Unholy Player-Chapter 157: Twilight Land (Part 3)

Adyr’s two energy bodies hovered above the supplies, confirming every detail before beginning.

The materials were simple but versatile: stacks of tempered steel I-beams, crates of anchor bolts, pre-cut support rods, and panels of interlocking steel grating for flooring. Nearby, he had piled rocks of every size—from mineral-rich pebbles to waist-high boulders—along with polished marble slabs, dressed limestone blocks, and weather-worn bricks.

A row of battery-powered tools waited at the edge of the site: a portable arc welder, angle grinders, rotary hammers, pneumatic nailers, and a compact plasma cutter.

He marked off a rectangle that covered exactly a third of the island’s surface. Using the plasma cutter, he trimmed the I-beams to length and welded them into a rigid perimeter that sat flush with the bedrock.

Cross-braced trusses and vertical posts followed, secured with heavy anchor bolts so nothing could shift under load. When the welding sparks faded, a sturdy skeletal frame stood ready; it could hold several times the weight of the stone he planned to stack on it.

Next, he positioned the steel grating across the frame, spot-welding each panel and sealing the seams with continuous beads of molten metal to prevent corrosion. The open mesh allowed air to flow freely and would let dust and debris fall through, keeping the platform dry and clean. When finished, the deck filled the marked rectangle, leaving untouched soil on the rest of the island for future landscaping.

He turned to the stone. Large boulders became the outer shell, laid in staggered courses like oversized masonry blocks. Smaller rocks filled the gaps, and he tamped pulverized mineral chips into every seam so the façade looked natural.

Inside, he bonded layers of limestone and marble to the walls with industrial epoxy, creating a smooth interior that would reflect low light.

Angled steel struts supported a sloped roof of slate fragments, giving the cavern a rough, volcanic silhouette. He left a single entrance wide enough for him to enter and left with ease, capping it with a forged lintel to carry the overhead load.

Along each side wall, he bolted cantilevered granite ledges—perches where Duskrend could hang and sleep.

On the floor, he carved a shallow trough, then filled it with dense ore that would serve as a long-term food source once replenished. Finally, he embedded a narrow strip of low-glow crystals high on the back wall to provide the dim, even light the Spark preferred without glaring brightness.

When the last weld cooled, the structure merged almost seamlessly with Twilight Land’s dusky terrain.

From above, the finished structure resembled a natural rock formation—an uneven outcrop rising quietly from the dusky terrain of Twilight Land. There was no hint of construction, no visible symmetry, no exposed metal. The entire design blended into the environment as if it had always been there, carved by time and pressure rather than by hands.

He used every tactic, just like those he had seen in videos from his previous life—people building shelters in the wild using only natural materials, crafting survival from nothing but instinct and patience.

The system acknowledged his actions and triggered a prompt, offering to register a new talent: Architect.

Adyr didn’t hesitate. For the cost of one energy point, he accepted and registered it immediately.

This was a talent he knew he would rely on constantly. As his [Sanctuary] continued to grow and evolve, so would his talent. And with every new structure, he would refine the art of building not just for survival, but for mastery. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

So far, the Duskrend had been sprawled across the grass, looking as if it were quietly contemplating existence. But the moment Adyr’s construction was complete, something in the creature stirred.

Its dark, translucent wings flared open, catching the dim light as it launched into the air with renewed energy and glided straight into the artificial cave.

Adyr watched through the entrance, silently observing how well the Spark adapted to its new habitat.

Duskrend circled the interior once or twice, then descended toward the mineral-rich stones arranged along the floor. It picked up a few and crushed them effortlessly between its jaws, swallowing with mechanical efficiency.

But Adyr noticed something.

Though the creature’s expression was unreadable—as with most Sparks—the subtle emotional feedback threading through their connection told him enough. It wasn’t enjoying the meal.

"Looks like I’ll have to visit the practitioner market after all," he muttered.

Fortunately, while the food left something to be desired, the environment seemed to suit Duskrend perfectly. With a satisfied aura, it climbed to the ceiling and latched onto one of the custom-built perches with its clawed feet. Its dark crystal wings folded around its body as it nestled in, drifting into a quiet, undisturbed sleep.

When he made sure everything was in order with Twilight Land, Adyr pulled back his consciousness.

His body in the other world, still in the mansion, requested food from the maids and moved to eat. Meanwhile, his real-world body, still seated at the desk, used 20 merit to purchase a one-week membership for the talent training floor before leaving his room.

Now that he no longer needed the gamepod, he planned to use this time as efficiently as possible. He wanted to upgrade his talents.

Especially now that system notifications had started appearing, every talent he introduced and demonstrated would be automatically recognized and leveled up by the system.

When Adyr arrived at the talent training floor via elevator, he was greeted by a wide space, much like the physical training hall.

One side of the floor was lined with fully enclosed rooms—simulation chambers. These were designed to teach and improve various talents through fully digital environments, from cooking to sword training.

The other side was divided into open sections, each clearly designed for a specific activity. Some were fully equipped kitchens, complete with stoves, sinks, counters, and cooking tools. Others had hard training mats and racks lined with swords, knives, or nunchaku. Each section had its own professional instructor waiting nearby.

The place wasn’t crowded. With the number of players steadily declining, he rarely saw anyone wandering around. Still, one or two people were there, training their talents.

Adyr gave them only a passing glance. None of them had even completed their first evolution, so he paid them no real attention.

They looked at him too but quickly returned to their work, seemingly too focused to be distracted.

He walked around for a bit. Seeing that every talent he could think of had a matching section, he decided to start with a simulation room. His Architect talent was still Level 1, but he believed he had enough ability to reach Level 2. To do that, the system needed to acknowledge his performance, so he wanted to get that out of the way first.

The simulation rooms were compact. Each one contained only a reclining chair and a full-dive headset. The room itself was dimly lit and well-ventilated.

Adyr stepped in, closed the door behind him, sat down, and put on the headset.

The immersion wasn’t as deep or realistic as the gamepod he used to access the other world, but the sensory feedback—visuals, sound, even smell and touch—was still quite good.

A menu appeared before his eyes, listing a series of well-prepared simulations. He scrolled down, found the construction section, selected it, and watched as the digital environment began to shift around him.

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