Early the next morning, Leo stepped out of his room, and the entire atmosphere of the Lord’s Mansion felt different.
Gone was the lifeless, stagnant air from the past few days.
Chef Hans hummed a rustic tune as he brought out the grilled meat, which was twice the amount served yesterday.
Even Old Tom, the usually silent coachman, had polished the old carriage until it gleamed.
But the biggest change was Alfred.
The old butler looked ten years younger, standing straight with a spark in his eyes.
He handed over a hand-drawn map and a list.
“Young master, I stayed up all night organizing this.”
Alfred’s voice was steady and firm.
“The map marks the residences of all the Blackwood Town residents — thirty-seven households, one hundred twenty-six people.”
“The list details their most urgent supplies: mainly food, salt, and cloth.”
Leo chewed on a meat chop while looking at the crooked marks on the map, feeling a bit impressed.
This kind of initiative, in his past life, would be considered a top-notch assistant.
“Well done, Afu.”
Leo mumbled his praise indistinctly.
“Set these aside for now. I have more important matters today.”
“You mean… to improve our strength?”
Alfred understood immediately.
“That’s right.”
Leo finished his breakfast in a few bites, downed a large cup of milk, and wiped his mouth.
“To guard against external threats, we must first secure the internal situation. But in our case, if we don’t pacify the ‘outside,’ the ‘inside’ won’t be stable either.”
He patted the old butler on the shoulder.
“I’m entrusting the internal affairs of the territory to you.”
“Go and interact with the townsfolk. Tell them their lord has returned and that we’ll find ways to ensure everyone lives well.”
“Your tone can be firm — let them know who’s in charge — but don’t bully anyone.”
“Understood, young master.”
Alfred bowed and accepted the order.
Leo smirked and turned to leave.
Today’s goal was clear: keep leveling up and test out new skills.
Right now, he felt like a player who just obtained a new version of a legendary weapon, full of relentless motivation.
Territory management?
Winning the people’s hearts?
Those were life skills.
How could they compare to the thrill of fighting monsters and leveling up?
***
At the entrance to the Black Forest, the familiar sparse woods greeted him.
Leo skillfully opened his skill panel.
After reaching level 10, several new icons on the skill tree had unlocked.
One, marked with a flame symbol, caught his eye.
【Fire Elemental: 45 mana cost, 6 minutes duration, 90 HP, 18 attack (attack applies burn, causing damage over time)】
【Skill Description: Summons an irritable enforcer from the Fire Elemental plane. Please maintain a safe distance; it has a bad temper.】
Wow, pure DPS unit.
Half the HP of the Earth Elemental but with real damage potential.
18 attack points, plus continuous burn damage — this was a monster-killing godsend.
“You’re the one!”
Leo didn’t hesitate and invested the skill point.
He raised his hand, channeling his spirit power along the new path, and magic surged.
“Come forth, my enforcer!”
With a dramatic whisper, the air before him warped, and the temperature suddenly rose.
A humanoid figure made of flickering flames appeared out of thin air.
Standing only about one and a half meters tall, it radiated intense heat, causing nearby grass to curl and yellow.
“Hah, this entrance effect beats that clumsy Earth Elemental any day.”
Leo nodded approvingly.
The Fire Elemental immediately flailed its fiery arms in agitation, clearly displeased with this strange new world.
Leo could vividly feel the emotions it projected: irritable, easily angered, itching to burn something.
“Calm down. Follow me — there’s plenty for you to burn.”
Leo soothed it through their mental link.
Then he summoned his old comrades.
One Earth Elemental, two Skeleton Soldiers, two Shadow Wolves, and three Skeleton Archers.
A luxurious nine-unit expedition team assembled.
The Earth Elemental marched heavily at the front.
Two Skeleton Soldiers flanked it protectively.
The new Fire Elemental bounced behind the Earth Elemental, exuding restless energy.
Two Shadow Wolves melted into the shadows, ready to strike.
At the rear, three Skeleton Archers drew their bone bows, alert.
Even Leo himself felt an overwhelming sense of security just watching this formation.
“Move out! Target: mid-forest zone!”
At his command, the team advanced into the depths of the forest.
Soon, they encountered the first wave of enemies.
Three level 7 Claw Grey Wolves.
If this had been yesterday, Leo might have been cautious.
But today, he only wanted to say, “The advantage is mine!”
No need for his direct orders; the team’s combat AI kicked in automatically.
The Earth Elemental charged forward, ramming one Grey Wolf and tossing it around wildly.
The other two wolves swiped at it, but only sparks flew off its body.
“Go, little bones!”
The two Skeleton Soldiers immediately flanked from the sides, striking the wolves’ waists and legs with their rusted iron swords.
Meanwhile, the Skeleton Archers began firing.
Three bone arrows struck one Grey Wolf pinned down by the Earth Elemental.
At that moment, the new Fire Elemental found its target.
With a piercing screech, it shot forward like a cannonball and slammed into a Grey Wolf’s face.
“Awooo—!”
A mournful howl echoed through the woods.
-18!
A high damage number popped up.
The wolf’s body was engulfed in orange flames, and its health bar started ticking down at -3 per second.
“Damn, that burn damage is no joke!”
Leo’s eyes gleamed.
The Fire Elemental weaved through the battlefield like a fiery assassin, striking the wolves with deadly precision.
Its fighting style was elusive and high-damage.
The two Shadow Wolves fully embraced their role as “dirty tricksters.”
When one wolf rolled on the ground from burns, a Shadow Wolf suddenly lunged from its shadow, sinking its teeth into the wolf’s neck.
In less than a minute, all three Claw Grey Wolves lay dead.
【Claw Grey Wolf Lv7 killed, gained 90 XP】
【Claw Grey Wolf Lv7 killed, gained 90 XP】
【Claw Grey Wolf Lv7 killed, gained 90 XP】
The series of prompts made Leo’s experience bar visibly jump.
“Beautiful!”
He snapped his fingers and stepped forward to loot.
Three intact wolf pelts and several wolf teeth — good materials indeed.
“Alright, time to move, work crew.”
Leo issued new orders to the two Skeleton Soldiers.
They immediately dropped their weapons; one hoisted a wolf carcass, while the other dragged the remaining one behind the group.
The scene was quite comical.
A tank, melee fighters, ranged attackers, assassins, and now porters.
This team was almost perfect, except for lacking a healer.
Over the next few hours, Leo let himself loose completely.
He commanded his summoned army, stirring up a bloody storm on the forest’s mid-level outskirts.
Level 8 Poisonous Flowers were reduced to ash by the Fire Elemental’s flames.
Level 9 Forest Striders never got the chance to run before the Earth Elemental knocked one down with a single punch, and the Archers riddled it with arrows like a porcupine.
They even encountered a Level 12 Armored Boar.
Its tough hide repelled blades and swords.
But the Fire Elemental roasted it to medium rare before the Earth Elemental mercifully ended its suffering.
Leo’s level rocketed like a rocket.
【Ding! Congratulations on reaching Level 14!】
【Name: Leo】
【Level: 14】
【Class: Summoner】
【HP: 720/720】
【MP: 600/600】
【Strength: 5】
【Agility: 6】
【Constitution: 36】
【Spirit: 60】
With the level up, Leo gained 20 attribute points and decisively allocated 10 to Constitution and 10 to Spirit.
His health and mana bars soared again.
Now his maximum mana reached 600, greatly enhancing his endurance.
This steady growth felt so reassuring.
“Calling it a day!”
He glanced at the sky and decided to stop for today.
He still understood the dangers of overexertion and exhaustion.
On the way back, the team looked even more imposing.
The two Skeleton Soldiers carried the three wolf carcasses, with several Forest Strider corpses tied on their backs with vines.
The massive Armored Boar was hauled by a newly summoned Earth Elemental.
Their staggered gait resembled overworked office workers going grocery shopping after clocking out.
Leo followed behind, humming a happy tune.
By the time they exited the forest, dusk had begun to fall.
In the distance, Leo spotted Alfred speaking with a group in the clearing outside the Lord’s Mansion.
The people wore simple, even tattered clothes, their faces pale and wan.
They were the residents of Blackwood Town.
When they saw Leo and his “grand” hunting party — especially the two Skeleton Soldiers carrying mountain-sized prey — the townsfolk erupted.
Fear, awe, and curiosity filled their gazes all at once.
Alfred clearly hadn’t expected Leo to make such a dramatic entrance.
He froze momentarily, then hurried forward.
“Young master, you’ve returned.”
He glanced at the trophies and flickered with astonishment in his eyes, but quickly regained composure.
“Yeah, today’s haul.”
Leo said casually.
He stepped before the trembling townsfolk, pushing the still-burning Fire Elemental and the rock-solid Earth Elemental forward.
“See this?”
Leo pointed at the mountain of prey they carried.
“The forest’s monsters will now be our source of meat.”
“Follow me. I can’t promise much else, but at least, you won’t go hungry anymore.”
The townsfolk stared fixedly at the piled-up kills, then at the powerful elemental beings beside Leo.
Their throats rolled nervously.
Fear still lingered.
But a new feeling called “hope” quietly began to sprout in their eyes.