Dear readers, there are a few spots in the translation that I'm still not fully satisfied with. If you notice anything incorrect, please let me know. Even though I've reviewed it several times, something may have slipped past me.Wishing you a pleasant read.
—Igris' Point of View—
Alright… that's done, but I'm left with a bitter taste in my mouth. This was supposed to be an exciting draw, yet what I learned only managed to unsettle me. I should collect my rewards now, but before that, I need to take a look at the shop system.
Before opening the shop, I took a moment to feel the sky above me. The situation with the Crimson Archers bothered me deeply. How many more people, who have lived through horrors like this—maybe even worse—will end up at my side? Can I actually mend their psychological and spiritual wounds? It feels like the system is making my work harder rather than easier. Those coming from the Mount & Blade world are all used to constant war; violence and the weight of battle are normal to them. And most of the ones arriving—almost all of them—are men. Even though the Khuzaits have women warriors, I doubt any of them have experienced something like this.
We're talking about people who've lived as slaves for at least a hundred years… Even if I don't know them personally, neither I nor my people could ever turn our backs on them.
But how am I supposed to communicate with them? How do you talk to someone with deep psychological and spiritual wounds? I really hope their condition isn't as bad as I fear… Because if it is, I'll have no choice but to leave them in the Rivendell for a while. If they weren't in such a state, I would've sent them straight to the temporary camp… but I have to see them myself. Otherwise, my mind won't rest.
'System, what's the situation at the camp?'
System:[They are fighting.]
"…Ah, I see, good—WHAT!?"
My brows shot up. There shouldn't be anyone near that area strong enough—or stupid enough—to attack them, right? We're talking about over 220 people. That's a strong force. There shouldn't be any major power in the North because of Smaug. Lake-town isn't strong either—they're cowards; they wouldn't dare provoke a military unit. And the elves stay far away from the mountain anyway. Is there some power I don't know about? I'm sure the location I chose was safe… Wait.
'Orcs.'
System:[Yes. They are engaged with an orc tribe.]
'Why?'
System:[The orcs were searching for a place to raid. Their scouts found the camp by chance.]
'What's their condition?'
System:[Good. Since most of the soldiers are ranged units, they are using the forest terrain to their advantage.]
'Supplies?'
System:[Good. The temporary commander and his men detected the orc scouts ahead of time and made several preparations. They excelled at stockpiling supplies.]
'Ammunition?'
System:[No problem. The unit is producing their own ammunition.]
'…Good. But they're struggling in infantry, aren't they?'
System:[Yes. They only have twenty veteran Vaegir infantry. They also have no cavalry, while the orcs have warg riders.]
My brows tightened even more.
"Do the orcs have a shaman or mage?"
System:[Yes. They have one shaman.]
I paused for a moment, thinking. Could there be a conflict between the Battanians and the Imperial soldiers too? Hmm. And there are a few soldiers from Sturgia as well… Those guys have a high chance of clashing with the Battanians.
"System, summon the Battanians from the northern Vlandia border—specifically those from the upper regions. Summon the Sturgian soldiers from the northern-central area. Call the Sarranids from the Rodok border region. Send all of them—including the Light Mage—to the camp. Send the Crimson Archer unit to me; I need to see their condition myself. Also send the dwarven warriors to me. I'm going to toss them at Thorin. Honestly, I'm curious what Thorin will do with dwarves who've been assimilated and have forgotten their identities."
System:[Understood.]
"But wait—don't summon them yet. I want to check the shop system and claim the main quest rewards first."
System:[Understood.]
"Alright, let's see the shop. Explain it to me."
System:[The shop system is simple. Besides your daily draw, you receive seven additional random items, which you may purchase. Some items have unlimited purchase quantities, while others are limited. All you need to do is spend some gold.]
"Got it. So what's in the shop today?"
—Shop—
Castle Blueprint (Common Tier) ×1
Price: 50,000 gold
Naval İnstructor ×1
Price: 3,000 gold
Full Armor Set (Elven) Common Tier ×200
Price: 3,000 gold
Tier 3 Khuzait Spearmen ×45
Price: 30 gold
Tier 1 Aserai Recruit ×19
Price: 5 gold
Tier 5 Half-Elf Rangers ×85
Price: 250 gold
Goat ×95
Price: 50 silver
Note: Prices are per unit.
Current Funds: 879 gold, 80 silver, 23 copper.
…I'm poor. May the god curse the concept of money.
"System! What the hell are these prices!? Do you even understand how valuable gold is? A single silver coin can feed a whole family for a day—maybe even three!"
I had amassed over 100,000 gold, but that took me eleven years of nonstop work—slave traders, monster hunts, orc tribe raids… I earned that money by either looting or receiving bounties. This isn't a joke—earning over 100,000 gold in eleven years is incredibly hard. I've brushed shoulders with death countless times. Only Shadowmane and I know how close I came. There's barely a spot on my body without scars—claw marks, blade cuts, burns… Once, I almost lost an eye.
My armor was crafted from numerous rare metals and minerals. Guno had a hard time finding them. Since orcs overran many of the dwarf mines, dwarves can't mine like they used to. My armor alone is worth 80,000 gold—my sword and shield included. The remaining 20,000 I spent on inventory storage and travel supplies.
System:[There is nothing I can do about this. Prices are fixed. And they are worth it. You can summon battle-ready soldiers and obtain blueprints belonging to your world or other fantasy worlds. You can solve supply shortages as well. All you need to do is spend a little gold.]
… Stingy bastards. Gold is a valuable currency in almost every world—calling it a multiversal currency wouldn't even be a lie. A sudden thought crossed my mind.
'Can I sell things?'
System: [Yes.]
I let out a relieved breath. Good—that's something, at least. Looks like I'll be focusing heavily on production from now on… that it was already part of my long-term plans. As I stared at the shop interface, I slipped into thought. What do I actually need the most right now? I really want that castle blueprint. But I'm broke… The naval instructor? Ignored immediately—not only is he useless to me at the moment, I can't even afford him. The elf armor? Also pointless. Elves and humans aren't built the same, and even if they were—again—I'm broke.
Buy all the goats! We already have supply issues; at least goats would ease the strain a little.
[Goat x95 — Unit price: 50 silver. Total price: 47 gold 50 silver. Purchase accepted.]
[Goat x95 >>> x0]
[879 g 80 s 23 c >>> 832 g 30 s 23 c]
Hmm… Let's skip the half-elves for now. I'm not in the mood to deal with elves anyway. But there's one thing I need to confirm.
'System, do any of these soldiers have traumatic pasts? Like the Crimson Archers?'
System: [I don't know… But summoning such people is a 30% probability. In general, you may summon individuals who had a rough life, but there is a 30% chance you may summon people who suffered hellish torture similar to the Crimson Archer unit.]
'I see…'
If I had the money, I'd summon every last one of them just for that 30%—just to save whoever I can. But right now, I must take care of the people already under me… I'd rather ignore the Aserai. Not because I dislike them, but because taking a desert-born population and dropping them into the cold north is too risky; the climate shift is extreme. If I already had a city established, I'd bring them. But I can't summon them just to have them live in tents. If they get sick, they'll slow everyone else down.
'For now, I'll take fifteen Khuzait spearmen. Saving the rest is smarter.'
[Khuzait Spearman x45
Unit price: 30 g
Total price: 1,350 g
Chosen amount: 15 — Required price: 450 g
Purchase accepted.]
[Khuzait Spearman x45 >>> x30]
[832 g 30 s 23 c >>> 382 g 30 s 23 c]
…Watching a chunk of my remaining money evaporate made something twist inside me. I let out a bitter laugh. I shouldn't dwell on it too much—building a nation isn't supposed to be easy. It requires massive capital. Hopefully Thorin becomes our supporter. Otherwise we're screwed… Still, I have several ideas in mind for forming partnerships with the dwarves.
Anyway, focus on the now. The shop is handled. Next are the quest rewards.
[Side Quest: Reach the Rivendell]
[Reward: 50 Noble Battania Warriors (Completed.)]
Hmm… We need elite combat power, but speed and agility matter too. And the Orc tribe attacking the temporary camp has Warg riders. If they're bred for battle, then the camp is in real trouble. We need mounted elites—but which ones?
Fighting a Warg rider means fighting both the beast and its rider at the same time. They're extremely dangerous; not every cavalryman can handle that.
Swadia? No. In steppe warfare, their lances can devastate in large formations, but in smaller numbers, they can't handle Wargs.
Vlandia? No—they're better with crossbows, and their banner knights aren't suited for this type of fight.
Battania? Good in forest warfare, but they can't withstand a Warg in close combat.
Sturgia? Absolutely not—their cavalry is among the worst.
Khergit? Hmm… possible, but their lancers only use glaives—they can't fight multiple Wargs at once. Their veteran horse archers could harass from afar, but their armor is weak and even their horses lack protection.
Empire? The Cataphracts are great—heavily armored and skilled with lances—but even they would lose in close-quarters against Wargs…
Ah! Khuzait! The Khagan's Guards!
Fully armored, excellent horse archers, skilled with glaives, and even their horses are armored. They can fight at range, mid-range, and close combat. Exactly what I need.
'System, I want to exchange the reward for Khagan's Guards.'
System: [Understood. You may summon four.]
Fine… I expected that. The Khagan's Guards are the peak of Khuzait forces after all. But knowing four elite warriors will reinforce the camp puts me at ease.
'Begin the summoning.'
System: [Understood. The elves and dwarves will take a while to arrive, but the others are being sent near the Temporary Camp.]
'Good. Send them a message as well. Tell them to take good care of the goats and increase their breeding if possible—the more goats, the better. Whoever manages the herd and keeps them healthy until I arrive will receive half the herd as a reward. And in the future, when cattle become available, I'll give them two oxen and three cows as well.'
In the modern world, these might seem like ridiculous rewards, but here they are incredibly valuable to a farmer. A cow's meat and milk can be used in countless ways, and goat milk is essential for crafting several healing medicines.
System: [Understood.]
By the way, I haven't checked the system panel in more than three weeks—taking a look wouldn't hurt…
My profile looks like this:
Name: Igris
Race: Hybrid (Dúnedain / ???)
Class: ???? Knight
Level: Mid-tier – Peak (At the boundary)
Title: Black Knight
Power Used: Aura / ???
Skills: One-Handed Sword Mastery > Elite – Beginner Tier / Shield > Intermediate – Peak Tier / Two-Handed Sword > Elite – Beginner Tier / Archery > Intermediate – Mid Tier / Throwing Weapons > Intermediate – Advanced Tier / Engineering Knowledge > Elite – Mid Tier / Healing Knowledge > Elite – Beginner Tier…
"Hmm… doesn't seem like much has changed… wait, why are there question marks next to my class? And what's with this 'Mid-tier – Peak (At the boundary)' phrase? Did I already hit the limit? This fast? But I don't feel any different… Wait! My arm!"
My eyes dropped to my arm. I had never examined it properly… honestly, I didn't even know what to look for. Even though its shape had changed, it didn't feel all that different. Curiously, I touched it with my other hand.
The obsidian-like scales covering my arm were incredibly hard… harder than my armor. I pulled a dagger from my inventory and tapped the edge against my arm.
DING!
The sound startled me. I tapped again.
DING!
My brows furrowed. I couldn't feel the dagger's tip at all. A crazy idea popped into my mind—reckless, maybe stupid, but I was dying to know the outcome. I took a deep breath and muttered:
"Alright… just do it. Elves heal small cuts quickly anyway… Besides, we're staying here for a few more days…"
I raised the dagger and stabbed it into my arm without hesitation.
DING!
Sparks flew when the blade struck my arm—didn't even leave a scratch. I froze, eyes wide. But then another sound came from the dagger.
CRACK!
When I looked at it, the blade was covered in fractures. My shock deepened. I lifted it for a closer look—and the dagger shattered into tiny pieces, cascading onto the bed like metal dust. I stared dumbly at the handle left in my grip.
"…Does this mean my hybrid body's defense is stronger than the armor I paid 80,000 gold for…? Did I waste all that money?"
I felt something inside me break. Life suddenly felt meaningless. I stared at my right arm, questioning everything.
Why? Why? With my left hand, I grabbed my right arm and shook it violently.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU APPEAR EARLIER?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY I SPENT?! HOW MANY TIMES I HAD TO CHANGE EQUIPMENT?! WHY DID YOU WAIT UNTIL NOW, HUH!?"
So much money… so many materials… so many weapons and shields… all useless. All decoration. All those life-or-death battles—wasted. If I can shed my skin someday, most weapons probably won't even work on me…
I sighed deeply and decided not to think about my arm anymore—because the more I thought, the angrier I got.
Now, let's check our military status.
Kingdom Status:
Ruled Territories: 0
Military Fortresses: 0
Cities: 0
Towns: 0
Villages: 0
Breeding Facilities: 0
Occupational Buildings / Workshops: 0
Caravans: 0
Nobles: 0
Mage: Light Mage Orion (Elf, 250 years old)
Generals: 2 → Forest Ranger Halt, Forest Ranger Gilan
Total Troops: 714
• Infantry: 354
→ Swadian Militia: 200
→ Vaegir Veteran/Elite: 30
→ Swadian Footman: 6
→ Sturgia Warrior: 50
→ Sturgia Woodsman: 50
→ Tier 3 Sarrind Infantry x18
• Cavalry: 45
→ Dwarf Cavalry x45
• Archers:
→ Imperial Veteran Crossbowman: 16
→ Tier 3 Sarrind Archer x4
• Horse Archers:
→ Khuzait Tribal Warrior: 15
→ Tier 4 Khergit Horseman x10
→ Khuzait Khagan's Guard x4
• Legendary Units:
→ Renowned Regiment – Crimson Archer Brigade (Elf) x300
• Air Units: (Empty)
Total Population: 714
Total Income: 0
Hmm… 764 total. Not bad—not bad at all. Everything's finally ready. There's nothing left for me to do. Ah! Right, I had this one thing too:
RELATIONSHIP LEVELS:
Halt: 70 < 106
Gilan: 72 < 107
Gandalf: 60 < 101
Bilbo: 85 < 178
Bombur: 85 < 189
Bofur: 69 < 162
Ori: 77 < 102
Balin: 80 < 167
Kili: 80 < 154
Fili: 70 < 146
Dwalin: 58 < 134
Thorin: 55 < 102
Gloin: 90 < 165
Dori: 72 < 121
Nori: 58 < 103
Bifur: 55 < 112
They're all above 100—which means they all see me as a close friend. That's a good sign. Halt and Gilan have even started trusting me. We bonded a lot during the journey, and even Thorin's value went above 100. That's really good. And now there are new additions as well.
Fin: 70
Altay: 80
Umay: 67
Uraz: 67
Nilay: 63
Doğan: 98
Bamsı: 102
Oro: 99
…Hmm… Only three of them are above 90, but I couldn't interact with them that much anyway. Not bad. Now, the Elves.
Princess Arwen of Rivendell: 90
Lady Celebrian of Rivendell: 80
Lord Elrond of Rivendell: 99
Lady Galadriel: 87
Having such high affinity values with the Elves—especially the leaders of Rivendell—right from the start is strange… Particularly with Lady Galadriel. Did she read my essence or something? I heard she can sense the nature of people… Whatever. It works in my favor, so I won't question it too much. Now, let's look at my enemies.
Blood Rose Knight Anton: -89
Blood Rose Knight Marcus: -236
The Crimson Lady Katarina: 345
(Warning! Subject has been confirmed to possess severe obsessive tendencies. It is strongly advised to maintain at least 100 kilometers of distance from her.)
My eyebrow twitched like crazy. Anton and Marcus being hostile is normal, but that lunatic Katarina is absolutely abnormal. WHAT THE HELL IS A VALUE OVER 300!? AND THE SYSTEM IS EVEN WARNING ME IN PARENTHESES!
I inhaled deeply and let out a long breath. I'll worry about that maniac later. I stood up and stretched. The sky was beautiful, as always—thousands of sparkling stars bursting like tiny fireworks, a moon lightly brushed with pink, and the rustling of trees and water creating a calming harmony. I looked at my right arm again, thinking about how to return it to its original form. Countless stories with similar transformations popped into my mind. After a deep breath, I crossed my legs and sat down in a meditation pose. I listened to the surroundings, felt the tranquility, and for a moment silenced every thought in my head, focusing only on my breath. With my eyes closed, I concentrated on my arm.
'Return to your original form.'
That single thought was all I held onto; I shut everything else out. A faint tingling spread through my arm. It lasted a few seconds, then faded, and I could sense the environment through my arm normally again. When I opened my eyes, my right arm had reverted back to a human arm. I chuckled.
'And they say fantasy series are pointless.'
I moved my arm a few times, flexed my fingers, then pinched my right forearm with my left hand.
'Completely back to normal.'
After a moment of thought, I wondered whether I could transform it back into that obsidian form again. I closed my eyes and focused once more. After a while, that familiar tingling returned, and when I opened my eyes, I saw a purple aura slowly wrapping around my arm. It began at my fingertips and crawled up to my shoulder, changing everything it passed over—turning it into something resembling the arm of a black monster.
I repeated the process once more and returned my arm to normal. Then I stood up, stretched, and stepped back into the room. I dropped to the floor and got into push-up position.
I've been asleep for seventeen days. Time to train a little…