Nicely done…

Before long, Elynn, riding her Silver Pegasus, and Ethan, mounted on Green Dragon Seraphina, arrived at a dense jungle.

Just outside the jungle, there was a small lumber resource point, which Elynn had already captured. Inside, diligent Dwarves were hard at work, tirelessly gathering wood.

Seeing this, Ethan suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Oh, right, Elynn. I've got some extra gold, resources, and a batch of 4th-tier Battle Dwarves. Take them."

"Yes, sir!" Elynn quickly nodded, accepting the resources and troops.

But the moment she saw the sheer amount of gold, resources, and Battle Dwarves, her eyes widened in shock. "W-Wait… this much?!"

The recent wave of system rewards had granted Ethan a staggering 250,000 gold and a massive stockpile of 15 units of each of the six major resources!

For Emerald Castle, which was practically bankrupt and struggling to rebuild, this was nothing short of a lifesaving fortune. It would be more than enough to sustain and develop the keep for a long time.

And the 56 Battle Dwarves? They were a godsend, solving their immediate manpower crisis almost entirely!

On top of that, with such an abundance of gold and crystal resources, she could finally upgrade her two 7th-tier Pegasus Knights into 8th-tier Silver Pegasus Knights…

As Elynn was contemplating this, unsure of how to bring it up, Ethan spoke again in a calm voice.

"Go ahead and upgrade your Pegasus Knights to Silver Pegasus Knights first. As for the future, I'll figure out a way to secure an Enchanted Spring for Pegasus Knight recruitment. You don't have to worry about that."

Then, with a reassuring tone, he added, "Elynn, you were my first hero. Trust me, I won't let you down."

Hearing this, Elynn's eyes glistened with emotion. A deep sense of loyalty surged within her—she would fight and die for a leader like this.

Without hesitation, she dropped to one knee, bowing her head. "My lord, I swear to be the sword in your hand, carving out new lands in your name! Even in death, I will never retreat!"

Ding!

Congratulations, player 'Valkarion,' for earning the absolute loyalty of S-rank Rare Hero, Silver Pegasus Knight Elynn! Special quest triggered: 'Path of the Hero's Ascension.' Through training and battle, Silver Pegasus Knight Elynn has a chance to evolve. Current progress: 0/100.

A chance to evolve?

Ethan immediately understood.

So, once the progress bar hit 100%, Elynn could potentially ascend to an SSS-rank Rare Hero—or even a Purple Epic Hero!

Which meant… heroes in Glory Lords X could evolve?

His gaze flickered as he looked down at Seraphina beneath him, deep in thought.

If Elynn could evolve… then could Seraphina as well?

A slow smirk formed on his lips. "Looks like I've found a direction to work toward…" he murmured, then reached out and lightly patted Elynn's shoulder. "I believe in you. Now, rise."

"Yes, my lord!"

Elynn stood up and pointed toward a deeper part of the jungle. "My lord, Lady Seraphina, the crystal resource point is just ahead."

Ethan strode forward, and at the same time, a system notification rang in his ears.

'Special resource point discovered: Crystal Resource Point. Size: Medium.'

"A medium-sized crystal resource point? Not bad at all." Ethan raised an eyebrow, then turned to Elynn with a small smile. "Alright, Elynn, time to show me what you've got."

"ROOOAAARRR!"

Seraphina let out a confident, thunderous roar. The moment Ethan dismounted, she spread her massive wings and, like a black cannonball, shot forward—crashing straight into the depths of the jungle.

Before long, a crisp and pleasant system notification rang out once again:

"Congratulations! Player 'Valkarion' has successfully captured a medium-sized Crystal Resource Point for their Level 1 castle, Emerald Castle!"

"As the first player in the world to gain permanent resource collection rights, you are awarded: 5 Crystals, 30,000 Gold."

"Nicely done…" Ethan grinned.

Another system reward. It wasn't a massive haul, but free resources falling into his lap? He certainly wasn't going to complain.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

Seraphina returned victorious, letting out a triumphant dragon's roar.

"As expected of the mighty Lady Seraphina… she's unbelievably strong."

Elynn gazed at the battlefield, where the corpses of ogres lay scattered. Her voice was filled with admiration and awe.

Ethan, however, was already thinking ahead.

His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings as he murmured, "Next, we focus on leveling up and scouting the entire area around Emerald Castle."

Right now, the fastest way for him to grow stronger was through leveling up.

Every time he gained a level, his attack and defense stats would directly boost his troops.

That kind of power increase was massive.

Especially if he could get Seraphina and Cicero—his two Green Dragon heroes—to level 15 and reach adulthood as soon as possible. That would be a complete game-changer.

After all, no matter the hero's rank, there was one universal truth:

Before level 15 and after level 15—those were two entirely different worlds.

The power gap was enormous.

Of course, leveling up a Green Dragon hero was an absolute nightmare. Their experience bars were ridiculously long… but Ethan was mentally prepared for that. He knew it would take time.

And Emerald Castle's development? That would take time too.

"Let's keep capturing resource points. We should take down every known resource site in the area by the end of today. Elynn, you lead the way—"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Just as Ethan was about to continue his resource raids and grinding, an alarm he had set earlier suddenly went off.

He froze for a second.

Right… He had told his little sister, Emily, to come home for lunch.

And now? It was already past 4 PM.

If he didn't log off soon to start preparing, he wouldn't have enough time.