My Farming Domain Is Broken

"Then summon them. Troops that aren’t summoned cannot defend us, my lord. We need to do it fast before the next raid comes."

Carlos looked toward the Blue Water Slime Barrack.

He had restricted its summons because each slime consumed two Slime Cores every day.

That resource was still limited.

But he could obtain more through conquest.

"At the next daily reset, we summon another Bearkin and another slime."

Kaia nodded.

"I will place them when they arrive."

Her direct confidence made it easy to imagine the territory with real ranks of defenders instead of a few people running between fields.

Carlos opened the Rankings.

His military position had improved, but Kaia was right. Five guards and two troops were only the beginning.

Conquest remained the fastest source of rare resources, equipment and materials.

It was also the only place he had found Slime Cores in large quantities.

Carlos looked toward the black portal.

Conquest Level 3 waited behind it.

The Hellbound title had caused the gate to recognize him as a priority challenger and adjust its enemy difficulty. Entering while the territory was still recovering would be reckless.

So Carlos decided to inspect it without entering.

He walked to the portal alone.

The surface was no longer smooth blue light. Darkness moved inside it like something breathing behind a thin wall.

Carlos placed one hand against the edge.

--

Conquest Level 3

Status: Available

Difficulty Selection: Locked

Hellbound Challenger recognized

--

Carlos frowned.

"Why is the difficulty locked?" Carlos muttered.

Just as he was about to move away and think, the portal moved.

Carlos watched it. Nothing happened for several seconds. Then it moved again, and this time, he saw why.

Something struck it from the other side.

Carlos stepped back immediately. The finger he had glimpsed on the other side was nearly as long as his arm. Cold sweat formed on his forehead within seconds.

A second impact made the whole structure shake.

Kaia shouted from the center of the territory.

"Lord Carlos, move away from the gate! There is something ominous behind it!"

Just as she said that, the portal cracked and darkness seeped into his domain.

Carlos watched the black energy pour out as a massive red claw broke through the barrier and entered his domain.

It was larger than Brann’s paw and covered in iron chains as if enslaved.

The system panels across the territory turned black.

[HELLBOUND PRIORITY CHALLENGE ACTIVATED]

[Conquest Level 3 has been intercepted]

[An unidentified commander has detected the priority challenger]

[The commander has initiated forced engagement]

[Reverse Conquest initiated]

[Your territory has been selected as the battlefield]

Carlos stared at the chained hand gripping the portal.

Behind it, something opened six burning eyes.

[Gate breach in 00:00:10]

[9]

[8]

Carlos turned toward the fields, kitchen and residents who had only just survived their first raid.

[7]

The six burning eyes moved closer to the opening.

The chains around the red hand tightened.

[6]

The portal began tearing itself apart.

[5]

Carlos ran toward the center of the territory.

"KAIA! DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!"

The Guard Captain did not waste time asking what was happening.

"Tarin, southern tower! Doran and Hale, wall! Lyra, protect the residents!"

The four guards moved. One bounced down the sloped path from the northern tower and joined Carlos.

Brann came out of his hall with his hammer.

[4]

"Something is coming through the conquest portal," Carlos shouted. "Do not let it reach the fields!"

Brann looked at the chained hand.

He struck the hammer against his chest, ready to fight anything that dared threaten them.

[3]

Mira left the kitchen and helped Rowan toward the Lord’s hut. Her ankle had improved, but she still limped.

Blue floated above the Mana Spring.

The Sprite stared at the darkness with wide eyes.

[2]

Carlos hurriedly selected the Territory Barrier Core.

[Activation failed]

[Mana Crystal x5 required]

"Of course."

He returned it to the inventory and raised his Reinforced Long Spear.

[1]

The portal burst open and black fire rolled across the ground.

Carlos moved in front of One and covered his face with one arm. His Ironweave Battle Coat became hot, but the flames disappeared before reaching the nearest field.

The red hand pulled.

Chains scraped against the sides of the portal.

A massive head pushed through.

Six eyes burned across its face. Two black horns curved behind its skull, while an iron plate had been driven over the place where a mouth should have been.

The creature’s shoulders remained trapped on the other side.

Carlos used Inspect.

--

Chainbound Hell Warden

Level 7

Reverse Conquest Commander

HP: 2,800/2,800

Abilities:

Gate Anchor

Chain Reap

Hellfire Pulse

Unknown

Current State: Partially Sealed

--

The Warden lifted its free hand and four chains came through the portal. Each ended in a black iron spike covered with red symbols.

"MOVE!"

The Warden threw them, and the first spike struck the Common Farmland, making the soil explode into the air.

Rows of young wheat vanished beneath black fire.

[Crop Damage: 26%]

The second spike entered the ground beside the Territory Kitchen.

The third landed near Brann’s hall.

The final spike struck the edge of the Mana Spring and cracked the stone that Carlos had only just repaired.

[Special Structure Damage: 8%]

All four chains pulled taut.

--

[Gate Anchors established: 4/4]

[Reverse Gate Stability: 20%]

[Warning: The Chainbound Hell Warden will fully enter the territory when stability reaches 100%]

[Destroy the Gate Anchors to interrupt the breach]

--

The symbols on the spikes lit up.

Red cracks spread across the ground around them, and several four-legged creatures crawled out.

They looked like thin dogs without skin. Black smoke escaped between their ribs, and burning claws left marks across the soil.

[Ash Hound x24]

The hounds ran in every direction. Some attacked the guards like rabid beasts, while others ignored everyone and charged toward the nearest buildings and crops.

One hound reached the Common Farmland.

Its claws tore through three wheat plants.

Something inside Carlos changed.

The raid creatures had attacked because the system sent them.

This thing had looked across his territory and chosen where to place every spike.

It had chosen the wheat.

Then the kitchen.

And lastly, the spring.

Carlos had broken bones for those fields.

Rowan had worked until his hands blistered.

Mira had turned their first harvest into food other Lords depended on.

Blue was born and lived inside that spring.

The Ash Hound lowered its head to burn another row.

Carlos reached it first.

His spear entered through one side of its skull and came out the other.

He ripped the weapon free before the body hit the ground.

[Ash Hound eliminated]

Another came toward him.

Carlos kicked it into the burning Gate Anchor and drove the spear through its spine.

[Ash Hound eliminated]

"One! The fire!"

Water Shot struck the burning wheat.

Blue pulled water from the damaged spring and spread it over the field.

Steam exploded upward.

Carlos charged into the steam. Three Ash Hounds emerged through the white cloud ahead of him.

One decision to enter Hell Mode despite everyone’s warnings had brought this disaster to his territory.

Doubt entered Carlos’s mind as he stared at the Warden’s gigantic silhouette beyond the portal.

Had he made a terrible mistake?

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