A/N: I needed to change the name Mickey for legal reasons, and it has been changed to Zelut, as suggested by ’Zspartan20’.

Thank you!

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Chapter 434: Normal Slaves 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

He looked toward the distant sun, slowly rising into the sky.

"Haaaah, there goes another night without sleep," he muttered.

By now, skipping sleep every now and then had become a norm. Not to mention, his body allowed it with its superior stats—he could go days without sleep if required. But of course, Lily wouldn’t allow that.

What Leo didn’t know was that he and along with Lily were the only ones pushing themselves this hard. Not even the other top 10 were going this rough on themselves. It wasn’t because they lacked discipline, but because Leo felt lacking in comparison to them—not in strength, but in worldly knowledge, which he tried to make up for by spending long hours in the library.

Even then, if the time he spent in the library was ignored, he was still working harder. The others relied more on their fame to gather followers—mostly through passive means, occasionally acting on their advisors’ suggestions.

They spent most of their time training—almost 12 hours a day—yet were still being outpaced by Leo and Lily. Their drives were different. Lily’s sole desire was to become strong enough to protect Leo from any danger and live a comfortable life with him, and her desire wasn’t to be underestimated. Leo shared that desire, but added to it was the need to create a safe haven where they could live freely, without being controlled by others.

Where Lily could be content living safely in a cave for the rest of their lives, Leo wanted to explore the world without worries. He already had the foundation for that—a moving beast capable of tanking most threats and carrying his home, people to handle menial tasks, facilities to grow food and craft clothes and equipment, and most importantly, his girl by his side.

The only thing stopping him from beginning that journey was his strength. It was nowhere near enough in this new world. So low, in fact, that even his first wish—to not be bossed around—was hanging by a thread. Even though Brant and the other professors didn’t explicitly control him, he still lived under their shadow, following their words because he simply couldn’t refuse.

Brant could still one-shot him. Katherine could too. Gunther wouldn’t be any different. And all of it came down to his lack of strength.

That was something he refused to let remain the same.

Leo looked at his fist and clenched it.

"Soon enough... that day will come. Soon enough, I will achieve my wishes," he said quietly, carving the words into his heart.

"Chu?"

A soft squeak came from behind him.

Leo turned to see Whisk standing there, head tilted, tiny whiskers twitching. He also noticed the dead, frozen mice tucked under his arms.

"You killed again?"

"Chu! Chu! Chu!"

Whisk protested immediately, squeaking frantically as if explaining that they had tried to run—and he had simply caught them.

"Alright, alright, I get it. And I know you know that you are getting stronger doing this. Somehow, the name Zelut—which I derived from Zealot—suits you perfectly," Leo said, shaking his head as he waved his hand, enhancing Zelut’s bloodline.

Ding!

Frostwhisk Mouse (Mid 2-star)

Super Bloodline (33%) Chain Bond - 76% -> 80%

Leo watched as Zelut let out an almost sinister little giggle before darting back toward the bison herd, where the other rats were gathered. Even so, Leo noticed that the bloodline hadn’t changed in any significant way.

"You’ve got a long way to go before you become a noble beast, you cunning little mouse," he muttered.

With that, he turned away. But before heading to Aeila, he called Sylrael.

"Good morning, my lord. You called?" she greeted promptly, appearing within moments.

"Yes. I want you to handle the work of decorating this teleportation array location," Leo said, gesturing toward the area. "Keep in mind, many people who aren’t territory members will pass through here in the future. Build it accordingly—a security checkpoint where guards can be stationed, separate paths for entry and exit, and a sturdy, well-designed structure that leaves a strong first impression."

He paused, then added, "If you need extra materials, talk to Miho or Lily. And... take this."

Leo handed her 2 jade tokens.

"These contain the coordinates of our territory. If you ever find yourself alone in the academy—or anywhere in the world—go to a teleportation array and show them this. You’ll also need metal coins..."

He checked his spatial storage and found the forgotten stash.

7 gold coins and 40 silver coins. That’s it.

That’s around 18,500 AC... he thought, briefly amused. And with the balance he had now, he might become the richest person in any city he visited—especially Kendru. He could probably cause inflation just by living there again.

Well, not that it’s going to happen. I’ll just pick up Brother James and Sister Sera, then leave.

Shaking off the thought, he handed the coins to Sylrael.

"I’ll give you more later. This is all I have on me right now," he said, then suddenly paused. "Ah—right. Take some time with Lily and get yourselves smartphones."

He held up his own as an example.

"It’ll make things much easier. You’ll be able to contact us even when you’re out of mental link range."

Sylrael nodded repeatedly, almost like a pecking bird, carefully noting everything to memory. After Leo briefed her on setting up a defensive barrier around the mana generator, she took her leave.

As she departed, Leo exhaled slowly.

He was starting to feel short-staffed.

Even if he had enough manpower for defense, that didn’t mean he had enough hands for everything else. Right now, even the 3-star elves were handling menial tasks like cleaning and construction—work they should’ve been spending on training.

"Looks like I need to bring in some normal people..."

There were several ways he could gather manpower for such tasks.

He could post a notice accepting refugees—people who had lost their homes to beast attacks. The academy would likely send as many as he needed, given the abundance of displaced civilians. Or, he could take a harsher route—acquiring more slaves through secret realm raids or direct purchase.