Free Web NovelChapter 100: Chapter 100: Frontier Settlement
Dawn rose over the Ruined Watchtower Frontier with golden fire still burning in the beacon tower.
The beast tide had broken before sunrise. The valley below was filled with fading bodies, broken arrows, burned mud, and fragments of Tower light. The surviving frontier remnants stood along the damaged wall, too exhausted to cheer loudly, but their eyes carried something deeper than excitement.
Relief.
Captain Ren approached Qin Yuheng as the mission timer ended.
The scarred frontier captain looked less faded now. His armor still had cracks, his face still carried exhaustion, but the edges of his body no longer flickered as much.
"You lit the beacon," he said.
"Your people kept it standing," Qin Yuheng replied.
Captain Ren smiled.
"We are remnants. Holding is what remains to us."
Qin Yuheng looked at him.
"Do you know you are Tower remnants?"
Captain Ren did not look surprised.
"I know this battle has happened before. I know it happens again when climbers come. I know some of us remember dying and still raise weapons."
Qin Yuheng was silent.
Captain Ren looked toward the valley.
"Does that make our defense false?"
"No," Qin Yuheng said.
The captain nodded.
"That is enough."
The settlement panel appeared.
[Floor 11: Ruined Watchtower Frontier]
[Main Mission: Defend the Ruined Watchtower Outpost for 3 days — Completed.]
[Beacon Objective: Warning beacon lit before outpost breach — Completed.]
[Sub-Mission: Repair outpost defenses — Completed.]
[Sub-Mission: Scout three beast movement routes — Completed.]
[Sub-Mission: Protect surviving frontier remnants — Completed.]
[Frontier Remnants Alive: 12 / 12]
[Beacon Tower Integrity: 32%]
[Outpost Integrity: 24%]
[Final Beast Tide Commander defeated.]
[Calculating final evaluation...]
Qin Mo stared at Outpost Integrity.
"Twenty-four percent. This place survived out of stubbornness."
Qin Yuchen said, "So did we."
The panel flashed.
[Final Evaluation: SSS]
Qin Mo slowly sat on a broken stone.
"Good. I would have been upset otherwise."
The reward panel followed.
[SSS Evaluation Rewards]
EXP +3,200
Tower Coins x40,000
S Grade Frontier Defense Chest x1
A Grade Beast Tide Commander Core x1
A Grade Beacon Flame Crystal x1
A Grade Frontier War Banner Fragment x1
A Grade Defensive Formation Blueprint x1
B Grade Beast Tide Material Bundle x1
Special Mark: Frontier Beacon Holder
Additional objective reward appeared.
[Perfect Remnant Survival Reward]
S Grade Remnant Captain’s Spear Art Fragment x1
S Grade Beacon Command Crystal x1
Qin Yuheng’s eyes sharpened.
Spear Art Fragment.
Command Crystal.
Again, the Tower was giving him materials aligned with command and spear.
Captain Ren stood before the return light.
He removed a small broken spear badge from his armor and handed it to Qin Yuheng.
"This is not a reward from the Tower," he said. "It is from a soldier who remembers being saved."
Qin Yuheng accepted it.
The panel appeared privately. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
[Remnant Captain’s Broken Spear Badge]
[Type: Memory token]
[Effect: Unknown.]
[Eligible for future resonance.]
Qin Yuheng bowed.
"Thank you, Captain Ren."
The captain saluted.
The world dissolved into golden light.
When the team returned to Heavenly Gate Tower, an entire day had passed outside.
The platform lit with beacon-shaped golden flame.
The staff read the evaluation and froze.
"Floor 11... Ruined Watchtower Frontier... SSS evaluation... Perfect Remnant Survival..."
The hall erupted again.
But the team was too tired to care.
Three internal days had drained them more deeply than previous floors. Even Qin Yuheng felt mental heaviness from constant command decisions.
Han Shuren inspected them and did not lecture immediately.
"Medical hall. Food. Sleep. Report tomorrow."
Qin Mo looked touched.
"Instructor Han understands humanity."
Han Shuren said, "You still submit formation notes later."
Qin Mo closed his eyes.
"Humanity lost."
At the Qin Estate, the family received them warmly but did not overwhelm them. Mu Qinglan personally ensured they ate stabilizing food. Qin Zhengyuan told Qin Yuheng to sleep before discussing rewards. Qin Wanshan agreed.
For once, Qin Yuheng obeyed.
He slept for nearly ten hours.
When he woke, his mind was clearer.
Only then did he inspect the rewards.
First, the S Grade Frontier Defense Chest.
[S Grade Frontier Defense Chest]
↓
[SSS Grade Ancient Frontier Sovereign Defense Chest]
Opening it produced:
[SSS Grade Ancient Beacon Sovereign Core x1]
[SS Grade Skill Book: Thunder Beacon War Command Step x1]
[SS Grade Frontier Guardian Formation Blueprint x1] freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
[S Grade Remnant War Banner x1]
[S Grade Beast Tide Suppression Talisman x3]
Qin Yuheng stared at the skill book.
Thunder.
Beacon.
War Command.
Step.
It sounded like a movement and command skill, perhaps suited to battlefield leadership.
He did not learn it immediately.
Too many high-grade skills too quickly could create conflict.
Next, the Defensive Formation Blueprint.
He enhanced it.
[A Grade Defensive Formation Blueprint]
↓
[SS Grade Silent Frontier Guardian Formation Blueprint]
This could combine with the Qin Estate’s silent sub-array and guardian puppet plans.
Then the Beacon Command Crystal.
[S Grade Beacon Command Crystal]
[Effect: Strengthens command transmission, morale stabilization, battlefield awareness in defensive formations.]
He enhanced it.
[S Grade Beacon Command Crystal]
↓
[SSS Grade Sovereign Beacon Command Crystal]
The aura was powerful but controlled.
Qin Yuheng brought it to Qin Wanshan and Gu Tianhe.
Gu Tianhe’s eyes changed when he saw it.
"This is an army treasure."
Qin Wanshan nodded slowly.
"With this, Silent Heaven Army command formations can improve."
Qin Yuheng placed Captain Ren’s Broken Spear Badge on the table as well.
Gu Tianhe picked it up.
For a moment, the old commander’s expression softened.
"Some battlefield remnants carry honor even after death."
Qin Yuheng said, "He knew he was a remnant."
Gu Tianhe nodded.
"Then he was more alive than many living men."
The Floor 11 rewards strengthened a new direction: defense, command, army formation, and spear memory.
Qin Yuheng could feel the shape of his future class becoming clearer.
But he still waited.
The next floors would provide more.
And the higher he climbed, the less simple each decision became.
