They were top-notch warriors, seasoned in countless life-and-death battles.

So, when Waldo gave the order to attack, facing a number of zombies several times their own, the strong warriors showed no fear and fought valiantly.

The air was filled with their roaring battle cries.

One zombie after another.

Fell in the fierce combat.

Their strength was no match for the strong warriors.

Ten minutes later, the battle was over.

With some zombies escaping, Waldo killed thirty zombies, earning 3,000 points.

Additionally, he unexpectedly received three point treasure chests.

From this battle, he gained 6,000 points.

Tonight, he had accumulated a total of 16,000 points.

According to the information Waldo gathered from the chat channel, most trialists tonight earned only a little over a hundred points.

Some trialists even had just a few dozen points.

The difference was more than a hundredfold!

...

However, the battle was not without loss.

During the assault, one of the strong warriors, having strayed from the group, was surrounded and attacked by over a dozen zombies.

Despite his ferocity and fearlessness, he sustained severe injuries and fell after a few minutes of resistance.

Waldo checked and found the strong warrior grievously wounded, with little hope of survival.

"Master, to die in battle for you is my greatest satisfaction."

In his final moments, the strong warrior looked at Waldo with admiration and respect.

Waldo nodded.

"Rest assured, the zombies that killed you will pay. I will avenge you and eradicate them all. You can go in peace now."

The strong warrior finally closed his eyes.

He passed away peacefully.

Waldo looked around.

"I’m sorry, he’s gone. I failed to protect you. But I will avenge you."

"Thank you, Master!"

"Thank you, Master!"

"Thank you, Master!"

One by one, the strong warriors knelt down.

Filled with grief, yet immensely grateful to Waldo.

Overwhelmed with emotion.

They were just common soldiers, and dying in battle was a natural fate.

But to have Waldo avenge them was beyond their expectations.

In that moment, their admiration and respect for Waldo reached unprecedented heights.

Given that they were in a jungle teeming with dangers, and considering everyone had just been through two intense life-or-death battles and were quite exhausted, Waldo decided not to continue exploring and issued a retreat order.

They quickly returned to the thatched house.

Overall, this battle brought them considerable gains, especially for Waldo.

In just one night, he had accumulated over ten thousand points.

An almost excessive amount, enough to split his face with a grin.

The first day, amidst the wails and panic of countless other trialists, ended on a high note for the triumphant and expectant Waldo.

[Thatched House (Level 1 Building, upgradeable!) requires 100 points to upgrade to a Level 2 Building (Wooden House).]

[Ding, upgrade successful!]

...

[Wooden House (Level 2 Building, upgradeable!)]

[Requires 300 points to upgrade to a Level 3 Building (Stone House).]

Ten minutes later.

[Ding, upgrade successful!]

[Ding, upgrade successful, and you have received an additional ten elite engineers. Also, this soldier type is now officially unlocked, and Trialist Waldo can exchange ten points for one elite engineer!]

...

[Stone House (Level 3 Building, upgradeable!)]

[Requires 1,000 points to upgrade to a Level 4 Building (Small Castle).]

Half an hour later.

[Ding, upgrade successful!]

[Ding, Small Castle upgrade successful, and you have received an additional ten barbarian warriors! This soldier type is now officially unlocked, and Trialist Waldo can exchange twenty points for one barbarian warrior!]

...

[Small Castle (Level 4 Building)]

[Not upgradeable!]

...

Under the sunlight, full of life and vitality, everything was splendid.

Cool breezes wafted from the distant jungle.

Waldo’s mood was as beautiful as the weather.

Before him, the original thatched house, after half a day of transformation and upgrades, had turned into a small castle covering over three acres.

In the center was a sturdy main building made of piled rocks, surrounded by seven or eight smaller structures and, most importantly, a three-meter-high wall that was better than nothing.

Compared to the previously dilapidated thatched house, the small castle now was a significant improvement.

Ordinary zombies and wolf packs were nothing in front of such a small fortress.

Seeing his creation, Waldo was in high spirits.

"Hahaha, this is just the beginning. As time goes on, I will become stronger and stronger. One day, I will reign over the land!" Waldo’s mood was buoyant.

...

"Elite engineers and barbarian warriors, come forth!"

A mist appeared not far in front of Waldo.

Twenty figures emerged from it.

Ten robust engineer soldiers, each equipped with various gear.

Waldo checked their information.

[Soldier Type: Engineer]

[Rank: Elite]

[Loyalty: 100]

[Specialty: Skilled in setting traps, building structures, gathering fruits, and cutting down trees. They are indispensable to any force. With their help, the army will gain stronger combat power, and the castle will have more robust defenses!]

...

"Hmm, not bad. The castle has just been built, and there’s indeed a lot of work for the engineers. This includes furniture, traps, maintenance of walls, weapons, and equipment. They’re needed!"

"Calling them engineers is a bit of an understatement. Actually, they are a very versatile type of soldier, more like all-around engineers!" Waldo thought to himself.

Ten elite engineers.

The other ten figures, exceptionally tall and strong, resembling small mountains, were naturally the barbarian warriors.

As they emerged from the mist, their towering figures, emitting a dangerous and rugged aura, caught Waldo’s eye.

With their massive size and muscles like iron lumps, they gave off an immense sense of oppression.

[Name: Barbarian Warrior]

[Rank: Elite]

[Loyalty: 100]

[Characteristics: Born with immense strength, capable of easily lifting thousands of pounds. They fully accept the commands of their master. They possess excellent endurance and strong defense, impervious to swords and spears! They have mastered the "Mountain" skill, allowing them to increase their size further, standing immovable like a mountain!]

...

"Salute to the Master!"

"Salute to the Master!"

"Salute to the Master!"

As the Barbarian Warriors knelt, a humming sound emanated from them, like thunder rumbling within their bodies.

...

"Is this the Barbarian Warrior? Their attributes from every aspect are impressive! Their combat power is even stronger than the strong warriors! However, while the strong warriors are more versatile, the Barbarian Warriors, aside from fighting, are not as capable in other areas, and their intelligence is also inferior to the strong warriors and elite engineers," Waldo thought to himself. He was quite satisfied with the Barbarian Warrior soldier type.

The Barbarian Warriors are ideal for the frontline battle.

"What if I had an army composed of hundreds or thousands of Barbarian Warriors? Could I become invincible, unstoppable like a rolling tide?"

His mind stirred with excitement.

In essence, one Barbarian Warrior was equivalent to an elephant.

A force of hundreds or thousands of elephants charging could scatter even thousands of soldiers, breaking through any defense swiftly.

With this thought, Waldo suddenly felt that the Barbarian Warriors might be even more powerful than he had imagined.

...

"Congratulations are in order, I’ve finally upgraded my thatched house to a wooden house. Hahaha, the defense has been improved by a notch!"

"Thank goodness I killed a few more zombies last night, or I wouldn’t have had enough points for the upgrade!"

"Same here!"

"You all upgraded to wooden houses? I took a different approach. I chose to summon ordinary soldiers. Having more people means we can kill more zombies and wolf packs, earning more points!"

"True, but there’s no guarantee of safety!"

"The best defense is offense!"

"..."

In the chat channel.

Various trialists were showcasing their achievements of the day. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Some had summoned soldiers.

Others had upgraded their thatched houses.

The crisis of the first day was within their tolerance, and everyone had made considerable gains.

Now stronger, they looked forward to the future with more hope.

However...

If they knew that there was another trialist in this world who had already upgraded his thatched house to a small castle and was about to possess an extraordinarily powerful army, one wonders what they would think!

...

Meanwhile, within Waldo’s small castle.

Although thirty strong warriors, elite engineers, and barbarian warriors were busily carrying out the tasks assigned by Waldo, the vast castle still seemed somewhat desolate.

"Forming an army..."

Waldo was ambitious.

To rise rapidly, he needed to rely on an army.

Currently, Waldo had 14,000 points!

Summoning one strong warrior cost ten points.

Summoning one elite engineer cost ten points.

Summoning one barbarian warrior cost twenty points.