"Yes," Isaac said.
A soothing warmth spread through his body, like something buried deep inside him was finally awakening.
For a moment, everything went quiet.
There was no sound, or feeling, just the warmth expanding until it filled every corner of his being.
[Lord Talent awakened.]
[100% Drop Rate (SSS).]
[Talent Details: Your troops can gain 100% drop rates from monsters and dungeons.]
Isaac’s eyes widened slightly.
"100% drop rate?" he muttered under his breath.
He understood exactly what that meant.
In this world, killing monsters rarely guaranteed anything.
Even after mowing down hundreds of monsters during Emily’s trial, he hadn’t gotten a single drop.
The chance was barely one percent, and that was being generous.
Drops from dungeons were a little better—around five percent—but it was still too low.
Dungeon rewards, the items you got after clearing a dungeon, were random too.
Even though a dungeon could offer up to seven kinds of rewards, most people walked out with only half of that.
The rarer the item was, the lower the odds to get it were.
But now, with this Talent, all of that changed.
"I and my monsters can get one hundred percent drop rates..." Isaac said slowly, then a grin crept onto his face. "That’s... incredible."
The warmth in his chest faded, and his vision darkened for a moment before snapping back.
He was back in his body, standing in the same chamber.
Everyone around him was watching closely.
Their eyes were fixed on him as if waiting for the verdict.
"It’s done," Isaac said in a calm voice.
A collective sigh of relief spread through the crowd.
Then, the room erupted in cheers.
Freya and several others clapped.
The new reporters stepped forward trying to get an interview with Isaac.
The principal of the Sanctum of Masters smiled faintly, stopping them. "Then we should give our new Lord some space. I’m sure he has much to do now that the city is officially his. Lord Isaac, we will be waiting for you in the meeting hall."
"Alright," Isaac said with a nod.
The crowd began filing out one by one until only a few remained: Leora, Emily, Alice, Celia, Priscilla, and Ruby, the City’s AI.
Ruby’s holographic form flickered before bowing politely.
"Lord, shall I begin the system briefing?"
"Yes," Isaac replied.
Ruby nodded. "You can open your Lord Profile to view your current status, your level, Lord Talent, troops, citizens, and available blueprints. You’ll also find the City Shop and the Lord Quests section there."
"Alright," Isaac said.
Ruby continued, "Since you’ve just become a Lord, the Tutorial Quest should have already been activated.
"I recommend creating a task force to continuously farm the dungeon that appeared nearby. It will close after seven days.
"You should also organize a workforce to begin upgrading the city’s walls and Sky Dome. Both will be crucial to your survival," she said.
Isaac nodded thoughtfully. "Got it."
Then, he turned toward Emily, Alice, Leora, and Celia.
"There’s something else you all should know," he said.
He quickly explained his new Talent and the details of the Tutorial Quest.
Leora listened carefully, her brows knitting slightly.
"A hundred percent drop rate... I’ve never heard of anything like that before," she muttered.
"Is it good?" Isaac asked, curious.
Leora crossed her arms. "It’s not as flashy as the Talents most Lords get. The ones I’ve seen or read about usually let them summon rare troops or give massive stat bonuses to their armies.
"Yours sounds plain in comparison..." She paused for a moment, then added, "But in reality, this is a lot better than theirs."
Isaac tilted his head. "How so?"
"With a hundred percent drop rate," she said seriously, "we can gather resources faster than any other Lord. Every monster, every dungeon, nothing will go to waste. We’ll have materials, blueprints, rare resources, and coins constantly flowing in. It’s the kind of Talent that builds strength quietly but relentlessly."
Isaac nodded. "That’s what I was thinking too."
He took a moment to plan before speaking again. "Leora, gather all the top four guilds except Titan Edge. Form a strike force and send them to the nearby dungeon. I want it farmed day and night until it closes."
Leora nodded immediately. "Understood."
"Alice, Emily," Isaac continued, turning toward them. "You two will team up with Titan Edge guild members and clear the monsters around Fortified City 89. Start from Sector 2 and move outward. That’ll help both of you complete your Quests as well."
"Got it," Alice said.
Emily gave a confident smile. "We’ll handle it."
Isaac then looked at Celia. "You’ll move with Leora. You’ll act as our messenger between teams. If something happens, I want information moving instantly. Leora, keep her safe."
Leora opened her mouth to protest. "And who’s staying with you?"
"Ruby and Priscilla," Isaac said, pointing to the AI projection and the dragon maid standing quietly behind him.
Leora frowned slightly. "I should still stay with you. It’s too risky otherwise."
Isaac shook his head. "The Tutorial Quest starts in three days. We can’t afford to waste manpower. Everyone needs to be where they’re most useful."
His tone left no room for argument.
"Go. And tell Vale to meet me here on your way out."
Leora frowned.
They had a lot of back and forth, but unlike other times, Isaac refused to budge.
She finally clicked her tongue and nodded. "Fine. Just don’t push yourself too hard."
One by one, they began to leave.
Emily stopped in front of him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before heading out.
Alice lingered a little longer.
She stepped close, hugged him, and whispered softly in his ear, "Don’t sleep with that maid. I won’t say anything about Celia, but don’t go near another dragon. You already have me."
Isaac chuckled quietly.
"I wasn’t planning to," he said, kissing her forehead.
Alice hugged him a little longer before walking out.
Then came Celia.
She leaned in, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and whispered, "You’re sleeping with me tonight."
Before he could respond, she winked and followed Leora out of the room.
Isaac sighed and rubbed his lips with a wry smile.
The mischievous sparkle in her eyes before she left made it clear she wasn’t joking. Shaking his head, he turned back to business.
"Alright," he said under his breath. "Lord Profile."
A transparent screen appeared before him, filled with organized data.
...
Name: Isaac Hargraves
Lord Level: 1
Lord Talent: 100% Drop Rate (SSS Rank)
City Level: 1
Citizens: 90,546 / 150,000 (Click to expand details)
Troops: 12,199 / 25,000 (Click to expand details)
Blueprints: None
[Shop] – Purchase unlocked blueprints
[Lord Chat] – Communicate with other regional Lords
[Lord Quests] – View and track active quests
...
Isaac studied the screen for a few seconds.
"So this is it," he murmured.
Ruby spoke beside him. "That’s your full City Interface. As you level up your city, more features will unlock. You’ll also gain access to resource management, territory expansion, and diplomacy functions."
"Good," Isaac said. "Let’s see what we can do with it."
He opened the [Shop] tab.
A long list of blueprints appeared.
Walls, mana reactors, watchtowers, production buildings, and resource farms filled the screen before Isaac.
Each blueprint was neatly categorized, its requirements clearly listed.
Most of them were still locked behind certain prerequisites, but a few were available for purchase.
He exhaled quietly. I can’t buy anything yet. I don’t have the resources or the money.
Even the cheapest blueprint cost ten Gold Coins.
The shop might as well have been a blood-sucking leech waiting for him to open his wallet.
Ruby, standing to his left, gestured toward the projection. "For now, I recommend focusing on upgrading the walls, the Sky Dome, and at least one production facility. You’ll need them ready before the Red Rain event begins."
Isaac nodded slowly. "Makes sense. What about manpower? How many people do we actually have who can work?"
"You currently have around ninety thousand citizens," Ruby replied without hesitation. "About sixty percent are registered workers. Thirty percent are students. The rest are awakened individuals or merchants. You can temporarily assign some of the awakened to assist with wall construction."
Isaac rubbed his chin. "But they don’t know anything about wall construction, do they?"
Ruby shook her head. "They will temporarily receive the knowledge once you assign them. The system provides it automatically. They will do for now. Though, I would recommend summoning proper workers after you build the summoning Altar. They will build things faster."
"They get the knowledge? That’s convenient," he muttered. "As for summoning the workers, that will have to wait for the building to be built first."
At the edge of the room, Priscilla stood quietly, hands clasped in front of her.
She had barely spoken since the awakening.
When Isaac turned toward her, she lifted her gaze slightly.
"Lord," she said softly, "should I prepare reports on the current resource stockpile?"
"You can do that? This is your first time here," Isaac said, surprised.
"If someone can provide the current metrics and access to the database, I can compile a detailed report immediately."
Isaac smiled faintly. "That’s good news. We’ll handle that in the meeting hall."
Priscilla bowed her head slightly. "Understood."
Ruby added, "Once the dungeon farming begins, you’ll start accumulating drops at a rapid pace. Since your Talent guarantees all possible drops, it would be wise to build a warehouse first. You’ll need a place to store the incoming materials."
Isaac considered it for a moment and nodded.
"That makes sense. I could use the Calloways’ warehouses for now, but..." He shook his head. "No. It’s better to rely on our own infrastructure. I’d rather not owe anyone favors if I can avoid it."
The doors opened then, and Vale entered the room.
His sharp eyes swept across the group before landing on Isaac.
"You called for me?"
"I did." Isaac turned, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Come with me. You’re going to be my secretary for a while."
Vale blinked. "Secretary?"
"Yeah. You’re organized, and I trust you not to lose your head when things get busy. Also—"
Isaac gave him a pointed look.
"Try to smile. It wouldn’t look great if the Lord’s secretary is glaring holes through everyone."
Vale’s eyebrow twitched. "I’m not glaring."
"You kind of are," Isaac said.
Vale tried to smile, and the result was so painfully awkward that Ruby burst into laughter.
She immediately covered her mouth and turned away when Vale’s glare shifted to her.
Isaac chuckled. "See? You’ll get the hang of it. Come on, we’ve got a meeting to attend. After that, I’ll need to address the citizens. They need to know a Lord’s taken charge, and that the city’s expansion wasn’t some freak accident."
Ruby nodded. "That would help calm the population. People have already started posting about it on the city network. Panic spreads quickly."
"You know about that?"
"I can access all of the city’s infrastructures. That includes the ’online network’ too."
"Then, let’s not waste time."
The group made their way down the hallway toward the meeting hall.
The building was still new-looking, at least, it looked that way after the city’s sudden upgrade.
The faint hum of mana conduits echoed through the walls as if the whole structure were alive.
Inside the hall, dozens of people had already gathered.
Representatives from the top guilds, city administrators, and a few high-ranking awakened individuals were waiting near the round table at the center.
Cameras flashed the moment Isaac stepped through the door.
"Lord Isaac!" someone called, and the room fell into a hush.
Isaac gestured casually. "Everyone, please sit. We’ll start shortly."
He turned to Vale and said quietly, "Get someone to bring the city’s resource stockpile documents to Priscilla. She’ll organize everything."
Vale nodded and motioned to one of the attendants.
Priscilla had already claimed a corner table.
Isaac was surprised to see she could handle the technological interface easily.
’Did those things exist in the past too?’ he wondered.
Her expression was calm, but her fingers moved quickly across the interface.
Isaac took a moment to survey the people gathered.