A Faction.

  Based on what he'd heard so far about the word, he was tempted to believe that it'd become something crucial in the future. Plus, it certainly made it quite intriguing how Ciara and the rest of her squad were acting all fidgety about a simple question. He could tell from the expression on their faces that they'd rather not tell him how to set it up; heck, Pirlo looked like he was ready to lunge for Ruben.

  The other Berserker seemingly crumpled under the immense pressure the rogue's focus was setting on his shoulders. Ciara, on the other hand, tried to keep all emotions off her face. At the surface level, she looked all calm and relaxed, like she was just thinking about how to phrase the answer, but Nathan was sort of an expert on the matter of decoding people.

  The face was the best feature to utilize when one wanted to sell a lie; his previous illegal activities before turning straight had taught him that. The greatest tell-tale sign of when someone wanted to pull a fast one on you were the eyes, and right now he focused on that sole feature — her eyes.

  A face that held nothing but thoughtfulness at a glance, but she had eyes that showed hesitation. He could spot it clearly; she might've known how to use her face to claim that she was thinking, but the eyes would always give the inexperienced liar away.

  And she's pretty inexperienced; Sparrow would've killed her for this.

  Nathan pushed down the murderhobo thoughts. He wasn't his old boss. If they didn't want to tell him how to create a faction, then they could leave. Sure, it might seem harsh to send them away with their current levels, but he would rather send them away than kill them for withholding information.

  Especially when they'd agreed to share information like that, especially when they'd eaten his fruit, and especially when they were currently in his stronghold pissing on his gesture of goodwill. All these different thoughts ran rampant in his head, but he made sure to keep a straight face and a blank eye—something that working for Sparrow had taught him.

  "So, how do I create a faction?" Nathan calmly asked again.

  He made sure not to make his voice rise or let his frustration seep in. It'd be their choice to decide if they wanted to give him that information. After all, the faction thing probably meant that he needed people in it to make it a worthwhile endeavor.

  Ciara nudged Pirlo, who broke his scathing gaze at Ruben, looking at the de facto leader warily. If Nathan wasn't sure before, he was now: they were definitely afraid of handing over that piece of information. A piece of information that the rest of the world probably knew because they'd attended the tutorial.

  Wait a minute.

  "Hope you guys know that the rest of the world already knows how to make a faction. Heck, there'd been five strongholds already built the last time I checked." Nathan said with a 'gotcha' smile.

  It was pretty much weird; five strongholds had already been formed since the last time he'd checked. Meaning right about now, a couple must've probably popped up. He wondered how exactly he was supposed to find out; in the end, he just decided to wing it.

  How many strongholds are on Earth?

  Planet Grade: F

  Strongholds: 13

  Thirteen!

  It'd only been hours since the tutorial had ended, and they already had thirteen new strongholds on Earth. Sure, most people had IQs that'd make him seem like a toddler, but still, it should've taken them more time to settle down.

  Or it could've been the handiwork of the others who skipped the tutorial.

  That too was a very reasonable suspicion; the others who'd skipped the tutorial and survived could theoretically be behind the emergence of the eight new strongholds. Inhaling deeply, he let the thoughts dissolve with an exhale. The pair of Ciara and Pirlo seemed to be done with their silent conversation.

  "It's not all that complicated. To create a stronghold, all you have to do is simply think the words 'Faction initiation protocol zero'. The creation wouldn't work unless you know the magic words." Ciara said in one breath.

  Nathan was a little bit skeptical about the words she'd just said, but what exactly could he do about the matter? Digesting the information, he concluded that the system wanted to punish those who'd skipped the tutorial by adding specific keywords that they probably wouldn't be able to guess on their own to the creation process.

  The words that Ciara had just said seemed a little bit far-fetched and something right out of a sci-fi movie, but he missed the tutorial, so there was no way for him to confirm if he was wrong or right. He stared at the squad, looking into their eyes rather than their faces to see if this was any ploy by them to somehow sabotage him. A brief nod by Ruben comforted him somewhat. Still sitting cross-legged, Nathan quietly sucked in a deep breath before letting it out.

  Here goes nothing.

  Faction initiation protocol zero.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Scanning Lord Nathan Orion for Faction Creation requirements…

  Requirements met.

  Name Faction…

  Nathan glanced at the screen in surprise; it was such a short message. Three lines in all, and the most important of them all had been saved for last — Name Faction.

  A single name popped up in his head immediately after he saw the question. Of course, it would probably be what would strike enough fear into the hearts of those who wished to oppress them. At the same time, Nathan was a little bit concerned about how silly it'd sound to the group once he told them what he'd chosen as the name of his faction.

  Let them laugh; it's a personal decision.

  That was pretty much how it was supposed to go. They might laugh, but he'd be the one with the stronghold and faction at the end of the day. With his mind set, Nathan told the system the name of his faction.

  My faction shall be named Blood Army.

  A moment before telling the system his choice on the matter, he'd felt like changing to something else but had ultimately decided to stick with Blood Army. Sure, Scarlet or Crimson Army sounded a lot less murdery, but at the end of the day, they were all inferior to the attention the name of his Faction commanded.

  Faction name assigned - Blood Army.

  Creating Faction…

  Time till Faction Creation is completed - 2 [23:58:22]

  Three days to create a faction!

  Nathan stared at the screen in confusion; he wasn't sure how long this was supposed to take, but it seemed like three days was a lot of time to simply confirm a name and all that. With an audible sigh, he closed the screen and faced the squad who had been eagerly waiting on him.

  Ciara and Pirlo looked tense, while Ruben was at ease. The rest of the squad were busy playing with the bunny that could easily molt the floor with them.

  "So how was it?" Ciara asked.

  Nathan pondered on how he was supposed to answer that question. Should he tell them everything or just use the single word 'fine' to explain his current situation? In the end, he decided not to be childish and actually talk instead of holding grudges.

  "It's good; I met the requirements," Nathan said. "Although it seems like it'd take three days before the faction is fully formed."

  "Yeah, that's the standard time according to the information the system gave," Ciara said with a nod.

  "What rad name did you choose for your faction, bro?" Ruben asked.

  The Berserker seemed to actually be interested in knowing rather than just wanting to change the topic or diffuse the suspicion in Nathan.

  "Blood Army," Nathan said with a childish glee.

  "Ughhh… Blood again. Don't you have something else that excites you?" Ruben said in exasperation.

  "There are other reasons other than that," Nathan chuckled. "And before you ask, no, I'm not going to tell you what they are."

  Ciara and Pirlo seemed to look at him with what he assumed was grudging respect, but he couldn't be too sure. The possibility of getting another ace up his sleeve might have been messing with his focus at the moment.

  "So is there anything else you guys think I should know?" Nathan said, deliberately facing the only other Berserker in the room.

  If anyone was going to fold and give him information that was going to be crucial to his survival, then it'd certainly be Ruben. The Berserker had dropped a couple of good-to-know information for him.

  "Nope!" The three said in unison.

  Well, there goes that plan.

  Either the Berserker had been sufficiently cowed by the rest of his squad, or the squad really had no other crucial information that could aid him right about now. Regardless of which of his suspicions was true, he knew that he wouldn't be getting any more information from the trio — or squad at large.

  "To be clear, we can still stay here for the time being?" Ruben asked. "I don't think I'll be comfortable out in the grass all night, plus it's cold too."

  Nathan marveled at how outspoken the Berserker was. It was as if Ruben's brain didn't process social cues and etiquette the way the rest of theirs did. Even Pirlo had a little bit of restraint when it came to conversations; the Berserker, on the other hand, just seemed to let his mouth speak his thoughts before he even considered the words and what they meant.

  But he gets the outcome he wants.

  "Yep, you guys are still welcome to stay as long as you'd like. Food might be a problem, though, but hopefully, we'll find a workaround to sort that out." Nathan said.

  "You have something in mind?" Pirlo asked.

  It was more of a statement than a question in reality, but the rogue had done his best to mask it as a question, so Nathan didn't hesitate to respond.

  "Yep, you guys are way too low-leveled to go out hunting in the forest." Nathan gently said.

  "True. I assume you have a solution to that?" Ciara asked.

  Of course, I do… depends on if you guys can actually survive an F-ranked dungeon on your own.

  He didn't say that, though. He had to pretty much lead them by the hand like they were children now. Looking at the squad members still playing with the bunny, he had the sinking feeling that some harsh lessons would have to be learned.

  Hopefully, ones that wouldn't leave anyone maimed, mauled, or dead at the end of the dungeon run, but still, lessons would be learned. There was no way that the entire squad would exit the dungeon unharmed. The monsters in there would definitely be higher than the ones they had faced in the tower, judging by their levels.

  Heck, the wolves would give them a heck of a challenge as they were. However painful it might be, Nathan couldn't and wouldn't stand in their way of progressing in the new world. He'd shepherd them from afar, but that would be the extent of his oversight. He wouldn't micromanage them.

  "Dungeons. You guys would benefit from a dungeon run," Nathan said.

  The cabin went silent. Those who had been playing with the bunny stopped and looked up; his words seemed to come down like a hammer on the room's playful atmosphere. All of a sudden, every member of the squad was focused and interested in what he had to say.

  "I don't think there's any C-ranked dungeon that can challenge us," Ciara said, uncertainty lacing her voice.

  C-ranked dungeon… Nathan had to resist the urge to burst out in laughter. He himself had barely survived the last.

  "If a challenge is what you guys are looking for, you'd all be lucky enough to get out of an F-ranked dungeon intact," Nathan said.

  He hadn't minced his words in the slightest; they would struggle in an F-ranked dungeon. It was on him to make sure they got out alive, and he'd do his best.

  "I believe you. Could you lead us to the closest F-ranked dungeon?" Pirlo asked.

  BOOK 1 COMPLETED ON PATREON.

  BOOK 2 POSTING HAS BEGUN.

  35 Chapters ahead using the orange link below ?

  PATREON PRICE HAS BEEN SLASHED.