The guild branches were at their peak, and the roofing was almost done. The next step would be the interiors but, with the number of people working on each guild, it was estimated that everything would be finished within a few days, a week at most.
Overall, the buildings would take about a month or so, even with massive resources invested, which was very impressive.
Interestingly, the construction had also become somewhat of a contest between the mercenary and adventurer guilds to finish their buildings faster.
The mercenary guild was much more chill, happily selling stuff to both sides.
It was really petty, but Finn didn’t mind. The sheer number of people in his territory because of the construction and the new connections was making him very happy. Further, he had gathered a small mountain of toughened cores because of them.
He really took advantage of this high-level crowd to earn more from his Class B meals.
They not only had miraculous effects that assisted in people’s fights by a huge margin, but they were also incredibly delicious.
Once eaten, one would never forget the taste. The food, in and of itself, became a tourist attraction.
He charged a large amount of toughened cores and only had to make a few meals, making a day’s loot extra gratifying. That said, Class B Essence food was too good and usually incredibly expensive. The number of cores he asked for a delicious meal was actually quite inexpensive considering everything.
Finn had spent considerably longer time at night to continuously absorb these cores that he had gathered.
And like this, before any of the three guild branches were completed, he upgraded to Toughened Tier 2!
...
When Victor and Marcus’ teams, at this time, had just returned from the extension. They saw him bonding with the kids near the barrier. Some people with sharper eyes saw there was something different about him.
Then, after a closer look, realized that he had upgraded!!
They had been training hard in the extension, and they had managed to book the dorm room for three days (the maximum a person could rent at a time).
They had been training relentlessly. Before they discovered the inn, they simply did not have the energy or the time to be this hardworking. Now that there was the barrier and the resources, how could they waste it?
They were certainly getting a sense of urgency with the monsters seemingly growing stronger and more numerous!
Someone even ranked up, and this was rightfully a point of pride.
But...look at Finn! Already upgraded when they still remembered it hadn’t been long since his last one!
"Already!?"
They surrounded him, looking at him up and down, as if looking for techniques they could duplicate.
Leiah narrowed her eyes at him. "Your potential isn’t just A-Class, right?"
Finn didn’t answer, and everyone else gaped at him.
"HOLY BRINDLEJAW—" Herbie, one of Victor’s men, gasped. His brother, Hudson, was no less shocked.
"S...S-Class? No way? Is that possible??"
They say this just because they hadn’t heard this rank even existed. If they did, it was just a legend or a rank that had become obsolete.
That said, logically speaking, this upgrade speed could not be described by anything else!
Finn shrugged. "What can I do when I’m born with this talent? Just make do, just make do."
"..."
Damnit. Was he always this punchable?!
...
The Adventurer Hall finished first, and the Mercenary Hall completed a day later. As for the merchant guild, they were in no rush, so they’d still take a week or so.
That said, there had been small caravans had started to frequent the place during the mass construction period.
Using the camping space they rented for a day, many of them set up stalls, selling some daily necessities like toiletries, shampoo, and so on. These things were relatively affordable in towns, but were in short supply in places like the danger zone.
Merchants really adapted well, huh?
Meanwhile, while many merchants were busy making a killing, certain fighters were egging each other on.
"Hmp! It’s such rushed work, who knows if it’ll keep standing."
Somehow, an elder from a mercenary guild branch (not from Lotus Town) was there, and he critiqued the adventurers’ building.
The adventurers rolled their eyes. "We’re just more skilled! Just like in fighting. We can definitely do better than you guys, who could easily be pushed aside by a monster of the same level."
Speaking of mercenary branches, the one in Lotus Town had sent a letter through a guest. They were cordially inviting him to their guild branch in Lotus Town, and they guaranteed great hospitality.
Dutifully ignored, of course.
Finn had known that the mercenaries of Lotus Town were bullies, and even his staff member Micc (along with other friends) were victims to their bullying.
If they wanted to meet with him, then they had better go here and contribute to his economy first! Hmph!
...
The roads were also completed as well during this time, though he did things at his own pace. He put aside time to sleep, to cook, to train, to absorb, and to spend time with his loved ones. Whatever was left was given to road-building.
Fortunately, the process itself was simple. Finn just had to step over the land, press [Build Road] in the Hearth Panel, and the road section would appear. The money and hearth points were subsequently deducted from his wallet.
Gideon was there to guard him the entire time, and it was amusing when he saw some people going to the inn, shocked to see him making large patches of concrete land appear out of nowhere.
When he reached Lotus Town, people looked at him in awe, even inviting him to banquets. But who had the time to do these things?
Finn only used the chance to finish up the last lessons for the soy sauce and vinegar making while he was there, so when the harvest came in, they would be able to produce their largest batch of sauces yet!
Soon, all branches were completed, and Finn celebrated with 50% off in the canteen for a week, attracting even more guests!