《Rise of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Another World》


 Chapter 0 - Prologue

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    "Soyuz nerushimyrespubliksvobodnykh


    SplotilanavekivelikayaRus''.


    Da zdravstvuyetsozdannyvoleynarodov


    Yediny, moguchySovetsky Soyuz!"


    "An unbreakable union of free republics,


    The Great Russia has welded forever to stand.


    Long live the creation of the will of the people,


    The united, mighty Soviet Union!"


    Perhaps there are only few people who would not recognise these legendary lines. These are the first few lines from the anthem of the USSR. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, more popularly known, simply as the Soviet Union to all and to some more learned people, perhaps by the official name of CCCP which stands for C§à§ð§Ù§³§à§Ó§Ö§ä§ã§Ü§Ú§ç§³§à§è§Ú§Ñ§Ý§Ú§ã§ä§Ú§é§Ö§ã§Ü§Ú§ç§²§Ö§ã§á§å§Ò§Ý§Ú§Ü (Soyuz SovetskikhSotsialisticheskikhRespublik). It was a state that pioneered a completely new form of society never before seen on Earth. Heralded as the very first communist state in the world, the creators of the Soviet Union, the ¡°Bolsheviks¡±, who were tired of the oppression of the nobles and the wealthy, dreamt of a state where everything would belong to the people as a whole, and no one would be able to amass wealth and power for his own greed.


    Inspired by the legendary ¡°Communist Manifesto¡± written by ?Karl Marx</a>? and ?Friedrich Engels</a>, the Bolsheviks under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin (whose real name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov), envisioned for the freedom and power to the working classes which throughout history had been oppressed and exploited by the wealthy and the nobility.As a result of his efforts and that of the millions following him, the great empire of Russia fell, with its Tsarist royalty overthrown in the infamous October revolution. In its place, appeared a united state comprising of 15 different republics, all united under the ideals of socialsm, equality, freedom and power to the masses. Their symbol being the mighty hammer and sickle, signifying the workers and farmers respectively. The Soviet Union was officially established on 30<sup>th</sup> of December 1922, and it became the first and the largest ever Socialist state of the world.


    When the fires of World War II were burning Europe, it was the Soviet Union that had turned the tide of world war 2. When the Wehrmacht was conquering Europe under the impetus of the Nazi Regime, Adolf Hitler hada not so brilliant idea which was to invade and conquer the Soviet Union with the now infamous¡°Operation Barbarossa¡±. Although initially, the defending Red armysuffered devastating losses due to poor training and lack of capable leaders, and a huge area of the Soviet Union was taken over by the Third Reich, the Soviets never gave up on their struggles to defend their motherland. By the time the Germans had arrived at the gates of Moscow, the momentum of the blitzkrieg had been crushed into a halt, and with the defeat of the 6<sup>th</sup> army at Stalingrad, Hitler¡¯s dreams of conquering the Soviet Union were crushed forever.


    Finally, it would be the Red army to march into Berlin and defeat the Reich once and for all. However, the Soviet Union had paid adreary price for the victory, and they had paid it in blood. All in all, around 27 million people;including both military servicemen and civilians;perished in the Soviet Union, as a result of the war. Although Western nations have alwaysclaimed that ¡°America and its allies won the war¡±, the truth is that if Germany had not invaded the Soviet Union and without the Soviet troops fighting Hitler, most historians agree that Germany might have conquered most if not all of Europe including Britain itself.Had Hitler honoured the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and not invaded the Soviet Union;if the 200 divisions that stormed the Soviet Union were instead there to greet the American landings at Normandy, life then would not have been so easy for the Americans.


    In its golden hour, the Soviet Union was a Global power no one dared trifle with, not even the USA and Europe combined. It had many great scientific achievements such as being the first to send an artificial satellites into space, the first to send a man into space, etc.Throughout its life, the Soviet Union was a strong militaristic state, with the largest army of its time. It had such a strong impacton the world, that all the powerful European nations had to ally under the USA, forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in order to deter what they believed to be a ¡°Soviet Invasion of Europe¡±.However, as mighty as it was, the fate of the Soviet Union was ultimately a tragic one. On the 26<sup>th</sup> of December 1991, after less than 70 years of its establishment,the Soviet Unioncollapsed, never to rise again. As a powerful state that had once dominated the politics of the world, it still was not without its flaws. It was a global superpower that unfortunately, because of pitiful reasons fell apart, and left behind a group of weakened nations which were nowhere near its strength, and probably would never again be.


    Opinions differ as to why that happened but most historians would point to a few main causes. First and perhaps the most prominent cause would be the huge economic crisis. Ever since its foundation in 1922, the Soviet Union had faced the challenge of poverty and economic backwardness. Lenin had plans to try to solve these issues but unfortunately he died just after two years in 1924. His successor, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin(whose real name was IosebBesarionisdzeJughashvili), and popularly known as simply Joseph Stalin made matters worse. No doubt his intentions were to make the Soviet union an industrialized world power in the shortest time possible, and which he would ultimately succeed in. But the way he chose to do all that would forever taint the ideals of socialism and communism. He ran a de facto dictatorship, oppressing the masses and forcing his orders and wishes upon all. The 5 year plans he made to modernize the nation were implemented with such brutalities, that they caused deaths of millions of Soviet citizens, mostly by starvation. The abundant purges, executions and assassinations are among the other blunders he did.His successors also followed similar policies and Communism which was supposed to become a system for the people was hijacked and became just another dictatorship, andauthoritarian regime where the Communist party as whole was became the dictator. The lives of the common people never really changed and became worse in some aspects.


    The rulers became drunk on power and the government was filled with corruption. While regular civilians had to queue for a single loaf of bread, the members of the communist party were living in a life of lavishness and splendour. This huge disparity caused much resentment among the masses. Treachery is what killed the Soviet Union, so believe many of its former citizens. The government failed at addressing the critical problems of the citizens and the economy began to stagnate and the thoughtless spending during the global arms race of the cold war did not help at all. The Afghanistan campaign and the Chernobyl nuclear incident also put a lot of strain on the already fragile economy. The government of the Soviet Union had always wanted to suppress their neighbouring countries, which led to those countries harbouring distrust and resentment for the USSR. As a result, with the efforts of USA the Soviet Union was gradually isolated from the world, and soon even its close allies like China and the Warsaw pact countries stopped supporting it. The USSR was left all alone.


    Secondly, there was the isolation from the world. Ever since the time of Stalin, the soviet governments had been too cautious of their interactions with the rest of the world, especially the west. So much so that they prevented almost all interaction between their people and the rapidly modernizing western nations, which resulted in mass dissatisfaction. The NATO countries also always tried to block the Soviet Union in whatever it did, causing further decline in its trade and commerce. But perhaps the greatest weapon of the west was the propaganda which they spread across the world. The USA and European countries which had their systems built on capitalism, felt greatly threatened by the presence of ideas like Socialism and communism. Their shows, documentaries, books etc. all showed the Soviet Union to be a poor, underdeveloped place which reeked of poverty, while the west was the centre of good life, wealth and development. They cursed socialism and communism and aggressively stated the capitalism was the only way to development . This was so effective that even the Soviet citizens themselves began thinking of themselves as backward and undeveloped people; the desire to live the so called ¡°prosperous¡± lives of westerners was growing in their hearts.


    The final nail on the coffin which ensured the end of the soviet union were the decisions of Mikhail Gorbachev</a>, the last leader of the USSR. He tried to solve the economic and political problems, by making significant changes in the economy and party leadership, called ¡°perestroika</a>¡±. His policy of ¡°glasnost</a>¡± freed public access to information after decades of heavy government censorship. He effectively went trying to turn the soviet union into a partial democracy. However that was a big mistake. The USSR was forged of 15 different states with each having their own culture and interests. Ever since the founding of the Soviet Union, what had kept these states together was the strict centralized control, the government had never really tried to integrate all these states into a single consolidated Union properly. As a result, the people of these states were very dissatisfied and felt oppressed by the government. They never felt a true sense of belonging to the union, rather, being enslaved by it. Not surprisingly, removing that central control paved the way for the revolutions of 1989</a>. With the tearing down of the Berlin Wall</a> and East and West Germany pursuing unification, the Iron Curtain</a> between the West</a> and Soviet-controlled regions came down.At the same time, the Soviet republics started legal moves towards potentially declaring sovereignty</a> over their territories and soon, the Great USSR dissolved.


    But when the sun sets in one part of the world, it also rises in another. No one would know, but the USSR would rise again, and its might would sake the heaven and earth itself. As to where it would rise¡­only time would tell¡­.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The year 20XX.


    Tensions had been high in the Eurasian lands ever since the early years of the 21<sup>st</sup> century. Many of the post soviet states and Europe, afraid of the re-emergence of Russia as a strong military power, had all aligned with USA to deter them. By the later years of the 21<sup>st</sup> century, a fragile equilibrium had been established, which could crumble by the slightest of events. And crumble it did. When USA was busy waging a war against Iran, China decided to use this opportunity to forcefully recapture Taiwan which it had wanted to retake for years, and sent its troops landing onto the shores of Taiwan. This led to the USA immediately declaring war against China. The entire south china sea would soon be enveloped by the flames of war. Russia also joined in to help China followed by North Korea, Syria and Iran who had enoughof the USA meddling with their affairs. This marked the beginning of world war III.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    There were many reasons for the war, but perhaps the most important reason was the human hunger for power. Also the thirst of resources which could not be quenched. Every country wanted more of the ever declining resources. And as the developed countries ran out of their own, they targeted the weak countries in the name of freedom and liberation taking over their resources.


    What began as a war between two neighbours soon pulled in the whole world. Fortunately for humanity, the use of Nuclear weaponry had been banned a few years prior or all hell would have broken loose. As such the war turned into a battle of skill, resources and attrition, whose flames began spreading across the world. This war would see the immergence of many new and deadlier forms of weaponry, as it would see unprecedented development in bio-technological sciences. The war would give rise to many inventions which were only seen or heard of in fiction before this. For a time industries related to weapons, medicine, construction etc, flourished as the war demanded these in large and ever increasing numbers. Millions of soldiers would be inducted and sent out to fight for their nations and ultimately most of them would die or go missing, never to be seen again, dead or alive.


    Years had gone by since the third world war had started. It was a war the likes of which had never been seen before. Estimates made later, showed that even the two previous world wars put together caused only a minor fraction of deaths this one caused. Deaths were in the hundreds of millions. The war waged on for over two decades, varying in intensity before coming to an end. The death toll was so large that the global population which had been over 10 billion before the war had fallen to little more than 5 billion. Ironically, a vast majority of these people died from starvation, diseases, lack of resources, and poverty.


    Even the industries which had initially bloomed because of the war, such as arms and munitions industries, vehicle industries etc., now faced ruin and bankruptcy as the prices of the most basic of things reached sky high. It was quickly realised that a war of this scale was no longer affordable. Every single nation in the world had lost its assets on a devastating scale, and it was likely that they would never completely recover. The world economy was as good as gone, and life as it now appeared, was in a state of utter shambles. Fortunately, late but still, the war finally came to a close. It would take over a century for the world to recover from the destruction, and yet, a lot of priceless things would forever be lost, never to return again.


    _ _ _ _ _


    City of Dresden, Germany.


    A few months before the end of war.


    A great city, which was once a flourishing hub, now lay in ruins. Before the war it was thriving centre for commerce and business, as well as residence for millions of people. But now, it was but, a ruined remnant of a bygone age of peace, with it¡¯s beautiful buildings all burnt and razed to ground while its skyscrapers were now hugging the ground, turned to piles of dirt and rubble. The once cheery and lively neighbourhoods now clusters of broken and dilapidated buildings, where no signs of life could be found.


    Rusting cars and large bomb craters could be seen all over the city, while destroyed tanks, crashed planes and many other destroyed military and civilian vehicles could be found all over the place. Occasionally, the rattling of machine guns, the explosions of bombs and the buzz of fighter aircraft could be heard echoing across the barren cityscape. While smoke and fire were common place, one could also frequently hear the screams of dying and wounded men and women.


    As the dreary sun slowly set beyond the horizon, welcoming the darkness of the night, a Mil Mi ¨C 17 ¨C V89, transport helicopter optimised for special operations, flew over the destructed cityscape. Coloured in full black, with high tech radar absorbing paints and its engines and rotors making little sound , it was nigh invisible to the enemy radars and observation posts. It didn¡¯t even sport any light; the pilots solely using their night vision helmets and skill to fly the giant chopper. Aside from the two pilots and two flight staff, there were 15 men onboard. Each one of them was armed from head to toe, covered in black tactical gear and state-of-the-art-armour and weapons. These men belonged to the ¡®Spetsnaz¡¯; the Russian special forces.


    A red coloured band of cloth was circling around the upper left arms of each of them, and it had the symbol of a white rifle pointing barrel down, with a white helmet hanging on top of its stock, with a black shield in the background. This was the coat of arms, the symbol of his unit, what was officially known as the 7<sup>th</sup> division of the Spetsnaz. They were the people whose sole purpose was to go beyond enemy lines and inflict maximum damage to the enemy in minimum time and using minimum lives. The 7<sup>th</sup> Division had terrorised their enemies so much that they came to be known as the ¡°Reaper Unit¡± or simply ¡°Reapers¡±. Wherever they went, death and massacre was all that remained. They were truly deserving of the name.


    Their country had dispatched them to retrieve a certain piece of equipment, at all costs. They had to get to it before the enemy did, dead or Alive. It was a secret operation and they would have no back up. It was supposed be another recovery mission, but they had no idea that the enemy had also obtained the information and had dispatched a whole company of fully armed troops to obtain the same asset. As they reached near the Landing Zone, the men nodded to each other , and then parachuted off the chopper which was hovering at 10,000 feet. 15 circular parachutes opened successively, as the men descended slowly and stealthily towards the ground.


    As they landed just before enemy lines, it would take them about a 5 mile walk across enemyterritory to get to the target location. On the way, they also had to constantly avoid enemy drones, patrols and other possible things which may expose them. Fortunately, because of the cover of the night coupled by the active conflict a few kilometres away from them, which made investing in high grade surveillance difficult, they were not discovered. As they reached the target, twelve people surrounded the area, taking positions within the broken buildings, hiding in dried up drains, crawling behind rubble, and using wreckages of vehicles as potential cover, keeping watch. The remaining three went to retrieve their prize. If everything went as per plan, they would be back across to the safe zone by daybreak .


    Alas, as is often seen in war, things less than seldom, go exactly as planned.


    _ _ _ _ _


    "So this is how it ends¡­."


    A lone man muttered as he looked at the dark sky which was slowly getting brighter as the sun gradually rose. The dull brownish sky was always cloaked in a layer dust and smoke, making the scene even gloomier. The first rays of the sun which were peeking from within the dense clouds of dust and smoke, were illuminating the sky at a visible pace, paving way to a dull morning. At the horizon, however, through this brownish sky, a trail of lights could be seen fast approaching his location. These were JM-A62 Surface-To-Surface missiles, known for their deadliness across the world, and currently they were aiming at his location.


    The man looked to be around 40 years old. He was dressed in a black military combat gear. His gear was fully black, pointing to his role being that of a nocturnal killer. This was the captain, the leader of the 15 man team send to the mission. Sadly, of the 15, now only he remained.


    The man was not in a good shape however. Blood slowly, but continuously trickled down the corner of his lips. His once silver hair was now mostly white with a gray strand here and there. his face was slightly wrinkled and full of scars, yet his eyes showed a cold glint which could freeze the hearts of ordinary people. He was mortally wounded, his left arm was loosely hanging from his shoulder, his body had over ten bullet wounds, one had even damaged his heart, grazing it as it tore through into his body. He was, without any mistake, on his last breaths. He had long since lost the feeling of pain, which for him was a good thing.


    "Still, for them to send so many missiles just to kill me¡­.such an unneeded overkill¡­."


    He sighed and looked around. The corpses of his comrades and his enemies lay around. The comrades he spent over two decades with, were now all dead bodies. Yet he didn''t feel any pain or sorrow, no¡­he had long since chose not to. The man looked up once again as he rested his broken body by a damaged tank. He reminisced his life from as early he could remember. From the orphanage he was raised in to entering the military. The countless battles he had been through, the various people he had seen and worked with. And lastly the faces of his comrades who died serving the motherland beside him. He still remembered everything.


    He coughed up blood as his injuries were taking their toll. He smiled. This mission really went downhill. His platoon of 15 was sent to retrieve a hard drive which stored critical data about the enemy army''s deployment patterns in Germany and tactical operations as well as aerial shots of important military assets. It was onboard an enemy aircraft which was shot down by their air defences over the city which was an active war zone, with much of the city within enemy control. The mission was to go beyond enemy lines and retrieve the data at all costs. The group of 15 had secured the drive as per plan but were trapped by the enemies.


    Just as they had finished retrieving the hard drive, they had been surrounded by over 200 men from the enemy side who had the support of heavy machine guns and recoilless rifles. Luckily, the heavier units like tanks and armed gunships of the enemy were busy dealing with the offensive launched by their side to divert the enemy¡¯s attention, still it was a hopeless battle. But nonetheless a battle they had to fight. Most of them had already taken good positions so they had some leeway against the enemy fire. The captain had ordered the two snipers of the team to take high terrain positions and they were at a good advantage. A long and bloody battle was due.


    Intense gunfire occurred between the two sides, with bullets tearing through flesh and armour as well as steel and concrete. Grenades , mortars and RPGs were also used. Blood kept flowing through the night. Across a brutal battle he and his comrades managed to secure the hard drive and send the data back to their base through a satellite link before destroying the drive. The mission was completed perfectly. But they had to pay a heavy price for this.


    Having been surrounded by enemies on all sides, they fought till the last man and the last round, but in the face of overwhelming enemy force there was only so much they could do. They kept dying one after the other, and soon all his comrades were dead, leaving only him alive. And now, he too would soon be joining them. Perhaps, the only good point was that they had managed to kill over a hundred of their enemies, and the rest had retreated hurriedly.


    In his dying moments Add smiled. Add, that was the name this man was know by to his acquaintances and colleagues. Captain Add, the commanding officer of the 17<sup>th</sup> platoon of the ¡°Reapers¡±. It was a smile of relief, and freedom, as if he had been freed from a massive load that had been crushing him all this time. In his eyes there was, however a tinge of regret. He looked at the sky, the missiles were now less than 5 kilometres away now.


    "I wonder¡­..once the war ends¡­.what kind of world would it become¡­..it¡¯s a shame I won¡¯t be able to see that¡­..Well¡­.at least the rising sun is so beautiful¡­." Looking at his dead comrades, he sighed"¡­sadly you all can''t see it¡­."


    The last thing he saw was the long missiles arriving within metres from him, and then, it all turned white.


    A few months later the war would gradually reach a stalemate and the various nations would finally declare a ceasefire, bringing the war would to an end. However it would be too late by then, for the scars of this war would never heal and the world would be much difficult of a place to survive in from then on. Much of the world would be polluted and contaminated so badly that it would take Nature decades if not centuries to mend those damages, and many places would never really be habitable again. Beautiful forests, grasslands and valleys were now little more than desserts and the great cities which were razed to the ground would be abandoned with countless corpses buried under the rubble and dust; forgotten sacrifices of a war which harmed all and benefited none. Many countries would be erased from the maps, and few would appear to take their place. But at the end people would ask, ¡°what did we pay for ? what did we get ?¡±, the answer forever buried, just like the countless dead.


    As for him, no one would know that the deaths of 15 men in that city that day helped stall the enemy advance. And if the data in that drive didn¡¯t reach where it should have, that night, much would have been different for Russia then. And also, no one would get to know of the many others like them who gave their lives before and after. No one would remember them, no one would know of Add, the man who led them. After all, to the world, he like his comrades, never existed.


    Only a few lines by a poet unknown, published years after the war came to an end, would remind humans of those, ¡°people who never existed¡±:


    "Let me tell you of our story, a tale of which no one will ever say,


    For we¡¯re the people whom none would remember, whatever occasion be it may.


    So you will never see us, because we did not exist,


    But when duty called us, we smiled, we did not resist.


    You will never hear of us, because we never happened,


    We went to war because our motherland was threatened.


    You will never know the things we did, because we were never there,


    And that is what was then, is now and shall be forever.


    Our names will not be remembered by history and be etched in gold,


    Nor would our statues, like those of heroic men, stand proud and bold.


    Bards will not sing songs of our glories,


    Nor will Legends preserve our trophies.


    Yet, my countrymen! We were the ones who did what no one could,


    We lived, we fought where no one would.


    We will not see the springs of tomorrow,


    But we made sure that you see them, with prosperity not sorrow.


    We burned our bodies in hell, so that our motherland could be heaven,


    And such was, and alwaysshall be, because we never existed, not now, not then,


    Forever shall stand safe, our great motherland, and you my dear countrymen."


    -The words of those, who never existed.


    _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 1 - New Begining

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    After what seemed to be very long span of time, Add¡¯s consciousness began to awaken. He could not open his eyesproperly as they felt very heavy. It was then that he heard a soft voice call out to him.


    ¡°Young Master, you have finally woken up.¡±


    As if jolted from an age long sleep, his dull consciousness slowly started to clear and his eyes gradually opened, albeit with much difficulty. Rays of sunlight burst out as soon as his vision cleared.


    (I''m not dead ?)


    That was the first thought which came into Add''s mind. The last thing he remembered was a group of missiles turning his immediate surroundings to kingdom come, and at that distance, his body should have vaporised, and by some sheer stroke of luck even if it wasn¡¯t, he would undoubtedly have died. Yet what he was feeling was definitely not what a dead person would, theoretically feel. His heart was still beating and he was still breathing. Perhaps the only discomforts were that his body was aching in pain as if he had been thrown down from a moving vehicle, and his head hurt so badly, that it seemed like someone had hammered a nail into it.


    ¡°Young Master, are you alright?¡±


    The same voice echoed once more. Turning his head he saw a kind looking old lady, looking at him with concern.


    (¡­.this is so strange, where am I? And who is this person ? Is¡­..is¡­ this the hospital maybe ?)


    He was very perplexed and found himself lying on a bed in a old fashioned room. The only source of light appeared to be the big windows a few metres away from the bed, but they illuminated the whole room completely. As he was looking around, suddenly a massive pain assaulted his brain as if someone just hammered it with a sledgehammer.


    "Guh!"


    The pain was so intense that he, a veteran soldier almost fainted on the spot. He was somehow able to stay conscious as this pain lasted for around a minute, which felt like days to him. Along with the pain, a stream of memories not belonging to him flooded into his mind. He felt that he was watching a film in his head, which was fast forwarded at insane speeds and yet he could recall all details instantly.


    The old lady at the side worriedly looked at him as she wondered what was happening to him. She could see that he was in pain, but she was powerless to help him. Only after a long time, did the pain finally subside leaving behind a bad aftertaste. Add opened his eyes, and took a few deep breaths to steady himself. He sat up and looked at the old lady who had been standing beside him all this while and said with a light smile.


    ¡°Martha¡­could you bring me some water to drink please..ah and bring a mirror as well¡­¡±


    The old lady named Martha nodded, feeling strange as to why the young master would ask for a mirror, as the first thing after he woke up, but went to fetch it anyway. She left the room closing the door behind her. Add who was left alone sighed and slammed down back first into the bed.


    The old lady, returned after a few minutes bringing a silver glass full of water and a small hand mirror with her. Add quickly drank the water as he was feeling very thirsty and then looked at his reflection in the mirror. Looking at the reflection he was finally convinced.Reflected in it was not the face of a 40 year old soldier as he had expected, but that of a young boy in his early teens. He had silky black hair with some white streaks here and there. His eyes were heterochromatic, the left one a crystal like blue, the right a crystalline red. His face was somewhat similar to what he had been in his younger days, but it was much more refined and handsome. His face was oval and his features were sharp and well chiselled, making him look attractive to both sexes. The skin too was very pale almost deathly white, but smooth and supple, not something which one would usually expect from a healthy person. The only thing that bothered him however was the large bandage circling his head, covering the injury at the back of his head.


    "So ...it really happened..."


    What Add found very hard to believe was that through some strange event, which he had no possible explanation of, he who had died, somehow transmigrated and his soul had somehow taken hold of this body right after the original owner''s soul had departed. To Add all this appeared like he was watching a fantasy film, that he was just a bystander. He felt relieved that he didn¡¯t get some identity crisis.


    The body he now had originally belonged to a young boy of 15, was called Adolf Kaiser Weismann. Even more surprising was that he was no longer on Earth, his home world. After going through the memoriesof his predecessor, briefly, he got a gist of the world he was now in. The world was called Iseria by its residents. This was a world straight out of fantasy stories with magic, monsters and all that mythical tales coming to reality. Aside from humans there were many other races here like Elves, Werebeasts, Demons, Dragons, Dwarves, Fairies etc. There were also dangerous beasts which posed a constant threat to humans and the other races. He was currently in a country called Reingleif. It was a large and powerful country in the region and the local language was similar to English in many regards while being completely different in others. This kingdom again was one of the few kingdoms on the large landmass called the Northern Subcontinent. It was called so, as it was a large landmass situatedat the North of a very large continent referred to as the Atlas continent, separated by a large stretch of sea.


    Adolf was the only son of the Weismann household, a noble family which governed their own territory within Reingleif. His father who was called Henry Ritter Weismann, with the title of a Marquise, was the current lord. His father and Adolf¡¯s grandfather Rudolf ScheilderWeismann, had served as a great general of the army of the kingdom of Reinglief. Under his command, the country and had many repeated and outstanding military exploits. As a result when he retired, he was given his own territory to rule over as a reward by the king.However, worried that the Weismann family would become too powerful, the king bestowed upon them a remote and barren land in the northeast. Due to his loyalty to the king, Rudolf helplessly accepted the territory, took his own family and came to this region to this wild lands to carry out development and form a place for people to settle down in. The piece of land that was bestowed upon him was a massive place, and was called the northern wilderness, by the people of the country.


    The territory was located on the foothills of a large mountain range called the great dividing ranges on the east, andbordered by the Great Forest of Waldestein in the west which covered nearly a fourth of the northern subcontinent. To its south was the rest of the kingdom, and between them was a vast stretch of plains and grasslands. The kingdom on a whole had the forest in the west and had two large mountain ranges bordering it; the first being the ¡®The Great Dividing ranges¡¯ which went from north to south, nearly bisecting the continent in two, and the second one, called the ¡®Southern Arken Ranges¡¯, which followed the southern coast from east to west. As such Reingliefwas located in a central spot surrounded by natural defences.


    The total area of the Weismann territorywas around half the size of Germany back on Earth, and the population was around half a million. However compared to the total size Reinglief it was not that large. No other lord in the kingdom had such a large fiefdom as the Weismann family did, if comparing the sheer size. But that did not bring any huge benefits to the Weismann family. The land was large, but it was mostly wilderness and forest with a temperate climate, with around 5 months long winters. Theyclimate made it difficult to grow wheat, which was the staple food of the country. The people wouldhave managed somehow if it was just about the climate, but the real problem was that this territory was plagued with local wars and skirmishes with the countless tribal forces that lived here. There were also many large bandit groups which had been living in these outlands. They often raided villages and robbed and pillaged whosoever was unlucky to meet them.


    In addition to the local tribes and bandit groups, there werethe mountain forests and the gargantuan forest of Waldesten, which were home to countless monsters. These were creatures similar to animals but were much morestronger, dangerous and ferocious. These included, goblins, trolls, huge animal like monsters, serpents, giant insects and many more. There were also many monsters that could use magic, and were called magical beasts. These monsters often attacked villages and towns creating chaos and destruction everywhere they went.


    The King¡¯s bestowal of this land thus was easy to understand. If the Weismann family could settle the problems of this place, then these land belonged to them and they could enjoy its riches. But if they didn¡¯t have the capacity to achieve that, then there was nothing to be done. Before this the kingdom had placed no major importance in this area, as it was too much of a hassle to develop it. But Rudolf Weismann wasn¡¯t a person to easily give up. He used his military talent and with the help of his sonHenry, the Weismann family began to conquer the area.After 30 years of hard work, they were finally was able to build a small town in these barren lands. The residents mainly came from nearby villages and slums of the big cities which were located further south, hundreds of kilometres away. They came in hopes of a new chance at improving their lives. However, because of the military struggles and monster threats, the population of the territory never really grew a lot. Most of the people in the territory lived in small villages and the communication between them was not very good.


    After a long term of battles and struggles, Rudolf Weismann finally died of old age. He had only one son, Henry who became the next lord. His wife, Adolf¡¯s mother, had passed away just a few weeks after his birth due to her internal weakness and strain from giving birth. As a loving father Henry spoiled his only son dearly, trying to fulfil all his wishes and desires. As a result the boy had grown to be a hedonistic young master. He ate, drank and gambled all day long. Not to say that he was a fool though, in fact he was proficient in quite a few things. Sadly gambling was not one of them. He had squandered huge sums of money, and was famously known as a good for nothing. However, no one dared to say anything openly, lest they trigger the wrath of his father. Unfortunately for Adolf though, his good days did not last. Two days ago, when he was out hunting game with his father, a strong monster had suddenly attacked their group. In the chaos that followed, the unlucky Adolf had suffered a serious injury to his head. The last memory he had was of the monster trying to bite him to death. As it turned out, the injury to his head was quite severe and Adolf had died as a result and for some unknown reason, Add¡¯s soul took hold over it andbecame its new owner.While he was absorbed in his thoughts the old lady Martha spoke out once again.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Yong Master are you feeling well now? You didn¡¯t wake up for two days, even the physician had no idea when you would wake up¡­¡±


    According to the memories, Add knew who this old lady was. Her name was Martha. She served as the housekeeperfor the family while also holding the position of the head maid. She had been working in this house for more than three decades, ever since the settlement was first established in these lands. She was one of the few maids serving in the household. Adolf had seen her here ever since he could remember. Looking at her he could see that grief was visible on her wrinkled face and her eyes were very swollen, as if she had been crying a lot. Seeing her appearance caused a feeling of pain to well up inside him. Add realised that these were the residual feelings of his predecessor.


    In the entire territory, the boy Adolf was only afraid of this old housekeeper. After the death of his mother right after his birth, old Martha was the one who was entrusted with taking care of him and she was the only one who could control this hedonistic young man some degree. His father was too doting to scold or punish him seriously. Granted that Adolf was a rowdy boy with no redeeming qualities but he really cared for and respected the old lady. He had no mother, and his grandmother had died before he was born, the closest thing to a mother and grandmother to him was naturally Martha, that¡¯s why he listened to her words and never refuted her, only trying to sneak past her and enjoy life. Add sighed internally. He was an orphan in his last life, and it seems this boy also had it bad in that regard. He shook his head and smiled at Martha.


    ¡°I am fine. Although the wounds hurt, and I feel weak, other than that, there is no particular discomfort in my body¡­putting that aside, Martha what exactly happened? I remember being attacked by the monster and then it all went black¡­¡±


    Her shoulders shook, and she looked at Add with a conflicted gaze, unsure of whether to say something or not. Noticing his calm face, she made up her mind.


    ¡°Young Master¡­Its about your father¡­¡±


    Father¡­ The word sounded very foreign to him. In his past life, for nearly half a century he had no family to speak of, so suddenly having a parent sounded a bit troubling to him. his thoughts did not show on his face as he calmly asked,


    ¡°Ah I see, it¡¯sabout Father. How is he ? What happened to the monster that attacked us?¡±


    Trying to answer his question, the old lady¡¯s eyes welled up in tears. Sobbing she slowly spoke,


    ¡°Young master, after you were injured, your father, the Lord¡­. To protect you he fought the monster, and managed to defeat it. But¡­.he suffered many grievous wounds, there was nothing we could do¡­.by the time he was brought back to the house¡­.already..it was too late¡­Young master, your father¡­ he has passed away¡­¡±


    For some time, Add was not sure how to react. A part of him felt pain and suffering, probably due to the lingering feelings of Adolf, however the fact that Henry was just a stranger to him, made his death of little significance.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The room was filled with silence, only the muffled sobs of the old lady could be heard. After some time, Add decided that there was nothing he could do other than put away those conflicting thoughts. He closed his eyes and heaved a long sigh,


    ¡°I would like to be alone for some time.¡±


    ¡°Then I would excuse myself. Young master, you must not push yourself too hard. Please take proper rest. I will visit you again later¡­¡±


    Martha bowed and quietly left, her sobs had only gotten quieter and never stopped. Add realised her grief. Martha was originally a personal maid of his late grandmother, and she doted on Martha a lot. Naturally, Henry became a son like figure for Martha, and it was understandable why she felt such sorrow. After she was gone, Add slowly left his bed. His head was still in pain, but he managed to walk, albeit wobbly. He went up to the window and looked out. The first thing he saw, was the bright blue sky above him, with beautiful clouds floating around.


    "When was the last time the skies were this clear ?" he thought


    Years of intense warfare had turned the skies of most of the major cities of Earth murky and full of dust and smoke. It had already been years since Add had seen such clear skies. He saw a fairly large garden with many shrubs and trees below him. He was currently on the first floor of the two story house which was called the Weismann mansion. The morning air was cool and fresh and Add felt a weird sense of calm and tranquillity as he closed his eyes and stood there silently.


    He had already accepted the reality that he was no longer on Earth, and instead on a strange world which he knew very little of, but this didn¡¯t cause him to panic or lose his mind. He was a soldier who had been through hell and back many times, this with his training from a very young age had already made him very adaptable to his situations. His mind was calm and composed. Since he was alive again he might as well live this life.


    Add was an atheist. He believed in practicality and science, and never put his trust in stuff like the supernatural. However now, this seemed like the only possible scenario. From the memories of this body Add understood that he was in a very different world from Earth. It was a world where society was like that of the late medieval times of Earth, however the similarities were only so many. This was a world of sword and Magic. Here science had stagnated and instead magic, which was thought to be a thing of fantasy was real. This was a world ruled by strength where the biggest fist always won. The law of the jungle prevailed here.


    (So it seems I would have to live on as Adolf Kaiser Weismann from now on¡­ Well its notthat bad, at least I am not reborn as some criminal or other pitiful person¡­.lets deal with things as they come¡­.)


    He returned to the bed and lied down, with the condition of his body, it was unwise to put needless stress on it. After sometime Martha once again arrived, she knocked and on permission from Add, entered his room. It was probably lunch time and she had brought some milk in a large bowl with pieces of bread soaked in it, there was also some honey in it. It was a simple meal, but Add who had served in the special forces and even had had to eat worms to survive, was not someone to look down on food, how frugal it maybe. After he had finished with his meal, Martha collected the dishes, while also reminding him,


    ¡°Please have a good rest now, your body has not completely healed yet, you must not push yourself. You must remember that you are the only one left of the Weismann family now, the responsibility of the family now lies on you.¡±


    The maid once again left, leaving Add alone. As he was wondering what to do with this new lease at life, had a sudden realization. He looked up at the sky, it was very similar to that of Earth before the war. One sun shining brightly, clouds, birds flying and such. He closed his eyes and stayed silent for a long time, and when he finally opened them, they were dull and cold.


    ¡°Well¡­that means I can probably never return back home¡­.¡±


    He was a soldier who devoted his entire life in the service of his motherland. One can only wonder how much courage and dedication those people had to have to sacrifice their everything just to keep their motherland safe. But now, Add realised that he would probably never be able to set foot on Russian soil ever again, his homeland. Although he had no particular attachment, no friends or family to speak of, nor any debts to the world and neither was he so weak as to be crushed by this sense of loss, but he felt a sense of deep melancholy within him. For him who had lived solely to serve the motherland, suddenly had all reasons of his life snatched away. The training in the army camps, his comrades most of whom had also died, the snow covered forests, the parties they had on their vacations, he had left all of that behind, never to return again.


    (¡­.Never mind¡­being stuck in the past will get me nowhere..who knows maybe there is some way to return¡­but for now¡­I will have to adapt to this new world, or else I won¡¯t be able to survive¡­.)


    Add cleared his head of these idle thoughts and returned his focus to reality. It was then that he suddenly heard a peculiar sound like a bell ringing.


    *Ding!*


    *Possible host detected*


    *Analysing host*


    *Compatibility 100%*


    *Identifying User*


    *Selecting Format*


    *Booting System*


    *Booting Successful*


    *Preparing System launch*


    *System is Now ready*


    *Initiating Final Scan*


    *Scan complete, Registering user*


    *Activating System in 3¡­2¡­1¡­0*


    *WELCOME HOST!*


    A mechanical voice which lacked any intonation suddenly spoke in his mind. Following that aBluish translucent screen which reminded him of some high end holographic projections, suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. The screen showed "WELCOME HOST" in bright white letters. Add tried to touch the screen wanting to verify if he was hallucinating but his hand passed through it, while the screen remained there.


    "What the heck?"


    As he was wondering, the words on the screen changed and a new set of lines appeared.


    [Would you want to go to the tutorial ? Yes/No (Tutorial Recommended)]


    The two options were sparkling, it appeared to Add like some of those games back on earth. Intrigued by it, he decided to click yes, but his hand would not be able to touch it so he wondered how he was supposed to do that.


    [To select an option the user just needs to accept it in his mind.]


    The same voice instantly answered his doubts. It was as if whatever this system thing was, it could read his mind. However considering that he had been reborn in a strange world, he paid it little mind. Following the advice, he selected yes in his mind, the screen changed again.


    [Welcome to The System New Host! The system is a unique and wonderful existence designed to help its Host reach the peak of everything.]


    "What is all this ?"


    The texts were appearing on the screen one after the other making Add a bit confused. Then the screen showed a Menu in which various icons were glowing.


    [User, please inspect your status by thinking of the STATUS icon or saying ''Status'']


    Hewas still confused but did as told and selected the Status icon and a display appeared.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    STATUS


    Name : Add (Adolf Kaiser Weismann)


    Race : Human


    Credit Points : 0


    ATTRIBUTES :


    Vitality : 2


    Strength : 2


    Agility : 2


    Dexterity : 2


    Defence: 2


    Intelligence : 5


    Wisdom : 4


    Stamina : 2


    Charm : 3


    Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Low)


    _ _ _ _ _


    After looking at the screen which showed strange lines resembling those of RPG-games he sometimes saw back on earth, he was more confused. Albeit, if he was an normal human or a normal soldier he would undoubtedly know what this game-like thing was. But alas, he was born in the age of a global war and was trained from a very young age. His instructors were not so much keen on letting their troops play games, if they had time to play games, they better train some more using that time. So he had very little knowledge of such games.


    ¡°What is all this ? A System? What exactly is this ?¡±


    [The System is an Entity which was created specifically for the purpose of helping intelligent beings break though their natural limits and become something greater.]


    ¡°So you are like a computer program? Sort of an AI assistant ?¡±


    [Yes. Applying your original world logic, in the simplest of terms you can describe it as such.However, no AI can compare with the system and rather than being an assistant, the System is a mentor which will guide and direct your future growth.]


    ¡°You even know that I am not from this world? How did you know?¡±


    [The system knows everything about its host, even if you had died and been reborn for 10 times, it would still know everything]


    Add was quite impressed. Whatever the System was, it was clearly intelligent enough to rival the best AIs back home, maybe even better. The lack of an emotions in its words, and the way it communicated gave it a rather, robotic feel.


    ¡°So then, System who or what created you and where did you come from?¡±


    [The System was made by a Higher Being. Any more details are unavailable as all records have been erased. The system has travelled across the multiverse in search of a suitable host for zillions of years , until it found you! The only one compatible with this System !]


    Add felt a bit strange as to why he in all the possible candidates was chosen, but the system just said that he was the only compatible host and refused to say anymore. ¡®But that seems rather strange¡¯ he thought. Something which could create such an entity, maybe only the term ¡®God¡¯ could describe that¡­ Since there was no use worrying over that, Add chose to learn more about this status¡­


    ¡°System can you explain what these status actually is?¡±


    [ Host, the various stats represent your body¡¯s various parameters.


    Vitality represents your overall health. The higher its value, the more damage you can take and still survive. While having low vitality means it is quite easy for you to die, from injury disease etc.


    Strength represents your overall physical power.


    Agility shows your overall speed, and affects your movement speed, speed of reaction etc.


    Dexterity represents your skill and ability to perform various tasks.


    Defence represents the innate defensive capabilities of your body.


    Stamina shows your endurance level. Higher your stamina stat, the more work you can do.


    Wisdom describes your willpower, perception, knowledge and intuition.


    Intelligence refers to your logic, common sense , problem solving abilities, and ability to analyse information easily and solve problems.


    Charm stat represents your attractiveness to other people around you. As your charm points go higher, the impression you give to others becomes more favourable.


    Magic Aptitude shows the kind of magic your body is best suited for. Having an Aptitude for a particular type does not mean that other kinds of magic are unusable, but its still very hard to usemagic which you have no aptitude for.]


    Add carefully read all this information and took a few moments to digest it. The status showed him his overall abilities in a gist. However, the low values against his stats troubled him as he had nothing to compare them with.


    ¡°Just what kind of thing did I get into now¡­.¡± He wondered while looking at the screen.


    _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 2 - The System

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Add looked at the stats and then at his skinny body and sighed, from the trained and robust body of a soldier he had become a pretty boy who probably couldn¡¯t truss a chicken on his own. However there was no way that he did not appreciate the good looks he had now, which were much better than that of his past life. After all a body could be trained, but you could do little to ¡®train¡¯ your looks.


    "This body is okay, but it¡¯s a bit too weak right now.¡­but I guess beggars cannot be choosers after all. I got to live again, I should be content with that much.....for now let¡¯s just live as this lord Weismann.. I have nowhere else to go in this world anyway¡­¡±


    Turning his attention back to the system, he looked over his status once gain to confirm the values and then asked.


    "So what exactly do you do¡­System?"


    [The System provides you, the Host, a multitude of features which will help you achieve greatness. It can do anything that you wish, given that you have enough Credit Points!]


    "What are these Credit Points ?" the new term was unknown to him. He had seen it in the status menu but didn¡¯t know what exactly it was.


    [Credit Points or CP is the currency used by the system. You can earn Credit Points by killing living things or sentient objects. As long as you have Enough CP you can even become an immortal, and laugh at the heavens !]


    Disregarding the cringe lines, Add was quite interested. If what it said was true, then it seemed that he could really benefit a lot from this system, which was mysterious yet strangely intriguing. In his previous life all he did was killing people and fighting. This time since he had got a second chance he decided to live life to the fullest in his own way. But for that he needed strength. In this world there were no laws or morals to protect the weak, and they could only be at the mercy of the strong. As such, having a cheat like system was a massive advantage.


    [Ding! A welcome package has been awarded! Would you like to open it ?]


    Right after the system had finished he saw an alert appear before him. Without any particular hopes he chose, wondering what would be in the package¡­


    "Yes"


    [Ding! Opening the Welcome package!]


    [Ding! User has obtained Basic Health Serum ¡Á3]


    [Ding! User has obtained KM777-C Combat Knife ¡Á1]


    [Ding! Host has obtained 10,000 CP!]


    "System what are these Items ?" Add asked. The things were looking quite interesting to him.


    [ Basic Health serum : It is a healing medicine which can heal certain amounts of damage to the body after drinking it.


    KM777-C Combat Knife : A standard knife issued to Soldiers of a Distant world. Made of tempered Titanium alloys, it is quite durable.]


    The injuries on his body were quite serious. He had suffered many large gashes on his body and the most dangerous one was a deep wound at the back of his head. This is what had caused his predecessor to die. Now that there was something which could be used as a medicine, he wasted no time to try it out.


    "Alright then, give me one healing serum"


    A corked glass tube much like the test tubes ones used in the laboratories, with reddish liquid appeared in his hand. Add removed the cork and drank it in one gulp. It tasted quite sweet. After drinking the serum, Add felt a slight itching in all the wounds on his body, and a faint warmth spread all across his body after which the pains in his body and head disappear almost completely. He drank another healing serum, and after some time, opened the bandagesto check the condition of his wounds. Surprisingly, he found that the many small wounds had disappeared without leaving a single scar, and even the large wound which had taken the life of his predecessor was no more! It was all completely healed! If he did not have those wounds himself, he would probably never believe that there were ever any wounds on his body. He quickly put the bandages back on to prevent anyone from being suspicious. Such recovery speed was downright abnormal after all.


    [Does Host have any more questions Yes/No ?]


    "Not at the moment..."


    [Host, now that you have become familiar with the basics, you can obtain more detailed information at the Help section in the Menu.]


    [ Ding! The tutorial has now been completed!]


    [To Dismiss the System say ¡®Dismiss¡¯ in your Mind and to open the menu say ¡®Display Menu¡¯ in your mind]


    [Returning now to main menu!]


    The screen returned to the Menu section which showed four icons, which were faintly glowing.


    STATUS


    INVENTORY


    SHOP


    HELP


    To take one step at a time, that was the best option for now. He selected the Help icon and began asking questions to the system. After about an hour of questioning and answering Add had understood the basics of the system.The Shop menu had everything up for sale. There were weapons, armours, Medicine, Machines, Food, Furniture and almost everything money could buy. There were guns, Tanks, fighter jets, ships, and even Space ships! But they needed tens of billions of CP to obtain. A rather disadvantageous feature of the shop was that certain kinds of items such as weapons or high tech machines had their respective catalogues, and one could not buy an item before unlocking it by buying the one before it. This meant that if you were hoping to save 20 billion CP and obtain an aircraft carrier, you would have to start from the smallest boat and gradually make your way up, there was no way you could directly buy it and the System was not going to make any exceptions at that. However, a saving grace was that there was a separate option which allowed to buy blueprints for a machine or item, at a 10% the cost of its list price, while also unlocking the blueprint for the next item.


    The Inventory was like a store room which stored things in a separate space. It had a storage capacity of 1000 cubic metres and he could also increase the slots by using CP. The healing serum and combat knife were stored there, which could be take out through simple mental commands. But itcould only store non living items, and nothing alive could be kept inside. Add turned to the shop section and began wondering what to do with his 10,000 CP. He had a rough idea from Adolf''s memories that this world was much more dangerous place than Earth, so he needed to spend his CP wisely and most effectively.


    "So then, what should I do first ?"


    After understanding the basics of how this system worked, he understood that it was his greatest support in this world. He could absolutely never allow anyone to know about this, and he would be taking this secret to the grave, at least until he was strong enough that no one had any chance before him. As he thought of his plans for the future, he had a headache. Dead in a war, and now stuck in a lawless world, with close to no physical strength to boot. Add mentally sighed, his predecessor was really a useless person, having wasted his life in gambling and useless things and finally died in a monster attack. ButBut he could not do anything except feeling pity for his deceased predecessor.


    Since he had obtained some CP from the welcome package, he wanted to buy a weapon. Only having a single knife was nowhere enough to assure his safety. He absolutely needed to have a weapon for self protection. Naturally, the thing which came most readily to his mind was a gun, after all, he had grown up and lived over four decades using guns. Add had most experience in using rifles, although he could use any type of firearm, since he was trained to do so. He opened the system shop and searched for guns. A large list of weapons was immediately present before him. He browsed through handguns, revolvers and rifles. There were antique weapons like the ¡°Springfield¡± and the ¡°Colt M1911¡±, and then there were many weapons which he had never seen before.


    After going through the prices and their technical details, Add chose to buy an Assault rifle. A handgun was alright as a side arm, but having a powerful main weapon was a must. He looked at the various guns and their models, and finally being a person from Russia, or having been a person from Russia he decided on a old legend which cost 2,000 CP.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : AK-47 Assault Rifle


    Price : 2000 CPHelp support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Description : It is a legendary firearm developed in the Soviet Union by the ingenious weapons'' designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov. Made of metal and wood components, it is unanimously recognized as being simple to operate, rugged, reliable under varying conditions, and amenable to mass production. Although its stability is its weak point, but its various advantages more than cover for it. Built around a 7.62 x 39 mm round, this weapon instils fear even in the toughest of men.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The pride of the Soviet infantry and Add¡¯s personal favourite assault rifle, the Legendary AK-47. Officially it was known as the AvtomatKalashnikova model 1947, also known as the Kalashnikov or simply the AK. It was the originating firearm of the Kalashnikov Rifle or "AK" family which have proved their calibre throughout history being the sole line of weapons to be produced the most widely all across Earth. It came with a with ribbed stamped-steel box magazine which held 30, 7.62 ¡Á 39 mm rounds. It could also be equipped with a 100 round drum magazine. With a muzzle velocity of some 700 metres per second, it had a cyclic firing rate of 600 rounds per minute and was capable of both semiautomatic and automatic fire. Its effective range was around 350 metres with adjustable iron sights. In a world where the opponents had no firearms, the AK had no match in its class.


    Add chose the AK-47 for a variety of reasons. He had a very favourable impression of this weapon. It was a masterpiece among assault rifles, even after a century of its introduction, the model''s various derivatives and variants remained the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world. Over 200 million of these guns hadf been built and its derivatives had surpassed the billion mark by the height of WW3, making it Earth¡¯s most ubiquitous firearm. Some people even estimated that 9 out of every ten people killed in a military or armed conflict died of an AK ¨C 47. The AK-47 was still used throughout the earth when Add died. If you were to define ¡°success¡± by how many folks it¡¯s killed, then the AK-47 would undoubtedly be the most ¡°successful¡± weapon ever made. However the most important factor was that it was cheap. It was the only assault rifle affordable to the current him.


    The weapon was automatically stored in his inventory. Next he purchased a hand gun for a backup weapon. Going through the list of hand guns, his eyes quickly found what he had been looking for and he bought it for 1000 CP. The gun came with a single loaded magazine of 14 rounds.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : MAV-20 Semiautomatic Pistol


    Price : 1000 CP


    Description : This tactical pistol chambers the powerful .45 (11.5 mm) APC round. Its materials consist of modern heat resistant alloys with high tensile strength and along with high-durability graphene components, but its design is an heavily upgraded version of an age-old weapon which was one of the very first semiautomatic pistols to be made, yet was a proven killing tool.


    _ _ _ _ _


    There was a reason why Add chose this particular weapon. This weapon had seen countless battles, and though there are more destructive pistols available, the MAV-20 was the first choice for the armies of many nations on Earth. During WW3 this was a favourite side arm of many major armies. In his time as a soldier had had used many pistols, yet for its calibre, this one had left a long lasting impression on him. It was also stored in the inventory.


    Next he purchased 5, 30 round magazines for the AK with 500 CP and 4 magazines for the MAV-20 for 200 CP, and they were automatically stored in the inventory. He now had 6,300 CP left. He then took out the AK and MAV-20, which he could do by simply thinking, and inspected them. They were both in perfect condition, as if freshly rolled out of a factory. He could not help but wonder, where the system manifested these from. With the guns in hand, Add had a feeling of security. Finally, having a weapon to defend himself with, gave him some assurance. For now this was good enough. Add felt that he was in a better situation compared to before.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The next day was the funeral ceremony of his father, Henry. Martha was worried that Add¡¯s body was still too weak and suggested that he stay home, but the latter rejected. To see off this body¡¯s father on his final journey was the least he could do. Unable to convince him, Martha could only arrange for some maids and guards to accompany him as he went to the ceremony.He also wanted to shoulder his father¡¯s coffin but the head maid would not compromise anymore. The news of the Lord¡¯s death had already shook the little town, Henry was quite respected and like by his subjects. He was not a cruel man, but knew how to maintain order and did not oppress the people. Many people were filled with sorrow and some were also crying at his untimely passing.


    The town which the Weismann family had built after years of toil and labour was called Rigel. It was built by the foothills of the Great Dividing Ranges, with the mountains standing tall behind the town. It was said that there were numerous monsters, beasts and other races like Dwarves and many other creatures in these mountains. Some legends said that there were even dragons that lived scattered across this vast range. As an extension of these mountains, many hills, were located quite close to the town. Amidst them was a lush plateau, filled with vegetation, and here, stood a cemetery surrounded by a flowering plants and trees.This was the Ancestral cemetery of the Weismann family. There were only a few graves at the centre of the cemetery, all members of his family starting from his grandfather¡¯s generation, including Adolf¡¯s mother and grandmother were buried here. Add felt complicated emotions coming here. He was not actually one of the Weismann family, technically his body was but the soul had already departed. He looked at the few graves and bowed.


    A grave had already been dug out, and a local priest was called to do the funeral rites. Add looked at his ¡®father¡¯ one last time, as if etching that face of his into memory and then closed the lid of the coffin. With the help of a few guards, Henry Ritter Weismann was laid to rest forever, beside his wife and parents. Martha was still sobbing uncontrollably while her husband tried to comfort her. The few guards and servants who had come along were also weeping. A few close friends of Henry who had come to attend the funeral offered their condolences to Add which he politely accepted. There were also some commoners present who had arrive to bid farewell to the late lord. After most of the guests had left, Add requested to be left alone for some time. He stood before the four graves which uncertainty and turmoil apparent in his eyes.


    ¡°I am sorry that I am borrowing your child¡¯s body. I don¡¯t know how to explain, or if my explaining will change anything. I don¡¯t even know why all of this happened. However what I do know is that willingly or not, I am now the last member of the Weismann family. I have been given a second life, because of this body. So I promise you that in return I will make sure that all that the Weismann family stood for, I will achieve that. And that would be my repayment to you all. The world will know of the Weismann family and that I promise.¡±


    Add mumbled. He didn¡¯t care if those words reached where they should, but he was clear to himself. He owed this much to this family. He had got a new life in the body of the last member of this family, and he had taken his identity to live in this world. Naturally he would take the duties that came with it as well.


    ¡°Then I will be leaving. I will visit again¡­take care¡±


    He bowed again and left the cemetery. Returning to the Weismann residence, which was a decently sized manor, along the way he looked around and found that the house was slightly on the bigger side, and much like other houses he had seen in the town its design was similar to Victorian era architecture, but was much simpler in design and had many notable differences to its Earthen counterpart. Dinner was bread and meat soup. The meal was simple with few spices and salt used, as spices were very rare and costly in this age, and the finances of the house were near depleted thanks to his predecessors actions. After having his dinner, he went into his father¡¯s study which as a small library in itself with dozens of books stacked neatly in shelves. In this age where paper was rare and costly and all books were hand written, having so many books in a house was considered a rarity. They provided important information regarding the world of Iseria to Add who knew only a little about it.


    _ _ _ _ _


    After going through the books, he called Martha and asked her to share any information she could. Fortunately for him, Martha was a person originally from the capital city of Reinglief called Alinstia. Before moving to these lands, the Weismann family had also lived there, and Martha and her husband Walter, had been hired during that time. Martha who was quite surprised at the young master¡¯s sudden change over the past two days, explained all she knew.After going through her accounts and what he had read, he summarised the following.


    The World of Iseria was very large compared to Earth, and by his estimates, it had almost 5 times the surface area of Earth. The landmass was divided into many parts, but the only major ones explored by the humans were the Northern Subcontinent and the Atlas continent; the former being around 1/6 the size of the later. A great sea separated the Northern Subcontinent from The Atlas continent which was surrounded by oceans on all sides, and no one knew if any other land existed beyond the horizon. The Atlas continent resembled a deformed ellipse in shape, and was bent in the middle giving it a curved boomerang like appearance.


    The Northern Subcontinent itself was wide from east to west and narrow from north to south, it resembled a deformed rectangle in shape. It had diverse geographical regions, with more than half of it covered by forests, snowy plateaus, high mountain ranges, deep valleys and many other landforms. Reingleif was located on the Western side of it. There were three major kingdoms in the northern sub continent namely Reinglief, Solia and Krijger. There were also a few other smaller kingdoms but these three were the most dominant on the subcontinent. The great forest of Waldesten on Reinglief¡¯s Western border was over a thousands of kilometres wide and till today humans had only been able to explore a small portion of it. In comparison, the Amazon rainforest of Earth looked like a small grove.


    This world of Iseria was also home to countless races besides humans. Among them the most prominent were the Elves, Dwarves, Demons, Humans, Fairies and Werebeasts. Other legendary races like the Dragons, Demigods, Angels and Gods also existed, however they were rarely, if ever, seen. The Elves, for example were a race deeply rooted with nature, living mostly in forests in harmony with nature. They were proficient in magic and had very long life spans reaching well beyond thousands of years and were very proficient in magic. Dwarves were masters of mining and forging. Their craftsmanship was only second to the Angels¡¯ and the weapons and armour crafted by the dwarves were famous across the lands, known for their strength and durability.


    Werebeasts were beings that looked like humans except the fact that they had animal like features such as animal ears, tails, fur etc. They boasted high physical strength and combat abilities. Demons were another major race, which consisted of many types of creatures like vampires, werewolves, succubae, and many more. These creatures were very proficient in magic, and were often very strong as well, known for their bloodthirsty and violent natures. As for the other races like Dragons, Fairies, Gods, Angels, not much information was available about them, as they were rarely seen or heard of, it could be said that their existence had faded into legends.


    The humans of this world could also use magic. However, not everyone could use it. Only a small portion of the population, around one in 100 was able to use some form of magic, and even among them the truly powerful ones were rare. Humans who did not have decent amount of mana in their bodies, had an average lifespan of around 100 years, however the ones that could use mana usually lived well past this age, some even reaching well beyond 200 years. It was also said that some great and powerful individuals had even lived for over 500 years. Though their life spans were short compared to many other races, the humans were the most numerous sentient race on Iseria, a testament to their innate ability to adapt and proliferate across all areas, with great speeds.


    These various races were mostly always in conflict with each other, which have resulted in great wars across the ages, killing countless people. But after the humans conquered nearly a fourth of Atlas continent, most of the other races like the Elves, Were beasts, Dwarves etc. were forced back and now had to reside in small territories and within the harsh wildernesses. They had poor relations with humans, as humans tend to attack them and make them slaves. It was the same in the northern subcontinent as well.


    According to the legends, humans other races, came into existence millions of years ago, however, the humans were among the weakest of the races , and lived in constant danger and fear of the monsters and other races. Then, about 5000 years ago, 5 knights emerged from the Human race. They were the strongest of the humans, blessed by the gods, and having powers never seen before. They rallied their followers and led the entire human race into unifying the various human factions and taking over the Atlas continent and today almost a fourth of the continent is ruled by the Human race. Those 5 knights all established a kingdom each in Atlas which are now known as ''The 5 Empires of Humanity¡¯. Their names being, Argarnsen, Laggard, Jaereich, Mellistania, and Grestardor. These 5 empires are ruled by the descendants of the 5 knights. Reingleif, the kingdom Add was in, was nothing compared to these mighty Empires of the Atlas continent.


    The difficulties faced due to the harsh climates of the north and the extreme landscapes which left little land to expand into, caused the 5 empires to lose interest in this large subcontinent. Moreover, the large expanse of sea between the Northern subcontinent and Atlas was filled with mighty beasts and monsters, making travel through those waters very troublesome and risky. Thanks to that, small kingdoms like Reinglief could exist here till now with little influence from the 5 empires. Also, the humans of Atlas were embroiled in a millennia long war against the demon race that also control a large part of the Atlas continent. Both sides have been in a dynamic stalemate with many battles being fought and no side having gained any major victories over the years.


    Religion was well established in this world. The various races had many gods which they worshipped. For example, majority of the humans were devotees to The Church of Light. It worshiped the god of light Eleudir, who was believed to be the creator of the human race. The church was spread all over the Atlas continent and its origins predated even the 5 empires. It had tremendous power and influence and even the emperors didn¡¯t dare oppose it except on very serious matters. But just like the 5 empires, The church of Light also had little interest to invest their resources and man power to expand into the northern subcontinent due to the geographical issues. Still they had some influence in the south-western side of the subcontinent which was closest to the Atlas continent. The Elves worshipped the Goddess of Nature while the Dwarves were believers of the God of Craftsmanship, and there also many races which did not believe in any gods altogether.


    After gaining a basic understanding of this new world, Add began looking at the thing which had most intrigued him most ever since he reincarnated. It was Magic. Martha could not help him much in this regard, as Magic was a subject of mysteries and only the mages and wizards could explain it properly, so she could only give Add some basic information which she had heard and seen through her life. In this world magic existed, a strange power which was beyond the laws of science, seemingly making the impossible, possible. Mana, was a mysterious energy found in nature, which was the fuel for magic. It was everywhere, in the air, in water, in the ground, in plants, animals and even in humans and other living beings.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 3 - Gathering Information

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    The People who could manipulate mana, could use it to strengthen their bodies, and cast spells, which were the manifestations of imagination and knowledge. Spells were incantations written in ancient runic languages, which were mostly words spoken to give form to magic. Some common examples were [Fireball] which formed a ball of fire, [Heal] which could cure wounds etc. Almost anything could be done with magic, people could fight, fly, make water, light a fire, protect themselves and much more. As a result the need for science had become basically nonexistent and the society had stagnated in a feudal-middle age era.


    Not all people could use magic. Generally only one in ten thousand humans had enough mana in them to be able to use it to cast spells and become a Mage. Being a mage or wizard, was heavily dependent on ones innate talent, rather than hard work. All Mages had a very high innate capacity for mana, when compared to normal people. They could cast powerful spells and were a very strong force. As a result, Mages were highly sought after by the kingdoms and empires and they enjoyed tremendous status and power. The ones who had mana, but not enough to become a mage, or those who lacked talent in learning sorcery, were much more common, around 4 - 5 in every hundred humans.


    They could still train and use it to strengthen their bodies and become strong warriors. In fact, the armies of the various empires were composed entirely of such people. Both mages and warriors could increase their strengths, by training themselves which included meditation, physical and magical training. There were also various medicinal items like rare plants, monster parts, precious ores etc, which could help increase a Mage or a Warrior¡¯s strength significantly in short time, and these were very very costly. As one continued using the mana in their body, the capacity to hold mana would increase as well, but the limit of how much mana could be stored was determined by the person¡¯s innate talent. That is why that although every person had mana in their bodies, not everyone could become a warrior. Only those who had the talent for it, could become one.


    Being a mage though, was thousands of times more difficult than becoming a warrior. Mages had special constitutions which enabled them to use mana to cast magic. Their bodies had special vessels called [Mana Channels] through which mana flowed just like blood flows through regular vessels. This type of constitution was rare and generally inherited from the parents, though very rare cases of mages born from non-mage parents were also observed. Still, the vast majority of mages came from noble families which had mages born in almost every generation. The nobles married their children with other nobles to maximize the chance of producing mages in the future generation. As such, over thousands of years, the mages had been concentrated to noble bloodlines, and while once in a while mages did appear among the commoners, those chances were extremely low. The mages had established many powerful noble houses and clans, and many royal families were also families of mages. Being a Mage was a blessing, as they could harness the power of ¡°Magic¡±. Powerful spells written in ancient languages, helped the mages to use their mana and visualise their ideas, be it of creation or destruction.


    A well trained mage was a devastating presence in the battlefield, with their spells, they could kill hundreds from kilometres away, without taking any damage themselves. Not surprisingly, the kingdoms were always trying to nurture as many powerful warriors and mages as they could and they formed the base of a kingdom¡¯s military strength. Mages were highly revered and respected in every country. They were given preferential treatment by the royals and nobles, and were usually employed by them with high salaries.


    The mages and warriors were divided into ranks from 1 to 10 depending on their strength and power. There also existed people with powers beyond rank 10, and such people were called Archmages and Saint Warriors. It was said that a single Saint Warrior had the strength of a small army while a single Archmage could turn the tide of a war. Such people however were few in number, as one had to had heavenly talents to get to such heights. In general, when comparing a warrior and a mage of the same rank, the warrior was physically stronger than the mage by many times, however the mage with his spells had a much higher damage output and unless the warrior could get close to the mage, he basically had no chance of winning. Mages were best suited for ranged combat while Warriors usually fought in melee with the exception of archers. Though there were always a few exceptions, mages who fought equally well in melee and warriors who could defeat stronger mages despite all odds.


    Sadly, Martha did not know anything about the details of magic as only a mage could explain those things in detail. And since there were no mages in Rigel, as far as he could recall, Add had to keep aside his desire to know more for the near future.


    Martha finally came to the Monsters and Magical beasts. The monsters were animal like creatures which were generally large in size and possessed tremendous strength. There were a huge variety of them, from large versions of animals like wolves and tigers to fantastical creatures like goblins, orcs, kobolds, werewolves etc. These were grouped into ranks : F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. The F ranked monsters were the weakest while the S rank were the strongest. Occasionally however, there appeared monsters whose strength was greater than even S ranked monsters and these were designated with SS and even SSS ranks.


    Magical beasts on the other hand were monsters which had the innate ability to utilize mana and could use it to cast some form of magic. They were much more dangerous than normal monsters, since they could use magic and were lot more intelligent than them. Some high ranked monsters even gained sentience. Some mighty Magical beasts could even take humanoid form. They were grouped in classes starting from the lowest Knight class, General class, King class, Emperor class, Calamity class, Mythical class, and the highest Deity class. Having learnt all this, Add was awed at the grand scheme of things in this world which was completely new to him.


    Next Martha told him about the kingdom of Reingleif, in detail. The country¡¯s capital was called Alefast where the Ensworth royal family resided. They were the rulers of the country and the family had been ruling the nation for hundreds of years. The royal family were supported by the nobles. The nobility of this world was divided into many ranks, starting from the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, Duke and Duchess, Marquis and Marchioness, Count and Countess, Viscount and Viscountess and the Baron and Baroness at the lowest. People beyond that were treated as common folk. Rudolf Weismann, his grandfather had been bestowed the hereditary title of Marquis, and that title had been passed on to his son Henry and subsequently his son Adolf, that is now Add.


    After noting down all points of interest, he asked Martha to give him a briefing of the financial situation of the house. Martha was shocked, as this was the first time ever, that the young master had taken interest in these matters. He would usually only ask for spending money and not care about anything else. Still, surprised that she was, she did her job very well. It should be noted that Martha managed the finances of the household, everything from the payment of salaries to the servants and guards to the maintenance costs and all, other expenses, while her husband Walter, was the official treasurer who managed the tax collection and official expenditures such salaries of the few officials of the town, the 2000 man strong militia that served as the Weismann family¡¯s private troops, maintenance of roads etc.


    When called, Walter was also surprised after knowing that the young master wanted to know about the financial situation of the territory. But the old couple which has served two generations of the Weismann family, were more than happy if the young master decided to act like a proper lord from now on. He could no longer be the carefree wastrel he had been all this time, the fate of the Weismann family rested on his shoulders now. Luckily, it seemed that his father¡¯s passing had affected him deeply. Martha who had seen him grow up, felt that the young boy had become a completely different person recently. He had become much more clam and composed and his appearance befitted a proper noble now.


    Add had little impression of Walter from Adolf¡¯s memories as the old man rarely visited the mansion, and even when he did it was Martha or the other people that he had work with. Still he was a serious looking man whose stern face and strict aura, resembled that of a teacher. In the study room, the old couple patiently explained to Add the exact situation of the territory, and the discussion stretched long into the night, with Add trying to eke out as many details as he could. It was a good thing that Adolf knew how to read and write in this country¡¯s language, so Add who inherited those memories, could make running notes with ease. It was only when Add felt that he had enough for now, that he let the two off. After they had left he went to the window and looked up at the cloudy sky. Iseria also had a moon which appeared to be over twice as big as compared to earth¡¯s moon and glowed blue, most of which was hidden by the clouds.


    "For me to have reincarnated in this world, is it good or bad ? Is there even a reason for me to live again ?"


    Add, from as long as he could remember, was a soldier. He was trained from when he just began to walk, at the age of 10 he was inducted into the army, under a secret program. His life had only been mission after mission, killing people and watching his comrades die. Add didn''t have much emotions and the little he had were always under his control, yet he was but human. Years of bloodshed, the screams of his dying enemies, the faces of his dying comrades still remained fresh in his mind. He remembered the tens of children who were blown to bits by a bomb. He remembered the mothers who died protecting their children, and the children weeping on the corpses of their dead parents. He saw the couples who died in each other¡¯s arms, and others wandering on the streets, half dead or dying, yet still looking for their missing relatives. Those scenes had become nightmares, dreaded dreams. Haunting him every day. As such Add had long wanted to die. He was just too tired of all this. And when he finally thought he would have his rest, he found himself in a new body, and in a new world.


    ¡°Well¡­.I guess I will find out due time¡­¡±


    Shaking his head, he continued arranging his plans. The situation of his territory was not good at all. Stagnated development, poverty, lack of trade and commerce, attacks from monsters and bandits were all plaguing this land, and the treasury which never came close to full was almost empty. Thankfully the king had spared the Weismann family from paying taxes considering the lands they owned, not that they could pay anything significant anyway. There was also the threat of the war between Reinglief and the bordering country of Solia in the south, which had raised tensions in the recent years. To top it all, the fact that the country was going through period of instability as the current king was on his last breaths and his various sons and daughters were struggling for the throne, was just fantastic. The way they were now, if Reinglief fell, Add knew, his life as a noble of Reinglief will come into jeopardy as well. Not that he cared about being a noble, as long as he could live in peace.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    This was a very bad situation and a situation which had to change. Add was a man from 21<sup>st</sup> century Earth, and having lived a life as a soldier, he faced a challenge being a lord of a territory. He needed to make sure his territory survived. This place was the closest thing to a home he ever had, as in his previous life, he had no place to call home other than the battlefield itself. But now he did. Fate had given him a chance to start a new, and he could not afford to lose it. That however didn¡¯t change the fact that he had little idea about how to manage such a task. How to raise his territory to become strong and prosperous in these dangerously turbulent times. As he was wrecking his brain on this matter, a sudden idea came to him. An idea which would forever change the course of history of this world.


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­the answer was with me all along¡­.how did it take me so long¡­..if this world is ruled by the strongest fist¡­then all we have to do, is to become that fist itself!...if I cannot go home, I will just have to make it home itself¡­.¡±


    He remembered the one state whose might forced much of the world to unite in fear. A state whose power crushed one of the most efficient armies of Earth in world war 2. The state which rose from the ashes of defeat, poverty and underdevelopment to become an world power on its own¡­a state which if not for the greed and failures of men, would have become the one true superpower and dominated all. It was the state of which he as a Russian was technically always a member of.


    ¡°Heh¡­..so what if they lost at the end ? If not for those selfish and corrupt bastards of the communist party¡­would they ever have fallen ? I want to see¡­ let¡¯s see if I can¡¯t prove those pigs were wrong!¡­.after all¡­from the taiga to the British seas¡­..the red army is the strongest of them all¡­¡±


    Nobody knew it, but the gears of fate had begun to move, and the dawn of tomorrow would mark the beginning of a new era. An era none of the residents of Iseria had even imagined in their wildest dreams before.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Add spent most of the night trying to formulate plans to manage the situation he was in. his biggest asset was his Territory, but it was also his biggest problem. The main crop produce of the kingdom was wheat, which served as the staple food, almost over the entire Northern Subcontinent. But due to the climate of his territory, it was not very suitable for growing wheat, and the yields were usually low, no matter how hard the farmers tried. His grandfather had thought of cultivating the grasslands further south, but the many tribes living in the region made it impossible to set a permanent foot hold without large scale battles, something which the Weismann family was unable to afford. Added to that the remoteness of the region and the threat of monsters and bandits, the productivity of this place was low to say the least. Overall, due to these various reasons, the Weismann family were only able to bring 1/8<sup>th</sup> of their official territory in their control, even after 30 years of hard work.


    The only saving grace was that there were many mines in the hills nearby, and the sale of the ores mined from them constituted the bulk of the territory¡¯s trade. Aside from that the people here also collected wild herbs, wood resins etc from the forests which added a little to their income. Every once in a while monster corpses hunted by local would also appear which fetched moderate prices. The closest city from Rigel, was over 200 kilometres away and the only way the local produce could be trade was through travelling merchants who visited the territory a few times in a year. The merchants had to pay certain taxes when buying these items which formed most of the income for the Weismann Family.


    Walter had given him a detailed account of the family¡¯s financial situation. All in all, the treasury had a sum total of a little over 20,000 gold coins. Now across the subcontinent the various countries used a single currency. It had been so from long back, as a measure to simplify trade and commerce. The currency used here was divided into four types of different coins. It went as follows :


    100 copper coins = 1 silver coin


    100 silver coins = 1 gold coin


    100 gold coins = 1 White gold coin


    To put some perspective, a regular loaf of bread cost around 5 copper coins. That would seem to make 20,000 gold coins a lot, but in all honesty it was barely enough to run the expenses of the town at best, not to mention that of the entire territory. It should be mentioned that even most well to do Baron ranked nobles, had tens of thousands of gold, while higher nobles had it in over hundreds of thousands. In simple comparison, Add was dirt poor in terms of nobility. His family had tried their best to develop the territory and make it more prosperous, but alas, some things were just beyond their control. However, now that Add had appeared in this place, things could not continue like this; he would not allow this.


    He made a simple plan to improve the situation. First he had to boost the agriculture of the region, as that formed the backbone of any economy. This meant increasing food production and also diversifying the types of crops grown. Growing only one type of crop was not enough, since if somehow that one crop failed, it would doom the entire system. Next he also had to develop the mining sector. Currently the mining methods used by the people here were very crude and inefficient. They could not even smelt the raw ore and had to sell it for very cheap prices. After all this was done he would have to focus on the trade sector as well. The people had long been complaining that the traders were paying them too low prices for their goods, and making large profits at the expense of the hard work of these people. Add would have to ensure that such practices ceased for good. And lastly, he also had to grow and strengthen the military.


    All nobles were allowed to have their own private army, whose size depended on their rank. The Weismann house being a Marquis household was sanctioned to have a strength of 50,000 troops, but actually had, laughably, only 2000 troops and 50 guards who guarded the Weismann mansion. And even calling them a militia was stretching the term, much less an army. The reason was that they were poorly trained and equipped. It was not that Adolf¡¯s father and grandfather didn¡¯t want a proper army under them, they simply could not afford to maintain a larger force, due to the expenditure. Both Rudolf an Henry had been excellent generals, but they had commanded the armies directly under the king, and had no personal followers of their own. Add would have to solve this a well. For now he kept his focus on these four main areas. After he had stabilised these, he could delve into other sectors.


    ¡°In the end it¡¯s all about money. To develop these lands, I would need a lot of money¡­the question is how can I get that much money¡­.¡±


    He thought for a long time and finally his thoughts went to the system which was his greatest strength in this life. He knew that the system shop had everything he would need from massive weapons of mass destruction to even a toothpick. However to get that he needed CP, lots of CP. The problem was if he wanted to obtain all that CP by himself, then it would take him years of continuous hunting and killing monsters, which was very impractical. He realised that rather than completely depending on the system, he would have to do most of the work himself. He already had some ideas, but first he had to gather a lot of CP, he only had a little over 6000, which was leftover from the system¡¯s gift pack.


    For the next few days, he stayed at home, and familiarised himself with the servants and guards that worked in the mansion, while spending most of his time in the study which had a sizeable collection of books. In that time, some people came to visit him, since he was now the de facto lord, but he declined to meet anyone giving his wounds and weakness as a reason and Martha and Walter had to manage those people. He was also pretending to be injured, and had not allowed any servant to change his bandages, insisting on doing it himself. The servants were worried, but he remained adamant on his decision, and they had no choice but to concede. Add could not let others know that his body had already healed completely, to prevent unnecessary troubles and explanation. Only after a week, since he transmigrated into this world, did he begin his actions.


    One morning, he woke with the first rays of dawn and did a series of light morning exercises. This body was not able to handle too much, so he could only do some jogging and stretching in the mansion¡¯s garden before getting tired. Martha was worried that those exercises would harm his body, but he assured her that his body was fine. Still he wore a bandage on his head just to pretend, as such an injury took time to heal. As his body got stronger, he would gradually return to the strenuous exercises he used to do as a soldier. For the next few days, he followed a new routine. After having his breakfast, the young lord would leave the mansion followed by a few of his guards, and tour around the town. The common folk who had seldom seen him like this felt surprised. Add went to every corner of the town and even some nearby villages. He was not at all impressed with what he saw.


    The houses in the town were mostly huts built by wood, with a few ones made of brick. The infrastructure was really poor with dirt roads and no proper drainage systems. Waste and garbage piled on the street sides, while the poor and homeless lied around in cramped alleys. The overall appearance of the town was more like a refugee camp than a proper settlement. Only some parts where the wealthier people lived had better conditions, but not by far. The villages were worse off, with shacks to call as homes, and the people in the villages were malnourished and sickly. The farmers had no land of their own, and worked as serfs on lands, which belonged to the Weismann family and some other rich families, and barely earned enough for two meals a day. If the town was in such a condition, it was not difficult to imagine the condition of the rest of the territory. Wherever he passed through, people would lower their heads and dare not complain, fear and helplessness was clearly visible on their faces. In this society, the lord was above all and the poor didn¡¯t dare voice their protest directly. Add did not say anything, but took notes of everything that he observed. After he had gathered enough data to formulate estimates for his plans, he was ready to move on to the next stage.


    _ _ _ _ _


    ¡°What did you say again young master ?¡±


    Asked Martha with a frown. Add who was calmly sipping tea, repeated his words. A few maids and servants curiously looked at him, thinking what this carefree young master wanted now.


    ¡°As I said, I want to go to the hills to gather some experience¡­I realized I have been doing nothing but idling all my life¡­I want to become a proper lord now, and in order to do that I must hone myself¡­¡±


    Martha almost had her jaw drop hearing him say such things. Ws this really the same good for nothing waste of a man, who would always try to make merry and care nothing about his life? When did he begin speaking such serious words. Still more than that she was worried about the injury he had suffered.


    ¡°Young Master it¡¯s good that you want together some life experience, but you were seriously wounded and just woke up today after two days¡­I think you should have rest for a few more days at least¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you are worried, but I insist that I have to go. Of course I am not going right now as it is. I plan on leaving tomorrow morning. I would have to trouble you to prepare a horse for me¡­and don¡¯t worry¡­.this time I won¡¯t fall off.¡±


    Martha still wanted to object. Although she was disappointed in this boy, he was the last surviving member of the Weismann family. She had watched him grow from a newborn baby and he was like a grandson to her. The hills Add talked of, were the forested foothills of the Great Dividing Ranges, near which the town was built. There were many dangers like monsters, bandits etc. in those hills. She knew of his strength and so naturally she would be opposed to him going there. But when she was about to further try and persuade him, something strange happened.


    ¡°Martha, I know what I am doing¡­. Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t repeat my foolish actions anymore. Also I am not going to anyplace dangerous, so it won¡¯t be too risky. ¡±


    ¡°But Young Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough. I was not asking your permission, I was only informing you of my decision. There is nothing else to discuss.¡±


    Add finished his tea and then left the hall. The old lady was rooted at her spot. Just now when she looked into the boy¡¯s eyes she felt coldness, which made her shiver unconsciously. As if she was looking at a fierce hunter rather than the carefree boy she knew. She was completely puzzled and by the time she recovered, the Young Master had already left and all she could do was arrange his wishes.


    The next day, after completing his exercise Add left for the hills. Having spent most of his life in the army had once served in the ceremonial cavalry brigade, and knew a decent bit of horse riding, so it was not much trouble for him. He was accompanied by four guards who were forced onto him by Martha, or else the old lady won¡¯t let him leave. Add reluctantly brought them along, he really felt weak against this grandma. Probably because she was the closest living person to a family his predecessor had, so the lingering emotions in the body were affecting him. Or perhaps e could see the genuine worry on her face that he surrendered, needless to say old lady Martha was a serious force in herself.


    He had spent the previous night studying in the study room of his late father. There were not many books as paper was rare and all books were hand written, making them difficult to obtain and very costly. He got little information from them, but it was better than nothing. He chose to go to the hills as they were close to the town, some 20 kilometres away and there were many monsters roaming around which he could kill to obtain Credit Points. However, he had to be careful from the creatures inhabiting in the mountains. There were many things in there that could kill him like swatting a bug, and one had already did. He was basically defenceless if not for the guns he had bought. But they were no guarantee that he would be safe, so he had to be very cautious.


    And this was the beginning of his story. A story which would later go on to become a legend. This was the story fate had picked for him, yet how it would be written and how it would progress would be solely up to his actions and his actions only. Fate had only given him a goal, how he would reach it, was completely up to himself.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 4 - Earning Credit Points

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    The area behind the town of Rigel was largely forested, though the density of trees were much less than the hills and mountains up ahead. The group followed a dirt road which went all the way from the back of the town to the hills. On his way, Add also delved more into his new memories. Although there were no clocks in this world, by his experience the past one day, he estimated that this world also had a 24 hour day, similar to Earth and followed a 30 day month system with 12 months in a year. It was quite the coincidence.


    Of the four guards that were accompanying him, three were middle aged and one was a bit younger. They were wearing simple chainmail and had long swords strapped to their hips. But the quality of the armour made Add doubt its utility as they were mostly tattered and appeared to have been repaired and patched up many times. The guards, were considered decent in terms of strength by his standards. They, like majority of the people here, looked like Europeans back on earth. As they neared their destination, He could see that the slopes of the hills were densely covered in forests.


    The group dismounted from their horses and one of the guards stayed behind to watch over the horses while the other three escorted Add. It took the group around half an hour to reach the hills, the horses were not as fast as Add expected them to be, but then again, he could not really compare these with those back on Earth. Back home those horses had better, more nutritious food, and science had told the trainers how to get the most out of them, which was not the case here. Anyway not having to walk 20 kilometres was already a blessing enough.


    The climate of this region was similar to the temperate regions of Earth, this region in particular received a lot of rainfall due to the mountains. As a result temperate rainforest covered the slopes. Right now it was the peak of summer, and still I was quite bearable. Part of it was because the region was locate at the foothills of the great dividing mountain range, as one moved south-westward, the temperature increased considerably, giving way to the gigantic rainforests of Waldesten further west.


    The guards soon found a forest track that branched of the dirt road which led deeper into the hills, all the while, Add was looking around and talking in as much details as he could, familiarising himself with the area and terrain. All along the forest path, he saw many insects, birds, small animals. Some were similar to the creatures he had seen on earth, while others were completely new to him. The plant life was even more varied, with tall hulking plants with gigantic leaves to thorny shrubs with strange flowers. The cacophony of the forest, caused by the chirping of millions of insects, distant roars of animals and coupled with the soft sounds of the leaves swaying in the gentle breeze, made a serene atmosphere in the forest. Add was enjoying the walk through the woods, but he was still cautious, lest something sneaks up behind him.


    ¡°Young Master, we should not go any deeper than this..¡±


    After an hour of fumbling in the outskirts of the forest one of the guards spoke up. Add frowned. All this while, he had not seen a single proper ¡°monster¡±, the best he had seen was a large wild boar the size of a cow, covered in thick brownish mane which earned it the name [Maned Boar].And the guards had hurriedly pulled him away from it, as they were known for their violent nature of attacking anyone they saw in their territory. The monsters in this world were given a ¡®Rank¡¯ based on their strength and threat levels. These started from F to A and beyond them were the S ranked monsters with F-rank being the lowest, while the S rank was the highest. Magical beasts had a different ranking system, starting from the lowest Knight class, General class, King class, Emperor class, Calamity class, Mythical class, and the highest Deity class.


    The [Maned Boar] was an E ranked monster, among the lowest, it was not very smart, yet its physical strength was nothing to scoff at. A group of 5-6 guards would be needed to bring it down, as a result the three guards dare not confront it. Luckily it was busy foraging in the shrubbery and did no notice them. After retreating from the boar the guards began to persuade him to return, as going further in would be very dangerous. Add reluctantly agreed. Although he wanted to test whether the boar could withstand the AK¡¯s bullets, but he decided not to. It was not wise to let these guards of his see guns not now at least. The group returned to the horses and the guards began to mount, while Add stood thinking something, and then he stopped them.


    ¡°Listen. I have decided to explore the forests a little bit more, so I will be going back inside. Alone that is.¡±


    The guards were instantly alarmed at this.


    ¡°Young Master you can¡¯t! We have been instructed to ensure your safety by madam Martha, we cannot let you go alone!¡±


    The youngest guard began protesting while the others also nodded in agreement. If Martha knew that they had neglected their duty then god knows what she would do o them. Add glared at them and this made the young man who was babbling instantly shut up. After all everyone in Rigel knew of the Young Master¡¯s temper. He was a very impulsive person and many people had faced trouble when they had opposed him. If he really made the young master angry, then he may even lose his job. However Add didn¡¯t lose his temper as he was thinking.


    ¡°You¡­.what is your name ? ¡°


    ¡°Eh¡­Ah..young Master¡­I am called Edward¡±


    The young man named Edward was a decent looking chap, in his mid twenties. He had light brown hair, and above average features, in a remote area such as this, he could be considered pretty handsome. He had a decently fit body and was a head taller than Add who estimated his own current height to be 5¡¯7¡±.


    ¡°Well then listen Edward. First things first, did you forget who I am ? Or do you want to challenge my authority huh?¡±


    Add¡¯s tone was threatening towards the end. Edward almost froze. ¡®Damn it! I have gone and done it now! Why did I make the young master angry¡­.¡¯. The other guards were silent but were internally pitying Edward. They did not dare mess with Martha, however this did not meant that they would mess with the Young master as well. They remembered a few years ago when a guard had somehow annoyed him and the young master had punished him by making him run naked around the mansion on a cold winter night.


    ¡°No¡­No No! I wouldn¡¯t dare young master! I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Edward was sweating profusely, afraid what the young master would punish him with. But contrary to his fears Add just glared at him and then turned away.


    ¡°That¡¯s good then. I will be back after a short stroll, you all just wait here for me; don¡¯t dare follow me or you will face the consequences. And don¡¯t worry I am not so stupid as to get myself killed that easily. And don¡¯t follow me, if I find anyone following me, then it wont good for you all.¡±


    He glared at the four guards and began walking towards the forests, while the guards just stood, unsure of what to do. When suddenly Edward again stopped him.


    ¡°Young Master please wait! please take this sword with you just in case!¡±


    Edward quickly gave the short sword he carried as a spare to Add. It was light and even the young master should be able to use it in self defence, after all when Lord Henry was still alive he had often trained the young master in some forms self defence. Also there were few dangerous monsters on the out skirts of these hills as many people often came here to gather flowers, fruits etc. Add accepted the sword and before leaving he once again turned to look at them. His eyes were looking very scary now.


    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think I have to remind you this, but don¡¯t you dare speak any of this to Martha or else¡­.¡±


    Leaving the last words in trail, Add resumed his walk. The stupefied guards at once shouted back.


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°We would not dare to young master !!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±


    After entering the forest Add sighed.


    ¡°Really now, acting is a tough job for me¡­good thing those people did not keep arguing or it would be a pain¡­ ¡±


    The past whole time he had been pretending to threaten the guards. From his memory he knew how the original Adolf usually acted haughty and unreasonable and he managed to copy that somewhat. Thankfully that seemed too work. He soon returned to the track they had previously followed. Checking that there was no one following around him, he took out the AK-47 from the Inventory and loaded it. He felt much more secure now. Walking on the established trails, which the local people often used to travel into the hills to get fire wood and wild fruits, he looked around for any monsters. After a short turn in the path, he found himself standing a few metres from familiar yet strange creature.


    It looked like a rabbit the size of a large cat, and was lazily munching on fresh grass among the shrubbery. It had grey fur and red eyes. But what made it distinct, was a sharp short horn on its head, and two sharp incisor teeth jutting out from its upper jaw, which were far too long to serve as anything other than a weapon. The guards had previously mentioned to him about these creatures. They were called [Horned Rabbits], clearly because of their horns. They were a favourite prey of hunters as their meat was said to be very tasty. However, catching them was not easy at all. They had very sharp hearing ran extremely fast and hence were very difficult to catch. They were not animals in the true sense but were called beasts. Their most annoying feature, though, was that if they felt that their enemy was weaker than them, then they would often attack their enemy with their horns.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    As soon as it saw Add, the rabbit jumped away from its original position and landed few metres away. It did not run away however, instead it was staring at him from a distance. Its red eyes appeared menacing. Normally it should have run away, but instead of running away it pounced at Add with its pointed horn aimed at him. He immediately readied his rifle and fired a burst of bullets, which immediately hit their target and pierced the rabbit''s body, and drilling multiples holes in it, instantly killing it. These rabbits were known for their speed but, against a bullet which travelled faster than sound, they were as good as immobile. The dead rabbit fell on the ground, with a lot of bullet holes in its body.


    [Ding! You have killed a horned rabbit. Received 25 CP]


    He looked at the screen which had just popped up before him and went near the rabbit to confirm that it was dead. Only then did he relax a bit. Just in case he reloaded his rifle and scanned his surroundings to look for any other signs of danger, but didn¡¯t find any whatsoever. To his surprise however, he saw that the discarded shells of the bullets slowly turned into motes of light and vanished. Another strange quirk of the system it seemed.


    "Well that went soomthly.... But this world sure is a tough place....even the rabbits here are so dangerous....."


    Though the AK was more than enough to put down this rabbit, same could not be said for other monsters. He quickly left the place as the smell of blood could attract other beasts. Afterwards, he found some more [Horned Rabbits] and they were all put to rest by the AK. Before long, he had spent hours in the forest, and by the intensity of the sun, it was well over noon. Add decided to stop for now and return. Spending too long in the forest might alarm the guards, and they might come to look for him. Back, at the outskirts, the four guards were very tensed. The young master had been gone for a few hours, now and still had not returned. They had even heard some weird sound coming from the forest, making them even more worried. Lord forbid if the young master even got a scratch, Martha would have them hell to see. Just as they were preparing to go in search of Add, they saw the young master finally emerge from amidst the trees. They were relieved as if a huge boulder had been lifted from their hearts and they had been spared from being fed to the devil.


    ¡°Here Edward , have your sword back, honestly this blade is quite nice, I chopped up many annoying vines and branches with it¡­.¡±


    Add said as he offered the blade to the knight. Edward had a strained look on his face as he accepted his sword back. This sword was his pride, he had maintained it with all his devotion for over three years now, and the young master simply dismissed it as a decent plant cutting blade. He felt like complaining but dare not, actually speak, lest he invoke his wrath. After Add had rested a bit, the group mounted the horses and set off back towards the town. The sun was quickly going down the horizon, and it was time for the rulers of the night to rule the forest, and Add didn¡¯t have the slightest desire to have a chance meeting with them. When they arrived back at the mansion, Martha grabbed him and thoroughly questioned him, checking if he had gotten hurt, or had any troubles. Then she began disciplining him, about how he should be less wanton now and that he had lots of responsibilities as a lord, so he should not be as carefree as before. The later could only helplessly sit and be preached at until she was satisfied. The guards, as promised kept their mouths shut and didn¡¯t say a word of his little solo adventure. Since everything was fine, they had no need to dig their own graves by annoying the Young Master.


    _ _ _ _ _


    After Dinner, Add looked at his gains from the day. He had killed a total of 21 [Horned Rabbits] Those rabbits lived alone and hence not too many could be found in one area. They gave him 525 CP. It was not a lot, but he was not upset. For now he had 6825 CP which was not enough to buy anything decent from the system shop, so he put that aside for the time being. At his orders, Walter had sent him several reports on matter regarding the management of the territory, finances, and other important matters. Going through them, he once again realized just how dire the situation was.


    ¡°The nobles, never care for the masses, who are mostly serfs and labourers. They only care for their taxes and extravagant lifestyle, while the poor have no right to protest. The traders exploit the poor people who sell the local produce and make large profits. It¡¯s just like back on earth. Humans never really change, do they ? no matter which world they are from.¡±


    It was a scenario that had similarly played out on Earth in the age of kings and emperors. Only there, the advent of proper education, science and technology had gradually allowed the masses to rise and overthrow the feudal system, but here the masses were illiterate and poor, suppressed by the strong royalty. And with armies filled with mana users, much stronger than the average man, the kings and nobles had no problems keeping their people in control. However, that was beyond his concern right now. Add¡¯s priority now was his territory, and he decided to start his plans with Rigel. He was a person who knew his own limits. The ideas he had was very promising, but to make it into a reality would be harder than anything he had faced till now. Firstly, taking the example of the ideals of communism and socialism, if he began the outright preaching of power to the masses and overthrowing of the monarchy and nobility, he would be soon charged of treason and sent to the gallows.


    Lenin had the support of millions of people, and the time he lived in was much advanced in technology and society as a whole, as compared to the present times of Iseria. Another important fact was that the October revolutions had only been successful because of the armed struggle, the civil war, had been won by the Bolsheviks. The sentiment and support of people were no doubt undeniable, but the military strength of the Bolshevik party was the key to winning the civil war. But Rome was not built in a day, and neither was the Soviet Union. Add knew that to become a true power in this world, he would have to develop both the economy and the military powers of his territory. But that was much easier said than done, and it had to be done one step at a time.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The next day. Add once again left for the hills. He was out to hunt, as he needed all the CP in the world. Leaving the guards behind he ventured into a different part of the forest. The midday sun shone upon a dense growth of foliage, which consisted of mostly tall trees spreading their branches all around forming a thick canopy, while on the ground, dense shrubbery was covering the forest floor, trying to get what little light passed through the dense canopies. Most of the sunlight was stopped by the tall trees, making the forest somewhat dark. The forest floor was littered with dead and rotting leaves, branches and fallen trees. These coupled with the light drizzle of the morning dew, formed the unique smell of a forest.


    Amidst the thick undergrowth, on a small tree, a pair of heterochromatic eyes was looking over the surroundings with great concentration. The eyes belonged to a figure that was clutching a gun and sitting absolutely still. The spot it was at had a perfect blend of cover and shadow, making him almost undiscoverable to others. The figure vigilantly looked on, as many small animals scurried about in the undergrowth while occasionally a few large ones would also pass. He saw a group of [Horned Rabbits] and two [Maned Boars] pass through as well, but did not attack them, he was looking for more numerous prey which frequented these forests. The cacophony of the millions of insects gave life, to this otherwise quite forest. This figure was of course Add, who had, carefully chosen this spot relying on his experience as a soldier of the Spetsnaz.


    Today he had a special target insight. From his father¡¯s study he had got a map which showed the outline of theses hills behind the town of Rigel. It was not very much detailed, but the information was enough for him to make his way quite deep into the forest. Today he was looking for a monster called Goblin. From what he had heard from the guards, after his random questioning, was that these creatures often roamed these forests in groups and caused a lot of problems to humans. Goblins were E ranked monsters, among the weakest of them. They are humanoid monsters and normally they are about half the size of a normal human. They have crooked and hunched bodies with greenish wrinkled skin, and giving off a foul stench.


    These, monsters usually hunt in groups of 3 to 10. Sometimes, though rarely they form large groups as well which may contain tens of goblins, led by a Goblin King, an evolved goblin. They are active mainly at dawn and dusk and spend most of the daytime in their caves or shady places. Although their eyesight is average, their sense of smell is very strong. Those scum love to abduct human women to produce offspring since the number of female goblins tends to be much lower than males. Who knows how many women have fallen prey to their vulgar lust. They use crude weapons like stone daggers, clubs, and wooden spears, however some evolved goblins and experienced ones also use weapons stolen from humans


    Ordinary goblins are only as strong as a ten year old child, however they are very agile and always attack in groups. Now there are many types of evolved goblins as well. Goblin archers, Goblin Swordsman, Goblin spearman are the common ones. They know how to use weapons and are quite troublesome if they are more in number. Then there are Goblin Champions and Hobgoblins. They both are taller than the average human and also much stronger. They know to use weapons efficiently and pose a high amount of danger. The hobgoblins are D ranked and the Goblin champions are C ranked. Lastly, there are the Goblin Kings. They are the strongest type of goblins; usually one appears among a thousand normal goblins. They are also C ranked but their strength is greater than champions and also have leadership abilities. Spotting a goblin king means that a big attack is going to happen soon...


    Although individually, goblins are quite weak, they make up for it by their numbers much like ants. Even veteran warriors can be killed by an ambush by goblins, and they are by no means, an easy picking. One has to be very careful and properly prepared in dealing with them. After Add had gathered all this information, he had began formulating some ideas to deal with these pests. Hunting humans was the speciality of his unit back on Earth, but hunting monsters, he had never done before. Finally after he entered the forest he went quite deep inside and began searching the area for any tracks and trails. He didn''t have to search for long and found what seemed to be a forest path which looked quite fresh. Once he had found the tracks, he looked around for a suitable place to wait in ambush of his target. He soon found a short tree which was pretty well hidden in shadows of the tall trees and hid in its branches, and there he was, waiting patiently.


    "It would be so nice if I had a sniper rifle...*Sigh*...."


    He looked at the AK ¨C 47 in his hands and sighed. It was never built for sniping purposes. Still the cheapest sniper rifle was costly, at around 5,000 CP, and he did not want to spend all that CP just yet. So for now, he had to make do with the Kalashnikov.


    "I have to be swift and attack their vitals. Since they are humanoid, they should have the same weak points as humans."


    After over two hours of waiting, Add finally saw his target for the first time. They were green skinned creatures with short and bent posture, crooked noses, drooping pointy ears and a few coarse hairs here and there on their bodies. They wore some rags around their waists which were probably animal skins and were covered in filth and dirt. Goblins. Add had seen them for the first time in both his lives, and although he heard about them from the guards, but he was already very disgusted by their appearance. There were 5 goblins; four were holding thick wooden branches, which probably functioned as clubs while one which appeared to be a bit stronger than the two was carrying a makeshift wooden spear. The goblins were holding some large rats, and walking along making ''gigigi'' noises, which was probably their means of communication.


    The group was less than ten metres form Add, but he didn''t move. He wanted to confirm if any more goblins were nearby. The group passed by, right under his tree and as per plan, the leaf paste covered his scent. As soon as they advanced a few metres from him, and there were no signs of any more appearing, Add decided to take action. He aimed his rifle, at their heads, the iron sights of the AK perfectly aligned with the head of the leader of the group. He set the fire selector to semiautomatic mode, confirmed his shot, and then pulled the trigger.


    *BANG!*


    A strange explosion like sound echoed in the forest as a 7.39 mm round tore through the air followed by the characteristic sound of an AK, and drove right into its target. The goblin suddenly collapsed, having no idea as to how it suddenly died. There was only a small hole on the back of its head where the bullet entered, and a large hole from where it ripped out of the goblin¡¯s head. Its four companions were stunned and stood rooted on their spots, giving Add the time to gun them down as well. Four more shots were fired, and four more dead goblins appeared.


    [Ding! You have killed 5 Goblins. You have obtained 500 CP!]


    (Killing goblins gives 100 CP each. If I keep hunting them, then gathering enough CP would not be too hard.)


    With that in mind, he continued hunting for the critters. Today was going to be a busy day for the young master who was out for blood, or rather Goblin blood to be precise.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 5 - Strength Increase

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Bursts of gunfire could occasionally be heard from within the forest, accompanied by pained shrieks and groans. In the suffocating humidity of the forest, the young man wiped his sweat, while the rifle in his hand still gave off smoke.


    ¡°Not much of a target¡­.¡±


    Add thought, as he looked at the goblin corpses before him. He had been hunting goblins for a few hours now, and it was evident from his recent kills, that the AK-47 was more than enough to bring down a goblin, whose body defences were just like humans if not weaker. After combing the area for a long time, and having killed tens of Goblins, he decided to go deeper into the forest, where he could find more goblins to kill. After looking around carefully for some time, he came across another group of 7 goblins. This time he didn¡¯t hide, rather stood silently in front of them. The goblins naturally rushed to attack him, fuelled by their ever present hate of humans, only to be filled with bullets.


    *RATATATATATATA*


    The bullets showed no mercy to anyone, be it human or goblin. They died immediately, providing Add with the much needed CP.


    [Ding! You have killed goblin x 7]


    [Ding! You have received 700 CP!]


    A series of notifications rang out as Add relaxed himself and checked his gains. The CP was piling up nicely, and he had a total of just over 10,000 now. The goblins really had quite a population in this region. But being on the prowl for a long time, with his weaker than average body, had made him tired, so the young master stopped for a short while, and assessed his surroundings. He estimated that he had already gone more than 5 kilometres inside the forest, and he knew that going any deeper would not be wise, as many dangerous beasts lurked in there. Dusk was approaching, and the hunters of the night would be waking soon.


    "I should keep searching in this area and not go deeper, before I am strong enough, going too deep into enemy territory would be stupid."


    He searched for tracks and made sure that he stayed on the outskirts of the forest. It was now nearing evening, and goblins became more active during this time. Add occasionally found one or two stray goblins and killed them immediately. He wanted to kill more goblins but decided to retreat, as staying after nightfall would be dangerous. Moving out of the forest, the same four guards including Edward escorted him back to the mansion. They had a tacit understanding not to reveal anything about the solo adventures of the young master to anyone, and kept their lips shut. When Martha did ask them, the four told a pre prepared story about touring the forest with the young master.


    After finishing his dinner, Add shut himself in his room after having ordered the servants that no one was allowed to disturb him unless it was something very urgent. He opened his status and prepared to buy some items from the shop. His current priority was to strengthen his weak body. He could always buy more powerful weapons, but he needed to have the physical strength to be able to use them optimally. The trips to the forest had showed him just how weak his present body was, and while he could train it gradually, it would take years to get to his peak. And Add was not happy with having to wait that long, so he asked the system for some suggestion on how to increase his strength within a short duration of time.


    [Taking into account the Host¡¯s current situation and available credit points, the System suggests the Host to purchase a Genetic Enhancer from the system shop.]


    Following the System¡¯s advice, he went to the medical section and looked for gene enhancers. He soon found them, however,


    ¡°So costly¡­¡±


    The Gene Enhancers were divided into many grades, starting from the lowest Grade E, then Grade D then Grade C and all the way to the highest Grade S. Just the Grade E enhancer was priced at 10,000 CP while subsequent higher grades were dozens and hundreds of times costlier. He barely had enough to buy the lowest grade, and after some deliberation he bought it, as the system was unlikely to offer him bad advice.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Grade E Gene Enhancer (Human)


    Description : The Gene enhancer is an advanced medical agent originally developed for the soldiers of a future civilization. It enhances the genetic code of the target, leading to overall increase in physical and mental capabilities. Its effects include increased muscular strength, increased bone strength, increase recovery abilities, disease resistance, and sensory improvements. The effects increase with higher grades of enhancer.


    NOTE : Can be used only once per grade. Using the same grade of enhancer the second time is redundant.


    Price : 10,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    The enhancer was a clear, slightly viscous liquid which came sealed inside a slender glass syringe. Add hesitated a little, concerned about any possible side effects. During his time as a soldier, many governments had funded secret research programmes which aimed at producing drugs that would boost the abilities of soldiers, making them better killing machines. While none had succeeded in making the ¡°super soldier¡±, some had ended up making deranged maniacs out of good men, while others outright killed the test subjects. But he could only trust in the system as he rolled up his sleeve and injected it in his upper left arm. After all the liquid was injected he felt no noticeable changes.


    ¡°It probably works slowly. Let¡¯s give it some time, after all there is no need to rush. I just hope I don¡¯t end up as some abomination when I wake up¡­¡±


    Hoping for the best he went to sleep, but before he could reach dreamland, he felt his body grow hotter. A dull tearing pain gradually emerged in his arm where he had injected the enhancer, and slowly spread across his body. The pain kept increasing as beads of sweat covered him, Add felt that he was being carved by a knife from the inside, still his mental fortitude, toughened by years of harsh battles and desperate struggles kept him from crying out, he gritted his teeth and endured. Second turned into minutes, minutes into hours, but the pain kept increasing and then suddenly he lost consciousness, his mind falling into darkness, while his body kept undergoing massive changes. If one could see his cells, they would see that the entire genetic code of each and every cell was being gradually edited, he was being forged anew, from his very DNA. While all this happened the owner of the body had no idea, only a frowning expression on his face showed the pain he was in.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The next day, as Add woke up, he could still feel a dull ache all across his body. As his mind cleared, he found that a layer of grime and sweat had appeared on him, which made him feel quite uncomfortable. He rushed to the bath, and cleared himself up and it was then that he began observing the changes in his body. His muscles which were not visible before, had become noticeable after just one night. They were not like those of body builders however, being lean and smooth, and despite their appearance he could feel that he had grown considerably stronger. His skin although still pale, now looked healthier than it had previously been. As he opened his status, the changes to his body were immediately visible.


    _ _ _ _ _


    STATUS


    Name : Add (Adolf Kaiser Weismann)


    Race : Human


    Credit Points : 400


    ATTRIBUTES :


    Vitality : 2 -> 10


    Strength : 2 -> 10


    Agility : 2 -> 10


    Dexterity : 2 -> 8


    Defence: 2 -> 8


    Intelligence : 5 -> 6


    Wisdom : 4 -> 5


    Stamina : 2 -> 8


    Charm : 3 -> 5


    Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Low)


    _ _ _ _ _


    His stats had grown by a lot, with Vitality, Strength and Agility having increased the most. Stamina, Dexterity and defence had also increased substantially, though not as much as the previous ones. The least increase was in Intelligence and Wisdom which made sense as it was much harder to increase the mental capacity than the physical abilities. Lastly his charm had also increased by a little. Overall, the Young Master was satisfied with the performance of the gene enhancer, and although he felt bad looking at the tiny amount of CP he had left, his CP had been well spent. After completing his daily exercises, the changes were even more noticeable as he was able to finish all the exercises which he used to do as a soldier, in one go. As he made his way across the mansion, the servants cast curious glances towards him. They felt that there was something different about the young master, but could not point out exactly what it was. After having checked himself and found no unwanted side effects, Add had his breakfast and then immediately went out to test the actual combat abilities of his body. On the way he ran into Martha who was as observant as ever and instantly noticed his changes.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Young Master, you look much healthier than before¡­¡± she said as she scrutinised him from top to bottom.


    ¡°Is that so ? I feel the same as always though ?¡± Add smiled lightly as he replied.


    ¡°Maybe my old eyes are getting worse¡±, Martha shook her head, ¡°still it¡¯s best if the young master is healthy and well.¡±


    After discussing a few matters with her, Add made his way to the training grounds behind the mansion. It was a clearing around the size of a football field which took a large portion of the total Weismann estate. It was here that the guards which guarded the estate usually trained and practiced. At present there were a few guards who were still practicing, most of them being new recruits, who were being trained by older guards. Looking around, he quickly found the person he was looking for; a man who appeared to in his late forties, who was sternly lecturing a group of young guards. This man named Kent, was the Guard Commander who led all the guards of the Weismann estate. He was quite tall well built for his age and gave the feeling of a mentor with his strict face and strict nature. But, based on the memories Add had, Kent was a amicable fellow, who was kind and honourable. He had served the family for over 20 years now and was one of his father¡¯s most trusted aides. When he saw the young master coming his direction, he quickly dismissed the guards and greeted Add with a caring expression.


    ¡°Good day Young Master, what brings you here today ?¡±


    It was rather unusual to see the young master in the training field, who preferred to play around rather than train his body. Kent had heard from Martha that ever since the passing of the previous lord, the young master had changed completely. He was taking active interest in matters of the territory, and his wanton merrymaking had also ceased.


    ¡°I wanted to test my strength, so was hoping that spar with a guard, what do you say ?¡±


    ¡°This¡­.¡±


    The old man was noticeably troubled at his request. The young master was not known for having any prowess when it came to fighting abilities, and while the late lord had taught his son some self defence moves, the latter had never really practiced those and had probably forgotten them. Still he was the current Lord, and however weak he may be, if he lost to a guard then the matter would be very embarrassing, not to mention if he got hurt, matters would get messy. Add was aware of what the man might be thinking, so he continued,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mr. Kent, it¡¯s just a spar, I don¡¯t plan on taking things too seriously, and hope you would not reject this request of mine.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Kent could only give in. ¡°Then I shall choose an opponent for you, is that okay Young Master ?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is¡±


    Kent, nodded and beckoned a guard who was in his early thirties. The man was a bit hesitant but complied, and the two were soon facing each other. Kent signalled for the match to start, whoever was able to bring their opponent to the ground first would win. Add immediately took to the offensive, the increased stats of his body made his movements a bit erratic, but it was something which would become normal with time. He was swift on his feet and reached his opponent in a flash, surprising even Kent, who was impressed at how fluidly he was moving. The guard who had trained for years also realised this and took a defensive stance while trying to grab Add who was a head shorter than him. Add dodged to the side avoiding the grasp, and swept his leg out to hit his opponents leg, which caused the guard to lose balance, and as he tried to stabilize himself, Add grabbed one of his hands and with a jerk pulled the man forward, and with a final hit on his back, the guard was sent crashing to the ground.


    The spectators were stunned and Kent who was the most experienced of all the guards, looked blankly at the young master who had given him a great shock. He had never expected that Add would be able to defeat a guard so effortlessly and so quickly at that. It seemed that the Young Master had some hidden talents. As he declared the winner, Add helped the defeated guard to his feet and thanked him for the match. The embarrassed man quickly escaped not wanting to be made fun of by his colleagues. Still, Add was not done just yet. He asked for more matches, and a few other guards were called to be his opponents. As with his first match, he was able to defeat all of them with relative ease, which further shocked Kent. He estimated that the young master was at least on par with most of the guards, if not better than them in terms of fighting without weapons. This was hardly a surprise since Add had tens of years of experience in hand to hand combat, and the moves came to him naturally. He was also impressed though, as he found that his body was now very capable, and he could probably match his old self in terms of strength already, the system truly was miraculous.


    ¡°Young Master, you really shocked me. I never expected that you were so strong, this old me must admit that when I was your age, I was not this good myself. The late master would be very proud if he were to see you right now¡­.¡±


    Kent said emotionally. He was visibly happy seeing the ability of his young master. Add shook his head and replied,


    ¡°I am just doing what I can Mr. Kent. I have wasted a lot of time already, so I have to make up for it. Speaking of which, I had another request of you, if you won¡¯t mind that is.¡±


    Since he had a good understanding of his strength now, so he moved on to the next topic of interest.


    ¡°Please do tell me, I would try my best to help you Young Master.¡±


    ¡°You see, I want to learn how to use a sword. I have realised that despite the guards being there, there will be times when I face dangers alone and so I must have a way to protect myself, so I want you to teach me. But since I don¡¯t know much about swordsmanship so I hope that you would go easy on me.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just that, then it¡¯s my honour in teaching you Young Master.¡±


    Kent arranged for a pair of wooden swords which guards used for training to be brought for the sparring session. Add had no real experience with swords, but ever since he had arrived in Iseria, he had observed the guards using their swords on many occasions, so he had a rough idea, how to properly hold a sword. He swung the meter long wooden long sword, to get a feel, the blade although not made of iron, was made using a wood that was quite heavy and thus simulated the real weight of a sword to a decent degree. Once he had accustomed himself, he face Kent and asked him to begin. The commander had returned to his usual stern appearance as he demonstrated the very basics of sword wielding to Add, who was a little excited on the inside, since he had not learnt swordsmanship in his past life.


    Over the course of the next week, he did not leave the estate and focused on his sword training. Although he had access to guns and other modern weapons, it was better to have a back up weapon which could be used in emergencies and at times when it was inconvenient to use modern weapons. Kent was a good teacher, he patiently taught Add and was very understanding, giving pointers every now and then. With his help, Add quickly mastered the basics, and could be called a beginner swordsman after a week of training. This speed was very fast, when compared to the average person of the era and this made Kent very happy. It seemed that the Young Master had a talent for the sword, and he happily boasted about it to Martha who was moved to tears. She was relieved that Add was finally showing his true abilities, if things continued the way they were, he would surely be an excellent lord.


    ¡°I hope you are seeing this my lord. Your son is just like you, I believe he will surely make the Weismann family proud¡­¡±


    She thought as tears rolled down from her eyes.


    _ _ _ _ _


    After week of training with the sword, Add once again set out for the hills, much to Martha¡¯s displeasure. She had thought that the young master was now take things seriously, but it seemed he still wanted to indulge in his impulsive ways. He had taken the same four guards, of which Edward was lucky enough to be a part of again, and felt like crying. His impression of the young master was apparently very nice. He was well acquainted with these four people, and so they had became Add¡¯s routine escorts. His goal now was to gather more CP to buy better weapons, and gradually strengthen his body which should not be difficult if he found more goblins to hunt. He avoided the areas which he had been to previously, as the goblins would be more alert there, so he went in a different direction and began searching for goblins or other monsters to hunt.


    This time, aside from his guns, he was also carrying an iron sword he had borrowed from the guards, and planned to use it to test his skills. Strangely however, although he found goblin tracks, but, even after searching for almost an hour, he didn''t spot a single goblin. So he decided to go in deeper into the forest. And soon he found a group of five goblins. Add slowly approached them, but this time he didn¡¯t use his AK ¨C 47, rather he used the MAV-20 semiautomatic pistol to see if it was effective in killing these creatures. He quickly approached the group and by the time the goblins had noticed him, he already began firing. He fired in quick succession and precision. The .45 APC round were very effective at close range. They killed the goblins with little effort.


    [Ding! You have killed Goblin ¡Á 5]


    [Ding! You have received 500 CP!]


    After encountering this one group, he did not find any more nearby. As he was looking around for more goblins he suddenly heard some suspicious sounds.


    "Hmm ? What''s that sound ?"


    Hearing those noises he took some twists and turns through the thick undergrowth, and reached a small forest path. The sounds continued to get louder as he followed it, the source of the sounds growing closer and closer. When he finally got to the location, he saw a large group of goblins, that numbered in the dozens, moving about. Some were quarrelling with each other, some others were gorging themselves with food and many were just loitering around. It seemed it was a type of a camp. From the cover of some bushes, he observed for sometime deliberating whether or not to attack them. It was a few hours to evening, and although this was a fairly big group, he didn''t want to waste time searching for smaller groups of goblins. Furthermore, it was a big pile of Exp. and CP waiting to be taken. He observed them for a little while longer and silently approached within the cover of trees and bushes. When he was little over 20 metres away from them, he kept his pistol away and took the rifle. He wanted to finish the group before they could escape or call for help.


    At first he began shooting from the cover of bushes and trees, killing the goblins closest to him. This made the goblins panic as they couldn¡¯t see what was attacking them and many had died already. After sometime, as the goblins began scattering in various directions, Add left his cover and sprung right into the camp. The goblins were surprised to see a human appear so suddenly, but the next moment they understood that this human must have been attacking them, and their confusion and panic turned to rage. They rushed at him to kill, as expected of them. Add also returned fire without ceremony.


    *RATATATATATATATA*


    The goblins gave wretched cries as the bullets slaughtered them. Within a minute around half of them were dead. Goblins relied on their numbers and agility to attack others, but their bodies themselves were not that strong, after all, the average goblins were slightly weaker than average humans. Against automatic weapons, they were no better than cannon fodder. Although a few goblins managed to get close to him, but they were not able to hurt him, before dying. In a few minutes, Add had slaughtered all the goblins.


    [Ding! You have killed Goblin x 43]


    [Ding! You have received 4300 CP]


    Although it was fairly easy, Add wondered if he did not have the gun, perhaps killing all these goblins, without getting a scratch himself would ever have been possible. If he had to wield a sword and fight so many of them, it would be very dangerous, and he perhaps would not be able to kill all these many goblins and end up being killed himself. Having modern weaponry was such a huge advantage, in an age where most battles were melee and the only ranged weapon was the bow, a gun was the top dog. He left the now devastated camp, and continued searching for more targets, evening was still a few hours away and he wanted to earn as much CP as he could.


    When he found a lone goblin with with a crude bone dagger in its hand, he put away his gun and pulled his sword. Making sure that there were no other goblins around, he attacked. The Goblin shrieked and stabbed towards hi with its dagger, but Add¡¯s reflexes were much faster than its attack. He easily parried the dagger with his sword and sent it flying. The Goblin staggered backwards, and not wasting the opportunity he slashed with his sword and cut off one of its arms. The goblin which was now missing an arm, roared in pain and anger and tried to scratch and bite him, but was sent rolling with kick, and just as it was trying to get on its feet, a sword whizzed by, and its head rolled off, its body crumbling with it.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Add continued this routine for a month. In the early morning he would do his exercises and train with the sword. Then he would go to the forest to hunt monsters, mostly goblins since they were easier to kill. And at night he would mostly be holed up in the study room, finalising his plans for the next steps he had to take. A a Lord, he had little power in his territory, both in terms of military strength and economy. The economy though poor, was holding on, thanks to the efforts of his father and Walter through the past year and though the production of crops was low, but the people had enough to survive and the territory was stable for now. As such, he focused on stabilising the military at first. The Soviet Union had the largest military in the world at its peak, and it was the strength of this military that kept the hostile NATO at bay.


    In comparison, the military strength of the territory was beyond pitiful, and could be called a mob at best. Of the 2000 strong militia that he had under him, 500 soldiers were present in Rigel to guard it. The remaining 1,500 soldiers were spread around the territory to guard the villages from monster attacks and keep the bandits and criminals in check. The quality of these soldiers though was very bad, with most of them being poorly trained and equipped and they were little better than vigilantes. While the guards of the estate could still be considered as guards, the militia was really not up to par. A drastic reform was needed, and it was needed now.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 6 - Reforming the Guards

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    A few days later, Add gathered all the guards of the mansion and made them stand in five consecutive rows of ten men each. The guards were quite bewildered at what the young master was suddenly up to. Walking past the rows, he inspected them with scrutiny. The men looked healthy enough and despite some of the guards being older than he would have liked, some weeding was necessary. He then looked at their weapons and armour. The guards mainly had long swords and short swords while some had spears as well. Kent informed that most guards could also use the bow and arrow. The quality of the weapons was mediocre however, as good quality weapons were costly. Their armour was in worse condition. They wore a chainmail suit over their clothes with a thin plate covering the chest, and a pair of arm guards. He made a note to change these things as soon as possible. The guards saw him frown and rub his head, wondering why his mood was getting bad. Add chose 20 of the youngest guards and told the rest to return to their duties. He now had a proper group to work with


    ¡°Alright then, all of you, keep your weapons aside and take of your armour now!¡±


    The men were visibly confused, at the sudden order. The guards had thought that Add wanted to tell them something, but he was now ordering them to take off their weapons and armour.


    ¡°Young Master, why do we need to take off our armour and weapons ?¡± Kent who was also present beside Add asked.


    ¡°No questions please Mr. Kent. Just do as you are told! Do I pay you to ask questions !?¡±


    Add¡¯s mood noticeably worsened as he glared at the guards who quickly began taking off their weapons and armour and stepped back with a sigh, deciding to silently observe. Soon all the men including Edward were all unarmed and their weapons and armour had been kept in a pile at the side of the field.


    ¡°Now one by one you all will have a spar with me. But this time there is no need to hold back, and neither will I. Well then first¡­.let¡¯s see¡­.yes, Edward, you come here¡±


    Edward was one of the guards who accompanied Add on his trip to the forest and the young master recognised him easily. Being called to have a spar with the young master, the man felt very troubled. Ever since they joined the Weismann house, the guards had the impression that the young master was a spoilt and lazy slob. Aside from the usual gambling and merrymaking, he never did any productive work. His body was lean and thin and anyone who saw him for the first time would think that he was a weakling. But over the past few days, the guards had learnt that the young master was just hiding his skills. He could easily take down grown men during a spar, and his learning ability was praised by Captain Kent himself. Add had of course upgraded his strength using the Gene vaccine, but his body remained virtually unchanged, with some minor changes to his appearance.


    Edward looked at Kent who helplessly shook his head. They all knew of the whimsical nature of the young master. Kent thought that Add just wanted to try some moves. He urged Edward to go on and be easy on the young master. Not getting any help from his superior, the poor chap reluctantly left his spot in the rows and stood before Add. He looked at the young guard for some time and then said in a stern voice. His eyes were cold and his expression looked heavy.


    ¡°Come at me with your everything Edward, I won¡¯t be showing you any leniency today, show me what you people have been training for all these years¡­¡±


    Edward hesitated, but looking at the stern face of the young master, which was growing darker by the moment, he did not dare waste time and took a proper stance, he looked at Add who was standing straight just looking at him, and then quickly attacked. His movement was simple, a swift straight punch, aimed towards Add¡¯s abdomen. His opponent nimbly dodged his punch by slightly moving to the side, causing his punch to hit air and he ran past Add before stopping. Edward was not very surprised, as Add had been having sparring sessions with the guards occasionally and they were aware of his ability. He tried to attack a few more times, but Add dodged them all with ease. Finally, he made a quick decision and then again tried to punch Add. However, this time it was just a fake hit and at the last moment, he changed his mode of attack and kicked out with his leg towards Add¡¯s feet trying to trip him down. He believed that Add could only doge, simple moves and would fall to this trick but to his shock the later, jumped up in the air, again dodging his kick. The next moment, Add rotated his body and landed behind Edward, with a kick he swept him off his feet and with a punch to the back, rammed him into the ground. Poor Edward had to eat a pile of dust as a result.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do¡­ Again! You best get up quickly or I promise that I will make sure you won¡¯t be stand up for a month again!¡±


    Hearing the chilling shout , the poor chap hurriedly scrambled up to his feet and returned to where he was standing previously, in a flash. He faithfully believed that Add would do exactly what he said. After a few more rounds, Edward was unable to defeat Add even once and instead was beaten badly himself. While he was on the verge of crying at this punishment, Add excused him and called all the other guards one by one and sparred with them. The pattern was similar, he would only dodge their attacks, and after each guard had three to four chances at him, he would defeat them using simple movements, but with speed and strength that were unmatched for his size and frame. Even Kent, the most experienced of the guards was unable to defeat him and could only take a defensive stance. The young master too did not have it as easy with Kent, and their spars ended in a draw. He was confident that in a real fight to the death, he would surely win, but there was no need to get so serious. After all this was done, Add had a looked at the guards, now covered in dust and in a sorry state, before him. He shook his head in disappointment.


    (These guards, they are little better than the rookies at boot camp¡­sigh, only the old man Kent can be said to have some skill, the others, might just well be road side thugs¡­..)


    He was very disappointed in the quality of the guards. But on second thought, the guards never had to do any actual battles, they were more like the watchmen back on earth whose only job was to stop intruders, and watch over buildings and such. They could not compare with soldiers who had been trained from an young age, using modern science and techniques. Also, it seemed his increased stats should equal to these guards, who were slightly stronger than the average humans of Iseria; if not better. Now, that he needed to have a strong military, he could not disregard these guards, who were his closest available force. At this moment, he changed his mindset from that of a soldier, to that of an instructor. After taking in a deep breath he faced the guards and spoke;


    ¡°Listen you all! I have seen how you all can fight! And let me tell you, all of you, are pathetically weak! What guards of the Weismann family!? You lot can¡¯t even land a single hit on me, a young boy, what would you do when you faced bandits or monsters !? I¡¯ll tell you what you will do¡­.You morons will die! that¡¯s just about it! You people¡­are you even guards!? Roadside thugs are better than you!¡±


    The guards were silent as Add was criticising them. It was true that no one among them, was able to land a hit on Add, who was a weak looking young boy. The guards had never really trained very seriously, as their job was mostly just keeping watch, and the mansion had never been attacked, so they never felt the need to train like real soldiers. As a result, they were little better than the common folk in terms of actual ability. Add had chosen to display his strength up front so that they will obey him without any complains, after all whoever had the bigger fist, was always right.


    ¡°¡­So from this day forth, I will be taking charge of your training! Is that clear you all?¡±


    ¡°Y-Young master¡­you will¡­?¡±


    A guard spoke slowly. Add turned to face him, his eyes dead cold, causing the guard to feel chills down his spine.


    ¡°You have a problem?¡±


    ¡°No! No! I don¡¯t! No problem young master!¡±


    ¡°Good. Even if you did, I don¡¯t care! I pay you all to be my guards, not some showpieces! If you don¡¯t train properly from now, then you can say this job good bye, and go back to being farmers in the fields! Do you lot understand!?¡±


    The guards were silent, their faces troubled. Add face darkened even more.


    ¡°Answer me damn it! Don¡¯t you morons have tongues or what!?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Yes Young Master!¡±¡±¡±


    The guards immediately replied in unison. Add then looked at Kent,


    ¡°You have no problems with me taking charge do you Mr. Kent?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The old man hurriedly shook his head with a smile.


    ¡°Of course not young master. This old man is going to retire in a few months any way. These old bones of mine need a rest now. It is my honour to see you take charge like your father did¡­Please rest assured, all the guards will definitely follow your orders.¡±


    He nodded to Kent and then immediately began his training. The guards didn¡¯t know now, but they would soon began dreading this young master of theirs, much more than anything they could have dreaded before. All this while, another person had been watching these things unfold from afar. This person was none other than Martha who had a troubled look in her eyes as she saw the proceedings taking note of everything the Add was doing.


    ¡°The young master has changed so much in the past days, as if he has completely become a new person. Sometimes even I cannot understand what he is doing. I wonder, just what is it that he wants to do¡­. Sigh, master would you be happy if you saw this change of his¡­¡±


    Unaware of her thoughts, Add began issuing his orders to the twenty men. The first was that during training, they would not address him as young master, but as ¡®Instructor¡¯. The training would commence with day break every day, and last till sunset. No one was allowed to be late for training. If they did, they would be severely punished, and as to what this punishment was, it was not mentioned. Also, while in training, the guards would be called cadets, a word no one had heard before, but he explained to them that it meant soldiers in training. Today, since they had wasted a lot of time already he ordered them to keep standing under the sun till evening. Only Kent was pardoned watching his old age. He ordered Kent to watch the guards, and they would only be allowed a short lunch break at afternoon and any bathroom breaks if required. Other than that they had to keep standing till evening. The guards were horrified at this form of punishment, but dared not say anything. He again reminded Kent not to show any leniency to the guards, and walked off, but not before saying¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t any of you dare slack off¡±, which for some reason, terrified the guards even more.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Back at the mansion. Add had taken over the study and used it as his office now. He called Martha, who didn¡¯t mention anything about his actions in the field, and asked her a very important question.


    ¡°Martha¡­I am planning on expanding the guard numbers¡­..¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­.may I ask as to why the young master wants to do that?¡±


    Add looked at her and said flatly.


    ¡°I want a proper army, not a mob.¡±


    Martha went silent for some time and then asked,


    ¡°And for what reason does young master wish for an army?¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons, you will understand in due time.¡±


    Add didn¡¯t explain more, yet his eyes were firm. Martha understood that he had made up his mind.


    ¡°I understand young master. This old servant shall try her best to help you.¡±


    ¡°Then I will get straight to the point. For starters, I plan on getting 80 more men to expand the force to 100. Can we afford that?¡±


    Martha thought for a while and answered.


    ¡°Young Master, currently we pay each guard 10 silver coins a month, which makes our total spending on guards at 500 silver coins per month, excluding the weapons, food, horses etc. For an increase of 80 soldiers, we would then need 800 silver coins more which would amount to 1300 silver coins a month, that is 13 gold coins in salaries alone and if we were to add the other expenses, I am afraid we would get up to around 35 gold coins, at least for the first few months. Not to mention the cost of weapons and amour which would be extra.¡±


    This did not sound much, but the treasury only had so many gold coins, and the number was also depleting. Adding more burden to that was not a good idea. Yet,


    ¡°Understood. Please have the army garrison send a few troops to act as guards for some time. And issue a notice to hire 80 men for the guards. Their ages should be from 15 to 25, no more no less. I will send Mr. Kent to select and recruit them. As for the money, spend it for now, I will find a way to earn some as as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Martha bowed and turned to leave.


    ¡°Also Martha¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes young master ?¡±


    ¡°Get me a tailor as soon as possible please¡­¡±


    ¡°I see..I will do that¡­¡±


    After she left, Add took a piece of parchment and began writing some lines on it using pen he purchased from the system. When it was nearly evening, he returned to the field, and looked at the guards who were in a pitiful state. Many had drooping heads, some had their legs trembling, and some had even fainted, now lying by the sides. Kent who had been looking after them, smiled apologetically as he saw Add arrive.


    ¡°Young master this¡­¡±


    But Add stopped him. He expected this sort of outcome. The guards had been lazy watchmen who never really did much work till now, as a result, hours of standing under the sun without rest, had hit heavily on them. But things would only get worse, it was just that they didn¡¯t know it yet. If they did, then perhaps, many of them would choose to flee and abandon their jobs right now. Add allowed the men to finally rest, and immediately all of them collapsed. He allowed them a few minutes of rest and waited for the fainted ones to wake up. After a while, when all the guards were awake, and had rested a little, he explained some simple rules to them. These were rules all soldiers had to follow without question.


    Rule number 1 : Once a soldier has enlisted in the armed services, he or she belongs to the state only. A soldier must put the safety and interests of the state before all forms of personal interest. Betraying the state in any form or any act of sabotage against the state is grounds for treason and shall be punished with the highest penalties as per military law.


    Rule number 2 : A soldier must obey any and all orders given to them by their direct superiors, unless the order is unlawful or wrong. In case of conflicting orders from two or more superior officers, the orders of the higher ranking person should be obeyed. Disobeying an order is grounds for insubordination and will be dealt with accordance to military law.


    Rule number 3 : While in training, a cadet must obey all orders of his instructors unless it offends his/her personal safety or self respect. Once a cadet is recruited in training, they have to follow military discipline and laws, and cannot leave the training unless relieved by their superiors officially.


    Rule number 4 : A soldier must always help fellow soldiers in times of need, and never hesitate to help any civilians as well. He or she must give their best to do their duty until they are officially relieved or they perish.


    Rule number 5 : A soldier will always report any and every violations of orders, emergencies, and anything not covered in their instructions to the commander or the leader of his team, or any higher ranking officer around him.


    Rule number 6 : A soldier must obey all state laws alongside military laws unless specifically allowed by their superiors to ignore one or more laws.


    Rule number 7 : Once in the military, a person will completely belong to their unit, and whatever they do, good or bad, the whole unit will be held accountable for it.


    Rule number 8 : A soldier must never kill innocent people even if they are from opposing sides, unless authorised by their superiors. Surrendered troops and unarmed civilians must be treated with proper respect unless orders state otherwise. Unwarranted murder or genocide maybe punishable by death.


    Rule number 9 : A soldier is to ensure that any and every form of violence to innocent people, including sexual assault, rape, torture and similar activities are not committed by him or his fellow soldiers. Women even if they are enemies, must be treated with basic respect and under no circumstances be sexually harassed or assaulted.


    Rule number 10 : A soldier if found guilty of not following orders, violating the state law or committing war crimes, will be charged as per military law, by a military court.


    These were the basic rules he had formulated based on the many rules he had followed back on Earth. For now he would have the guards follow these, but soon he would have the complete set of military laws, available to all soldiers. He handed the paper over to Kent and told him to ensure that all the guards learnt the rules by heart. He then dismissed them and let them off for the day, but not before reminding them, not to be late tomorrow morning. The real training would start from tomorrow after all.


    When he returned to his study, a maid informed him that a local tailor had arrived and wanted to meet him. Martha was very efficient in her job after all. Add welcomed the short chubby tailor named Joey. The man had a history with the Weismann family, as many of the various clothing and accessories used in the mansion were purchased from him. Add had called him for a very specific purpose.


    ¡°You see Mr. Joey, I called you here since I had a specific request to make.¡±


    ¡°It would be my honour to be of use to you young lord, please tell me how can I be of service ?¡±


    The man said wiping the sweat off his forehead. He did not know why, but being in the presence of the young lord felt suffocating, as if he was being stared at by a dangerous animal. The lord smiled and laid out his request,


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple actually, I need you to make some clothes for my guards.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    _ _ _ _ _


    The following day, with day break most of the twenty cadets had arrived at the training grounds. The ones that hadn¡¯t would serve as an example for the rest. Add began his training with a series of exercises, which the guards would have to repeat until he was satisfied. These included basic work out and some high intensity exercises which would prepare them for the upcoming training. By the time the cadets had began the exercises, the few late comers had finally arrived, and were made to do 30 rounds of the training field. It didn¡¯t matter if the collapsed or swooned. They had to complete those rounds or else they would receive no lunch and dinner. While the poor cadets began running for their meals, the ¡®instructor¡¯ was talking with the guard captain Kent.


    ¡°Mr. Kent, today I have an important task for you. It is a very important task and I hope you will not disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°Yes Young Master! I will try to complete any task with the best of my abilities!¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I have decided, to expand the strength of the guards, and add new recruits. I have already talked to Martha about this, and I want you to be the one to select them.¡±


    Kent was a bit surprised. The young master suddenly wanted to increase the number of guards, this was strange. Still he nodded his head.


    ¡°I want 80 new recruits, and you can choose anyone as long as you see them fit, their class or background does not matter. But their age should be between 15 and 25. Also, make sure they understand that once they join, they won¡¯t be allowed to quit, unless I wish so. You have four days to get it done. Do you understand ?¡±


    ¡°Yes young Master!¡±


    ¡°Well then, you are dismissed, talk to Martha for the details, and get to work immediately. That¡¯s all¡±


    Kent bowed and left. Add had decided, that including Kent in the training was just needlessly tormenting him. He was in his late forties and going to retire soon. However in his mind, he had decided for a special job for the man, which Kent should be able to do without any problems. The main focus of training would be the new recruits who would soon be recruited, and the current batch of guards would serve as the pioneers to undergo a type of training no one in this world had ever seen.


    Add looked at the exercising cadets and he was reminded of his own days spent in training. belonged to the ¡®Reapers¡¯ which was the most elite force among the various battalions of the Spetsnaz. He had received one of the harshest military trainings ever given to soldiers back on earth. They began his training the age of ten, with over a thousand cadets. Right at the beginning the kids who should have been playing with toys, were dropped in the unforgiving Siberian wilderness and tasked with surviving a week with minimal rations and equipment. To prevent them from digging a hole and hiding for seven days, they dropped separately at different areas and were tasked to arrive at a certain location with a map and a compass. Most cadets died in this test, and the ones which survived but did not reach the location within a week were, removed. This test weeded out the weak and the few survivors would then move to the next stage.


    In the second stage, the cadets would receive basic education and were given basic combat training for 5 years. At end of this stage there would be a series of matches between cadets from different groups and the winners would go on to receive official training while the losers would mostly end up dead, or disabled which was also a death sentence in itself. However brutal it may seem, this was not the worst part, rather the third stage would be the most gruesome and most cadets would lose their lives or become deranged and lose their minds. The final stage involved harsh physical training which was enough to kill them coupled with merciless torture which was meant to create wills of steel that could not be broken. All sorts of methods were applied, and it was so hellish, that just surviving this stage proved the cadets to be the best there was. The ones who broke were quietly removed and the few who survived could now bear the title of ¡°Reapers¡±. Their numbers were few, for a thousand cadets only around ten would survive to become one, but each one of them was a ruthless killing machine in himself. Add too had survived, but he had become a broken man, he realised this himself, but it never really bothered him much. He had long since become numb to all that. He sighed as he looked at the cadets who were struggling with their exercises.


    ¡°These guys are already whining with just this, compared to what we went through this cannot even be called child¡¯s play.¡±


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 7 - Training Starts

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    It was 18<sup>th</sup> day of the 2<sup>nd</sup> month of the year 1118 in the Calendar of Light. The humans followed this calendar, which was introduced by the Holy Church of Light, over a thousand years ago when it was founded. It had now been around 2 months since Add had transmigrated. Summer was at its peak and the temperatures remained . The year of this world started, with the spring and ended in winter, fairly simple. Today marked the second day of training for the group of guards. Add woke up from his sleep before the sun had even risen, thanks to his years of discipline as a soldier. The servants however seemed to have been up before him and had already began their work.


    He quickly finished his personal morning tasks, changed into some rough but easy to move clothes, and after a short breakfast of dried bread and meat jerky, left for the training field. The first rays of sunlight were just creping across the dawn sky, and Add slowly walked on while feeling calm in the cool breeze of the morning. The Weismann estate was fairly big, covering an area of around four hectares in total. This included the mansion, which was moderately large, at the centre, the field behind it followed by a small stretch of woods. There was a garden at the front of the mansion, while the servant quarters and the guard barracks were located on its two sides. There was also a stable for horses and few small sheds lined around used to store supplies and other necessary things.


    ¡°Lazy sloths¡­¡±


    Add mumbled, as he inspected the cadets. Even though he had repeatedly reminded them to arrive at dawn, some of the cadets had still not arrived yet. It seems the punishment yesterday was not serious enough. The cadets that did arrive on time, appeared sleep depraved and watching the expressionless face of the young master who was giving of a dangerous aura, they all felt scared. The later, however did not say anything to them and told them to stand in lines like they had stood yesterday, while he kept waiting for the others to arrive. It took over an hour for all of them to finally arrive at the field. Like the day before, they were not wearing any armour or weapons and the men stood in lines. Add waited for the remaining few to arrive, a stifling silence covered the field. Finally after half an hour the remaining cadets all arrived. The ¡®instructor¡¯ looked at the late arrivals for some time and finally opened his mouth, his voice chilling.


    ¡°When did I ask you all to arrive ?¡±


    Facing his chilling eyes, all the late arrivals looked at each other, but no one dared to speak. Seeing this Add¡¯s complexion became even colder.


    ¡°So no one wants to speak¡­ fine then. All of you we will spar again! Same as yesterday one by one, you over there, come here!¡±


    He pointed at a random cadet and called him over. The man trembled and said in a shaking voice.


    ¡°Bu-but, I was not late!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you were late or not, since members of your group were late, everyone in the group will be punished! Now get over here!¡±


    The guard went to spar, but unlike yesterday where he was given chance to try his moves, today Add mercilessly beat him down. Then he called the next, that guard was also beaten. All the guards were mercilessly beaten down by Add, and by the time he was done, all of them were lying or sitting around groaning. The young master had not shown any leniency with his blows, and he had effortlessly defeated 20 men without breaking a sweat. The group of men really looked pitiful today. Add then looked at a cadet who was groaning on the ground .


    ¡°What is your name ?¡±


    Being called out suddenly, the cadet was immediately scared and tried to retreat back. His entire body was still aching from the many blows he had received. Still he dare not make the instructor angry and replied¡­


    ¡°Iska¡­.my name is Iska, young master¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh so it is Iska. Well then Iska, what did I tell you to call me while in training ?¡±


    The guard named Iska was drenched in sweat, as he tried to recall what Add had said previously. Fortunately, he remembered.


    ¡°That.¡­you told us to call you instructor¡­¡±


    ¡°Since you remember that then don¡¯t make this mistake again. Next time I hear you or anyone else call me young master during training it will not end up good for you, I assure you...you all understand?¡±


    The cadets all hurriedly nodded.


    ¡°Then back to the point, Iska does your body hurt ?¡±


    Add again asked with a smile. Iska hurriedly shook his head, and replied,


    ¡°NO! it does not it does not hurt at all!¡±


    At this Add¡¯s eyes narrowed,


    ¡°Oh so it does not hurt, it seem I was not serious enough. Come lets have another spar, I will be serious this time, I promise¡±


    All colour drained from the poor man¡¯s face and he bean trembling¡­


    ¡°no no young---I mean, Instructor! It hurts a lot! I think I broke a few bones, please have mercy ¡­..¡±


    Add patted Iska¡¯s shoulder and looked at the remaining guards.


    ¡°Any of you still not hurt ?¡±


    And all of them began wailing in pain and some even began crying.


    ¡°Do you know why I did this¡±


    The guards were silent, they had many theories but no one spoke lest they anger him more. The instructor shook his head as he explained.


    ¡°You must understand, that when your superior, in this case me, gives you an order, you must fulfil it at all costs unless it is too dangerous or impossible.¡±


    ¡°All I asked you to do was arrive early, and you lot couldn¡¯t even do that. How laughable. If you were soldiers in the battlefield, the enemy would have killed you in your sleep, do you morons even understand that!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have been doing till now, or what your jobs were till now! I don¡¯t care about any of that! All I know, is that I don¡¯t need some lazy watchmen, but soldiers who can do their jobs! Do you understand!? If you think this is too much for you, and you want to leave, well then I will surely make you reconsider. You all are not allowed to quit until I allow you too, no matter how unwilling you are!¡±


    ¡°Today, I am letting you off with just this much, but if any one of you is late tomorrow, and I hope some of you are, then I promise you will regret sleeping late, for a long long time.¡±


    ¡®The Young Master, no, the instructor is a devil! Till now he just wasted money and enjoyed life, but now he has gotten so much worse!¡¯ Is what all the cadets thought. The ¡®I will surely make you reconsider¡¯, was said with such a smile it sent shivers down the spines of these grown men. Anyway, the job paid quite decent, and they were reluctant to leave it anyway.


    ¡°Then, before we begin today¡¯s training, I am going to mention some things which you should know and remember. So make sure you all listen carefully.¡±


    _ _ _ _ _


    The layout of the town of Rigel was fairly simple. It was roughly circular in shape, surrounded by a three metre tall wooden fence. Outside the town there were mainly the farms and some scattered houses, while most houses, and other buildings were all inside the town. There were two gates, one in the east and one in the west, which were guarded by the troops of the militia. The Weismann estate was located at the centre of the town. Beside it was the town square, a large open space where people gathered everyday mostly due to the various stalls, which together, made up the market in Rigel.


    After talking with Martha, Kent headed straight to the Army barracks which was also situated near town square. The two hundred strong militia was stationed here. They had been personally trained by Rudolf and Henry Weismann to be proper soldiers, and although their level was nowhere near that of the imperial army, which they had previously commanded, they were good enough to defend the town. Unlike the guards who were only responsible for guarding the estate, the militia did all the major jobs, including the defence of the tow, maintaining order, fighting off monsters who had strayed too near the town or the surrounding villages, fighting off the bandits, etc. They had decent experience in these matters, however their condition was not any better than the guards. Currently, some 15 men from the the militia were serving as temporary guards at the Weismann Estate as well. Kent went to the barracks, to get an escort of a few soldiers.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    After the death of Henry Ritter Weismann a man named Dave had become in charge of the militia. He was the commander of the 200 man strong force, and since the young master had never taken any interest in administration, this man had grown fairly arrogant of his position. In the past year, the militia had been growing increasingly lax and were often neglecting their duties. Kent was very dissatisfied with this man who had no qualities of a proper soldier. He had even heard that Dave had been harassing many people to give him bribes, by virtue of his position. But he was powerless to do anything. Dave was stronger than him as a warrior, and he was only answerable to the Lord, that is the young master, and not even Martha had any say over his actions. The Young Master, for his part had never taken any interest in managing the army till now, and he could only hope that he would do so soon.


    ¡°Old man Kent, what a rare visitor. What brings you here today ?¡±


    Kent frowned looking at the man who was sitting with his legs on the table, drinking alcohol while being on duty. His room stunk of alcohol and there were various food scraps thrown around. Dave was a tall man, over two metres , with a broad frame and strong build. He had long brown hair and an fairy prominent beard. Kent suppressed his disgust and for this brazen man, and said,


    ¡°I need to borrow a few soldiers¡±


    ¡°Huh ?¡±


    Dave put the mug of alcohol down and looked at him strangely.


    ¡°What do you want my soldiers for ? Don¡¯t you have those guards under you?¡±


    ¡°By the Young Master¡¯s orders I am to recruit people to join the guards. I only need a few soldiers as escorts during the recruitment to maintain order.¡±


    Dave¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°That brat is recruiting more guards, what¡¯s that useless boy up to now? Does he plan on making a gambling army ?¡±


    ¡°Dave how dare you disrespect the Young Master!?¡±


    Kent flared up. This man had no respect for the lord and even insulted him blatantly. Dave smiled at this and stood up, his build towering over Kent.


    ¡°So what if I did, what are you going to do old man ?¡±


    ¡°You¡­..¡±


    Kent really wanted to teach this man a lesson, but he knew his own limits, Dave could easily kill him if he wanted to. His strength was no joke, which was partly the reason why he had been appointed the commander of the militia. He could only grind his teeth and stay silent. Dave laughed at his state and said..


    ¡°Old man, you should mind your age, don¡¯t try to lecture me. The previous lords were worth serving somewhat, but that brat, tsk tsk tsk, he dare order me hah! You can have your escort but remember, I lead the troops here! Even if it is your young master he has no saying about what I do¡­Someone come!¡±


    A soldier hurried inside at his call.


    ¡°Yes commander?¡±


    ¡°Send five men with our old man Kent here. The ¡®young master¡¯ apparently wants some new guards or whatever¡­.go.¡±


    The soldier hurriedly left. Dave patted Kent on the shoulder and said in a low tone.


    ¡°¡­and send this message to your ¡®young master¡¯ he can play all he wants, but if he tries to order me around and annoys me, then I won¡¯t mind removing him permanently¡­ ¡°


    A blatant threat! Kent almost lost his mind, he barely managed to hold himself back. Dave laughed and went back to his drinking, not caring for anything else. Helpless, Kent dragged himself out of the barracks. Five soldiers followed him and he went on to do the job given by the young master.


    ¡®This Dave is growing more and more dangerous by the day, I am afraid he will harm, the young master sooner or later. I must inform him of this threat as soon as I get back.¡¯


    Kent made up his mind, he had to talk with Martha about this serious matter and let the young master know as well.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Back at the training field, Add began explaining the rules of training to the cadets.


    ¡°First, whenever I ask or tell you anything, you will reply in ¡®Yes sir¡¯ or ¡®No Sir¡¯. Unless I allow you to say more, that is all you will reply with. When you have something to say to me, you will use Sir, before your sentences. You all got it!?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Yes Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Secondly, you will refer to your fellow cadets as ¡®comrades¡¯. I know the words sound new to you, but deal with it! You must remember that you all are a single team! Unless there is no other way, no one will abandon their comrades, you all will watch each other¡¯s back, if one is in trouble, the others will help him. Always remember, wars are not won by a single man, but an army as a whole!¡±


    ¡°Finally, you must forget all you have learnt about fights and any training you have had till now! The way I will train you, is very different. In fact, you all might not find it anywhere in the world, it will be painful, it will be terrible, it will make you want to quit, but too bad I won¡¯t let you! But once you all make it through my training, I assure you you will be the best soldiers the world has ever seen.¡±


    Edward the former escort turned cadet, gulped as he heard all this. Add¡¯s words were a bit scary, but the way he said them calmly with a straight back, didn¡¯t seem like he was bluffing or lying in anyway. His face was tranquil, and his eyes cold and steady, coupled with his pretty appearance, it made other subconsciously nod their heads. Edward was almost reminded of the late Lord, Henry Ritter Weismann.


    ¡®He really is the Lord¡¯s son¡­¡¯


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s begin! We will start with running today! You all have become too damn lazy over the years! Now get in a line and make 20 rounds around the field! Go! Everyone has to complete 10 rounds! I don¡¯t care if you run, or you crawl, complete your rounds! You won¡¯t get off until you do that, Is it clear!?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Yes Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    The guards, no, the cadets immediately formed a single line and went towards the perimeter. The field had a perimeter of over 400 metres, so making 20 rounds would be over 8 kilometres. Helpless, they began running, but to their surprise their ¡®Instructor¡¯, was also running behind them, maintaining a steady pace and keeping a fixed distance from the group. Add didn¡¯t make them run too fast, but didn¡¯t allow anyone to leisurely walk either, he made them maintain a jogging speed, scolding the ones who ran too slow. By the fifth round, the cadets had begun growing tired. Most of them were out of shape with many even having pot bellies, and they had it worse and were sweating and panting like dogs. Perhaps the only saving grace was that it was still early day, and the sun was still bearable. By the last rounds, most guards were panting and some had even sat down unable to keep going. Only a few including Edward and Iska still hung on. But the instructor won¡¯t let them off now, would he?


    ¡°You lazy sloths! Get up, get up and complete your rounds or all of you won¡¯t have any food today!¡±


    The cadets were shaken. Even if a single person didn¡¯t complete their rounds, the entire group would have to skip lunch and dinner.


    ¡°Sir! That is not fair!¡±


    A cadet who was running at the front complained. Add increased his speed and arrived next to him.


    ¡°You think that is not fair cadet? Well the world is not fair either! If you want to have your food, make sure that all of your comrades complete their rounds!¡±


    After saying this he retreated. He originally wanted to make them do foot drills, but he realised that they were very out of shape, so a physical exercise course was needed to make them ready for actual military training. Edward was quite a sharp person, and after hearing that, he suddenly understood something. He stopped running front and instead went towards a cadet who was unable to run anymore and had sat down. Edward pulled him up and supporting him on his shoulder, he smiled and said,


    ¡°Let¡¯s go ¡®comrade¡¯ we don¡¯t want to miss our food now!¡±


    ¡®Comrade¡­this word sounds strangely nice..¡¯ he thought. The cadet, who was panting like a fish out of water, thanked Edward and used his last strength to keep moving, their speed was slow, but they were making progress. Looking at this the other cadets also turned back and began helping the ones who couldn¡¯t run anymore. The group was no longer running, but they were definitely still moving. Add watched this and nodded. They had to learn how to work as a team and fill each other¡¯s shortcomings. Only this way would they succeed in any battles they face. After a long time the group finally completed their 10 rounds and then they collapsed.


    ¡°Well done, looks like you get to eat today after all. Now take a rest, we will continue shortly afterwards.¡±


    ¡®There¡¯s more!?¡¯ is what everyone thought.


    _ _ _ _ _


    At the town square.


    Kent was busy, trying to recruit the new batch of men Add had asked him to. He had only four days, which didn¡¯t allow him to be lax. He had arranged for a small stall through which he was going to conduct the whole process. With the help of some hired people Martha had already spread the news through the town that the Lord was hiring more guards. Soon many young men came to apply. Most of them were within the age range that Add had specified, but some older ,men had also joined hoping to lie their way through. Working directly under the lord was one of the few, if not the only stable source of income in this backwater town, so many people came to try their luck. But Kent was not so easy to fool, and though the people had no birth certificates in this era, but Kent through his experience was able to roughly determine who met the criteria and who not.


    Most of the young men he selected were poor people from the town, and some were from the nearby villages as well. The first day ended with a total of 25 people being selected. Their names were noted down and they were told to pack their belongings and arrive at the Weismann estate two days later. Kent also reminded them that after this if they did not show up on the given date, by the lord¡¯s order, they will be dragged from their homes no matter how much they resist. This caused some to have doubts, but most agreed anyway, the salary of 10 silver coins was very lucrative to these poor people.


    After sorting all this Kent returned to the Estate. He immediately went to report to the young master, but when he wanted to meet him, the servants informed him that Add was still in the fields. ¡®What is the young master up to today ?¡¯ he thought. Yesterday Add had made the guards stand for hours under the sun, he could only wonder what punishment he gave them today. As he made his way to the field, he saw the guards-turned-cadets lying n the ground like dead men. The young master was standing before them and saying something,


    ¡°¡­.Although I cannot say that I am even slightly satisfied with your performance, you all have made some progress today! Listen up, that¡¯s all for today! Go straight to your barracks, have your dinner and sleep, I don¡¯t want to see any morons making merry till late at night you understand!?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Yes Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    The men who appeared to be dying immediately struggled to their feet and shouted , their faces were filled with happiness as if they had just been pardoned from execution, and it was no wonder that they were feeling such emotions. After having them run 10 rounds, Add had then made them do push ups, until they could no longer lift their arms. Then he had them do many sorts of strange exercises, which made their body hurt like hell. By the evening, there was no part in their body which was not hurting. Actually, these were common physical exercises which soldiers did in the army back on Earth. But the people here had not seen many of them, and these appeared completely foreign to them.


    ¡°I want to see you here tomorrow morning! You better not be late or you know what will happen! Do you want that ?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°No Sir!¡±¡±¡± they shouted back again.


    ¡°Good! Iska, Edward! Stay back, I have some work for you, rest of you are dismissed!¡±


    As soon as he said that, the remaining men dashed away as if running for their lives. Add handed over a small clock to Iska. He had purchased it from the system previously. It was a simple alarm clock operated by a spring which had to be loaded by a key. Clocks had not yet been invented in Iseria, and people mainly used the hourglass for measuring time. Most people however, used the sun for determining the time. Add roughly explained that it was a small gizmo used for tracking time and his father had purchased from a city years ago. There were many strange gizmos showing up here and there, so no one found it that strange. He taught Iska that the clock would ring like a bell every morning and he had to press a small button to stop it. Also, he had to load the spring by winding the key behind the clock 9-10 times to keep it working. He had also given one to Martha earlier, who had demanded to know its origin. Add didn¡¯t want to answer, and seeing this the old maid didn¡¯t pester him, much to his relief. He planned to have the locals manufacture simple clocks such as the pendulum clok soon, but that would have to wait.


    These types of spring loaded clocks were very simple in design and even Iska, someone who had never seen modern technology could use it. These clocks however were not very accurate, but they were enough for now. Add had roughly adjusted the time, based on his calculations using the sun and and its movement, which he had been taught in the special forces. When the clock rang in the morning, Iska was to immediately wake up all the men in the barracks and have them arrive at the fields as fast as possible. Next he tasked Edward with reading out the rules he had previously given, to all the soldiers, every day before sleeping, the cadets were to memorize the rules, and if they couldn¡¯t then they would be punished. After this he dismissed the two as well. After the two left, Kent who had been watching from the sidelines finally found his opportunity.


    ¡°Young Master, you have been working hard.¡±


    ¡°Just a little. How did the recruitment go?¡±


    ¡°Although many people came, only 25 men who fit your criteria were enlisted today, I think the number will increase tomorrow, as more people get to know about it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the good work Kent, you can also go rest now.¡±


    As Add was preparing to leave, Kent stopped him.


    ¡°Young Master, there is something I must report to you..¡±


    Watching the serious expression on his face. Add realised that it was not a light matter, he took Kent to the study where the later explained the matter about the Dave and his threatening actions. After he dismissed Kent, Add¡¯s face was calm and detached as he pondered on the subject. The actions of that man could not be tolerated, but Add didn¡¯t put him in his eyes at all. He had more important things to deal with now, but he made a small note to surely solve this issue at a later date. A chilling smile crept up his lips, unknown to him.


    ¡°¡­.Commander was it¡­.interesting, and here I was wondering why no one was trying to resist my actions¡­.and one just showed up¡­.how convenient¡­..how very convenient indeed¡­. ¡±


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 8 - Hunting In The Hills (Part 1)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Four days passed in the blink of an eye. It was now the fifth day, the day when the fresh recruits would arrive. Kent had managed to gather 80 new men for expanding the guards. Almost all of them were from farming households, while some also came from relatively better families. Add had allowed the cadets a rest from training as he had to manage the new recruits, but they had to be present at the field to maintain order. The recruits began arriving from early morning, and the last of them, finally arrived by midday. With the cadets and few servants maintaining order, the new recruits were made to stand in lines of ten and the cadets then moved to make the last two lines. Kent and a few soldiers were standing behind Add watching over in curiosity. After everyone had settled down, Add began speaking,


    ¡°I welcome you all to the Weismann estate. I believe all of you know me, but still, let me formally introduce myself. I am Marquis Adolf Kaiser Weismann, the lord of this territory, and starting from today, I will be your employer, and your instructor as well.¡±


    ¡°From this day forth, you all will undergo training to become proper soldiers, and once the training begins, none of you will be allowed to leave without completing it, that is unless I personally kick you out. And in all honesty, the training will be very harsh. So if anyone wants to quit, now¡¯s your last chance. After this I will accept no withdrawals. ¡±


    During the silence that followed, Add waited for any of the new recruits to protest, but no one did. After all, even if he was famous as a good for nothing young master by all people in his territory, most people did not have the guts to provoke him face to face, and now that they had come here, backing out would surely anger the lord, or so the young recruits thought. As a result, no one rejected, and he continued his words.


    He then told them how they should address him and each other, and briefly mentioned the few rules they must follow. He didn¡¯t explain much as he had already told the cadets to do much of the explaining to the new recruits, later including familiarising the new recruits with all the areas of the estate and the various jobs they had to do. After that, he ordered the cadets to lead the recruits to their barracks. The guard barracks was not very big, and it could only hold around 50 people, and that was with four people bunking in one room. There was a guesthouse built for any guests, who might arrive, but it was never used. Add had it cleaned up and let the remaining recruits stay there. Although it would be a bit cramped but it would not be any worse than ordinary barracks.


    The past two days he had taught the cadets to read time on the clock. Although they could not read what was written on the clock, they could remember the symbols at least. Add told them that the clock would ring every day in the morning and evening, when the short hand pointed at the symbol ¡®5¡¯, and the big hand pointed at the symbol 12. In the morning when the clock rang, all of the cadets had to wake up and they had to be at the field before the short hand went to 6. Again in the evening, the clock showed 6 they would be dismissed from training. With some difficulty he was able to engrave this basic time table into most of the cadets, especially the younger ones, and the others should also learn it soon . The cadets for their part were very amused with this little thing called ¡®clock¡¯.


    After the new recruits had been sent to settle, Add once again left for the forests. Since he gave the cadets the day off, he decided to farm CP, he had not been able to earn much recently with his savings totalling around 15,000 only. This time he didn¡¯t bring anyone with him, he didn¡¯t need to, since even Kent approved of his abilities now. After reaching the forest, he tied his horse to a tree and confirming there were no humans around, took out his AK-47 and MAV-20 pistol. Sitting in the shade of a tree He dismantled both guns one after the other and cleaned them with a cloth. Every part was separated and cleaned thoroughly removing any soot, dust and grime stuck in them.


    "A soldier''s weapon was his lifeline, as such, you must always keep it clean and in operational conditions, even a single grain of sand can cause your weapon to fail in the most critical moments!"


    His instructors had always thundered in their lessons. It had become one of those everyday habits which had long since been engraved in his mind. The guns had been used for a short time only so he didn''t need to do much work. The maintenance finished shortly afterwards. Add then purchased a set of military uniform with forest camouflage. It had a pair of trousers, a shirt, a cap, a pair of socks , a pair of standard army boots, a tactical belt and even a pair of undergarments. The set cost a total of 1,000 CP but it was well spent. He kept some additional magazines for both the AK-47 and the MAV-20, in his tactical belt. The rifle was hung in front of his body with a two point (quick adjust) sling, while the pistol went into his thigh holster which he had purchased from the system shop. Now he looked like a complete soldier, well a soldier in his mid teens.


    He moved even deeper into the forest but, for a long time, spotted no monsters, aside from some small critters. Feeling strange, he decided to change directions, and moved towards an area where he had not ventured previously. He kept his vigilance, as he checked his surroundings and after walking for over two hours across the dense woods he finally found fresh looking tracks of goblins, and began following them. The dense jungle was making it harder for him to proceed, he had to continuously chop away the vegetation with his sword. Still, he had not seen a single goblin yet even after walking around for so long. But after a few more minutes, he reached a place which appeared somewhat strange.


    (This looks like another camp?)


    The place looked like the goblin camp he had seen before, albeit larger. There were tracks of them everywhere on the ground, in some places, bones of animals were also lying about. He could also smell the revolting odour of those creatures in the air.


    ¡°But where did they go?¡±


    There was not a single one of the goblins in sight, and it seemed that they had already moved on. He looked around for a bit more, before deciding to move on following other tracks which left the camp. Add felt something was wrong. He had not even seen the shadow of a single goblin since he entered the forest and now even this goblin camp looked like it was abandoned recently. He followed the tracks which went away from the camp, and still did not spot any goblins. But then, after searching for a while more, he felt something was really off. His ears caught sounds of movement and he immediately looked back, his gaze intensely scanning the thick undergrowth. As if on que, within moments dozens of goblins flooded out of the surroundings. Looking closely there were some new types of goblins mixed in them.


    These were not the normal goblins. These had slightly stronger bodies and held rusty weapons swords, daggers and spears, probably plundered from humans. Add scrunched his brows. This time they were a lot more than any group he had tackled before. He then tuned his eyes to his front. His face was cold as he looked before him. Another large group of goblins had blocked his path from the front. He looked around, and more goblins were appearing from the surrounding thickets. He also saw a few goblins holding bows and arrows sitting on trees some distance away from him


    "Looks like I stirred the hornet''s nest this time...."


    The goblins had surely planned an ambush here. It seems they were planning on dealing with the thing that had been hunting their kind for the past few days. He understood that in this situation, he had no way of getting out without a fight. Any other person being surrounded by so many goblins might feel fear, but Add was calm. He readied his rifle and quickly scanned the area to form a plan of action.


    "This day is getting better by the minute....well if you want to die that badly¡­I will surely help you¡­"


    He quickly purchased some 100 round magazines for his AK-47 and loaded one, focusing his attention all around him. The sun was gradually setting, drowning the forest in a murky red hue. The goblins'' yellow eyes were bloodshot as they gazed at the Add as if wanting to tear his body apart and devour his bones. They had surrounded him from all sides, making sure he was unable to escape and were slowly approaching.*Gigigigi* *Gigigigi* *Gigigigi* they continuously growled and roared and then rushed to attack him.


    They charged at him from all sides. Add put the rifle in a better position. He placed the trigger arm down and kept it pulled in tight to the body, to create a smaller target for the enemy and give greater manoeuvrability. His left hand grasped the fore-end from the side, to give more certain control over side-to-side movement of the muzzle during rapid fire and support. He slightly hunched forward putting more weight over the gun for better recoil control, and to reduce stumbling. While his head was straight, his cheeks pressing against the stock. This was the best tactical standing position to shoot while on the move. The selector was on full auto as he didn¡¯t have to worry for bullets being wasted as there was a dense horde of targets. Add looked coldly at them, he waited till they were hundred metres away from him and then fired.


    "Die"


    *RATATATATA*


    All the bravado displayed by the huge goblins shattered instantly vanished as they were filled with holes with holes, although the AK-47 had poor accuracy, at less than 100 metres it was adequately accurate. Although using continuous fire made the rifle unstable and the recoil was higher, his increased physical abilities compensated for this, and he was able to keep his aim fairly stable. The imposing goblin horde was being slaughtered at a swift speed.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    *RATATATATA*


    As the melody of the Kalashnikov echoed in the forest, the gun slaughtered the goblins like pigs on a chopping board. Even before one could reach Add they all died. There were some goblin archers around but due to him moving around quickly, they were unable to aim accurately, an arrow flew by Add exposing the location of an archer. After 3 shots a body dropped from the trees. He kept moving forward killing anything that came towards him, leaving behind only corpses. Another goblin lunged at him from the back but, he dodged and put two bullets into its head. Again, arrows began raining on him, some hit the ground mere inches from him, thankfully the goblins were poor at aiming and with Add being continuously on the move it made hitting him even harder.


    Finding an opening, he quickly took cover behind a tree and looked around, soon he found the goblins on trees that were shooting the arrows. He killed a few of them before the rest jumped down and retreated. But more goblins with swords and spears were rushing towards him. They were shrieking loudly and their vicious teeth were on full display as if wanting to tear him to pieces, the deaths of so many of their kin must have enraged them. From all directions, the goblins swarmed towards Add, as if they were hell-bent of drinking his blood. He frowned at this, and crouched down on one knee to take a stable position.


    "No matter how many of you come, you still will die" He lightly said as he detached his now empty magazine and put a new one.


    The rattle of the rifle echoed in the forest as goblin after goblin died. Their murky blackish blood drenched the land. But their companions didn''t care about that, they stepped over the dead goblins and kept charging at Add. There was a saying which said that even a tiger could be bitten to death by a swarm of ants. The goblins seemed to follow this very faithfully. They just kept coming, one after the other. As the battle waged on, more and more goblins kept dying. Their initial numbers had dwindled, and they were still unable to reach Add. Realizing that they could not win and watching so many of their kind die, many goblins were getting more and more terrified. Every animal no matter how stupid it is, knows by instinct to fear death, and soon many of the goblins were so scared that they ran away. He finished off the few remaining ones who still wanted to attack, and soon all that was left of the large horde were mutilated bodies which were strewn all around, giving off the pungent smell of blood and gore, along with the stink of goblins; it would make one want to vomit. Add however, was used to such scenes and didn¡¯t mind it.


    [Ding! You have killed Goblin x 173]


    [Ding you have received 17,300 CP]


    _ _ _ _ _


    The battle had given him a sizeable amount of CP but instead of being happy, the Young Master was frowning. He was concerned about the battle which he had just fought, although he had easily obliterated the enemy, but this was due to him having guns and the enemy being a mostly ¡®stupid¡¯ race. They had no proper tactics and relied solely on numbers and instinct to win. Add was trained to fight humans, but here he realised that all that training fell short in front of those ¡®monsters¡¯. Their movements, habits and behaviour were unpredictable to him, and this troubled him a lot. A human would have run away seeing his fellow men being slaughtered, but the goblins didn¡¯t. They had kept coming at him disregarding their lives. If what he was facing was a strong monster instead of the goblins, Add would have been dead long ago. He clearly understood his weakness. But he never liked the idea of keeping his life up to fate. He had to become strong, so strong that he could ascertain his own safety and freedom, without having to care for others.


    And since to gain strength he needed even more CP, he had to keep hunting monsters dedicatedly. However, the number of goblins in the area, and their weapons worried him. normally there should not be such large groups of hundreds of goblins in this region. It was apparent that something shady was going on. As he moved on, he recalled all the information he had gathered about monsters. Facing hordes of normal goblins like the ones he had met till now, would not be much of a problem for the current him, but what worried him was the existence of Hob Goblins and Goblin Champions.


    These were special breeds of the Goblin race. The hob goblins were D ranked monsters, standing as tall as a human and were much stronger than a normal humans. The Goblin champions were in a whole new league of their own. They grow much larger than regular goblins, often being taller than humans and have a lot of strength. They have low intelligence, but are capable fighters that can give even veteran warriors trouble. They are considered to be C rank monsters and are very tough monsters to deal with, as sometimes, even very experienced Warriors have been killed by them. Encountering a group of them alone would a dangerous situation.


    He needed to form a proper strategy, if he was to run into them and his intuition told him that he would. While he was thinking of new plans, he remembered that he had not yet purchased a sniper rifle. Granted the AK-47 was good enough, but it was a mid to close range weapon, and did not fare well over long distances. As such, he chose to purchase a sniper rifle, something which he wanted to buy for some time now. Sniper rifles were more powerful even in the same calibre, and he could shoot from a safe distance. He opened the system shop looking to buy one, he had 32,000 CP, but still chose to be economical.


    "Let¡¯s see...system list out all the Sniper rifles under 10,000 CP...."


    He began looking through sniper rifles. Getting new skills had also come to his mind, but he prioritised having a long range weapon first. The system displayed s lot of rifles, including the well known, Soviet Dragunov, the American M24, Steyr SSG 69, etc. After debating for sometime Add made his choice.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : Accuracy International AX338 Long range, bolt-action rifle. (Grade ¨C Rare)


    Description : The Accuracy International AX338 Long Range Sniper Rifle is an advanced version of the battle proven, Accuracy International AWM (AI - Arctic Warfare Magnum) also known as the Arctic Warfare Super Magnum. It is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International. It houses the magnum rifle .338 Lapua Magnum (8.58¡Á70mm) high-powered, long-range cartridge. Can fire normal as well as LAP (Light Armour Penetrating) rounds.


    As a manually-actuated bolt-action weapon, the AX338 is a true sniper rifle in every sense of the word. Its .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge is capable of anti-personnel function, and limited anti-material function. Based on the AW (Arctic Warfare) line of rifles, it follows the tried and proven design qualities of its predecessors. One of the finest designs, of its time, the AWM has dominated many battlefields and is a favourite of snipers.


    Effective Firing Range : 1500 ¨C 1800 metres


    Price : 10,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    [Purchase with 10,000 CP ? Yes/No]


    "Yes"


    The 1.2 metre long, 8 Kg rifle cost him a whooping 10,000 CP, it was 5 times more expensive than the AK-47. However in comparison, the AX338 was a devastating weapon in its class. Its bullets could even penetrate most bulletproof jackets of its time. In the hands of a skilled marksman, a human targeted by it was as good as dead. He also got the Scope and suppressor along with the weapon and didn''t have to buy it separately.


    This rifle was one of the best sniper weapons of the 21st century. It had many advanced features like the Schmidt & Bender 5-25¡Á56 mm PM II LP/MILITARY MKII 5-25¡Á56 0.1 mil parallax, illumination, double turn telescopic sights; and could adjusted to night vision as well. It also had high performance suppressors to reduce the flash and noise signature. It used a compact and reliable double stack 10-round magazine. Its power was commendable with softer recoil than its peers and it could be used almost anywhere on earth, from temperatures of -50¡ãC to + 70¡ãC. This rifle was a masterpiece of the British weapons designers, who were known to design their weapons while having tea and cookies.


    Looking at the black sleek weapon in his hands, a slight sense of excitement welled up in his heart. He stroked the rifle a few times, appreciating the weapon.


    Before leaving the forest, he changed to the regular clothes to avoid any unnecessary attention. He planned on returning tomorrow to explore further, but he had to get some detailed maps and information about the terrain of this region and make plans. Blindly going in will only repeat what happened today, and the next time he might not get so lucky. While thinking of all the stressful matters he had to deal with, returned to the estate and took rest, for tomorrow, he had a lot of work to do.


    ¡°I feel that my life as a soldier was better after all¡­¡±


    He mumbled as he gazed at the starry sky. Being a lord was a new experience for him, which he was not particularly enjoying. He swore in his mind that after he had developed his territory enough, he would find someone to dump the administration of the territory on so that he could focus on improving the Military, something which he felt much easier and simpler to do.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The Weismann estate has been quite noisy for the past few days. For the servants and guards, life starts early every morning. Even before the sun rises from the distant horizon, they are up and about, doing their various duties. But recently, a strange object introduced by the young master had added a little to their troubles. The accursed thing referred to as ¡®Clock¡¯ by the young master, seems to ring at a fixed time every morning and evening. To the servants, its ringing sounds oddly irritating to be honest, but they dare not say that loud, for the head maid Martha seems pretty pleased with it. She always wakes up first and has the other servants follow suit. No extra sleeping for anybody. Including Martha, there are a total of 12 servants, 4 maids and 7 male workers. There is also 2 cooks, and an old gardener along with is young grandson who tend to the small garden before the mansion and occasionally trim the overgrowing trees and shrubs.


    Since a few days ago, something new has been going on at the estate. A little while after the servants start their daily chores, a large group of men gather in the field behind the mansion. They are the guards who have recently been increased in number from 20 to 100. Even a fool could understand that there was no meaning having 100 people protecting a mansion in this remote area, which was largely considered unimportant, given the fact that the town¡¯s troops were stationed nearby. The young master who had recently, suddenly given up his ways of squandering money and wasting his life, seems to have some other plans for them. It has been noted by almost all the people at the estate, that the Young master is always the first to arrive at the field, and can be seen to be doing strange exercises, which he makes the guards do as well. However, no one was sure if this change in the young master was for the better or worse.


    ¡°You sorry excuses for humans! Run Run damn it! What have you been doing all life, you fools cannot even run decently!¡±


    The voice of the young master thundered across the field as he followed the sluggish group of cadets while they did their morning rounds across the field. Occasionally a strange and loud whistling sound was also heard. This was simply called a ¡®whistle¡¯ by the young master, who had brought it out suddenly one day. It was a small object which made a loud sound whenever a person blew air into it. It had now been 4 days since the new recruits had joined in, and most of them were already regretting joining up. The pay was good, the living bunks were okay and the food was also decent enough. But what scared them the most and caused all their discomfort was the very person who they were supposed to work for. The Young Master Adolf Kaiser Weismann seemed to be really befitting of his reputation : ¡°Nothing good comes from mingling with him¡±, which was well spread across the town. But now these young men knew how much more worse it was in reality.


    ¡°You know what! I feel it¡¯s fortunate that my grandmother isn¡¯t here to look at you! Even she could run faster than you sloths!¡±


    The frequent insults followed by the loud and painful noise of the ¡®whistle¡¯, cause a lot of irritation, but the cadets suppressed their urge to curse back and kept dragging their weary bodies. The first day many of them were late. They were cursed at by the young master and made to do tens of squats each. As expected, many complained at these insults and harsh physical exercises. The answer to their complaints? Why of course they were all based by Add while the former guards who knew of his brutal methods looked at the new recruits in pity. Then they were made to run and those who didn¡¯t were not given food for the entire night. The next day most of the recruits tried to leave.


    They were again beaten and the more energetic ones were tied upside down and hung on the trees for hours. What horrified them most was that the young master was strong beyond measure. Even when they tried attacking him in groups, they were still badly thrashed and thrown around. They realized quickly, just what pit they had thrown themselves into; not allowed to quit this ¡®training¡¯ and not allowed to run away, if they did, they would be beaten. Helpless they could only continue, hoping to not get beaten. On the third day, they arrived at the training fields in fear, their faces grave in hopelessness. They were still cursed at and made to toil till they were about to pass out, but fortunately, this time no one was beaten.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 9 - Hunting In The Hills (Part 2)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Today the cadets were following the same routine, running, then doing exercises till evening then having and early dinner and sleeping. Add had also revised and set their daily schedules which followed the clock, making the cadets wake up even earlier. For this, he had given another clock to the cadets, as now there were two barracks. By now most of the ex-guard cadets were familiar with the clock and could decently follow the schedule. The new recruits were also being taught by them, and they too were catching up fast. Once they remembered the symbols and the position of the arms of the clock, it would be very easy to recognize the time, and adjust their pace as required. Add was in no rush and allowed them to gradually adapt to this method of time keeping which was revolutionary for this world. The schedule for the cadets went on as follows:


    _ _ _ _ _


    4:30 a.m. : First Call : The cadets would wake up to perform their personal morning tasks and conduct hygiene.


    5:00 a.m. : Breakfast was served.


    5:30 a.m. : Physical Training : the cadets would assemble in the designated area, perform morning physical training (running and exercises).


    6:30 a.m. : Training : The day''s scheduled training exercises would begin.


    12:00 p.m. : Lunch.


    12:30 p.m. : Training : The cadets would continue the day''s scheduled training exercises.


    5:00 p.m. : Dinner.


    5:30 p.m. : Instructor¡¯s class. During this time the instructor would teach the cadets the theoretical aspects of their training, and if required any individual lessons for particular cadets would be addressed.


    8:00 p.m. : Personal time. Time for recruits to engage in personal activities, such as writing letters, laundry, showering, relaxation, or sleep. Cadets could also catch up on their duties during this time, such as barracks cleaning or other jobs.


    9:00 p.m. : Lights-out. Everyone was to be asleep by this time.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Of course, he did not expect them to follow the schedule up to the last letter on the first day, but he would ensure that they gradually adapted and became punctual, like all soldiers were supposed to. He had decided to continue with just the physical exercises all day for a few more days, to get the cadets in shape. Once the current month ended, he would start his three month long course of actual training. The cadets who were already feeling hopeless with daily exercise and running had the real hell waiting for them, this could not even be called an appetizer for the main dish that was yet to come.


    After training the cadets for 4 days straight, Add again went to the hilly forests. This time he took three horse drawn carts with him, each pulled by two horses. Accompanying him were 10 cadets, of which 5 were the ex-guards and 5 were new recruits. The rest were left to train as usual under Kent who had been observing the daily training every day. He assured that he now knew the various exercises which Add taught the cadets, and would not let anyone slack off. Leaving the cadets under his watch, Add went off towards a certain part of the forests. He had not been here before, but he had Edward, whom he pulled away from training, act has his guide, again. This area was more open than the rest of the forest, with occasional large patches of grass forming meadows within the tree line. This was not where goblins usually showed up, and in fact, Add was not after goblins today. This was a favourite place of a certain monster called the [Maned Boar]. He had seen one on the first day in the forest.


    A [Maned Boar] was a large hog around half the size of a African rhinoceros. It was covered in thick greyish brown manes and hence the name. It also had two one meter long curved tusks which could pierce easily through ordinary armour. These boars had poor eyesight, but their sense of hearing was good and their sense of smell was even better. They usually lived in herds of 10- 30 individuals and were very aggressive in nature towards any intruders. [Maned Boars] were mainly herbivores, but they would even eat meat if opportunities arose, though they were not known to actively hunt prey. They were a bit difficult to handle as their thick fur and skin made their defence very high. But today Add had set his sights on them. The reason was simple. He wanted meat. Not for himself, but for feeding the cadets. The thing was, last night he had been going through the expenses which were added after he decided to recruit more people.


    Among them a major share was the food. Now he trained the cadets with no corners cut, but he also was not going to cut corners on the food they got. He had Martha hire two more cooks and 4 helpers to cook the meals of the cadets. He had also specified the meals, the breakfast was milk and bread, lunch was vegetable soup and bread with fruits if possible, and the dinner was some dish of meat or eggs and bread. All of this added together, amounted a lot. He knew that the finances were low, so after thinking for a while, he chose to hunt some monsters that could be eaten, and the [Maned Boars] were the easiest target. They were quite slow, and their meat was said to be quite palatable. Also their skin and fur sold for decent prices, so it was killing two birds with a stone. Not many people hunted these boars however, since they lived in groups and were very dangerous. But to Add who had the option of modern weaponry, these walking piles of meat, bones and fat which could weigh over half a ton, were easy pickings.


    ¡°Cadets, attention! Form line!¡±


    After he dismounted from the cart, he made the cadets line up and explained the purpose of this trip. The cadets were surprised that he wanted to hunt [Maned Boars], but then again, this strange lord of theirs was beyond logic, they thought inside. Add reminded them not to follow him and watch over the horses. They had swords and spears with them and wore the light chainmail armour, to defend against any possible attacks from monsters. He also gave them a whistle, which was to be blown in case of an emergency. After ensuring that they had properly understood, he made his way across the forest. When hunting large prey, sniping was the best option, as it allowed the hunter to kill without being seen and discovered. The target wouldn¡¯t know how they died, and the killer would have done their job without anyone having any idea. About 15 minutes after he left the cadets, he reached near one of the meadows.


    He slowly moved closer and near the edge of the field, climbed up a tree and found a proper spot which overlooked the meadow. Taking a general sitting position for sniping more effectively, he used the crossed ankle position as it was a favourite of snipers in the sitting variations. Both legs are out in front of the shooter, with the supporting side ankle placed on top of the firing side. This last bit is important, as it raises the front knee a bit and provides a better platform for the support elbow. The crossed ankle position puts more of the body weight lower to the ground and helps compensate for recoil and wind. This position was one most useful and versatile of all positions, in sniping. It offers the best combination of versatility, steadiness, and quickness of the lot. With mastery of this position along with a proper weapon, one could accurately shoot targets at maximal ranges.


    Add adjusted his AX338 sniper rifle, and attached a magazine of 10 rounds, which cost 50 CP, quite costly for bullets, but the price was understandable for the power of the round. He glued his eyes to the scope and adjusted the magnification. After that, he was able to observe almost all of the meadow. The meadow was covered in wild grasses with some shrubs here and there. After looking for a while, he could see a group of [Maned Boar] grazing about digging for roots and tubers. From his position, he estimated that the [Maned Boar] group was little over 500 metres away. After observing for a while, he selected a large boar, which was happily munching on grass. Without any delays went for the kill.


    *Click ¨C Clack*


    The bullet was chambered but the boar was still oblivious. The crosshair on the scope, quickly found itself onto its large head.


    *Pshh*


    Following the muffled sound from the suppressor, the bullet left the muzzle. The bullet crossed the distance in less than a second, and the unsuspecting boar suddenly felt a little pain in its head and then all went dark for it. The powerful .338 Lapua Magnum rounds, were strong enough to punch through sheets of steel, the head of the boar, although very sturdy, by comparison was softer. The round easily penetrated its brain and ended its life. As the eyes of the now dead boar lost their glow, its heavy body stood still for a while, and then with a thud, feel onto one side, never to stand again. The other [Maned Boars] were startled, unable to understand why one of them had suddenly fallen. They were unable to sense any threats around them, and a few boars began moving towards the dead boar trying to figure out what had happened to it. Unknown to them however, this made the work of a certain person much easier.


    [Ding! You have killed a [Maned Boar] ¡Á 1! You received 500 CP]


    Without wasting any time he loaded the next round and again fired. One boar was not enough to meet his goals. The wind was currently still which gave him a good opportunity as his smell would not reach the boars easily. They who relied heavily on their sense of smell were helpless now, and all they could hear was a faint sound of the bullet being fired.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    *Click ¨C Clack*


    Shoot


    *Click ¨C Clack*


    Shoot


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [Ding! You have Killed [Maned Boar] x 5! You have received 2500 CP]


    In a few minutes he had killed 6 boars, all the while not exposing himself. When the second boar died, the others had sensed that something was terribly wrong and began running away in any direction they could find, unfortunately for them, Add had a lot of experience in sniping, the first boar he had killed was on the farthest side of the meadow opposite to him. Thus when it died, the boars assumed that they were being attacked from there, and ran towards Add¡¯s direction, giving him more time to shoot. After he had killed 10 boars, the remaining had fled into the trees and shrubbery, and Add also had no interest in chasing them.


    He already had enough of a catch, and killing more would just be wasting as he could not carry so many of them them back. after waiting for a few minutes and confirming that no boars returned, he kept away the AX338 and left his spot to venture into the meadow. After checking his kills, he left the area in a sprint to call the cadets and brought them along with him to the meadow. The trees were sparse in this region, making it possible for the carts to slowly make their way through. No other monsters had come to feast on the boars while he was away, however they had to hurry as the smell of blood was sure to attract them soon. The ten people were wide eyed and shocked at seeing the ten [Maned Boars] that lay dead before them. Edward could not help but ask :


    ¡°Young master¡­.did you..you kill all of these?¡±, to which the reply he got was : ¡°No, they just fell and died¡±.


    Edward chose to shut up. The cadets were shocked, unable to understand just how the Young Master had killed so many boars by himself, and without any apparent wounds on their bodies. Their shock was short lived as Add berated them and they quickly began loading the all the boar carcases, two on to each cart and then left the area. On the way, the cadets had to walk back as the horses were barley pulling the heavy loads. No one spoke much, and silently walked on. Add had purposely shown some of his ability to these cadets, he knew that word would spread about this, and that¡¯s what he wanted. In this world only the strong were respected.


    He had to establish his strength, or the cadets would not take him seriously. If they began respecting him, that was good. If they feared him, that was even better. He needed an orderly army that could obey orders, and have discipline. If they didn¡¯t, he would just beat it into them. After the group returned to Rigel, the passing people were shocked at the scene of so many [Maned Boars] being carried into town, but seeing that it was the lord who was bringing them in, they quickly made way. Back at the Weismann estate, he had the cooks and some helpers to dismantle the boars. Martha was very surprised, not unlike the other people at the Estate. The young master was giving them surprise after surprise recently.


    Almost all parts of the [Maned Boar] could be used. The tusks of the boars were sold off easily as they were used by many pharmacist to concoct medicines. The skin was processed into leather. Its fat was used both as lamp fuel and for cooking while the meat was eaten. The thick fur after cleaning and some processing could be used to make winter clothes like scarfs, hats etc. Only a few parts of its body were discarded, including the intestines, the hooves, the bones, teeth and blood. The servants stored the meat and fat, while the remaining things would be sold off. With this hunt, he had obtained over 2 tons of solid meat and 500 kilograms of fat which was quite a lot. This would ensure that the cadets were well fed, and add some extra income to the finances as well. The [Maned Boars] were also very common, and there were thousands of them near Rigel alone, so they would provide a steady source of income when ever needed.


    There were also many other monsters which could be hunted for food in the hills. For example there were large flightless birds called [Horiks]. These were E ranked monsters which were around twice the size of an ostrich. They were bulky and slow plant eaters, covered in a thick coat dull green feathers which allowed them to blend in with their surroundings. They were no easy pickings however, thanks to their sharp beaks and pike like toes, which were enough to rip through a human with no resistance. The feathers were also unusually tough, and coupled with their thick skin made it difficult to hurt them. Still these birds were mostly harmless, and didn¡¯t attack others unless they got too close to them. Usually living in loosely held groups, they chewed on their plant diet in peace. Their meat was said to be very nutritious and their eggs were also in demand, but the latter was very hard o obtain since mother [Horiks] defended their eggs fiercely. After killing a dozen of these birds, Add found that their flesh tasted very delicious indeed, much better than your everyday chicken.


    As much as he wanted to hunt game, there was just no way of storing so much meat. He had already filled the estate¡¯s food storage with meat and a lot of the excess it had to be sold off. There were no refrigerators in this age, and the meat could not be stopped for long using the primitive methods. There was so much meat, that even the servants and guards were given a sizeable amount to take home, which for them was nothing short of a blessing. Monster meat though delicious, was very hard to come by, and even when it did, it was very costly so regular populace could only give up on it. Being given this delicacy for free now, made them very happy. But perhaps the happiest were the cadets who got the bulk of the meat in their daily meals, and this gave them the much needed mental and physical strength to carry on with the training. Add estimated that hunting a few days a month was enough to obtain enough resources for the cadets so he focused on another matter, that is the goblins.


    He had long since been making plans to explore the forest where the goblins were active. He was worried that given their numbers, there was a threat of a severe infestation and it could not be left unchecked. It was best if there was no such threat, but if there was then his mind had many ways to deal with the goblins. The simplest method was to throw a barrage of bombs on their hordes and blow them all up. He had access to some powerful time bombs in the system shop, and with the CP he currently had that could surely kill dozens of goblins and if placed in proper positions, killing hundreds in one go was not a problem. But this although being simple and effective, was wasteful, in the sense that it could scare the goblins and make them scatter which made precious CP lost. So he had to figure out something which would allow him to maximize his gains. For this, he had made a plan, but first there was the need to obtain intelligence on the goblins.


    He purchased a small surveillance drone for 1000 CP. The drone he chose was a remote controlled quad-copter which was white in colour. Quad copters can lift more loads than airplane or helicopter drones, and they give more stability compared to other types of drones. There were a few key factors to keep in mind when buying a drone. The Camera, The Range, The Flight Time, Stability and ease of operation and maintenance. Considering all these factors, he chose the drone. Its model name was ¡®DX Phantom-5¡¯. It had a maximum cruising altitude of 1000 metres, with a horizontal range of 2000 metres. It had a overall size of 2 feet across with the wingspan of 2.5 feet. It weighed a little over 4 kilograms, and had a maximum speed of 60 Kmph (in still wind). The battery on this thing was also a good Lithium polymer 8S with a capacity of 150 Volts and 10,000 mAh, which could carry it for maximum of 1 hour depending on the usage. Coming to the most important feature was the camera which was a 25 MP 4K UHD video camera which was capable of live feed, and also had infrared vision. It was attached under the drone with a lot of room for rotation in three dimensions that made its field of view quite large. The controller had a separate battery and a built in screen to display the video which was sent back by the drone through hyper speed WI-FI signals. The drone and controller could be recharged by a standard solar charger.


    All this made the drone a very good choice for spying. It was silent and its small size was hard to spot at height, making it very stealthy. He purchased a solar charger for charging the batteries of the drone and its controller. There were also many more advanced drones, but they were very costly, and he did not have enough CP to invest in the advanced drones. With the drone in his inventory, he left to look for the goblins. To make a proper plan, he had to know the location of their groups, their numbers and their types. Information was the key to winning any battle. Once again dressed in the camouflaged clothes he arrived at the forest alone, and began his search for goblin trails. This time using the drone.


    But now he found that it was even harder to find any goblins, which was also expected, given the battle which had happened a few days ago. The goblins either were all wiped out by him, or they were being extra careful now, and Add was more inclined to believe the latter. The drone travelled deeper into the forest, flying just under the canopy line and changing directions here and there. The drone had a digital compass which helped maintain a set direction of travel. He himself had also bought a compass from the system to keep track of direction, and thankfully for him the compass worked just fine on Iseria, pointing north as it should. Though the drone did not spot any goblins, many other monsters were captured in its camera.


    The truly dangerous monsters lived in the depths of the forests, on the hills and in the valleys, and that¡¯s why weak monsters like the goblins, could make their territory here and proliferate. After hours of looking, he finally found what he was looking for. A group of goblins at last, however this was not a group of normal goblins. These creatures were a different breed of goblins. At the height of a normal human, also E rank monsters, these were Hobgoblins. Though they were the same rank as normal goblins, these were a larger, stronger, smarter and more menacing breed ofgoblins</a> and were also better organized. And they were known for their brutal nature and good fighting abilities. Different from regular goblins, they were quite muscular, and each one of them was wielding a weapon. Some had rusty long swords, others had spears and axes. Looking at their menacing appearances and weapons, Add frowned;


    (Since when did hobgoblins get such weapons ? As far as I know, goblins cannot make weapon, so they must be stolen ? Even if they are rusty and dilapidated, they are real weapons, if more of these creatures have weapons, then it¡¯s no laughing matter¡­)


    The group consisted of 8 hobgoblins, and all of them seemed vigilant and alert. The drone began following the Hobgoblins from a distance so as not to be discovered. After following them for half an hour, he confirmed that they were moving in one single direction. The drone increased its speed and overtook them, searching for any clues as to where they might be heading. Along the way, the drone was able to spot a lot of goblins moving around in the area. The drone also found traces of many abandoned goblin camps which had been vacated recently. Add who was following the drone so as not to let it go beyond the control range, began flying it back, while carefully avoiding any goblin group, as he didn¡¯t want to alert them. The drone was flying low because of the trees, and if the goblins saw it and somehow hit it, with say stones or arrows, it would be a waste of his CP.


    Recalling the drone to him, he changed his position, so as to get closer to the area where he had seen the majority of the goblins. After moving in another kilometre inside the forest, he once again released the drone. It kept looking around the area where it had last been, but other than the scattered groups of goblins and a few hobgoblins, nothing else of interest could be seen. And then, when the battery on the drone was almost drained and he was thinking of stopping the search, it finally arrived over a large clearing in the forest. Add hovered the drone half a kilometre high, and zoomed in to observe. The camera feed showed, what appeared to be a village of Goblins.


    There were various groups of goblins, some were moving about, some wee building crude shacks out of branches and leaves and some were circling around the clearing, possibly watching out for any intruders. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the swarm of the critters moving about. There were goblins of all sizes here, from the small common one to the armed Hobgoblins an occasionally the kind known as Goblin Champions appeared as well. Add estimated that their number was well over 500 and including the many groups which were moving about, in the forest, there should be near about a thousand goblins. It seemed they were gathering their forces and preparing for something, something big. However he could not spot any goblin that looked like a leader amongst them. This was troubling, as having an unknown factor was always a threat.


    After observing for a while, the drone had to be recalled as the battery was critically low. After the drone returned to him, he linked it to the solar charger and put it on a branch which was being bathed in sunlight. He also found a concealed spot atop the same tree, and temporarily stayed there. Here he began finalising the plan of action. As per his observation, he was up against a very sizeable force of goblins, and he had to stay cautious when dealing with them. So he decided to apply the most simple tactic used when fighting a force stronger than you. Divide and Conquer. To implement this, he needed the help of some serious firepower as well. For this he purchased 200 sticks of remotely detomnated Dynamite for 400 CP. Each stick was 20 cm long and weighed 250 grams. Next he bought 100 SKN-50 Land mines for a total of 2500 CP. Lastly he also purchased 40 hand grenades. There were of four types, High Explosive (HE), Fragmentation (Frag), Smoke and Flash grenades and he bought 10 of each amounting a total of 800 CP. This would be his main arsenal to deal with the bulk of the goblins, while the guns would be used to deal with the survivors. Keeping in mind the large size of the goblin horde, he decided not to depend more on the AK-47 and take something more powerful.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 10 - Goblin Massacre (Part 1)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    When dealing with hordes of enemies, what was more effective than a machine gun? But rather than having a heavy machine gun which was bulky and priced higher, it was better to have a weapon suitable to be carried by hand. So he quickly opened the shop and purchased something which he had been wanting to get for some time now.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : PKP Pecheneg 6P41 ¨C NM , 7.62¡Á54 mmR general-purpose medium machine gun


    Description : The PKP Pecheneg (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Pekhotny "Pecheneg") 6P41 ¨C NM is a medium machine gun chambering the standard Soviet/Russian 7.62¡Á54 mmR round. It is a modernised version of the PK machine gun developed by the Legendary Arms inventor Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov.


    It comes with a It comes with a Picatinny rail for night vision or telescopic sights, the standard being 1P89-3 unified optical sight and can also equip other optical sights. It also has an additional tactical handle below the barrel for the convenience when firing. The PKP is belt fed and accepts 100-, 200-, 250-round box magazines.


    It is intended for use from an integral bipod as a squad support weapon, however it can be used in a two handed carrying fashion as well, and is designed as an anti personnel weapon. It provides more sustained firepower than the PK and its other predecessors, and the 7.62¡Á54mmR cartridge offers a longer effective range and better penetration of light structures and improvised covers in most type of environments and battlefields


    While it does not perform exceptionally well in terms of accuracy, it is known for its superior performance in suppressing enemies with a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s rate of over 700 rounds per minute and a barrel with improved heat dispersion. Made of titanium alloy, it is a durable, light-weight, and fairly easy to maintain machine gun, which can serve under extreme conditions without a hitch.


    Effective Firing Range : 1000 metres


    Price : 12,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    The PKP was a very good gun in its class. Its 7.62¡Á54 mmR rounds were very powerful and the damage they caused were even greater. Based on the Kalashnikov family of rifles it was a durable, easy to use and maintain weapon, which had stood the test of time. When engaging a large group of enemies alone, at medium range, a machine gun was the best choice. Add had enough experience with improve versions of the PKP and so using it was no problem for him. Although it was much heavier than the AK-47, but to ADD with his increased physical strength, felt no difference. He could haul over half a ton boar with his maximum strength now, a 10 kilogram gun was nothing. The gun came with standard metallic sights and had a preloaded 100 round box magazine, it was ready to shoot and shed some blood.


    The most deadly among all that he chose was however, the SKN-50 Anti-personnel land mine. It is a circular and slightly concave shaped, plastic bodied, directional type of anti-personnel mine. It is designed to wound or kill by explosive fragmentation. The mine contains 700g of RDX (1,3,5-Trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine) explosive. When a person steps on the mine''s trigger whic is located at its centre, the trigger activates the mine, and the mine''s main charge detonates, creating a blast shock wave consisting of hot gases travelling at extremely high velocity. The shock wave sends a huge compressive force upwards, propelling approximately 540 steel balls to a lethal range of 50 meters in a all directions above ground. it also comes in a remotely detonated variant, which has no trigger on the landmine itself but can which can be activated using a detonator from over 200 metres away.


    Belonging to the same type as the Claymore landmine, the SKN-50 was a much better weapon for its job. And that job was simple. Wait for someone to step on them, and then blast that person with a salvo of small metal spheres, Turing meat and bones into Swiss cheese. Add bought its remotely detonated version, as that was more affective for his plans. After having purchased all he needed, he was left with little over 2,000 CP. After confirming all his preparations, he found an area near the goblin village that was suitable for laying an ambush. Taking care not to be spotted by the goblins, he carefully began setting up the mines in all locations, he felt the goblins could arrive from. The dynamite sticks were also placed in a similar way, they were far more explosive than the mines, but since they had no shrapnel their lethality depended on the resulting shockwave of the explosion. The grenades were kept within the inventory and would be used as required.


    He then approached the goblins¡¯ location and attacked the first group of goblins he saw, killing a few, he return back to where he had placed the explosives. His speed was moderate allowing the goblins to chase him, but they could not close in enough to be able to attack him. Add chose to lure groups of goblins to his traps as directly attacking the goblins village was too risky, it was better pull them into his kill zone. Add increased his speed, avoiding the area with the mines and quickly took his pre-determined spot among the trees a bit further away. The group which included both regular goblins and hob goblins, was very angry and enraged as they rushed in madly roaring and shrieking. From his hiding spot in the trees he fired with the AK-47 at the group, aiming for the Hobgoblins first. He fired at a slow rate, wanting to see how effective the 7.39 mm rounds were against them.


    *RATATA*-----*RATATA*----*RATATA*


    The first hobgoblin took a shot in its abdomen, and staggered back, but it didn¡¯t die. Its rage increasing even more, unable to see what or whom had hit it. It took 5 more shots in its chest before it fell dead. Add didn¡¯t leave his spot and from the cover of the branches and kept shooting, changing magazine after magazine, as the brass shells kept rolling out of the extractor. A shot landed on another hobgoblin¡¯s head, instantly killing it. The smaller goblins were killed instantly with one or two shots. In no time, over a dozen goblins had died, and the remaining tried to flee. But sadly for them, they would not have the chance. Rushing out of his hiding spot Add opened fire once again, this time in full auto and shot dead the remaining ones. As he stood looking at the corpses, Add kept thinking. It was a efficient and quick, however, he was not at all satisfied after this hunt. Even with the AK-47¡¯s powerful bullets, it was not easy to kill the hobgoblins. It was not the weapon¡¯s fault though; it was designed to kill humans of Earth, who were normal in every sense of the word, and not monsters.


    [Ding! You have killed Hobgoblin x 6]


    [Ding! You have killed goblin ¡Á 11]


    [Ding! You have received 4,100 CP]


    (If its only this much, then I don¡¯t need to waste my explosives yet. I need to lure in a bigger group, to maximize the damage.)


    Add hummed. But looking at the hob goblin corpses, his brows wrinkled as his expression turned serious.


    (I am afraid pretty soon I will face an enemy which the AK-47 cannot kill¡­)


    He slung the rifle onto his back and took the PKP machine gun in his arms. Taking a look at his status, he now had 24,100 CP. Each hobgoblin gave 500 CP, 5 times greater than a regular goblin. Too bad there were not a lot of them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue, I need more. Much more.¡±


    Once again he went to attract more goblins. His modus operandi was simple. Lure more and more goblins away from their village and kill them as swiftly as possible. He was sure that whatever it was that was leading the goblins, would realise what was happening and attack him with full force. That was when he would take them down in one fell swoop. As he moved on in silence, the only sounds accompanying him being his footsteps and the occasional chirping of insects and the faint rustle of leaves that moved in the breeze. He was reminded of a mission he did back on Earth. He was part of a 20 man platoon which was sent to the Balkan peninsula to take down an important enemy official. They had spent two days out in the silent and almost dead forest, covered in leaves and dirt, hiding in dug in trenches, blending with the soil, and very forest itself. The target was a train which would cross the forest. When the mission was finally over, only 5 of the 20 had survived. He and the other 4 survivors, buried their fallen comrades in the very same forest, only the eternal silence of accompanying them this time. In that year, in that forest, they had forever become part of nothingness. For who knew how many of his kind had been buried in such forests, how many had drowned in the lakes rivers and seas, how many were left with nothing to be buried at all. The memories of that life, those years, they were only dreams now, yet a dream he would forever remember. He was only woken up from his reminiscing as he came across another group of goblins. He shook his head clearing the thoughts of the past and readied himself.


    ¡°This game never changes.¡­¡±


    He muttered as the first goblin appeared in his sight. The group this time was even larger than the previous one. Making it even more profitable for him. Unknowingly a small smile crept up his lips as a familiar craving crept into his mind. That unquenchable thirst for blood¡­.


    ¡°Still, I love this game¡­.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    He did not hide this time, he did not need to, and the enraged goblins attacked him. The death rattle once begun playing itself in the silent forest, the tunes comprising of the wails, the cries and the gun shots. Death was the same on Iseria as it was on Earth. If you die you die. Death was his only companion, and it would be until it claimed himself as well.


    _ _ _ _ _


    It was a normal goblin. It had no name. It had no identity other than that it was a goblin. Speaking of it, the goblin society is not very complex; strength rules above all. The goblin was not very strong, just your regular every day run of the mill goblin. Its life was simple but harsh. Hunt for food, risk its life, get hurt sometimes, sometimes almost dying, eating, sleeping and repeat. But food was hard to get for a regular goblin like him. They had to bring food to the village and if someone failed to bring food, or brought too little, they would be beaten or even eaten by the bigger goblins. It had to survive on scraps for most of the days. It would always have to do what it was ordered by the hob goblins, the goblin champions and their ruler, the goblin king. If it rejected an order, it would be beaten and killed. It had seen some of its fellow goblins die like that. It could not even mate, only the goblin king and the champions could mate with the females, and the regular goblins could just watch. It was helpless, but this was its life. It could not leave the village for a lone goblin would not survive for long in the forest. This was its daily life. But then, it all changed suddenly.


    The day had been like any other days, it was woken up with a kick by a larger goblin and ordered to hunt for food. It growled in protest for the pain it was feeling, but the larger goblin roared and kicked it again. Though goblins were savages, they had a primitive language comprising of grunts, growls roars and shrieks. It limped away in pain, joining more of its kind to hunt for food. It would be lucky if it could find some decent food today. The forest was not safe recently, for its kind. Something had been killing goblins for many days now. Hundreds of them had died, and the killer was still at lose. But it didn¡¯t feel fear, as it never saw the killer. There was not much compassion between goblins as well, after all theirs was a dog eat dog society. It would do anything to survive, even eating its own kind if need be. Today it was searching for small animals with a small spear made from a jagged bone tied to a stick. It looked very shabby, but it was its treasured weapon. Luckily for it, it soon found a large rat scurrying in the bushes and chased after it along with other goblins, just it was about to kill the rat, a strange sound, one it had never heard before echoed in the forest.


    *RATATA*-----*RATATA*----*RATATA*


    For a moment it stayed still, trying to think what this strange sound was, when suddenly pained and miserable wails of its fellow kind echoed in the forest. The cries conveyed pain, confusion and helplessness in them, and then everything went silent. It realized something was wrong. What followed were angry growls and roars of other goblins, it was not too concerned about them, goblins died every day, there were many monsters stronger than them in these forests. The rat had escaped , so the group resumed their hunt, looking for something to bring back to the village. No one wanted to be killed or eaten. But then, after sometime, that strange sound once again echoed, followed my more shrieks and cries. Even it who was not smart, now knew something was very wrong. Angry roars of goblins began reaching its ears, in them were orders to gather at whatever was hurting their kind. The leader of its group also heard these roars and roared in response. Hearing all these angry roars, its group also grew angry. The group abandoned their hunt for food and ran towards the area from where the wails and cries had come. On its way it was joined by some other groups, and their numbers increased. The goblins roared and shrieked growing more angry and enraged as they got closer.


    More wails and cries echoed as they neared to the source. More of their kind were dying! It was furious, and when the group finally reached closer to where the wails were coming from it could smell a familiar scent in the air. It soon realized what that scent was. It was the scent of blood, the blood of its own kind! A primal anger surged in its body. Who dared kill its kind!? It wanted to tear that thing to pieces. The other goblins also felt the same way. The group ran even faster and the scent of goblin blood became even stronger, enraging them further. It finally saw a small clearing in the forest, and in front of the clearing, its eyes landed on the dozens of dead goblins lying on the ground, their blood soaking the soil and giving off the smell. Goblins didn¡¯t smell good, in fact they were dirty creatures who smelled like a mixture of rotting meat and faeces. The only saving grace was one would not be assailed by this smell unless they went really close to a goblin. This was not their natural smell, however, it was due to their unclean nature. Mixed with the smell of blood it produced an even more disgusting odour.


    Its eyes grew bloodshot as it looked around for the killer of its fellow kind and it soon found ¡®it¡¯. The thing was a human! A hateful human! Goblins hated humans as much as humans hated them, it was engraved in their blood. Goblins killed and ate humans males and abducted the women and raped them in hopes of producing offspring . This made humans angry, really really angry, and they hunted them down with passion. The two species had been in this struggle for thousands of years, and neither side had gained advantages. The humans had more powerful weapons and strength on a whole, but the goblins had their numbers and sneaky nature, doing anything to survive and kill. There was a single human before it, standing silently looking at its group. The other goblins also shared its fervour in hate. There were many hobgoblins in its group as well. It knew that the human must be strong, for so many of its kind had died in his hands. But it was confident in the strength of its numbers. They were many and the hateful human was one! They would surely outnumber him and kill him! It wanted to tear open the human and feast on its meat, and so did the others. So it charged, following the other goblins, even if some died, the others would kill the human. They would win as long as the human died; goblins had no sympathy for sacrificing their own kind, in this regard they were strangely hypocritical, just like the humans they so hated.


    ¡°Well, looks like my plan worked very well after all¡­. Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect these things to be so mindless, I didn¡¯t even have to bring you this time, you lot came by yourself. Thanks for saving me the trouble though. Now that you are here, please die¡­¡±


    They charged at the human crushing the dead bodies of their own beneath them. Among the shrieks and cries of its group, it heard the human speak something, not that it could understand whatever he said. Some of the goblins ran to circle him while most of them charged head on. The human was surely dead now it thought, it griped its spear tighter and its mouth drooled in anticipation. But then, the human suddenly jumped back and retreated, avoiding the attacks of some agile goblins. The ones which had tried to surround him, were not able to keep up, as the main group was about to reach him, the human threw some round object towards them. It was now at the back, so it did not see what was thrown. One such small round thing hit a hob goblin and then rolled on the ground. The hobgoblin was uncaring as whatever had hit it, didn¡¯t even sting its skin and it continued to charge like the others¡­.


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    Its world suddenly went bright for a moment, and a piercing sound rattled its brain, stunning it completely. It stumbled, and fell down unable to make sense of what was happening. In its confusion, it tried to get up but some other goblin ran into it and they both tumbled into the ground again. It could neither see or hear properly, everything became white and a strange buzz rattled its ears. It was helpless, unable to make sense of its surroundings it didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    *RATATA*-----*RATATA*----*RATATA*


    When it could finally hear again, what entered its ears were the pained roars and shrieks of its kind. The strange sound was heard again and more wails followed. As its vision cleared it saw its fellow kind running around trying to escape, but one by one they quickly fell dead. It found the human standing some distance away and from a strange thing in his hands, flashes of light appeared, followed by that sound. As more and more goblins died, some tired to attack the human in desperation, but were unable to even get near him. Their numbers which were in the tens, now had been whittled down to a handful. Its rage and anger instantly vanished as the fear of death replaced them. It wanted to run away now, run as far as possible from this hateful human, it would call the ¡®big¡¯ ones, once they came, the human would die. It pushed away the dead bodies of other goblins and began running way, but sadly for it, today was just not its day.


    A searing pain tore through its leg, without any warning, causing it to tumble headfirst into the ground, its mouth filling with soil and litter. It cried out with all its might as the burning pain travelled through its body from it leg. For some time it lay there rolling and thrashing in pain, but it knew it could not stay here, or else it will die. Clutching the bleeding leg, which was mangled badly, it tried to crawl away, making its way across the dead bodies, blood and gore, it had only one thought in its mind now, to escape, for it felt the shadow of death looming over it, and that is when it realised, that all was surprisingly quiet. There were no more sounds a horrifying sense of being alone spread in its mind as it raised its head to look around. All around it, goblins lay dead, their murky blackish blood seeping into the ground. Even the strong hobgoblins were not spared. The entire group, like the few before it, had been decimated completely. It was the sole survivor left. As it looked around in terror, the human which was the cause of all this slaughter, standing a bit further away from it. And that was the last thing ¡®it¡¯ ever saw.


    *BANG*


    _ _ _ _ _


    ¡°That was done nicely¡­¡±


    Add, retreated into the cover of trees after dealing with the last goblin. The group this time, was fairly large wit over 40 goblins and hobgoblins. Most of them were armed with wooden spears tipped with bone, and some had daggers made of bone as well. Few of them had rusted, and brittle swords while the rest had wooden clubs. With this he had faced off against 4 groups, after laying the ambush. But he still didn¡¯t retreated beyond the main area where he had laid the mines, for he was looking for a larger horde, the more the better. He had used three flash grenades, which seemed to have very good effect against the goblins, with just three of them, the large group was out of their wits for nearly half a minute, giving him enough time to gun them down leisurely.


    He also learnt a lot about goblin attack strategy after dealing with them for all this while. The goblins had a very sneaky way of fighting. They would surround their target and try to distract it, so that they could find an opening to attack. But above all, their number was their greatest strength. And they didn¡¯t care about their dead, even using their dead as meat shields sometimes. The PKP machine gun did its job well, one or two rounds aimed properly were able to deal with a hobgoblin, the normal ones, were just cannon fodder.


    He had attracted enough attention by now, and the goblins surely wont lets this go easily, he now had to be prepared for their retaliation. As he waited in the shadows, more goblins arrived, and a few blindly charged, and were welcome by bullets in their faces. The others however were more careful. And began circling the area, trying to find Add. The shots he fired initially, gave an idea of his location, but he was well hidden in the shadows it was hard to spot him. He stopped shooting, waiting for them to gather. As the goblins were hesitating whether to go forward or not, after looking at the many dead bodies lying around, more and more kept arriving. Add watched silently as the numbers increased, from a few tens to over a hundred, and kept growing. Finally, the stalemate was broken when he finally stepped out. The goblins having found their nemesis, lunged towards him with all their strength and rage. Add immediately made a run towards the ambush site. As the goblins chased madly behind, they stepped within the area where the dynamite sticks were placed. He waited for a few moments, as the bulk of the goblin horde arrived there and then detonated the dynamite.


    *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*¡­¡­.


    With a series of explosions which shook the area, the poor goblins were blasted to kingdom come. Such was the force of the explosions that the goblins nearby were blasted to bits while those a bit farther away were sent flying with their internal organs messed up, and only a few lucky ones managed to escape death, although very badly disoriented and confused. But rather than running away, these goblins again regrouped, howling in rage and anger as more of their kind arrived from all around. He once again slowed his pace down, and the goblins feeling their enemy within grasp became even more ferocious. Although terrified of the explosions, they were now too mad to care. Their instincts got the better of them, and they again rushed towards the human, and this was their last mistake. Add jumped into a small pit he had dug earlier, which saved him from the coming wave of death. And as the goblins stepped on the mines¡­


    *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*


    Another series of explosion followed, and this time thousands of small metal balls tore through everything in their paths. 40 of the mines had been placed in such a manner that their explosions overlapped creating a spray of sure death. Even the goblins farther away were killed, only a few lucky ones managing to barley survive. It was then that Add took action, amidst the dust and smoke, he jumped out from his hiding spot to get a clear line of fire and resumed shooting. The air was filled with dust and smoke but the sheer amount of bullets fired from the machine gun made it sure that something will get hit. He succeed in killing the remaining ones that were left, but some still managed to escape. Goblins, he noted, were pretty fast when it came to escaping. After everything quietened down, and he was sure that no stray goblin was sneaking around him, he began to check his gains. The familiar bluish system screen opened listing some notifications. It gave him a sum total of how many goblins he had killed till now.


    [Ding! You have killed Goblins x 317]


    [Ding! You have killed Hobgoblins x 94]


    [Ding! Received 78,700 CP]


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 11 - Goblin Massacre (Part 2)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Add had now accumulated over 100,000 CP, and most of it was obtained in just this one day. Still not satisfied with just this much, he returned to luring more groups of goblins. The dynamite and mines he had planted before had been used up, but he had only planted less than half of his full stock. He didn¡¯t plant them again, as he was not sure if the goblins would be so stupid to come around this area again after facing such crushing defeats. And his guess was right, for even after he had been searching for a while, no goblin could be seen around the area, and he could only hear occasional roars and shrieks coming from all across the surrounding forest. After waiting some more, he decided to change his strategy and silently made his way towards the goblin village.


    The goblin village was around a kilometre away from the ambush location, and nearly half way there, Add crossed paths with the Goblin Champions for the first time. These creatures really earned their name. At over 6 feet tall, with bulging muscles and a feral expression on their hideous faces, their eyes oozing with malice and violence. They had rough hair covering their chests and some form of what appeared to be beard on their faces, which were otherwise bald. Over all these hideous monster looked like oversized hybrids of apes and goblins, and they stunk....a lot. There were some hobgoblins and total of 3 Goblin Champions in the group before him, easily noticeable by their large bodies and dark olive green skin. They all held large wooden clubs, which could smash a normal man to pulp if it hit. One of the Goblin Champions moved towards Add, Its hulking body dwarfed the human before it as it raised its club preparing to attack with a roar. He immediately readied his machinegun, loaded a new 250 round magazine and cocked the bolt carrier back loading the first bullet into chamber. The PKP was ready to fire. He aimed at the Goblin Champion which was coming at him and fired.


    *RATATATATATATATA*


    The brass shells fell of the ejection port one after the other as the machinegun rattled and pumped bullets into the Goblin Champion, filling it with holes. Add kept retreating as he fired, keeping the distance between him and the goblins. The other goblins also attacked, but what greeted them in return was the relentless machinegun fire. At such close range, they never stood a chance against the PKP, the only possible chance they had to attack Add, was when he was reloading, but due to his decades of experience with weapons. the reloading process was of relatively short duration. The first Goblin Champion died immediately after eating a dozen rounds, while the remaining two ignored his death and attacked with their clubs. They could not be blamed though, as they had never known the fear of guns. However, even though the Hobgoblins were butchered within moments, the bodies of the Goblin Champions were quite tough, tough enough that one could withstand a few hits from the PKP and still not die. The two remaining Goblin Champions kept charging towards Add until they were filled with tens of bullets and finally died.


    [Ding! You have killed Hobgoblins x 8]


    [Ding! You have killed Goblin Champion x 3]


    [Ding! Received 10,000 CP]


    "These things sure are tough..."


    Add sighed as he looked at the dead Goblin champions. These things truly didn¡¯t fear death, charging head on with brute strength, they took tens of bullets before going down. The good thing though was each one gave him 2000 CP which was quite a lot. However, if normal people of Iseria heard him say this, they would puke blood in anger.


    [This Goblin Champion was a C ranked Monster! But It died so easily! And it never even got a chance to retaliate.]


    [Even seasoned warriors would face difficulty facing one, but you killed three without a sweat!]


    [And now you complain about them being tough when they died so easily !?]


    [God! There is no fairness in this world!]


    To Add who had the experience of killing a man with 2-4 bullets at most, something that could take dozens of said bullets would surely appear tough. But by this worlds standards, he had indeed killed them very easily. Unaware of the stir he would cause should his actions be seen or known, he moved on towards the Goblin village. Along the way, he met a few more groups of goblins all of which armed with some kind of weapon or the other, but they all fell between the alternating firing from the AK-47 and the PKP. Add didn¡¯t use the PKP constantly, as it needed to cool down after firing a few hundred rounds, only when he spotted Goblin Champions, would he use the machinegun. For normal goblins and Hobgoblins, the AK-47 was still enough. By the time he reached near the village he had gained a decent amount of CP. It was almost dusk now, and the last rays of the sun were vanishing beyond the horizon. The goblin village was roughly circular in shape spread over a radius of around 500 metres. There were many goblins moving around the edges of the nest acting as lookouts. After whatever had been happening through the day, it was given that they would be on high alert.


    Add took a concealed position atop a tree, covered by branches and leaves, and aimed with the AX338. He had changed course many times, so that the Goblins could not have a proper idea, as to where he actually was. Through the scope, he could see that hundreds of goblins were moving around in the village. The bulk of them were normal goblins, but there were hundreds of Hobgoblins as well and dozens of Goblin Champions. But he still was unable to spot any goblin that could be the leader. Wasting no more time, he adjusted the AX338 sniper rifle on its bipod. His eyes firmly glued to the scope. From his position, the goblin village was now a bit over a 100 metres away.


    *Click ¨C Clack*


    The first bullet was chambered. Soon an unsuspecting goblin came in his range, it was holding spear and constantly looked around with its dirty yellow eyes. The crosshair on the scope soon aligned onto the unsuspecting critter and he fired.


    *Pshh*


    Following the sound of the suppressor, the bullet left the muzzle, the next moment, with a dull squelching sound, the head of the oblivious goblin was blown to bits, like a water melon hit with a bat. It never knew how it died. Its companions around it were also shocked and stunned watching their companion die suddenly. Add took advantage of their stupor and kept shooting. Within a minute over 10 goblins were dead. As the smell of blood filled the air, the surrounding goblins sensed something was wrong and began rushing towards the scene. Soon he could hear "gigigigi" noises from everywhere, dozens of goblins and hobgoblins crowded the area, their hand holding various weapons like rusty swords, daggers, bone spikes, makeshift spears and bows etc.


    After looking at the dead bodies of the goblins, they completely understood that the village was under attack. They began roaring in their hoarse language as more goblins swarmed from the nest. In the dark, it looked like a flood of horrendous creatures. But this was exactly what he was hoping for. He began throwing the dynamite sticks all over the place. With his improved strength throwing the sticks a few dozen metres was not much of a problem, though his arm did hurt a bit. As the goblins began running over the dynamite, he pressed the detonator he was holding. All the sticks exploded at the same time, turning the area into a hell.


    *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*


    At this moment the goblins were almost pitiful. Their soft bodies, were blown to pieces, and blood and gore covered the forest floor. A mixture of smells, including burnt meat, blood and innards filled the area. Through all this, Add silently kept watch waiting for the response of the goblins. But no more goblins came out, it would seem that they were intelligent enough to realise that they had repeatedly walked into traps and lost so many of their numbers. They no longer dared to charge out. Add purchased a night vision goggles from the system shop and wore it as darkness was fast covering the forest. He checked his equipment and then got down from the tree and entered the village. No matter what he had to finish things tonight, or else if he retreated now, the goblins would be prepared or probably escape, and he could not allow that, since every goblin was a walking bag of CP.


    He was very vigilant as he increased his walking speed and put the PKP machinegun in a better position. He placed the trigger arm down and kept it pulled in tight to the body, to create a smaller target for the enemy and give greater manoeuvrability. His left hand grasped the fore-end from the side, to give more certain control over side-to-side movement of the muzzle during rapid fire and support. He slightly hunched forward putting more weight over the gun for better recoil control, and to reduce stumbling. While his head was straight, his cheeks pressing against the stock. This was the best tactical standing position to shoot while on the move. The gun was loaded with a 250 round box magazine. As he entered the village, goblins who were prepared for his arrival lunged at him from all sides.


    *RATATATATATATA*


    Add welcomed them with a hail of bullets. There were some goblin archers around but due to the darkness, they were unable to aim accurately, some arrows landed near him but they did little other than exposing the location of the archers. As more arrows began raining around him, he quickly took cover behind a tree and looked around, through his night vision he soon found the goblins on trees shooting the arrows. He threw some fragmentation grenades to slow the goblins on the ground and turned his machinegun to cover the entire tree line in bullets. Many goblins hiding in those trees fell dead and a few survivors jumped down and retreated. He then made his way to the centre of the village, moving in a zigzag manner, and dropping the remaining SKN-50 mines as he went along. After he had made a circle of the village dodging attacks and killing goblins, he detonated all the mines. Explosions kept ringing across the entire area and hundreds upon hundreds of steel balls tore through everything in their paths.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He had now reached the centre of the village and found dozens of goblin champions and even more hobgoblins rushing towards him. They were shrieking loudly and their vicious teeth were on full display as if wanting to tear him to pieces. Grenades and a hail of bullets responded to their welcome. All the bravado displayed by the huge goblins shattered instantly and vanished as they were blown to pieces. The imposing goblin army had been mostly slaughtered.


    *GIIIIIIIIIIIII*


    Suddenly a loud shriek echoed in the area following which the goblins that were running away now again swarmed towards Add, as if they were hell-bent of drinking his blood. He frowned at this but he had no hesitation. Taking the reloaded Machine gun in one hand and a sword in the other, he scoffed coldly;


    "No matter how many of you come, you still will die"


    The PKP was opened fire and the music of the weapon played in the forest as goblin after goblin died. The larger ones were killed with the gun and any smaller ones that managed to inch closer, were met with a slash of the sword. Brains splattered, some even had arms and legs were blown away, the murky blackish blood drenched the land. But their companions didn''t care about that, they stepped over the dead goblins and kept charging at Add, so he stabbed the sword in a goblin and pulled out some HE grenades from a utility belt on his waist.


    *CLINK* *CLINK* *CLINK*


    With the clatter of pins, 7 Type ¨C 65 Fragmentation grenades, found themselves amidst the charging goblins which stepped over them without care. As if angry at being trampled, the grenades exploded and maimed the ignorant critters. The horde of goblins was mostly blown to bits, their body parts flying everywhere. Add repeated this, reloading his guns, switching between them, using grenades to blast the goblins apart. Gradually the horde began to thin, and soon he had finished off the last remaining goblins. Mutilated bodies were strewn all around him, the pungent smell of blood and gore, along with the stink of goblins, gave off a smell which would make one vomit his guts out. A few surviving goblins were so terrified that they ran away into the tree line, but there was suddenly a loud roar and, a goblin was sent back flying, it rolled on the ground for a few metres before its mangled body came to a stop. Add was alarmed and began to retreat as he looked towards the area from where the goblin had just come crashing. With a dull thumping of feet, a large figure appeared from within the trees. As he saw the sudden attacker and Add¡¯s expression became solemn.


    "So it was a goblin King after all¡­"


    A hulking figure was gazing cruelly at him, its hands holding the large broadsword that it had taken from an unfortunate adventurer, with ease. A Goblin King. They were the leaders of the goblin race, and also the most dangerous and powerful of the goblins. They were very smart and cunning, and were able to lead other goblins by instinct. They were individuals that had lived for many years and have become capable of intelligent thoughts. They are taller and larger than any normal goblins and far more muscular, even bigger than the Goblin Champions. Having lived and grown over many years, they are very intelligent and capable of formulating cunning strategies. These were B ¨C Ranked monsters, far stronger than any goblin champion. The Goblin King gave off a menacing aura. It was furious. A puny human had foiled all his plans. It had planned to raid the nearby human villages, abduct the women to spawn their numbers, and kill all the rest. It wanted to become the ruler of this forest. For that purpose it had planned for many years secretly gathering its forces, not letting the humans know. And just when it was a step away from starting its plans, all was wasted by this one human.


    *GIIIIIIIIII*


    It roared, charging at Add, swinging its heavy sword at him. Add was astonished at its speed. Even it was so big, the Goblin lord was very fast. Add ditched his plan of shooting the thing, as he barely dodged the sword attack. He took out the last two fragmentation grenades and threw them at its feet.


    *BOOM* *BOOM*


    The grenades blew but the goblin lord was very swift despite its large size, it was able to dodge most of the explosion, only slightly affected as it chased Add. He fired his machinegun, but most of the bullets were unable to hurt it seriously, and as he was constantly on the move, aiming at the Goblin King¡¯s vitals was hard. Add was very impressed by the large monster¡¯s movements, despite such a size and bulk, its movements were fairly swift. But he had no intention of admiring them any longer. Still on the move, dodging the heavy attacks from its sword he quickly purchased a dozen more grenades, while simultaneously throwing them at the Goblin King. The fact that he could easily extract items from the inventory with a thought made it easier to spam explosives. The Goblin King was only so fast, its hulking body was unable to dodge so many grenades and soon it was drowned in explosions. Its momentum slowed down and Add used this chance to get further away from it. He was not escaping however. Putting down his machine gun, he took the AX338 sniper in his hand, and aimed it at the goblin king who was now badly wounded and bleeding. Its eyes had also suffered damage as one was closed and bleeding. Still being the king it was it still went to attack Add who wasted no time and aimed at the head.


    "Just die already."


    He emptied the entire magazine into its head. The thick head resisted a few shots, and some of them missed too. Yet most of the bullets did go though and the head had more holes than a cheese block. The King¡¯s hulking body was still in motion, even after all life left it. It ran for a few seconds then fell down a few metres before Add with loud thump. And thus ended the life of an ambitious goblin lord. As the battle finally ended and a deathly silence covered the area, the sound of notifications also began ringing in his ears.


    [Ding! You have killed Goblin King x 1]


    [Ding! Received 10,000 CP]


    [Ding! You have killed Goblin x 357. Received 35,700 CP]


    [Ding! You have killed Hobgoblin x 195. Received 97,500CP]


    [Ding! You have killed Goblin Champion x 98. Received 196,000 CP]


    The system screen was filled with notifications. He had lost a few thousand CP in the form of bullets and explosives, in the process, but his overall gains vastly outweighed the losses. However, the goblins had without doubt suffered disastrous losses. The entire village of goblins was slaughtered, their maimed and shredded bodies lying all around. Some were spilling their guts, some were missing large portions of their bodies, and the majority were riddled with holes. The silence of death loomed over the village, and the nauseating odours of blood, burnt flesh, innards and more mixed together to form a cocktail of smells that made even the main culprit mind his nose. Yet, he could not leave this place without doing some more killing. He searched around the Goblin village in search of any hidden goblins. He found a few survivors here and there, and sent them all to meet the makers. He also found many goblins offspring, most of which could not yet walk. Some people may pity these new born and spare their lives, but not him. The teachings of his instructors and his experiences in the battlefields, taught him well, not to show any mercy to those who didn¡¯t deserve it.


    ¡°When killing your enemies, make sure you kill every last one of them! Remember! You MUST kill till they are all dead and no one is left! You can never show pity or compassion to your enemy! An Enemy spared is a time bomb ticking to blow in your face, right when you are least expecting it! So kill! Kill till there is no one left to threaten you, till there is no one left to avenge those that you killed! Be it women, children, old or young! If it¡¯s the enemy Kill without mercy!¡±


    He still remembered that gruff instructor who had taught him that. The man had lost an arm in the war but still could hold his own ground effortlessly till the very moment he died. No mercy it was. He killed all the goblin offspring he could find and did one last round of the village before departing.


    Afterwards, he made camp on a large tree few hundred metres from the goblin village and purchased a few chocolate bars from the System, which served for his dinner. Dinner could have been a random snake or rat or even insects if it came to that, but even the battle hardened soldier, had a sweet tooth, which was not too much to ask for, was it? Having finished his small dinner, young master Add tucked himself onto a cosy branch of a tree far from the ground, and went to sleep. In the cold night, howls and roars were common occurrence, as the hunters of the dark came out to prey. The soft breeze blew over the sleeping boy, and under the faint moon light, he looked like an angel, sleeping in the arms of nature, a completely harmless and gentle being. But who could tell that this very person had caused such bloodshed a few hours before ? The night passed without any events, allowing the young master to have an uninterrupted sleep.


    Morning arrived bringing with it, a gentle atmosphere that coved the hills. The tiny droplets of dew sliding down the blade for the leaves shined like little jewels and provided moisture to many tiny insects and animals, as they began preparing for the new day. Add stretched his limbs, a light yawn escaping his lips.


    (Well then, let¡¯s be on our way¡­)


    After travelling for a few hours, he finally exited the forest. He had not brought a horse this time around so he was expecting to walk the entire way home, but then as he walked ahead on the small road leading towards Rigel, he saw some familiar faces. One of them, saw him and hurriedly ran to him.


    ¡°Edward, what are you doing here ?¡±


    Add asked the man who was making a worried face.


    ¡°Young Master you have finally returned ! We were so worried! You didn¡¯t return for a full day! Madam Martha is very mad! ¡±


    Edward¡¯s face was slightly pale as he remembered the angry berating he had been given by the old lady before being sent to look for the young master first thing in the morning. In the Weismann estate, no one dared anger the old head maid. He looked at the young master whose face was cold and detached as usual, as if nothing in the world could make him care.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you I was out to explore the hills and it would take a few days? There was no need to be this worried. What would you do if it took me a week to return, camp here ?¡±


    He said flatly, completely ignoring the query. Edward could only smile helplessly, he dared not pester the young master if he did not want to speak. It was true that Add had told the cadets that he would be going on a small trip alone, but Martha was not willing to take any risks. He had slipped out without informing Martha so she was really angry. After a day passed, she could no longer wait and sent the Edward and a few cadets who followed him to find Add. In fact they were planning t enter the hills to look for him if he didn¡¯t appear by noon.


    ¡°Madam Martha told us not to return until we found you¡­¡±


    Looking at the man who had a helpless look on his face Add decided to let go of this matter.


    (Martha really worries too much¡­. I would probably be lectured once I return¡­sigh..)


    Thankfully, Edward and co had brought horses along with them, so the return journey was quick. As soon as he stepped inside the Mansion, he was greeted by the old lady who had a smile on her face which did not look like a smile.


    ¡°Young Master please come with me, we need to have a talk.¡±


    Add could only helplessly follow her to the study where he was give a sermon for over an hour. The old lady kept speaking about how the future of the Weismann family depended on him, how he was the most important person here and he could not act recklessly and risk his life. Strangely, though, he didn¡¯t not feel irritated or annoyed at her preaching. Both the original young master and himself, understood how much this old lady cared for him. Martha was the closest thing to a family Add had ever had, so her preaching only gave him a sense of comfort if not happiness.


    ¡°Young Master, I know that men of your age tend to be rebellious and seek adventure, but you must keep in mind the responsibilities on your shoulders. The hopes of your family and the fate of the entire Weismann territory rests on you. If something were to happen to you, what face would I show to the old master after I die ? The Madam, on her death bed, entrusted you to me. And you doing these kind of things really worries me. You must not act recklessly like this in the future! There are many monsters and Beasts in those hills which can harm you, even your late father who was such a strong warrior was killed by them..¡±


    Once she had said her piece, the old lady excused herself. The young master then went to meet Kent and inquired about the cadets¡¯ daily training. He had not trained them for three days now, leaving them in Kent¡¯s care, which he found was not such a bad idea. The man was no longer in his prime, but he could take the role of an instructor just fine, especially when it was simple exercises. Add decided that in the future, once Kent became completely familiar with the exercises, he would let him take over the physical training of the new cadets, while he would focus on giving them the military training. After watching over the training of the cadets for the remaining day, and correcting any faults he could see, he retired to his study. He sat on his chair, his eyes up towards the ceiling as he immersed himself in his thoughts.


    (Family¡­ In the past life, I never knew who my parents were, from as early as I could remember I was already an orphan¡­.)


    Traces of sadness and longing appeared in his cold and emotionless eyes.


    (How many times was it¡­I saw families happily walking around with their children, hand in hand with their parents¡­. While I could only watch, longing for a my family, my own roots¡­ Even when I grew up¡­ that longing never changed, my comrades would speak of their families, about how they wanted to see their parents after they finished the mission¡­ but I had nowhere to return and no one to return to¡­ Even in this life, it seems I am destined to not have a mother¡¯s love or a father¡¯s care¡­¡±


    Add had always kept his emotions controlled and buried at the bottom of his mind, but today after listening to Martha, who was so worried for him, his mind was stirred. The love of family, a ting so alien to him. Something he always wanted, but never had. Even the many enemies he killed in his previous life, most of whom were criminals and terrorists, had families, but not him. He could not help but sigh at his fate. Although he did not believe in destiny, some things were just beyond his control. A firm resolve gradually filled his heart.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 12 - A Step Forward

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    His heart set on its goal, he began his work. Back in his room he opened the system shop and purchased a Grade D gene enhancer. The price was 50,000 CP, five times the price of the Grade E enhancer. After the purchase a similar injection appeared in his inventory, with no notable differences to the previous one. Without hesitation, Add injected the liquid into his arm and a familiar pain coursed through his body, but this time it was slightly less compared to the first time he had taken the gene enhancer. His consciousness gradually left him, while the enhancer did its job slowly modifying his body on the cellular level. In the morning, Add woke up and found himself similarly covered in sweat and grime, while his stomach protested of hunger. Ignoring all this, he opened his stats to see what exactly had changed:


    _ _ _ _ _


    STATUS


    Name : Add (Adolf Kaiser Weismann)


    Race : Human


    Credit Points : 395,000


    ATTRIBUTES :


    Vitality : 10 -> 18


    Strength : 10 -> 20


    Agility : 10 -> 15


    Dexterity : 8 -> 12


    Defence: 8 -> 15


    Intelligence : 6 -> 7


    Wisdom : 5 -> 6


    Stamina : 8 -> 12


    Charm : 5 -> 6


    Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Low)


    _ _ _ _ _


    His strength stat had increased the most this time, while the others increased substantially. The intelligent and wisdom stats had increased the least which was a bit of a shame. He also noticed that although his stats had increased, the increase this time was not as much compared to the previous increment. In doubt, he asked the system for clarification. Its reply was somewhat expected, yet still kind of a letdown;


    [The Gene Enhancers work by increasing the genetic potential of the host and purifying the genetic material. The viral machines present in the enhancer delete unnecessary portions of genetic material while inserting new and beneficial parts in their place. This leads to overall increase in the body¡¯s physical capabilities.]


    [Initially the host¡¯s body was underdeveloped, and hence the stats were lower than average. As such after the first enhancer did its work, the effect appeared greater than it actually was. When the second enhancer was applied, it worked as it was designed to and the increase was more in line with the general trend.]


    Add sighed, it was clear that he would have to keep taking the Gene Enhancers one grade at a time to accumulate their effects. Also, if one wanted to skip all the lower grades of Gene Enhancers and directly inject the Grade S enhancer, that was simply a death wish. Injecting a Grade S Enhancer in a normal body, or even a body with even the E grade enhancer applied, will lead to incontrollable mutations, which if not killing the person outright would turn him or her into a hideous mutant. Add definitely was not willing to become hulk, so he would do things step by step. He wanted to purchase the Grade C Gene Enhancer but it was priced at 500,000 CP! He would have to go collect more as soon as possible.


    ¡°This is such a pain¡­.¡±


    The young master was finally realising the joys of grinding. Despite this, he was in no hurry, everything would be done in due time. After having his breakfast he decided to check the actual increase in strength. Going into the woods around the mansion, he found a large tree that had a hard bark and punched it with all the force he could muster. The poor tree shook a little in response, with many dead leaves and small twigs falling off while the area where the punch had landed had sunk about two centimetres inside. On the other side, his hand which normally should have broken was totally intact aside from a few scratches and a slight numbness. This clearly demonstrated that his strength was much greater than before. If a normal person punched this hard, they would probably not leave any mark on the tree but break a few bones instead. He then proceeded to test his stamina, his reflexes and anything else he could think of.


    After hours of testing his abilities, he concluded that the increase in his physical abilities was rounded; rather than increasing his strength sharply the performance of the body increased gradually as a whole. it was as if he was evolving, not over the course of millions of years, but within hours. The gene enhancer really lived up to its name. He could only guess what the effects of the higher grades will be. For now however, he was content with the progress and he increased his own training regimen as well to keep up with the increase in his ability.


    For the next few days, aside from physical and sword training he usually stayed in his study, not going to hunt any monsters. Occasionally he also went to inspect the training of the cadets which had been left to Kent. At his orders, Walter the treasurer also began collection information on the various situations and important groups and people in Rigel. Aside from that, the townsfolk often saw the young lord out on the streets with no guards whatsoever, leisurely walking around. What they did not know was that he was observing every notable detail, piecing together the various reports Walter was sending him. Of these what raised his concern was the poor state of law management in his territory. The 500 man strong militia was barely enough to watch over the town and the surrounding villages were only guarded by small groups of one or two dozen men. These were always at risk of dangers from both monsters and bandits that plagued the area. The militia itself had gotten corrupt and acted more like the lackeys of Dave the captain. It was clear that Dave had to be removed, but it was not the right time yet.


    The other important thing of concern was the complete dependence of the traders and small businessmen on the merchants for any income to the territory. Due to the remote location of Rigel, only a few merchants were willing to come here to trade, and they had formed a sort of monopoly, buying the local produce at cheap prices, while they made large profits selling them elsewhere. The small traders of Rigel could not go to other large cities to trade by themselves as they were too far and the path was filled with danger. Only wealthy merchants who travelled in large convoys and could hire strong mercenaries to protect them could travel safely. This severely decreased the earnings of the people. But that was not it. Many important commodities like salt, yarn etc. and almost all of the currency came through these traders., making their hold on the economy even stronger. Add noted all these things in his mind. Soon he would have to take action, for if the Weismann territory was to prosper, it had to completely become master of its own economy.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Finally the month ended, and Add decided that the cadets had enough of the basic physical training. By now the 100 cadets had adapted into the schedule he had set for them, and almost all of them could now follow the clock. It was time for the real training to begin. Early morning of the first day of the new month the cadets assembled at the field for their every day training, but instead of Kent who was in charge of training them, they met the young master, no, the instructor again. His face was cold and expressionless as usual as he gazed at the cadets before him. They were still a bit sloppy but not beyond hope. The 100 men standing in 10 lines, silently, not speaking a word felt quite nostalgic to Add. After they had completed their routine run, he gathered them together.


    ¡°Cadets, today I have both good news and bad news for you people¡­¡± he began,


    ¡°The Bad news is, your physical training ends today. Congratulations you have completed it.¡±


    The cadets were clueless. ¡®Why would that be bad news ?¡¯ they all thought. If anything it was the completely good news. They would be spared of exercising all day, and many of them could not help but smile. But the instructor had yet to finish.


    ¡°The Good news is that the actual training starts now! What you all had been doing till now cannot even be considered as warm up! It can only be called bringing you into shape! From now onwards, for the coming 6 months, you will be experiencing what real training is! So prepare yourselves!¡±


    The faces of 100 men fell. They appeared to have suffered a great impact. For the past 20 or so days they had been toiling every day, thinking that it could not get any worse, but today the instructor dropped a bomb, shaking them all up. One of them opened his mouth wanting to say something.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Instructor this---¡°


    He was met with an icy look from the young instructor.


    ¡°You have any problems cadet ?¡±


    Looking at his face and remembering how ruthless this instructor was, the cadet immediately shook his head and returned to silence. Not one man dared speak again. Satisfied at their response, Add continued;


    ¡°All of you, pack your things and meet me here by noon. This place is too small to continue further training. We will have to change places. At noon I want you all here, did I make myself clear ?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Yes Instructor!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Then you all are dismissed!¡±


    After being dismissed, the cadets quickly scrabbled to pack their things. They wondered where the instructor wanted to take them to, and what did he mean by actual training. But one thing that all of them understood was that the Instructor really hated anyone being late, and it was not at all wise to anger him, or else the consequences would be really harsh.


    ¡°Well then, I should begin preparing as well, after all now begins the difficult part..¡±


    Murmured the Young Master as he watched the cadets disperse, while Kent who had been informed of some details regarding what was to come, watched them with a slightly worried expression on his face. Once the cadets had packed their luggage and arrived at the gates of the Weismann estate as instructed, they found some horse carts waiting for them. Add had hired as many carts as he could, but even then it would take two rounds of travelling to carry 100 people to their destination which was over ten kilometres away in the north of Rigel. This place was chosen by Add a few days ago while he was exploring the area, for a potential place to build a training camp.


    The place he finally chose, was a sparsely forested patch of land on the banks of a river name by the locals as Lucent. It flowed down from the ice caps of the great dividing ranges and was quite large, at over 100 metres wide. The area was quite wide and flat, and extended for around a kilometre till the sparse trees gave way to thicker forests. This place was a good spot to build the training camp he wanted, as I was far from the town and had no villages close by as well.


    When the first group arrived, they were joined by a small group of carpenters and masons. These people were also hired by Add, to serve a particular purpose. To build the training camp from scratch in this otherwise desolate place. When the cadets learnt that they would be staying here from now on, for an in definite period of time, their faces were very spectacular to see. Since there were no buildings to stay in, they were given tents, each able to hold 4 cramped individuals.


    As a whole, these tents formed a temporary camp. Only the young master had a smaller tent all to himself. Now, one may wonder if it was alright to camp in the middle of a monster infested forest, but Add had already thought of that. He had thoroughly gathered information about the possible risks, and monsters lurking around this particular area, and the results were not too depressing. He figured that was long as the group was alert, they should have no problems staying away from harm, and this would also serve as a good training for the cadets.


    The Young Master had also brought the cooks and helpers who prepared the meals for the cadets back in the estate, who had arrived alongside rations and food supplies early in the morning. After the last of the cadets had finally arrived, Add divided them into 4 groups and assigned specific works to each group. The first two groups were told to follow the carpenters and clear the area by cutting down the trees which would then be used to make the buildings in which the cadets would be staying during the course of their training.


    The trees in this area were rather thin, but tall, and their trunks were mostly straight, making them ideal building materials. The second group was charged with setting up the tents, and after that, collect water and helping the cooks gather. And the last group joined the masons, to dig temporary latrines, a work not so pleasant, but important nonetheless. Add himself kept making round of the entire premises ensuring that everything was going smoothly while also looking out for any monsters that came too close.


    By the time evening fell, many small oil lamps lit up in the camp. These lamps did not use, oil derived from petroleum, that commodity had yet to be discovered by the people of Iseria. The oil used for them came from the seeds of a plant called ¡°Klifol¡±. The oil was too disguising to be used as cooking, but served quite well as fuel for lamps and wicks. The Klifol trees grew in large numbers in the hills, so the oil was quite plentiful and cheap fuel. The cadets had their dinner comprising of bread, and a soup of vegetable and meat, after which Add explained to them the plans for the coming few days.


    The cadets would be helping the carpenters and masons who would be building the buildings of this ¡®camp¡¯ from the next day onwards. All in all there would be the main building which would serve as the residence and office of the Instructor, that is Add himself, 4 barracks for the cadets, 2 barracks for the other people like cooks and helpers, 1 mess hall coupled with a kitchen (for having the meals), A large hall for evening lectures, an armoury, 4 storage sheds, a horse shed and lastly two bathhouses and sanitation facilities in the form of deep pit latrines. There would also be a 4 metre tall wooden fence surrounding all these buildings. Aside from that there were also the various structures and obstacle courses he needed for training the cadets.


    Completing all these would take a lot of time, so Add had asked Walter to gather 100 more people to work alongside the masons and carpenters to complete it. The pay offered was quite nice with 30 coppers for a day¡¯s work. This was a big project, and the masons estimated that it would take at least 6 months to complete all of it. A total of around 100 gold coins would be spent on this work, which considering the economic situation of the Weismann house, was a severe hit to the treasury, but Add had to go on with it. To train a proper army, he needed a proper place as well. The work would start from the next day onwards, and the training of the cadets would go on alongside it. After discussing this with the cadets, he began dividing them into groups. The 100 cadets were divided into 5 groups of 20. Add called these groups, ¡°platoons¡±. Next he appointed a Lieutenant who would in charge/leader of each platoon, and a sergeant, who would serve as the in charge/leader in absence of the Lieutenant. These ranks were given to those whom, Add felt were suitable for the post. The other cadets would be given ranks after the completion of their training. When addressing a ranked cadets, the others had to place a ¡®comrade¡¯ before the rank of the said person; that is, when addressing a Lieutenant, others would have to call him ¡°comrade Lieutenant¡±. All the while Kent, who had also followed them here, kept noting the names of the people who were being assigned the ranks.


    After this was done, Add informed the cadets that they would have to keep watch every night from now on. 10 cadets, two from each platoon were to be awake in shifts to keep watch and perform minor duties which included patrolling their barracks area, keeping watch for any animals or monsters from entering the premises and watching out for any cadets attempting to leave the barracks area. Each pair of cadets on watch would wake the next pair of cadets from their respective platoons, at the end of their one-hour shift. The ones left without having to wake up would be the first to start the watch next night. He dubbed this duty as Night watch. He also strictly emphasised that the Lieutenants and sergeants would be held responsible for any mistakes their platoon makes, and hence they were to see that the cadets under them were working properly and maintaining the discipline they were expected to. Once all this was done, the cadets were dismissed and everyone retired to their tents to sleep for the night.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The next morning, the cadets gathered together in lines and awaited their orders. They now had a much larger field to train in and the fresh morning air was quite soothing.


    ¡°From Today onwards you will begin the actual military training! On that matter, let me be frank with you all. When you were recruited, I believe many or even most of you had thought that your job will be that of a guard at the Weismann Estate. However, as you may have felt, that was not the case. For those who still have doubts, let me be clear; what I am training you to be, are not just pathetic watchmen, who can swing a sword or two. No! you lot are being trained to be soldiers! Soldiers who will represent the military might of our territory! In the future, it will be upon you all to ensure that the people of Rigel, including your families, and all that live in our territory, are protected from all threats, be it human or monster.¡±


    The cadets stood still, as Instructor Add spoke with his usual cold and flat tone. There were helpless smiles on many faces, and worry on others. These people may not be geniuses, but with all that had been happening ever since they joined; it did not take too much thought to understand that they were not going o be just guards. And now they realised that their suspicions were all true, they were being trained for the army after all.


    ¡°I must also remind you that whatever you think that you know of the army, it would be best if you forget it, throw it out of your head. From now on, whatever I teach you will be the only things you need to remember.¡±


    ¡°Then before we begin, I will ask all of you a question, and I hope you will answer me honestly. Do you understand ?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°YES SIR!!!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what do you think a soldier fights for ? You there, try answering me¡­¡±


    He pointed at a cadet who appeared to be under 20 years of age. The man in question became tensed, and his darted all around trying to find an answer.


    ¡°Uh..that¡­for the loyalty to the lord he serves, sir ?¡±


    He squeezed out such an answer after thinking for a while. But Add shook his head and asked another cadet.


    ¡°For the honour of a warrior ?¡±


    That was also not the answer he was looking for, so he asked another cadet. But no matter what answer they gave, it did not satisfy the instructor. Finally, he stopped asking any more cadets and spoke himself.


    ¡°The question I asked you, is a common question, every soldier will ask in his life at least once. The answer to this question, itself is the very essence of being a soldier. Unfortunately, none of the answers you have given me can be called the perfect one. So let me explain. What a soldier fights for is not honour, it is not wealth, it is not loyalty to the lord as well or any such things. He fights to protect three things. The first is to protect his ¡°motherland¡±, the land where he was born, from which the entirety of him came. The second, is to protect his parents who raised him, his wife and his children. And finally, he fights to protect his fellow soldier, who stands by him in life and death. That is the difference between a soldier and any other person. He lives his life not for himself, but to protect those which he holds dear!¡±


    The cadets listened in silence, his words reverberating in their minds. Till now, they had never thought of such things. The human society of Iseria was a feudalistic one, where the nobility was supreme. All armies were loyal to the lords and kings which raised them. Loyalty to the country as a whole itself was very rare, if not absent. The common belief was that the nobles were most important, and loyalty to them was of utmost importance, but what Add told them, was effectively disregarding the common beliefs of the people.


    ¡°So I want you to remember this well! From today, till the moment you die, you must always remember what it is that you are fighting for. What it means to be a soldier! Your life is no longer yours, but it belongs to the ¡°motherland¡±. Why? Because all that is you came from the motherland, and when you become dust, that dust will once again return to her! I don¡¯t know if there are any gods, for I have not seen one ever. But I believe that if there is any god, then it¡¯s the land which gave birth to me. I hope that those of you that also consider yourselves to be soldiers will fight to ensure that the ¡°motherland¡± will be safe, that your families will be safe, and that the soldier beside you would be safe!¡±


    The faces of the cadets were now solemn, and even the many workers who were working around them, felt the heaviness of the words he spoke.


    ¡°The life of a soldier is not easy, go become a farmer if you want a easy life. This life is one of pain, hardship and labour! Remember! You are the first and the last line between all the dangers and the ones that you wish to protect! In this line of work, some of you will not make it. We are only human, so it is inevitable that we will die. You cannot change that fact, but; what you can change is the way you meet your end. Whether you die as a helpless man trying to survive, or a soldier who has the courage to take a stand and fight till the end. Take pride in who you are, for not every man can become a soldier. That is your honour, that is your pride! Do you understand!?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°YES SIR!!!¡±¡±¡± Their voices echoed, as the cadets responded with all their might.


    ¡°If you are to die, defending your motherland, worry not for your families, for as long as I am alive I ensure that every such man would be labelled a martyr, and their families will be the responsibility of the state. I will make sure that your families don¡¯t sleep hungry if you are no longer there to provide for them, so I want you to be relieved in that aspect.¡±


    Hearing this, the cadets shook. They had never heard of this before. All of the cadets were from the common folk, and the nobles rarely cared for their lives. Once a soldier died, his family would usually be left to fend for themselves. Generally, when soldiers died, only the families of distinguished soldiers got some reasonable sustenance from the state, while the families of regular soldiers were given a few silvers and then left to fend for themselves. The cadets never expected Add to promise to take care of their families after they died, but having trained under him till now, they felt that he was not lying.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 13 - Instructor From Hell

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    After he had said what he wanted, Add began explaining to the Cadets, how their training would proceed. He had formulated a plan based on the training, the modern armies of earth gave to their new recruits. The first stage was called Basic Combat Training (BCT). This was the first step in the actual military training. It was assumed that the cadets who entered this training were 100% rookies and all the ways of the armed forces had to be drilled into them thoroughly. They would all be taught the same basic procedures and skill set so they are ready to properly work together and defend themselves, as well as their fellow soldiers, whenever and wherever necessary.


    It would span for 2 and a half months, and was divided into 3 phases, namely the Phase 1, 2, 3 respectively. Each phase would extend on for a month. During this time, Add would drill into them the modern way of war fare, but the most important thing that the cadets had to in this time frame learn was team work; how to perform tasks as a team, learning each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses and adjusting the pace to match with the team. Wars, no matter in which era or age, are never won by individual, it¡¯s a group effort, the combined efforts of all the soldiers, working as one large team, that take an army to victory.


    In the first cadets would have to follow all orders strictly and all of their actions would be under monitoring of the Instructor. Any errors or mistakes would be severely criticised and have to be corrected. Also if the mistakes are severe, the whole platoon would be subjected to punishment, no matter how many or who committed the mistake. This would foster a sense of solidarity among the unit. The Drill and ceremony training would also begin from the first week, which included the cadets being taught the correct procedures for marching and body movements such as standing at attention, "facing" (right-face/left-face), "at ease," "to the rear" and the many others. During the evenings, after the training was over, the cadets would be attending lectures in which they would be taught the seven ¡®Core Values¡¯ every soldier must have, which include loyalty, duty, respect, sacrifice, honour, integrity and personal courage. They would also be taught subjects that involve day-to-day personal life in the Army, and the strict rules and discipline they must always abide by.


    By the end of the first week, the cadets were already suffering. The relentless practicing of drills, coupled with rigorous physical exercises, made them exhaust all their energy every day. Then there were the various rules and code of conduct that every soldier had to follow. There was a lot, and since most of the cadets didn¡¯t know how to read and write, they had to depend on the few who could and memorise as many as they could. And if the instructor ever saw them breaking a rule, then life would become a whole lot worse. They also learnt many new things such as the systematic and coordinated marching, which was very hard to do, and even after practicing for a week they had made little progress, which made the instructor make them work even harder. Marching alone was easy, marching in sync with 20 people, was very hard, when everyone had to mach everyone else¡¯s movements. It took them 2 weeks before they managed to finally attain an appreciable degree of cooperation and synchronization. During this time, the carpenters, masons and workers had built the many obstacles and training equipment that Add had ordered. These included a 50 foot wall made of straight tree trunks, a series of rope walks and ladders placed across ditches and between trees, and a running track with ditches, wooden stumps and rocks placed all over. There were also a series of trenches dug around, and filled with some water to form a muddy drain like structure. All of these would be needed for the next part of the training training.


    After they had been taught how to march and the rules of the army, Add moved to the second part of Phase 1 training. The cadets were looking very different than they had been when they arrived at the camp. Firstly, all of them had their beards and moustaches shaved clean, and their hair was also trimmed down, almost revealing the scalps. This of course had been done under the orders of young master Weismann who flatly stated that if the cadets did not prepare themselves properly, he would gladly do it for them. As to how or what he would do, no one knew and no one wanted to try to know as well. Four barbers had been specially brought into the camp for this purpose, as no modern do-it-yourself razors existed yet. Secondly, they were all dressed in matching sets of plain clothes. The clothes had not been coloured and had a brownish grey tint of the yarn used to make them. These were made of thick and coarse yarn, and were tough enough to withstand the daily training the cadets would be subjected to. Joey the tailor had made them just as the Young Lord had requested him to.


    ¡°They should be tough enough to last for a long time, and cheap. Comfort is a secondary priority.¡±


    Although these clothes did not compare to modern materials, it was better than nothing. Each cadet had been given two pairs of the clothes, which he introduced as the ¡°cadet uniform¡±. Although not the ideal, training wear, these were the best Add could afford now, and as long as they stayed in the training, they would be wearing these only. He also got them shoes, which were made of cheap leather. However, these were not to be worn during training, as the leather didn¡¯t sit well with rough use, dirt and grime. Although he could buy all these things, but he chose not to waste his CP on such trivial things which could still be managed. The precious CP could only be used to obtain important items and skills which he could not obtain otherwise.


    In this part, he taught the cadets the basics of unarmed combat training, also known as hand-to-hand combat. This included training to subdue armed enemies with wooden swords and blunt spears as substitute and also hand to hand brawling. The evening classes were about navigation, using the position of the sun, using land marks to keep track of one¡¯s way etc. Add introduced the compass to them. The cadets who had gradually familiarised themselves with the clock, now obtained another item to rack their brains after. Although magnets and lodestones were being long used in Iseria, a modern compass no matter how simple, was still more accurate than those. He also taught them simple map reading and how to estimate distance on the maps, although without the knowledge of SI units like metre and centimetre much of it was crude estimation.


    What followed was running with a heavy log on the shoulder, which simulated carrying a wounded comrade away from a fight. Then there were the laps around the obstacle course, which tested the cadets¡¯ stamina, flexibility and physical limits. They had to climb the 50 foot tall wooden all, with little grip on the smoothened surface, and depending on their arms to carry them up. There was also the tight rope walk over a aitch filled with water. The cadet had to walk over a thick rope tied between two trees while taking support from another thinner rope which ran in parallel above the main rope. If they slipped and fell, it was a ten metre dive into a ditch of cold muddy water. Which was not too risky, except for the few cadet¡¯s who did not know how to swim and had to learn that as well. But perhaps the most horrific part were the narrow and dark trenches. These were long ditches barely four feet deep, filled with mud and water and covered by wooden planks, making a dark and suffocating drain. The cadets had to crawl through these drains, with close to no sense of direction whatsoever. Lastly, they were taught the most basic of first aid techniques. How to clean and dress a wound, how to deal with a broken bone etc.


    And the performance of Instructor Weismann also cannot be not mentioned. Over the one month, he ruthlessly put the cadets in their place. He relentlessly trained them, in every way he knew. Even if some cadet made mistakes repeatedly, he berated them harshly and explained to them again and again, until they corrected it. He would often drop by the tents of the cadets, without any warning and scare the living daylights out of them. His punishments were also harsh. Once a few cadets tried to poach the alcohol kept for medicinal purposes; which was edible by the way, just simple fermented ethanol; and he found out. As a reward, the three cadets who did that were tied to wooden poles and left standing the entire day under the hot sun. They were only released when they all fainted. Events like this, coupled with his usual deadpan and icy expression and harsh relentless training, made the cadets give him the nick name : The Instructor from Hell. Add of course heard it but unless anyone made the error of saying that to his face, he paid no mind. During this time, he had also been hunting monsters for meat frequently, ensuring that the cadets have a stable supply of meat, all the while also adding a little to the income by selling the monster materials.


    After a month of this ¡®hellish¡¯ training, the cadets had suffered so badly, that most of them felt like crying and almost everyone regretted enlisting. It was not all bad however, as they had learned how to follow the basic drill commands, marching, navigating through obstacles and many other skills, and could now proceed to the next portion of the training. But for that, Add needed something, and that something needed a lot of CP. He also needed to buy the Grade C gene Enhancer, which required a lot of CP in itself, so once again, he set out to farm credit points.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The Hills near Rigel, were an extension of the Great Dividing Ranges. These hills extended for around 30-40 kilometres in width, before giving way to the actual mountain range which was over 800 kilometres, with countless enormous peaks, wide valleys and deep ravines. These immense mountain range had a wide variety of dangerous monsters and beasts and also home to many magical beasts. For now, Add did not have enough confidence in going there, so he stuck around the forested hills. While hunting monsters, he was taking a meandering path, going diagonally through the hills and changing direction every day. In this way he was able to cover a wider area than he would have done if going straight. During this time, he encountered many strange beasts, there were large cat-like monsters, carnivorous plants, hordes of feral rats and many more. But after 5 days of travelling, he crossed paths with the most dangerous monsters he had encountered till now, a pack of 9 Dire wolves, a kind of monster commonly found in this region.


    These monsters were similar to the wolves found on Earth, however they were twice as large as the largest wolves back on Earth. They were very intelligent and could gauge the strength of their enemies to some extent. These cunning creatures hunted in packs and applied various tactics in their attacks. Although a single Dire Wolf was only at D rank, a pack of them was C ranked. They also had thick hides, which made them resistant to attacks. The group of 9 dire wolves had encircled Add and when he had fired the AK-47 on them, they had just flinched a little, clearly, the AK-47 was not strong enough to hurt them unless the bullets hit weak spots like the eyes, belly etc. However, using the PKP machinegun, combined with his upgraded agility and enhanced senses, Add managed to kill 6 of them, before the remaining 3 escaped.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    After walking quite far away from the spot where he killed the wolves, he rested for a while. Sitting in the shade of a tree, he opened the system to purchase some new weapons, by now he had gathered almost 500,000 CP and he could invest some of it into new weapons. His physical strength was decently high, and he could carry stronger weapons now. He began looking for a better weapon, a rifle to be precise. The AK-47 had proved to be a tad bit insufficient when dealing with the Maned Boar and Goblin champions. The gun itself had no problems, it was just the fact that it had been designed to kill humans and not monsters. So, he needed something stronger for an Assault rifle. As usual there were hundreds of firearms to chose from in the system shop. He looked around for a while and then decided on the following :


    _ _ _ _ _


    <h1>Item : AK 54R (Model 20XX) Experimental Assault Rifle</h1>


    Description : The AK 54R Rifle is an experimental rifle based on the AK seriers of rifles and chambers the standard Soviet 7.62x54mmR cartridge. It has a cyclic firing rate of 650 ¨C 700 rounds per minute. It can fire both in semi ¨C automatic mode as well as full ¨C automatic mode. The rifle comes with many improved features such as; Hammer forged heavy barrel, including a chrome lined barrel bore, chamber, gas block and gas piston, mounts for various optical sights and 1.5mm thick receiver. The rifle is made using a combination of alloy steel and high density plastic polymers giving it both durability and reducing the weight. The barrel is slightly longer to increase accuracy and the recoil mechanism has been improved to reduce recoil.


    Effective Firing Range : 600 metres


    Price : 8,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    This weapon had been developed by the Kalashnikov Concern in the initial years of World War III to provide more effective firepower against the ever improving body protection technologies. The rifle was built on the standard AK pattern with some changes and had been rigorously tested and its issues fixed and fine tuned. Although it had proven very effective in trials, it ultimately did not end up going to production. The high quality materials used to make it were quite costly and so a cheaper and more economical version was accepted instead. Far from being a failure however, also laid the base for even deadlier rifles. There were many features which made it desirable. The stock of the rifle was adjustable to varying lengths from the rear of the receiver.


    The gun also implemented ambidextrous controls for both left-handed or right-handed shooters. The integral internal working components were all lined in chrome to protect against corrosion and make for a long-lasting system capable of much abuse. Four accessories rail systems completed the design, located along the top of the receiver, the sides of the forward hand-guard and the lower region of the hand-guard. It accepted 10, 20 and 30 round box magazines which were easy to attach an detach. It could fire Armour Piercing rounds as well. Overall it was a powerful and accurate rifle and quite robust and durable as well and designed to perform optimally in any kind of environment.


    He held the sleek looking black weapon in his hands and familiarised himself with its mechanics. The rifle came with two adjustable front and rear sights while additional optics could also be purchased and mounted if needed. The entire rifle was around 3 feet long and weighed less than 5 kilograms with its magazine added. It was quite lightweight as various plastic composites and alloys were used in it reducing its weight. After getting familiar with it, Add slung it by his body and the AK-47 was put into the inventory as a reserve. He then purchased 10 magazines for the AK-54R, each having a 30 round capacity and priced at 100 CP per magazine, and 700 extra rounds of ammunition.


    Monsters such as the [Dire Wolves] were by no means an easy prey, and from his short encounter with a few of them, he knew that they were very cunning and worked in coordinated packs. There had also been other monsters which he had never heard of, so he looked for a solution in the system shop. As expected, he soon found a solution. For 25,000 CP he purchased a virtual encyclopaedia which contained all the monsters that lived in and around the Great Northern ranges. The price was high, but it was a vital item for Add who had close to no information regarding the monsters that dwelled here. Just as Tsun Zu had said;


    ¡°If youknowtheenemyandknowyourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If youknowyourself but not theenemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If youknowneither theenemynor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.¡±


    Information was a very critical asset and without sufficient information, even the strongest of people could fail miserably. The encyclopaedia, however was quite simple. It had a picture of the monster and mentioned the basic features of every monster, where it usually lived, its habits and briefly about the strengths and weaknesses. All this was very helpful while formulating plans.


    After resting for some time, he resumed his journey. He had a pair of binoculars with him, with which he was spotting for monsters. It should be mentioned that after taking two gene enhancers, his eyesight had also improved and he could see much clearer and much farther. Still it was not as good as an eagle so he had to depend on instruments to help him. The forest however, made it difficult to spot too far, as thick foliage blocked the view. When he reached by the Lucent river, he decided to deploy the drone as the banks of the river had much sparser vegetation, and the drone could fly there. The drone began scouting the area for any sizeable monsters which Add could hunt for decent CP. As it flew over a dense grove of trees beside the river, it suddenly spotted a large creature moving in the thickets, crushing and mowing down the vegetation in its path. Covered in a dull red fur with a large powerful skull, it was the size of a Land Rover.


    After witnessing the bear, Add immediately opened the encyclopaedia and going through it, he found that the monster was called the [Iron Clawed Bear]. This was a large bear that usually lived alone, and was extremely violent and ferocious. It was one of the apex predators in the region and its favourite nesting spots were beside water sources were it ambushed its prey. As the drone continued watching, it found that this particular bear lived in a large den, which seemed to have been dug into the face of a cliff a few hundred metres from the river. This bear was a monster well known for its violent nature and was extremely territorial, the territory of one bear could stretch over 500 square kilometres. Although it was a hunter, it ate whatever it could lay its hands, well paws on, not shying from rotting carcasses if it had to. It was classified as a B rank monster. But it was much stronger than a Goblin King which was also B ranked. Its fur and skin were very tough and it was very difficult to injure it. But its most dangerous feature were the sharp claws on its forelimbs each almost a metre long and very hard and sharp. They could easily tear a person in half and even shatter hard stones. A hit from its giant muscular body was strong enough to topple thick trees. Engaging this monster directly, with his current abilities was worse than suicide.


    To deal with this thing, he would have to plan carefully, this monster was very strong and would definitely give great rewards. The AK-54R would probably not be of any use, even a heavy machine gun would probably not be enough to bring it down in a short time. In fact any regular guns would probably have no effect on a thing that was built like a tank, a tank made of flesh and bones and perhaps even the .50 calibre sniper rifles would have difficulty killing this thing. The Iron Clawed bear was very aggressive by nature and if he couldn¡¯t kill it quickly, then being attacked, it would go on a rampage which would be problematic.


    ¡°Wait¡­.if its built like a tank¡­.then¡­.¡±


    A small grin appeared on his lips as he had already formulated his plan. If his opponent was a tank, he just had to use weapons which could destroy a tank. There were many weapons which could do so like Anti-tank mines, Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs), Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) etc. but considering his enemy that was a living creature, much more mobile and agile than a tank, the options became somewhat limited. After some consideration Add decided on the RPG.


    A RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) is a shoulder-fired</a> anti-tank weapon</a> system that fires rockets equipped with an explosive</a> warhead</a>. It can easily be carried by an individual soldier making them highly mobile and versatile in usage . The warheads are affixed to a rocket motor</a> which propels the RPG towards the target and they are stabilized in flight with fins. Add chose to buy this because it was quite cheap, lethal and he could easily reload it within seconds.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : RPG ¨C 7V2 (Grade : Normal)


    Description : The RPG-7V2 is a Shoulder-Fired, Single-Shot weapon with a Reusable Launch Tube. It uses a warhead with a caliber of 40 mm. It uses Standard Iron sights but advanced optics may be fitted as well.The ruggedness, simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness of the RPG-7V2 made it the most widely used anti-armour weapon in the world. The RPG had been used in almost all conflicts across all continents since the mid 20<sup>th</sup> century and its successors found their massive use in world war III. The RPG-7V2, is capable of firing standard and dual high explosive anti-tank</a> (HEAT) rounds</a>, high explosive</a>/fragmentation</a>, and thermo-baric</a> warheads</a> , with a UP-7V sighting device fitted which is used in tandem with the standard 2.7¡Á PGO-7 optical sight</a>, to allow the use of extended range ammunition. Depending on the users, it has a maximum firing rate of 4 rounds per minute.


    Effective Firing Range : 50 - 200 metres


    Price : Launcher - 4,000 CP


    Warhead ¨C 250 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    The weapon looked like a pipe with a rocket stuffed at one end. This was in accordance with age old soviet doctrine of ¡°making things as simple and as effective as possible at the same time. Weighing at around 7 kilograms, it was compact and easy to carry. Add purchased 10 warheads of the HEAT category since the skin of the bear was known to be very sturdy. Although standard high explosive warheads should be able to heavily damage the bear, he chose to use the HEAT rounds which should be able to penetrate through all that fur, skin and fat with ease. Now that he had the weapon, he proceeded with the next step : laying a trap. He spent the remaining time of the day finding a proper spot for the trap.


    The next morning, he had found a perfect place to ambush the bear; he had found a vantage point up a small cliff by the river bank. The place was close to the bear¡¯s den and there was enough shrubbery and bushes to hide his figure in, and now all he needed was something to lure his prey within his striking range. While he took position a group of [Maned Boars] slowly plodded onto the river bank to drink water. The group was very alert as they kept looking around for any threats, but they were unable to spot the human hiding quietly in the bushes on a nearby cliff. Add smiled, as the bait had just delivered themselves to him. He took aim with his sniper rifle, the boars blissfully unaware of their impending doom. Although these boars could run very fast, against the AX338, they were less than sitting ducks. Add managed to shoot down three boars before the rest escaped, but it was more than enough for him. They were just bait after all.


    The Iron Clawed Bears, like most bears were known to be scavengers as well. Although they usually hunted for their meals, they would never refuse any free food. As bears had a very sharp sense of smell, it would surely discover the carcasses before long. To be safe, Add had covered himself up with a paste of plant and grass leaves making him look like a person who had crawled out of some swamp. But it was a necessity, the strong leafy odour of the paste covered his own scent and made it almost impossible to be discovered, he did not want to take any chances of alerting the bear. There were no major obstructions in the way so he had a clear view of the dead boars and could see anything approaching them. He was also alert of his own surroundings, so that nothing could suddenly attack him from the back.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 14 - Killing The Iron Clawed Bear

    _ _ _ _ _ _


    Add¡¯s eyes were glued to the scope of the AX338 to see any movements in the area. The die had been cast, and now all he could do was sit and wait. The blazing sun heated the entire area and the corpses of the boars began giving of the dense smell of blood which the gentle river breeze carried into the forest. Hours passed, but aside from a few carrion birds and some small scavengers, no one else disturbed the bait. He patiently waited, snipers sometimes spent dozens of hours lying in wait for their target without moving, and although he was no sniper he could wait a few hours. But as time passed by and the sun was beginning to go down, the chances of the bear approaching seemed to get lower and lower. He had been at the same spot since midday and was thinking if his trap had failed to attract the attention of the bear.


    ¡°I will wait till evening, if it still does not show up, I will have to think of something else.¡±


    But then, after a few minutes, he noticed from the corner of his vision that some short trees and bushes began to move and along with a low growl, a large figure slowly bulldozed its way through the forest and onto the river bank. Add¡¯s eyes narrowed as a smile appeared on his lips. His prey had finally arrived. He watched in silence as the Iron Clawed bear came closer and closer to the bait. It was all going according to what he had planned. Now that the bear was in full view, through the magnification of the scope, he could see its every detail. The bear looked more like a oversized grizzly with much more muscle expect the fact that its fur was dull red in colour and the claws on its paws were really sharp and long. If not for having full confidence in this soviet designed weapon, Add would have not dared no mess with such a creature.


    ¡°Old But Reliable¡± the RPG ¨C 7V2 was a weapon one could always count on when wanting to destroy light armoured vehicles and less armoured tanks and today Add was going to test it against a monster, something no one had done before. He put aside his sniper rifle and picked up the RPG. A HEAT warhead was already placed on the launcher. Add had chosen the HEAT round since he theorized that to a living creature, an external explosion would not be as devastating as an internal was. The metal stream that came out of a HEAT round should be able to cause tremendous damage to the insides of the bear, at least in theory.


    A high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead is a type of shaped charge</a> explosive that uses the ¡°Munroe effect</a>¡± to penetrate thick tank armour. The warhead functions as follows. Inside the warhead, there is a thin sheet of metal (often moulded in the shape of a cone) before the actual explosive On hitting the target, the explosive charge inside the warhead explodes and turns the sheet of metal to melt due to the heat and pressure generated by the detonation and turns the metal into a liquid like state with a very high velocity. This form is called a ¡°superplastic jet¡± and is capable of penetrating armour steel to a depth of seven or more times the diameter of the charge (which is in the warhead). The stream material is formed by a cone of metal foil lining, usually copper</a>, though ductile iron</a> and tin</a> foil are also often used as a slightly less effective, but cheaper alternative.


    The HEAT warhead for the RPG ¨C 7V2 weighed at 2.6 kilograms with a diameter of 93 mm. With favourable conditions, a good aim and a bit of luck, at its best it could penetrate around 500 millimetres of Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA). Add was betting that the skin, fur and fat of the Iron Clawed bear would not be stronger than that. As he watched patiently, waiting for the bear to come within striking range, it suddenly stopped just after stepping on the river bank. Having lived and survived in the wild for so many years, the bear had some amount of appreciable intelligence.


    The Iron Clawed bear was quite cautious. It seemed to know that there was never any free lunch in this world. It stayed near the tree line and sniffed the air and looked around, its eyes moving from one corner to the other, trying to sense any danger or strange occurrence. After a few minutes of hesitation however, the primal urge to feed won over its caution and it slowly made its way towards the dead boars. Dressed in the soldier uniform with standard forest camouflage, Add blended in very well with the lush bushes of the cliff. He gave a sigh of relief, as he was starting to get worried that the bear might not fall for the bait. But finally it did. The giant weighing over an estimate of 2 tons arrived before the boars and after looking around for one last time, it began munching down on the dead boars. Its huge teeth tore flesh and crushed bones with ease.


    ¡°Steady....... Steady.....¡±


    Add mumbled in his mind as he now held the RPG-7V2 in his arms. He was kneeling on one knee while the other leg remained in a squatting position. This provided a still base to launch the RPG while also leaving room for mobility should the need arise. The iron sights of the launcher were aligned onto the bear eating meat, that was completely oblivious to what was going to befall it. It was greedily devouring the meat tearing apart the boars with is teeth and powerful claws. Add patiently waited. The bear was originally facing Add¡¯s direction but after sometime it turned a little to eat better, exposing its side to him.


    Now the RPG not a very accurate weapon from mid to long ranges. Its hit rate on a stationary target was 100% up till 50 metres. As for the bear which was some 180 metres away, the hit rate would be around 60%, provided that there was no crosswind. As such having the bead expose its side which was well over 5 metres in length and over 3 metres in height, was a very favourable situation for Add. Also there was little crosswind at the moment. He took one final confirmation of the target and pressed the trigger.


    *Whoooosssssshhhhh*


    The warhead immediately left the launcher at a speed of 115 metres per second, creating a cloud of light grey-blue smoke. The rocket motor would ignites after 10 metres and boost the speed to around 295 metres per second. The grenade was stabilized by two sets of fins that deployed in-flight: one large set on the stabilizer pipe to maintain direction and a smaller front set to induce rotation. The bear had good hearing and was immediately alerted by the sound of the weapon being fired, but its reaction was a bit slower than the speed of the RPG which arrived at it within 2 seconds. Looking at the strange object coming towards it, the bear immediately tried to run, but it was too late. The grenade hit it right after the ribs and exploded. The HEAT warhead exploded sending a piercing shot of semisolid metal into the body of the bear which perforated its thick fur, skin and layers of fat like a hot knife melts through butter.


    *Roooooaaaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!!!*


    The bear gave a very angry roar, filled with pain. Its skin and fur may be very sturdy but its insides were still soft and delicate. Having a stream of hot metal jutted into its body, caused massive injuries to its organs causing tremendous pain. However, for the bear this was not the end. Add immediately reloaded another warhead onto the launcher and fired, this time the bear that was shocked by the pain couldn¡¯t even dodge and was hit again. The RPG hit it just below the large hump of forearm muscles. Again, the stream of metal penetrated its skin with ease, drilling through its ribs and reaching its lungs. The heart was missed however, but the damage was already devastating. The shockwaves of the explosions had stunned it, and it couldn¡¯t move.


    The first shot had heavily damaged its intestines and some other organs causing massive internal bleeding while the second shot had practically crippled one of its lungs. However it was still standing, unwilling to fall. Add fired another two shots, one of which missed exploding on the ground near it while the other hit it the pelvis. The bear trembled and its large body, finally slumped onto the ground with a dull thud. It was not dead yet though, its eyes red from pain and rage as it continuously roared in hatred. Its roars however, were getting softer very fast. It tried to get up, but kept tumbling down again and again. There was only pain in its body, and it could not muster any of its rock shattering strength. Its eyes looked hatefully in the direction where the attacks had come from. There, it saw Add who was also gazing at it with a cold face.


    He went down from the cliff, carrying the launcher and another warhead in his hand. He however didn¡¯t go near it and stopped around 50 metres away from it. The bear maybe in a sorry state now, but one swipe from its paws, even in its weakened state, was enough to rip him apart if it landed. He never took needless risks. After thinking for a while, he readied the warhead and aimed at the bear¡¯s large head. It was time to put this guy out of its misery. The poor bear was a sitting duck as it watched in unwillingness, and the third shot hit its neck missing its head by inches. The neck vertebra was penetrated and the spinal column damaged, finally killing it.


    ¡°Well it was tougher than expected.....¡±


    Add was really a hit surprised at the toughness of this bear. It took three hits from a 93mm HEAT RPG and still didn¡¯t die. Only after the fourth round severed its spinal cord, did it finally die. This once again made him realise just how strong these monsters of Iseria were. It was not difficult to imagine what would have happened if he had to fight it directly without using the bait to lure it out and making it let down its guard and if he did not hand modern weapons at his disposal. It would be extremely dangerous and perhaps impossible for him to kill the iron clawed bear then. He could only imagine how strong the Magical Beasts would be.


    [Ding! You have killed Iron Clawed Bear x 1!]


    [Ding! You have received 50,000 CP]


    He had got a sizeable amount of CP from killing the bear, five times that of the Goblin King. According to the system, the bear was a B ranked monster and a very strong one, so the reward for killing it was also high. Even within the same rank, there could be large disparities between the strength of the monsters since ranks were something which humans had arbitrarily decided on. Then again, a monster¡¯s rank also depended upon its threat level. For example the Goblin king was not as strong as the Iron Clawed bear, however it could command hordes of goblins to fight for it which made it equally dangerous if not more, when compared to the bear. Still the bear was a hulking beast of a tank by its own right.


    What Add did not know however, was that much of the information of the actual strength of Iron clawed bears was unknown as even rank 4 warriors tend to bypass this monster if possible. The reason being its extremely violent nature, and unreasonably high strength. This bear didn¡¯t fear death. It would take its attacker down, even at the cost of its life which made it a very bad prey to hunt. No one wanted to mess with a large monster which could crush stones to bits was reasonably fast and above all had no care for its life.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Fortunately for Add he had the support of modern weaponry, which allowed him to attack the bear from a distance otherwise considered too far, and deal mortal damage. Having modern weapons was a huge advantage and he knew it. In this world where guns and firearms did not exist and only cold weapons like swords, arrows, spears etc. were available, close quarter combat was the normally the only way of battle, unless one was a skilled archer or a mage that could use long range spells. There were however, some archers who had enough strength to pierce the bear¡¯s hide with arrows, they were warriors with great strength, but they were few and far in between.


    Now that the bear was dead, he thought if he should store its corpse inside his inventory. The meat of the bear, like most carnivores it was not worth eating unless one was starving. Its skin however could be used to make armour and its bones could probably be sold. But thinking about it, he decided against it. It would be troublesome to explain how he had killed the bear and how he had carried its body back to Rigel, as he did not want to reveal his secrets to anyone yet. Also the skin was badly damaged after the hits from the RPGs so it was not worth it to take that as well. He gave up on the bear and moved on.


    Once again using the drone he began looking for monsters to kill. The drone soon located a large swarm of monsters along the river banks. From the sky, they looked just like a group of crocodiles, some basking in the sunlight on the river banks, and some swimming in the water. He quickly turned to the encyclopaedia for reference and after searching for a while, found that these monsters were called [Armoured Suriles]. Being C ranked monsters, these creatures were a type of lizards that usually dwelled in the river waters, living and hunting therein. They were greenish and brownish in colour and had elongated bodies, with short but wide heads, with powerful jaws containing long conical teeth. Their legs were quite short but were straight under their bodies unlike crocodiles, but similar to what dinosaurs had.


    There was also the tail which was long and covered in spikes with a par of longer sharper spines, at the tip serving as a deadly weapon. However, their defining feature was the thick armour of bony plates and half a foot long spikes which jutted out from their backs and sides, protecting them like a suit of armour. Their small eyes and belly were their only weaknesses, but since they crawled with their bellies almost sticking to the ground, it was hard to hurt them easily. These creatures grew over 5 metres in length and lived in groups. They resembled crocodiles in many ways, but unlike crocodiles who were slow on land, these creatures were equally fierce and nimble on land, always acting in swarms and tearing apart anything which they can get their jaws on.


    These large lizards were quite intimidating to look at and a closely pack group of them looked like a clump of moving spines. Thanks to this spiky armour and dangerous jaws, there were few creatures in this area that would dare mess with a swarm of Suriles. They were not the largest or the meanest of monsters, but they had their numbers to rely on. Even an Iron clawed bear would be sent running when facing a wall of spikes and pike like teeth. Also, these creatures like water, and they liked it a lot. According to the encyclopaedia, they spent most of their lives in water and only came to land to bathe in sunlight and lay eggs. And when in water, they became many times more deadly than on land. When he reached near the area where the drone had found the Suriles, he climbed on a tree a little distance away from the river bank and began observing the monsters.


    From here he could quietly observe the creatures, and was quite impressed looking at them. The drone did give a very clear and detailed view but, its battery life was not suited for prolonged observation. The Suriles looked really menacing with all those spines and the wide jaws filled with teeth. Up close, these creatures looked like a hybrid of a crocodile and iguana with spines added on top. Some of them were on the river bank, soaking sunlight, while most of them were swimming in the water, beyond sight. Now he just had to figure out, how to deal with a large swarm of creatures that were as ferocious as a crocodile, and armoured with spikes and plates, while at the same time, worked in groups like wolves and were fast and agile. One thing he understood though, that this was going to be much trickier than hunting the Iron Clawed Bear, and that was for sure. After considering all the factors and risks, Add was in bit of a trouble on how to deal with these monsters. They stayed on land for a very little time, and would flee into water, as soon as a threat appeared. And he was not going to get inside the water to deal with them, not while he was still sane. So after thinking for a while, he decided on a simple approach. The system shop opened its doors again.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : SC-214 Water Bomb


    Description : A bomb which was accidentally invented while making a hydrogen fuel cell. It uses a mixture of highly compressed hydrogen and oxygen as explosive to produce a sonic wave. The bomb has a destructive ability of 1 ton of TNT (Tri-Nitro-Glycerine) equivalent. The lethal range of the explosion is around 150 metres in all directions.


    Price : 5,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    The SC-214 Water Bomb was a classic example of success in failure. In the early years of world war three, a group of French scientists had been trying to invent an improved hydrogen fuel cell, which could power military vehicles, and eliminate dependency on fossil fuels. In this quest they invented a prototype fuel cell which when tested, went rouge and blew up the entire test facility. The project was shut down but the Swedish army noted the capability of the fuel cell as a weapon, and ordered it to be mass produced as a bomb, and not as a fuel cell. Over the years, many stronger variations of the SC-214 were designed, and while it was very destructive, it was a more eco friendly than any other bomb ever made since it only gave off water vapour as a by product of the explosion, and hence it was called a water bomb.


    The way it worked was fairly simple. The bomb¡¯s body was a cylindrical canister made of ultra-tensile steel alloy. It was a type of delayed fuse bomb, meaning that after being detonated it exploded after a delay of a few seconds. It worked mostly like a grenade, with a small button on top instead of a pin. After the button was pushed, a 20 second gap followed, during which the bomb could be thrown. After those 20 seconds, a tiny electric spark inside the bomb ignites the compressed mixture which burns and rapidly expands in volume, but due to the steel canister containing it, the pressure reaches extremely high and ultimately causes the canister to explode, sending a strong shockwave and shrapnel in all directions.


    Add chose this bomb since it was very powerful and produced a very strong shockwave, which was especially effective when dealing with living things as it literally churned their insides into mush. After taking 3 of these bombs just to be safe, he once again began looking for some bait. Suriles were hunter which hunted in swarms, and they hunted mostly in water rarely venturing to hunt on land. Add¡¯s plan was simple, throw a bait in the river, wait for the swarm to gather around and then explode the bomb right in the middle of them. He immediately thought of using the corpse of the Iron clawed bear he had killed earlier as bait, but it was a few kilometres away and he did not feel like going back again. Noting the area where the Suriles were in his mind, he began his search for some other bait. The Maned Boars would have been fine, but he didn¡¯t see any of them around. However, after some time, he did come across another group of monsters grazing in the shrubs.


    These were strange looking beasts, with long stretched heads, with large eyes and long drooping ears. The head also sported two curved antlers, which pointed to the front and were very sharp and pointed. The neck was short and thick, with a body that was disproportionately large with respect to their heads. They appeared to have no tails, and The hind legs were thick and sturdy while the front limbs were were thin and long ending in four fingers with sharp caws. Covered in a thick yellowish rope like fur, from a distance these looked more like a stack of hay, than a living thing. They appeared to be herbivorous as they were feeding on leaves, standing on their hind legs and tearing leaves and branches using the forelimbs. The overall length of their bodies was around three metres but they were fat and bulky. Add opened the encyclopaedia and began looking for a match.


    Although there were hundreds of thousands of creatures in there, they were divided into many parts, based on their habitat, their food etc. after a lot of searching he finally found a match. These creatures were apparently called Miroos. D ranked monsters, which usually lived in groups of 10 ¨C 20 individuals. They were devoted herbivores and lived a slow life, moving around in the forest, eating leaves and shrubs. However, if threatened, they would become very aggressive using their sharp claws and antlers to attack their enemies. Unlike many creatures which usually run away, they choose to fight instead. The thick fur was in fact very slippery and made it difficult for predators to grab onto them. But for Add, they were the perfect bait. As usual, he chose a tree some distance away from the group that was still eating, blissfully unaware of a human who had already decided their fate. He prepared the AX338 and began shooting.


    *BANG* *BANG*


    Without warning, the Miroos began collapsing one by one. Their thick fur which protected them from the bites and claws of the predators did not cover their heads, and the skull could not do much to top the powerful .338 bullets. Add did aimed at their heads to kill them in one shot, their thick fur and skin could probably prevent any serious injuries. He made a mental note to buy a stronger sniper rifle afterwards. Unable to see the attacker and unwilling to escape, their fate was sealed. In less than a minute 8 of the 11 Miroos were dead while only the 3 others had been smart and had run away. Add was not going to chase them, he had all the bait that he needed and there was no need to waste time on the runaways.


    [Ding! You have killed Miroo x 8]


    [Ding! Received 24,000 CP]


    The exp per Miroo was 3000, which was greater than the goblin champions that had D rank as well. After securing his bait, he stored the carcasses inside his storage and surveyed the river for a proper spot to commence his plan. Some distance away from the place where the drone had initially found the Suriles, there was a small sand island in the river, at a curve where the water flowed slowly. There were dozens of the Suriles basking in sunlight there. The small island was separated from the river bank by over 200 metres of water, so it had become sort of a no risk spot for them.


    There were some Suriles swimming in the channel between the river bank and the small island, Add quietly snuck by to the river bank and dropped the Miroo carcases into the river. Once he had thrown in the last Miroo, he quickly retreated behind the tree line and began observing. Before long the Suriles sensed the presence of the corpses in the river, and started to slowly approach the bodies. But they did not begun to swarm around the bodies immediately. Even they knew that there was no free lunch in this world, and were very cautious.


    But as the blood from the corpses seeped into the water, the smell attracted the Suriles, and soon, their primal instincts of wanting to feed, overpowered their caution. At first one Surile went to test the waters, it slowly approached a corpse and took a bite, then another came and then another¡­ within a few minutes, all the Suriles in the surrounding area, and those basking on the island had gathered and were twisting and tearing the Miroo carcasses, feeding with frenzy. Add watched in silence and waited till he was sure that almost all the Suriles had gathered. Then he pressed the detonation buttons on the 3 Water Bombs and with all of his strength, threw them in succession, right in the middle of the feasting Critters.


    *PLOP* *PLOP* *PLOP*


    The Suriles, too busy in their feeding didn¡¯t even realise that a few small cylinders had fallen beside them and kept eating and fighting for meat. After throwing them, Add ran in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him, lest he be blasted with the shock waves, and then, after 20 seconds¡­


    *BOOOOMMMM* *BOOOOMMMM* *BOOOOMMMM*


    Three subsequent and deafening explosions shook the area and a huge cloud of water jumped tens of metres into the air. The majority of the Suriles who were caught in the middle of these explosions, never knew what happened and were instantly blown to bits, while a few who were a bit farther away, were sent flying tens of metres across. Add who well over 200 metres was by now could still feel the shockwave pass over him.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    A/N :


    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION :


    <ol>


    <li>WARHEAD : A warhead is the explosive or toxic material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo. It is a type of bomb</li>


    </ol>


    <ol start="2">


    <li>Thermo baric weapon : A thermo baric weapon is a type of explosive</a> that uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, and in practice the blast wave</a> typically produced by such a weapon is of a significantly longer duration than that produced by a conventional condensed explosive.</li>


    </ol>


    <ol start="3">


    <li>The key to the effectiveness of a HEAT round is the diameter of the warhead</a>. As the penetration continues through the armour, the width of the hole decreases leading to a characteristic fist to finger penetration, where the size of the eventual finger is based on the size of the original fist. In general, very early HEAT rounds could expect to penetrate armour of 150% to 250% of their diameters, and these numbers were typical of early weapons used during World War II. Since then, the penetration of HEAT rounds relative to projectile diameters has steadily increased as a result of improved liner material and metal jet performance. HEAT rounds of RPGs used in the third world war could claim numbers as high as 500%.</li>


    </ol>


    _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 15 - Orcs

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    ¡°As expected of the Water Bomb, luckily it was not used in large numbers back on Earth¡­ still, how antis climatic, for those dangerous lizards to die just like that¡­¡±


    [Ding! You have killed Surile x 64]


    [Ding! Received 320,000 CP]


    As he was appreciating the power of the bombs, notifications began ringing in his ears. He left the riverside and went to a safe spot, in order to avoid any other beasts which may appear due to the disturbance. Once he was a good distance away, he opened the System screen and checked his spoils.


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    STATUS


    Name : Add (Adolf Kaiser Weismann)


    Race : Human


    Credit Points : 871,500


    ATTRIBUTES :


    Vitality : 18


    Strength : 20


    Agility : 15


    Dexterity : 12


    Defence: 15


    Intelligence : 7


    Wisdom : 6


    Stamina : 12


    Charm : 6


    Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Low)


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    ¡°Nice¡­¡±


    He was now close to having a million CP, which made him a bit excited. There were as lot of things he could buy from the system now. The first thing he did was to purchase the Grade - C Gene Enhancer which instantly reduced his balance by 500,000. Still, it was worth every point and Add kept it in his inventory, to use it later. He was in a forest where monsters roamed freely, and using a gene enhancer which knocked him out for hours every time he used it was not a bright idea. The next morning he left the area and looked for other monsters to hunt, the surviving Suriles had fled the place and the loud explosions had scared away nearby monsters, so staying around was not worthwhile. He then made his way upwards, towards the higher slopes of the hills. Till now he had been roaming in the foothill regions and valleys, and wanted to see if he could find better prey.


    The forests in the upper regions of the hills had changed their structure and instead of the moderately spaced trees below, dense foliage covered these higher slopes, with tall trees growing dozens of metres high and spreading thick canopies. The atmosphere was moist, almost everything was wet and there was a lot of under growing vegetation on the forest floor. Add who had ditched his original green-brown camouflage uniform, was now dressed in a black-grey camouflage uniform with heavy duty military boots which helped him blend with the dark ambience of these forests. The katana was kept at his waist, coupled with the AK-54R in his hands, and the large backpack on his back, he looked rather impressive, a samurai-soldier hybrid of sorts.


    On his way up he had been reading the encyclopaedia frequently, familiarising himself with the monsters he could face. There were thousands of them, so he mostly focused on D rank and above as F and E rank monsters were not worth worrying about. During this time, he also had to deal with a lot of monsters on the way, starting from giant snakes, to groups of feral rats and even some carnivorous plants, which could eat prey the size of a dog whole. There were also bigger threats such as a large cat-like monster called [Creothrax]. It had given him quite the trouble with its agility and reflexes. All these constant fights and attacks were a nuisance, but thanks to that he had gained decent amounts of CP and due to his regular use of the Katana when dealing with the monsters, his skill with the Katana had noticeably improved. After three days of trekking and killing random monsters, he spotted a large group of humanoid monsters. Looking through his binoculars, he quickly identified them as Orcs.


    They were usually as tall as humans, if not taller. With their tall and muscular bodies, Orcs posses brutish strength and raw power, and had a deformed human like appearance. They were generally, broad shouldered with a slightly bent posture, flat-nosed, with wide mouths and slant eyes, long arms, dark wrinkly skin, and large fangs. Their skin colour ranged from murky grey to bland shades of dull green. Most Orcs however had darker shades of black or brown skin. They had deformed faces which were looked like a very ugly human with his face flattened by a club. They have a good sense of smell and hearing but their eyesight is average. But some Orcs tend to have a more ''human'' shape and stronger than their peers. They have stronger bloodlines than regular Orcs and often lead their tribes.


    Orcs lived in tribes of a few dozens to hundreds, where the strongest one ruled. They had primitive ways in which the females stayed in the nests while the males went out to raid . They had their own coarse language and were more intelligent than goblins. Their tribes had various classes of Orcs, some more deformed short and weak, which were of the lowest position, while others were strong and occupied the mid level in the hierarchy. The average Orc was a C ranked Monster and had strength much greater that of a Goblin champion. The stronger ones would be B ¨C ranked and their tribe leaders could even reach A ¨C ranks. They loved to battle and were very barbaric, not using much, if any tactics, and clashing head on with their foes and overwhelming them with brute fOrce and numbers.


    The leaders of the Orc tribes were the strongest individuals. Orcs were inherently, evil, cruel, wicked, hateful, black hearted creatures, and hated everybody and everything including their own kin. But their hatred was particularly intense for humans and other prosperous races. However, despite their abominable nature and form, occasionally there were Orcs, which were not dim-witted but clever and crafty, and these types of Orcs were usually the leaders of large tribes. Orcs were able to make crude clothes too and many of them wore loincloths made of animal leather and used leather and fur as clothes on their torso. They primarily used weapons made of bone and wood, but could also use human weapons with ease, although not as elegantly. They were omnivores who ate almost anything, but preferred meat above all else. Especially Human meat. To them it was a delicacy. They often raided settlements of other races pillaging and slaughtering, which earned them hatred from all other races. Many times they would be killed by the other races, yet their breeding abilities were second only to goblins, and coupled with their intelligence, they thrived in the dark forests and woods, while some tribes also preferred caves and tunnels as their homes.


    All in all their intelligence could be compared to feral cavemen, but was still quiet good when compared to other monsters. Orcs usually hunted in groups, and the group Add spotted appeared to be a hunting party with 17 individuals. There was a few dozen metres of distance between them and the tree on which Add was hiding. Without wasting time, he prepare the AK-54R and aimed at the Orcs, who had began to sniff the air, possibly aware of him. it was too late however, their fates were already sealed.


    *Click ¨C Clack*


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    After eradicating the hunting party, Add began to search carefully for the Orc settlement. Orcs were not like goblins, and were able to build crude shacks to serve as their houses. Since there was a hunting party, there had to be a settlement nearby. He looked around for any trails, as he went along the direction where the group of Orcs had come from. After searching for quite a while, he did manage to find it at last. The settlement was located a little over two kilometres away from where he had encountered the group. There was a cliff, about a dozen metres high, below which a flat valley extended between two hills, it was here that a narrow stream flowed through and the Orc village, if one could call it that, was located. From the cliff, It was easy to observe the village with Binoculars. He looked at the Orcs and began noting all details.


    There were over a dozen huts in the village, and Add estimated that there were over a hundred Orcs in total. As he was observing them, a group of Orcs moved out of the village, armed with bone spears and clubs, seemingly going to hunt. The village as a whole seemed to be unaware of the fate that had befallen the previous hunting party. He watched on, as the ignorant monsters slowly approached their deaths. By the time, he had a clear shot at them they were around 500 metres away from the cliff he was on. He targeted an Orc at the very last of the group. The crosshair found itself on an unsuspecting Orc¡¯s chest.


    *Bang*


    The Orc felt a sudden pain tearing through its chest. It clenched its chest and staggered back, its eyes widened as blood kept spewing out of the hole in its body. It frantically looked around as if searching for the attacker, but his eyes didn''t find anything and soon lost their light. The lifeless body fell down with a thud, alarming the other Orcs. They began shouting in their hoarse language.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    [Ding! You have killed Orc ¡Á 1! You received 3000 CP]


    Add took a general sitting position for sniping more effectively. He used the crossed ankle position as it was a favourite of snipers in the sitting variations. Both legs are out in front of the shooter, with the supporting side ankle placed on top of the firing side. This last bit is important, as it raises the front knee a bit and provides a better platform for the support elbow. The crossed ankle position puts more of the body weight lower to the ground and helps compensate for recoil and wind.


    This position was one most useful and versatile of all positions, in sniping. It offers the best combination of versatility, steadiness, and quickness of the lot. With mastery of this position along with a proper weapon, one could accurately shoot targets at maximal ranges. The Orcs watching one of their own, suddenly die, immediately began to search the surrounding area. The small cliff Add was on was covered with shrubbery and he had especially chosen an area with denser bushes to hide. As such it was quite hard to spot him. Without wasting any time he loaded the next round and again fired. The head of another Orc immediately burst open.


    *Click ¨C Clack*


    Shoot


    *Click ¨C Clack*


    Shoot


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    [Ding! You have Killed Orc ¡Á 9! You have received 27,000 CP]


    Within seconds he emptied the magazine, each bullet claiming an Orc''s life. The powerful .338 Lapua Magnum rounds, were strong enough to punch through sheets of steel, the body of the Orcs, by comparison was softer. Add mainly aimed at their chests, and the heads, although it was difficult to aim at the head which is much smaller than the chest, while the Orcs were moving in random directions. He quickly attached a new magazine of 10 rounds, which cost 50 CP, quite costly, but the price was understandable for the power of the round. By now 10 Orcs had died and the remaining Orcs began scrambling in the cover of trees. Another ten shots later, 6 more Orcs had died. By now the Orcs had scattered and were running back towards their village to warn others of the attack.


    Add stopped sniping as the trees prevented him from getting a clear shot. He changed his position and moved on to a tree he had selected before. From here the Orc village was in clear view. He stayed and waited there for a few hours till it was dark. Orcs had less trouble in dark than humans as they were able to see roughly the same as in daylight. He kept his eye on the scope and silently watched. He too had no trouble seeing at night thanks to the night vision goggles.The earlier events had made the Orc village very alert. A few Orcs patrolled the village perimeter while most of them were huddled inside. He kept watch for a sometime more when many small groups of Orcs, each having 5-10 members, suddenly left the village and went in every direction.


    (They are probably searching for the killer....It¡¯s a good chance) Add thought.


    He waited for the groups to leave and then set his sights on the one closest to him. Some 300 metres from him a group of 7 Orcs was moving, they were checking every bush, and every crevice searching for their enemy. However they too were killed immediately by the hidden sniper.


    (Time to move out...)


    After dealing with the 7 Orcs, he put the AX338 into the inventory and held his AK-54R. Having a long sniper rifle was a hindrance in thick jungle terrain. In the darkness of the night, he who was covered in black, blended with the darkness itself. moved to a different location further away from the cliff. He was still near the village, and spent the night on a tall tree. No fire was lit, as it would give away his location, a meal consisting of combat rations bought from system, served as his dinner and he spent the night there sleeping lightly. In the dark night, the grunts and shrieks of various beasts echoed in the forest. The forest at night was a beautiful place, however it a was very dangerous place as well. A single mistake and you would become food for something. Add kept his vigilance even in his sleep. A trait he had picked up in his long years as a soldier. Occasionally the noise of Orcs searching the forest could also be heard.


    The next morning he again returned to his sniping spot in the bushes. He used his binoculars to see what the Orcs were doing. The Orcs, after having many of their companions killed mysteriously, were very cautious. They had been unable to find the killer and with their basic intelligence warning them, they stayed together within the village not venturing out, and strictly patrolled the surroundings of their village.


    (This is a bit problematic.....well when have snipers alone won a war.....?)


    Add decided to go with frontal assault. He prepared a dozen Grenades and tens of magazines for the AK-54R. He also purchased a few smoke grenades just in case. Also, with 15,000 CP he purchased a set of body armour, made from Aramid fibres and ceramic plates to cover his torso and neck, and a combat helmet for 5,000 CP to protect his head. He also wore a gas mask which could prevent smoke from entering his lungs. With all this he completely looked like a special forces operative now. The young master headed towards the Orc village which was less than a 100 metres in diameter. As he approached, some of the patrolling Orcs discovered him. Orcs hated humans a lot, as over hundreds of years, the human race had been their major nemesis. They began shouting and calling for their companions while moving to attack Add, but were killed by him shortly.


    (Hmm? These Orcs.....they are quite sturdy....)


    The Orcs could take a few hits from the AK-54R before dying. If not shot in the vitals like the head, they could take over ten hits before dying. Their bodies were very strong. Although it was not much of a hassle, but if in a life or death situation, this would be very dangerous. Add manoeuvred himself dodging any incoming attacks while returning fire.An Orc shoved a bony spear towards him, which he dodged by shifting his weight to the side and shot the Orc to death. The Orcs'' movements were quite fast, almost on par with his own. He saw more Orcs had began arriving from the distance and threw a grenade at them. With his strength he was able to throw it over 50 metres.


    *BANG!*


    The grenade detonated affecting a radius of 10 metres, instantly killing an Orc and wounding few others. Other nearby Orcs were stunned, making them easy pickings for Add. As he cleared his path and entered the village, and more Orcs swarmed towards him. He kept moving around rapidly shooting in all directions in short bursts. The Orcs soon realised that trying to fight directly with this human was futile, to they began throwing stones, bone spears and clubs towards him, some of which hit even hit his body. Thanks to the ceramic plates, he was not injured but this forced him, to take cover behind trees. Although the body armour protected him, he was not going to treat his body like a punching bag. Add took out two smoke grenades, and threw them into the village. Dense greyish-white smoke filled the area confusing the Orcs. He made use of their confusion, wearing the pair of night vision goggles which had the ability to see through smoke using thermal viewing technology.


    In the dense opaque smoke, the Orcs were completely confused and were unable to make sense of their surroundings while the smoke made it difficult to breathe and their eyes burned. Add who was wearing a gas mask was spared from this, and although his eyes burned slightly, he endured it. In the smoke he saw his targets as bright glowing figures, and delivered them to their fates. However he made sure not to get too close to them, as he had an advantage at mid range combat. The Orcs confused by the smoke, died one after the other unable to so much as touch him.


    *@#!?#/€$¡é¦Ð??!!!!!!!!*


    As Add was killing the Orcs, he heard loud growls and grunts. From within the thinning smoke, another large group of Orcs was rushing towards him. These Orcs were more muscular than the average Orc, had skins of lighter colour and were much more ferocious. They had large clubs and bone spears while a few had large scimitars, axes and other weapons, which seemed to have they robbed from humans. Leading them was a large Orc over 2.5 metres tall. It had a large mace in its hand and a lot of tribal markings on its body and it also wore bone accessories.


    (According to the Encyclopaedia, that is an Orc Chieftain... Looks like I will have to change my approach...)


    Orc Chieftains were generally the strongest in a tribe. They B ¨C Ranked monsters which variants of regular Orcs. One on one, an Orc Chieftain was stronger and smarter than a Goblin King and more than thrice as strong than an average Orc. Once the Orc Chieftain appeared and began giving orders, the other Orcs quickly retreated, and began surrounding him. He threw a few more grenades towards them andretreated. A few Orcs tried to stop him but were killed in return. The Orc Chieftain was more intelligent than its peers, It immediately halted its tracks sensing danger. But the grenade was something he had never seen before. The grenades detonated causing panic and immobilising the horde, while Add safely returned into the forest, away from the Orcs. His speed was much greater than the Orcs and they were disoriented so he left them behind easily.


    He got up on a tree and again took out the AX338 sniper rifle. Right now it was his best option. Of course he could engage them in melee combat, but Add was not sure if he would be able to win that way, although he was confident he could take down a few Orcs by himself, being surrounded by dozens, with their leader giving orders was a situation he wanted to avoid. He looked through the scope and as he had expected he saw Orcs led by the Chieftain right on his tail. Although Orcs were intelligent, their hatred for humans was enough to suppress that. The Orcs were enraged at him, a human, who had killed their kin, and wanted to slaughter him, and watching him escape made them feel that Add was not that much of a threat after all.


    "You all may be a bit stronger than me, and much more in number... but at this range that doesn''t matter anymore..."


    He aimed at the approaching Orcs and began firing. Although he was not hidden, but he didn''t care for that. All he had to do now was patiently wait. He wanted to target the Orc Chieftain, but it was smart and always stayed behind its underlings.


    *Click ¨C Clack*


    *BANG*


    Round after round he fired, each taking a life. The Orcs soon got to know about his location, and tried to surround him, but under his sniping they kept dying like defenceless chickens. The Orc Chieftain not being able to suppress its rage ordered its minions to swarm the tree he was on. As if hypnotised by its roars and shrieks, tens of Orcs surrounded the tree. They began hitting and ramming the tree wanting to bring Add down.


    *Clink* *Clink* *Clink*


    Suddenly, three small round objects fell on their heads and then rolled on to the ground. An Orc looked at them with confusion and grunted.


    ¡°wrugh?¡±


    *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*


    A series of explosions blew the horde apart, blowing smoke and dust into the air. These Type ¨C 201 HE grenades did their job beautifully. Some debris reached Add who was on a branch, about 10 metres above the ground, but his armour protected him. As the Orcs were huddling together, many died due to the blasts. The tree itself was quite badly damaged, but thanks to its thickness, it still remained standing. Next Add used the machine gun, and began spraying volleys of bullets into the Orcs, the sheer amount of bullets, quickly suppressed the excited monsters, killing many causing great wounds to others. The Orcs however, seemed too drowned in their blood lust, that they kept trying to bring down the tree, and were rewarded with more grenades. The Chieftain was dumbfounded at the explosions and the subsequent rain of bullets. Watching its minions turned into mangled pieces of meat, and shredded by bullets, it realised that this human was very dangerous.


    ''Run!'' Its brain told it. If it survived, it could make another tribe. It would gather an even stronger group of underlings next time and slaughter this human. From an young age this chieftain had been through many battles. It had cunningly killed its competitors and obtained a tribe for itself. He could surely do it again. Thinking all this it began running away, but unfortunately, it forgot something very important. That in doing so, it would expose its back to the human whose sights had been locked on it for a long time now.


    (Little critter run away, Live to fight another day ? Too bad, for you, there will be no ''another day'')


    Add aimed at the escaping Chieftain with the RPG and fired. The rocket exploded at its waist and tore its body into two. While the lower half collapsed into a pile of burned mangled meat, the upper half flew through the air, blood splattered and the innards began spilling form it. Its eyes were still open, with abstract fear and unwillingness in them. The chieftain had died a gruesome death.


    (Next, lets clear up all loose ends.)


    Add jumped down from the trees and began looking for any Orc survivors. Some of the Orcs were still barely alive, which he killed swiftly. Then he made his way towards the Orc Village to finish off any remaining Orcs.


    *Bang*


    The MAV-20 flashed as a baby Orc died.


    (That was the last one....)


    Add once again checked and verified that there was no Orcs left alive around him. After dealing with the Orc Champion, he returned to the Orc village to clear the remaining Orcs. There some female Orcs in the village. The Orc race seldom had females. Among a 100 Orcs there would only be about 20-30 females, and only the chieftain had the right to copulate with them. The female Orcs were bit weaker than their male counterparts and were dealt with swiftly by Add. He also found many Orc offspring which he also killed.


    [Ding! You have Killed Orc Chieftain ¡Á 1! You have Earned 20,000 CP!]


    [Ding! You have Killed Orc ¡Á 127! You have Earned 381,000 CP!]


    As he looked at the notifications, he felt satisfied. This hunt had rewarded him very nicely. He had now amassed a total of 830,000 CP but he still needed more. The hunt had to go on.


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 Chapter 16 - Dire Wolves

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    After the genociding the Orcs, the young master took a day of rest, revising all he had learned and experienced in the past days during his hunts. With his multiple engagements with the monsters, and information he had gathered from locals and the encyclopaedia he was now clear of just how challenging this world was for normal humans to survive in. In comparison, back on earth the Early humans who lived among hue beasts, had to face much lesser threats. Thankfully for the humans of Iseria, they could use mana to strengthen their bodies, beyond what was physically possible. Speaking of which, the 2000 militia of the territory was comprised mostly Rank 1 and Rank 2 warriors. The guards of the house were also Rank 1 warriors. Now the strength of a Rank 1 warrior was not exactly defined, but it was substantially greater than a well built human, and this disparity increased greatly with higher ranks. It was thanks to the Warriors and Mages that humanity was able to continue its existence and dominate vast swathes of territory.


    Returning to the topic of monsters, for Add, the best way to deal with them was to avoid melee combat as much as possible. He would rather resort to using traps, sniping at long ranges, and only when he had no other option but to reduce the distance between him and his foes, he will depend on weapons such as the rifles. However, this did not mean that he would shy away from fighting melee if it had to be done. Also, he wanted to keep a final weapon to rely on, if the rifles failed, just in case. And since he was in a fantasy world, what better weapon would be there to keep than a sword? For instance, against enemies which had the same strength as him or weaker, he did not mind using his sword to hide modern weapons.


    There were many people in this world, who could kill the current him like swatting a fly. As such it was unwise to reveal his weapons before others, or he may be targeted by such people, and attract unwanted and lethal attention. That is why he had not exposed his guns to anyone till now. In the future, when he was among people, he would only use the common weapons of this world and not the modern weapons like guns. Those would be used when he encountered critical situations or when he was alone, at least until he was strong enough to ensure his safety. So after going through the cold weapons like swords, spears, bows etc. available with the system shop, he decided on a sword. As it was the easiest weapon to master as well as quite flexible in usage. Although many people would argue that, a spear or a bow is better than a sword, but the sword outshined any other cold weapon with its simplicity.


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    Item : Hardened Alloy Katana


    Description : A Katana made with a combination of hard and tensile alloys and forged with age old traditional methods. It is sharper and more durable than a normal Katana forged with carbon steel, while being noticeably heavier.


    Price : 20,000 CP


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    Add chose the Katana for many reasons. He had always been impressed with Japanese swords in his past life, the Katana in particular. He liked its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. The edge had a wavy design which looked beautiful. The Katana was a blade specialized for fast & powerful slashing and stabbing. They were made from a specialized Japanese steel called ''Tamahagane'' which is created from a traditional smelting process that results in several, layered steels with different carbon concentrations, which increase the durability and damage of the blade.


    Although long swords were versatile with many angles of attack & defence, Add chose to use the heavier and harder to use Katana. The reason being that, when compared with a Katana of similar dimensions, a long sword lacked the cutting power and speed of movement. Its single, hardened, wedge-like edge was capable of extraordinary sharpness and a curved blade is mechanically superior to a straight one at delivering edge blows to produce injury. And due to its hardness, the single curving edge of the katana is very good at penetrating even hard materials with straight-on strikes. Although the long sword won in versatility, defensive ability and few other grounds, he decided to go with speed and damage. Also this particular sword was much heavier and sturdier than traditional Katanas, and this meant that it could be used for defence and with sufficient force he could slice apart things without the fear of breaking the blade. He also purchased a retractable knuckle which fitted on his right arm. It could be set into attack position with a simple lever-spring mechanism and could also be retracted back into the rest position.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : Model 48-5E Retractable Knuckle Spikes


    Description : A Retractable knuckle made with heavy alloy steel. It has 4 sharp triangular spikes, each 5 centimetres long, which are especially hardened and sharpened to maximize their lethality. If propelled with enough force, they can cause serious damage to anything they hit.


    Price : 2000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : KVT-401 ¡°Ghost¡± Anti-material Semiautomatic Sniper Rifle


    Description : This heavy Machine Gun is the first in a line of new series heavy sniper rifles. Designed in Ukraine. Chambering the beastly 12.7x108mm cartridge, it comes with a 10 round stamped steel magazine, and a muzzle velocity of around 900 metres per second, this rifle packs enough punch to penetrate hardened steel plates. It comes with an improved MIL-STD-1913 rail mounted sights, lightweight quick-detach adjustable bipod and DT-65 MK1 Suppressor.


    Designed in response to the challenges of 21<sup>st</sup> century wars, its firepower and lethality shadows all similar weapons. This rifle is best used against light armoured targets and moderately armoured targets.


    Effective Firing Range : 2000 metres


    Price : 20,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    Technically speaking, the KVT-401 ¡°Ghost¡± was a recoil-operated, semi-automatic anti-materiel sniper system developed by in Ukraine. Utilizing state of the art design, manufacturing, and materials, every component of the rifle was engineered to be lighter and stronger than its predecessors. The Ghost was optimized for use with a sound suppressor, providing a much-needed signature reduction capability to the sniper. Lighter, stronger, more accurate, and more capable; this heavy rifle was truly engineered for action. It is made of lightweight steel alloys and aluminium upper receiver with integral optics rail which can mount the sights and covered with anti-corrosive coatings.


    It was one of the best heavy sniper rifles in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. The later versions and derivatives of this model were used even larger calibre bullets, and were feared across the battlefields. This gun was manufactured widely in many European countries during World War 3. Add himself had also used this gun many times. In a sense this gun represented the very pinnacle of its class of rifles. It was among the last of the heavy calibre sniper rifles which could be used by a single man without external support. Its firepower was enough to penetrate any lightly armoured vehicles, and even thick concrete walls did not offer much safety against its rounds.


    After concluding his shopping spree, Add took out the Katana from his inventory. The system was kind enough to provide a sheath for holding the blade. The Katana was around 1.5 metres in length including the hilt, and weighed more than 5 Kg. The hilt which was covered with a type of cloth, along with the rectangular guard, provided a firm grip. Pulling out the weapon from its sheath, revealed a slightly curved greyish blade with a cold metallic shine. It looked quite ready to kill. He swung the large blade around with some effort, and it sliced apart the air with ''whoosh'' sounds while he performed the basic moves like ''Slash'', ''Stab'', Guard and parry many times. Although these were but the most basic of moves which he knew, coupled with his stats, he would able to deal substantial damage. Then he also checked the Ghost sniper rifle, which was light black in colour and was around 15 kg in weight and 1.5 metres long. He stored the rifle along with some ammunition that he purchased in the inventory and then went to rest for the night after having a dinner of nutrient bars and water.


    The next day, Add began descending from the hills. The deeper he went, the stronger the monsters he would face, and for now he had no interests to risk his life. The monsters on the fringes were giving him enough CP for his current needs, and as such searching for better rewarding prey was not a priority now. On his way down, he took a detour, he had already killed many monsters on his way up and going down the same path would be less rewarding. Finally once he was out of the dense forest, he could again use the drone without many constraints. The eye in the sky quickly began its job, scanning the vast expanse of woodlands. the wolves.


    The region he was currently in was a bit different from other areas he had been in so far. The trees in this region were straight and tall, with ample space in between one another. They did not have thick canopies and sunlight illuminated the forest floor decently. Overall it resembled a temperate woodland. The drone continued searching and soon it found itself over a peculiar area. The forest in this region was dotted by patches of open grasslands in between the otherwise continuous woodland. These patches appeared anywhere from a few tens of metres wide to some which stretched over a kilometre across. These patches were covered in a type of grass that grew over a metre in height and some occasional bushes.


    It was within these patches, that Add observed large herds of strange beasts grazing about. The beasts were around 4 metres tall, had a barrel shaped body with four strong but short legs supporting them and short fleshy tails. They had wrinkly reptilian skins with some sparse hair as well. The skin had a faint greenish tint with dull yellow coloured patterns, providing camouflage in the forests. Their head was egg shaped, broader at the back and narrower in the front ending in a beak, similar to those found in turtles but which had teeth inside. Two short tusks emerged vertically downwards, which the creatures were using as shoves to dig the roots of the grass. The neck was short and stubby with powerful jaw muscles, the most interesting fact about them were their legs which were bent sideways at the elbows and knees much like that of a lizard¡¯s. Their eyes were very small when compared with their body, and located on both sides of their head. These large herbivorous creatures were grazing on the lush patches of grass without a care for the world.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The Encyclopaedia identified them as [Lystodons], a large herbivore, these were D ranked monsters and were quite docile in nature. They looked like herds of giant cows and Add estimated that there would be hundreds, if not thousands of them in this region. They lacked any spectacular defensive methods, and relied on their size and numbers to thwart off predators. As he was beginning to plan an attack, the drone hovering above the area spotted a group of large wolves in the area. Add was familiar with these carnivores. He had encountered a small pack of these wolves earlier and had killed them with little difficulty, although that was from a long distance and by sniping. These were [Dire Wolves].


    The Dire Wolves, were large wolves similar to the wolves of Earth, but much larger and deadlier. They lived in massive packs which could number in the hundreds. These C-Ranked monsters were known for their excellent teamwork skills and for being very swift and agile. It was said that a well organised pack of a few Dire Wolves could even bring down B ranked monsters. An individual wolf was not much of a threat in itself when compared to other C rank monsters, apart from their large size of about 1.5 metres at the shoulders and a length of 2.5 metres; they had no extraordinary defences and relatively lean bodies. Although their hide was known to be tough, but as Add had seen, the .338 bullets could pierce it without much difficulty.


    But what they lacked in defence, they made up in their weapons and swiftness. Their jaws were large and powerful with canine teeth as long as the palm of a grown man, and were powered by thick jaw muscles. They also had sharp claws which were very deadly and would cause fatal wounds on most of their prey. The powerful leg muscles, along with the slim builds, made them very agile and could dodge most attacks made by their prey or enemies. Their pack tactics were very intricate and they hunted by isolating and tiring out their prey until it was exhausted and then went for the kill. They were led by a single Alpha wolf which was usually a B ranked monster and its strength was in a different league than the regular Dire Wolf. There were also Wolf Kings, A ranked monsters that were twice as large as the regular Dire Wolf, and highly intelligent as well. Although Dire Wolves mostly hunted in small groups of around 10-15, on rare occasions, hundreds of wolves may gather under the Wolf King to hunt large numbers of prey.


    Since they were loitering around the grazing herds, they were most likely after these Lystodons. So he chose to wait at a spot farther from the large herd and hid in the bushes at the periphery of the grassland. Through the binoculars, he kept an eye on the surroundings and waited. The wait was short however, as he soon spotted a pack of 8 dire wolves slowly appear from one side through the tree line. They were spread out with one wolf leading, while the rest were following closely behind. The herd before Add had over a hundred Lystodons, but none of them spotted the wolves that were slowly crawling towards them, with their bodies sticking to the ground that helped them hide in the grass. Only when the leading wolf was less than 60 metres away, did a few Lystodons finally spot them and began growling while tried to escape.


    The herd which was grazing peacefully immediately panicked and began running in all directions. The wolves rushed in, working as a team and managed to surround one isolated Lystodon. The 8 wolves were fiercely attacking it, but none of the other Lystodons chose to help, they were busy running away instead. A few wolves kept making faint attacks towards the Lystodon making it confused while others took turns to attack its unguarded areas. This strategy was very effective and within a few minutes, the large creature was brought down with bites and claws by the wolves which were less than 1/4 of its size. Once the wolves were sure that it was dead, they began dragging it towards the edge of the grassland, where they began feasting on its flesh.


    Add who had been watching the entire seen unfold kept watching and did not take any action. After around 15 minutes had passed, the wolves had eaten their fill and 3 of the 8 wolves left the carcass while the remaining stayed behind guarding the corpse.


    ¡°As I thought, they must be returning to where the main group is¡­¡±


    Dire wolves lived in large packs, and these packs stayed at a particular spot where they raised their young, a nest of sorts. He kept the rifle down and took out the drone¡¯s remote control. The drone which was placed on a stable tree branch some distance away, immediately took off and began following the the 3 wolves while he also followed behind it. The wolves followed a path full of twists and turns and kept going for about 5 kilometres, until they finally reached their ¡®pack¡¯. As it turned out, Add had guessed correctly and the wolves did return to their main group. There were dozens of wolves spread over the entire area, and the total number should be less than a hundred, though he did not spot an Alpha Wolf. After he had ascertained their position, he retreated to form a strategy for dealing with them. The wolves were very fast on their feet, and their attacks were even faster as he had witnessed while they were hunting the large Lystodon. He decided not to waste time laying traps. The wolves were very smart and would be difficult to lure into traps and even if some of them did fall into a trap, the same would probably not work again. Keeping in mind all these, he decided to go for a straight frontal assault. But he was not going to get into close quarters combat with them using his Katana. He would use guns but the regular guns, for this he needed the help of some serious heavy fire power. Luckily, the system shop was as handy as ever and with his level having risen, he could buy more powerful weapons now.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : Kord ¨C N/70S Gatling Gun (Grade : Rare)


    Description : This weapon is an electrically driven 6-barrelled heavy machine gun, which uses a 12.7x108mm, 50 calibre cartridge operated by a motor, which gets its power from an iridium nuclear fuel cell (radioisotope power system). This weapon was developed by the Degtyarev bureau of Russia in collaboration with JSC Kalashnikov concern as a response to the need for a high destructive capability weapon which could be used for engaging moderately armoured targets and vehicles and to provide heavy firepower cover.


    With a rate of 1800 rounds per minute, this weapon specialises in dealing devastating damage to targets in short amounts of time. It uses SLAP (Saboted Light Penetrator) rounds as its standard ammunition. These rounds are designed to penetratearmour</a>more efficiently than standardarmour-piercing</a>ammunition.


    Range : (Effective Firing) 2000 metres


    Price : 35,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    The Kord ¨C N/70S was a Gatling gun similar in appearance to the M134 Minigun developed in USA. It had an overall length of more than 1.5 metres, and a mass of 25 kilograms. It may seem heavy but in reality, because of a special alloy of carbon steel used in its making, it was lighter than most other weapons in its class. This Gatling gun was originally intended to be mounted on vehicles and other combat platforms; however, with the development of powerful mechanical exoskeletons, even individual soldiers could carry it into battle. Each of the cannon''s six barrels fires once in turn during each revolution of the barrel cluster.


    The multiple barrels provide both a very high rate of fire¡ªabout 30 rounds per second¡ªand contribute to prolonged weapon life by minimizing barrel erosion and heat generation. Various tests and trials showed that the average time between jams or failures for this weapon was in excess of 10,000 rounds, making it an extremely reliable weapon. It was operated by a heavy duty DC motor which was powered by a prototype iridium fuel cell which has a service life of 5 months with standard usage. The Kord ¨C N/70S is belt fed and uses a 500 round box magazine. The 12.7x108 mm SLAP rounds had a high muzzle velocity of around 1010 metres per second, and caused devastating damage to whatever was hit by them.


    With his strength, he could effortlessly carry this large weapon. Add purchased 5 box magazines which could be slung from his back using a harness, which cost him 5000 CP. The slap rounds were quite costly. This gave him a total of 2500 rounds, which he felt would be enough to deal with the wolves. He then kept observing the movements of the wolves for the remaining time of the day. The wolves were very ferocious, and kept fighting amongst themselves asserting their dominance over one another. There were also many pups running around here and there, with adults keeping strict watch on them. Every now and then, some wolves would leave and return with chunks of meat or corpses of smaller beasts for the young ones to eat. When the last rays of the sun were about to disappear below the horizon, he finally saw the dire wolf Alpha emerge from the cover of trees.


    It was much larger than the regular wolves, with a height of over 2 metres and a length of over 3. Unlike the other wolves that had dull grey and brownish coats of fur, it had a blacker coat, which was very thick around the neck and shoulders. It was more muscular with a visible hump of muscles on its shoulder region and had an intimidating appearance with feral green eyes. As soon as it appeared, all the other wolves quietened down and showed respective postures, some lowering their heads, while others whimpered lightly. The Alpha growled towards the others as it made its way towards some carcasses of small deer like beasts which a group of wolves had just brought. It ate one carcass and then dragged a larger carcass effortlessly into the bushes to enjoy its meal in solitude. Even Add could not help but be impressed by the majesty it gave out, just like a true king amongst men. It was a shame that he had to kill it, but then again, this was a dog eat dog world, if he wanted to be stronger, there were some steps he had to take no matter how he felt about them. He retreated from his point of observation, and found a tall tree to spend the night on, far away from the gathering of the wolves, tomorrow would be the main show.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The next day, with the break of dawn, Add was on the move. In the faint light of the dawn sun, he made his way towards the location of the wolves. The dire wolves were mostly nocturnal hunters, and usually hunted in the evening and night. They were apparently not morning creatures, as most of them were still sleeping when Add reached the previous day¡¯s observation spot. He was around a thousand metres away from the wolves, and began his attack with sniping. This time he was using the Ghost heavy sniper rifle. The AX338 could kill the wolves, but he would have to aim at their vitals, to kill them quickly. The more powerful Ghost, could kill them in one shot or so it should be. Through his scope he could see a few wolves wandering about, while the majority of them were still slumbering. The Alpha as usual was not in sight. He pulled the bolt carrier and loaded the first round. Add took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles, the cross hair on the scope landed on a wolf and he pulled trigger.


    *Bang*


    With a muffled bang, the bullet left the suppressed muzzle and hit the wolf right in the chest. The bullet entered and exited the body, bringing along with it chunks of meat and bone and a mist of blood as well, while the shock of the hit itself was so strong that the wolf was knocked off its feet and slid a few feet on the ground. With a pained growl, its life immediately ended. The surrounding Wolves were instantly alarmed and began growling and howling. But before all the wolves could even wake up, three more shots had been fired and three more wolves died. In response deep howls and growls began echoing throughout the area, alerting all the wolves that they were being attacked. But Add didn¡¯t care as he kept shooting and killed more of the wolves. But the wolves were not top predators for show as well, their ears soon picked off the sound of the rifle being fired and they began moving in the direction of the noise.


    The Ghost had a suppressor equipped but that only reduced the noise when firing, but it could not cancel that noise completely. As the wolves were closing by, Add kept firing and by the time the wolves were around 300 metres from him, he had downed over 20 wolves. Now that they were right onto him, Add stored the rifle in the inventory and jumped down. On the ground, the imposing Kord ¨C N/70S was waiting. He attached the large suitcase like magazine on his back with the harness. The magazine was attached to the gun by a connecting chain which brought the ammunition belt into the gun. He picked up the Gatling gun, starting the motor, his hand on the electrical trigger.


    *Bzzzzzzz*


    With a buzzing sound, the 6 barrels began rotating at high speed. Add had a solemn expression as he waited for them to arrive within 50 metres.


    ¡°You puppies all want to play games with me right? Okay then, I will play with you¡­ Here, say hello to my little friend!¡± and pressed the fire button.


    *Brrrrrrrttttttttttt*


    The 6 barrels shot 30 shells per second at the incoming wolves, shredding them into pieces, and tearing their bodies open. Even the surrounding trees were also not spared as they were mowed down by the 12.7 mm bullets. With his perception skill he could sense any wolf within 50 metres that tried to sneak up on him, and with his agility, it was not much of a problem to dodge incoming attacks and shift his aim constantly and swiftly. The wolves were fast, but they were unable to get close to Add who kept pushing towards their nest, was firing in short bursts, in order to use his ammunition effectively. The recoil of the gun was very strong, but to Add it was not much of a problem.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Additional information :


    <ol>


    <li>Radioisotope Power System : A type of power cell which converts the heat released during the decay of a radioactive element into electricity. These cells produce electric power in a stable way for long periods of time.</li>


    </ol>


    <ol start="2">


    <li>Saboted light armour penetrator(SLAP) rounds :</li>


    </ol>


    The SLAP design incorporates apolymersabot, which allows for the use of atungstenpenetratorprojectile of a lesser diameter than the originalbore. By using the casing of a largecartridgewith a lightweight projectile, the velocity of the projectile is greatly increased and thesectional densityis improved. SLAP rounds have been designed for use against lightlyarmoured vehiclesandaircraft. It has a polymer sabot (sometimes called a ''shoe'') which allows the use of the tungsten carbide penetrator which is smaller than the original bore. The calculation of using a lightweight cartridge plus a lightweight projectile means added velocity. The plastic shoe is discarded once the round is fired and the SLAP round travels at more than 1200 metres per second to penetrate armour, using its tungsten carbide penetrator. Its tip is also very pointed and sharp adding for better penetration.

 Chapter 17 - Returning to Rigel

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    The wolves kept trying to attack him, but failed as they were mowed down by the gunfire, while he held his ground. By the time the first magazine was empty, he had killed dozens of wolves. When the magazine ran out, he threw a bunch of smoke grenades around him to confuse the wolves while he was changing the magazine. All around him shrill howls echoed, as more and more wolves were gathering near their nest. A few wolves tried attacking him through the smoke, but were unable to pinpoint his location. Within moments, the second magazine was linked and Add resumed his killing spree, retreating back through the smoke he slaughtered any wolf that made the mistake of coming close to him.


    They tried their usual tactics, but those were mostly ineffective on Add. A few wolves were able to scratch Add, but aside from a few tears on his body armour, he did not suffer any damage. While he was finishing off the wolves, a low guttural growl reached his ears, which would send shivers down anyone¡¯s spine. Through the thinning smoke he could see the silhouette of a large wolf. His thermals gave him the identity of the new arrival, and unsurprisingly it was the Alpha Wolf. Its feral eyes glaring at him with dense killing intent. With its appearance, the surviving dozens of wolves broke out of their confusion and gathered around the Alpha, baring their fangs and growling menacingly. Add showed no curtsey and opened fire once again, but the wolves seemed to have learned their lessons. They scattered, and began surrounding Add and by doing so minimized the number of targets Add could shoot at a time.


    (As expected of you sly creatures, but I am not done yet!)


    Holding the gun with his left hand, he began taking out HE grenades which he had previously stocked in his inventory, and throwing them around without care. Within a minute he had thrown tens of them around.


    *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom*


    The grenades were not powerful enough to kill a wolf unless it went right under one, but they managed to injure many wolves, and made it difficult for them to surround Add. Taking this chance, he resumed firing while continuously turning in 360 degree arcs and destroyed the wolves¡¯ assault. Suddenly, the Alpha Wolf howled loudly, and all the wolves began madly pouncing towards Add. Even though they were killed very fast, they kept attacking him without any fear. While he was fending off the attacks, the magazine finally ran out. The Alpha, who had been looking from a distance, took the chance and rushed towards Add. Before he could attach a new magazine, he large wolf bit onto the barrels of the gun and wretched it out of Add¡¯s grip. The strength was really fearsome. It threw away the gun and again lunged at Add, who tried to dodge, but the Alpha¡¯s speed was very fast. By the time Add could move out of its way, its jaws had already arrived on to him and he could only block with his Katana.


    ¡°GAH!¡±


    The powerful jaws of the Alpha clamed onto the blade and a crushing pressure travelled into his arms through the blade. If not for his reflexes, his hand would probably be crushed into pulp by these jaws, or worse, may have been immediately bitten off. The Alpha was very strong, and coupled with the force of its pounce Add was pushed on to the ground. He was barely holding onto the Katana which the Alpha was trying to snatch away. It held Add down, placing its large paw on his chest, the sharp claws sinking into the body armour and prevented him from moving. The latter kept retreating his head, as farther away as possible, he could almost smell its foul breath through his gas mask. While the Alpha wolf was busy trying to bite Add, it failed to notice that the AK-54R had appeared on the ground in front of Add¡¯s right hand. With one hand somehow holding off the jaws of death, he quickly loaded a round and the next moment the barrel of the rifle was plunged into the open mouth of the Alpha. Although all this seemed to have taken a long time, all of this happened within moments. When the wolf realised that something had entered its mouth, it was too late.


    *RATATATATATATA*


    The entire magazine of 30 bullets was instantly emptied inside the alpha¡¯s mouth, and the bullets burst through its upper jaw, making mush of its brain and blew up its head. Its eyes widened in shock before the glow in them faded and its large body collapsed on top of Add with a thud. Having a body weighing around 200 kilograms pressing down on you was not a pleasant feeling, Add quickly crawled away from below the wolf, his fingers on the trigger as he loaded a new magazine and prepared for engaging other wolves.


    The other surviving wolfs, realising that their Alpha was dead, dared not attack anymore and turned to run away. He was able to kill a few of them, and snipe some others, before they escaped into the woods. After confirming that there were no more wolves around, he inspected himself. The body armour was damaged, with some of the ceramic plated having broken and the Gatling gun also was deformed by the bite of the wolf. The Alpha was really powerful, its jaws could deform metal, its claws almost penetrated his body armour, and its speed was amazing as well. Even the sensory boost from two gene enhancers fell short before its speed. Still, it was not all too bad, he was only feeling some minor pain in his abdomen where the wolf had placed its claw, but he drank a healing serum just in case. Also, most items purchased from the System shop could be repaired using CP so his investment was not wasted. After repairing his armour and the gun with a few hundred CP, he finally reached the wolves¡¯ nesting area, but he found no traces of any other wolves; even the pups were not there.


    ¡°Looks like the survivors probably escaped with the pups¡­¡±


    He thought for a while and decided not to give chase as he had no need to. He had already killed enough wolves and there was no need to waste time chasing the rest. Opening the system menu, he checked the notifications.


    [Ding! You have killed Dire Wolf x 83]


    [Ding! Received 332,000 CP]


    [You have killed Dire Wolf Alpha x 1]


    [Ding! Received 35,000 CP]


    He now had over a million Credit points which would be needed for the upcoming stages of his plans. With these many CP he could buy two of the item he was originally planning on buying, and that in itself was a huge plus. Sorting himself up, he made his way back towards Rigel and once he returned there were some things which had to be settled. He had been away for over one and a half month now, and he wondered how the training of the cadets was proceeding without him back there, while also preparing himself for an earful of scolding from Martha.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    A few days later, at the training camp near Rigel.


    The 100 cadets were training as usual, according to their daily training regime. Under the watch of Kent, they had been repeating the various exercises and harsh training day after day. Their Instructor, Add had left to train himself in the mountains for over one and a half month now, but before he had left, he had ordered them to train with the a single weapon, the spear. Add had told them to use the three basic moves, stabbing/thrusting, blocking and swinging. After the harsh training for over three months, the 100 cadets had now become a decently disciplined group. All of them had healthy bodies, and their strengths had grown a lot as well. Kent had also taught them simple breathing and meditation exercises which allowed them to feel their internal mana. Once a person could sense her/his internal mana, they could channel it to empower their bodies.


    Among the cadets only a few had the mana capacity to become warriors. However that was not much of a concern as Add had specifically told Kent that it was not compulsory for the cadets to be mana users. The few who did have this ability had had to learn to use their mana to supplement their physical strength. This process of using mana to increase ones physical abilities was called [Mana Equip]. The amount of mana present in the body was limited for all individuals and once depleted; it would take time to naturally recover. The body had finite mana, but all across the world, mana was abundant, the body could absorb this mana naturally, however, there were meditation exercises which could enhance the amount of mana absorbed and the rate of absorption as well. Naturally such techniques were very precious, and common people had no access to them, and a relatively poor and underdeveloped place such as the Weismann territory would naturally have no way to afford Mages.


    As the cadets continued their training, Kent observed them and was internally satisfied. They had progressed a lot, compared to the weak and whiny kids at the beginning, they were now a properly trained group. Speaking of growth, the rank of a Mage or Warrior was measured by a special device called the [Rank Crystal]. This was a small ball of a white crystal which was around the size of a melon. It was a product of Alchemy. Alchemy was a branch of magic, which dealt with the creation of new substances and items, much like a chemist does in science. Alchemists wee mages who delved in this art of alchemy and used their magical skills to make strange items and magical inventions, such as the [Rank Crystal]. When a person increased in rank, she/he would feel a noticeable change in their body, with common effects being increase in strength, better senses, feeling more energetic, etc. However, concrete evidence was only possible through testing with this crystal which worked in a simple manner. If a person wanted to measure his or her rank, they had to palace a palm on this crystal and focus their mana into it. The crystal changed colour according the amount of mana it received. The order was as follows :


    Rank 1 ¨C Grey


    Rank 2 ¨C Yellow


    Rank 3 ¨C Orange


    Rank 4 - Red


    Rank 5 ¨C Green


    Rank 6 ¨C Azure


    Rank 7 ¨C Blue


    Rank 8 ¨C Silver


    Rank 9 ¨C Gold


    Rank 10 ¨C Purple


    Beyond rank 10 was the saint realm, which could not be measured by this [Rank Crystal]. It was a completely different level, and it was said that a single Saint could defeat dozens of Rank 9 people by on its own. Kent had one such [Rank Crystals] and he had tested all the cadets, once every week since they had arrived here, but till now none of them had come close to reach Rank 1. He was not very worried though, as this was a slow process and could not be rushed. Aside from this, the man also had other more pressing troubles. The young master had been gone for a long time now, and still had not returned. The finances were tight, and Walter who managed the territory¡¯s finances was much tensed these days.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Add had spent a lot to train these people and to most people, all this spending in their current financial situation just did not make sense. Martha, the Head Maid was calm, but everyone who knew her, understood quite well that under that calm exterior, a demon was rampaging. Even her husband old man Walter did not dare confront her these days, and the poor servants under her, were being thoroughly baptised by her on a regular basis. And Ken who had to report to her thrice a week, as per her instructions was helpless, and could only hang his head low and endure her sermons. In his heart he could only hope that the young master would return quickly and the target of Martha¡¯s rage would shift to the correct person.


    As he continued guiding the training of the cadets, he saw a group of horse riders arrive at the camp from the direction of the town. The identity of these horse riders caused him to frown and become tense instantly. They were dressed in chainmail and light plate armour and had swords hanging from their hips. This group of 5 people, were no strangers to Kent, in fact were part of the town¡¯s militia. This was a one of the patrol parties who were in charge of maintaining the security around the town and its surrounding areas. The group was led by Zac, a deputy of the Militia. The horses stopped some distance away and the 5 people began walking towards the camp. Kent signalled the cadets to stop their drills and gather together.


    ¡°What brings you here Zac?¡±


    Kent asked with caution. He knew this man well. Zac was a Deputy and a close aid of Dave. Since the death of Henry Weismann, the captain of the 400 strong Militia, Dave had pretty much taken over the militia and ran it as he wanted. Kent feared that if not for the fact that killing a noble was a capital crime, punishable by execution, Dave would have killed Add already. Recently, the attitude of the Militia had also been in clear disregard of the Lord. None of them put Add in their eyes, and to them he was just a figurative lord that had no power. Under Dave¡¯s leadership, the Militia began behaving like a gang of thugs, and the reputation of this Zac was also quite worse. But no one dared question them, since the militia, though small was still the strongest force in Rigel. Almost all the members were rank 1 warriors with many rank 2 warriors as well. And they had received training under Rudolf and Henry Weismann, both of which were respected generals, and hence these men were quite a force in this region.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t old man Kent. I am surprise your old bones are still alive¡­¡±


    Zac, the leader of the group who was also a Rank 2 warrior said in a mocking tone, while his followers also began smiling. They looked around the camp, and the cadets who were mostly young boys and their eyes were full of disdain. Kent felt very angry, but he did not lose his reason. The other party was a Rank 2 warrior, while the 4 others behind him were also Rank 1 warriors. With their strength, they could make short work of the around hundred people present here. So he suppressed his feelings an asked again,


    ¡°Zac, isn¡¯t your duty to patrol the region, why are you here?¡±


    This made the, man frown.


    ¡°Shut up you old dog, do I need your permission to go anywhere I want? Huh? Just because you are a dog of the Weismann¡¯ don¡¯t think that you can order me!¡±


    ¡°You¡­.¡±


    Kent was humiliated, his face was scrunched up in rage, but he could not do anything. Zac saw this and smiled. When he was about to continue humiliating the old man, a boy shouted out from the group of cadets.


    ¡°You! How can you insult Mr. Kent like that!? Apologise to him!¡±


    Zac looked at the boy who said this. It was Edward, the young man whom Add had interacted with on many occasions. He was also one of the most hardworking and promising cadets, among all the others. He had a natural talent of leadership in him, and many of the other cadets valued him highly. Edward, respected Kent a lot, having trained under him when he first joined the guards, so when he saw Zac openly insulting Kent, he was enraged.


    ¡°Oh¡­ so you want me to apologise?¡± Zac looked at him and a cruel smile crept up his lips.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Edward nodded.


    Kent who knew what kind of person Zac was immediately shouted to Edward,


    ¡°Edward! Who the hell told you to speak! Shut up and stand quietly!¡±


    ¡°But Mr. Kent, he insulted you first!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, do you not see me talking, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Now now, old man, let the boy speak. After all he said nothing wrong right? Ok boy, come here and tell me why I should apologise¡­¡±


    Zac said with a crooked smile. Edward fearlessly stepped out of his line and walked before Zac, but before he could open his mouth to speak, a cruel light appeared in Zac¡¯s eyes and he sent a kick at Edward. The later, was caught unprepared and the kick landed on his abdomen. The force was so strong that he was sent flying backwards and coughed blood. His body twitched a few times and then stopped moving. This was the strength of a Rank 2 warrior. A normal person, Edward, although his body had become strong due to Add¡¯s hellish training regime, but at the end of the day, he still could not be compared with Zac. The difference was like an adult and a one year old child. The cadets, who had never experienced such a scene before, were horrified and many had weak legs. Zac spat on the ground and said,


    ¡°To think a pathetic dog dares ask me to apologise, asking death so openly pah!¡±


    Kent was stunned for a moment and then he hurriedly ran towards Edward and checked his body. Fortunately he was still breathing and the pulse was there but the breathing was faint and he had coughed a lot of blood. There were definitely some serious internal injuries. His eyes reddened as he roared,


    ¡°Zac! How dare you! Do you think the young master will let you off if he knows!?¡±


    Zac did not care about Kent¡¯s anger or Edward¡¯s life and death. He laughed at Kent¡¯s words.


    ¡°Heh! Old dog, you still think that the Weismann Family is a thing! You are delusional! All that is left of the family is that little ¡®young master¡¯, who is worth nothing. Well I might be worried if the old lord was still alive but peh! He is dead, and you think that spoilt brat can do anything to us. Hahahaha listen old dog, even if I kill you and your puppies here, he won¡¯t be able to do anything to me!¡±


    Kent was trembling in rage. These bastards! All of them were normal people who came to settle here. It was Add¡¯s grandfather and father who made them what they are today, and now that those people are gone, they do not even place the Weismann family in their eyes anymore.


    ¡°Zac, no matter what, the young master is the lord of this region. If you go against him, are you not afraid of committing treason!?


    ¡°Lord? Treason? hahahaha old dog, you sure say funny things! Well then, open your dog ears and listen, if I want, to there are a hundred ways to kill that lord of yours without anyone knowing. You should be grateful to Commander Dave that he has allowed that brat to live till now! Instead of me, you should worry about that trash. I heard he went in the hills to train, hah! Those hills are not a place for a child to pay, who knows maybe that brat died there already hahahaha ¡±


    His arrogant laugh echoed in the area, but no one dared say anything. They had seen the outcome of Edward, and no one wanted to die. But then, a familiar voice was heard by Kent and the cadets.


    ¡°Who did you say was dead again?¡±


    Hearing this voice, the smiles on the faces of Zac and his subordinates paused. They turned their heads to look at the source of the voice and saw the silhouette of a person slowly making its way towards the camp. As the person came closer, the militia men frowned realising who it was, while the faces of the Kent and the cadets brightened. It was the young master! He had finally returned after so many days! Kent was relieved that he was safe, but his excitement turned into worry as he realised that the situation had become more complicated. Add looked at the scene and understood what was going on. He could not help but sigh.


    (The first thing I see after returning is this¡­)


    He looked at the collapsed Edward who was being supported by Kent, walking up to Edward, he placed down the backpack he was wearing, and began fumbling in it. His hands inside grabbed a intermediate healing serum and he took it out, to the others it appeared that he had taken it out of the backpack. He told Kent to open Edward¡¯s mouth and poured all the serum in the vial inside. After doing this he checked Edward¡¯s pulse and found that it was a bit weak but stable, and his breathing was also stable so he signalled the other cadets.


    ¡°Take him to the infirmary building¡­¡±


    Four cadets immediately came forward to pick him up and took him to the small infirmary building of the camp. Add then shifted his attention to the group before him, and looked straight at their leader, Zac who smiled and started speaking,


    ¡°Ah young master Adolf; it¡¯s an honour to meet you here. It seems you are doing fine, and here I was worried that some mishap might have happened to you in the hills.¡± His eyes then fell on the black and grey camouflage uniform which Add was wearing. He had never see such a dress before, ¡°Also, that is some unique clothing you are wearing there, and I have never seen that before, is this also part of young master¡¯s ¡®training¡¯¡­¡±


    But Add ignored his words, and asked another question in return.


    ¡°Which one of you hurt him?¡±


    His face was expressionless as ever, but the cold and detached tone of his voice giving others a sense of discomfort. Kent realised that things were going in the bad direction and tried to intervene¡­


    ¡°Young Master the thing is---¡°


    ¡°Did I ask you?¡±


    But his words were cut off in the middle as Add turned to look at him. Even the old man who had seen a lot in his life, shivered and took a step back reflexively. Those hollow and emotionless eyes of the young boy, actually managed to scare him. Add turned to look at the militia men and asked again.


    ¡°Did you not hear me? Which one of you hurt that boy?¡±


    ¡°It was me ¡®Young Master¡¯.¡±


    Zac snorted in reply. His face was dark, as Add¡¯s attitude angered him, and his tone clearly indicated that he did not put Add in his eyes at all. This caused Kent and the cadets to be enraged, however, the young master did not seem to mind and continued¡­


    ¡°So, it was you. Mind telling me why you hit him ?¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to see how you were training these people ¡®young master¡¯, but for them to be this weak. I cannot help but feel sorry for you. Seems like your talent is wasted on these people¡­¡±


    Zac and his followers had mocking smiles on their faces. After all what more would anyone expect from a worthless young master who only knew how to spend money and live lavishly. At this Add suddenly smiled, but those who saw this smile could not help but feel that something was very wrong with that smile. His eyes were cold, and the four militia men behind Zac trembled, as they filled a chill creep up their backs. He then said,


    ¡°Oh, so it was like that. Then you wouldn¡¯t mind if I tested how your commander trains you right?¡±


    At this Zac¡¯s eyes widened for a moment and then he began laughing. Kent, who had been silent for a while, was shocked at Add¡¯s words and spoke out,


    ¡°Young Master! You must not! This Zac is a Rank 2 Warrior, and his strength is not far from Dave! Please think properly!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Kent, I know perfectly well what I am doing. Please stay silent. So then, Zac was it? What do you say?¡±


    Add looked calmly at Zac, which made the latter irritated.


    (Looks like I should teach this brat a lesson. A piece of trash and he thinks he really is some Lord¡­.)


    ¡°Does the young master wish to compare moves with me? I must mention that if we spar, I am afraid I may accidentally hurt you¡±


    Both his face and voice were full of mockery and disdain.


    ¡°Yes, I am sure. Do you agree?¡±


    ¡°Very well then young master, let¡¯s begin. Seeing that you are younger than me, I will let you have the first move¡±


    Add¡¯s smile increased even further, and looking at that, Zac could thought ¡®Is this brat mad?¡¯ But the next moment, something which was beyond the expectation of anyone present happened. Add who had been standing a few metres away from Zac, suddenly reached in front of him in a flash. His speed was so fast that the Rank 2 warrior was unable to process this, and the next moment, Add¡¯s fist landed on his chest. The man felt a violent force enter his body, as if a large hammer had hit him, and the force sent him flying across the ground many metres away. The faces of Zac¡¯s followers who were hoping to watch a nice show froze, while Kent and the cadets had their jaws wide open in surprise. This was a Rank 2 warrior! Even though that did not sound much, the strength of such a person was much greater than the average man; in fact they could kill a normal man with a punch if they wanted to! But such a person was sent flying by the frail looking young boy! How shocking was this! The person in question leisurely made his way to the fallen Zac, his face still had the strange smile.


    (How is this possible!? I¡­.by a mere brat!..No No this is not possible, I am a Rank 2 warrior, how can I be weaker than this trash!?)


    He stood upon his feet with great difficulty, the pain in his chest was unbearable, but he was a warrior, after all. As a warrior increased her/his rank, their bodies became much stronger than normal people. It was said that warriors of high ranks had so tough bodies, that even regular swords could not cut their skin. But by this time Add had arrived beside him and said,


    ¡°Are you satisfied?¡±


    Zac glared at him and was going to say something but,


    ¡°No? Then let¡¯s continue¡­¡±


    What followed was a kick to his solar plexus, which made him unable to breathe and he was sent rolling once again. The young master again walked up to him and asked the same question and before he could answer, he was set rolling with another kick. The onlookers watched in shock as Zac was repeatedly beaten like a dog and could not leave the ground for a moment. Finally the man¡¯s body was hurt so badly, that he coughed up blood. To normal people, this may look as if Zac was not trying to resist, but in fact, he wanted to, he really wanted to, but he was helpless. Every time he tried to stand, he was sent to the ground by those powerful kicks. He initially thought that Add was using some tricks, but after being kicked many times, he realised that there was real strength behind those kicks. This weak looking boy was actually strong! Finally, he couldn¡¯t bear the pain and humiliation and shouted to his followers!


    ¡°What the hell are you idiots doing!? Get this bastard!? Kill him!¡±


    The 4 rank 1 warriors who were watching till now, suddenly broke from their trance. They drew their swords, but hesitated, after all as Kent said, Add was till the Lord even if just in name, and killing him could have drastic consequences. Watching them hesitate, Zac was even more enraged and shouted,


    ¡°You bastards! What the hell are you hesitating for! Commander Dave will handle whatever happens! I want this dog dead! Kill him now or I will kill you all!¡±


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 18 - Revealing Power (Part 1)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Looking at the crazy Zac, the 4 men stopped hesitating. They also knew that Zac was a cruel man, and he was also under the good graces of Dave. So they dared not waste time and attacked Add. The cadets watched in horror as four swords rapidly moved towards Add. Kent tried to rush to his aid, but he was just too far away. But then, the young master surprised them again. No one had noticed but there was a strange sword hanging from his his belt. Add drew the katana in a flash and dodged the first sword by side stepping, the man who attacked was surprised that he was able to evade, but then in the next instant, Add swung his katana upwards and cut off both the arms of the man, who collapsed on the ground howling in pain. Te other three were shocked at this scene and before they could react, add was before the next man. He tried to defend in a hurry, and his sword blocked the incoming blade, but how could a normal sword made of medieval techniques rival and alloy katana? The Katana sliced through the sword and deep cut was left on his chest.


    The other two men realised that what they knew about the young lord was wrong. Which bastard said that he was a weak good for nothing? Two men were down and Add looked at the remaining two, his hollow eyes looked like the devils eyes to the two men. But they were also from the militia, and had seen blood and death before. They looked at each other, nodding and then attacked Add together. But alas, Add was just way faster than them, the result was same. They were unable to match his speed and reflexes and he drove his sword through one of men instantly killing him. The last man tried to take advantage of this opening and went in for the kill, but Add turned at the last moment throwing the dead corpse towards the coming attacker. The man hastily dodged, but within this time, Add was beside him and with a slash sent his sword flying. A kick landed on his the chest and he was sent flying, unable to get up. The man had fainted.


    After dealing with the four lackeys, Add slowly walked towards Zac, who was stunned. He could never imagine that this young brat who was known to be a waste was actually so strong. He tried to get up but the pain prevented him, so he could only crawl back¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­don¡¯t come closer¡­stay back¡­bastard¡­.you dare attack us¡­. do you think with just your strength you can go against Commander Dave?...... you what what are you doing no¡­¡±


    As he was speaking, Add went before him, and Zac could see those cold and hollow eyes. His blood ran cold as he saw that face devoid of any feeling¡­


    ¡°So¡­You want me dead right?¡±


    That voice was like death itself. Zac, a rank 2 warrior, who knew no fear, was now trembling; a weak voice escaped his lips¡­


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    But that did not stop what was coming. Add lifted his leg and slammed down on Zac¡¯s right thigh, instantly crushing the bone.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHH¡±


    Zac roared like a beast as he began thrashing on the ground. But it was not over yet. Add again slammed his leg, this time on the left thigh. Then he held Zac¡¯s arms and one by one twisted hem both 180 degrees, tearing the ligaments and breaking the joints. The man was writing like a dying snake, with animal like roars escaping his mouth. The pain had made him completely mad. His eyes were full of hatred and desire to kill; he raised his head and began cursing¡­


    ¡°Y-you, you how dare you¡­you do this to me you piece of trash!? ¡­bastard¡­.do you know what you have done¡­you are finished ! hahahahahah Finished! Commander Dave will not spare you..You piece of trash just because you have got some strength you think you are the lord ? ¡­hahaha¡­..you piece of trash¡­. just you wait you bastard hahahahaha! You and your dogs will die soon hahahaha¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    His tone was chilling as he asked this question, but Zac was uncaring of it, he laughed even more, ignoring the pain in his body and said,


    ¡°Heheheheheh yes yes you mother****er! I am threatening you! What are you going to do huh!? Just wait for a while and then your dog life will be over, you son of a-----¡±


    A kick landed on his face breaking of a few of his teeth, and Zac was left howling curses towards Add. The young master ignored him and looked towards Kent. Pointing to the unconscious man he had kicked away he said;


    ¡°Mr. Kent, tie up that man and make sure he cannot escape¡±


    He then walked over to the three men whom he had injured badly. They were still alive, barely. The warriors had greater vitality than regular people, and they could survive longer than normal people even with such wounds. The three had seen what had happened to Zac and their blood was cold. This young looking boy was not human. He was a demon! A demon! As he approached them, one man began weeping and begging for mercy.


    ¡°Young lord, please spare us¡­.we were forced by deputy Zac, please give us a chance¡­we will be loyal to you..Lord please¡­.¡±


    But his pleas fell on deaf ears. The katana stabbed the heads of the three men and took their lives. He shook his katana to shake off the few drops of blood and brain matter on it and then wiped the blade on the clothes of the dead men before sheathing it. Next he dragged the Zac who had now gone mad in pain and rage and was screaming like an animal, by his leg, into the woods. After throwing Zac like a piece of garbage he took the combat knife and began his work. Killing Zac just like that would be too easy, and Add was quite skilled in the Art of torture himself.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t used these skills on anyone in a long long time.¡± He mumbled while caressing the smooth blade of the knife.


    ¡°Also, I really don¡¯t like people threatening me¡­.¡±


    Soon howls of pure agony and despair echoed from the area. Kent and the cadets were unable to see what was happening, but the wails and cries sent shivers down their spines.


    ¡°What kind of torture was the young master putting him through ?¡± everyone wondered.


    A few dozen minutes later, Add walked out from the woods. As he walked by the cadets, no one dared make a sound. The atmosphere had become quite cold. The cadets and other people present had a variety of expressions on their faces, confusion, shock, awe and fear. He then walked over to the only man who was left alive, he had been tied up with a rope leaving him completely incapable of any movement. The man was out cold but, after a few hard slaps to his face, he was wide awake. Add pulled him up by the collar and slapped him once again to make sure he had hisattention.


    ¡°You can hear me yes?¡±


    The man hurriedly nodded in fear. His entire body was trembling. He had seen how ruthless this boy was and he knew that he could not even dream to mess with such a person. Add continued,


    ¡°Good, then go back to your master, Dave, and tell him this. ¡®You do not have to come after me, because I, am coming for you¡¯, do you understand?¡±


    The man nodded again, all he wanted now was to get as far away from here as possible.


    ¡°Then get lost¡±


    Add signalled a Kent to open the man¡¯s bindings and as soon as he was free, the man made a run for his life, as if afraid that the young master would change his mind. The man although wobbling, ran with great difficulty until he was beside his horse, and then rode away as fast as he could. Once he had left, all eyes turned towards Add. Kent walked up to Add, unsure of what to say,


    ¡°Young Master, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Later, Mr. Kent. Salvage anything of value and then dispose of these bodies, including the one in the woods. I don¡¯t want corpses rotting in this camp.¡±


    After that he walked towards the small wooden infirmary, leaving behind a shocked and stunned group of cadets and Kent who felt that the young master before him was a completely different person. He was not the trash everyone used to think that he was. Kent estimated that the young master must be at least a rank 2 warrior, given that he was able to deal with those 5 people so easily, but perhaps he was even stronger ? Kent shuddered at this thought. Just what had happened that changed the young master so much ? He could only wonder.


    _ _ _ _ _


    As Add made his way towards the infirmary, he was viewing the notification menu of the system. As it turned out, killing those 3 Rank 1 Warriors gave him 1000 Exp each, while the Rank 2 Warrior Zac gave 2000 Exp. This showed the apparent difference in strength between a rank 1 and a rank 2 since the difference in the rewards was so great. The infirmary of the camp was just a small building with a few rough beds and some basic herbal medicines. In this era, medical science was not that well spread, however, comparing to the middle ages of Earth, Add felt that the skill of the doctors here was indeed much better. They mostly used herbs and minerals to treat common diseases and wounds, and the hills and surrounding forests in Rigel were rich in a variety of herbs. There also existed various precious herbs, minerals, and other substances which could cure otherwise fatal ailments and a branch of magic known as [Healing Magic] could also cure many diseases and injuries, even better than actual medicine. However, there were a lot of diseases which were untreatable by this era¡¯s medicine and magic as well. The doctor who had been arranged for the infirmary was a decent person, and although he was not the greatest doctor in town, he was pretty skilled. The old doctor was currently looking over Edward who was still unconscious, lying on the bed. As he was checking the boy¡¯s condition, Add entered the infirmary.


    ¡°Ah, young lord you are here¡±


    Add nodded to the doctor and then looked towards Edward, his face was still void of expression.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°How is he?¡±


    ¡°The boy is alright. Aside from faint blood loss and weakness, he has no major injuries. He should be fine after some rest. Once he wakes up, I suggest that he should avoid any physical exercise for at least two days and have proper food.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Add was relieved. He had seen Edward¡¯s condition first hand, and knew how seriously he had been hurt. Luckily, he had been hit in the abdomen and no bones had been broken. The doctor hesitated for some time and then spoke,


    ¡°Young Lord, if you do not mind then can this old man ask a question?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Go ahead...¡±


    ¡°That, I heard from the people who brought the boy here, that he was badly injured, and was coughing up blood. But then the young lord fed him something, and now that I have checked his body, there is no sign of any serious injury¡­¡±


    Add looked at the old doctor for a while, and thought ¡®The potion¡¯s effects cannot be neglected after all¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s right; I fed him a recovery potion I had with me.¡±


    ¡°Ah so that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    The doctor was not very surprised. Recovery potions were very precious products of alchemy, made from rare herbs and secret alchemical techniques and were used to treat wounds and injuries. They were available in many qualities, the higher the quality, better the effects. And they were very costly as well, and there was no shop selling them in the Weismann territory. Perhaps only the young lord could afford one. But to think that he would use it on a regular soldier so easily was quite impressive.


    After confirming that Edward¡¯s life was out of risk, Add found Kent and asked him to give a thorough explanation about what had happened, before he had arrived. As he listened, his expression became colder. The Militia had really gone beyond saving now. He knew from a long time that Commander Dave didn¡¯t care about the thoughts of the Lord and wanted to snatch power for himself, but since he was busy increasing his strength, he had not dealt with these scourges till now. But now he could no longer stay still, he had already killed a deputy and three soldiers, and there was no need to hesitate and more. After he took a report of the progress made by the cadets while he was gone, he asked Kent to gather all the cadets, except Edward in the field. Within minutes the cadets were standing before him in ordered lines, waiting for their instructor to speak. Add stood on a small podium made of wood, as he looked at the cadets. He felt that compared to the unruly group of brats he started with, the cadets had now began to show the faintest features of trained soldiers.


    ¡°Cadets, although I have been away for a few days now, but I have got the gist of the situation from Mr. Kent. And first of all, let me say that I appreciate that you people have been taking your training seriously and doing it routinely.¡±


    The cadets felt happy, after all it was the first time their instructor had appreciated their work. Usually, he only scolded them.


    ¡°That is that, but don¡¯t think that you all are done just yet. This is just the very basics of what a soldier should learn. Initially, I wanted to train you perfectly and then proceed towards the next step, but now it seems that the circumstances will not allow for that, so I will have to improvise.¡±


    ¡°I will be honest with you all. As you all have witnessed today, the Militia no longer obeys my orders, and they only follow their Commander Dave. This has been going on ever since my father died, and at the beginning they were not so direct, but now, they are openly opposing me. I am afraid that they want to over throw me and take power for themselves.¡±


    Add¡¯s voice was calm and steady all along. Kent had his head lowered, cursing his own powerlessness. The expression of the cadets turned worried. Most of them knew about the strength of the Militia, and now that they were trying to rebel against the lord, this was a grave matter, this was treason!


    ¡°As such I have decided to settle the scores with the militia once and for all. But before that, I want to ask you, if you all will place your trust in me and follow me?¡±


    His voice was cold as usual, yet everyone present could feel a trace of dignity in his words. Kent was the first to react as he kneeled one of his knees and bowed his head.


    ¡°This old man is willing to follow the Young Master!¡±


    Following his example, one by one all the cadets similarly kneeled, including the weakened Edward and shouted in unison.


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°We will follow the Instructor!!!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Stand up the lot of you! A man should only kneel before his parents. I need subordinates, not slaves! Besides what have I taught you to do when you want t show respect? Or did you forget everything in these few days that I was away?¡±


    ¡°But also remember this. A person should also know their own limits. I don¡¯t want you all to act recklessly, and lose your lives in vain. Today, Cadet Edward stood up against the humiliation done to Mr. Kent, and I am very happy that he did. But I also know how close he was to dying. If that man had used a little bit more force, and if I did not have a recovery potion on me, he might have lost his life! Remember, that while facing an enemy stronger than you, there is no shame in enduring as long as possible or retreating! As long as you are alive, you can take revenge on a later date! But if you lose your calm and die, then it¡¯s all over! Do you all get me?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°We get you sir!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Then carry on with your training. I will be leaving to deal with the Militia. When I am done, there will be a huge turmoil and I want you all to be prepared. As the only force directly under me, I will be depending on you all. That¡¯s it, you are all dismissed!¡±


    After he finished speaking, Add left the field followed by Kent.


    ¡°Young Master, what are you planning on doing?¡±


    ¡°Crush them once and for all¡±


    Add stated simply, making the old man shocked.


    ¡°Young Master, as much as I hate to admit it, the Militia is not an easy target. A month ago, Dave had an upgrade in his strength and became a Rank 3 warrior. Aside from him, there are around 40 rank 2 warriors and the rest are all rank 1 warriors. It won¡¯t be a wise decision to attack them head on¡­¡±


    Add was a bit impressed at this information, but he did not put this group in his eyes at all. Could they be stronger than the [Iron Clawed Bear] or the [Dire Wolves] he had massacred? Even if they were close enough in strength, at most, he would just throw a few [Water Bombs] and blow them to bits. With his strength, experience and weapons, he had full confidence that he could deal with the militia, even if entire 500 of them appeared before him. He waved his hand and said,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mr. Kent. I know what I am doing. Just focus on training the cadets as usual. I will handle this matter.¡±


    Kent however was not convinced and wanted to try and persuade Add to not act rashly, but the latter calmly stared at him and said,


    ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡±


    The old man had nothing more to say. He realised that the young master had made up his mind, and he could only sigh as he looked Add galloping away on a horse, towards Rigel. He knew that whatever happened today, regardless, a huge change was bound to happen and he could only hope that the Young Master would be safe. The person in question was moving towards the town, a dense killing intent flashing in his eyes.


    ¡°It is time to begin the purge¡­¡±


    _ _ _ _ _


    A few hours back, at the Barracks of the Militia.


    The soldiers were busy with their daily work. Although Dave did not care about the Weismann family, but he had the militia properly functioning at all times, it was not because he cared about the people but rather because the militia was his means to assert his power and control in the region. Some soldiers were training, some had gone out to patrol and some were guarding important places such as the town¡¯s gates. It was pretty unremarkable day for the most of them. Commander Dave was in his office looking at some reports, when a soldier rushed in.


    ¡°Reporting!¡±


    Dave who was busy frowned when the soldier entered without knocking and disturbed him.


    ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t you know that you have to knock before entering!?¡±


    The soldier immediately trebled, hearing the angry tone of the commander, every soldier knew that they should never provoke this man, or else they might easily lose their jobs at best and their lives at worst.


    ¡°Sorry¡­sorry¡­commander¡­¡±


    ¡°Humph! I will let you go this time, but there is no next time, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes commander¡±


    ¡°Then what is the matter?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to the commander, Deputy Zac¡­.he was killed¡­.¡±


    Dave who was still reading the reports, froze, and raised his head to look at the soldier.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°¡­that, Deputy Zac was killed commander¡­¡±


    As soon as the soldier said this, he felt the temperature of the room drop. Dave¡¯s eye narrowed and his expression became stern.


    ¡°Clarify?¡±


    It was a simple word, yet the soldier felt that his life was on the tip of a sword; one wrong word and he would die.


    ¡°Yes commander. The thing is, today Deputy Zac and three soldiers went out to patrol near the river, and there they met the guards that the young lord has been raining recently. They had some conflict, and the young lord killed Deputy Zac and three soldiers. Only one soldier was left alive and he just arrived here¡­¡±


    Dave was silent for a moment, as he felt confused. Zac was a Rank 2 warrior, but he was supposedly killed by that good for nothing brat? It was honestly unbelievable. He had known that Add was training his personal guards in that place for a few months already, but he ever really cared, after all they were just regular people who were being trained on a whim of that wastrel. He had initially sent a few soldiers to secretly keep watch on them, but all they reported was that the guards were doing strange exercises and marches which made no sense. Dave had long since discarded this training as child¡¯s play, but it seems something was really wrong there. Three rank 1 warriors and one rank 2 warrior died, this was no light matter. He kept the reports aside and stood up,


    ¡°Where is the soldier that returned with this news?¡±


    ¡°He was injured, so we sent him to be treated¡­¡±


    ¡°Take me to him now!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes commander!¡±


    Once Dave met the soldier, he asked him to explain the situation in detail. The soldier was pretty shaken, and lowly told the whole story. At first, Dave expression was sceptical, but as he continued to listen, it turned solemn. Finally, when the soldier finished his words, Dave stood there silent, contemplating who knows what. He turned towards the other soldiers present and began issuing orders.


    ¡°Immediately, send people and call back all the patrolling parties. Tell the men guarding the gates to keep watch for the young lord, and notify me as soon as he enters the town. Also, call back all the soldiers who are guarding the Weisman Estate. Do all this as fast as possible!¡±


    ¡°Yes commander!¡±


    Soon, many soldiers departed the barracks on horses to carry out their orders. Dave also instructed the remaining soldiers to prepare for conflict.


    ¡°Till now I have been really complacent¡­ it seems that the brat has some ability¡­to think he hid it for so long. Heh! But if you think that with this you can go against me¡­¡±


    A vicious smile appeared on his lips.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time I took this territory for myself, since you have decided to go against me, you can only die now¡­. Coming for me eh? I will see where your arrogance goes once we met, ¡®young lord¡¯¡­.¡±


    He left to prepare, for his meeting with the ¡®lord¡¯. A part of him felt that Add would definitely not dare come, while the other part hoped that he would really come. He now had a proper reason to finally kill him, as Add had killed the soldiers, and once he was dead, the control of this territory would come into his hands. Once he was dealt with, he would send his men to clean those guards that Add had been training and if Add didn¡¯t come, then he would directly go and annihilate them all together. The soldiers were hurriedly moving around, and many people who saw them felt that something was about to happen today. However, they had no idea what could have happened to make the militia so excited today.


    _ _ _ _ _


    A kilometre away from the town, Add left the main road and took a detour through the woods. All the town¡¯s gates had the soldiers guarding them, and he was not going to announce his entry like a fool after all. As long as the enemy did not know of your position, the initiative was in your hands. He reached near the wooden wall and left his horse. Then with a few swift movements he easily crossed over the 5 metre tall wall and jumped down. Once inside he made his way stealthily towards the barracks. Since he was moving through the various alleys and small spaces between the buildings, no one was able to spot him. He could have just charged head on using bombs or the Kord Gatling gun, but that would make things needlessly complex. Rather, he wanted to do this like the Special Forces did, silently, quickly and most efficiently. For this he had purchased a new hand gun, as he felt the power of the MAV-20 was not enough anymore.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : Desert Eagle MK20 Semiautomatic Handgun


    Description : The Desert Eagle MK20 is a successor to the family of Desert Eagle handguns which first appeared in the 1990s. It is a gas operated semi-automatic handgun notable for chambering one of the largest centre-fire cartridge of any magazine-fed, self-loading pistol in its class. It chambers a very powerful .50 calibre (12.7x 36mm) Action Express-II round in a 7 round magazine. It is one of the most powerful conventional guns ever built. Although the design itself is basically an upgrade of the original model, it comes with various improvements, such as attachment point for a suppressor, mounting rails for laser sights etc.


    Made from durable titanium alloys and graphene components, it¡¯s a lightweight but deadly weapon and represents one of the best tactical handguns when it comes to high penetration. Its power, when loaded with .50 AE ammo, can conceivably allow the user to defeat personal body armour and even penetrate cover like walls.


    Price : 8000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    He equipped the gun with a suppressor and a laser sight which had to be purchased separately and 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines. He also placed the combat knife in a knife holder strapped to his legs. The katana was still hanging by his waist. For protection, he was wearing the combat gear which fully covered him from head to toe. Once he reached near the barracks, he could observe that the soldiers were on alert and many of them were patrolling around the area.


    The Militia barracks had three main buildings around a central large practice field, two large buildings that house the soldiers, and a slightly smaller one which served other purposes such as the commander¡¯s stay, the armoury etc. aside from that there were a few smaller buildings as well. All of this was surrounded by a thin brick wall. Add easily jumped over the walls and infiltrated the premises. Although most of the soldiers were busy elsewhere, there were still some soldiers who were patrolling around the barrack premises.


    Add hid between two sheds, as he watched a group of soldiers walk over. The 4 people had not spotted Add and walked right past him, but one of them was walking a bit farther away from the others, as soon as he passed before the the gap between two buildings, he was suddenly pulled inside and before he could make a sound, a knife had slit his throat. He died making gurgling sounds, as he choked on his own blood; Add threw his body aside and pulled out his gun. The other soldiers were alerted by the strange sound and turned to look, but three bullet blasted tiers lives away and they dropped dead on the ground.


    After dragging the bodies into the gap, he moved on. Every time he encounters soldiers, he would kill them instantly. Within a few minutes, he had killed tens of soldiers, and then he entered the buildings where the soldiers rested.


    ¡°Hey who are you!?¡±


    A soldier spotted him, but Add immediately rushed and snapped his head around. But his shout had alerted others and they began to rush towards the location. However, they all met their swift deaths from the desert eagle, and Add moved on. He had no qualms about using guns, since he was not planning on sparing anyone.


    ¡°Intruder! There are intruders!¡±


    Soon, a bell began ringing in the barracks, and soldiers who were patrolling around rushed inside the barracks compound.


    ¡°Looks like I have stirred them enough, now then towards the main target¡­¡±


    He thought as he changed a magazine of the gun and then broke out of the building. Any soldier he encountered, quickly died at his hands.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 19 - Revealing Power (Part 2)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Meanwhile, Dave who was in his office was jolted by the commotion,


    ¡°Intruders?¡±


    He rushed out and asked one of his deputies who was nearby, about the situation.


    ¡°Commander, not good! An intruder has broken in and he has already killed many men!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Dave was furious. Who had grown the gall to attack his people so openly in broad daylight!? He immediately drew his large bastard sword, surging to kill. He gathered many of his deputies and rushed towards the troop quarters where the fighting was going on. Add was like a death god, with his gun in one hand and his knife in the other, he was reaping lives one after another. A few soldiers, who recognised him, could not help but tremble in fear.


    The news that he had killed a group of soldiers was fresh among the soldier, but most did not believe it. However, now that they were witnessing it firsthand they realised how terrifying this boy was. He was killing them easily using a strange weapon, and they could not even get close. Add was utilising the buildings as cover, and continuously changing his position, making it difficult for the soldiers to encircle him. By the time Dave and the other deputies arrived at the spot, he had killed over a hundred of soldiers. They saw dozens of dead bodies strewn around; it was a one sided slaughter.


    ¡°Who are you!? Show yourself!¡±


    A deputy shouted in raging voice, but the next moment, he fell down dead; a bullet had pierced his chest killing him instantly. His eyes, still wide open.


    ¡°You are finally here commander¡­ As you should already know, I am here for you...¡±


    A cold voice resounded as Add walked out from behind a building.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Looking at the dead soldiers, his rage reached the extremes.


    ¡°Good good good¡­You dare kill my men! Very good! I don¡¯t know who you are, but you must be an accomplice of the Weismann brat right ?! Since you have come here, you won¡¯t leave here alive!¡±


    He was worried about the strange appearance of the man before him, but the rage and his ego had muddled his not so high intelligence. He drew his sword and ordered his men,


    ¡°Men! Surround him! Today I will hack him to pieces, and then go chop the head of that brat!¡±


    The morale of the soldiers increased when they saw Dave personally take action. He was a Rank 3 warrior, and the strongest person. Surely, he would be enough to deal with this murderer, not to mention, the many Rank 2 warriors that had also gathered. Dozens of soldiers began surrounding him, their swords and spears drawn, however, Add¡¯s face was calm as usual.


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this then¡­¡±


    _ _ _ _ _


    Ever since the commotion began, people had been gathering outside the barracks area. A few soldiers stationed at the gate were preventing them from getting too close. Suddenly, a body flew out of the barracks, breaking through the gates that were closed. When people looked closely, they were shocked to see that it was none other than Commander Dave. He was in a very sorry state. His body had a long and deep wound across the chest, and blood was constantly oozing from it. He couldn¡¯t even lift himself up; in his eyes confusion and fear were clearly visible.


    The few soldiers who were around, quickly gathered by his side. They were completely stumped, watching his condition. Just how did the commander end up in such a way, they wondered. He was the strongest man in Rigel, and still he was wounded so badly. It was then that a lone figure walked out of the barracks. It was man covered from head to toe in, strange clothes and some sort of armour. There on numerous blood stains on those clothes, and it almost looked like he had taken a shower in blood. In one of his hands there was a slender sword which was covered in blood. His other hand was clasping the throat of a soldier who was desperately trying to free himself.


    *SNAP*


    With a crisp and clear sound of breaking of bones, the soldier¡¯s neck was snapped and his body went limp. Throwing the corpse aside the man began moving towards Dave. The other soldiers immediately rushed to attack him, but his movements were too fast for them to follow and in a flash, they were cut by his sword, some dying immediately, while others were left writhing in pain on the ground. The blood on his clothes and armour gave him a very intimidating appearance, but it was not his own blood, rather the blood of the many soldiers that he had killed. The people, who were watching in horror, quickly retreated. A person broke in the militia barracks and was committing wanton murder; even the commander was unable to stop him just what was this? Ignoring all the commotion, the man approached Dave who was trying to stand and placed his sword beside his neck.


    ¡°Commander Dave, you have misused your authority which was given to you by my family. You have neglected your duties and tried to rebel against me. You bite the same hand which fed you and made you what you are¡­ All these crimes and the treason you have committed, grounds to your execution, do you have anything else to say?¡±


    Add mentioned all of Dave¡¯s crime calmly. His eyes never left the man, but his perception was keeping track of any movements around him. It was possible that someone would try to attack him from behind. The surrounding crowd was surprised once again. According to the man, this commander Dave wanted to rebel? This was indeed a very serious crime. Dave looked at him with malice filled eyes, but on the inside, he was despairing. This man was a monster. All of his men were not able to put a single scratch on him, as he chopped and slashed them up like a butcher. Even he himself had tried to attack many times, yet not a single hit was able to land on its target, while he had been grievously wounded by Add and then thrown around like a ragdoll. Just how strong was he?


    ¡°Who the hell are you¡­...?¡± He asked gritting his teeth.


    ¡°I am just the Lord of this territory.¡±


    ¡°impossible----¡±


    Add responded flatly and swung his blade. A head rolled on the ground, and the body slumped down, the face still had the expression of disbelief and rage on it. By now, the surviving soldiers were coming out of the barracks, and when they saw that Dave was dead, they looked at the man in fear, not daring to take a step forward. Add slowly took off the gas mask, revealing his face to the public for the first time. As the people were shocked knowing that it was the young lord, who had murdered his own soldiers, he started speaking in deadpan tone,


    ¡°Anyone else wants to fight?¡± His cold voice echoed in the area.


    The soldiers looked at each other. Almost half of the garrison in Rigel had died, and even the commander himself was dead. And all of it was done by this boy before them. They no longer dared go against him; one by one they all dropped their weapons and surrendered. The few surviving Rank 2 warriors also surrendered. They had all seen the slaughter that had happened inside, and they knew that they had no way of resisting this Young Lord.


    ¡°Clean all these bodies. I want to see the entire place clean by tomorrow morning. I will return tomorrow, and I want everything done by then, otherwise¡­.¡±


    He didn¡¯t complete his words and left, the crowds quickly made way for him, no one daring to look at him directly. It was not that Add was merciful and pitied the remaining soldiers. In fact he wanted to kill them all, but he knew that he was short on hands and needed them to maintain order in his territory, at least temporarily. Once the cadets were ready, he would decide what to do with them.


    [Ding! You have killed Rank 1 warrior (Human) x 167]


    [Received 167,000 CP]


    [Ding! You have killed Rank 2 warrior (Human) x 26]


    [Received 78,000 CP]


    [Ding! You have killed a Rank 3 warrior]


    [Received 8,000 CP]


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    _ _ _ _ _


    When he returned to the Estate, the servants and maids were equally shocked at his blood covered appearance. Martha almost lost it when she saw Add¡¯s condition, and it took a lot of effort to calm her down. The people at the Estate had realised that something was wrong when all the soldiers guarding the Estate suddenly left. It was only a little while ago that a few servants were sent out to check the situation, but Add had returned before they could return to the estate. Once he had cleaned himself, he explained what he had done, shocking Martha even more. At first she could not believe his words, but when the servants returned and said the same thing, she had to believe it. Walter also rushed to the estate as soon as he heard about this. the husband and wife were unable to fathom, when their young master had become so strong. Walter knew from a long time that Dave was a serious threat to the Weismann family, but he never imagined that he would be killed so easily today. However, his expression was pale as he heard what Add told him next.


    ¡°I want you to pull out all those people who were supporting Dave. I know that there must be some among the officials and don¡¯t tell me you do not know¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you intend to do with them young master ?¡± He asked slowly, but only got silence in response. A bad feeling emerged in him,


    ¡°Young Lord, please think wisely, you have already killed so many people today, I am afraid your image would be further tarnished before the populace, if you made any other moves¡­.¡±


    Add looked Walter with a small smile unbefitting of his usual expressionless face, his eyes were calm as he coldly said,


    ¡°Mr. Walter need not worry. It¡¯s alright if the people fear me, as for killing those people, as long as they dare plot against me, or stand in my way, I will show them no mercy and kill them all the same¡­¡±


    His words were filled with undisguised killing intent which scared Walter.


    ¡°But Young master!¡±


    He wanted to say something but had raised his hand and stopped him.


    ¡°Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god¡±


    Walter froze when he heard those words. These lines seemed cruel, but they were very true. Which king had not kept his throne by killing thousands? Which empire had risen without killing millions? But when Add said those words, he could not help but feel cold. Just what did the young lord intend to do, he had no idea. But in his mind, he had a feeling, that the future might not be a peaceful one.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The news that the young lord massacred the militia soon spread throughout the small town. Most people could never have imagined that the scoundrel young lord would be such a powerful and ruthless person. the wiser people realized that big changes were due to happen in the coming days, and they could only hope that those changes would be for the better. The next morning, Add paid a visit to the barracks as promised, accompanied by Walter. The soldiers had removed all the dead bodies and cleaned the area. They had worked very hard through the night, as no one wanted to irritate the lord and lose their little lives.


    After he made a few rounds of the Barracks to check if everything was cleaned and tidied properly, he ordered all the soldiers to gather in the training field of the barracks. The militia which numbered more than 500 at its peak, was now reduced to almost half that size. Around 200 soldiers were left, and their combined strength was much lower than before, especially since many rank 2 warriors and Dave the sole rank 3 warrior were now dead. The men stood with their heads hung low, not daring to look at the young lord who was glaring at them with indifferent eyes filled with disdain.


    (Really, it¡¯s insulting calling these things soldiers. Calling them hooligans would be stretching it as well¡­)


    Add was thoroughly disappointed with these people. Almost all of them were out of shape with flabby bodies and callous appearances. To him who had worked and trained with the best soldiers of Earth, these people really looked revolting. Still, he had to make do with what he had. Thinking of the many works ahead of him, he managed to hold back his urge to kick these useless slobs out of the militia. After some tense moments of silence, he finally spoke.


    ¡°I need two volunteers, somebody step out!¡±


    But not a soul dared to move. Everyone of them knew the terror of this boy very well, the scenes of the previous day were still fresh in their minds. He killed without batting an eye and they feared that he may start killing again if he was irritated. No one wanted to do get near him. Seeing that no one stepped forward, Add¡¯s expression became even more frigid,


    ¡°Did you retarded buffoons not understand what I said? I want two people to step out now, or else, I will pick somebody myself and that somebody will not be lucky. ¡±


    He stressed each word, and the faces of the soldiers fell. They all began looking at one another urging each other to move, while not moving themselves. The young lord¡¯s expression became more and more rigid, and even Walter standing behind him was sweating, afraid that he would begin another bloodbath here. Finally, as if coming to a common agreement, the bulk of the soldiers suddenly but silently stepped back. Only two men who were busy discussing in hushed voices among themselves, were unable to notice that their group had moved back, did not move and as a result they were now ahead of the other soldiers, relatively. When the two suddenly felt that something wrong, they looked around and realised to their dismay that the other soldiers were many steps behind them and it appeared that they themselves had stepped out!


    ¡°F***!!!¡±


    ¡°S***!!¡±


    The men, cursed and looked at their ¡®brothers¡¯ with a gaze as if wanting to kill. Both of them were internally cursing their nine generations. ¡®F*** you pieces of s***. How shameless! You all left me standing and retreated! At least somebody should have told me damn it! Ah!! I want to feed all you to dogs!¡¯ the both of them had similar thoughts in their minds. The others just turned their eyes not daring to match the two¡¯s, their expressions saying, ¡®don¡¯t blame us, it is your fault that you were careless and did not move. Thank you for your sacrifice good brothers!¡¯. The men¡¯s faces were raging in anger but soon became pale as they looked towards the young lord, and could not help but shiver.


    ¡°Finally, someone stepped out. You both, what are your names?¡±


    Add asked indifferently. He did not care the actions of the other soldiers, he just needed a temporary leader to take charge. Having his emotionless eyes lock onto him, the man felt even more scared, but he knew that if he stayed silent then it won¡¯t end well for him.


    ¡°Reporting to young lord, I am called Hick¡±


    ¡°Reporting to young lord, I am Elmo¡±


    ¡°Alright then Hick, take out 20 people and stand separately on the right¡±


    The man who was shivering till now smiled cruelly as he turned to look at his ¡®brothers¡¯. The others were now pale, afraid that Hick would call their names. The man in question laughed in his mind, ¡®you shameless f***s dare set me up ? Then I will f**k your lives as well!¡¯. He called twenty of his well known ¡®brothers¡¯ whose faces turned ugly like their fathers had just died. Still they dared not ignore the lord who was standing before them and went to stand beside Hick, cursing him profoundly in their minds.


    ¡°Elmo, you will manage the remaining soldiers and continue with your everyday duties. I want no one skipping their work, do you understand ?¡±


    ¡°Yes young lord !¡± Elmo hurriedly bowed and replied.


    Add then turned towards Walter and asked,


    ¡°Is it done ?¡±


    Walter nodded his head.


    ¡°Very well then. Hick!¡±


    ¡°Yes milord !¡±


    Hick¡¯s tone had become very respectful. Now that Dave was dead, and the lord was clearly the undisputed ruler of the region, it was best to follow him. If he could impress the lord enough, perhaps his life would become better!


    ¡°Take those men and follow Mr. Walter. There are some scheming rats hiding around, go and drag all of them here, you have till noon! Now go! Mr. Walter please..¡±


    ¡°Yes milord!!¡±


    Walter sighed. His eyes had dark circles under them, suggesting that he had not slept properly yesterday. Add had entrusted him to make a list of people who were supporting Dave, and Walter who knew very well about who those people were, immediately got to work. Within the night, he had the list prepared and he also knew what Add was going to do with them. He began walking and Hick and his group of soldiers quickly followed. After they had left, Add dismissed the rest and went into the office which was previously occupied by Dave. He had the room cleaned by some soldiers. The only things left there were a table with three chairs, a cupboard and some weapon and armour hanging from the walls. He had some spare time now, before Walter returned with those ¡®rats¡¯. He quietly waited while making plans for the coming days.


    ¡°This territory is too underdeveloped. I will have to start work as soon as possible. Let¡¯s see, the cadets should be done in a month, after that¡­¡±


    He was not going to teach them to use guns right now. Before he had a stable level of infrastructure ready, and the region had industrialised, there was no meaning in introducing guns as he would have to purchase everything from the system. For now the basic sword, spear and bow would have to work. He also wouldn¡¯t begin the special training which was meant for officers. This would be done later. His primary focus would be to improve the standard of the people. After all, these people who did not even know what gravity was, had to be educated first. Or else using the system to bring out modern weapons and technology would be no better than giving a computer to a caveman. Development was a step by step process, it had to be started at the basics, and then one could move gradually upwards. Luckily he did not have any pressing crisis on his head, and could take things slowly.


    ¡°All of this is such a pain¡­¡±


    He felt a headache coming. Add was a soldier and the work of social development was not his job. But now that he had such an identity, this was something he must do. His reasons were simple, he wanted to live a free life, but to do that in this world he would need power, and to get that power, he could only depend on himself. Add knew that this world was reality and not a novel, where one man could go against the world and still win. No matter how strong he was, he would never make the mistake of assuming that he could become undefeatable in the world. As such having the power of a nation behind him was very assuring, and if he did not have a nation? It was simple, he would build one for himself! The Soviet Union became a superpower within a few decades, rising from a rural and agricultural country to a massive industrial power, and it would be as shame on him if he could not do the same in such a small region and with the aid of the System supporting him.


    Finally, late in the afternoon, Walter returned along with the soldiers who were dragging some other people with them. When the group reached the barracks, Walter quickly went and fetched Add. The young lord calmly looked at the few people whom the soldiers had brought back. There were 16 men of varying ages, some were very old, some were middle aged. These people were actually officials working under Walter, and were among the few officials who managed the workings of the territory. With the help of the soldiers, Walter had quickly captured all of them and brought them before Add. Only a few had managed to escape after hearing the news of Dave being killed. Till now, he had no means of acting against these people since they had Dave on their side. But now that he was gone, these people could easily be dealt with. As Add looked at the officials one by one, they trembled in fear. They knew what had happened yesterday and all of them had connections with Dave and were supporting him from behind the scenes. It was clear that whatever was ahead of them was not anything nice. Add smiled coldly and did not spare them another glance.


    ¡°Hick.¡±


    ¡°Yes Milord!¡±


    ¡°Bring these people to the town square¡±


    ¡°As you wish!¡±


    The town square was just a street across from the barracks, the soldiers dragged the men there, while Add and and Walter followed. When they were at the town square, the gazes of the various people fell on them. Many of them had witnessed the killings at the barracks yesterday and felt fear when Add passed by them. However, most people still looked over in curiosity, as to what the lord was up to today. They recognised the officials whom the soldiers were dragging along, and wondered why these people who were normally quite powerful, in this condition today. And their questions were soon answered, when Add began speaking.


    ¡°All people who are gathered here, today I your lord have something to say to everyone! As you all know, yesterday I executed Dave and his followers who wanted to rebel against me! However, it turns out that he was not alone in this plan, rather he also had the support of these officials! They who were entrusted to work for the territory and given these positions by my family, betrayed me! I feel that I have been too soft lately, and everyone is trying to get over my head! So today I am going to show what happens if anyone dares to scheme behind my back!¡±


    The people looked in anticipation as they waited for what the young lord was about to do.


    ¡°Men! Make them kneel¡±


    At his shout, the soldiers holding the officials dragged them to the front and made them kneel in a line. Their hands were tied behind their backs which made it difficult for them to move. The officials realised that something terrible was about to happen and began screaming and begging for help. Some were crying and asking for mercy, asking for forgiveness but Add was indifferent to their pleas. He drew his sword and stood in front of an official. The soldier holding him immediately stepped back. The official was still asking for help and mercy, when in a flash, Add lifted his sword and beheaded the man. His head rolled on the ground, fear and despair still eminent on his face. The body slumped down and lay motionless. Not wasting tie, Add moved on and chopped the heads of the other fifteen officials. Sadly, they gave no Exp, the system judged them to be too weak for that. The entire town square was silent, not a person dared move. They watched in shock and horror as Add killed all the men, their blood making pools on the ground.


    ¡°Today I want everyone to know that there is only one punishment for those who dare scheme against me and try to betray me. Death! In the future, everyone should remember this! If anyone feels that they have enough strength to go against me then they are welcome to try, but they can only blame themselves when they die!¡±


    His cold voice made everyone shiver. Having spoken what he intended to, he left the place with Walter in tow, who signalled the soldiers to clean up the mess. If yesterday Add had shocked the masses, then today, he had instilled fear in them. Everyone now knew what would happen if you went against the lord. Many people sighed, they felt as if they had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire! The previous wastrel young lord was still much better than this tyrant young lord. They cursed their fates as they could only fear of what was to come in the following days. However one thing was certain, today the young Lord Weismann had established his prestige by spilling the blood of his enemies, and few if any in this territory would want to challenge his rule from now on.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 20 - Taking Charge

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Back at the Weismann mansion.


    (So that was the strength of a Rank 3 huh ?)


    Add thought as he recalled the fight with Dave. He had briefly crossed swords with the enraged man, and although the man¡¯s strength was good, but he was able to push Dave back easily. The Rank 2 warriors were even less of a challenge.


    ¡°So then, according to this world¡¯s standards, my present strength should be around Rank 3 at least and close to Rank 4 at best¡­¡±


    The gene enhancers really lived out to their name. With just two doses, he had already gained such strength. He looked at his status again, the Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Low) had interested him from day one. The system explained that he had the aptitude to use mana to strengthen his body just like warriors, but with his current talent he would only be able to become a Rank 2 warrior at best. Of course the system had items which could change his talent, but they were expensive and difficult to obtain. For now, he had to focus on perfecting his physical body to its limits. A series of knocks broke his revere, and Walter entered the room.


    ¡°You asked for me my lord ?¡±


    After the previous events, most people including Walter had began addressing him as lord, instead of ¡®young master¡¯. He was no longer the childish boy, but a man who could make serious decisions and take proper action.


    ¡°Ah Mr. Walter, I was expecting you. From tomorrow onwards, I will take over the management of the territory. You and all the officials will be reporting to me directly. You should also get some people to replace those dead officials.¡±


    ¡°Understood my lord.¡±


    The study had been turned into an office at his orders. Add began looking at the reports which Walter had compiled while he was out in the hills. These ranged from the financial condition of the territory to the various problems and necessities of the common people. As he was looking at the papers, his gaze fell on Walter who appeared to be wanting to say something.


    ¡°What is it? You can speak freely.¡±


    The man hesitatingly began,


    ¡°Young Lord, yesterday you killed so many soldiers and today you killed those officials, their families are aggrieved and I am afraid that they will oppose you openly. How do you wish to deal with them? While it is true that those people deserved death, but from the perspective of their families¡­¡±


    What he said was right. There were many families that had lost their men due to the purge that Add carried out. Aside from the loss of a family member, many of those soldiers were the sole earning member in their families. Now that they were dead, those families would be in a bad situation and many would probably end up out on the streets. Add frowned. This was a consequence he had to face, while on one hand he felt no remorse in killing those people, on the other hand as a lord he was also responsible for the families of those people. After thinking for a while, he made a decision.


    ¡°I understand, give 50 silver coins as a support to all the families of the dead soldiers. If they take things too far, deal with them as you see fit. Apart from that, in a few days time, I will be starting some major works and the families of the deceased will have the first opportunity to be employed.¡±


    ¡°As for the family of officials, I will leave it to your wisdom. But if they are not cooperative and dare make a fuss, you can arrest them and put them in prison!¡±


    ¡°As you wish my lord, however if I am so bold as to mention that the finances¡­¡±


    Add stretched his body while sighing, something he had been doing a lot recently.


    ¡°I know. For now gather what you can and take the rest from the house¡¯s treasury. Ask Martha to help you.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After Walter left, Add began thinking about the money problems he was facing. The treasury was steadily depleting and there was little income coming in.


    ¡°Looks like I will have to solve it soon huh¡­¡±


    He had enough funds for now, but if the situation did not improve, he would be bankrupt soon. In the next few days, he families of the dead soldiers and officials had been dealt with, some chose to compromise while others had to be suppressed with force. During the remaining days of the month, Add repeatedly made trips all over the territory, even going to the farthest villages taking notes of the conditions of the people and the various problems and challenges before them. He also oversaw the working of the officials and routinely visited to watch the training of the cadets, which was nearly complete as per his currently set plans. After he had a rough understanding of the situation of the entire territory, he began making a plan for beginning the development process. Once again, he returned to the history of the Soviet Union for ideas.


    When the Soviet Union was established in 1918, Russia was nowhere near being called a industrial nation. While most of Europe had been industrialising rapidly since the mid 18<sup>th</sup> century, most of Russia still remained agricultural. The Russian economy then was powered mostly by agriculture and industries were just beginning to rise. This economy was dealt heavy blows by the defeat in the first world war and the civil war between the Bolsheviks and the while army, which left it nearly crippled. After obtaining power, Lenin and the Bolsheviks realised that the Soviet Union was decades far behind the major European countries in terms of industrial and economic development. But before he could do much, Lenin passed away. His successor, Joseph Stalin then implemented the famous and ruthless 5-year plans to reform the Soviet Union into a industrial powerhouse, which were followed by other plans that brought the state out of its backwardness and into a developed society.


    Add, right now was facing a similar situation. Although there were close to a million people in total living in the territory, they were scattered and far in between. Currently, including Rigel and nearby villages, he had around 20,000 people under him, the scales were nowhere as large as the millions back in the Soviet union, but the basic problems remained the same. To modernise the Weismann territory, he decided on a similar policy like the USSR had, but with major differences.


    Instead of a totalitarian state, which the Soviet Union had become, he envisioned his state to follow a Democratic Socialist type of system. The state would follow the ideals of socialism, while also ensuring everyone had the equality, freedom and power that Marx had originally envisioned. True communism, Add reasoned would never work, not for humans. The system itself was perfect, no doubt about that. But the people who were to run that system did not deserve it. Humans by nature were selfish and greedy, and this was undeniable. Hence, Communism which emphasised on the collective well being would never truly work with humans. Firstly since in practical life, it was impossible for all the millions of people in a communistic society to come together and make decisions as there would be a million different views. This meant the need of representatives who would then inevitably hold the power over the millions of people and as the ones in power were still humans, sooner or later they would want to ensure their own benefits as power can corrupt even the noblest of hearts.


    As such Socialism was a compromise between Communism and the selfish and greedy nature of humans. Add envisioned a state which would give its citizens basic rights such as owning property, but would strictly control the means of production to ensure that the 10% of the population, never had more wealth than the 90% combined. Of course till the state reached a certain level of development, he had to ensure his own control. Once it had developed enough, he would let an elected government take over the government. He started this process of reforming the state by formulating a five year plan for the development of the territory, and more would follow after its completion. This plan was based on the 5-year plans, Stalin had introduced, but there were many key differences. The main objective of the 1<sup>st</sup> five year plan was to boost agricultural production. Agriculture was the backbone of any state, and as there were no industrialising countries around him, Add saw no necessity of stating to build huge factories when the people had no food to eat.


    The development in agriculture would be in all of its sectors. In the country of Reinglief, which was a stereotypical feudalistic society, almost all of the farmlands were owned by the Royal family and Nobles. The normal peasants worked on them as serfs to produce crops. After harvesting was done, the peasants were give a fraction of their produce and some wages while the majority of the produce was owned by the land owners. What the peasants got varied from region to region, but it would suffice to say that it was not much. Add decided to change this system instantly. The farmland around Rigel which was all owned by him, would be divided into parts and leased to the peasants for a period of 10 years, after which, depending on their performance, the lease could be extended or terminated. When leased, the peasants would be obliged to sell all their crops to the state, at prices which would be fixed to ensure that the peasants can make a decent income.


    Next would be the variety of crops. wheat was the major crop grown in the territory and it was the staple which people ate. Aside from this, there were vegetables, potatoes, and some amount of fruits grown as well. But all of this was not enough. There had to be more variety, in the produce, and he decided that he would bring more types of crops into his territory as soon as possible. There was also an acute shortage of live stock such as cows, chickens etc. these had to be bought from elsewhere and bred to make new sources of income and boost animal husbandry. Along with this, there was a need for better irrigation systems as the people were mostly dependent on rain for their crops. The final problem which had to be resolved was modernization of agriculture. The peasants here, used primitive methods like hand ploughing, horse drawn ploughing, manual seed planting etc. all of these were slow, time consuming and not very effective. These had to be replaced with simple machines first and then as time progressed more sophisticated and effective machines would be used.


    The secondary focus would be on education, healthcare and jobs. Very few of the people of the territory were literate, and only a small fraction of them knew subjects like math, economy etc. this was a major problem which had to be tackled as quickly as possible. No state could prosper without its citizens being properly educated and aware. Sadly, there was only one school in Rigel, if it could be called a school at all, and that too was for the ones who were relatively wealthy. He had once visited that place and inspected the level of teaching, which he had found to be very very lacking even by the standards of this world. For this he planned on establishing state run schools which would provide education on basic subjects such as language, mathematics and rudimentary science. There would be a minimal fee charged and the teachers would be paid by the state. In simpler terms, a public school. The exact courses would be selected later, but once the schools were set up and running, gradually more advanced institutions like colleges and universities would be built. The people had to learn and become skilled so that they could in turn contribute in the development of the state.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Healthcare in this era was basically confined to herbal medicines and diagnosis by traditional methods which had been passed down through the ages. There were no large hospitals or health centres, only a few private doctors, if they could be called doctors at all. Modern medicine and knowledge of biology needed to be taught as well. As for Jobs, they would appear as the various development projects started. Lots of man power would be required to do the construction projects and in the many new services which would be set up by the state. As the territory developed, and more people gathered, new opportunities of trade and commerce would also appear with time.


    The third target was industrialization. This would begin by proper mapping and documenting of the various mines and quarries in this region. The hills behind Rigel were part of the great dividing ranges and were rich in various minerals, but due to the poor economic resources, not much could be invested in proper mining. Once this was done, small scale factories would be set up by the state to process the raw materials and these will then be sent to other factories to make proper items of use. The main products of interest would be iron and other metals, yarn and clothes, paper and wood. He would also introduce the use of machines, starting with the steam engine, which was the pioneer of industrialization. This would be followed by the production and usage of electricity followed by the railways and similar systems. For developing, constructing and operating such factories machines and systems, there was a need for skilled people and adequate food supply which would be met in the previous two targets.


    The fourth sector would be the government. To manage the development of the Agriculture, implementing Education, Setting up industry and to ensure the safety and security of the State, a proper government was a must. Till now, the relatively small population of the Weismann Territory was being somewhat decently managed by Walter and some other officials who had been working under the Weismann family for years. In the future however as the various plans were implemented and the population increased, more people would be required to manage the state and its operations. Till his father¡¯s time, the officials were usually selected on the basis of connections. Ability was a secondary criteria. From now on however, there would be strict tests to evaluate the skill and qualities of the people before allowing them any positions in the government. Next would be the formulation of a proper constitution which would have all the laws, rules and regulations, the state and its citizens would follow.


    Add would also set up a State Intelligence agency which he named the K.G.B. and would stand as the homonym for the Committee for State Security. Very original on his part. Just like the original KGB it would directly report to the government, and would be responsible for internal security, intelligence gathering; both inside and outside the state and also serve as the Secret Police. Aside from this a separate agency called the State Investigation Division would be set up to monitor crimes within the state and an Anti-Corruption Agency to keep strict watch on government officials and other people with independent powers. The government would have many departments within it, and more agencies would be added when required. Finally, there would be the Central Police Force which would be responsible for maintaining law and order inside the state. Also not to forget was the State Prison Committee, the infamous GULAGS.


    The fifth and final target of this plan was the Military. A nation was only as strong as its armed forces were. For now, there seemed to be peace, but Add knew that the current kingdom was on the verge of collapse and as soon as he began his reforms, the royalty and the nobility of the kingdom would immediately try to suppress him. His and their ideologies were exact opposites and they could never allow the rise of the Farmers an Workers. If he was to ensure the Rise of a Socialistic state, he would inevitably clash against the armies of this kingdom and possibly the other kingdoms as well. So he had to form a strong armed force which could protect the state from any and all threats. Although he had started this process with the 100 freshly recruited cadets, but that was not at all enough. Add planned to make a proper defence force consisting of the three major division : The Army, The Air Force and the Navy. Apart from these, there would be the Special Forces (Spetsnaz), and some paramilitary forces.


    A major problem was that all these forces would be armed with modern weapons and equipment, and to supply all that the previous 3 targets would have to be met. He could not just begin producing guns and arming his soldiers with them, as doing this would be difficult without properly developing the other sectors and even if he did, then that would attract too much attention. The current him was not prepared to deal with the various powers which resided in this country be it the millions strong armies or the many strong people who would come after him if he recklessly revealed the modern weapons and technology. All of it had to be done slowly and steadily, and could not be rushed. For now, he would develop the territory and bid his time. The situation of the country was not good and a war with the neighbouring countries could break out anytime. In this troubled times, one could never be more careful.


    After setting the course of action, he injected the Grade C gene enhancer into his body. The pain came as usual, this time lasting longer than before, but next morning, the results were also better than before:


    _ _ _ _ _


    STATUS


    Name : Add (Adolf Kaiser Weismann)


    Race : Human


    Credit Points : 1,563,500


    ATTRIBUTES :


    Vitality : 18 -> 28


    Strength : 20 -> 35


    Agility : 15 -> 25


    Dexterity : 12 -> 22


    Defence: 15 -> 20


    Intelligence : 7 -> 8


    Wisdom : 6 -> 8


    Stamina : 12 -> 24


    Charm : 6 -> 7


    Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Low)


    _ _ _ _ _


    Strength was still his highest stat, but vitality had also increased substantially. The other stats were also increasing nicely. Intelligence and wisdom increased by one point and two points respectively, but he was not upset. He felt that he was smart enough for what he had to do and did not need to be on par with Einstein and Newton anyway. As for charm, he considered it a bonus, nothing too important. But this poor ignored stat would have its revenge on him one day.


    _ _ _ _ _


    On a sunny day, a large group of people stood in front of a vast patch of forest. The location was about 30 kilometres from the city of Rigel. A long line of carriages laden with various supplies and tools, stood still and hundreds of workers looked at the vast untouched forests before them. These people were peasants that had been recruited by the Lord of the territory as workers for what they knew as simply ¡®a large construction project¡¯, any further details were omitted. The workers themselves did not care what they were building as long as they got their wages on time. They brought with them food, supplies, simple tents and the various items which would be requires for them to stay out here for a long time, all of which had been provided by the lord. However, what most people had doubts about is what the Lord planne don building in this area, by spending so much money.


    Add had long realised that the town of Rigel could not be his base of operations. It had been built too haphazardly with poor planning which left little room for development. He could of course tear down the town and built it a new, but that would be too costly, and time consuming. So that idea was rejected. Instead he gathered the few architects and builders he could find in the town and gave them a simple task of clearing a large part of the forest, in a location he had chosen previously. Giving them a rough estimate of the area needed to be cleared, he gave them a few hundred workers, and sent them away. Dozens of the militia, who had been stripped of their ego and powers were sent to guard the workers as well.


    Only a few people including Martha and Walter knew what Add was actually up to. The Lord was going to build a new city up from scratch! The future was too large for the little town to accommodate, and it was easier to make a new city instead of trying to reconstruct Rigel. Although they protested greatly at first, which was given as this project would drain away wealth like sand drains water, but before his stubbornness they had to give in. It was not all bad however, the trees in the forest were of high quality and the timber could be sold to traders for money. To encourage the workers to perform to their best, Add divided them into groups and announced that the three groups that performed the best, will receive bonus salaries at the end of the month. This would also ensure that the people worked together rather than laze around. To the poor peasants this offer was worth salivating for.


    Add also began revamping the agriculture sector immediately. Till now, almost all of the land which was farmed belonged to the Weismann house and the peasants worked as hired serfs who were paid low wages and had no rights to the produce itself. He made a new law which guaranteed minimal monthly wage for the farmers, and also promised a share of the crops to them after harvest. Supervisors were employed to monitor the work of the farmers, to ensure that the work went smoothly. To increase productivity he introduced the concepts of crop rotation, and promoted the use of natural fertilizer. Huge composts pits were made where the waste from the town was buried under layers of solid to produce manure. The farming here was too backward, with basically no scientific knowledge. But little by little the situation was improving.


    The other major sector of revenue was the mining sector. The mining around Rigel was mostly done by private parties, the mines being leased to them by the lord. In return they would pay a share of taxes to the lord in proportion to the amount of ore they had mined out. Add changed the policy, he made a mining agency with retired miners, and new recruits who were directly employed by him. They were given free access to the mines, and in return they would have to surrender the ores they mine to the government. They would be paid directly depending on how much ore they mined per day, and the rate was fixed according to market prices. He also employed a few blacksmiths who had poor business and tasked them with building a refinery to smelt the ores. The raw ores themselves fetched low prices, but smelt metals even of low quality sold for much higher. He also gave them tips on how to smelt ores better and more efficiently, and this was the beginning of what would slowly come to be the first ever iron factory in Iseria.


    All these plans required lots of money, and Add was on the verge of bankruptcy already. To obtain more funds, he ¡®convinced¡¯ the few rich people in town to ¡®invest¡¯ in his efforts. They were of course unwilling, but after some ¡®persuasion¡¯ most of them reluctantly agreed. A few who didn¡¯t were given two choices by the Lord.


    ¡°Either you willingly give me some of your money, or I will take all of your funds, seize your property, and then throw you out into the wilderness. Choose.¡±


    This scared the living daylights out of them. This was no longer ¡®asking for money¡¯ it was daylight robbery. However no one dared go against him, as they knew that he was really capable of doing what he said. Add too did not push them too hard. He had rough estimates as to how much wealth these few rich people had, and he only took a portion of it, leaving enough for them to live in comfort. He would also return the money when he had returns from all the ventures he was working on, with a little interest to even things out. Another source of cash were the various precious antiques stored in the Weismann estate itself. Without hesitation he sold off most of the useless stuff such as decorations, statues, paintings to traders, leaving behind only the family heirlooms and a few other precious items.


    He was never much of a materialistic person, and if he could gain money by selling things he had no use or attachment to, then he would not hesitate even a moment. With all his efforts, he had secured enough funding for his projects for around a year. By then the next harvest season would be over, and the income of the territory would be at its peak. New officials had been employed from the fraction of people that had some literacy and he explained to them their jobs while entrusting the Administration to Walter once again. After sorting all of this, he returned his attention to the cadets who were on the verge of completing their basic training.


    But before that he had one last thing to do. He once again sent for Joey the tailor who had made the training clothes for the cadets. This time, the request was rather important and serious in nature. As a noble, the Weismann Family had the right to have their own signature flag for their fief. However, his grandfather and father had never really cared for this as they were absolutely loyal to the kingdom and had not made a flag for themselves. Only the flag of the kingdom itself was used whenever needed. But Add would not have that.


    ¡°How may I serve you today my lord ?¡±


    The short chubby tailor fidgeted in the chair, visibly tensed, as he looked at the cold and detached appearance of the young lord. This man before him could barely be considered an adult by this world¡¯s standards (which by the way was 16 years on Iseria), but he had already made a name for himself in town. Unlike his father who was kind and tolerant however, the current lord was ruthless and scary.


    ¡°It¡¯s fairly simple, Mr. Joey,¡±


    Add showed him a drawing he had previously made,


    ¡°As you can see the design here, I need you to do is make a single rectangular flag, coloured completely red. And on its top left corner, there will be a hammer and sickle crossing each other beneath a star. The hammer and sickle will be completely golden in colour, while the star will only have a golden border¡­.¡±


    The man looked at the strange flag and felt confused. He had never seen such a flag anywhere before, it looked too simple, and vacant, not to mention the hammer and sickle. Nobles usually had showy flags with large flashy designs, and almost never would any one use such a dull looking flag. He rubbed his forehead which had gathered sweat and asked,


    ¡°My Lord, do you really want just this and nothing more ? If I can be so bold to suggest a better..¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Joey. I know exactly what I want¡­ just tell me how fast you can do it ?¡±


    Add¡¯s eyes were chilling, causing the later to feel involuntarily scared. He quickly stopped his blabbing and departed, taking the sketch with him, and promising he would deliver it in two days time. And the man kept his word, exactly two days later, the requested flag arrived. Lord Weismann was satisfied with it and without his knowledge, a tiny smile made its way across his lips.


    The familiar, red flag with the golden, hammer, sickle and star. A symbol of power, a symbol of hope and a symbol of sacrifice, the flag was much more than just a flag. It represented the very soul of the Soviet Union, it was the banner which had united people of different religions, ages and status under one impetus and one notion. The 25 silver coins which he paid for this flag were well spent. The flag was just small enough to be held upright by a single person, any larger and it would take more than one man to keep it steady. But Add didn¡¯t furl it right away. That had to be done on a special day, when he could proclaim the existence of his power to the world, for when the red flag flew for the first time, the world was bound to change in more than one ways. For now, it was kept safely in the study.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 21 - The Red Flag is Raised

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    After over 4 months of strict and continuous training, the cadets were finally ready. They had learnt basic drills, became proficient in well coordinated marching, and also learnt to work effectively as a team. Aside from these, their physical and mental conditions had also changed a lot. Once the typical young boys, these cadets were now disciplined and well built men. Add had thoroughly ingrained the many traits of a good soldier into them, and his teachings were almost borderline brainwashing. The morning sun, found the cadets at the training camp lined up and ready. Today was the day when the cadets officially completed their basic combat training. After this, they had to learn to operate guns, but that would be on hold for now and they would be using their traditional weapons for some time. Add inspected the cadets who were standing in well ordered files, their heads held high, their postures straight and still. He approved of them in his mind; the days of training had not been wasted after all. After he was done inspecting them, he stood before them and began speaking.


    ¡°Cadets, as of this moment, you all have completed your basic training. I congratulate you for your dedication and hard work over the past months, and I feel proud to have trained you all!¡±


    ¡°However, before you officially become enlisted soldiers, there is only one more thing that is left.¡±


    The cadets who were happy in their minds, thinking that their days of suffering and hardships were finally over, felt a bad premonition at this sentence, and as expected the Instructor lived up to his name as the ¡°Instructor from Hell¡±.


    ¡°From today onwards, for one month you all will be following me into the hills to train in actual life and death battles! As much as I have taught you all, some things just cannot be learnt by sparring and fake battles alone, unless one faces real dangers, they will not be able to bring out their full potentials! So pack your weapons and thing! We leave at midday!¡±


    All the cadets who were very happy till a while ago had sad faces, as if they had given up all hope. They knew well that countless dangerous beasts roamed in those hills, but this was something they had to face one day or another. And although they were scared, but no one wanted to run away. This was partially due to the fact that they had learnt the hard way that it was impossible to escape the Instructor¡¯s grasp, and also due to the sense of pride and confidence which had developed after months of training. So although they were grumbling and complaining they did as told and packed some supplies, picked weapons and followed their Instructor like good kids. Add was taking them to experience the real battles in the hills. Only through real battles would they grow. Of course he was not going to let anyone of these cadets die, their lives were precious and besides, he had spent a lot of resources and time to train them, so they could not die! It was only for the importance of human life though, and not because of the money he had spent behind these soldiers, definitely. At least Add himself felt that.


    For the next month, the cadets fought with monsters in small teams of 5 people. Add had only allowed them to fight the E ranked and a few F ranked monsters; anything higher would be too much on them. The cadets lived in small tents and obtained most of the food from what they could hunt and gather, which included fruits, roots, meat, fish etc. While they were fighting against weaker monsters, Add was keeping watch and dealing with any stronger monsters which approached the cadets. Initially the cadets were doing pretty bad, and Add had to step in many times to save them from serious injuries, but as days passed they gradually became more and more adept at dealing with the monsters, and coupled with the pointers which Add gave them, they soon began improving at killing monsters with ease. Any serious injuries they suffered were treated with the diluted [Healing Serum], A.K.A. recovery potions, while the lighter ones were left to heal by themselves, after all they would not find potions easily on the battlefield and becoming too dependent on them was not good.


    After the cadets had spent over a month in the hills, Add was finally satisfied with their progress and moved on to the next part. This time, he took them to hunt for bandits. There were numerous small and large bandit groups in the lands between the Weismann territory and the rest of Reinglief. They chose this place because of its remoteness and lack of any strong forces in the area. The bandits would regularly raid merchant caravans and attack villages, plundering, pillaging and committing all types of crimes, after which they would retreat into the wilderness. Many large and powerful bandit groups had formed in the area over the years. Somewhat ironically, due to the poor conditions of the territory, it was only attacked by small groups of bandits, as it was not a profitable place to rob for the big groups. When Add first took them out, the cadets were very hesitant and nervous. Although all of them had killed wild beasts, but killing another human was still a psychological barrier for the majority of people. Add knew this well, as he had also felt the same when he first took the life of another human. His eyes mystified when he was reminiscing that day.


    He was just 8 years old back then and the war had just begun. He was a scrawny kid living in the orphanage, with nothing to his name. Out to beg for some coins to feed his fellow younger orphans. It was a duty he took upon himself as he was the oldest kid among them. After he had begged the whole day, he obtained a little money, but when he was returning, a thug tried to rob him. He was beaten and thrashed, but he did not give up the money. While he was being beaten, his hands found a brick and he hit the man right on the head with it and kept hitting the man until his head was a bloody mess and he no longer moved.


    When he realised what he had done, he could not help but tremble and cry. When returned to the orphanage, he didn¡¯t speak of this to anyone, and was unable to sleep and eat properly for many days. But eventually, he got over it, and when he was conscripted into the army 2 years later, this experience helped him deal with enemies without much effect on his mind. The cadets before his eyes were just like him back then. When they encountered the first few bandit groups, Add incapacitated them but left the killing to the cadets. As he had expected, most of the cadets hesitated a lot and when they did kill, many cried, some puked and some were so disturbed that they had to be sent to rest for some days. The first time was always the most difficult one.


    However this was a must, and there was no way around it. In the battlefield there were no humans, just enemies and friends. If one didn¡¯t kill their enemies, they would be the ones to die. The cadets gradually got used to it as well. Aside from this they had major improvements as well. Over the course of hunting and killing, many cadets were able to perfect their mana utilization and became Rank 1 warriors, while others were also not far behind. Their movements became more refined and they gained valuable experience through the battles. After some battles they were able to go toe to toe with most bandits and Add only stepped in a few times.


    What did surprise him though, was that the majority of the bandits were warriors; he encountered many rank 2 and even some rank 3 warriors as well. This was a bit worrying, since he knew that the larger bandit groups would have even more powerful people, but that was something he would be dealing with later, so there was no use thinking too much right now. When he felt that the cadets had done enough, he finally brought them back to the camp, and allowed to rest. Their instructor however, was busy preparing something else for them.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item : Virtual Reality Training Chamber


    Description : A device used for training people using a virtual reality interface. It allows people to train while they are asleep. Using high efficiency neural scanners and directly linking and sending signals to the nerves, results in a deep submergence into the training chamber. This allows the person¡¯s memory to operate at peak performance and also enables the bodies to perfectly synchronize with the learned motions, all the while, when the person is sleeping.


    Price : 500,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    The training chamber was white in colour designed like a long tube, sitting on a rectangular base, with a cover that flipped over like that of a chest. It was 2.5 metres in length and had a height of 1.5 metres. Over all, it didn¡¯t look very eye catching. But contrary to its rather dull appearance, the real thing was hidden within. Inside was a bed made of a synthetic gel like substance which resembled rubber, was non sticky and easily compressible. There was a depression in this bed in the shape of a person where the person would lay. This gel was filled with thousands of nano-sensors which tracked the various nerve impulses in the body. There was also a helmet which covered the head of the person, recording the brainwaves. The cover of the chamber had a framework made of metal on which various strange sensors and wires were visible. On one end of the chamber, there was a touch screen display along with many buttons which were used to operate the chamber. There were also ports for attaching various cables and connections.


    According to the detailed description provided by the system, this piece of technology belonged to an advanced human civilization in a parallel Earth. In that world, it was initially introduced as a means for training soldiers, but later found its way into the fields of gaming and education. These things changed the world completely. Now, people could train while they slept, as if in a dream and when they woke up, their bodies would have been refreshed. Also, as death and injury in virtual reality was a simple ¡®game over¡¯, many dangerous and highly risky training activities could be completed, allowing people to learn better from their mistakes.


    However, they physical body had to be built up by exercising and proper training as well. The chamber was powered by a pair of hydrogen fuel cells which also provided power to the life support system. The life support system provided oxygen to the person inside through a mask and was also used for extensive periods of use, where it fed nutrients directly into the body using a liquid ¡®Nutrient Solution¡¯ which was directly injected into the person¡¯s body. The chamber had a built-in storage capacity for 5 kilograms of dry ¡®Nutrient Solution¡¯, and 20 litres of water. The limit of training was 10 days at a stretch, and then the person would be awoken from training regardless, as a safety measure.


    Scientists in that world had found that a person¡¯s memory operates at its peak when the body is in deep sleep. In fact, even Add had heard back in his world that the mind practiced many newly learned things by itself during sleep. This made the training chamber even more effective as it could be programmed to teach anything, from, regular studies to quantum sciences and from how to cook to how to become an assassin. It came equipped with a standard ¡®Study Mode¡¯ function which ensured optimum learning. Still, it could not replace the need of teachers as there were a lot of things which just could not be just memorised and had to be earned through actual interactions and discussions between people. Not to mention that every person had a different capacity for understanding and the chamber could only teach in a general way, unable to adjust to every individual separately. The various teaching materials were stored in standard memory drives, which had to be purchased separately. Browsing through the store, Add found that there were drives for thousands of subjects. Many subjects were divided into parts contained within multiple drives. English, for example was divided into 3 parts; [English Beginners¡¯], [English Standard], [English Masters¡¯].


    Add had been saving his CP for this particular piece of equipment, it was very costly but he knew that it was worth the price. He knew that he had to develop the territory slowly and steadily, but he also could not wait for decades. If he just depended on manual ways of teaching and learning, it would take centuries to reach the level of civilization which was back on Earth. This is where these chambers came in; they reduced the learning time greatly; it could teach in one day what a person learnt in a few months! With enough of these, he could effectively jumpstart the progress of development and industrialization. Currently he had a little over 2 million CP and he decisively purchased 4 of these. These were then installed in a new building specially constructed solely for the chambers.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    When they saw the chambers first, the cadets were very awed, looking at the strange thing and when Ad explained what it did, many had their mouths wide open in shock. ¡®Training while sleeping? Isn¡¯t this pure cheating?¡¯ They thought. As the wise man once said, ¡°Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Magic¡±, and magic did indeed exist in Iseria, so the chambers were not beyond reason, for the most part. The most surprised was Kent, who was being shocked again and again by the strange and magical things Add had been doing. But when he asked Add about the origins of the chambers, Add refused to tell him, and with a serious look said to everyone,


    ¡°These chambers are a secret which no one aside from you should know! Remember, no matter how much you are tempted, no matter how much you are threatened, and even if you die, you cannot reveal anything about them to anyone, even your own families! If I find anyone breaking this rule, I will kill them! Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°YES SIR!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    All of them readily agreed. They had no doubts that he would do what he said. The instructor was very ruthless and strict, and he could kill others easily like killing a fly, as they had seen while they were hunting bandits. He also stressed that only the people from the army could know of these things, and no one else. Once he had threatened *cough* explained *cough* enough, he then had the cadets being using the chambers, each cadet spending 4 hours in the chamber a day. The chambers could be operated continuously for 10 days straight, and because of the advanced materials used and an efficient cooling system, there was no risk of overheating or a burnout. Still, in a day, he only operated the machines for 16 hours, which allowed a total of 16 soldiers to use the chambers per day. Their training included learning Russian and English, learning survival techniques, learning basic science and maths, training in mixed martial arts, and battle practice. When one group was using training chamber, Add would have the others practice what they had learnt. It was vital to make the body accustomed to what the mind had learnt, especially in case of physical training and exercises.


    Within a month, the cadets had learned the Russian and English languages to an appreciable level. These two languages would be use extensively in the future, as they were completely new languages to the people of this world and could serve as difficult to crack code languages. They also learnt rudimentary level science like what was gravity, the world is round etc. Once they had learnt these, Add had them learn the holy of the holies ¡°The Communist Manifesto¡± and also the ideals of Vladimir Lenin. He personally cleared any doubts the cadets had, and explained the ideals of communism and socialism. They were also made to memorise the ¡°Art Of War¡± the best book about military stratagem and tactics back on earth. Future Officers were especially made to memorise this book by heart.


    As the cadets learned all these new things, they grew more and more respectful of Add. Things like ¡®power to the workers and farmers¡¯, ¡®equality and freedom to all¡¯, ¡®a unified law for everyone¡¯, were beyond their wildest dreams before this. Iseria was a word where the weak were always dominated and exploited by the strong, and noble ideas like ¡°the strong should protect the weak¡± were rarely enforced. Add also revealed his desire, to make a place where all of these ideas would become reality, where the people would not be suppressed by people who became rulers by their birth, rather they would be ¡®governed¡¯ by ones with the ability. It was quite hard for the cadets to understand at first, but with time they were able to understand clearly.


    Regarding the oppression done to the other races, like Elves, Dwarves and Werebeasts, Add was very strict. He repeatedly emphasised that no matter what race, as long as they did not try to harm the state, they would be treated as they deserve, as fellow people. Humans were by no means the most supreme race; they were only one of the many that shared this one world. In the future, the Weismann territory would provide refuge to all races, and they would have the same rights and duties as the humans. The cadets also leant the concept of fundamental rights and the rule of law, which was same for all people. No matter how strong or how weak they were; this in fact was one of the fundamentals of equality!


    ¡°Look at this carefully! This is our flag! The flag that represents all the ideals you have learnt!¡±


    Add¡¯s voice was solemn as he showed the red flag to the cadets for the first time.


    ¡°The hammer represents the workers! The Sickle represents the farmer! Together, their union forms the base for every nation¡¯s prosperity!¡±


    ¡°The star represents the leadership, the ones who have to uphold the rights of the people!¡±


    ¡°And the red colour is the symbol of blood! The blood of all the people who have died in oppression and poverty while the rulers live in their golden palaces! There will be deaths, I won¡¯t lie to you! Perhaps many of you will die; perhaps all of you will die. Maybe we will fail, who knows? But still, I will ask you all, will you follow me?¡±


    He asked calmly. For a moment there was silence. The cadets understood that what the instructor was saying was equal to going against the world. To challenge the authority and nobles, and dare to overthrow them! If they were still the people they were a few months ago, perhaps they would have called Add a madman, and a loon who was looking to die. However, after learning the many things in the training chamber, their views had changed radically. They no longer wanted to be ruled by rulers who considered them as ants and had no care for their lives. The ideas of freedom and liberty, and power to the working classes were just too tempting, for the people who had been suppressed forever. So they did what they felt was right.


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°WE WILL FOLLOW YOU SIR!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    Add gave them a reason, a goal. To overthrow the oppressing nobles and royals, and establish a rule of the people. Of course all of this was also to be secret from the world, for now. For them, the current goal was to develop the territory and become self sufficient. Only then would they have the strength to change the world. Add then established the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and had all the soldiers become members, although just in name. He stated that all the members of the Communist Party would be called ¡®Bolsheviks¡¯. Although for now the CPSU would be confined to a bunch of papers, but soon it would bare its fangs at the world. The army would collectively be called the ¡®Red Army¡¯ and it would be the main force which will deal with any and all threats. With this, the cadets had now officially completed their training.


    _ _ _ _ _


    A small passing out ceremony was held at the training field, where Add for the first time, raised the red flag for the first time in this world. As if welcoming it, the wind immediately stretched the flag and it began fluttering all its glory. The symbol of the superpower, which had been forcefully lowered on Earth, once again reached the skies in another world. The soldiers looked at it with exited eyes and even the eyes of General Weismann, which were usually dull and lifeless, had a rare glimpse of emotion in them. Finally, after the flag was raised, they heard what they had been hoping for all this while¡­


    ¡°Gentlemen, I am honoured to announce, that you have completed your training and from this very moment onwards, you all are no longer cadets, but real soldiers! I hope that you will follow all rules and diligently do your duties. And you will be doing that until you are dead, or you are relieved of duty¡­ Do you all understand?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°Yes Sir!!!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    After that the soldiers were given their ranks, Add had made a ranking system based on the original system of the USSR, simplifying it and adding some minor changes. The majority of the cadets were given the rank of private, a few who performed exceptionally were given the ranks of corporal and sergeant and only Edward who had performed the best out of all the cadets, was made a lieutenant. Add himself took the position of a General. There would be higher ranks as more soldiers joined, for now this was enough. They were given crude shoulder epaulettes to distinguish their ranks, which would be replaced with proper ones at a later date. They were also given new uniforms to wear on duty. Pairs of shirts and trousers which were brown in colour. They also had a coat, on the right shoulder of which, the epaulettes were attached. Lastly, there was a red band of cloth circling the left upper arms of the jackets. They had to war the jackets only during meetings and ceremonies though, while on regular duty they would wear the chainmail armour which the militia wore.


    He then divided the 100 soldiers into groups and explained what they would be doing. Firstly, of the 100 cadets, 8 would be staying back at the training camp. These men were among the original 10 guards of the Estate and were nearing their 30s, an age he did not feel adequate for these people to work in the field. He assigned them the role of instructors, who would be in charge of training future batches of cadets. The men were originally disappointed that they were not going to become actual soldiers, but Add explained to them that this was a very important job and he would be depending on them. This reignited their motivation, plus they would not be doing any dangerous battles and stuff like that, so that was another good thing.


    Kent would be the in charge of the training camp as a whole from now on, as Add would be very busy in the coming days, and it was not possible for him to train every batch of cadets. Then, of the remaining 92 soldiers, 22 would be stationed at the camp, acting as the security in case wild beasts or any other threat emerged while also strictly guarding the training chambers. The remaining 70 soldiers would follow Add back to Rigel and do the jobs the militia did till now. They would be responsible for guarding the town along with some people from the militia, while the rest of the militia would be responsible for dealing with outside matters, like monster attacks and bandits. The ceremony was concluded by the singing of the State anthem of the USSR for the very first time, the familiar tune echoed across the camp, filling anyone who heard it with a sense of respect.


    ''''Soyuz nerushimyy</a> respublik svobodnykh


    Splotila naveki</a> Velikaya Rus''.Da zdravstvuyet</a> sozdannyy voley</a> narodovYedinyy, moguchiy</a> Sovetskiy Soyuz!Slav''sya, Otechestvo</a> nashe svobodnoye,Druzhby narodov</a> nadozhnyy oplot!Partiya Lenina</a> - sila narodnayaNas k torzhestvu</a> kommunizma vedot!Skvoz'' grozy</a> siyalo nam solntse</a> svobody,I Lenin</a> velikiy nam put'' ozaril,Na pravoye</a> delo on podnyal</a> narody,Na trud i na podvigi</a> nas vdokhnovil.Slav''sya, Otechestvo</a> nashe svobodnoye,Druzhby narodov</a> nadozhnyy oplot!Partiya Lenina</a> - sila narodnayaNas k torzhestvu</a> kommunizma vedot!V pobede</a> bessmertnykh idey kommunizmaMy vidim</a> gryadushcheye nashey</a> stranyI Krasnomu</a> znameni slavnoy</a> OtchiznyMy budem</a> vsegda bezzavetno</a> verny!Slav''sya, Otechestvo</a> nashe svobodnoye,Druzhby narodov</a> nadozhnyy oplot!Partiya Lenina</a> - sila narodnayaNas k torzhestvu</a> kommunizma vedot!''''(An unbreakable union of free republics,


    The Great Russia has welded forever to stand.


    Long live the creation of the will of the people,


    The united, mighty Soviet Union!


    Be glorious, our free motherland,


    A reliable stronghold of the peoples'' friendship!


    Party of Lenin, strength of the people,


    Leads us to the triumph of Communism!


    Through tempests the sun of freedom shone to us,


    And the great Lenin illuminated our path,


    To a just cause he raised up the people


    To labour and heroic deeds he inspired us!


    Be glorious, our free motherland,


    A reliable stronghold of the peoples'' friendship!


    Party of Lenin, strength of the people,


    Leads us to the triumph of Communism!


    In the victory of the immortal ideas of Communism


    We see the future of our country,


    And to the Red Banner of our glorious motherland


    We shall always be selflessly true!


    Be glorious, our free motherland,


    A reliable stronghold of the peoples'' friendship!


    Party of Lenin, strength of the people,


    Leads us to the triumph of Communism! )


    After the anthem ended, everyone present there gave a salute to the red flag which fluttered above them. The General then walked up and stood right in front of his troops. He asked in a light voice,


    ¡°Soldiers of the red army! Whom do you serve?¡±


    And without batting an eyelid, the soldiers shouted back,


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°We serve the Soviet Union!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    Yes, these soldiers, they did not serve him. they served their motherland, and that was what Add wanted. This moment would forever be recorded in the history of Iseria, as the day the Red army was born. A force which would instil fear into the hearts of anyone that heard of its name. It started with only a 100 people, but these 100 people were the pioneers of a force which would leave its name etched in the pages of history, not in gold, but in a burning blood red. After all, from the Northern Mountains to the western seas, the Red army is the strongest of all.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 22 - The Great Forest of Waldestein

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    The great forest of Waldestein is located on the western side of the Northern subcontinent, and separates the rest of its landmass from the ocean in the west. It covers almost a third of the entire subcontinent, and is home to countless monsters and terrifying magical beasts. It is an environment rich with dense mana that seeps out from within the ground, attracting and sustaining all sorts of magical creatures. It is said that even all of the mana of the rest of the subcontinent combined together, still cannot match with the amount of mana found here. There are also countless tales of treasures hidden within the vast expanse of this forest, and countless people have tried their luck in hopes of finding such treasures. But for the most of them, the forest became their final resting place. It is said that even many saint level powerhouses went into these forest to look for treasures or to temper themselves and got buried inside, becoming nourishment for the forest; it could not even be imagined as to what horrors lay inside.


    The forest has been mostly untouched since the primordial times, thanks to the presence of extremely deadly magical beasts coupled with the thick foliage and difficult to cross terrain which make the region very dangerous and difficult to cross. Over the years, many expeditions have been sent by various powers to explore the forest and obtain its riches, but almost all of them have met disasters, while some have been lost forever in its vast expanses. Extending from the edge of the northern tundra, all the way down to the south till the foothills of the southern mountain ranges, this forest is a natural barrier to Reinglief, preventing access to the trading routes to the Atlas continent. The only place where traders from the Atlas continent can make land to trade is the southern coasts of the subcontinent, where the country of Solia is.


    ¡°So, this is the great forest huh¡­¡±


    A man was walking in the very outer reaches of the forest, where the foliage was not so thick. He stopped in his tracks as he gazed around, trees tens of metres tall surrounded him, while many even taller trees stood like towers amidst others, their trunks so wide, it would take more than a dozen men to circle them. On the ground numerous small saplings, shrubs and bushes competed for their chance to grow the tallest while all sorts of critters crawled and scurried about through the lush vegetation. The climate was very hot and humid with frequent rains, making dry places a luxury. Having gazed at the natural beauty of the place, the man moved on. He appeared to be less than 20 years old and was very handsome; he had an androgynous charm which attracted both the sexes. Yet all that charm was shadowed by the deadpan and indifferent expression on his face, as if he had no emotions. This man was none other than Add or as he was known in this world; Adolf Kaiser Weismann. After making a long and risky journey, he had arrived before this primordial forest.


    It had been now been over five years since he had transmigrated to Iseria. Over the years many great changes had taken place, but Add himself had changed little on the outside, but completely on the inside. To understand exactly what had happened to him, we must at first look at the gene enhancers he had been taking. Till grade C, the enhancers worked in a more general pattern improving all aspects of his body. But starting from Grade B to Grade S, that changed drastically.


    The Grade B Gene Enhancer was the comparatively unremarkable one among the final three grades. It was designed to work extensively on the genes which were responsible for building the bones and their upkeep. It edited the genes such that the bones would gradually be completely changed, both in their composition and structure, which increased their load bearing abilities and toughness by leaps and bounds. The enhancer also had the secondary target of working on the muscle genes, heavily modifying the muscles, greatly increasing the muscle density, and increasing their energy output. The muscles became tougher, more flexible and their strength reached a level considered impossible by regular human standards.


    The grade A Gene Enhancer was specialised to act on the organs, increasing their efficiency by several fold and making them much more durable. The vital organs such as the heart and lungs were especially strengthened. It also improved the quality of blood as well, allowing it to carry four times as much oxygen when compared to a regular human. The sense organs were also improved manifold, the effect most prominent on the eyes resulting in exceptional eyesight, and a fair degree of night vision. Another pronounced effect was the unnaturally quick reaction times and nanosecond reflexes, very important in battle. It also gave the body immunity against all diseases, be it pathogen related or worn and tear of the body and very high degree resistance to poisons. The digestive system was improved, allowing digestion of most organic materials. Metabolic processes were also enhanced enabling the body to do labour with minimal rest, and to absorb maximum energy from food.


    Finally, there was the Grade S Gene Enhancer, the most costly of them all. This was the pinnacle of gene enhancers, and there was nothing better than it. And it deserved this title, as what it added to the human body was perhaps the single most desired ability. It made the body, virtually immortal, emphasis on virtually. If we ignore the complicated scientific explanations aside, then in simple terms, this enhancer allowed the cells to divide virtually forever. The cells in the human body have their DNA stored as chromosomes which over time, and after billions of cell divisions began to lose their integrity. There are certain parts of the chromosome called telomeres, which protect the chromosomal integrity during replication of DNA. But as we age, these telomeres which maybe considered a protective layer, is reduced bit by bit, until it is no longer able to do its job and the the cell loses the ability to divide.


    The enhancer removed this limitation, allowing the telomeres to be repaired, and also changed many other components of the genome which were related to aging, allowing the person to have eternal youth. A side effect of this however was that the appearance of the person would forever remain the same, as when they were injected with the enhancer. As such, Add had waited till his body was 20 years old before taking the enhancer as he did not want to stay in a 15 year old body for the rest of his life, and he felt that by that age, his body would have developed completely.


    The other major effect was the regenerative ability. You see, humans are not really suited to take heavy physical damage. Cuts and bruises are not a problem, deep flesh wounds can heal, mostly, broken bones are difficult, but still manageable, damaged organs maybe replaced but that¡¯s the limit. If humans lose, let¡¯s say an eye, a hand or a leg, they cannot replace them. Granted there are prosthetics, but these are substitutes, not replacement. Unlike humans however, organisms like the humble Planaria, a lowly worm can regenerate their entire bodies from a cut away portion and certain salamanders can re-grow their lost limbs.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    In that regard humans are very poorly equipped. But the enhancer changed the DNA and allowed every cell in the body to divide like a totipotent cell and re-grow any lost parts, including the neurons as well. The natural healing ability was greatly boosted, reducing the time it took to recover from wounds drastically. For example given enough time an amputated arm could be re-grown, an lost eye could be recovered and even damage to the brain could be recovered. while minor wounds would be healed without leaving any scars. There were still limitations to this though, if the brain was damaged beyond a certain degree, the person would still die. Similarly, if the body was damaged heavily enough and medical attention was unavailable, the person would still die. As such although the enhancer gave the human essentially an unlimited lifespan, it was nowhere near an omnipotent elixir which would make a person invincible.


    All in all, after injecting himself with all the six grades of gene enhancers, Add''s body appeared to be virtually unchanged on the outside, in fact his skin was white and tender, as if he was a person who never went outside into the sunlight, and his body did not have any bulging muscles too. He was now around 180 centimeters tall and his face had become slightly more mature. Aside from that, everything else was the exact same as before, the cold heterochromatic eyes, and the silky black hair with the white streaks which made him look more mature, and skin even females would envy.


    However, looks can be deceiving, since on the inside he was technically not human anymore. All the enhancements gave physical abilities unimaginable for a normal human, at least on Earth. He now had the strength to lift over one ton in weight and the stamina to run at a speed 60 kmph for short bursts of time, while able to sprint at a speed of 30 kmph for hours without tiring.


    If necessary he could go without sleep for days at a stretch, although he rarely did so. As for combat, based on pure physical strength alone he could go one on one against a Rank 8 warrior, or an Orc Lord which was an A ranked monster almost twice his size, and win, given they were both unarmed and there were no external interference. That was very impressive, since Rank 8 warriors could be considered the top powerhouses in Reingleif. The physical durability of his body was also exceptional, and although he had not tested it himself he could probably survive a direct hit from a trailer truck travelling with appreciable speed, with minor injuries even in the worst case. These improvements were clearly reflected in his status.


    _ _ _ _ _


    STATUS


    Name : Add (Adolf Kaiser Weismann)


    Race : Human


    Credit Points : 70,584,500


    ATTRIBUTES :


    Vitality : 250


    Strength : 400


    Agility : 220


    Dexterity : 200


    Defence: 180


    Intelligence : 15


    Wisdom : 15


    Stamina : 240


    Charm : 20


    Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Low)


    _ _ _ _ _


    With this, he had reached the pinnacle of his physical potential, and there was no way to get stronger by upgrading his body any further. Add had once thought of trying to become a mage, but the system revealed that the body of a mage had special channels which allowed them to use mana in a way different than warriors. Add¡¯s body lacked those channels and there was no way to grow those, so the path of the mage was unavailable to him. What could be done however, was using mana, to boost his strength like the warriors did. He had the aptitude to use [Enhancement Magic] which was a fancy way of saying that he could harness mana to boost his physical abilities even further. However, his talent was low but the system had a solution to that and that was the reason why he was here today. He had to obtain the following items:


    Mana cores from Knight Class monsters X 500


    Mana cores from General class monsters X 250


    Mana cores from King Class monsters X 50


    Mana cores were found inside magical beasts. These were crystals which were found inside a magical beast¡¯s body, and it was where it stored all its mana. The stronger the beast, the more mana its core can store. The shape and size of each Mana cores varied greatly from species to species, some were perfect spheres, some egg shaped some were polygonal etc. because they were basically mana in a solid form, these cores were in very high demand among humans and other races, especially for mages as these could be used as batteries to store mana to use when needed. These cores were also used as power sources by professions such as alchemists, enchanters and blacksmiths to create magic tools, make magical weapons etc. And since getting them was very hard, they were extremely costly.


    Once he had obtained the required number of each type of Mana core, they had to be submitted to the system, and in return he would be able to increase his innate talent. Exactly how the system was going to do it was not mentioned though, and no matter how much he poked the system for answers, it remained silent unwilling to reveal anything. The requirements, however were a bit hard to put it mildly, to gather the Mana cores of magical beasts was by no means an easy task.


    It should be mentioned that monsters that could not use magic, still were within the scope of logic, somewhat at least. However, the magical beasts were a completely different category of creatures. They had the perfect tool to bend the laws of science, mana and could actively use it. It was not uncommon to find a magical beast which was the size of a cat, yet was tens of times stronger and deadlier than a bear. Some could even use spells, and some high ranking species could also take humanoid forms in order to mingle with other races. Over the years, Add had fought a lot of monsters in the great Northern ranges; however, he had never encountered a magical beast since there were few magical beasts in those harsh mountains where mana was quite thin. Rumours said that magical beasts did live in the very depth of those mountains, but he had not ventured there. So it was his first time going against them, as such he was very cautious; the weapons and amour he was using proved that clearly.


    _ _ _ _ _


    Item: TSAR-77E Pulse Rifle (Grade: Epic)


    Description: The TSAR-77E is a pulse action, air cooled assault rifle. This weapon uses high voltage pulses of electricity to fire its bullets at extreme speeds. The momentum generated, along with the bullets made from compressed-superheated-alloy blends, enable these bullets to penetrate some of the toughest armours of its generation. The weapon is powered by a Hydrogen fuel cell which provides a standard usage life of 6 months. It is chambered in a 10x50mm case-less cartridge and fires Armour piercing bullets as a standard. It has a magazine capacity of 100 rounds. It uses a rotating breech electronic pulse action, with a cyclic fire rate of 900 rounds per minute. The rifle can also attach a gas operated electronic primed 30x71mm grenade launcher under the barrel, with a firing rate of 15 rounds per minute and a magazine capacity of 4+1 shots.


    TSAR-77E is constructed largely from an ultra-light alloy precision metal stampings, with a titanium aluminium alloy outer casing and high-impact, temperature resistant plastics for many of its internal parts. It is fully sealed against external corrosion factors, dirt and moisture and its electronics are hardened against electromagnetic radiation. With the magazine and other equipment attached, it weighs in at around 8 kilos.


    Effective firing range: 700 metres


    Price: 400,000 CP


    _ _ _ _ _


    The TSAR-77E was a new generation of rifles, which had a sleek and flat design. It was designed as an alternative to bulky assault rifles. As technology advanced, assault rifles needed to be more deadly to cope with the better armours being produced, there were only two things that could be done to make a rifle stronger, first increase its calibre and second make the propellant more explosive. But these also had their limits and soon, regular rifles reached the limits of their size and power. You could only make them so big before they reached the class of auto cannons and were impossible to use by a single person. This gun however, eliminated the need of gunpowder, working like a miniature rail-gun, and could be held by single person just like a regular assault rifle, but was much more powerful and compact. Add had already tested it against many monsters, and it had slaughtered many A ranks with relative ease. The only short comings with it were the hefty price of its ammunition, and the frequent overheating of the weapon.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 23 - Meeting an Arachne

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    While the TSAR-77E was his main weapon, he also kept a combat knife by his side as a reserve weapon. However to be honest, thanks to his inventory, he was practically a mobile armoury, with all kinds of weapons stuffed inside. On the other hand, despite all his physical enhancements, his skin was not as tough as metal, so he needed something to protect himself. For this purpose he had a type of power armour equipped. It was called the ¡®S Series ¨C Model 787 Mobile Armour¡¯.


    This armour had set the cornerstone for the new era of warfare. Designed by a technologically advanced human race, it completely revolutionised the battlefield. Combining the mind of a human with the strength of a machine, it formed one of the most effective weapons of war. It consists of a two parts, the internal ¡®soft¡¯ suit and the external ¡®hard¡¯ suit. The soft suit provides mobility and flexibility, while the hard suit provides the defence. The plates of the outer suit are made from composite armour and can defend against direct hits from small firearms fire up to 12.7 mm (.50 calibre) shells, and grenade explosions. Powered by two hydrogen fuel cells, it is has a long run time and is known to be very durable.


    _ _ _ _ _


    [A/N : The portion of text below contains info dump, so readers can skip it if not interested.]


    This model of Power Armour consisted of two parts: the Inner Body Suit and the outer armour. The two parts together formed the mobile armour.


    The inner suit was black in colour and appeared to be made from a rubber-like material which was quite thick. It was a single piece and had a single large zipper at the front to allow access. The inner suit covered the entire body up to the neck and only the head was left exposed. There were many metallic attachment points all over the suit, which were meant for the outer armour to attach. Dozens of faint lines could be observed running longitudinally across the suit which is an extensive network of artificial nerves and hundreds of sensors which measure nerve impulses of the wearer. These also read the neural signals in the brain and spinal cord and links them tothe artificial muscle fibres.


    The suit is made made of synthetic polymers that are designed to act exactly like muscles. These provide the wearer with extra muscle power. These fibres are electrically powered and operate in response to the neural electrical signals running throughout the human body. These signals cause them to contract or expand. The fibres obtain their power from the batteries of the powered armour. The suit also performs another secondary function, wherein it insulates the body from outside temperatures and also has a system of heat sinks which collect heat and radiate them out through the back of the power armour.


    The outer armour worn over the inner suit is mostly made from plates of composite material which are made of thin layers of hyper alloys, ceramic coated glass fibres, and plastics all compressed under immense pressures, into a single plates. The only exceptions being the helmet and the breast plate which covered the chest region. They are made from rolled plates of plassteel which provide almost twice the protection than that of the composite plates of same thickness. The neck was left un-armoured, covered only with the inner suit for the sake of flexibility and ease of moving the head. An armoured collar which was welded onto the breast pate, circled the neck, protecting it from incoming attacks.


    A pair of Pauldrons covered the shoulder joints. The arm guards are divided into two parts, the upper arm and the lower arm, separated at the elbow joint. They extend all the way to the wrist where the gloves are attached. The gloves are also armoured but left the underside of the palm and fingers free, only covered with the inner suit. Similar arrangements are done for the legs. Composite plates in the shape of interlocking ''V''s cover the remaining torso and groin regions and the hips as well. The interlocking was done in such a way, that it left enough flexibility for movement. The armoured boots also enhance the running and jumping power by two times.


    There are many compact motors at the key joints which gave additional power. The metal backpack built into the back of the armour, houses a cooling system for the inner suit, an air filtration unit for supplying air to the helmet, and the fuel cells. But its size is only that of a small backpack, which was very appreciable considering all things that it held. Over all the armour has an all around protection from small firearms up to 12.7mm ammunition, and shrapnel from bomb explosions.


    The helmet is relatively simple. It covered the entire head, and consisted of two main sections. The main section which covered most of the head, and a minor section which covered the nose and mouth and could be lowered if needed. It joined with the inner suit at the neck, creating an air-sight seal. Two small pipes arising from the air filtration unit, connect to either side of this joint below the lower part, and supply air to the person inside when the helmet is completely shut. The small air pump is present in the same box attached to the back which houses the Hydrogen fuel cells. There were another two smaller pipes which supply power to the helmet from the fuel cells. The mouth covering area of the helmet housed the communication system and outlet for the air feed, giving it a box like appearance.


    The forehead of the helmet was slightly bulged forward to accommodate a visor for the eyes, right below it. The visor can be can be raised to reveal the eyes if wanted. This visor along with the mouth covering could be retracted to expose the entire face if required. The helmet also has a searchlight mount on its left and a infrared camera on the right side. There is no glass on the visor, it¡¯s a single piece of solid alloy. There are four camera-eyes, two on each side of the visor that provide the image of outside, displayed on the inner side of the visor, which houses an HUD (Heads Up Display) system inside the helmet. The HUD is controlled by a simple AI integrated into the Helmet which keeps track of the wearer¡¯s vitals, the status of the armour and also tracks enemies in view. Through the AI, the Helmet can be linked to other weapon systems, such as a portable missile launcher placed on the shoulder.


    There are several hard points on the armour, allowing the attachment of various additional equipment, additional ammunition and weapons, such as a small missile launcher, a Gatling gun, or a combat knife. There are two rails on the shoulders which extended parallel to the back as well. Additional weapons can be placed on the rails when in use, or kept on the back when not in use. The power supplied by the inner muscle suit and outer powered armour combined, allows the wearer to carry heavy loads and weapons into combat, while providing decent amount of protection to their wearers. A tank of compressed air which could auto refill itself maybe attached externally to the back after which the power armour can function up to appreciable depths underwater.


    [A/N : If you skipped over, then continue from here on]


    _ _ _ _ _


    Coloured in full black, with matte finish on the armour plates, the mobile armour looked very impressive. But it had a key difference when compared with other power armours. This model was developed to enhance the overall mobility and terrain crossing capacity of the wearer, hence it got its name, ¡°Mobile Armour¡±. It focused on improving speed and manoeuvrability, while keeping it cheap enough to be mass produced. As such protection was the secondary concern. Still, it was a very efficient item and did its job well. Add who already had very high levels of strength did not really need a heavy armour, he was satisfied with a decent level of protection and the ease of movement which the Model 787 mobile armour gave him.


    Armed and armoured with these new equipment, he had arrived here on his quest to obtain enough mana cores. And even before he had reached near the actual forest, monsters had been popping up left and right. These were all A and B ranked monsters, but they could only live outside the forest, on the very fringes, and dared not venture inside, for they would just become easy pickings for the horrors residing there. But they were not a threat to him who killed the poor creatures even before they could scratch him.


    He ventured for days on the outer areas of the forest, where he encountered many monsters and some Knight Class magical beasts. Low raking magical beasts usually were unable to use spells, but they had huge strength and vitality thanks to the high amounts of mana they possessed and could actively use. The first magical beasts he encountered were [Slimes]. A Slime was a creature little more than a blob of transparent jelly that could move. They had a tiny monster core which was the centre of their very being, but were placed among the category of E rank monsters, since their cores had so little magic that it was negligible. Slimes liked wet and warm areas, and Waldestein which was a lush rainforest was very ideal for them.


    He also encountered beasts which could actually use magic. For example the [Fire Salamander]. This creature was a two metre long salamander, but instead of having moist soft skin, the skin was covered by tough leathery scales, with dirty brown colouration. They had the ability to spit fireballs at their enemy, hence earning their names. Another beast called [Shadow Panther] was a large feline that hunted in the night. It used its mana to blend with the shadows, making it almost invisible, but before the infra red camera that worked on the concept of heat, its cover was instantly blown.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    There was also the [Mad Beardog], a large creature which had the body shaped like a dog and had the head and forelimbs resembling a bear. It had had extremely strong body with fur so tough even normal grenades had no effect on it. There were also creepy lizards which spewed poison and violent monkeys that craved for flesh. Within a few days Add had realised how well this place deserved its fame. But then, when he was sure that he had adapted to this forest, he chanced upon a group of creatures which even he did not feel like messing with.


    Spiders.


    Thousands of spiders.


    He was just walking through a region of tall trees which would put the redwoods back on Earth to shame, when his heightened senses told him that he was being watched by something. With the sensors of the mobile armour, he quickly found out the things that were gazing at him like he was some tasty snack, and when he used the encyclopaedia (which he had updated using hundreds of thousands of CP) his face became frosty in an instant. The creatures were giant spiders, each the size of a large dog with long spindly legs and large fangs dripping poison.


    They stared at him with their beady eyes and within moments he was surrounded by them, they were in the bushes, on the ground and also up in the trees. But they were not just any ordinary tarantula. These were the Emerald bellied Huntsman spiders whose appearance could cause heart attacks in people with arachnophobia. There were many monstrous spiders on Iseria, Add had already crossed paths with a few of them, from freakishly giant tarantulas that ate bears for breakfast to tiny walking canisters of concentrated potassium cyanide, but these things gave him a headache just by reading their information.


    The Emerald bellied Huntsman spiders were called so because of their bright green coloured bellies, while the rest of their bodies were pitch black. These spiders did weave webs, but not those traditional beautiful nets to catch insects, nor those fine carpet like webs to sense vibrations, no, these spiders were hyper active hunters who silently crept through the bushes and trees looking for prey. And if an unfortunate creature caught their eyes, they wove a small sticky net carried it with their feet and pounced down on their prey in a surprise attack, but they did it together like a pack of wolves and after catching the prey, they wove a silk coffin for those poor souls and liquefying them into a pulp with their poison. They were A ranked monsters and their stealth abilities were exceptional, as they had managed to evade Add¡¯s perception for quite some time.


    ¡°This is inconvenient¡±


    Unable to wait any longer, the spiders pounced towards him. Add responded with HE grenades and made a run for his life. The spiders individually were not a threat; heck even a hundred of them was not a problem. But there were literally thousands of them here and he was being surrounded. No matter how powerful weapons he had, there was also an undeniable might in numbers. If he got surrounded by these spiders, he would be in a very precarious situation. The mobile armour should be able to defend against their fangs, but he did not want to take any chances.


    He kept retreating while throwing grenades and shooting any spiders which popped up before him. However the spiders were tougher than he expected, even the powerful grenades which could blow up a small bunker could only kill a few dozens of them at a time. Aside from making the spiders more aggressive it did not make any significant reduction to their ever increasing numbers. Of course he had even powerful explosives like the water bomb, but he needed to open some distance between himself and the spiders. Despite his speed which was already very high, the spiders were able to keep up with him and he could not run any faster.


    Suddenly, with a loud thud, a large figure dropped from the trees some distance away from where Add was. As soon as the figure appeared, the spiders stopped their attacks and instead angrily hissed towards Add while maintaining a safe distance. The later also stopped, as he narrowed his eyes to look at the new arrival with caution. The figure had a rather unique appearance, and it appeared as if all the spiders respected and feared it.


    ¡°An Arachne is it¡­¡±


    An Arachne is a female magical beast belonging to the King class. A new born Arachne was already a General class, and some could even reach the Emperor class. According to legends, the Arachne race came into existence eons ago, from a high elf called Arachne. Legend has it that Arachne was the most beautiful High elf to be ever born, so beautiful that even the gods envied her beauty. She was a kind and benevolent lady who also had an unparallel talent for weaving.


    One day, Iphion the goddess of weaving who envied her beauty, came to challenge Arachne to a weaving contest. Arachne accepted her challenge and though in the beginning the two were equally matched, in the end, Arachne won. The goddess was furious over her defeat and it was then that her eyes fell upon a spider crawling on a leaf. Filled with malice, she used her powers and cursed Arachne to become an abomination which everyone would loathe and shun.


    And thus the beautiful elf became a half spider monstrosity, and was exiled by her kin to live in the wild, hated by all those who saw her. Before her exile, she swore revenge upon the gods, but was never able to succeed. It was from her that the Arachne race began and to this day, they are loathed and shunned by almost all the races. The Arachne had the upper body of an elf, but from below the waist she had the lower body of a spider. They were solitary creatures that preferred to live in caves and deep forests, and were predominantly carnivorous, although they could also eat vegetarian foods such as fruits.


    Arachne were described to be highly intelligent, on par with any sentient race and were inherently bold, ferocious and lustful. They were efficient hunters, and hunt like regular spiders do, some actively chase their prey, while others use their stick webs as traps to trap prey. Since they were a female only species, they needed a male from another species, usually Elves or humans, to mate with. Arachne were known to trap lone male travelers who ventured into their territories, in their webs. If the male was to their liking, they would mate with him, and once the mating had been done, they would then proceed to eat them.


    However, aside from that they were also well known for weaving the finest clothing, a legacy of their unfortunate ancestor; and no other race could compete with them in that regard. Although they were magical beasts, they could not use any powerful spells. Instead, like many other magical beasts, they used their mana to strengthen and protect their large bodies. As a result they were very nimble and agile despite their size and can easily navigate within trees and dense canopies. They used the pointed ends of their legs to attack. Most sub-species of Arachne did not have poison but of the few that did, had venoms so lethal that they could dissolve a man into a puddle of protein and fat within an hour.


    Their web laying skills were very profound and the traps they set were very hard to detect. They could also control and lead other spiders and were often called Spider Queens for that, just like an ant queen ordered an entire colony and this skill made them even more deadly. However, despite being very tough, they also have a severe weakness towards fire. Their bodies and threads are weak to fire and are easily burnt. Also, the biggest weak spot was an Arachne¡¯s upper body, which was soft and not covered in any carapace, making it very vulnerable to attacks.


    The Arachne who led the Green Bellied Huntsman spiders, her appearance was beyond fascinating. Her hair was a cascade of silvery white flowing down, until well below her waist. Her skin was so very fair and pale that it appeared to be made of the highest quality of porcelain. Her eyes were like crystalline sapphires, with beautiful eyebrows. Her oval face was the epitome of perfection, as if a sculptor had crafted it out of marble. Her torso was well endowed in the womanly assets and the spider body, was not grotesque, in fact it only added to her inhumane charm. The carapace was milky white in colour, and shined like metal. Her beauty was really enchanting, rather than being revolting, it was as if she were the manifestation of a beautiful fantasy, and made one want to to protect that beauty. Her upper body was covered by a white one piece dress made of silk. This was the queen of the spiders, Arachne.


    Add was momentarily mesmerised by her innate beauty, but quickly steadied his thoughts. The Arachne slowly walked over towards him, her three pairs of slender legs moving quickly, while the fourth pair was shorter and placed just beneath her torso and was very sharp, probably used as a weapon only. She did not stop until she was around 10 metres away from him, her expression was cold and she had a noble aura around her. The spiders followed behind her and continuously screeched and made noises as if talking with the Arachne while she listened in silence. Some of the spiders also started to slowly surround him from the sides. The atmosphere was very tense and appeared to be a stalemate, and as Add was planning on using a small napalm bomb to burn the living hell out of these spiders, the Arachne opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°Human, you sure have courage, coming to my domain and killing my kin! You have made this queen very angry! Now this queen shall show you what happens when she is angry.¡±


    She spoke the human language of the northern subcontinent, but it was a very archaic dialect. Her voice was sweet and melodious, yet the underlying anger could be well perceived. Add knew that an Arachne was at least a General class monster, and the one before him was probably a king class monster, which was very dangerous to confront directly. He did not speak and stayed silent, calmly watching any movements made by the Arachne or the spiders.


    The outer regions of the forest where Add currently was, usually was home only to monster and only few magical beasts of the Knight class. Stronger magical beasts usually did not venture out in this regions and stayed within the deeper parts of the forest. This was because, the density of mana grew higher as one went deeper into the forest, no one know why this was so, but everyone agreed that the great forest of Waldestien was able to house such dangerous and absurdly strong beasts because it¡¯s abnormally high availability of mana.


    For magical beasts growing stronger was similar to how human warriors and mages grew stronger. They absorbed mana and store it in their cores, using it to strengthen their bodies and increase their abilities. Although the creatures could absorb mana from the environment directly, just like taking in oxygen while breathing, There also were certain naturally occurring things which stored large amounts of mana within them such as certain crystals and rare plants and herbs. But, there was an even simpler and easier way. The magical beasts just had to kill other magical beasts and devour them, especially their cores which were filled with mana. As such, as one went deeper into the forest the magical beasts grew stronger and more deadly, as everyone wanted to devour everyone else.


    The Arachne was a strong creature which should not appear in these outer regions; however she had her own troubles and was forced to leave her old home and come out here. Fortunately, she had found a large group of Green bellied huntsman spiders and became their ¡®queen¡¯, thanks to her racial trait which allowed her to command other spiders that were weaker than her in strength. With their help, she had taken control of a large area of the forest, which was her own domain now, countless beats and magical beasts had already died by her hands, and she was slowly getting stronger, waiting for the day when she would be able to go back deeper into the forest again.


    However, today as she was resting atop the largest tee in the area, her followers sent her a message that there was a new prey but they were unable to deal with it and many of them had died. Irritated, she went to see just what had been causing trouble to her otherwise ¡®efficient¡¯ followers. When she saw that it was just a lone human that had ventured into her domain she was a bit surprised. It appeared to be a man, who was apparently quite strong to be able to survive the attacks of her minions, and kill so many of them.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 24 - Arachne Vs Serpent

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    ¡°Humph! Foolish human! Since you have some in this queen¡¯s home, don¡¯t leave and just become food for my kin!¡±


    As if guided by her will, the spiders immediately resumed their attack. But Add was also ready; he threw a bunch of incendiary grenades which lit dozens of spiders on fire, and retreated, since they were everywhere, he knew that it would not be so easy to get out of this situation. However, the spiders were only a minor problem. The real threat was the King class Arachne standing behind them, he could deal with Knight class magical beasts, but going against a king class head on like this was probably not a good idea for now. The spiders shrieked in pain, as they were burnt but more and more still rushed towards him.


    The Arachne just stood behind waiting for her minions to deal with Add. She did not have much compassion for the spiders, they followed her and obeyed her out of their instincts, and since there were thousands of them, with more being born every day, the deaths of a few hundred of them was not much of a loss at all. However, she quickly realized that the human before her was not that simple. Even though he was being besieged by thousands of spiders, he was still able to defend himself and the spiders had not been able to hurt him at all. She did not know what strange sorcery the human was using, his strange attacks, killed dozens of her spiders, and not allowed them to approach him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough¡­ God damned bugs, you kill one and there''s ten more to take its place¡­¡±


    Mean while Add who was being besieged from all sides by the spiders, was finally running out of patience. The spiders just kept coming no matter how many he shot or burned to death. However, he did manage to clear a path of retreat gradually. As he was slowly getting away from her grasp, the Arachne frowned. He devoted followers were unable to take care of a single human, and were dying by the hundreds while the human was escaping. Finally, she had enough. ¡®These spiders are just insects in the end, looks like I was expecting too highly of them.¡¯


    She chose to act herself and ordered a large group of spiders to swarm before her, becoming a meat shield, and then rushed towards Add, her speed quite high for her size. The later who was almost out of the encirclement of the spiders, felt really annoyed. A water bomb responded her aggression and blew up right in the wall of spiders, obliterating it and causing damage to the Arachne as well. Although she was largely unscathed by the explosion thanks to her innate physical defence and the spiders taking the brunt of the force, the shockwave and heat still managed to injure her slightly and this made her even more angry. Although using such powerful bombs also put Add at some risk of being caught up in the explosions, he had little choice, now that the Arachne was actively engaging him.


    ¡°You dare act wantonly before this queen? Good, very good, now see how this queen will punish you!¡±


    The Arachne was fuming now. Initially she wanted to feed this rouge human to her spiders, but now she wanted to catch him alive and ear him into pieces herself. But before she could retaliate, two more bombs were hurtling towards her, by now she had seen enough of these small but deadly objects and was forced to retreat as the explosions killed even more spiders. Taking this opportunity, Add increased his distance from the swarm of spiders and continued using these powerful bombs, to clear any spiders in pursuit. He was already out of the Arachne¡¯s territory by now, but they still chased him.


    ¡°This human! What sorcery is he using!? I feel no magic from him, but then....what in the world is that human doing?¡±


    The Arachne was really shocked. The human before her was so frail and so vulnerable, and she did not sense a shred of mana from him, yet he had such devastating means at his disposal that he could actually push back a full assault from so many spiders, and even she herself had been forced back! Her spider followers had also taken huge damage, and hundreds had been killed by now. She realised that the human was not at all the easy target she was thinking it to be, instead he was a formidable opponent, and a very dangerous one at that. She had to make a choice, whether to keep chasing him and risk the lives of more of her followers and herself, or to give up her pride and retreat back into her lair. While she was torn between the two, a shrill sound reached her ears.


    *HISS*


    At once, her expression turned gloomy and all the spiders around her became erratic, they began surrounding her, and shrieking towards a group of trees from where the sound was coming from. Even the spiders that were still following Add stopped and then hurriedly returned to the Arachne¡¯s side. Add who was hundreds of metres away from the Arachne by now, found this awfully suspicious and stopped in his tracks. He kept his vigilance to the maximum as he saw the horde of spiders retreating hurriedly. He hid himself in the foliage, and the cameras zoomed in, displaying what was going on back with the Arachne and spiders.


    Back at where the Arachne was, hundreds of spiders were gathering all around her, as she looked at her new foe with a tensed gaze. The new arrival flicked its tongue in the air, as its greenish yellow eyes stared at the Arachne like a hungry wolf looking at a juicy piece of meat. Slowly, from within the thickets of trees, a large creature slithered out. This was another magical beast, a giant snake monster called the Laika Stone Serpent. It was also a King Class monster. Its body was over twenty metres long with a diameter of over two metres. Its head could easily swallow a large cow whole in one gulp.


    Its body was covered in reddish brown scales and on its back two rows of spine like scales also ran across the length of its body all the way from the base of its head to the tip of its tail. This serpent was not poisonous; it killed by crushing and its prey to death by using its powerful muscular body. The mouth was filled with hundreds of nail like teeth, each the size of kitchen knives which were curved inwards. It got its name due to its tough scales which were very hard and it was said that armour made from these scales was able to withstand attacks from rank 6 warriors without getting much of a scratch. It was a tough and fearsome predator, and currently a solid threat to the Arachne.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    However, another king class monster appearing at the outer regions was quite a surprise and it seemed that the Arachne was unlucky, first a strange human caused so many losses to her followers, and now such an enemy had appeared. What she did not know was that the serpent had been wandering some distance away and would have passed by her domain without any problems, but it was attracted by the explosions which Add continuously caused. Who knew what she would have felt if she knew this. Although both the Arachne and the Laika Stone Serpent were classified as King class magical beasts, but that was just a term humans used in a general sense. In reality, although the Serpent was not sentient like the Arachne, it was quite a lot stronger than her and she knew this as well. The serpent dwarfed her in size, her body was less than half of its in length, and the mana she possessed was also slightly less compared to it. The situation was dire.


    The large snake hissed and the rows of its teeth peeked out of its mouth as it gazed at the Arachne. Its eyes clearly showed its intention of wanting to kill. She signalled her fellow spiders to take and aggressive stance and she raised her front legs, showing the sharp pike like feet as a threat display. Unfortunately, the snake was not intimidated by this and instead chose to attack. Its huge body moved very fast as it tried to ram into her. The Green Bellied Huntsman spiders in its way were crushed into paste, and the ones that tried to bite it, were unable to even tickle its tough scales; the gap between an A rank monster and a King class magical beast was just too great. They also used their silk in order to trap and slow down the serpent, but the thing just bulldozed its way through them tearing the webs and crushing the spiders into mush, those strong webs were nothing but mere threads of cotton before the serpent¡¯s strength.


    When the serpent reached near, the Arachne tried to attack using her legs, but her strong legs could only put some minor wounds in its tough and smooth scales. The serpent tried to bite her, and she barely managed to dodge attacking it once more, but the results were the same. The snake was stronger than the Arachne, but she was more agile. This game of cat and mouse continued for a while, the snake using its strength to catch the Arachne, while she kept evading its attacks and tried to hurt it in return. Many small trees were snapped in half, while some larger trees were uprooted as the two rampaged about. The Emerald bellied huntsman spiders were also trying to help, spitting their poison and webs onto the serpent, trying to slow it down. Although they were ants when compared to the serpent, their numbers finally had an effect.


    The serpent was covered in patches of sticky webs which accumulated sticking to trees and debris, hindering its movement. Some poison also went into its eyes and mouth, which did not cause any damage, but irritated it. The spiders kept sticking more and more web onto it, binding it to trees, rocks and the ground itself, while the Arachne kept attacking it, gradually small wounds appeared all over its body, with broken and punctured scales. Add was watching all of this unfold with calm eyes. It was his first time seeing two magical beast battle each other like this. When it seemed that the Arachne and the spiders would be able to tire the serpent out, its body began glowing, and it hissed loudly. Immediately its speed and strength increased greatly, and it tore free of its bindings. It was using mana directly to increase its power! The Arachne realised this and retreated quickly.


    Magical beasts seldom use their mana directly like that, since it takes them a lot of effort to absorb it in the first place. Only when they deemed it really necessary will they be willing to spend this precious resource that they gathered in their mana cores. The serpent was enraged now, these insects had been hindering his meal for quite a while. It swung its heavy tail, swatting dozens of spiders to death with each strike. The Arachne¡¯s expression became completely pale, and she too began to use her mana her body glowing slightly, but it was not much compared to the serpent. But she had no other choice, the situation was desperate. Fighting the serpent was no longer possible, so she began to escape, she believed that she was still faster than the serpent and could outrun it in the long run.


    The remaining spiders also followed her and began retreating. But the serpent was not going to let her go. It moved with speed impossible for its huge body and quickly closed in on the Arachne to her despair. The serpent used its head like a battering ram and swung it at the Arachne¡¯s side hitting her abdomen, the blow was so strong that she was unable to balance the force of the impact, her legs buckled and sent her body crashing onto the ground. Taking this opportunity, it began coiling around her, and its mouth tried to bite her frail Elven upper body. The two fell to the ground in a pile of tussling beasts, the snake trying to bite, and the Arachne defending with her front legs. But she was clearly fighting a lost battle.


    The odds were completely against the Arachne now; the serpent had managed to coil around her body and was crushing her with her amounts of force. Since her lower body was that of a spider, and it was quite large compared to the Elven body, it was at a greater disadvantage. As the hold of the serpent grew stronger, her body was being crushed, and cracks began appearing in her carapace. The spiders were helpless, they were trying everything they could do, but unable to save their queen. Finally, one of her spider legs was unable to bear the force and snapped in half from a joint.


    ¡°AAaaaaaaa!!!!!¡±


    She screamed in agony as light pink coloured blood oozed from the stub of her leg. The serpent took advantage of her distraction and bit onto one of her sharp front legs and tore it off with a jerk. The horrendous pain assaulted the Arachne; her body was losing strength and being crushed, her wounds bleeding badly. Her strength was rapidly leaving her and everything seemed hopeless. The serpent, assured of its victory raised its large head and bent its body in an S shape, preparing to bite her un protected upper body, as its wide mouth opened o devour her, despair and unwillingness filled the Arachne¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Is this the end? Is this queen going to perish here today? No! This queen does not accept this! I have not proven myself yet! I cannot die here, not like this!¡±


    But no matter how unwilling she was, no matter how much she struggled, she was unable to free herself from the grasp of the coiling serpent or defend herself. The serpent was not going to have any mercy on her either. As its mouth came closer and closer, the queen of the spiders lost all will to resist, the crushing force and pain and the reality of her situation had broken all her resistance and she closed her eyes thinking, ¡°Just end it already¡±. But then right at the last moment just as the snake was about to bite the Arachne''s upper body ready to end her once and for all it suddenly paused...


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    The ground trembled, as something heavy made its way towards the two beasts. A large form emerged from behind a line of trees, tearing them down and crushing them under its feet. An intense burst of light came from behind the snake making the Arachne cover her eyes with her hands. The snake turned its head to look at the source of the light, trying find out exactly what was disturbing its meal time. As it tried to look through the light, reflected in its eyes was a large creature moving towards itself. The snake had never seen such a creature before. Its large body coloured in obsidian black merging with darkness itself, as it stood tall among the trees, its two ''eyes'' glowing brightly with light. The snake was alarmed, for it felt threatened encountering such an unknown creature which it had never seen before. Its body uncoiled itself from the Arachne, which it considered defeated already, as it prepared to face its new foe.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 25 - A Crusader Saves the day ?

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    A few minutes ago.


    Watching the Arachne and the Serpent duel it out with each other, Add understood that the Arachne was going to lose.


    ¡°The gap between their strengths is too wide. The Arachne is fast, but the serpent has the stamina and its strength greatly surpasses hers.¡±


    He analysed calmly. For him however, it was a good opportunity to kill King class magical beasts. Still with his physical abilities and weapons Knight class beasts were the limit. For these King class beasts he needed to call in the heavy hitters.


    ¡°Hmm it¡¯s a good time to test that¡­¡±


    He left the fighting monsters and searched for a place to bring out his new weapon. His inventory which was originally 1000 cubic metres had been expanded to 1,000,000 cubic metres. This was the limit to which it could be expanded, and he had spent hundreds of millions of credit points in order to do that. With a mental thought, a large machine appeared before him. with a height of ten metres it dwarfed Add who looked up to it, his face having a rare trace of pride on it. Standing on two legs, this hulking machine was something men dreamed of having, and every man was smitten with when he was a kid. What Add had brought with him on this trip was a fully fledged Mech!


    The model was called the ¡°Crusader Mk VII¡±. It was a Mech made with higher mobility and ease of use at the forefront of its design. Its role was to be an offensive support unit for the infantry, rather than be a heavy assault equipment like a tank. As such it was relatively lightly armoured when compared to tanks. Mechs of its class worked in tandem with the infantry close by to defend and alert them from threats, while the Mechs supported them with heavier firepower, engaging the enemy from medium to long ranges. In combat, the Mech¡¯s main job was to provide heavy fire support to the infantry units and to protect its pilot from harsh conditions and enemy attacks.


    _ _ _ _ _


    [A/N : This section mostly contains info dump. Readers are free to skip it if they feel like it.]


    The Crusader Mk VII¡¯s structure was divided into the upper torso that housed the weapons, the pilot and the engine and the lower mobility platform which comprised of the hip assembly and legs. The torso was placed onto the hip assembly on a ring mount similar to how a tank hull and turret are connected by the turret ring. This allowed the Mech''s torso to turn 70 degrees on either side making battle engagements easier.


    It was not like the Mechs seen in popular science fictions. Mechs in such works, were usually heavily armed and armoured, practically overpowered pieces of equipment. Or they were sleek robots being operated by 12 year old kids with a pair of joysticks, performing crazy acrobatics with each move. In reality however, Mechs were far from all that, instead they had as many weaknesses as they had advantages in the battlefield. Walking on two human like legs, severely limited their ability to take damage and made them vulnerable to toppling over, if hit with enough force. Especially when a leg was damaged or hit by enemy fire. Once unable to move a Mech became pretty much useless, as they cannot use most of their abilities while immobile.


    Mechs could not be armoured anywhere close enough to what a conventional weapons such as a tank could be. The weight increase due to adding so much armour would severely limit the manoeuvrability and mobility of the Mech as it would be too heavy to move with a reasonable speed without risking loss of balance. And even if it was armoured as lightly as possible, a Mech''s speed could still not match up to a tank, without becoming extremely unstable. Then again even if it was armoured "relatively" decently, there were many weak points, most prominent of these being the many joints in the limbs. The complex Mechanisms within the limbs were also highly susceptible to damage. Their slow speed made them easy targets and their large silhouette made it very hard for them to find cover within the terrain, such as behind a hill or a forest.


    Despite all of those shortcomings, they had their share of plus points too. Mechs usually were taller than any other vehicle on the battlefield, which provided a wider range of view allowing them to have a better picture of the battlefield around them. They can carry a variety of weapons ranging from missiles, flamethrowers, large calibre cannons, and many more depending on the type of missions. This makes them more versatile and enables them to take up many roles, such as supporting infantry in attacks, defending a position, helping with logistical work such as moving supplies, loading and unloading heavy materials etc.


    The Crusader Mk VII was designed with all these constraints in mind. Its legs were designed based on the legs of theropod dinosaurs which had an overall better design than the human leg. This design reduced stress on the structure and improved the balance of the Mech. The limbs were lightly armoured while most of the armour was located around the torso, where the operator and engine were located. The legs were also designed so that they had wide toes bearing the load, which gave it additional stability. The cockpit was located centrally, in the upper section. It was covered by an aerodynamically shaped canopy. Its design was rather simple.


    It was designed to be operated by a single person wearing the mobile armour, and so it had special connectors that attached to the mobile armour helmet and allowed the operator to control the Mech based on his thoughts, thanks to the neural link system integrated into the helmet. The helmet had built in neural scanners which read the pilot''s brainwaves and converted them into digital signals. This link served as the connection between the man and the machine. The Mech also was capable of connecting wirelessly to the mobile armour to share data, and perform minor operations. The cramped cockpit however did not leave the pilot with much space for movement.


    The Mech was operated by the neural link system similar to the learning chamber but much more advanced. This system was assisted by an AI which interpreted the pilot''s thought commands, filled in for any errors and misses and also controlled critical functions such as balancing, and operating the hundreds sensors placed throughout the Mech, both externally and internally. The pilot had to literally just ''think'' to move the machine and the AI would execute the "intention" of the pilot, calculating terrain factors and momentum required to perform balanced movement. Through the use of gyroscopes and auto stability programming the AI maintains centre of balance. The AI did almost 90% of the work needed to keep the Mech up and running, the pilot just gave directions to put it simply. Even without the pilot, the AI was programmed to operate the basic functions of the Mech such as operate the weapons, make it move etc, although not as fluidly as with the pilot.


    The weapons however were operated in a more classical pattern, using joysticks, buttons and touch screens. The pilot could also issue voice commands if necessary. Although the AI made complicated operations simpler, operating a Mech was much easier said than done. It was like learning to walk all over again, but the difficult was raised by several fold. The pilot had to resist the natural movement of his arms and legs, and operate the giant machine solely through the neural link. Even with his enhanced body, Add had spent over a week in practice before he could operate the Mech to an acceptable degree.


    The Crusader Mk VII was powered by a plasma reactor located in an armoured compartment at its back, right behind the cockpit. It was separated from the cockpit by an armoured plate, to protect the pilot in case it exploded. This reactor produced enough power to operate all of the many systems of the mech, and its weapons as well. Its limbs moved by combination of hydraulic pistons and motors present in the joints, giving it enough strength to carry weapons weighing a few tons on each arm and move on two legs at a respectable speed for its size.


    Its design did not have a head, instead it had numerous cameras and sensors that were placed all over its structure, the cameras gave the pilot a 270¡ã view around the Mech, displayed as a single large canopy screen on the interior of the cockpit walls, while the sensors kept track of any incoming threats within 200 metres of the Mech. The cameras could view in normal light, infrared and ultraviolet as well, making them an excellent tool for observation. Thanks to the myriad of sensors, the Mech was completely aware of its surroundings, and it was very hard to sneak up to it.


    Talking about its armour, its limbs were armoured with plates of Plassteel which provided great protection against medium calibre shells but not so much against missiles and heavy weaponry. The overall protection of the Mech was against hits from all small fire arms, rockets and guns up to and including 50mm cannons, while also resistant to plasma weaponry of similar calibre. There was also an Active Protection System (APS) which deployed smoke grenades for cover and grenades filled with metal balls to destroy incoming missiles and heat projectiles.


    Additionally Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) could be mounted to further increase the protection, at the cost of increasing weight. The central portion including cockpit canopy which was the most pronounced target was the most heavily armoured. It was armoured by composite armour made of multiple layers of ceramics, laminates and plassteel. Which are able to resist direct hits by 130mm tank guns and ATGMs. The engine compartment was also armoured but not as heavily as the front, since it was located at the back of the mech. The joints however, were still the weak spots as one could not slap much if any armour plates onto them. If the Mech was damaged beyond salvation, or the pilot had to escape due to some reason, there was also am emergency exit hatch on the top of the cockpit operated manually, in case the main hatch was too heavily damaged or jammed.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The Mech carried a variety of weapons. Its main weapons were located on its arms. Instead of having regular hands like a human, it had a hydraulically driven six-barrel rotary cannon fixed at the end of its right arm. The rotary cannon used 40x370mmR shell ammunition, fed into the cannon through a chain belt, while the magazine was placed at the back of the Mech. Two missile pods containing 6 fire and forget missiles each, were located above both of its shoulders. Its left arm had a large chain sword attached to it, which was three metres long and served as a defensive close range weapon. The chain sword was basically a chainsaw that was heavily modified to serve as a combat weapon. It had 30 centimetre long teeth made of hardened super alloy steel and covered by a layer of industrial diamonds, which gave it an excellent cutting power.


    Another remarkable feature about this Mech was its modular design. For instance, instead of carrying a cannon and a chain sword on its arms, it could be equipped with other weapons like, heavy cannons, flamethrowers, plasma cannons etc. It could also be fitted with hands similar to that of a human, which would allow the Mech to carry out various complex tasks such as helping in construction, carrying supplies etc. as and when required.


    [If you have skipped the above portion, then please continue from below.]


    _ _ _ _ _


    Add had bought this machine a month before setting off for Waldestein. This piece of equipment that had cost him 100 million Credit Points was currently the single most expensive item he owned. He had practiced operating the Mech many times, but this was the first time he was going to use it in actual combat, so he was a little excited. After all what man would not be excited at the prospect of driving a huge robot into battle ?


    The mobile armour had a wireless connection to the Mech, and with a few simple commands from Add, the hulking machine began to stir, its plasma reactor came to life providing power to its systems and a myriad of small lights and sensors lit up, putting the Mech on standby. The armoured canopy slowly opened upwards like the maw of a large beast, revealing a cockpit similar to ones found in jet fighter aircraft. There was a single reclined seat with two armrests with a joystick on each of them, which were used to fire the weapons onboard the Mech. There were two touch screen control panels attached to the cockpit walls at an angle, and located one each on both of his sides of the seat accompanied by many other switches. These performed many auxiliary functions of the Mech.


    Add quickly climbed onboard the Crusader Mk VII using some hard points meant for climbing and entered the cockpit. As he sat in the pilot¡¯s seat, the controls lit up and all sensors were automatically activated. The plasma reactor sped up, with a noticeable buzzing sound providing the power needed for active mode. He pressed a switch and the armoured hatch slowly closed down, sealing the cockpit from the outside environment. Once the cockpit hatch was closed, the pilot was completely separated from the environment with an air-tight seal, which ensured NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) protection.


    The Mech had its own source of air supply which sucked in air from the outside through air intakes located at its back, filtered it and supplied to the pilot. In case the outside air was contaminated, the Mech had oxygen tanks able to support the pilot for 24 hours. As soon as the canopy closed, internal lights activated, lighting up the cockpit. Add retracted the face cover of his helmet and linked it to the Mech by attaching a few wires into the helmet ports. Within the front protective covering, the canopy display activated, appearing as a single, curved black screen. An emotionless mechanical voice which appeared to be female began speaking, her voice lacked any intonation. This was the AI of the Crusader Mk VII.


    <<Initiate neural link ?>>


    ¡°Initiate.¡±


    <<Affirmative. Preparing to initiate neural link. >>


    The AI continued in a monotone. A scanner activated and did a scan of his eyes, using a laser. Once it was done scanning, Add closed his eyes and relaxed his mind.


    <<Operator Adolf K Weismann. Verifying authorization. >>


    <<Starting operating procedures. >>


    <<Checking for errors. No errors located.>>


    <<Initialising neural connection in 5¡­4¡­3¡­2¡­1¡­0¡­>>


    When the countdown reached zero, Add felt himself falling into a dream like state, his brain was completely empty of thoughts, it was as if he was resting in eternal peace. The AI continued¡­


    <<Testing neural link compatibility¡­>>


    <<Neural link compatibility 100%>>


    <<All Systems online. Efficiency at 100%>>


    <<Have a nice day. >>


    A wave of mild nausea went through Add, as he slowly woke up. It was as if his head was spinning, unable to make sense of anything. This only lasted for a few seconds however, as his mind slowly cleared and his thoughts stabilised. Opening his he felt a difficult to explain sensation, as if he had become more than he was before, while a sense of also completeness filled his mind. Although it felt like a long time had passed it took less than two minutes to complete all these procedures. He sighed at this familiar feeling which he had been accustomed to by now.


    ¡°No matter how many times I have gone through this, it still feels weird¡­¡±


    The screen before him activated, it was similar to the HUD of the mobile armour helmet, only tens of times larger. It showed the surroundings, displaying everything the various cameras were recording, compiled into a single image. There were also relevant information such as data like power levels, temperature, ammunition etc. being displayed on the screen corners. Everything was normal and the Crusader was ready to go. By now it was well past evening time, and the forest was covered in darkness. He pressed some buttons and the two rectangular LED searchlights which were located above the cockpit housing, lit up, illuminating the dark forest before the Mech in a bluish white glow.


    ¡°Okay¡­here we go¡­¡±


    At his mental command, the machine weighing over a hundred tons began walking. Its massive feet sinking into the ground, leaving deep impressions as it moved along. As it walked, it shook the very earth, causing leaves and twigs to fall off and sent the smaller creatures running about in fear and panic. Add activated the chain sword and began mowing down trees to make way for the Crusader, while most of the smaller ones were crushed like twigs before the weight of the metal monstrosity. When he arrived at the location where the two monsters were fighting, he saw that the area was badly battered. Broken trees lied all around while there were holes and gouges in the earth. Hundreds of Emerald bellied huntsman spiders were crushed to death. Their queen, the Arachne had clearly lost the fight and was wounded severely. The serpent was just about to have its hard won meal, but the arrival of the Crusader had alarmed it.


    Which brings us to the present. The huge serpent raised nearly half of its body into the air rivalling the crusader in height as it hissed trying to intimidate this new opponent. It did not want to make the first move, as it was unaware of its opponents strength. Add stopped a few dozen metres from the serpent.


    "Activate Thermal Sighting"


    <<Affirmative. Thermal sighting activated.>>


    ¡°All right, time to prove yourself girl¡­¡±


    In the darkness, the serpent still glowed brighter than surroundings. The battle had really warmed it up. Add targeted the serpent with the rotary cannon, and the sensors immediately locket onto it. By default, he had loaded a magazine of 1500 rounds at the Mech''s back, the shells themselves weighing one and a half tons, and a full two tons with the magazine. The cannon began firing, the target being locked by a 2-plane stabilizer, all Add had to do is keep his vision on the target and press the trigger.


    *BRRRRRRRTTTTTTT*


    At a rate of 1800 rounds per minute, 40mm armour piercing rounds began pounding onto the serpent, breaking off its scales. These were the standard ammunition fired by the rotary cannon, comprising a dense metallic core covered in a non-metallic composite sheath with a tip made of industrial diamonds. This provides excellent penetration capabilities against light and medium armour. A few rounds bounced off the scales giving off sparks, still most managed to penetrate, but although they caused a lot of pain to the serpent, they did not do any fatal damage, and it would take sustained firing to take down this beast with just the 40 millimetre rounds. But the serpent was not a fool and it did not stay still.


    *HISSSSSS*


    It roared in pain and rage, its body again glowing as it used mana to increase its power. This glow was actually a type of energy barrier made using mana, which increased the defence of its body. The shells now faced more resistance on impact and were doing much less damage. Still, though the serpent was injured and tired, it was not going to be scared by just this much. Under normal circumstances it might have retreated, but it had a juicy meal behind it, which it had spent a lot of effort on, so it chose to fight. As the it began crawling towards towards the Crusader, Add stopped firing the rotary cannon.


    ¡°Its skin is really thick huh¡­¡±


    It was not a King Class monster just for show. Even the 40 millimetre round which would tear anything short of a tank to shreds were unable to significantly damage it, but who said that he had to play fair? He pressed a button, and the missile pods on its shoulders activated. These missiles were 3M7 ''Dragoon'' missiles, each having a length of two metres and could target both ground and low flying aerial targets. With the missiles on the ready, he pressed the firing button on the joysticks and two missiles simultaneously left the pods, speeding towards the serpent. These missiles once locked on target were auto targeting and very hard to defend against, and the serpent which had no jammers or any other form of missile defence on it, could not escape their assault.


    *BOOM* *BOOM*


    The missiles hit their target as expected and though the mana barrier negated some of the impact, it was unable to block it completely and was broken. The force of the explosion threw the entire bulk of the serpent backwards. Even this was not enough to kill it though. After the smoke and dust cleared, the serpent could be seen writhing and convulsing in agony, on its body there were two gaping wounds. They did not appear that fatal by themselves, but the shockwaves created by the many explosions had damaged the serpent¡¯s internal organs which were not as tough as its scales. Its life was hanging by a thread, it had already been tired due to the battle with the Arachne, and even ignoring that it never really stood a chance against the metal monster.


    ¡°Still not dead¡­ That was half a million CP for each missile¡­ King Class monsters are really hard to kill¡­¡±


    The chainsword activated once again, and the Crusader walked over to the writhing serpent. The later still had life left in it, as it glared at the approaching Mech hatefully. High level magical beasts were very intelligent, and this serpent was likely more intelligent than a chimpanzee. As soon as the Crusader arrived in its striking range, the serpent mustered all its remaining energy and bit onto one of its legs. To its despair, its bite which had enough power to crush rocks as if they were made of jelly, was unable to damage the mech in anyway, well aside a few small dents anyway. In response the chainsword fell on its body, just behind its head, slicing through its scales which now lacked the mana barrier. Sparks flew accompanied by the sound of metal cutting metal, which gave way to the sound of meat being grinded.


    *HISSSSSSSS*


    With one last dying roar, the serpent died, its grip on the Crusader¡¯s leg loosening, but the chainsword did not stop until it had cut its body in two. With the serpent dead, Add moved his sight to the Arachne. The Crusader shook off the dead serpent and made its way towards the Arachne who was unable to move due to her injuries. She had witnessed everything with her own eyes and was terrified of the creature before her. She could not understand, the strange creature used no mana at least not of the kind which she could sense. There was no a single trace of it, yet only magic could be the explanation for what she had seen. If not for her grievous injuries, she would have run away as far from this creature as she could. As she looked at it with fear and foreboding, something strange happened. The ¡°chest¡± of the creature opened up and a figure jumped down from it. Illuminated by the Crusader¡¯s lights was a figure that she was not expecting at all. In fact, she had almost forgotten that this creature was the reason she had been out here in the first place.


    ¡°How¡­. how can¡­ it¡­ it¡¯s that human¡­ but how!?¡±


    Add who had jumped down, walked over towards the Arachne, behind him the Crusader raised its Rotary cannon, prepared to instantly shred her with shells at his command. In his hand appeared the TSAR-77E as another safety measure. As he approached her, the surviving spiders wanted to attack him, but the Arachne stopped them, lest they anger him and cause the deaths of them all. She did not understand what exactly was going on, but the huge monster behind the human was clearly his friend. The serpent was no match for it, and she was not even able to move. And considering that she had tried to kill him before, one wrong move and her story would end right here. The human stopped a few feet away from her and looked at her with his emotionless eyes; his detached expression caused her to shiver on the inside. A few dozen seconds went by with neither side speaking a word. Finally it was the Arachne who gathered her courage and asked¡­


    ¡°What do you want human?¡±


    _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 26 - Submission

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    The great forest of Waldestein appeared like any other typical rainforest at the first glance. But the creatures that live here have nothing typical about them. From carnivorous plants that could swallow a person whole, to insects which were built like mini tanks and beasts which were so deadly that T-Rex would look like a chicken before them. There were hidden dangers too, such as creatures having poison so potent, one sniff of it would send a rihno to king Yama. There were fungi whose spores floated about, in search of any warm bodied creatures and once landing on their bodies, immediately began growing into them, sucking their bodies die within hours. The magical beasts which could destroy entire towns were also seen roaming around every now and then. The terrain itself also had natural traps such as sinkholes which could pop up anywhere. It was no surprise then, that only the exceptionally brave and the ridiculously stupid ventured into these woods.


    Add, had realized on the first few days, just how deadly and difficult this place was. So instead of continuing on foot he chose to stay inside the Crusader, to ensure he was not caught unprepared. This Mech was the best defence he currently had. The Crusader itself had to be modified slightly to enable it to move through the dense forest more easily. The rotary cannon on the right arm was replaced by a power fist, which was basically a large mechanical hand, designed to punch with a two ton force behind it. It could also grab things which did not require delicate handling. The missile pod above its right shoulder had been replaced with a 50mm plasma cannon, for ranged attacks. All of these modifications were done by Add himself, which was quite the effort as the weapons weighed in the tons. The lumbering machine moved steadily through the forest, its chain-sword cutting down trees and beasts alike, while the power fist crushed anything that got too close for comfort.


    But if one looked closely, they could see that there was a figure sitting on top of the mech. It was a girl, who appeared to be in her twenties. She was dressed in white clothes which along with her white hair and skin made her look like a sculpture. Only her occasional movements, made to keep herself steady as the mech shook, revealed that she was not a statue, but rather a living being. The said girl in question was frowning as she lamented her fate, her otherwise beautiful face twisted in helplessness and self pity. Her two slender hands occasionally reached for the metallic collar like object placed around her neck, but would stop right before touching it, every time. And for those who have not recognised her yet, this was the Arachne that had tried to kill Add, and then had herself been almost killed by another magical beast.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ How did this queen end up in such a pathetic state¡­¡±, she lamented.


    The answer to her question comes from what happened after Add had killed the Laika Stone serpent.


    _ _ _ _ _


    ¡°What do you want human ?¡±


    The Arachne asked, her tone one of resignation.


    ¡°Do you want to kill me and have revenge on me for trying to kill you?¡±


    The human stayed quiet for some time, she did not have any clue what he was thinking. Suddenly, he placed this rifle on her forehead, finger on the trigger. She had seen him using this thing to kill the spiders, and although she did not know what it was, what she did know was that it was a fearsome weapon. Though something even more deadly stood behind him.


    ¡°You want to know what I want? Right now, what I really want is to crush you like a bug under the feet of my Crusader. You and your spider buddies have been trying to kill me for a while now and because of that I am really, really tempted to blow off your head, and burn all of your buddies to cinders and be done with it.¡±


    His detached voice which did not have any anger or rage in it, shook her to the core for some reason.


    ¡°The only thing that is stopping me from doing that and turning you and your friends into dead bugs is the fact I see some use in keeping you alive; for now. Do you understand me?¡±


    She glared at him hatefully and stayed silent. It was true that she was completely helpless now, badly wounded and in no shape to resist; completely at his mercy. This was the law of the jungle; the weak could only bow before the strong. When she had first seen this human she thought that he was the prey and she was the predator, but now the roles had completely reversed! She had tried to kill him first but now it was her life that was on the balance.


    ¡°I will take your silence as a yes then. I will give you two choices. First, become my servant and you can live. Second, refuse to submit and die. If you choose the second option however, I will make sure you suffer before you die. The choice is up to you, think over it carefully.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! This queen shall never bow before you filthy human!¡±


    She roared in rage. How could a proud and mighty queen like her become the servant of a human? She really wanted to rip his throat out and feast on his blood at this moment, yet she was completely unable to.


    ¡°Really now? Is that your answer?¡±


    He asked again, his tone now brimming with killing intent that really scared the Arachne. She felt that this human before her had no care for life, and killing was as simple as breathing for him. Even many other monsters and magical beasts she had seen, did not give her this feeling, his words sent chilled her down to her core. The last bits of pride began falling part inside her mind, as the basic instinct to survive took over. A part of her still wanted to resist, but she had no strength left to even stand or defend herself, much less try and fight with him. The Arachne knew very well that although the human appeared weak and unremarkable, his mysterious methods and the creature that could kill the Laika Stone Serpent without taking any damage were not something she could hope to win against even at her prime. She herself stood no chance if the same things were used against her. The Arachne was struggling with herself. She did not want to die, and she also did not want to become the servant of a human. But life was not easy and she could only choose one option.


    ¡°Well then I have no need to waste my time any further.¡±


    Add readied his rifle and prepared to shoot. The Arachne, realised that her time was up as she felt the cold touch of death on her forehead, her final moment was here. Gathering all her will power she shouted out, her voice cracking due to her emotions,


    ¡°Very well! If that''s what fate wishes, then this queen shall accept it! Human! This queen shall accept your condition!¡±


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    ¡°Oh? You get to live then. For now.¡±


    Add was honestly surprised. Here he was sure that she would choose death over servitude, but her desire to live won over her pride at the end. He removed the rifle from her head and took out another item from the inventory. It was a round metal collar, used mainly on dangerous criminals. This collar had a built in tracker which would keep transmitting the location of the person it was on. It was made of very tough metal and, its lock was very difficult to open. In case the person wanted to break it off, it had a explosive filler strong enough which would blow if the collar was tampered with. Essentially, it was a mechanical equivalent of a slavery collar used in Iseria which use magic to keep slaves under control. He attached it around her neck and locked it with a key. He also wore a small bracelet that came with the collar, which tracked his vital signs.


    ¡°Let me make things clear for you. First, from now on you will obey all my orders no matter what they may be. If you don¡¯t, well let¡¯s just that say it won¡¯t end well for you. I have many ways of making people suffer, believe me.¡±


    ¡°Second, if you try to take that collar off with your strength, it will blow up with enough force to kill you instantly. You are welcome to try if you doubt me.¡±


    ¡°Third, this collar is connected to me. The moment I die, it will explode and you will die with me, so I suggest you do not try to kill me, unless you are ready to die. And on that note, you best make sure that I am not killed by any random creatures out there as well, for both of our sakes.¡±


    ¡°Am I clear?¡±


    The Arachne remained silent. After hearing all that, she was barely holding herself back from attacking him then and there.


    ¡°Am I clear?¡±


    Add repeated again, his tone getting colder. The Arachne finally nodded her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s better¡­¡±


    He then turned his attention to her wounds. Now that she was his sla- *cough* servant *cough*, he had to at least ensure that she was in top condition at all times. A dead servant was not a very helpful servant after all. He observed her wounds for some time and then looked around for a suitable medicine in the system shop which could heal all her wounds. He had basically no need for medicine unless it was something really serious thanks to his modified body. But the Arachne clearly did not have that benefit. Although she could also regenerate her damaged body parts like many insects could, in her current state she would probably not last another day without medical attention.


    After some searching, he found a healing medicine called ¡®Regeneration Serum¡¯. This was a light blue liquid with a sweet smell, and once ingested it could heal mortal wounds as well as re-grow lost limbs and body parts. But it was very very costly, at 1 million CP a bottle. He purchased 5 bottles of it, considering the Arachne¡¯s size and then also purchased some hyper saturated nutrient solutions. He had learnt from the system that all healing serums drew nutrients from the body to heal wounds. If the body was very weak, the healing serums would also lose most of their effect. So the body had to have all the necessary nutrients so that the serums could function properly.


    ¡°Drink this.¡±


    He walked over to and offered her the nutrient solution, but the Arachne was unmoving and did not respond, only looking at him hatefully. Add frowned and his expression hardened at her blatant disregard of his words.


    ¡°Either you drink this yourself or I swear I am going to shove a dozen bottles of this down your throat myself. Choose.¡± He threatened.


    ¡°You¡­.¡±


    ¡°I sincerely suggest that you do not test my patience¡­¡±


    The Arachne was speechless, she felt so angry and hateful towards him, but looking at his expression she understood that he really would do what he said. Reluctantly she took the bottle from Add and began inspecting it. The glass bottle had a slightly viscous liquid which was milky white in colour, the amount was not a lot, just 200 ml, as stated by the system. She tried to smell it but the smell was faint and did not resemble anything she had known before. She turned to look at Add whose face was as deadpan as ever, waiting for her to drink it. She had no other choice but to brace herself and drink it, however the moment she took a gulp her expression scrunched up, the liquid seemed to be tasteless ye at the same time had a strange taste as well, on that her taste buds could not recognise. With some difficulty she swallowed the mouthful and then shouted at Add¡­


    ¡°What is this tasteless thing!? What have you made this queen drink filthy human!?¡±


    As usual he ignored her words, and stood there, looking at her silently. Left with no other choice she forcefully drank the contents of the bottle and then threw it away. Once she had drunk it, Add passed her the other bottles and had her drink all of them as well. By the 5<sup>th</sup> bottle, the Arachne was wondering whether the human was feeding her poison or simply torturing her. When she had drunk all of those, he gave her the bottles of Regeneration Serum. However, much to the Arachne¡¯s surprise, the liquid in these bottles was rather sweet and fragrant and she even had a slight desire to drink more.


    After drinking all those serums, the Arachne suddenly felt warmth spreading through her entire body. At first she felt threatened and was preparing to have a life or death battle with Add, but soon she was greatly surprised. He many wounds began closing at a visible rate, and the pain was vanishing as well. The many cracks in her carapace were also closing and what shocked here even more, was that her two legs which had be torn by the snake, had also began growing back! She watched in disbelief as within minutes all her wounds were healed, and she was feeling very healthy and full of energy. But she was not going to thank the human for this.


    Add on his part was also appreciating the Regeneration Serum, it worked faster than he had expected. However, the price still felt a lot, although he himself had a regeneration skill, if he could find a way to produce these serums by himself, then that would be very advantageous to the Red Army. Putting those thoughts aside, he continued¡­


    ¡°With that out of the way, let me introduce myself. My name is Adolf Kaiser Weismann, Marshal of the Soviet Union. You shall refer to me as Add, unless I say otherwise. Do you understand?¡±


    The Arachne was unable to understand over half of the words he said, she only really understood his name. Still, she nodded lightly not wanting to bicker with this strange human. The hate for Add in her heart had diminished by a tiny portion, since he healed her wounds and now that she thought properly about it, he had actually saved her life even if it was for his own purposes. And given that she had tied to capture him earlier and her spiders had tried to kill him, it was already very generous of him to spare her.


    ¡°Well then, you should introduce yourself as well.¡±


    At his urging, she hesitated for a while, she was a proud Arachne and liked to refer to herself as the queen. Finally she gave in and spoke lightly,


    ¡°Sylvia, that is this queen¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°Well then Sylvia, I will cut to the chase. Your main job will be to help me defeat my enemies and protect me at all times. You cannot reveal anything about me to anyone, unless I say so. Aside from that, you will have to obey my orders to the best of your ability. Is it clear?¡±


    The Arachne, Sylvia, nodded in agreement. With this, he had gained a strong partner, a King class Magical Beast was a very strong force to have. Now that the contract was preventing her from harming him in any way, Add did not have to worry about her trying to kill him. He then thought of her large size which made him concerned. Her appearance was okay in the forest, but he intended to have her follow him back to Rigel and having a magical beast follow him into a town was not the wisest idea.


    ¡°Can you do something about your appearance? I have no problems with how you look, but it¡¯s just that a large body is more of a target in others¡¯ eyes.¡±


    Sylvia was dissatisfied with his words, but she did not say anything. She closed her eyes and focused her mana. A bright light covered her body, making Add unable to see what was going on. Within the light, her body greatly shrunk in size, and when the light vanished, a very different Sylvia was standing before him.


    ¡°How beautiful¡­¡±


    Add subconsciously muttered. Sylvia¡¯s appearance had not changed too much, her upper body was still the same, but her lower spider body had been replaced by a pair of long and slender milky white legs. As she already had the natural look of an elf with the long ears and everything, now she completely looked like an Elf. Her one piece dress exposed a lot of her fair and plump thighs, her pure beauty complemented by her hourglass figure was enough to make the toughest of men fall in ruin. Perhaps this was what the old legends meant by a ¡°beauty that could cause wars¡±. If her previous appearance as an Arachne was that of a noble and proud queen, she now looked like the manifestation of a dream. Add had enough control over himself and quickly got accustomed to her new appearance. Hearing his faint complement Sylvia felt a bit proud, ¡®humph at least you have eyes..¡¯ she thought.


    This was not too surprising, as mana was something that beyond all scientific sense. In fact, certain species of magical beasts could take a complete humanoid appearance. When in a humanoid form, a magical beast¡¯s overall strength dropped greatly, however it was much harder for others to identify them and this allowed them to blend easily within other races. As such, said magical beasts who could, took humanoid forms often, some taking the appearance of humans, others of Were beasts etc.


    Afterwards, he made Sylvia dissect the Serpent¡¯s corpse, even in her humanoid form, her physical strength was not weaker than him. He stored its scales, each the size of a human palm, were very tough and could be used to make good armour. She also retrieved the mana core of the serpent and reluctantly handed it over to him. Her troop of spiders which had originally numbered in the thousands, now were left with a few hundred. She decided to let them go, as they were no longer as useful to her in these small numbers. As for her future, she could only hope that her life would not get any worse.


    _ _ _ _ _


    It had been three days already since then, and as a result of everything that followed, the Arachne had her status reduced from being the queen of spiders to, a slave of a human. Her main job was to sit on top of the Crusader, and guide Add through an headset microphone he had given her, while he himself stayed inside the relative safety of the crusader. This was the main reason why Add had saved her, he needed a knowledgeable guide who knew this forest well. Sylvia could speak the human language, and she had spent her whole life here, which made her a good choice for a guide. Also, to a certain extent he was reluctant to watch such a beautiful creature die so miserably.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 27 - Using Mana

    _ _ _ _ _ _


    *GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!*


    A huge beast roared in rage as it rammed itself against the Crusader with all of its might, causing the machine to retreat two steps. This magical beast was known as the [Earth Dragon] belonging to the Emperor class. To Add its appearance was very similar to the large theropod dinosaurs back on Earth. It had a large, elongated skull with giant jaws filled to the brim with half a metre long crushing teeth. Its strong forearms were tipped in claws which could tear through metal like a hot knife going through butter. At over seven metres tall this was one of the strongest beasts in its class.


    This beast was called a dragon, but it was not a real dragon per say, it would be fair to call it a very very distant relative of mythical dragons. Add was exploring the forest, when suddenly the sensors picked up a large creature approaching the mech at a great speed. He immediately launched two missiles and prepared to face the threat. The missiles hit the [Earth Dragon] but were unable to stop it. The giant beast was only wounded lightly its tough skin protecting it, as it came hurtling through the trees with ferocious roars. The plasma cannon fired a few shots, but they only made glancing wounds on its body.


    Sylvia who was sitting atop the mech, jumped off as soon as she felt the Earth Dragon approaching, and retreated away from the mech. A few seconds later, it rammed into the mech and tried to bite the Crusader¡¯s arm but the power fist grabbed its upper jaw, and no matter how much it struggled, it was unable to bite down. Its jaws were unable to crush the power fist, and its sharp claws were only able to leave shallow scratches in the Crusader¡¯s armour. The Crusader was also struggling to hold down the large beast, the mech was being rattled by the bests struggles. the beast¡¯s strength was nothing to scoff at.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ This thing is so strong¡­¡±


    All this happened within moments, while trying to keep the mech steady, Add revved the chain-sword at maximum torque and rammed it into the beast¡¯s side. The blade lodged itself just behind one of the beast¡¯s arms and the teeth began flaying its skin away, digging into its flesh as they grinded and cut meat and bone alike. To cause even more damage, he pushed the sword into its body with all the strength the mech could muster. But its hide was more resilient than Add had expected, the chain-sword even at its full power was cutting very slowly, as if it was cutting through some metal alloy instead of skin.


    *GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!*


    The Earth Dragon roared in pain and rage, as it tried to free itself from the Crusader¡¯s grasp. Although the chain-sword was cutting slowly, it was indeed cutting deeper into its body. Unable to free its mouth, the Earth Dragon used the sharp talons on its arms to tear apart the mech, but it was only able to leave shallow scratches on the armour. In desperation, it used its mana to release a breath of fire upon the Crusader. Add was surprised by its ability to breathe flames like this, the bright yellow flames covered the mech, making it difficult for Add to see clearly.


    <<Warning! External temperatures exceeding 1500 degree Celsius.>>


    <<Warning! External sensors and cameras damaged! Please take protective measures.>>


    ¡°Above 1500? These bloody flames can even melt steel!¡±


    Add used the power fist and pushed the thrashing beast away from the mech. The mech¡¯s armour could withstand these temperatures as they were made with alloys that could tolerate such temperatures, but many of the sensors and camera¡¯s were fried. Add¡¯s display was also affected by the loss of some cameras, but he was still able to get a sufficient view. As the dragon was pushed away, the Crusader immediately went on the offensive not giving it the time to react. The power fist punched right onto its head, sending the Earth dragon crashing onto the ground. It still didn¡¯t die, and tried to stand up again but the chain-sword attacked its leg, cutting into muscle and it collapsed again. The Crusader then raised one of its legs and stomped directly onto its body, smashing its ribs in and finally killing the beast.


    This sudden battle had once again shown to Add just what kind of place this forest was. The Earth Dragon was the first Emperor Class magical beast he had encountered and it had proved really challenging. He looked at his damaged mech and sighed, there were many deep gashed on the armour, which although less than ten centimetres deep at their best, were proof that the Crusader Mk VII was no longer a guarantee of safety. While King class monsters and below were quite easily dealt by him, against magical beasts of the Emperor class, he had to be very careful and he did not even want to test the higher ranked beasts.


    Those creatures of Calamity class could probably tear the Crusader in half before he was able to put up a decent fight. It was unwise to continue travelling deeper into this forest. According to his estimates, he had only gone a little over five hundred kilometres into the forest of Waldestien which itself spread for over four thousand kilometres across. There were countless dangers lurking in there and even Add and Sylvia with all their caution and strength had faced many a life threatening situation on their way. Going even further was just needless risk, as all the magical beasts that he needed could all be found within this range.


    ¡°I have already gathered enough cores¡­ Emperor class beasts are really dangerous, it would be foolish to keep moving forwards. I was lucky that this time I was able to win without taking much damage, but there is no telling about the next time.¡±


    He quickly made his mind to retreat. After harvesting the mana core from the Earth Dragon, and repairing the damages to the Crusader with a few million CP he began returning the way he came. This trip¡¯s goal had already been achieved and there was no need to take unnecessary risks.


    ¡°Sylvia, we are heading back.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The Spider queen returned atop the mech, inside her mind she was replaying the previous battle. While Add was quite alarmed by the strength of the Emperor class beasts, she on the other hand was shocked at his strength. Although the Emperor Class was just one rank higher than the King Class, they could not really be compared with each other. Even the weakest Emperor class monsters could tear apart two to three king class monsters alone. If she were to face that beast, she would be dead in a minute. In the time she had spent with this mysterious human, she had seen him eradicate hundreds of beasts, and kill things which she could not dream of even hurting with her strength.


    ¡°Just what kind of being are you?¡±


    She thought, sliding her hand over the smooth metal of the Crusader. Add was a man of few words, and he usually talked only in small sentences, and only when required. She basically knew nothing about him and this frustrated her a lot.


    _ _ _ _ _


    After wandering the forest for over two months and hunting hundreds of Magical Beasts and collecting their cores, it was time for Add to return. He had completed his mission of obtaining the various monster cores many days ago, but planned to leave only after he had collected some more CP. But after the battle with the Earth Dragon, he chose to call it quits. Aside from the beasts he encountered on his way back, he did not actively hunt for any magical beasts. The Spider Queen Sylvia for her part never really had to engage in battles herself.


    Add only needed her guiding skills and he was not going to let precious CP go to waste by making her kill monsters for him. As a result, she mostly spent her time, sitting atop the Crusader, or watching from a distance while it fought and killed the magical beasts. Due to this, ever since she became a servant, she had began spending most of her time in her humanoid form and usually changed back only when she felt like it. Thanks to her being familiar with the forest and guiding him, he was able to reach his goal in less time than he had predicted.


    After exiting the forest, he returned to a region on the outskirts which was relatively safe. He had stored the Crusader back in his inventory which was filled to the brim with weapons and materials from the various beasts he had killed over the past few months. He had filled his inventory to the brim with high class meat from the magical beasts and various body parts such as scales, horns, bony armour plates, leather etc. These things could become very use full in the future or he could simply sell them for high sums of money.


    After setting up a camp along with two tents to rest, he told Sylvia to guard him, and no matter what happened she was not allowed to step into his tent. The beasts in this area were normally knight class with a few general class beasts in between, nothing she could not manage. The Arachne watched curiously as he went inside his tent and wondered what he was up to. Once Add had submitted all the monster cores to the system, the cores vanished from his inventory and the following which a prompt appeared¡­


    [Ding! Requirements for upgrading magical talent met. Since the host¡¯s physique is not suited to efficiently store and use mana, the System will now make changes to the host¡¯s body. It is recommended that the host find a safe place before this process begins.]


    [Do you wish to start the process now? Yes/No]


    Once he was sure that everything was in order, he clicked on the Yes button. The very next moment, a horrendous burning sensation filled his entire body. His head was even hurting the most as if someone was hammering a stake in his head. The pain was stronger than anything he had experienced before. Even the six gene enhancers put together did not hurt this much. It was if his body was being torn into pieces and then being put together only to be torn apart again and put together again. It was so very painful, that despite his now inhuman body and will, he was unable to tolerate the pain beyond a few seconds and fainted.


    During this time, his body was being broken down and rebuilt at the cellular level, as the system remodelled it to be able to store and use mana. When seen by another person, his entire body was sweating heavily and it appeared as if his entire body was churning and collapsing upon itself over and over again. The skin appeared to be crawling and it appeared that hundreds of tiny creatures were squirming underneath it. The process continued, and every once in a while the unconscious boy would moan in agony. Sylvia who was guarding him frowned hearing these screams. She could only wonder as to why he was making such pained sounds. Since she had been told to stay away and that she did.


    It was only after an entire day of being unconscious that Add finally woke up. The very first thing he felt after waking up was an intense thirst. He quickly took out many bottles of water from the inventory and drunk a lot of water in one go. After his thirst was quenched, a feeling of ravenous hunger assaulted him, he took out a dozen of concentrated nutrient solutions and gulped them down like he had been starving for months. It took a while before his hunger was finally satiated. After that he began inspecting his body, which felt the same for the most part, except he had a feeling that there was something new in his body. It felt foreign, but it gave him a warm and comforting sensation.


    (So this is what mana feels like?)


    It was a strange feeling similar to air, he couldn¡¯t see it or trace it but he could feel that he had it inside him. He opened his status to look for any changes.


    _ _ _ _ _


    STATUS


    Name : Add (Adolf Kaiser Weismann)


    Race : Human


    Credit Points : 575,000,000


    ATTRIBUTES :


    Vitality : 250


    Strength : 400


    Agility : 220


    Dexterity : 200


    Defence: 180


    Intelligence : 15


    Wisdom : 15


    Stamina : 240


    Charm : 20


    Magic Aptitude : Enhancement Magic (Excellent)


    _ _ _ _ _


    His magic aptitude which was previously low, had now become excellent, which according to the System, was beyond the boundaries of what a human could hope to achieve. He smiled wryly.


    ¡°Well, I cannot really call myself a ¡®human¡¯ now can I? With all those genetic enhancements, I am practically a new species already¡­¡±


    In general, the amount of mana a person could hold in their body, was depended on their race and individual aptitude, while the efficiency and control required to absorb mana into the body was determined by the person¡¯s mental ability, which in Add¡¯s case were the Intelligence and Wisdom stats. Mana could be used for a variety of purposes, but the amount of mana a person could hold was limited and would exhaust just like a fuel tank of a vehicle ran out of fuel with continuous usage. The mana could be restored naturally by the bodies of creatures over time, which continuously absorbed mana from all around them, or they could absorb it from items such as monster cores, mana crystals etc.


    As for magic attribute, it referred to the type of magic a person or creature could use. There were 7 major attributes : Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light , Darkness, and Neutral. A creature with Water attribute could use water type spells and so on. The Neutral attribute was what majority of creatures in Iseria had, their mana had no special attribute and they usually could not use any powerful spells of other attributes, although there were few exceptions. These 7 major attributes also had many branching sub attributes, for example Water included Ice, Light included Recovery (Healing) etc. Occasionally there were talented mages that could use magic of more than one attribute, but they were very very rare.


    Now that he had obtained the ability to utilise mana, his overall combat strength would greatly increase. He had previously purchased some books from the System which taught how to utilise mana efficiently an optimally. Now that he had access to this power, he began to study diligently on how to control and use it. Over the next few days, he familiarised himself with the usage of mana, learning to use it as [Mana Equip].


    It was quite tough, but he was making good progress. The books were very costly, but they guided him nicely, and soon he was able to smoothly control the mana flow in his body. He could channel in into particular locations like his arms and legs, or cover his entire body as a whole. Although, the status did not show any numerical value of his mana reserves, he could feel how much mana he had within him at any given time.


    Other than that, he also inquired Sylvia about things of interest in the Forest. For instance, she had once mentioned during their travel that there were many races like Elves, Werebeasts, and others hidden within the dense woods of Waldestein. However Add had not come across any of them, and he had no interest in visiting such places, for now. Still he kept it as mental note for the future. There were also many other interesting places in this forest like ancient ruins, and those treasures people often spoke of. It seemed that the forest was worth returning to after all.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 28 - Going Home

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    It was a clear cloudless night and Sylvia the Arachne was currently having her dinner. A campfire burned and crackled while Add was busy servicing his TSAR-77E rifle. Sylvia looked at the human, who was cleaning his weapon, something she had now seen him doing regularly and returned her attention to her meal. It consisted of cooked magical beast meat which was her favourite. It was rich in mana and nutrients and to her it was very delicious. She enjoyed her food, and savoured every bit of it.


    For a magical beast, her feeding method was quite normal and refined. Unlike regular spiders that use their poison to liquefy the bodies of their prey an Arachne ate more like a human, using her small mouth. Initially when she was still in her original form, her fellow spiders would tear pieces of raw meat or sometimes bring fruits and serve her which she then graciously accepted. When Add cooked his food (which was nothing more than roasting meat and adding salt and spices) and shared with her, she acquired a taste for cooked meat and gave up on eating raw meat altogether. She ate a lot though, which was reasonable considering her original body size. Currently she was strong enough to easily win one on one against the Laika Stone serpent which had once almost killed her.


    Although their relationship had started at the worst way possible, Add and Sylvia had gotten closer over the past months. Unlike what she had expected, he treated her quite well, considering she had tried killing him with fervor. He did not give her any excessive orders, and took care of her basic needs. Although he had used her as bait sometimes, but other than that she had really little to complain about. Still, the explosive collar around her neck irritated her, but with how things were, she could only hope that one day she would be freed of this restraint. The urge to kill or hurt Add had completely disappeared from her mind by now.


    ¡°Even if this queen was freed and tried to take revenge, she would probably die before she took the second step¡­¡±


    She shook her head and returned to her meal. After some time, Add finished cleaning the rifle and looked at Sylvia. He had also no remaining hostility towards her. In his life as a soldier, he had dealt with countless people who wanted to kill him. Some were just doing their job, some were desperate, others just trying to kill for sport, and many times, enemies that were trying to kill you the previous day, became allies the next day. Such was life, and he was accustomed to it. After some consideration he spoke.


    ¡°Sylvia.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, I am going to leave this place, and return home.¡±


    The spider queen was silent. This came as no surprise to her, humans usually did not stay in this deadly jungle for long. Add too would return sooner or later, and the day had finally come.


    ¡°Honestly speaking, I initially thought that I would bring you back as a servant. Back to my home and have you work for me. But¡­ but now I don¡¯t plan on doing so anymore¡­¡±


    He tapped the bracelet on his hand and with a clink the collar around Sylvia¡¯s neck opened and fell off. She was completely stunned for a while, her hand touched her neck, and did not find the usual cold metal there, she looked down and the ring of death which had terrorized her for months, was now lying there, looking completely harmless. After a few moments, she looked back at Add, in her eyes many emotions were swirling.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why what? Why did I free you?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I will try to kill you again human?¡±


    Add¡¯s face showed no emotion as he replied calmly,


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡±


    The very next instant, Sylvia vanished from her spot, returning to her original Arachne form, she was before Add in a flash, her eyes gleaming with ruthlessness as her sharp legs rushed towards his head seemingly about to reap his life. But Add stayed completely still, his eyes calm and no trace of panic in them. The spear like legs approached at break neck speeds and just as it appeared that he would be killed they stopped mid air, just an arm¡¯s width away from him. There was complete silence between them, as they stared into each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Why? Why don¡¯t you fight back?¡±


    Finally, Sylvia asked. She lowered her legs and retreated.


    ¡°Because I knew, that you were not serious.¡± He replied


    ¡°How? How did you know? Don¡¯t tell me you can read minds?¡±


    ¡°Heh. No I cannot read minds per se. What I can do however is judge a person. And you for one, are a very bad actor. That ruthlessness in your eyes, I knew from the start that it was fake. I have seen many people really wanting to kill me before, and some of them almost succeeded. I know what the eyes of a person who is out for my blood look like, and yours, they weren¡¯t even close.¡±


    He was not completely honest however, let¡¯s say he was around 90% certain that Sylvia was bluffing. As for the 10% chance that she was not, he had absolute certainty that he could evade her attacks and shoot her head off with the rifle lying beside him. He had loaded a full magazine and turned off the safety for that reason after all. The Arachne, unaware of this, looked at the human in shock. She had never expected him to say such words. Indeed she had not been serious when she tried to attack him, she was just testing him, if he was really letting her go or it was all a trap. Conflicting emotions filled her mind while Add was still clam, as usual. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself.


    ¡°So¡­ I am free to leave?¡±


    ¡°I am not stopping you am I? Although I do have another proposition for you, if you are interested that is.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Proposition?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s just an offer, I am not forcing you, but I would like if you woul come work for me.¡±


    ¡°Work for you? Like what I have been doing previously?¡± Sylvia asked raising a brow.


    ¡°Not exactly. I cannot give you any details yet, but it will be the sort of work which you can do. Well you will have to follow me back into human territory though.¡±


    Sylvia silently contemplated, she had just obtained her freedom and a part for her wanted to return to her lair and resume her lie like it had been before while another part of her measured the human¡¯s words.


    ¡°I cannot promise you any great treasures or power, but what I can promise you is that this is a chance for you to be part of something great. You may be able to see things no Arachne has seen before. And you will be paid for your efforts so there is that. Well it¡¯s all up to you, so take your time, I will be leaving tomorrow, so you still have the night to think it over.¡±


    Add stood up and walked towards his tent. He left Sylvia alone to think for herself. He could have forced her to work for him using the collar but that was not what he wanted. He needed subordinates he could trust, and people who were essentially enslaved to your will, usually held grudges and as is quite often, what starts as a simple grudge can soon balloon to be a severe threat. While he was confident enough to deal with any dangers, having people whom you could trust your back to was always a good thing.


    ¡°You are a strange human¡­ Asking this queen, a monster, to be your ally with just a verbal agreement.¡±


    She muttered looking at his departing back. The boy paused,


    ¡°Am I? Maybe so. But I think I can trust you more than I can trust a random human¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Add looked at the waning moon and sighed.


    ¡°¡­You see, we humans are a kind which is much more difficult to trust than you would think. Humans are filled with greed and treachery. They won¡¯t hesitate to betray their own apart for benefits. Monsters on the other hand are more simple creatures, they are either trying to kill you or trying to eat you. There is no complex schemes and hidden agendas in them. And above all, I trust my own judgement and it tells me that I can trust you. To a workable degree at least¡­¡±


    After saying his piece, he retreated into his tent, leaving Sylvia alone by the campfire. As she looked at the dancing flames, one could only guess what thoughts were plaguing her mind.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The night passed uneventfully. The next day, it was finally time to head back to Rigel. He had been away for almost three months now, any more delays were unacceptable. Getting out of his tent he did not see Sylvia around. The tent which he had provided her to sleep in was left also undisturbed. He shook his head lightly. It seemed she had left, which was what he had expected. Packing up everything quickly, he suited up in his mobile armour, but a familiar silhouette appeared from within the trees.


    ¡°I thought you had left¡­ Did you change your mind?¡±


    ¡°This Queen does not need to answer to you about what she does¡­¡± Sylvia retorted.


    ¡°Indeed you don¡¯t. Anyway since you did not leave, does that mean you are willing to follow me?¡±


    ¡°I feel it might not be a bad idea to see what great things you speak of.¡±


    Sylvia did not really know why she had chosen to follow him rather than returning to her normal life. Maybe she had been impressed by what he had said to her the previous night, or she was curious about the strange weapons and items Add used or maybe she wanted to explore the world outside this forest. Whatever the reason maybe, she did not have second opinions about her choice. Add looked at her for a while and then shrugged lightly.


    ¡°Well anyway, since you have decided, then let¡¯s move on.¡±


    Add nodded and told her to follow him. they were already on the outskirts, and it took them little a few hours to completely exit Waldestein. The dense forest gradually grew sparser until it finally gave way to a vast grassland stretching as far as the eye could see. This grassland which also had many smaller patches of forests within it, covered a huge area and stretched almost all the way to Rigel. There were many tribes living in this area, both human and also of other races and Add had crossed paths with a few of them on his way here, and those encounters had not been very pleasant. The land was relatively plain and flat, making travelling easier. There were many monsters as well, from large sluggish herbivores to smaller but much deadlier predators, which stalked the grasslands for prey. Some small rivers and streams also flowed across these lands, providing water in plenty.


    As he gazed at the expanse before him, Sylvia who was in her Elf form also looked around, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes. As usual, she was wearing her usual one piece dress, made by her own hands using her silk. Arachne had a unique ability to produce silk from their hands, microscopic glands in their palms could secrete silk at will which they used to weave their clothes and trap their prey too. The skirt, however was a little longer and now came down to just below her knees. Much to Add''s annoyance, Sylvia did not like to wear undergarments, which made even this very expressionless man frown. But since the lady, or Arachne, in question had no qualms about her own image, he could only ignore this to the best of his ability.


    There was an estimated distance of five hundred kilometres between Waldestein and Rigel and no matter how strong or durable Add had grown, he was not masochistic enough to walk all the distance by foot. Driving the mech all the way back would be too slow and flamboyant and completely unnecessary. So he opened his inventory and took out a certain vehicle. It was a 4 x 4 light utility vehicle, the UAZ-52(model 2025). Based on the age old but proven design of the UAZ 469 (known by many as the soviet jeep''). This was a vehicle that combined a robust design with modern features and technology. The chassis was made stronger using advanced alloys and techniques, which made the vehicle more durable than its predecessor.


    Sylvia looked curiously at the strange item. After following Add for 4 months, she had now been accustomed to the strange items and weapons Add used. What was more surprising was that he seemingly took them out of nowhere and also made them disappear into nowhere. But in Iseria where magic could make the impossible, possible, this was not something impossible. There were certain objects called storage items, such as storage bags, storage rings, and storage bracelets.


    These objects were made using precious metals and space magic which came under Neutral attribute, and acted as doorways to large isolated spaces inside them, which could be used to store things. These items were very expensive and only nobles and very rich people could afford them. The amount of space inside varied, and the more the space, more was the price. Add''s inventory worked on a similar principle, just that it did not have any physical form. Time inside the storage space stopped, so if you kept fruit in such a space, and take it out after a thousand years, it would still be fresh as ever.


    ¡°What is this strange thing Human?¡±


    Sylvia asked in her beautiful but detached voice. Although Add had told her to call him by his name, she only referred to him as ''human'' but he did not really care much about that. As long as she followed his words and did not do something that really angered him, he would not mind whatever she called him, unless it was an unacceptable term.


    ¡°This is a jeep.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Ji-ip?¡± The beautiful Elf (Arachne) stuttered while trying to say the word she had never heard before.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a machine... Anyway I cannot really explain any more to you right now.¡±


    ¡°Machine...?¡± Sylvia was unable to make sense of his words.


    He did not really know how to explain to this lady about the wonders of technology. ¡®I should have her use the learning chamber when we return¡¯ he thought. As expected Sylvia looked at the Jeep sceptically and sized it up. She had never actually seen a carriage, since not many people went into Waldestein with carriages, but she knew that humans had a knack for making strange things. Ignoring her confusion, Add took some petrol from the inventory and filled the tank of the Jeep. He then sat down on the vehicle and turned on the ignition key.


    *VROOM*


    With the turn of the key, the engine roared and the exhaust spewed out smoke a distinct smell of fuel and smoke could be smelled. The rhythmic sound of the engine and exhaust, felt strangely attractive, making the Arachne quite intrigued. She had stayed all her life in the forest, not seeing more than monsters and trees. But after she met Add, she had seen many strange and new things thanks to him.


    ¡°Alright then, come here and sit down.¡± Add said pointing to the passenger¡¯s seat beside him.


    Sylvia who was gazing up and down at the jeep, trying to figure out exactly what it was, quickly came inside and sat down. Her posture was still graceful like a queen, but her eyes betrayed her curiosity as they continuously gazed at the interior of the jeep.


    ¡°Sit there quietly and don¡¯t touch anything.¡± Add reminded as he pulled the seat belt over her.


    ¡°This is ?¡±


    ¡°Ah it¡¯s called a seat belt. It stops you from jerking around when the jeep is moving...¡±


    As King Class beast, Sylvia probably did not need the seat belt, but Add strapped it on regardless, more of a formality than a necessity. He then changed the gear and with a jolt the Jeep began moving. Initially, Sylvia was a bit cautious, but gradually as time passed she began enjoying the feeling of travelling in this strange thing. The windows were open, so she stuck her head out and felt the cool air hitting her face, and her lips broke into a smile. Add who was watching this from the side was a bit surprised. He shook his head and continued driving.


    (I guess, everyone has a child in them...)


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Optional)


    <ol>


    <li>The UAZ-52(model 2025) had a 200 horsepower diesel engine with better fuel efficiency and an excellent ground clearance of 500 millimetres. It used specially made tubeless tires which had stiff rubber spokes inside them instead of air. These supported the weight of the vehicle. The rubber composite used to make the tires was also very tough and durable. As there was no usage of air, the tires were puncture proof. The jeep was a 4 wheel drive with 4 doors, and seating space for 7 passengers. The full load capacity was over 800 kilograms. The system sold it for just, 50,000 CP which was very cheap.</li>


    </ol>

 Chapter 29 - Socialist Republic of Rigel

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Two days later, through the grasslands, sparse forests began to replace the grass and faint silhouettes of mountains could be seen in the distance, the pair of one human and one Arachne finally reached near Rigel. The Jeep was currently driving along a dirt road, its frame jolting with every bump and hollow but the suspension negated most of the shocks offering a relatively smooth ride. Since they had started the return journey, they had encountered some monsters, bandits and tribal people along the way who wanted to make trouble, but nothing that could not be dealt with by a few bullets and Sylvia who occasionally went out to ¡®stretch her muscles¡¯.


    She was gazing around lazily, looking at the scenery around her. The jeep made its way along the dirt road until if reached a pair of buildings near the road. The road was also being blocked by a large wooden beam a metre above the ground, which was placed on two wooden supports on either side of the road. There were a few humans present there as well. Sylvia who thought that these people were also bandits or tribal people who had troubled her before, was preparing to attack them but Add stopped her. As she raised her brows at him, Add reduced the speed and slowly drove towards the men. They were all dressed in Simple dirt coloured uniforms with swords and spears for weapons and leather armour covering the vital parts of their bodies. They also wore steel helmets with a five pointed red star painted at the front.


    These men were very familiar to Add. They belonged to the State police force, which was originally formed from retired soldiers and veteran mercenaries as its core while new members were also recruited. This force was tasked primarily with maintaining public security and order, acting as guards at important locations, and manning the check posts along the major roads in and out of Rigel. But in times of in need, they could be drafted into the army and sent to battle if necessary. As soon as they saw the jeep coming towards them, they became vigilant, but quickly realised the identity of the man who was driving it. As the Jeep came to a halt and Add stepped out, the guards quickly straightened themselves and gave salute.


    ¡°¡°¡°Reporting to the Marshal!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°At ease gentlemen. How is it going?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to the General! There have been no problems, everything is in order sir!¡±


    The man in charge, replied with fervour. The other guards were silent with their bodies straight trying to give the impression of discipline to the Marshal.


    ¡°Good. How about your daily lives, any problems?¡±


    ¡°We are doing fine sir! Thank you for your concern!¡±


    Add nodded and looked over to the other guards, and then continued discussing day to day matters. There were a few young guardsmen who felt quite stressed talking to the Marshall. But gradually they too began speaking more freely. Sylvia who was bored sitting in the Jeep walked out and tried listening to what the group was saying, howver she was quickly bored of their conversation and began wandering around looking at the buildings and stuff. The guards were stunned by her beauty but dared not to ogle her. They had been trained quite strictly, to focus on their work while on duty, and no matter how beautiful she was, since she was together with the general, they did not want to do anything that would put their jobs or lives at risk.


    After discussing with the soldiers for some time, Add returned to the Jeep. The guards quickly rotated a crank wheel and the wooden beam was lifted from one side making way for the jeep to pass. As the jeep gradually went out of sight, they finally relaxed and began talking among themselves.


    ¡°Whew, the Marshall has finally returned! It has been a long time since he left.¡±


    ¡°Did you see the carriage he was in? It was such a magical item, no horses pulling it, yet still it moves own its own! The Marshall is truly mysterious! Ever since he openly took reins of the government and started his reforms five years ago, he has been making miracles one after the other!¡±


    ¡°Right, but I have to admit, that he really has the aura of a ruler. I could not help but feel nervous before him.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t you all see the girl who was with him? I swear I have not seen a beauty even close to her in my life!¡±


    ¡°Pah! You are just 25 what life!? But really she was truly beautiful! No wonder the General did not have any romantic affairs till now. His taste was actually this high! But they suit each other very well.¡±


    ¡°But, her ears¡­. They were pointed, don¡¯t tell me she is an¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you brats yapping over there!? Don¡¯t you bastards have work to do!? Get back to your posts or I will whack the lot of you!¡±


    The leader found them gossiping and became angry. These guards were relatively fresh out from their training and still had to learn a lot about the ways of the police. He shouted at them, and the men quickly ran away taking their respective spots as they were supposed to.


    After sometime, as they approached the town, Add retrieved the jeep in his inventory and then the two continued on foot. Although him having many ¡®magical items¡¯ was not really a surprise in the town, Add for his part did not want to openly display them to the public, as unlike soldiers and guards, the common people were very quick to chatter and leak information. As the two walked towards the town, on both sides of the road one could see, large stretches of farmlands on which mostly wheat was growing. Some areas also had other crops like potato, corn, vegetables etc. Farmers using simple mechanical farm equipment such as seed drills, horse drawn harrows and tillers etc. could also be spotted once in a while.


    Add had introduced simple machines which did not require engines or were operated by animals. He had yet to give the first true machines to the public. But even these had remarkably improved the performance and yield of the farmers. The agriculture sector itself was controlled by the government with the land being leased to farmers, at affordable rates to the farmers. They were also provided with seeds and equipments at subsidised prices and in return of all this they were to sell majority of their produce to the government at prices which were fixed yearly based on various factors. There also many other reforms, which together insured that the sector was under government supervision, but the farmers had enough incentives to work for their own benefits as well.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Gradually, the narrow dirt road gave way to a wider paved road made with stone bricks. There were many people on the road as well, some walking, while others were riding horses and horse drawn carriages. Carts full of goods were being moved in and out of the town, while guards kept watch at the town gate checking all people who were going inside. Add had changed his dress and was currently dressed in a loose cotton shirt and black trousers, he also had a armoured vest on him just to feel safe, though it was highly unlikely that someone would attack him here. Even in his simple clothes, he attracted a lot of stares thanks to his refined looks and his charm stat added on to this as well.


    But Sylvia walking beside him who looked like a fairy, attracted greater attention. What attracted even more gazes towards her were her Elven features. Elves were a race that were very detached from humans, thanks to the humans having a nasty habit to enslave them. Finding an Elf in a human town or city was extremely rare. But since she was with the Lord of the town, no one dared approach them. She for her part, was not at all bothered by the looks, to an existence like her, normal humans were not worth putting in the eyes. Before approaching the gates, Add turned to her and said, in a voice which had a tinge of pride in it.


    ¡°Sylvia I hereby welcome you, to the Socialist Republic of Rigel. This is my home, and the place where you will be working at.¡±


    The Socialist Republic of Rigel (or SRR) was the new name of the former Weismann territory, and it became the first of the states of the Soviet Union in Iseria.


    ¡°So this is the home you speak of..¡± she looked at the town before her, ¡°this queen shall see for herself what surprises this human settlement can give her¡­¡±


    ¡°Then lets enter¡­¡±


    At the gates of the town, Add was greeted by the guards who immediately saluted him, he showed them his identification papers, which was a rule he had established. The guards helplessly verified his ID as was the procedure since the Marshall was known to be pretty serious about following the rules. As for Sylvia, she obviously had no ID on her, and would have to be given one later. After a few sentences the duo entered the town.


    The town of Rigel itself had changed a lot in the past five years. The crumbling old wooden wall which surrounded the town was replaced with a taller and sturdier brick wall. Tall watchtowers were built just behind the wall to keep watch on any incoming threats. There were also a lot more people now than before, the town and its surrounding villages now boasted over a 250,000 citizens.


    Most of these were relocated peasants who were brought from the distant regions of the territory, on Add¡¯s orders and housed in newly founded villages around Rigel. The unkempt streets which used to be covered in dirt and waste were cleaned and paved with stones, the small shacks and slums were all removed, their inhabitants relocated into new villages. Although he was not expanding this town, doing these basic things was still a necessity.


    Every once in a while, a group of guards could be seen patrolling around the town. The most prominent feature however, would be the presence of the red flag which could be seen on many places. The previous poverty stricken appearance of the town had been completely changed and now it was a vibrant and booming centre of activity. Stalls and shops lined the streets selling all kinds of stuff, many of them only available here in Rigel.


    Sylvia was visibly excited, having entered a human town for the very first time. Looking at her, Add promised to take her on a proper tour later, much to her satisfaction. Finally after a few minutes, the duo reached the Weismann Estate. Add was immediately welcomed by the guards on duty who were visibly overjoyed to have their lord return home. Inside, Martha welcomed him alongside a dozen other servants.


    ¡°My Lord you have finally returned. This old lady was so worried about you¡­¡±


    Add smiled wryly, Martha was the same as usual, always worrying too much. Although her nature had not changed, the same could not be said for her appearance that had changed a lot. But instead of having grown older, she seemed younger than what she had been five years ago. While originally she looked like a old grandma in her sixties, she now appeared to be in her early fifties, and not just her appearance her body had also become healthier and stronger like it was at her prime.


    This was of course thanks to Add who had given her a bunch of medicines that repaired her body and prolonged her body. He had originally wanted to give her the Gene enhancers as well, but those could only be used on humans under thirty years of age, beyond that the risk of mutation increased several fold. As such he could not give her unlimited lifetime, but extending her life to 200-300 years was still doable. He also needed loyal subordinates like Martha and Walter, who only had his best interests in their mind and would never betray him.


    ¡°Yes, I am home.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, but who is that young lady beside you my lord?¡± Martha asked.


    ¡°Let me introduce her. This is Sylvia, a friend I met during my journey. She will be working for me from now on, so could you please arrange accommodation for her?¡±


    ¡°Understood. Then I shall guide her to one of our guest rooms first.¡± She beckoned one of her fellow maids, ¡°I leave the lord in your care. Now then, if you would excuse me, lady Sylvia please follow me.¡±


    Add glanced at Sylvia and nodded, urging her. During their journey he had already told her, not to do anything excessive back at home. He humanoid form made her virtually indistinguishable from real Elves, and with her mana being controlled only very strong mages could see trough her disguise and find out that she was actually a King Class Arachne. She quietly followed behind Martha and Add too was escorted towards his room by another maid. After having a relaxing bath and exchanging the story of his travels (except the deadly encounters) with Martha over tea, he retreated into his study.


    As he had expected, thick stacks of reports had piled up in his absence. Just looking at those papers gave him a headache. Although over the years, many new officers had been employed in the government administration, he was still the supreme authority and a lot of important issues had to be approved by him first, before they could be worked upon by his subordinates. After going through them, and finding no serious issues, he kept them aside and called for Walter. Walter and the officials had managed the matters very well in his absence. The majority of these new officials were young people who had been trained by Walter himself, and they were very loyal to Add.


    ¡°Welcome back my lord. How was your trip this time?¡±


    The old man Walter had also been given the same medicines like Martha and his appearance had also become younger.


    ¡°It was fine Mr. Walter. Please have a seat. What about you? How are the matters of the territory going? The reports seem to say that everything is going well, but I would like to hear directly from you.¡±


    ¡°Of course my lord.¡±


    After Walter had left, Add leaned back into his chair and massaged his temples. Aside from some minor inconveniences, the territory was mostly stable and the same as he had left it. There was also some good news, some important projects which he had been anticipating were finally nearing completion, and he could move things further now. Construction of the new city had also been progressing smoothly. the forest had been cleared and the land had been levelled. Many buildings had also been built, while many others were still under construction.


    While he was thinking about these things, the door to his study opened and Sylvia entered. Looking at her, Add was honestly surprised. She appeared to have been taken a bath and cleaned up, her long straight hair was sparkling, and adorned with a few black hair clips. Instead of her usual one-piece dress, she was now dressed in a gothic style black dress which had a few frills as well. The dress enhanced her already well endowed figure and made her even more alluring to the eye. Black stockings and shiny leather shoes covered her feet. The complete black attire contrasted very well with her features, and she really looked like a goddess right now.


    ¡°I must say, I am impressed Sylvia. Who knew you would change so much in a few hours after arriving here¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up human!¡± The Arachne glared as she sat down on sofa.


    ¡°It was that old woman who made me wear all this! To think that this queen would be forced to wear clothes made from such lowly materials! Humph! If not for this lady¡¯s benevolence and honour, I did not attack a powerless human like her. Otherwise would have taught that old lady a lesson.¡±


    She was very irritated indeed.


    ¡°So it was Martha after all. To think she would be able to tame you so easily.¡±


    Martha was a professional maid after all. After showing Sylvia her room, she found out that the ¡®Elf¡¯ lady did not have any clothes other than what she was wearing. So she had immediately called for a female tailor to take Sylvia¡¯s measurements and ordered the best available clothes for her. She even made her wear underwear, something which almost flipped Sylvia, but since the old woman was so persistent, and she also did not want to create trouble on her first day in this place, the queen reluctantly agreed. Add looked at her frosty expression and calmly gave his opinion,


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so angry, Martha can be a bit scary sometimes, but she never wishes any ill. Also, you really look nice in these clothes, so forgive her and stop sulking.¡±


    The Arachne glared at him and turned her head away, but did not say anything more. Add however, could hear her soft mutters.


    ¡°The design of these clothes is not too shabby indeed. Humph just barely wearable though. Maybe I should learn to make them myself¡­¡±


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 30 - Developments (Part 1)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    The type of Society Add had envisioned was based on what he inferred from his knowledge of Earth¡¯s history. The new USSR was to be a Socialist state at its core, with the aim of ensuring economic stability and equality among its people. To prevent the accumulation of wealth at the hands of the few, the government would strictly control the state¡¯s resources, both physical and human. As per his design, the USSR was to be similar to the 21<sup>st</sup> century European Union, but leaning more on the socialist side. Strict regulations and laws had to be imposed to keep companies and businesses in check, and the government had to stay in touch with the people. Only by living up to the people¡¯s expectations, could a state remain stable and prosper. However, if for achieving all that, he had to act like a dictator, Add would not hesitate to do that as well.


    To help in developing and rebuilding the SRR, Add needed a lot of hands, he had not studied management, nor was he an economist, and he had no interest in being one either. So among the first things he did after officially taking over, was establish a new government body. He recruited volunteering young men and women and had them undergo long training in the learning chambers, mainly on topics like administration, economic and management. He chose people from the common class, as they would best know and understand the problems faced by the general populace. Thanks to the learning chambers, which now numbered over a hundred, years worth of learning could be completed in a few weeks.


    Within months dozens of aspiring officials and hundreds of clerks were ready to take on their jobs. As a result, he did not have any lack of able hands to undertake this massive task of completely revamping the economic and social structure. The current government of Rigel resembled modern presidential governments, except that there was no house of representatives. Add retained the supreme authority, in all matters regarding the territory. Under him there were the various departments lead by ministers, who directly reported to him. in case he was unavailable, Walter would act as his representative. The overall structure was similar to the governments of the 21<sup>st</sup> century Earth.


    With the inclusion of modern techniques and knowledge of governing perfected over centuries, the newly formed government began its work in full zeal. With their help, the first five year plan was implemented. Unlike the traditional soviet plans which demanded practically impossible rates of development and production quotas, his plan had a more realistic approach. His primary focus was on the areas within a hundred kilometres around Rigel, he did not have the resources or ability to control the entire territory yet. Once this area had been developed to a certain degree, they could then gradually expand their influence and reclaim the entire territory.


    As a primary goal of the plan, importance was given on increasing the efficiency and yield of agriculture and mining, which were the two major sectors of Rigel¡¯s product output. In the farming sector, imported varieties of crops from other territories helped increased yields. Growing wheat and potato was encouraged, as these were the staple food source for the populace. Cotton was also being grown widely, to support the well doing textile industry. Aside from these a type of tuber similar to the sugar beet, and several oil producing plants were being grown extensively.


    Alongside the introduction of simple machines, and modern agriculture concepts, the infrastructure required for farming was also being developed. A network of canals and irrigation ditches were being dug to bring in the river water, to reduce dependency on rainfall and water wells. Recently, the steam engine was introduced, but currently they were only being used to draw water from the river for irrigation. Thanks to the Red Army clearing monsters and bandits in the region, farming area had increased over twenty fold in the last five years, while yields had increased several dozen folds.


    Live stock such as cows, hens, sheep, pigs etc. was also being reared in large numbers by the people. One animal in particular had proved to be the most successful livestock. It was called the Greygrox. This was a species of reptilian creatures slightly larger than a cow. Their body was shaped like a flattened barrel with a wide head that had a large mouth for gobbling up food and a short but bulky tail where they stored fat. These animals had tough skin with bony plates over their backs which served as their only mean of protection from predators, aside from the fact that they lived in large herds of hundreds of individuals. Even their head was covered in bony scutes which gave them an ugly appearance.


    Despite looking like a mutated dinosaur, they were cowardly omnivores with strong stomachs that ate almost anything, from grass to bark of trees, and decaying carcasses to bones, allowing them to survive in all kinds of habitats. All these adaptations while useful in survival and protection against most predators and threats they faced, were unable to save them from humans. These animals were relatively mild mannered and usually chose to run away rather than fight, when threatened. Their meat tasted almost like chicken, and due to the fact that they were cold blooded animals, meant that, as long as their environment was warm enough, they required much less food than other common meat animals like chicken and cattle.


    This made them an ideal choice for a stable meat source, and soon the Greygorx were being raised by the hundreds on special ranches outside Rigel. Their thick hides also proved to be good material for making leather products such as armour and boots, which was another plus side to raising these creatures. Overall, it appeared as if the Greygrox had evolved to become the perfect meat source by themselves. Add had discovered them by chance while on one of his hunting trips. He had heard from some old hunters in a nearby village that these creatures were quite palatable, so when he killed one of the Greygrox he had decided to taste its meat, and boy was he impressed.


    As a result under the orders of the Marshal of the Soviet Union, a campaign was launched to capture these walking bags of meat and farm them on large scale for meat. Groups of locals along with soldiers were tasked with bringing back as many animals as they could, alive that is, and also the eggs of the Greygrox, which were then hatched and raised in ranches. They also had surprisingly high sex drive and bred very fast, laying eggs four times a year, with a single female laying up to two dozen eggs at once.


    This was due to the fact that in nature most baby Greygrox were eaten up by predators before they could become one year olds. But in captivity, this meant that their numbers could grow exponentially. After trial and error, currently the Greygrox farming was catching speed and their numbers were increasing rapidly with more being born every day. These farms had already become the chief supplier of meat to the people in and around Rigel, and the demand was only increasing.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The mining sector had also been extensively reformed. The hills behind Rigel were a treasure trove of minerals, owning to their volcanic past. Dozens of mines now dotted the mountains, excavating huge amounts of ores. The State Mining Corporation (SMC), a government body, had taken complete control of all the mines, and employed a large portion of the state¡¯s workforce. The yield of iron alone had increased a hundred fold while other metals like copper were also being excavated in appreciable quantities. The State Geological Survey (SGS) was always on the prowl for new sources of important metals like aluminium, manganese which were relatively rare in the hills.


    Aside from these two major sectors many smaller sectors had sprung up, almost all of which had been promoted by the state. For instance, the production of good quality paper was started and its demand soon sky rocketed, given the best paper in this era was little better than rough parchment. Currently the SRR produced the highest quality of paper in Reinglief. Similarly, with the mass cultivation of cotton and other such plants, the clothes industry had also boomed. The sector had also received machines (like more efficient mechanical looms) and techniques from the government at minimum prices, which helped the weavers by a large margin.


    Due to all these developments, trade between the SRR and the rest of Reinglief had increased greatly, bringing in valuable currency into the territory. Introduction of standard SI system for measuring, such as the kilogram, the litre, the metre etc. and standardisation of prices on important commodities by the government also helped simplify and facilitate commercial activities.


    The old tax system had been abolished, a new one was implemented in its place, and a Central Bank was also opened, the very first one on Iseria. Implementation of a myriad of laws to protect and govern the people resulted in an intense crackdown on criminals and crooks, allowing people to feel safe and secure. Many of these concepts were completely new to the people, and hence the government was also undertaking programs to spread the details of these systems to the masses.


    The Education system was also rebuilt from the ground up. The literacy rate of the territory could be said to be 1-2% at best. This was a severe problem, and to counter this, state funded public schools were established to teach the populace. Anyone from the age of five to thirty could enrol at these schools free of charge. The people would mainly be taught the language, simple mathematics, and some other subjects related to their day to day lives. Special focus was given on classes to teach morality and patriotic teachings. As for higher studies, those could wait for the future, not that your average plebeian needed to learn calculus anyway. The teachers for these schools were specially taught in learning chambers, and it was their job to ensure that the populace had the basic ability to contribute to the rapidly developing republic.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The Arachne Sylvia was bored. She had been sitting in the lobby and eating some cookies. It was early in the morning, and Add had sent maid to call Sylvia, he wanted to her to accompany him on a trip. The person in question however was nowhere to be seen. She had been waiting for half an hour now, the only thing keeping her irritation at bay were the cookies which she found very delicious. When she had finished all the cookies and was wondering if she should ask for another serving, the Marshall finally arrived.


    ¡°Sorry for keeping you waiting. I was held by some matters.¡±


    Unlike his usual simple clothes, Add was dressed in a formal full dress military uniform. A stand collar white shirt, a black tie, and a pair of straight black trousers. His hands were covered in white gloves while ankle high black leather boots covered his feet. Finally, there was a black military overcoat which reached till above the knees, and the iconic officers¡¯ hat sat on his head. The hat and the overcoat had golden borders, the latter also had a pair of epaulettes on its shoulders and a golden badge with the state symbol engraved on it, hung at its chest. The state symbol was the usual hammer, sickle and star surrounded on both sides by two ears of wheat.


    Add had personally overseen the design of this uniform. He wanted to keep it simple, while still maintaining the innate charisma that uniforms possessed. The uniform complimented his lean and handsome features very well, the maids occasionally took glances at him, with reddish faces, while the male servants could only sigh in sorrow of not being born with such features. Sylvia too was impressed, albeit her interest was more in the clothes than the man himself. The various types clothes of both men and women intrigued her inner weaving instincts, there was so much for her to learn.


    ¡°What did you need from me?¡±


    She asked getting up, the next plate of cookies would have to wait for next time.


    ¡°I have to do some important tasks today, so I thought I would take you along to have a view of the place. That is if you want to, or you can just stay back.¡±


    ¡°No I will accompany you. After all, this queen is also interested in learning more about human society.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Outside, a carriage was already waiting. While not as comfortable as the jeep they had previously travelled in, for a carriage it was very comfortable and less bumpy. Today, Add was visiting the new city which was under construction for five years now. The continuous work was sucking up a sizeable portion of the state¡¯s earnings, but it was a necessary sacrifice. As they travelled towards the city, Sylvia was constantly gazing at the various things outside, and asking questions. Add who was going through some documents, would occasionally explain about them to her. About 1 and a half hours later, they reached the new city.


    On the outskirts, a large board was erected beside the road which said, ¡°Welcome To Leningrad¡±. Indeed that was the name, Add had chosen for the city to honour not only Lenin himself, but also the millions of people who died in the city¡¯s defence during world war II. The city was connected to Rigel by a wide paved road, and there were many carriages and people travelling on it. designed in the form of a square with each side being twenty kilometres in length. It was divided into various tightly packed and compact districts as well.


    The central region of the city was the Administration district, which would house all the government buildings. The Industrial district which covered half of the total city area, was for factories and workshops. The majority of the remaining space was taken up by the Residential District consisting of houses and Public facilities such as Schools, Hospitals etc. Lastly there was the Commercial District which was to deal with all sorts of economic activities. The city plan was based on the traditional Soviet city plans, with some major modifications. The larger streets had wide pedestrian pathways on their edges, and were lined with trees making them look green and more alive. All districts had city squares and public spaces like small parks, where people could gather and get together, increasing their social interactions.


    The first district they passed through was the Residential district. Wide roads divided the district into smaller parts called ¡®micro districts¡¯. Each micro district was to house around 15,000 to 20,000 residents, and would contain parks, health care centres, hospitals, schools, shops etc. Smaller roads branched off from the wider roads, allowing access to the various houses and other facilities of the micro districts. While the wider roads were built with future heavy traffic in mind, the smaller roads between them were made for light traffic such as pedestrians and cyclists.


    The idea was that no micro district would be better or worse than any other micro district, to promote a feeling of equality and diminish the concept of social classes. These micro districts were the standardised building blocks of the city and more could be added as and when required. The houses for the people to live in were all made along the same template, and the principle was to provide homes to all people. They were all four storeys tall apartment buildings made with cement and bricks. This allowed for them to be built at a much faster rate. Unlike the traditional Soviet apartments however, these apartments came with considerable space, with rooms for entire families as well as individuals who lived alone. Although they still wouldn¡¯t compare to the comforts of having a villa or a normal house, for that however, people could move to the sub-urban region, which would be developed later.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 31 - Developments (Part 2)

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    Currently, entry to Leningrad was strictly controlled. All along the outskirts of the city, patrol teams of the State Police Force were making rounds, ensuring no unrelated people could sneak into the city. The various roads were also manned with checkpoints, making it difficult for someone to get in unnoticed. This was done, in order to prevent access to the city as much as possible. Especially people from the outside such as traders and travellers were not allowed to get close to the city, Add did not want too many mouths babbling about his projects. While the populace of the republic was mostly loyal to him, same could not be said for others. As such, most of the matters related to industry, technology and military strength were kept under strict watch and secrecy.


    For the common citizen of the SRR, things were quite stable. The year 1123 of the calendar of light was nearing its end. Winter was at the doorstep, and the weather had been getting colder with each passing day. While it did not usually get cold enough to snow, the winters were quite cold in the region. Both all creatures, including humans and monsters were busy preparing for the coming difficult times. For the people in and around Rigel, winters from the past few years had been much more bearable than they used to be. With the rapid improvements made in farming that led to huge increase in the quantity of grain, and the government¡¯s policies of providing food and work to the poor and the homeless, the number of people who died of starvation and exposure had been drastically reduced.


    ¡°What are you making here? These Buildings look so different than the ones I saw before?¡±


    Sylvia asked as she looked at the multi-storey apartment blocks being constructed. The dominant type of architecture in the Northern Subcontinent was similar to gothic Victorian architecture, while also maintaining many unique aspects as well. Most buildings were built of wood, while only the rich could use stones or bricks to build their homes. The type of architecture Leningrad was to have, was modern and completely different from anything seen on Iseria before. Not shifting his gaze from his documents, Add answered her question with a simple sentence.


    ¡°We are building the future¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Over 50,000 workers were currently engaged in the construction of the city. Despite this seemingly large number, the 400 square kilometre city was not something which could be completed in a short time. Instead of building the entire city at a time, the work had started from the central Administrative district, which was by now nearing completion. Alongside this, some resources were directed towards the industrial district to build much needed factories and workshops. Work was also progressing on the residential micro districts as well depending on the population trend of the SRR, with a few of them already completed, and more on the brink of completion. As such vast areas of the planned city were currently vacant and some of them were used to store supplies and house the temporary residences of the workers.


    All this construction required an astronomical amount of materials and resources. The state supplied cartloads of grain and food materials to the city every day, while efforts were made to ensure that the workers were always fed and healthy to do their work. For the huge amount of materials required for constructions, dozens of brick kilns were set up outside the city to provide a steady supply of bricks to the workers. The industrial district which had been the first to have been built, now housed a large Iron and Steel plant owned by the National Iron and Steel Corporation (NISC), also a state owned company. Parts of the plant were still being constructed but it was already churning out tonnes of iron and steel each day, and smaller workshops converted them into items such as beams, TMT bars, sheets etc.


    A large cement factory was also set up alongside it. These two factories had recently began production and were slowly increasing their outputs, hundreds of workers working tirelessly to meet the requirements. While these factories could barely match the level of the early 18<sup>th</sup> century factories of Earth, for the people here, such a factory could cause entire kingdoms to fight for it. In this age, most activities of production were done in small scale workshops, nothing got close to the sheer size and potential of large factories. These factories themselves required massive quantities of raw materials as well, but thankfully the SRR was seemingly blessed in terms of raw materials.


    Deposits of coal were located little over hundred kilometres from Rigel, and a large number of people were transporting mined coal to the city very day. Carts filled with coal could be seen trudging along the roads, bringing vital fuel to feed the gaping maws of the gigantic furnaces. Another important material, limestone which was a key ingredient of cement, was also within accessible range. Now, limestone was a major component of cement, and while the people of Reingleif did have a type of ¡®plaster¡¯ used to hold bricks and stone together, it was not really on par with actual cement.


    Due to the volcanic past of the Great dividing ranges, there had been many volcanoes, some of which were still quite active today. Over thousands of years, the ash coming out of those volcanoes settled on their slopes and nearby areas, and got compressed into a type of soft rock, which was very common in the mountains. Grinding this rock into powder and mixing it with limestone and some other materials such as fine clay, a type of cement was produced which was closer to Roman cement in properties than modern Portland cement. The factory produced both types of cement, the ¡®Roman¡± cement was reserved for important constructions while the regular cement was to be used for general purposes such as in construction of buildings.


    Aside from these two active factories more were under constructions while many smaller workshops were also producing a variety of goods, such as agricultural implements, tools, etc. Currently these factories and Workshops did not have electricity, but a thermal power plant was also being constructed which would soon be ready, and would be dedicated to supplying electricity to the Industrial District alone. The factories churned out smoke and the workers were busy building the city of the future. Unknown to most, the industrial revolution had already begun on Iseria.


    As a result of these rapid development, the number of people involved in the farming and manufacturing industry had increased greatly. Since the Farmers and the workers were the pillars of the state¡¯s economy, Add had given strict instructions that the workers who were working in the workshops and factories, would have to be given wages worth their labour. The state owned institutions would focus primarily on providing employment to as many people as possible, thinking about profits would only come after that. He knew very well, as to what the discontent of the workers could lead to, so fair pay had to be ensured at all costs.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The state as a whole was making money indeed, thanks to the new tax system but most of the earnings were directed towards militarization and developmental purposes. The construction of Leningrad was a sinkhole of money, and the government never had enough. So the profits were quickly dissipated, but the good thing was that thousands of people were getting jobs as a result of these projects, and the economical situation of the populace was slowly improving.


    Still, money is never really enough. Just over two years into the beginning of his projects, Add faced a serious problem. He was short on money. Both in the economic sense and the physical currency. The SRR had been steadily increasing its trade with rest of the kingdom, but the amount of revenue was not enough to sustain the project in any capacity. When the problem was brought before Add, he considered for a while and then said.


    ¡°If there is not enough money, then we will just have to print our own money.¡±


    This statement of his sent alarm bells ringing in the years of the officials, but his word was the final. As such, the government came up with as risky solution. Instead of paying the workers and government officials in the usual currency, the Soviet Rouble was introduced as a new currency. The government made it compulsory that any and all transactions within the SRR had to be done in the Rouble. For people who came from outside the SRR, they had to convert their money into Roubles, the conversion rate being 1 copper coin equal to one Rouble, to facilitate exchange.


    The state treasury issued the new currency in terms of both bank notes made of paper and coins made of steel. The State under the name of the Marshall, was the guarantor of this currency. Since Add had given the mint modern money printing equipment purchased from the system, it was close to impossible for the people to make counterfeit currency, they simply did not have the capability to do so. The amount of currency printed was kept under strict control, to prevent inflation, and it was only released by payments made to people employed by the government. People could exchange for it through the Central Bank as well. As for the currency exchanged, the gold silver and copper coins, a portion of it was kept aside for exchanging with outside parties while most of it was stashed for refining at a later stage. These metals were too valuable to be used as ragtag currency.


    There was a risk to this too. Reingleif as a whole was not governed directly by the Royal family. Instead, the Nobles were left in charge of their respective territories, while the kingdom levied a system of tithes on each territory, depending on its size and resources. As long as the noble family ruling the territory duly submitted their tithes, the kingdom would not really care about what the Nobles were doing. Of course in certain conditions, the kingdom would directly intervene, but for the most part the Nobles were free to rule their territories as they saw fit. But making your own currency was stretching that line quite a bit, but he was helpless. He could only hope that the kingdom would not be too bothered by this, but if matters did turn sour¡­ then that would have to dealt with accordingly.


    The carriage stopped after finally reaching its destination, which was the very centre of the new city, the Administrative District. The roads here were carefully paved with flat cut stone slabs, and care was taken to minimise the bumps as much as possible. They had yet to find petroleum and as such making paved roads with asphalt was still not possible. Dismounting the carriage, Sylvia found herself in a rather peculiar place. A straight road stretched long and wide, on one of its sides, were a lot of buildings, while on the other, there was just a stretch of vacant lands. The carriage had stopped before a flight of stairs, which led to a large square, the entire area was elevated a few metres above the level of the road. The entire square was surrounded by stone walls on three sides, behind which many buildings could be seen.


    At the centre of this square, stood a five metre tall statue of a beautiful lady, carved out of pure white marble, on a pedestal made of greyish stone that was no shorter than the statue itself. Dressed in a gothic dress for war maidens, she stood in a gallant pose, her eyes looking into the far distance. In her right hand she held a sword whose blade was lodged into the pedestal while her left hand supported a tower shield, that rested on the ground. The shield had the State Symbol engraved on it. Her long hair rested in waves above her shoulders, and a determined expression was etched on her beautiful face.


    ¡°This is the Statue of the Motherland¡­¡±


    Add whispered. This was a statue created as a personification of the Motherland herself, built under the impetus of Add, crafted by a few master craftsmen of the kingdom. With her shield she defended her citizens, and with the sword in her hand she destroyed her enemies. Add was inspired to have this statue built as a symbol of national unity, similar to the romanticists of the mid 19<sup>th</sup> century. At the foot of her pedestal, the following lines were inscribed with golden letters:


    ¡°Whosoever comes at us by the sword; by the sword shall perish. Such is the law of our motherland, and as such shall it always be.¡±


    Reminding Sylvia, who was intently gazing at the statue, to follow him, Add made his way towards the other end of the square, where a large gate was located. It was guarded by many state police guards, implying that the place was not open to all. As they walked past the gate, they followed a wide stone pathway, surrounded on both sides by flower gardens. A myriad of different coloured flowers were blooming, giving the area a refreshing feeling. The path finally led them to a large building. It was a three storey building and had a relatively traditional design like most buildings in this district, with sloping roofs covered with tiles, arches etc.


    The building itself was painted in light colours, making it comfortable to the eyes. Above its main entrance, the state emblem was affixed, brightly coloured in gold, and atop the building the red flag was waving in all its glory. This building, was one of many similar buildings located within an area greater than nine football fields. The entire complex as a whole was known as the ¡®House of The State Secretariat¡¯, which was to house the headquarters of the various government departments and ministries in the future. Currently, almost all of the buildings had been constructed, but a few were still being built. Only this particular building was completed and furnished, and it housed Add¡¯s office as the Marshall of The Soviet Union.


    Although it was not in official use yet, the Marshall often used this place when he visited Leningrad to check the progress of the various projects himself. So a few people, including government employees and some working staff were always present in this building, managing the ongoing works in the city and taking care of the various jobs within. Once inside, the pair was greeted by a few of the staff before entering his office. The office was not just a single room, but had multiple rooms, including a the actual office, a lounge, a bedroom, a bath and a restroom as well. It was a complete apartment by itself. This was so that he could stay here for long durations and did not have to change places.


    As usual, Sylvia who was not a person of many words sat down on a comfortable sofa and rested. Add for his part looked at the few reports which he had asked a staff member to bring him, which mostly covered the extent of work completed, requirement of funds, etc. While he was doing that, a series of knocks sounded at the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    With his permission, a man entered the room. The man was in his mid twenties, and was quite tall, with a square face and blonde hair. Dressed in a brown overcoat, he had a serious expression at face as he made his way towards Add¡¯s table.


    ¡°David is it¡­ what brings you here today?¡±


    Not responding, the man named man named David looked around and his gaze fell on Sylvia. He was clearly hesitant to speak his mind before the girl.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, there are no outsiders here. Speak freely.¡±


    The man cast one last look at her, his eyes still showing doubt, and then turned to face Add.


    ¡°I apologise for dropping in without notice Marshall, but I have some important news to report. I was going to visit your residence but I got news that you were arriving here, so I rushed to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What is it that the director of the KGB himself is in such a hurry to meet me?¡±


    Yes, David was indeed the director of the institution which bore the name of the infamous KGB ( §¬§à§Þ§Ú§ä§Ö§ä §Ô§à§ã§å§Õ§Ñ§â§ã§ä§Ó§Ö§ß§ß§à§Û §Ò§Ö§Ù§à§á§Ñ§ã§ß§à§ã§ä§Ú (§¬§¤§¢); Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti) which was the ¡®Committee for State Security¡¯ of the Soviet Union. Add had re-established this organization to carry out internal security, intelligence gathering and secret police functions.


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 Chapter 32 - A Problem

    _ _ _ _ _ _ _


    The KGB was an entirely independent organization, operated under strict military laws and adhering to strict military discipline. The main tasks of its operatives included gathering foreign intelligence; which was its primary job, counter-intelligence operations, investigative activities, ensuring the safety of important government and military officials and combating anti-national factors. The organization was divided into two major components, the operatives and a separate military wing, completely separate from the Red Army¡¯s control.


    The operatives were divided into several directorates, each specializing in a particular task, espionage, counter intelligence operations etc. while the military wing would provide support to all these directorates as and when necessary. The committee as a whole was led by the Director of the KGB and the several directorates were led by an Officer by the rank of a Deputy Director. The military wing was lead by Colonel ranked officers, answerable only to the Director himself. They took their orders directly from the head of state, and had wide reaching powers.


    Currently the KGB only consisted of a hundred personnel in total, but they would expand their numbers in time. Most of the members were orphans, and every member was hand selected by Add himself, and only after thorough examination, both physical and mental, were they allowed into the organization. They were first passed though gruelling physical training which was designed to break their spirits, then trained extensively in the learning chambers, and indoctrinated to be absolutely loyal to the state. They had to be, as it was their job to locate and deal with all kinds of threats to the state, both from the outside and from within. Each member was injected with Grade E gene enhancer, making them slightly superior than Rank 1 warriors in terms of physical abilities.


    ¡°Our agents caught a spy. He was trying to sneak into the city last night, but fortunately one of the patrol teams spotted. Although the man gave us some trouble, we managed to catch him.¡±


    David cleared his throat and said. The organization had been established a little over a year ago, but its operatives were already working in full capacity.


    ¡°Spies¡­¡±


    This was something within Add¡¯s expectations, given the massive leaps in productivity the republic had made in the past years, greedy eyes were sure to look at the SRR with passion. Perhaps the only reason no one had made any active actions against the republic yet was because of its location. The SRR was separated from the rest of the kingdom by a large stretch of wilderness, and even the closest territories was not much greater, in terms of population and importance when compared to the SRR and the kingdom had never focused on investing its resources in the north.


    The entire territory had been largely ignored even before it was given to the Weismann family. But now things were changing, the increase in trade had demonstrated just how much of a potential treasure trove the previously neglected territory actually was. And while the guards had occasionally chassed off overly curious people, this was the first time that a spy was caught.


    ¡°According to our estimates, the man is a Rank 1 warrior and a well trained one at that. He almost managed to escape, but the news reached us in time, and two agents managed to capture him.¡±


    David explained the process in details, the spy was a hard one to catch, he seemed quite adept in the ways of spying. He had evaded all the outer patrols and guards and managed to enter the residential district, when he was finally spotted and subsequently captured.


    ¡°We are currently questioning him¡­ but he is adamant that he just got curious and sneaked inside the city to take a look. We were planning to use other methods, but I thought I should inform you first.¡±


    ¡°There is a small chance that what he is saying is true, but most likely he is lying. Anyway we will find out in a while. Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°We currently are holding him in the city prison.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going. I would like to meet him myself.¡±


    Looking at Sylvia who had been silent till now, he introduced her to David.


    ¡°Oh right. David, the lady there is called Sylvia. She will be working for us so try to get along.¡±


    ¡°I Understand.¡±


    David bowed lightly towards her, and Sylvia nodded in response. But the stern expression had never left his face, it seemed that he had just placed Sylvia in the neutral category for now. He was a person who took his job very seriously, and in his book every stranger was a potential threat. As for her being an Elf, it did not matter. He had also been trained in the Learning chamber and ideas like hating or liking a race, were long since erased from his mind. The only thing he cared about was whether, a person was a threat to the state or not, no matter if it was a human, an Elf, a Dwarf or any other race.


    The group left the Secretariat House and made their way towards the city prison which was located on the outskirts of the city. Add brought out the jeep from his inventory, with David taking the role of the driver. The virtual training he went through also included driving all sorts of vehicles, making him a seasoned driver within days. The roads were mostly empty, as there were almost no people in the district yet, only a few guards could be seen every now and then. There was still time before the administration of the state would be shifted to Leningrad from Rigel.


    They soon exited the city, and after crossing the lucent river over a wooden bridge, reached the prison house. The state prison system was governed by the Directorate of Prisons and Labour Camps, which was part of the judicial system. The prisons which served as labour camps were called Gulags as expected, but they differed slightly from the ones operated under Stalin. While the principle of the system was the same, the Gulags in the SSR were comparatively more humane than their Earth counterparts. While the prisoners had to do hard labour, they had comparatively better living conditions, close to modern day prisons than those cramped, unsanitary and rat infested hell holes. They were also given basic meals and minimal accommodation in their cells. After all, while pointing a gun on a starving person¡¯s head was enough to make him work to death, unsurprisingly, said person would work much better under gun point if he or she was not starving or dying of cold and disease.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The Leningrad city Gulag was located some distance away from the other bank of the river, surrounded by forest on all sides, the threat of monsters, made any potential escape attempts that much harder. The compound itself was a fairly large one, already housing hundreds of criminals, with the ability to house two thousand at maximum. It was surrounded by five metre tall walls on all sides, made with brick and mortar. The walls themselves were almost a metre thick and their foundation was two metres deep. Their tops were covered with lines of barbed wire to prevent anyone from climbing and escaping over them. The entire compound was guarded by a dedicated troop of prison guards. Escaping this place was very had, unless one was a warrior or a mage. There were facilities to house such prisoners as well however, built underground, and very heavily guarded.


    When Add had suddenly introduced a strict system of laws and punishments in his territory, many were quite slow on the uptake of said laws, since throughout their lives, they had barely known of laws other than obeying the words of the lord. Unsurprisingly, a lot of criminals and law breakers quickly emerged and were captured and sent to this prison. These criminals ranged all the way from petty thieves to murderers and bandits, all of whom were made to work in the most harsh places such as clearing forests, under constant threat from monster attacks.


    _ _ _ _ _


    The prison warden hurriedly arrived to greet Add and his group, and led them to the underground prison where the spy was being held by operatives of the KGB. The prison was was a bunker made of concrete, located a dozen metres below the ground level it was heavily guarded and under surveillance at all times. The warden led the Marshall and his followers through a series of long corridors, and heavy iron doors which made this place no less than a maze. It had been designed in such a manner especially to hold warriors and mages, who were too strong for normal prison cells. Only someone who had spent a long time in the bunker would know of all the turns and passages, and be able to navigate through it.


    ¡°Here we are Lord Marshall, the spy was placed in this room upon arrival and is currently under constant watch by two KGB officers.¡±


    The room had a thick iron door which was guarded on the outside by four guards. The door itself was heavy enough that a normal person would not be able to move it. It was locked by multiple metal bolts which dug deep into the thick concrete walls of the bunker. David signalled the guards, and they quickly began unlocking the bolts. Once that was done, he pushed the door open with some effort , Add and Sylvia followed him in while the Warden and the guards remained outside.


    Once inside, they could see that the room was square shaped with a size of a hundred square metres, with no exits or entrances, other than the one door. There were some narrow ventilation pipes but they were wide enough that only a chicken could fit through them. The room itself was largely empty, containing a small interrogation table, a few chairs and a small toilet in one of the corner. The room was illuminated by a number of oil lamps, giving it dim lighting but it enough for people to see things with reasonable clarity. The room was devoid of any sound except the faint rhythmic ticking of a clock hung on a wall.


    The two KGB officers on guard were standing on both sides of the room. They were dressed in prim and proper black uniforms with greatcoats and officer hats, while a narrow sabre and pistol hung from each of their waist belts. One by one, they turned and saluted Add and David while the other kept his watch on the prisoner, never allowing him a moment¡¯s chance to try anything funny. The two of them were young men barely in their twenties, yet they were already calm and devoted operatives, who showed no expression and were perfectly capable of their jobs, thanks to the virtual learning chambers, and certain drugs they had been injected with in the course of their training.


    ¡°At ease gentlemen.¡±


    Add raised his hand and greeted them. His eyes focusing directly on the prisoner. In the centre of the room, a man was kneeling on the floor, his arms and legs, locked in heavy shackles which were tied through thick chains to the floor and ceiling. Although the man was a Rank 1 warrior, the chains and shackles were durable enough to hold him down. He was a lean man dressed in a tunic and trousers like many other common folk of the region. Motioning the two operatives to step away, David moved in and took off the cloth bag that was covering the man¡¯s face. The man had an average appearance and would not stand out among the general populace, having his blindfold removed, he looked at his visitors, but was unable to speak as his mouth was gagged with another piece of cloth. His expression was one of distress and confusion, as one would expect from a person in his place.


    ¡°He identifies himself by the name of John. He says he is a traveller, who recently arrived at Rigel and was very curious about the ¡®new city¡¯. So he sneaked inside, and was caught by us. However, given his strength and the stealth with which he was able to evade the city patrols for quite long, says otherwise. We also investigated around the town and found that recently there have been many who have been trying to gather information about the territory. We have a strong suspicion to believe that he is here for a similar purpose.¡±


    David stood behind the man and explained.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Add looked at the man who had a stressed appearance on his face and asked David, ¡°did you interrogate him before reporting to me ?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, although we have questioned him thoroughly, we have not used other means yet. But we can start right now if you want.¡±


    John had been captured last night, just a few hours before dawn and as was the standard procedure he was transported to the prison and briefly interrogated before Add arrived here. As for the ¡®other means¡¯ which David spoke of, they were the next phase of interrogation which the subject would most likely not find enjoyable to say the least.


    ¡°Might as well¡±


    Add allowed the Director to proceed, while he and Sylvia sat down on the chairs, watching as the interrogation proceeded. David took the task upon himself and the two operatives provided him with a range of instruments, starting from slender surgical knives, long thin needles, and many more items. For the next hour or so, wretched but muffled screams echoed in the room without pause. The physique of a rank 1 warrior was quite tough, and things only got tougher with high ranked warriors. To tackle with this, Add had trained the KGB to use every means at their disposal, to extract information from their prisoners, and David was doing just that. John maddened by the pain, was desperately trying to break free from his restraints, but they proved too sturdy for him to break free.


    Even Sylvia who was normally aloof, frowned as she watched the ¡®interrogation¡¯ proceed. Unable to stay silent, she spoke out.


    ¡°I am in no place to say this, but I did not think that you would be so harsh on a fellow human who is only suspicious¡­¡±


    To her words the Marshall replied calmly.


    ¡°You are not human and you have lived all your life in that forest, so you won¡¯t understand humans at all Sylvia. Most of us are insidious and treacherous at our cores, some less, some more. People like him, I have seen many. It does not matter if he is just a curious man or a spy, that we will know after it is all done. Either way, I cannot afford to take any chances.¡±


    Sylvia didn¡¯t speak anymore, she had not interacted with any humans before meeting Add, so she had no idea of what humans actually were like. She had only seen a handful of them when they visited the Great forest of Waldestein. Still, she shuddered when she wondered what would have happened to her if Add had decided to employ these means on her instead of making her his servant back then. After a few minutes, when David was almost done, Add got up from his chair and went before John who was now limply kneeling on the floor, his body being held by the very chains which imprisoned him.


    Signalling David to stop, whose hands were covered in bloodspots Add looked into the eyes of the man before him. The man had finally broken down, he was crying like a child, tears and snot running down his face and mixing with the blood seeping from the numerous lacerations on his body. None of them were fatal, they were made with almost medical precision, ensuring maximum pain while keeping the man alive. John was desperately whimpering, begging for the pain to stop.


    ¡°p¡­.please..st¡­stop¡­plea¡­.I-I- I beg¡­.stop¡ª¡±


    Add pulled his head up by the hair, his cold eyes gazing into the terrified and despairing hollow eyes of the man,


    ¡°I want to hear the truth. If I feel that you are lying, I will have you healed and then we will have a go at it again. We will repeat this until you can no longer feel pain, until all that is you is gone and only a bag of mangled flesh that groans is left. So for your sake, tell the truth¡­¡±


    The man barely moved his skull to show compliance, the only thing on his mind currently was to survive. His life was hanging at the balance, and he understood that should he test his luck now, death would not come swiftly to him. After another hour of questioning, Add and Sylvia finally left the room, leaving David to deal with the rest of the work. John had kept his life, for now. As the Marshall left the bunker prison, a new problem came out with him. A single name defined this problem.


    ¡°Count Hubert Denholm¡±


    _ _ _ _ _ _ _