The tower looked exactly like the observation towers Gideon had seen in games, something straight out of a medieval setting.

Most watchtowers he knew, especially the ones built in a hurry, were nothing more than skeletal frames. Steel beams, exposed joints, ladders bolted into place without much care.

Functional, yes, but they looked like they could be dismantled as quickly as they were assembled.

This one was completely different. The entire structure was solid stone. No visible weak points from the outside.

His eyes moved upward, catching the narrow slit windows along the shaft. Clearly meant for observation.

"Let’s go," Gideon said, already stepping forward without waiting.

They moved toward the entrance, and the door slid open automatically. Kilian slowed for a second, letting out a low whistle as he glanced around before following him inside. At the same time, a system notification appeared before Gideon.

[Guard Tower Access Initialized]

[Primary user detected: Gideon]

[Security protocol required before full activation.]

[Please register authorized personnel.]

Required:

Facial recognition

Handprint authentication

[Only registered individuals will be granted entry.]

[Unregistered access will be denied after the registration completes.]

—

Gideon gave a small nod, his eyes lingering on the message for a moment, both satisfied and slightly surprised at how modern it was since the tower itself was designed like this.

’Well, I’ll register myself first, then lock it for everyone else.’

He still hadn’t decided who the three assigned workers would be. Whoever took this position would need higher pay.

The place was too quiet and isolated. Not everyone could handle staying here for long without losing their mind.

Inside, they were greeted by a wide hall. The air felt cooler, the thick walls blocking out most of the outside noise.

Near the entrance stood a control panel with a screen displaying the outside area, likely used for monitoring and opening the door remotely.

There was no staircase in sight, which made Gideon pause for a brief second. Instead, two doors stood on either side of the room.

Kilian, curious as always, walked over to the right door and pushed it open without hesitation. "Let’s see what we got here."

Inside was a storage room, clean and organized, with enough space to store food and water or other stuff.

"Then the left one should be the stairs,"

Gideon walked over and opened the left door. But he found no stairs, it was a lift instead.

He raised a brow slightly, studying it for a second. The interior was compact, with a black panel beneath the floor numbers, likely for employee access cards. Probably the only way to activate it once the system was fully set up. Despite the tower being around twenty meters tall, only three floors were listed.

For now, it worked without restriction.

They stepped inside, and Gideon pressed the button for the second floor. The lift moved smoothly, followed by a soft ding as the doors opened again.

The space beyond was completely different.

Sofas were arranged neatly around the room. A bar stood at one side, polished and fully stocked. There was a billiard table, a ping-pong table, bookshelves lined along the wall, and even vending machines.

There was also an open kitchen and what looked like a small restaurant area, though it hadn’t been used yet. Beside the bar, a hallway stretched inward with four doors lined along it, likely bedrooms for whoever would be stationed here and a bathroom.

Kilian stepped out first, his eyes immediately locking onto the bar. His expression shifted almost instantly.

"You know what," he said, already walking over and running his fingers along the counter, "I think I’m perfect for this job."

Gideon watched him for a second before shaking his head. "Only residents of the Cinders of Dusk can take this position. And you’re one of the few people Jade trusts. You’re not working here."

Kilian clicked his tongue and casually slung an arm over Gideon’s shoulder, leaning in slightly. "Come on, don’t be so rigid," he said with a grin. "We’re basically brothers, aren’t we? And Freebound already treats everyone here like family."

Gideon didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed Kilian’s wrist and pulled it off his shoulder before stepping aside. "Nah. Pass."

Kilian groaned but didn’t back off, continuing to talk, throwing in more reasons, more excuses. Gideon ignored him completely, already scanning the room again as if the conversation wasn’t even happening.

After a while, Kilian finally gave up with a sigh. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar, turning it in his hand before opening it.

"Fine. I’ll just stay here and enjoy this. You can go up by yourself, right?"

"Sure," Gideon replied, glancing at him briefly. "That costs twenty A-rank cores. Make sure you pay it back with your salary before I tell your wife."

Kilian froze for a second, then frowned. "Aww, don’t ruin the mood. And what salary? Jade doesn’t pay me anything, man."

He shook his head and took a long drink anyway, clearly deciding it was worth the future problem.

By then, Gideon had already stepped back into the lift. As the doors began to close, he raised his hand just enough to show Kilian his middle finger. Kilian scoffed, but the door shut before he could reply.

On the third floor was the control room.

The space was surrounded by wide glass panels, and the light that poured in was so intense it almost blinded him.

Gideon instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes as he stepped out of the lift. For a brief moment, everything felt too bright.

[Welcome to the control room]

[Every panel here has functions from locking and opening doors or windows to self-destruction protocols]

[Please register employees on the computer located on the right side of the room]

On the right side of the room, there was indeed a computer, and close to the glass wall, stood a long control panel filled with buttons and switches that Gideon could not immediately recognize.

For now, he decided to register himself first. The computer turned on by itself as soon as he approached, displaying another notification.

[You are the owner of the tower. You have been registered automatically and have full access]

[Do you want to register another person?]

Gideon chose not to register anyone yet and moved to the control panel instead.

The system immediately began guiding him, explaining the function of each button and how it worked. It was confusing at first, but he gradually started to understand the layout and the purpose behind it.

The system also informed him that the tower could operate automatically, detecting nearby enemies and attacking them if necessary, and that the instruction manual was placed on the bookshelf on the left side of the room.

Not only that, the control room also had a small toilet and a resting area for workers.

Honestly, considering how advanced the automation was, the tower did not seem to need workers at all. However, the system kept emphasizing their necessity, and Gideon could not ignore that.

He sighed and sat in front of the control panel, thinking that many of his residents would probably want to stay here, just like Kilian.

But like Kilian, they might be more interested in the alcohol than the actual work.

"I should get rid of it and replace it with something else, maybe an arcade machine," he muttered.

A recreational room was a good idea, but too much comfort could make people lazy. He also needed to make sure that whoever worked here could cooperate well with each other.

"Maybe I’m just overthinking it," he added under his breath. "This isn’t the middle of the sea or a jungle anyway. They can still go back and meet their families on weekends."

The "window" in front of the control panel was not really a window at all. When he pressed one of the buttons, the view zoomed in and out, far enough for him to see the smoke rising from a geyser.

He could even make out the Geysemire on top of the caldera.

"Wait... on top of what?" he muttered as he stood up and adjusted the zoom again, focusing more carefully this time.

The image sharpened, and he could clearly see a group of juvenile Geysemire crabs moving closer.

"They’re getting closer?"

Not only that, the smoke from the geyser was also shifting. It was much farther away than the crabs, but it was definitely moving.

That could only mean one thing. His territory had been detected.

[Do you want to exterminate it?]

Gideon nodded, and a targeting symbol appeared, locking onto the group of crabs.

He pressed the red button, and shortly after, a large fireball struck them, turning them into ash in a single attack without any loud explosion or dramatic effect.

The room went quiet as he looked at the panel again, realizing that this tower was not meant for defense but for observation, because neither the barrier nor that attack would be enough to deal with what would come later, the King.