them to be as competent as possible.

With a pack of Shadowhounds scouting around the protected zone. He would need all the help he could get.

It did give him more than a little bit of hope.

With the manual close to reaching three Tier 1 recruitment orders. He cursed himself for not thinking of it before.

After all, there were far more people at the townhouse level who could afford to buy a Tier 1 Recruitment order. But couldn't get their hands on a Bronze Draw.

He couldn't help but sigh in relief. The path past the protection period was far more clear. After listing the unsold skills back on the market, he began to recoup his bronze draws once again.

With no use for the recruitment orders for the moment, he ventured out into his little village. A small measure of despair could be felt in the air.

The news of the Shadow Hounds had put far more pressure on the people of the village. They weren't confident that they would be able to survive.

The same could not be said for Leonard. Who seemed to be full of energy as he was ordering around the few recruits.

The small militia had grown to eight people. The people recruited the day before were already looking more competent.

For now, he had to talk to Leonard about the forces he would need to survive the fight against the beasts.

"I haven't hunted the beasts before. As such I can't be sure about how to kill them all. But any other Tier 1 Citizens you can add to your realm would no doubt be a help. These lot might be able to kill one or two, but anything more would be a real challenge."

The fact the current militia could kill one was more than he was expecting. He imagined that it was Aaron who would be doing much of the heavy lifting.

At the very least he had managed to outfit the militia with all uncommon equipment. Making them quite a bit more powerful than they would otherwise be.

With another day of training, he hoped that they would be able to take down a few more. Especially with Tier 1 Citizens leading the way.

While he hadn't seen Leonard in action, he did seem like a powerful combatant.

Leaving the barracks behind. He was more than pleased that the walls were already beginning to take shape. They were around six feet high. While he hadn't seen a Shadow Hound, he doubted that the walls would be able to hold them back for long.

It was then that Hunter David returned from his morning hunt. He had another hunter by his side to replace Johann who had lost his life the day before. Unfortunately, the new one was young and had little potential.

He had a grave look as he approached Julius in the centre of the village.

"They have found us. I saw at least seven of the beasts lurking outside the area of protection. That is the only thing keeping them at bay."

That was not what Julius would have liked to hear. Even seven would be a monumental fight. He was sure that there was far more. Hidden from the Hunter's view.

He decided to head to the outskirts for the first time since he had arrived in this new world. To see what exactly they would be facing.

At the edge of his land, it took him quite a few moments to see the first Shadow Hound. It was Hunter David who pointed out the first Monster he had ever seen.

Even with the guidance it was difficult to see the creature that had melded into the shadow of the tree.

It did make him feel better seeing the creature. The Shadow Hound was a little smaller than he had been expecting. It didn't even come up to his waist.

Its sleek black fur made it more than a little difficult to see. Even without the hint of magic that had the shadows curling around it.

Its glowing red eyes were the most clear thing, allowing him to notice the creature.

"That is one of the adolescents of the pack. I doubt they are even a Tier 1 beast."

Any hope that he did have immediately came crashing down.

It took another few minutes of looking for him to see his first mature shadow hound.

The sight of which nearly had him falling to his knees in prayer for salvation. The beast was twice as tall as the adolescent and three times as long.

The glowing canines and far brighter eyes also made him feel less than secure. Even with the divine barrier still in place protecting him.

He could feel a similar pressure emanating from the beast as he did with Leonard. The only unfortunate thing was now that he knew what to look for, he could sense quite a few more of equal power.

He stopped counting after ten, making his way back to the village with weak legs. The weak stone walls gave him far less security than they did before he saw the monsters.

There was no way that the walls would be able to stand against a pack of adult Shadow Hounds. While he had enough equipment to outfit every villager with uncommon bows. He knew that many of them wouldn't have the skill to use them. Most too old to be able to use skill scrolls at all. A disturbing thing to learn.

Only Daniel seemed to have any talent with the bow, as even Leonard and Aaron struggled. Their talents were firmly elsewhere.

After the walls were complete, the Farmers would have a few hours to practice. He hoped by tomorrow they wouldn't have to worry about that.

With a few more Citizens of Leonard's calibre. He would feel far more comfortable without the barrier. As it was he couldn't help but feel the impending doom.

He wished that it would be something he would be able to share with others. But with the forums empty and the High Lord's not being even the slightest bit worried. He had no choice but to check back into the market.

That did make him feel a little better. While the manual hadn't managed to make its way to four Tier 1 Recruitments. With three more, he was now up to six recruitments for the next day. At his current pace, he wouldn't have a problem obtaining ten orders. It was only a shame that he was still limited to fifteen scouting opportunities.

He would have preferred to use them up over the coming days. But it seemed that it wouldn't be an option.

What was now an option, was reaching higher. A Tier 2 Recruitment order was on the market for seven Tier 1 Orders.

With a peak Tier 2 on his side, he didn't think he would have to worry about much. They would have great equipment and the option for a few powerful skills. He was sure that over the next day he would be able to make such a powerhouse far stronger.

With a flip of a stone, his course was set.

He would be aiming for the Tier 2. He didn't see any other way forward. He knew from his first Tier 1 Recruit that most of the people he scouted wouldn't be able to make a difference quickly enough to matter. That wouldn't be the case for whatever Tier 2 Warrior he would recruit.

With the path set, he was far more focused on keeping the skills that might be useful for the next day.

With only one more recruitment order to earn. He spent the evening earning the final recruitment order needed.

It seemed that luck wasn't on his side this time around.

Night had long since fallen when he finally had his hands on the Tier 2 Order. Now that he had made his choice. Anything going wrong the next day would spell his doom.

He could hand out skills to every member of his village. But with only a day's practice, he doubted that it would work out in any way.

Hunter David had come in periodically with even more dire news. The numbers had only been growing throughout the day. It was now all or nothing. He would have one final day to prepare. He could only feel blessed that it wouldn't be in the middle of the night when the barrier fell.

If the shadow hounds were worried about attacking during the day. It might give him the chance to prepare even more.

It would be a race against time on that final day, to see what could be done. But for now, he could only fall into a restless sleep with the thought of recruiting a Tier 2 on his mind.