[From what I can see, it is dungeons again... You will be facing monsters, similar to the ones you have met in the ones you've explored so far. However, they will be many more and much stronger. In the beginning they will be low leveled, but they will grow by two or three levels with each recurring invasion. You must improve your own civilization's strength quickly if you want to survive. In addition, there is a period of about four to five hours between the level restart and the time of the attack, so I would advise you to do some urgent dungeon dives. That should boost the level of your elites and reduce the pressure on the army. Since the Game System is already activated, you should know that there is a huge difference between a person with a Job and one without.]

"So Mia was right... The Jobs don't go away. They just become unavailable until level 10... That's excellent!"

[Glad that we could be of some assistance to you. Hmm... since Corbett already gave you a gift, I should do the same... Oh, right! By the way, his name isn't 'Kyrie'. That was just a title that he got... What should I gift you?]

"You don't have to give me anything. Just the extra knowledge is tremendously helpful. If I didn't know about those 4-5 hours before the attack, I would've faced a horde of monsters with LvL 1 people and might incur heavy losses..."

[That might be so, however I still want to give you something as well. I know! It might be somewhat early for you to get this, but I can't think of anything else. It will be a big help to you! Aaaand done! Hahaha! Now that bastard Corbett won't be able to brag anymore!]

The darkness seemed to swirl around my location and with it, it felt as if a cloud of smoke entered my lungs making me gag and become unable to breathe properly.

My body felt weak and I could barely maintain consciousness...

[Hahaha! It seems like that lass truly has a good eye for people. From Corbett until now, you are the first to be this compatible with my innate power! Not to mention that the degree of compatibility is also quite high... You're every bit of a monster Corbett used to be back then.]

"Thanks I guess... What sort of power is this? My body feels heavy as lead..."

[It will take some time for you to get used to it. If Corbett's are active skills, mine are passive. I am sure you will appreciate them greatly. Time's up for now! Get some rest and do your best in the upcoming first wave! If you do exceptionally well, the reward gets increased as well!]

"That’s a blatant foreshadow… Understood! Thank you for your help!"

[Hahaha! Is what we should do given that our fates are tied together? Oh, right! I have two pieces of advice left for you: one, find allies! You cannot hope to overcome this game alone and there are cases where the invaders band together to attack a single civilization. Unless you have a stupidly overpowered advantage, you can't dream of overcoming them on your own. Lastly... Find Laura!]

"Laura?"

[I know you might have some misgivings about her, however you will need her help. Moreover, not only her, the other three as well. Since they used the same type of heavenly contract as we did, they will be likewise reborn. If you can find them, they will be of great assistance in this game round! As for the reason why... the other gifts of Pandora are in their possession just like in your case...]

"The other three? How do I find them? Are they similar other Gods of this faction? Do you have a way to locate them? Hmm? Sir!? Mister Khrone?"

What a dramatic exit... This 'ancestor' of mine surely know how to leave one hanging… Nevertheless, my consciousness was already fading away and the previous cloud of smoke was continuously burring itself in my body. I fell unconscious and I let my mind relax in order to get some rest...

The morning light outside of window drew my attention to the sky I could barely see. Why barely? Because more than half of it was covered by a huge notification showing a big countdown...

Remaining time until the start of the first event:

47hours 59minutes and 35seconds...

I inspected the state my body was in and was happy to find out that I was actually fine even after most of the night I had reviewed memories with Khrone...

With another look, I saw the three kittens curled up around me as well. On my left side was Mia hugging my arm looking cute beyond description. On my right there was Decarbia hugging Alexandra, which was sleeping on my chest.

"I truly wouldn't mind if I could keep living like this for rest of my life..."

But that wasn't a possibility anymore. Given the notification window outside and the information I got from both Reaper and Khrone, even as a God I can easily die. Therefore, I cannot let my guard down at all when considering that…

"I am also quite a bit curious about Laura. Moreover, I need to help Eternity and the rest... Haaah! It becomes more and more tiresome..."

That day passed in a flash while the entire camp was as busy as a hive of bees. Everywhere you would look there was someone doing something.

The chef unit worked hard to prepare sufficient food for everyone and thanks to their efforts, there was sufficient energy to go around. The production unit worked overtime and about 300 longbows were crafter and over 1500 arrows. Because of that, we had to postpone the building of other things and focus on fortifying our defenses.

The home security unit were worked to the bone, worse than any others. Not only did they dig pitfalls and planted sharpened sticks at the bottom, but also added things like barricades of wood with spears pointing forward while between them, one of the strongest types of ropes we could craft was tied. Since it was inside the grass and disguised properly, it was supposed to act as a trap that would have the monster in front trip and be trampled by the ones behind.

“Quite the gruesome team-kill if you ask me…”

On the walls also there were many big rocks gathered, but most were moved on the west side of the camp since that was the direction of the Western Dungeon… as well as where the notification seemed to point at. Therefore, we reinforced the western gate and the wall itself more than the other locations.

At Decarbia's pyromaniac suggestion and because of Mia's helpful tendencies, they gathered resin from nearby trees and dried grass which they proceed to scatter in specific areas, all in order to hide the smell and act as an accelerant for the fire trap. Leaving aside how scary I thought these girls were, the idea itself wasn't bad since not only will it severely burn the shit out of those monsters, but it will also force them to attack the western gate only where our defenses are strongest.

The farming unit also helped by creating tranches and digging pitfalls here and there. For some reason, everyone thought the food was even better after working hard. I also couldn't understand why everyone was so excited about us being attacked, but I sincerely hoped that they weren't as battle crazed as Alexandra.

"Having 200 elves go berserk... that's way outside my endurance limits..."

The last unit, the dungeon divers, also worked hard, pretty much without rest. The team was split in two as we grinded both the Eastern and the Southern Dungeons simultaneously. The haul we got was decent regarding skill books. Even things like Fireball, Ice Rain or Heal dropped! Not only that, but even class change skill books dropped, but most were regular ones like Ranger, Priest or Knight.

The resources we gathered were quite ridiculous as well, but most of the metals were quickly melted into spears, arrows, swords and chest plate armors that were continuously manufactured by our (currently) never-sleeping production unit.

So when the night finally arrived, I took over the watch and had everyone forcibly go to sleep. Even if the camp was to be attacked by wild animals, given my level and skills I could easily take care of a couple of thousands without waking up the others...

The following morning, the camp resumed their strenuous activities at an even harsher pace. It made one wonder if they were actually looking forward to the battle tomorrow...

"I think the Gods of War would be jealous to death if they could see the way my people are acting..."

By the end of the day, most traps were finished and the fortifications of the walls were completed as well. Therefore we used most of the remaining time to continuously train the elves in archery. I didn't even go dungeon diving this time (since I wasn't even needed for the first four floors of each dungeon) and just stayed in and gave pointers.

"As expected of the fantastic elven race! They pick up archery crazily fast!"

I was impressed with the speed with which they learned it and even the farmers showed great talent in both ranged and close combat. I had them spar with one another so they can quickly get used to the weight of the weapons and armors, but given that the fight will be tomorrow... I sincerely doubt that their stamina would suddenly increase overnight anyway…

That night another emergency meeting was held and with it the final preparations were being discussed.

"From what you can see outside, we have 12 hours left until the attack. How's the camp status?"

[All preparations have been finished on the end of the security unit! After big sister Mia's inspection, it is expected that at least five to six hundred monsters will fall prey to the pitfalls, as long as they aren't bigger than a cow. In addition, if their numbers are high and they rush our defenses, the ‘trip-traps’ could kill at least a couple hundred more through having them trample each other. The third line of defense is the burning array set up and while its killing potential is the highest, it depends on the number that enters it. The fourth and final line of defense will be the wall itself where we can rain boulders and logs on them.](Claudia)

"It does seem that everything depends on their intelligence..."

"Good! I will command the battle myself! Hopefully the attack will happen only at the west Gate, otherwise we might be in trouble... Anyway, everyone worked extra hard these couple of days and I strongly advise you to properly rest! Especially the dungeon diving unit! Also..."

I hesitated a bit when thinking about it, but in the end I decided to just go with it...

"... tomorrow morning we should have some time between the attack and the level reset. That means that in that period, we will go dungeon diving to quickly increase our levels! If there are any of you who wish to join as well, let me know!"

The reply... a huge uproar where everyone was yelling crazily that they wish to join as well...

"..."

[Everyone, silence please!](Mia)

Surprisingly and quite saddening, the entire 200 people went deadly silent. Leaving aside the fact that I felt like crying, I was once more surprised by how respected this beautiful AI was by the others...

[We do not know how long it will take to actually level up to 10 and we are not sure that we could manage even for the first batch of 50 people belonging to the dungeon diving unit. However, if there is enough time, then we will try with as many as possible! Judging by the remaining time, tomorrow at first light we will wake up and prepare. Just like yesterday, everyone is to go to sleep early and try to relax as much as possible. Alexandra will say some words as well.](Mia)

I looked at Mia handling this like two major corporations were merging and passed the microphone to the second president to continue the presentation. It made me feel utterly useless... Well, at least the morale of the elves turned even fiercer after the following words.

[I do not have many things to say to you, except for 'we will certainly win'! There is not even a doubt on my mind that we will do that and even more so, we will do it in a grand manner! Under Michael's command, we will defeat the invaders tomorrow and prepare a grand feast to celebrate afterwards!](Alexandra)

Roars of excitement and continuous cheers came as a response from the crowd. I truly shuddered when realizing that indeed, these people were will surely become addicted to fighting and warring... Once again I felt like I just tripped another flag and sighed bitterly.

"With that being said, go home and rest well! Tomorrow, we fight to defend our camp!"

After another round of cheers, everyone went home for the night. The notification that lit up the skies appeared to be brighter than the moon and in my eyes, it was tinged with a slight reddish hue, giving off a foreboding feeling.

Since I didn't know for sure when the level reset will happen exactly and we didn't have an alarm clock, I already had Andrea prepare packed food for tomorrow's expedition.

"Hopefully there won't be any deaths in our camp. With the low numbers we have, I really can't bear to lose even one..."

Letting the girls sleep in the bed, I quietly sat on a piece of wolf fur placed on the floor and tried to meditate. The last time I used this technique was back on Earth and I found it impressively useful in clearing up one's mind of useless thoughts. With sudden clarity, I began assessing the situation objectively.

"There's an unknown number of enemies attacking, but according to Reaper, they won't be high leveled since a balance must be maintained. At the same time, Khrone mentioned that they will be monsters so it's not impossible that the attacking force would be monsters from the western dungeon."

Remembering the four different dungeons as well as their attributes, I realized that the remaining two could be either air or fire...

"Hopefully the monsters would be air-attributed. If they are fire attributed by any chance, then we're mostly screwed. If they have fire resistance, then the fire array might become less effective, or in worst case scenario, ineffective. That means that the monsters might breach the gates, changing the fight into melee. That would not necessarily be the worst idea, if I manage to raise the level of my dungeon diving unit and block the breached area with the highest quality troops. The equipment we have so far is insufficient to cover fifty people, but we should have enough for some 'tanks' to hold the fort while the rest attack from behind."

I realized that the most important part, on which our survival rested, was leveling up before the attack. The thing that everyone counts on, or rather… the person on which everyone counts on is no other than myself...

"In my case, Pandora's Gifts are skills granted due to the title 'Kyrie' I received, which on its own affected the Job and transformed it into Elf Lord. So even if my level drops and the Job disappears, my skills shouldn't. The difference is that in order to use the two skills, I require MP and at LvL 1..."

Realizing that the situation was rather dire, I analyzed the two available dungeons and decided that only the Eastern Water Dungeon will be suitable for leveling up. Since we don't have sufficient spells to deal with them and my mana probably won't be able to replicate large scale spells like Fire Storm to deal with all the monsters in one go, there really wasn’t the case of me being greedy…

"So the Western Dungeon it is! That means Murlocs for the first level and snakes for the second, while the third might be a streach for now. With the sheer number of monsters and the experience blessing from the World Tree, after grinding a couple of hours I should have them reach Job level and begin to focus on the remaining elves."

Without taking note of time, dawn was already upon us and the notification outside showed 6 hours and 20 minutes left. Suddenly, my body felt severely weakened and I crashed face-first onto the floor giving me a bloody nose.

The rather loud noise alerted the three sleeping girls and they woke up.

[Michael!? Are you alright? Ugh... what's this?](Alexandra)

[Master! Is it an enemy attack already!? What is this? My strength is leaving me...](Decarbia)

[...I can't feel anything...](Mia)

"I am fine... mostly... Status Page!"

The usual page I saw many times before, looked foreign to me at this point given the constantly decreasing numbers. After about five minutes, my body regained a meager portion of the former vitality, while I dropped to level 1.

Before I could inspect the newly 'acquired' status, I put my head out of the window and hollered as loudly as my throat allowed, destroying the silence of the camp.

"Everyone is to wake up and assemble in the Dinning Hall immediately! Prepare for departure within 15 minutes!!"

After coughing a couple of times, I peeked at the slightly surprised girls on the bed and chuckled seeing their expressions. Then I cursed in my head and realized that the elves might still not know how much is fifteen minutes…

" Anyway… It truly starts from here..."

[Uuuuu... my stats decreased...](Alexandra)

"You'll get them back!"

[Master... my spells...](Decarbia)

"You'll master them again!"

[Master, I have a Status Page now!](Mia)

"You'll get it back...EH!? You what!?"

World Tree growth!

Your World Tree is now 14 meters tall and fully controls and regulates the flora and fauna on Midgard!

Due to biomass being above requirement and the planet being fully stabilized in accordance to mana, the World Tree focuses on mana conversion.

Mana concentration growth has been improved by an additional 100%!

The World Tree found traces of a foreign energy and deemed it as dangerous!

The benefits provided to the Faeries race doubles!

New benefits will be provided to the sentient inhabitants of the Midgard!

Due to the sudden influx of mana, Midgard receives sufficient resources to undergo an upgrade to the second level!

The World Tree regulates and forcibly controls the upgrade! Due to the exccess of mana considered dangerous for the evolution of Midgard, the World Tree infuses the extra amount to the three dungeons under its influence!

Each dungeon grows by another twenty floors! Congratulations!!!

Due to the growth of your World Tree, the influence your religion has over the civilization improves!

The recognized territory of your civilization exponentially increases! The benefits provided by your religion have increased!

Due to 'Divine Forest Paths', your civilization receives a boost of 60% in Faith, Production, Social Policies and Research!

Since forests occupy more than 50% of your territory, the hidden bonus will be provided!

Armies fighting to defend the territory will receive a 10% increase in attack, defense, HP and MP, whenever an attack is recognized by the system! The event will begin shortly!

The comunication channel between players of the same faction will now open!

The Add Friends and Guild option has been added!

"Wao!"(1)

With a flurry of messages clouding my vision, I greeted the morning sun as well as day zero for the true start of the game with a wry smile on my face.

"At least we still have a trace of hope left... Now then, let the game truly begin!"

Name

Michael Corbett

Name

Value

Name

Value

Job Name

Level

Progress

Race

Elf

STR

25

Magic

10

Elf

1

0%

Sex

Male

DEX

27

Charm

15

Age

25

AGI

28

Luck

15

World

Midgard

END

22

Title 'Kyrie'

HP

230/230 (+0.4/sec)

INT

32

Free Attribute Points 0

MP

180/180(+0.25/sec)

WIS

25

Skill List Name Level Proficiency Identify 1 0% Pandora's Gift - Pandemonium 1 0% Pandora's Gift - Imaginarium 1 0% Demonic contract (Active) 1 0% Blessings Improved Blessing of the World Tree

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(1) - Everyone is a returnee reference