Noan saw the announcement and was startled, his eyes filled with disbelief.

    Rank B—what did that even mean?

    Of course, Noan knew exactly what Rank B represented. In a region dominated solely by Rank F and Rank E lords, a Rank B hero was akin to a king, an overwhelming existence that no one could overthrow.

    Any lord who possessed a Rank B hero would immediately be placed into the Federation Government and the Empire''s key development program.

    That alone was enough to understand the significance of a Rank B hero.

    Leaving potential aside, just in terms of raw power, a Rank B hero was already of paramount importance.

    "This isn''t good!" Noan jolted, quickly trying to calm himself. "I can''t be arrogant. I must restrain myself."

    He took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain composure.

    To say he wasn''t feeling arrogant would be a lie. Owning a Rank B hero—anyone would feel so proud that their eyes would only look to the heavens.

    Noan was just an ordinary person, and his thoughts were simple.

    However, the recent lesson about the Mutant Hunter had sobered him up considerably.

    Even with a Rank B hero, he still needed to be cautious. He could not afford to be arrogant, nor could he afford to boast.

    While Vylyss had not completed her evolution, Noan opened her status screen to check.

    ...

    Name: Vylyss

    Class: Fallen Believer

    Level: 0

    Rank: B

    Description: Surpassing even a Succubus, Vylyss is capable of receiving the blessings of both the Goddess of Desire and the Goddess of Purity.

    She is a Disciple, but she has fallen—yet both goddesses still wish to claim her.

    She stands between the boundary of darkness and light—she is a Fallen Disciple.

    Note: To evolve Vylyss, 15 Rank B materials are required.

    ...

    Noan found Vylyss''s description unusually abstract. Normally, the descriptions of monsters would clearly outline their strengths and weaknesses.

    But Vylyss''s description was strange—just a few lines imbued with poetic language, nothing more.

    As he was still struggling to comprehend, a violent gust of wind erupted, sending him flying toward the cocoon, which was formed from countless magical sigils.

    Noan: "..."

    It was as if he already knew what fate had in store for him. That''s why he didn''t resist.

    From within the cocoon, a hand as flawless as if it had been sculpted by a master artist extended outward, grasping his wrist before pulling him inside.

    ...

    Two hours later, the cocoon vanished.

    Vylyss emerged wearing a black dress, her wings behind her now perfectly restored.

    Most notably, her skin had become even softer, carrying a faint rosy hue that exuded an irresistible allure.

    Her eyes shimmered, revealing two pink heart-shaped pupils that glowed with a dazzling light.

    Just below her navel, exactly 10 centimeters down, was the heart-shaped sigil Noan had seen before.

    Now, that sigil had transformed—its colors split between black and white, with a radiant pink at the center.

    There was no way they could breach the Resource Center anytime soon.

    That meant Noan still had time to develop.

    Now that he had Vylyss, a Rank B hero, he could focus all his resources on evolving Zhisse, pushing it to a higher rank.

    Once he had two Rank B monsters, everything would become much easier.

    Vylyss would protect the Territory, while Zhisse would guard the Resource Center.

    Why was he keeping Vylyss by his side instead of Zhisse?

    Any man would understand why.

    Even if he had to provide Vylyss with "Milk" every day, at least living with a stunning beauty was far preferable to cohabiting with a giant spider, right?

    Noan stepped inside the Resource Center, sighing as he saw three small houses.

    Although it was called a "Center", it was nothing more than a small area with three shabby buildings.

    Without the System''s notification, he wouldn''t have even believed that this place was truly the Resource Center.

    ...

    Resource Center

    Level: 0

    Description: Every day, this place produces 100 units of wood, 100 units of stone, and 100 food pills.

    Upgrade Requirement: 1,000 Rank F Energy Crystals (Higher-rank energy crystals can be used as substitutes).

    ...

    Noan thought for a moment and decided not to upgrade the Resource Center. Instead, he used all the energy crystals he had just obtained from the Legendary Treasure Chest to level up Vylyss.

    After her evolution, her level had reset from Level 1 to Level 0, but that didn''t concern him.

    A Level 1 Rank D-Peak and a Level 0 Rank B were worlds apart—the difference was as vast as the Moon and the Sun.

    Because of that, the number of energy crystals needed for Vylyss to level up was astronomical.

    Almost all the energy crystals he possessed were dedicated to Vylyss''s progression.

    However, he set aside 10 Rank D Energy Crystals to upgrade the ''Storage'' function.

    [Ding! The ''Storage'' function has been successfully upgraded. It can now store additional types of resources.]

    Noan saw that his Storage, which initially had 9 slots, had expanded to 99.

    Each slot could stack up to 999 units of the same type of item.

    This meant he could store 99 types of resources, each occupying a single slot.

    While Vylyss was absorbing energy crystals to level up, Noan started using Storage to collect resources.

    [Ding! Resource collection is in progress. Please wait one hour for completion.]

    While waiting, Noan checked the items he had received from the system rewards after completing his mission.

    His attention was particularly drawn to the Pioneer''s Medal, which is currently stored in ''Storage''.

    ...

    Name: Pioneer''s Medal

    Rank: ???

    Description: The effects of this item are activated even while stored in storage.

    Increases the strength of the Lord and all heroes and soldiers under their command by 20%. Reduces physical and magical damage taken by 20%. Weakens zombie-type monsters by 20% when near heroes, soldiers, or the Lord carrying this medal.