Blind Paragon: Soul Devourer in a Game-Like World

Ch.9 Spiritrock Village

The golden light expanded outward like a wave, washing over the entire clearing. Yun Kai's sensory bubble lit up with the energy, tracking the transformation happening around him.

Where there had been empty grass and dirt, structures began to materialize. Wooden buildings rose from nothing, their frames solidifying in seconds. A central hall, larger than the others, appeared at the heart of the clearing. Smaller houses sprouted around it like mushrooms after rain.

The light faded, and silence fell.

[Congratulations to player Yun Kai on successfully establishing the Desolate Martial World's first village and becoming an example among players. Please name your village.]

Yun Kai thought for a moment. The name needed to be meaningful, connected to the land.

"Spiritrock Village," he said aloud.

Since he was in the area of Spiritbone Mountain, which was a small part of the main Blackrock Mountain range, the name felt appropriate. Spiritrock. A combination of both.

[Player has successfully established Spiritrock Village and won the mark of "The First Village in the Desolate Martial World." Please make more efforts.]

[The system indicates that as the first player to establish a village in the world, player can obtain a Random Summoning Card of a Legendary Warrior General and a Special Building: Dragon King Temple, with a reputation value of 500.]

Yun Kai's eyes widened beneath his blindfold. A Legendary Warrior? Those were supposed to be incredibly rare. And a special building on top of that?

Before he could process the rewards, another notification appeared.

[The system prompts that the player will cause a world announcement this time.]

"Can I keep my anonymity?" Yun Kai asked hurriedly.

He knew that being too high-profile would attract unwanted attention. The saying goes that the tallest tree in the forest is the one that gets cut down first. If he announced himself to the world, every ambitious player and faction would target him.

[No. Players in the Desolate Martial World cannot remain anonymous under any circumstances. Blazing head-on and in the spotlight is the true way of an Imperial Conqueror.]

"Now this'll be unnecessary trouble," Yun Kai muttered, his face darkening. He cursed the system internally.

[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Player Yun Kai successfully established the first territory, Spiritrock Village. We hereby encourage and reward a Random Summoning Card of a Legendary Warrior General and a Special Building: Dragon King Temple, with a reputation of 500.]

The announcement repeated two more times, each one echoing through the minds of every living being in the Desolate Martial World.

Yun Kai could only imagine the chaos it was causing. Hundreds of billions of players, all hearing his name at once. All learning that someone had already claimed first place.

After the world changed into this game world and everyone was reset to equal strength, chaos had erupted in every previous organization, including the Verdant Cloud Kingdom.

The ambitious had begun to rebel immediately. Royal authority meant nothing when the King and his generals were no stronger than a common soldier.

Now all previous factions, whether top-tier or third-rate, were no more. Everyone who had chosen the Lord Class had to start from square one, building a village from nothing.

But Yun Kai didn't have time to worry about that. He focused his attention on the village that had just materialized around him.

His sensory bubble swept over the buildings, mapping their locations. The village hall stood in the center, a sturdy wooden structure two stories tall. Around it, several smaller houses had appeared, they were simple but functional. And off to the side, a temple with an ornate roof that his senses recognized as different from the other buildings.

The Dragon King Temple.

Yun Kai pulled up the village attributes in his mind, and what he saw made his breath catch.

[Name]: Spiritrock Village

[Grade]: Primary Village

[Title]: The First Village in the Desolate Martial World

- The attraction rate of refugees increased by 30%

- Resource productivity increased by 30%

- Crime rate decreased by 20%

[Attribute (God)]:

No.1 in the World:

- The attraction rate of talents increases by 50%

- The attraction rate of special talents increases by 100%

- After subordinate talents enter the village, they automatically increase 10 loyalty

Keeping a Name in History:

- For legendary generals and legendary advisers, the attraction rate is increased by 50%

- The probability of players accepting legendary generals or legendary advisers is increased by 50%

- The difficulty of completing tasks is reduced by 30%

Divine Beast Arrival:

- Player can obtain a divine-level pet egg in the village hall

- After the pet egg hatches, you can obtain a divine beast to suppress the village

- Increases special attributes of the village

- Provides protection of the divine beast when the village is attacked

Holy Land:

- Due to the special bonus of the God-Level village building token, the spiritual energy within the village has been increased by 100%

- The rate of attracting cultivators and hermits has been increased

- The breakthrough speed of all subordinate professions in the territory has been increased by 50%

Land of Choice:

- All residents within the territory will be upgraded by one cultivation sub-stage

Number of Villagers: 1/1000

Public Order: 0

Popular Support: 0

Tax Rate: Three out of ten (30%)

Warehouse Resources:

- 100 units of grain

- 100 units of stone

- 100 units of wood

- 100 units of grass carp

- 100 gold coins

Total Resources: 400 units + 100 gold coins

Upgrade Requirements [Town]:

- 1000 units of grain

- 1000 units of stone

- 1000 units of wood

- 1000 units of grass carp

- 10,000 gold coins

- 1000 residents

Existing Buildings: 3/10

[Primary Village Hall]: The village can be upgraded in the village hall. It is also the living place of the village head. Tasks can be released in the village hall for appointment and removal.

[Primary Houses (10)]: Can provide housing for villagers. One house can accommodate three people. Upgrading the house can increase the capacity and sense of belonging of villagers.

[Dragon King Temple]: With the special effect of favorable weather and rain, the grain yield in the territory will be increased by 30%, the ripening speed of plants will be increased by 30%, and the effect of alchemy medicine will be increased to 100%.

Buildable Buildings: [Blacksmith Shop], [Primary General Store], [Primary Medical Center], [Primary Military Camp], [Primary Tailor Shop], [Divine Warrior Pavilion]

Yun Kai stared at the information flooding his mind, completely speechless.

"What in the fucking eighteen hells," he finally blurted out.

The curse slipped out before he could stop it. He couldn't help it. The attributes were absolutely insane.

This wasn't just good. This was game-breaking.

The God-Level attributes alone would make other players weep with envy. No.1 in the World meant talents would flock to him naturally. Keeping a Name in History made recruiting legendary figures fifty percent easier. Divine Beast Arrival gave him a literal divine beast as protection.

And the Holy Land? A hundred percent increase in spiritual energy meant everyone in his village would cultivate faster than anywhere else in the world. Breakthroughs that took others years would take his people months.

Then there was the Land of Choice. Every single resident would automatically level up just by living here.

Yun Kai couldn't calm down. His mind raced through the implications.

No matter whether it was the early stage or the later stage, these attributes were absolutely unmatched. Even a complete novice like him with zero game knowledge could become a super overlord with advantages like these.

Had he just become a monster? A super monster with the double blessing of being the first village in the Desolate Martial World and having a God-Level village building token?

He took several deep breaths, trying to steady himself.

The upgrade requirements were steep, yes. Ten times the resources of his starting amount, plus a thousand residents. But with the bonuses he had, gathering resources would be significantly easier.

And the buildable buildings list included something that caught his attention immediately.

Divine Warrior Pavilion.

That was the blueprint he'd received as a reward. A unique building that couldn't be found anywhere else.

Yun Kai's mind finally began to settle. Shock gave way to calculation. He had incredible advantages, yes. But he also had a massive target painted on his back.

The world announcement had made sure of that.

Every ambitious player now knew his name. They knew that he had the first village and had gotten legendary rewards.

They'd come for him. Eventually, they'd all come.

But by then, he needed to be ready.

Yun Kai walked toward the village hall, his bare feet finding the wooden steps leading up to the entrance. His sensory bubble mapped the interior as he stepped inside.

The hall was spacious, with a high ceiling and sturdy wooden beams. A large table dominated the center, perfect for meetings or planning. And at the far end, a throne-like chair sat on a raised platform.

The village head's seat. His seat.

Yun Kai approached it slowly, running his fingers along the armrests. The wood was smooth, polished, clearly crafted by the system to be more than just functional.

He sat down, and immediately a new notification appeared.

[Welcome, Village Head Yun Kai. Your journey as a Lord begins now.]

[New Quest Available: Gather Your People]

[Description: A village without people is just empty buildings. Attract your first ten residents to Spiritrock Village.]

[Reward: 50 gold coins, 1 primary housing upgrade token]

[Time Limit: None]

Yun Kai leaned back in the chair, processing the quest. He needed people. Without residents, none of his advantages mattered.

But how did one attract residents in this new world? Would people just wander into his village randomly? Did he need to go out and recruit them personally?

He pulled up the village management interface in his mind, searching for answers.

A section labeled "Recruitment" appeared.

According to the system, refugees would naturally migrate toward established villages over time. The rate depended on the village's attributes and reputation. With his bonuses, refugees would be drawn to Spiritrock Village faster than anywhere else.

But he could also actively recruit by completing quests, helping people in need, or offering benefits that other villages couldn't match.

Yun Kai's lips curled into a smile beneath his blindfold.

He had the best starting advantages in the entire world. The highest-grade village token with unique buildings and legendary rewards waiting to be claimed.

All he needed now was to play smart. Build carefully and grow steadily.

And when anyone with evil intentions came knocking, he'd be ready to show them exactly what a God-Level village could do.