6: Rapid development

Lin Feng closed the noisy chat channel, completely blocking out the chaotic messages that were irrelevant to him.

His gaze returned to his own panel.

【Gold: 1200】

【Upgrade Town Hall to Level 3: 1000 Gold】

In this world, development is the only hard truth.

One step ahead is a lead all the way.

His will did not hesitate or pause, like the sharpest blade, precisely striking the only option.

“Upgrade.”

Boom—!

This time, the tremor was far more violent than the last!

The entire fortress platform seemed like an ancient beast awakening from its slumber, emitting a dull roar.

A more magnificent and solid golden pillar of light shot up from the core of the Town Hall, illuminating the eternal dim yellow sky into a brilliant daylight.

The greenish-gray rocks beneath his feet expanded wildly outwards, their area once again skyrocketing.

What was originally just a sturdy city wall, under the wash of golden light, actually condensed a layer of strange crystals shimmering with metallic coldness, as if draped in an invisible energy shield.

And in the center of the fortress, the humble wooden plank bed had disappeared, replaced by a small but fully functional stone cottage, finally taking on the rudimentary shape of a “home.”

A series of system prompts, carrying an unprecedented solemnity and weight, exploded in his mind one after another.

【Congratulations! Your Town Hall has been upgraded to Level 3!】

【Wall Durability Increased: 2000 -> 3000】

【Wall Gains New Trait: Energy Regeneration (Durability recovery speed increased by 100% in non-combat state)】

【Defense Tower Slots: 5 -> 6】

【Resource Building Slots: 3 -> 4】

【New Function Unlocked: Hero Altar】

【New Building Unlocked: Barracks】

Accompanying the prompt, an ancient, circular stone altar slowly rose in the open space of the fortress.

Lin Feng's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a strong premonition surged within him.

He immediately immersed his consciousness into it.

【Hero Altar】: An extension of the Lord's soul and will.

【Function】: After activation, you can choose to transform into a Hero unit and personally participate in fortress defense battles.

【Hero Traits】: Heroes have independent attributes and skills, and can level up by killing monsters to gain experience.

【Undying Body】: Heroes do not truly die. When their health reaches zero, they will automatically return to the Hero Altar for recuperation and can re-enter battle after 30 seconds.

【Pain Adjustment】: You can freely set the pain perception level in Hero mode, ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (100% real).

【Initial Hero】: Barbarian King

【Level】: 1

【Attack】: 50

【Health】: 500

【Skills】: None

Lin Feng's eyes instantly lit up.

Hero Mode!

This was no longer just a tower defense game.

He carefully read each rule, his brain working rapidly.

Personally entering the battle meant that he was no longer a Lord who could only command from the rear, but the most flexible piece that could change the tide of battle at any time.

Especially for certain slow-moving, high-health monsters.

He could completely use his positioning to kite and pull them, creating a perfect output environment for the defense towers.

This was a qualitative change at the tactical level!

He glanced at the 【Pain Adjustment】 option, the slider from 0 to 10 lying quietly there.

Lin Feng's fingertip lightly traced across the void, moving it from 0 to 1 without the slightest hesitation.

Complete absence of pain might dull his perception of danger.

However, a slight 10% prickling sensation would serve as a warning without affecting his combat judgment at all.

Just as he was studying the new function, the regional channel, which had only recently quieted down, was once again ignited by an abrupt and boastful message.

The speaker's nickname was 【Compound Interest】.

“Ugh, the monsters in the novice period are too weak, aren't they? I knew I shouldn't have built so many towers, it was a complete waste of money.”

“Before I knew it, I'd almost accumulated 2000 gold, I can't even spend it, it's really vexing.”

At the end of this message, a screenshot of his personal panel was attached.

【Nickname: Compound Interest】

【Gold: 1988】

【Talent: A-grade - Compound Interest (Your gold can generate interest, capped at 1500 gold, settled every 3 hours, interest rate 5%)】

This image, like a depth charge, caused an uproar among the lamenting survivors.

“Holy crap! 1988 gold? I don't even have the change after that!”

“Is an A-grade talent that fierce? Are they even letting people live?”

“Interest settled every 3 hours, with a cap of 1500 gold, that's 75 gold per settlement! Eight times a day, just the interest is 600 gold! How can we even play?”

Envy and jealousy instantly flooded the screen.

But soon, voices of doubt and reason also emerged.

“Don't just look at the thief eating meat upstairs, forget about the thief getting beaten. He has 1500 gold that he fundamentally can't touch, which means he's missing 1500 gold in development resources in the early stage. If he can't hold a wave, he loses everything, principal and interest.”

“That's right, this kind of pure economic talent is a gamble. Manage it well, and you soar. A slight misstep, and you lose everything. The risk is too high.”

“Exactly, money not spent is just a pile of scrap metal. When the monster strength goes up, is he going to smash monsters with gold? He'll die sooner or later!”

The channel became a boiling pot, with some praising and others disparaging.

Lin Feng merely watched indifferently.

His finger lightly tapped on the virtual panel, but in his mind, he had already completed a precise calculation.

A-grade Talent 【Compound Interest】.

Interest cap 1500 gold, daily output 600 gold.

This was a considerable figure.

But Lin Feng's gaze fell on his own economic panel.

Three Refined Gold Mines, with a base hourly wage of 60 gold, plus the occasional critical strike, his stable daily income already exceeded 1440 gold.

Moreover, he had just upgraded to Level 3 Town Hall, gaining an additional resource building slot.

If he wished, he could build a fourth Refined Gold Mine at any time.

By then, his daily income would reach a terrifying 1920 gold!

More critically, he had no capital tied up; all his gold could be converted into combat power at any time.

After a comparison, the conclusion was self-evident.

His seemingly unremarkable S-grade Fusion Talent, on the economic front, completely dwarfed that A-grade 【Compound Interest】, and was even more dominant than a pure S-grade economic talent!

The corner of Lin Feng's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc.

Just then, an even more arrogant voice in the channel drowned out everyone else.

The speaker's nickname suffix carried a dazzling 【SS】 identifier.

“An A-grade talent is worth you all making such a fuss? Truly inexperienced.”

“My talent 【Hedge Fund】 has an interest cap of 3000 gold, an 8% interest rate, settled every two hours. You do the math.”

As soon as this message appeared, the entire channel instantly fell silent.

Everyone was dizzy from the numbers.

3000 gold cap, 8% interest rate, settled every two hours.

Two hours, that's 240 gold.

One day, that's 2880 gold!

The previously smug 【Compound Interest】 instantly became a joke in front of this SS-grade bigshot.

Even Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.

This number had far exceeded his expectations.

An invisible pressure quietly enveloped his heart.

He had originally thought he was at the forefront of everyone.

But the vastness and cruelty of this world once again showed him the tip of the iceberg.

An SS-grade talent was truly terrifying.

He closed the chat channel, no longer paying attention to the irrelevant clamor.

Those distant names and numbers would only disturb his state of mind.

He refocused his attention on his fortress, his eyes becoming sharper and more determined than before.

【Gold: 200】

【Upgrade Town Hall to Level 4: 2000 Gold】

Pressure is the best motivation.

Lin Feng took a deep breath, spending his last 200 gold without hesitation.

“Purchase two Initial Gold Mines, synthesize!”

“Build on the fourth resource slot!”

Light flashed, and the fourth Refined Gold Mine appeared as if on cue.

【Current Gold Production Rate】: 80 Gold/Hour!

He was, in his own way, catching up frantically!