Chapter 46: Level 2 Tower of Souls
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Upgrade Level 1 ⟨Tower of Souls⟩
Cost: 100 Nightmare Stones.
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Choose the Upgrade Path:
Ⅰ. Soul Refinery:
⟨Increases the number of souls that can be refined simultaneously.⟩
⟨Current Capacity: 50 → 200⟩
⟨Refinement Speed: Greatly Increased.⟩
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Ⅱ. Soul Archive:
⟨Stores refined souls and records information about every absorbed Nightmare.⟩
⟨Allows retrieval of biological data and compatible Builder materials.⟩
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Ⅲ. Soul Sentinel:
⟨Transforms the Tower of Souls into a defensive Soul Structure.⟩
⟨Can temporarily manifest Soul Guardians using refined souls.⟩
⟨Consumes Soul Essence during combat.⟩
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"..."
Edgar silently looked at his system panel, which had much more detail than any other building before.
His eyes moved from one option to another, each better than the last in its own way.
Every one of them looked absurdly valuable.
’The first one solves my current problem.’
An increase in the refinement capacity was something that he needed the most.
But that didn’t stop him from looking over the other two options.
The second one looked more like an encyclopedia.
Every Nightmare absorbed would become research material that could be used.
To Edgar, who wanted to build better weapons, this ability was priceless.
’The more I know about my enemies, the better I will become.’
Then there was the last one, which was the most tempting.
’A defensive structure...’
A Soul Structure capable of fighting, something that could defend.
Edgar slowly rubbed his chin.
If the Tower itself could summon defenders...
Then his Fortress would gain another layer of protection.
"..."
He suddenly felt a headache coming.
’Why are they all so useful?’
Choosing one meant giving up the other two.
’If I choose wrong...’
He looked toward the mountain of Nightmare corpses surrounding the Fortress.
The smell had already begun growing stronger.
’Ah, fuck it.’
"...Soul Refinery."
The words escaped his mouth the next instant.
There was no point in possessing more information or stronger defenses if the thousands of corpses outside rotted away before he could use them.
’And I can always create more ⟨Tower of Souls⟩s once I expand my Fortress.’
The system responded immediately.
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⟨Upgrade Path Confirmed.⟩
⟨Soul Refinery Selected.⟩
⟨One hundred White Nightmare Stones will be consumed.⟩
⟨Proceed?⟩
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Edgar didn’t hesitate and whispered softly,
"Confirm."
One hundred Nightmare Stones flew into the air and cracked, with white liquid flowing out of them.
The liquid flowed toward the black tower.
The moment it touched the surface, everything within the Fortress trembled, including the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩.
BOOOOOOM!
Dark mist erupted from every crack along its body and dense ribcage-like structure.
The black stone began expanding upward in the same twisted way as before.
The tower finally stopped after growing nearly ten more meters.
New crimson runes slowly appeared across its surface, and the archway of eternal darkness widened as well.
Once the transformation was complete, another notification appeared before him.
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⟨Level 2 ⟨Tower of Souls⟩ Successfully Upgraded.⟩
⟨Upgrade Path: Soul Refinery⟩
⟨Soul Capacity: 200⟩
⟨Soul Refinement Speed Increased.⟩
⟨Current Refinement Time: 7 Hours → 6 Hours⟩
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Edgar let out a deep sigh and looked at the new tower, which appeared even more terrifying than before.
After telling Andrew about the increased number of bodies the tower could refine, Edgar walked toward his new house.
By the time he returned, the house was complete.
"...Damn."
Edgar couldn’t help but whistle.
The house wasn’t particularly extravagant.
Instead, it had a clean and sturdy appearance.
Smooth gray stone walls rose proudly from the ground.
Edgar walked inside the house while his gaze moved upward.
A gently sloping tiled roof rested above the second floor, while a sturdy stone chimney rose from one side.
Edgar slowly climbed the short stone steps before pushing open the front door, and a spacious hall greeted him.
Directly opposite the entrance stood a stone fireplace connected to the chimney.
To the right was an open kitchen, complete with stone counters and wooden cabinets.
Even the dining table had already been created.
"Huh..."
Edgar looked around with visible satisfaction.
’The system really builds everything.’
It had even created shelves, chairs, cupboards, and a proper staircase leading to the second floor.
Each room had wide windows overlooking different parts of the Fortress.
The room at the very end led to the feature Edgar cared about the most.
The bathroom.
Edgar stepped inside, looking at the stone bathtub that sat against one wall.
Beside it was a drainage channel connected to the underground sewage system he had designed.
At the far end was a western style toilet that made his body fully relaxed. ’Finally...’
There was even a simple water tank connected to the rainwater collector on the roof.
’This is good enough...’
Edgar was more than satisfied with the outcome.
Compared to his previous house, this one was like a five-star hotel.
Walking downstairs, Edgar arrived at the kitchen and found a hatch on the left side.
A staircase descended underground, lit by a small opening.
The basement wasn’t particularly large.
Its walls were reinforced with thick stone, while sturdy wooden shelves lined both sides.
Food, materials, Nightmare Stones, and especially people. All of them could be safely stored here.
Even if the house above collapsed, there was a good chance the basement would remain intact.
’Well, I just hope this house doesn’t get destroyed.’
Edgar sighed and walked out of his house to find Viera and ask her for food.
Once he had eaten his fill, Edgar walked back inside his house.
He climbed back upstairs before collapsing onto the bed without even bothering to remove his boots.
With everything he had gone through, Edgar really needed a good sleep.
"...Just one hour."
He mumbled while staring at the ceiling.
"I’ll only sleep for one hour."
Less than a minute after he closed his eyes, he fell asleep without a care in the world.
---
When Edgar woke up, a whole Eternal Night had passed.
The automatic function of the ⟨Watch Tower⟩ had kept the whole place safe from Nightmares.
The first thing Edgar did after waking up was order Andrew to prepare the carriage.
Today was the day he had promised to visit the Yamhad Clan’s Main Fortress.
It was time to start the construction of the ⟨Breeding Plant⟩ building.