The seven villages near veridian city burned beneath banners of red and silver.
Smoke rose like storm clouds over the plains, carrying the iron tang of war.
Noah's army had split into seven divisions — each led by a Soul-Forged Knight — moving like crimson blades through the countryside.
Where once there had been peace and wheat fields, now thunder rolled with steel.
At the nearest village, Noah's division of troops struck first.
The defenders numbered nearly three hundred — farmers with spears, millers with axes. Their barricades of logs and wagons looked defiant but crude before the armored phalanx that approached in disciplined silence.
When the first volley of arrows rained down, it shattered harmlessly against shimmering shields — the magic barrier projected by the Soul-Forged Knights at the front. Their runes pulsed, deflecting arrowheads as if the air itself had turned to steel.
"Forward!" The soul forged knight's voice rang, calm and cold.
The militia advanced like a tide, stepping over shattered arrows. Spears plunged, shields bashed, and the first line of villagers broke.
From a distance, Noah's banner — the phoenix — cast a long shadow over the field.
At the second village, the defenders tried fire — hurling flaming barrels down from the palisades. But the knights there, led by Sir Rhaen, raised runes that glowed blue-white, absorbing the flames and turning them into bursts of kinetic energy that launched the militia over the burning walls.
"By the Lord's will," Rhaen shouted as his soldiers roared, "no flame shall touch Veridian steel!"
The villagers fought with desperation. Even as they fell, they shouted curses, disbelief, and fear.
At the third village front, the Soul-Forged Knight personally cut through the enemy's center line. His greatsword, wreathed in red sigils, cleaved through pikes as if slicing smoke. His armor shimmered like molten metal; his blows left trails of heat through the air.
"Hold the line!" cried Dunmar's headman, a trembling man clutching a rusted halberd. "Hold the—"
The rest of his command drowned in a chorus of war drums. Moments later, the Veridian banner flew above Dunmar's gate.
At he fourth battle surged beside the rushing water. The defenders, cleverer than most, opened the floodgates to drown Noah's troops — but the Soul-Forged Knights stood firm, channeling their power through the ground.
The water split, surging around them in two furious arcs — as if the river itself bent its knee to Veridian's might.
"Impossible…" gasped the villagers as they were swallowed by their own flood.
Across the seven remaining fronts, the story repeated:
Villages that had stood for generations crumbled in a single day.
Every strike of the Soul-Forged Knights shattered morale; every rune burned brighter as the villagers' courage dimmed. The militia fought with frightening efficiency — not a mob, but a machine — moving with deadly unity, no hesitation, no fear.
And above it all, the phoenix banner waved against the smoke, bright and merciless.
...
By dusk, the surviving village heads gathered in panic.
Garrin , once so defiant, watched his people retreat, eyes hollow with disbelief.
"Those aren't soldiers," he rasped, watching the knights move through the firelight like metal ghosts. "They're monsters."
"They're trained," muttered another, his voice breaking. "And that boy… that Lord Noah… he sent them all at once."
By nightfall, every village fell. The fields that once fed the province now fed the flames of conquest.
Veridian's armies raised their standards over the seven ruins, and the cries of victory rolled like thunder back toward the city.
Back in Veridian
Far from the smoke and the screams, in the quiet of Veridian's lord's chamber, Noah leaned back in his chair — half-smiling, half-exhausted.
A soft ding echoed in his head as the system interface shimmered into view.
[Sub-quest completed]
[Reward: 200 sp , new items present in the system store]
> [System Notification]
Your forces have slain 2,743 hostiles.
You have gained +13,720 SP.
Noah blinked. "...Thirteen thousand?"
He looked again. "Wait — for them doing the work?"
He leaned forward, laughing in disbelief. "I like this management style! Maybe next time I'll stay in bed and let the knights handle it."
The system chimed back, emotionless.
[ Efficiency is rewarded, Host]
"Efficiency, huh?" he muttered, rubbing his chin. "More like legalized laziness."
Just as he stretched, a shadow flickered beside him — an assassin appearing silently from the window. Her voice was a whisper wrapped in tension.
"My Lord, there's trouble. Some citizens in the lower docks — former guards and merchants — they're meeting in secret. We believe they're planning a revolt."
Noah's humor vanished, replaced by an expression like cold iron.
"Already? I conquer a few villages and they get shy about freedom?"
He stood, straightening his coat, expression sharpening. "Good. Let them dance a little. During this revolt, they'll learn exactly why a city lord is not to be underestimated."
The assassin bowed. "Shall we… intervene?"
"Not yet," Noah said, eyes glinting with amusement. "Let them think they're winning. I want to see how high they climb before I kick the ladder."
He gestured lazily toward the window. "Keep watching and prepare counter measures. The moment they move, I want every whisper, every meeting, every fool who thinks rebellion is brave to see what consequences lies in revolting against me."
The assassin vanished as silently as she came.
"System open my status" noah said.
[STATUS PANEL — NOAH]
• Title: Lord of Veridian
• Race: Human
• Bloodline: Ember vein (fire affinity)
• Affinity: Soul affinity, fire affinity
• Soldier Pool: Low-Tier Militia
• SP: 13,720
• Umbra Assassin Units: 80(Deployed)
• Soul-Forged Knight Units: 100 (Deployed)
• Notoriety: +25 (Regional)
• Public Fear: 75%
• City Loyalty: 58%
• Quest: "Consolidate Power" Progress-98%]
"Open The System Store" commanded noah.
Noah sighed, dropping back into his seat. "Alright, let's see how to spend all this lovely blood-earned SP."
The system interface expanded — pages of glowing icons, endless rows of mysterious names.
> [System Store - Combat Section]
Fighting Techniques, Bloodlines, Elemental Affinities.
"Oh great," Noah muttered, "the cosmic version of online shopping."
He scrolled past the first row.
[SYSTEM STORE — COMBAT SECTION]
Fighting Techniques / Bloodlines / Affinities
• Steel Flow Combat Manual (Basic Tier) – 1,000 SP
• Shadowstep Technique (Rare Tier) – 5,000 SP
• Serpent Fist Style – 1,200 SP
• Lightning Affinity (Low Tier) – 7,000 SP
• Draconic Bloodline Fragment – 9,500 SP
• Wolfkin Bloodline (Low) – 4,000 SP
• Ember Vein (Fire Affinity) – 400 SP
• Stoneborn (Earth Affinity) – 380 SP
• Silver Pulse (Speed + Reflex) – 420 SP
• Shadow Trace (Stealth + Mana Flow) – 400 SP
Noah rubbed his temples. "Why does everything good cost the price of a small nation?"
He hovered over Draconic Bloodline Fragment, the preview showing scales, wings, and a very dramatic dragon roar.
"Hmm. Stylish," he said. "Also very likely to get me roasted while sneezing."
He scrolled again.
"'Shadowstep'? Now that's cool. I could finally sneak up on my own assassin."
Then he frowned at a cheaper one.
> 'Affinity Seed: Darkness (Initial Tier): 2000 SP.'
"Darkness affinity," he murmured. "Fitting name for a guy who burns villages by breakfast."
He tapped the icon, but paused before saying " I did promise myself a little bloodline shopping spree later."
He leaned back, smirking. "One step at a time, Noah. Conquer the province first, play god later."
The interface dimmed, leaving him staring out the window at the city below. Patrol torches flickered along Veridian's walls; banners fluttered in the night wind.
Noah's expression softened — proud, calculating, alive.
"Soon," he whispered. "Veridian will be just the beginning."
Outside, thunder echoed in the distance — the sound of soldiers returning home.
And beneath the streets, in hidden taverns, rebellion whispered Noah's name with both fear and fury.
"Now , let's do some fighting technique and bloodline shopping" noah said Feeling excited.