[Faction System Activated]
[Reputation with the Dunedain +50]
[Current Reputation with the Dunedain: Friendly]
[World Map Unlocked]
[Territorial Claim System Activated]
Just as Eric was feeling the familiar pang of a headache, a flurry of system notifications popped up, neatly interrupting his train of thought.
Factions? A map?
Another mod unlock already?
He shoved aside his worries and immediately opened the new interface, skimming through the descriptions.
The first feature was the Faction Reputation System. In short, if Eric did something beneficial for a particular faction, he'd earn reputation with them.
But it wasn't as simple as "do good, get points." If Eric was too far from a faction's sphere of influence, they simply wouldn't know what he'd done. No witnesses, no fame. So no rep.
Take now, for instance—he was currently within the active region of the Dunedain, and there just so happened to be a witness on hand.
Farodan had watched with his own eyes as Eric single-handedly wiped out an entire cavalry squad. That alone was enough to trigger a full reputation boost, instantly elevating Eric's standing with the Dunedain to Friendly.
If, on the other hand, Eric had snuck into some remote corner of Mordor to ambush orcs, even if he downed a hundred of them, it wouldn't matter unless word of his deeds got out. No witnesses meant no reputation gains.
Worse, the Mordor faction would likely dock points instead.
But faction rep wasn't just cosmetic—it had real perks.
Now that Eric had reached Friendly with the Dunedain, every member of that faction he encountered in the future would treat him as one of their own.
Having grasped the gist of the Faction System, Eric moved on to the second new feature: World Map.
The world map would log everywhere he'd been, automatically highlighting which factions operated in which areas. It was absurdly accurate.
Of course, Eric hadn't gone too far just yet, so the only regions visible were from the Shire to Bree, and the area around his own stronghold. Everything else was still shrouded in fog.
"Your tale will spread across these wildlands, Eric."
The voice beside him brought him back to the present.
Farodan continued, "You've dealt with a problem we've struggled with for some time. That squad you took down—clearing them out would've taken us days."
"Let me thank you on behalf of the free folk of this land."
The ranger gave a slight, courtly bow, offering Eric sincere gratitude.
Eric returned the gesture. "I couldn't have done it without you. If you hadn't delivered that warning in time, I might've been caught completely off guard—and who knows? I might've had to abandon my castle and run off in shame."
"I owe you one, Farodan."
That wasn't just flattery—it was the truth. If he'd faced that group unprepared, things could've gone south fast. That damn warg's leap alone could've cleared the half-assed wall he'd built.
"It was an honor," Farodan replied.
"From today onward," Eric said, "you and your kin are welcome in my fortress. No need for permission—come and go as you please, and use any supplies you need. Think of it as a token of friendship."
"Then I accept it with gratitude," Farodan said with no hint of false modesty.
Even having a secure place to rest now and then was a huge deal in this lawless region.
[Reputation with the Dunedain +10]
A new notification popped up.
Honest guy, Eric thought. Gives rep boosts where it's due.
That suddenly reminded him…
That 40-HP elite orc.
On a whim, Eric glanced above Farodan's head.
A health bar appeared: [25/25].
Twenty-five HP.
The Dunedain were a long-lived race, blessed with greater vitality than ordinary humans. So, a higher HP cap made sense.
Which meant that elite orc—who stood out in a sea of 10–15 HP grunts—probably had a touch of troll blood. No way he was that tanky otherwise.
Eric shook off the thought.
Night had fallen.
After a long night of nerve-wracking "combat" (read: ambush), Eric was finally feeling the fatigue set in. He bade Farodan good night and went off to get some rest.
The next morning, Farodan was already gone.
Only a set of iron armor remained in the guest room—proof he'd actually stayed the night.
He hadn't taken the armor Eric gave him.
"That guy…" Eric muttered, shaking his head.
Then he remembered—right, he had another new system that activated yesterday but hadn't had the chance to look at it thanks to Farodan.
[Territorial Claim System]
[You can claim unclaimed buildings or areas as your personal territory.]
[Gain one claim point every 10 levels. Current available claims: 0/3.]
The system reminded Eric of that "Useful Utilities" mod, which also allowed for land claiming. Super convenient.
Without hesitation, Eric claimed his current fortress as his first territory.
[Please name your territory:]
He considered it. The place was nestled just off the main road in the middle of the wilderness, so…
"Let's go with Roadside Fortress."
[Territory 'Roadside Fortress' created successfully]
Even after registering the territory, something still felt incomplete.
So Eric crafted a sign, hung it beside the gate, and carved the name into it:
{Roadside fortress}
Perfect.
From now on, everything within the castle walls officially belonged to Eric.
According to the system, storage blocks like chests were automatically protected within claimed territory. No one could open, destroy, or move them without permission.
That was just the basic level of permanent property protection.
More importantly, within his territory, Eric could now summon iron golems and snow golems.
Yep, confirmed: Golems could only be summoned inside his own territory—and they couldn't leave.
Eric sighed.
Sighhh—
His dream of summoning a golem army to steamroll Mordor had died before it even began.
Still, this wasn't so bad. At least now, when he went off exploring, he wouldn't have to worry about some random orcs or bandits squatting in his home base.
Another big problem, solved. Now he could go adventuring without anxiety.
Having explored all the new features, Eric itched to summon a golem or two. He wanted to see what these 100-HP tanky bodyguards looked like—blocky and square like Minecraft? Or more realistic, clad in iron armor?
He rifled through every chest…
But came up empty-handed.
No pumpkins.
Right—he'd only been growing one crop: wheat. And wheat seeds were easy to come by just by smacking tall grass outside.
But pumpkins? Those, he'd have to go find himself.
Decision made, Eric summoned the world map, then laid out the paper one he got from Bilbo for comparison.
West of Roadside Keep was Bree—a route he was already familiar with.
To the east lay Rivendell, and beyond that, the Misty Mountains.
Distance-wise, Bree and Rivendell were about the same from his current location.
Eric's eyes lingered on Rivendell.
I've never met an elf before…
And if he remembered correctly, young Aragorn should be living in Rivendell right now. Must still be under ten years old at this point.