Kent was in shock.
He had spent thousands of hours in this game, and yet there was one utterly stupid quest he had never — ever — managed to complete.
Recruit a member with 9-star potential.
That was the quest.
Each stat in the game could have one to three stars, showing how talented a character was in that area — higher stars meant faster growth with every level up. And since each character could only have talent stars in up to three stats, a 9-star character meant perfection. A maxed-out prodigy. A chosen one. A child of destiny. A heaven-blessed miracle.
Kent had another, more realistic term for it. A non-existent character.
He had long given up on ever finding such a character. Every time that cursed quest popped up, his only response was a sneer.
And yet now… he was staring at exactly that — the profile of a supposedly "non-existent" character.
His own profile.
===== KELDRAK =====
[Health] 70
[Stamina] 95
[Willpower] 50 (60)
[Speed***] 125
[Melee***] 73
[M.Defense***] 13
[Ranged] 49
[R.Defense] 11
==================
What kind of cheating stats is this?!!
Kent instinctively felt the urge to report this overpowered, bugged-out trash of a character to the developers. Oh wait… this is me. Never mind, then!
After the initial shock, Kent finally took a moment to admire his stats. Not only did he have maxed-out talents in all the most important attributes, but their base values were incredibly high too. Must be thanks to that unique background he'd never seen before in the game.
[Barbarian Chieftain]
Keldrak, second son of Bloodfang - Great Chieftain of the North, The Barbarian King.
Born from a woman of noble origin enslaved by his father during a raid. After his mother—unable to endure the harsh life of the northern tribes—passed away, Keldrak was cast off to a minor clan to grow up on his own. Once a weak and sickly child, after a certain event in the past, Keldrak trained relentlessly to become a fighter unmatched within his tribe — eventually claiming the Chieftain's seat.
Now that's a proper main character backstory, if Kent had ever seen one.
But wait... "after a certain event"? What kind of event? This was a strategy game, not a detective game. Or was that just the text limit cutting off the rest of the lore?
When Kent looked over at his Traits, though, he started to suspect what kind of "event" that might've been.
A normal character could start with a maximum of two traits — good or bad.
Kent's profile showed six.
[Player Character] +10 Willpower.
This is your player character — in other words, yourself. If he dies, your life is over.
Wow, thanks for the breaking news. Kent rolled his eyes. As if he didn't know that already. Still, this trait belonged to the Lone Wolf origin — so it made sense for him to have it now that he'd literally become the Captain.
[Iron Lung] Recovers stamina faster.
This character rarely runs out of breath.
Perfect. One of Kent's all-time favorites. With this, he could build a more versatile fighter without worrying about stamina exhaustion. Good job, me.
[Iron Jaw] 25% harder to receive injuries.
This character shakes off hits that would cripple a lesser man.
Another great trait — though not his favorite. Kent preferred not getting hit at all. But since that was no longer an option, and taking injuries in real life would actually hurt, he was glad to have it.
[Determined] Always starts combat at Confident morale (+10% to all combat stats).
This character shows a formidable amount of self-confidence.
To be honest, he did't feel that confident… But who was he to argue with the system? This trait was probably something Keldrak himself had developed over his lifetime. Good job, Keldrak. Now Kent didn't have to worry about pissing his pants the moment an enemy shows up. Because really, high stats meant nothing if he was too scared to even lift a finger against the enemy.
The above traits were still within the realm of "normal." What came next, however, was not.
[Perseverance] Never lose stamina from enemy attacks, whether they hit or miss.
???
[Fool's Treasure] Quickly regenerates Health over time.
???
These were absolutely cheat-level traits — the kind of overpowered nonsense that could turn an abandoned bastard son into the unbeatable fighter of his tribe. Because they were that powerful.
Not losing stamina from enemy attacks? That was broken beyond reason. It meant he could conserve stamina even while being swarmed by multiple foes. Combine that with Iron Lung's faster stamina recovery, and you had a tireless warrior.
And then there was the health regeneration. Tireless and regenerative? That wasn't a warrior anymore, that was an unstoppable combat machine.
Even though there were no detailed descriptions, Kent immediately knew where these traits came from.
There was a unique origin in the game — the Anatomists.
A band of so-called "scholars" (read: mad doctors) who hunted down monsters and used their remains to create potions that could grant special abilities. Drink those concoctions, and you'd gain the creature's powers — at the cost of being deathly sick for a long while. That must've been what happened to Keldrak. He'd somehow gotten his hands on those potions and survived, gaining these inhuman traits in the process.
It was an important realization — proof that, unlike in the game, all kinds of origins existed simultaneously in this world. Lone Wolf, Gladiators, Oathtakers, Cultists, Anatomists… they were all out there somewhere and one day, Kent might cross paths with them.
This world had just become so much more interesting. He could feel the gamer inside him bubbling with excitement.
With such stats, especially that godly Speed, there was really only one logical path: a nimble Duelist. One who could dance around enemy attacks, slip past defenses, and strike with precision at the weak points beneath their armor. A versatile warrior, capable of adapting to any situation.
The future of this mercenary company looked bright — with a monster like him as the Captain, how could it not?
Now then, time to take a look at the rest.
===== JOLTUL =====
[Health**] 64
[Stamina] 105
[Willpower] 43
[Speed] 107
[Melee**] 65 (60)
[M.Defense*] 5 (0)
[Ranged] 40
[R.Defense] 4 (-1)
===============
[Barbarian]
Joltul the Mad Bull.
A sturdy warrior, the giant Joltul has fought through countless raids and campaigns. Though a man of few words, he is an absolutely vicious specimen in battle. The only person he respects in the entire tribe is his Chieftain — for his unmatched combat prowess. He remains forever loyal to his Chieftain.
[Brute] +15% melee damage to head, -5 Melee.
[Huge] +10% all melee damage, -5 M.Defense, -5 R.Defense.
The very definition of a walking menace.
The damage Joltul could dish out was enough to make even Kent nervous — and that was saying something, considering his own overpowered stats. With that increased head damage, the man was practically born to wield a flail — a weapon infamous for its high chance to crush skulls.
The penalty to Melee was trivial, given Joltul's naturally high score and double-star talent. The real problem was his defense, those penalties would hurt. Still, it was salvageable. With his impressive Health growth, all they needed was to strap him into the heaviest armor they could find, and Joltul would become a beast on the battlefield. A force to be reckoned with — and one Kent was very glad to have on his side.
===== SKARN =====
[Health*] 61
[Stamina] 105 (115)
[Willpower] 40 (45)
[Speed] 103
[Melee**] 64 (59)
[M.Defense**] 4
[Ranged] 37 (27)
[R.Defense] 5
===============
[Barbarian]
Skarn Ironside.
Barbarian raiders often take from lands foreign to them. Most see their raids as a matter of plunder and women, but occasionally, they enslave formidable boys with great potential. Skarn, a northerner, was one such child. Raised among the very people who captured him, he grew into a hard and brutal warrior.
[Drunkard] +10% all damage, +5 Willpower, -5 Melee, -10 Ranged.
[Strong] +10 Stamina, can wear heavy equipment with ease.
Skarn wasn't as massive as Joltul, but still a big man — big enough to make Kent look small when standing beside him. His stats were almost identical to Joltul's, except for the drinking habit. No defensive penalties, plus his natural strength that lets him handle heavy armor with ease — give him a hammer to shatter enemy armor, and he'll be another beast fit for the frontline. That was exactly why Kent loved this origin so much, having a powerful frontline was the mark of a successful company.
===== LOKI =====
[Health] 60
[Stamina] 101
[Willpower] 42
[Speed**] 118
[Melee*] 62 (67)
[M.Defense**] 5 (10)
[Ranged] 47
[R.Defense] 3 (8)
==============
[Barbarian]
Loki the Quick.
A boy taken from a southern village and raised amongst the barbarians of wastes. While he learn the language and culture, he never fit in and was a constant victim of cruel jokes and games.
[Tiny] -15% all melee damage, +5 M.Defense, +5 R.Defense.
[Dexterous] +5 Melee.
Unlike most northerners, Loki had a smaller, leaner frame — though that was hardly surprising, since he wasn't a true northerner to begin with. Kent could easily imagine how much of a nightmare it must've been for a guy like him to grow up among these towering, musclebound brutes. No wonder he'd been a constant victim of their "games." Still, his stats were excellent — something like a slightly inferior version of Kent himself. However, because of his lower damage potential, he wouldn't be ideal as a Duelist. It would be smarter to specialize him with a shield, making full use of his impressive Defense bonuses and growth. As for damage? That wouldn't be a problem either — not when he could slip a knife past armor and stab straight into the gaps.
That was the stats and builds of his three raiders. A great starter lineup — solid frontline fighters, all of them. And now, with the addition of Kent the superhuman himself, this company was shaping up nicely.
Now, if only he could recruit some good ranged fighters. Yeah… let's put that at the top of the priority list.
Somehow, Kent had the faint feeling he'd forgotten something — or someone. Never mind, he thought. Things you can forget probably aren't that important anyway.
For now, what really mattered was testing out how he would fare in real combat with those godlike stats. He decided they'd make camp early that day, near the foot of the mountain, and run a few practice rounds with his men.
Before he could give the order, Loki suddenly stopped and turned to him, speaking in a hurried voice.
"Captain Kel, I smell beasts. Direwolves, to be exact. We're already surrounded!"
Kent froze.
Well… so much for practice. Looks like it's time for the real thing.