Dawn - Base
When they returned to the base, dawn had broken.
Alperen was tired. He was covered in blood. His clothes were torn. But... he was satisfied.
He had committed his first massacre. Thirty people. Children included. And he felt nothing.
'Good. Very good. Mercy... is weakness. Cruelty... is profitable.'
He entered the command tent. He sat down. He placed his hands on the
table. "System," he said. "Situation report."
DING!
[SUPREME RULER SYSTEM - SITUATION REPORT]
HOST: Alperen Yılmaz LEVEL: Level 1 - Skin Hardening (Early Stage) ENERGY: 238
COMBAT UNITS:
9x Level 2 Martial Artist (1 loss not compensated)
14x Heavy Armored Cavalry (1 loss not compensated)
LIFE UNITS:
10x Scientist
STRUCTURES:
Canyon Base (Level 1)
Alperen scratched his head. 238 energy. A good number. But... it wasn't enough. 'I
won't replace the losses. Instead... I'll strengthen them.' He thought. He calculated. He
made a plan.
"System. Show me the options."
Enhancement Decisions
[OPTIONS:]
1. Upgrade Alperen to Level 2: -50 energy (Bronze Bone) 2. Recoup losses: -55 energy (1 soldier + 1
Cavalry) 3. Strengthen cavalry: -100 energy (10 cavalry → Level 1) 4. Summon new unit: Variable cost 5. Wait and save
Alperen thought silently.
'Level 2 is appealing. But... I shouldn't rush. The army must be strong first. I... am only the commander. Not a warrior.'
He made his decision.
"System. Is there a 'Spy' unit in the Science Civilization?"
[SEARCHING...] [FOUND: SPY
SYSTEM]
Spy (Basic): 30 energy
Stealth, information gathering, escape
Combat power: Mortal level
Master Spy: 80 energy
Manipulation, poisoning, assassination
Combat power: Level 1 Early
Shadow Agent: 200 energy
Deep cover, network building
Combat power: Level 2 Early "Basic
Spy is sufficient. Call 3." [APPROVED]
[3x SPIES SUMMONED: -90 ENERGY]
[REMAINING: 148]
"And... upgrade 10 cavalry to Level 1 Early Skin Hardening."
[APPROVED]
[UPGRADING 10 CAVALRY: -100 ENERGY] [REMAINING: 48]
Blue lights flashed. Units appeared outside the base.
Three men. They looked ordinary. One wore a merchant's outfit, another a traveling painter's, and the third a wine merchant's.
But their eyes... their eyes were sharp. They weren't empty. They were
intelligent and dangerous. The one in front—the one in the merchant's outfit—
stepped forward and bowed.
"Spy Shadow reporting, Sir. My real name is Shen Ming." The second: "Spy
Snake. Lin She."
The third: "Spy Fox. Hu Qiao."
Alperen nodded. "Your mission is simple. You will go to Iron Bridge City. You will gather information. You will learn who is strong,
who is weak, the economy, the underworld, everything. Return in 10 days."
"As you command, Sir."
"Go at different times, take different routes. Don't stay together. Don't draw attention to
yourselves." "Understood."
The spies vanished. They melted away like shadows.
Then... the cavalry began to assemble.
Fourteen cavalrymen were lined up. The system scanned them. And... selected them.
Ten cavalrymen were bathed in blue light. The power flow began. Their bodies changed. Their muscles hardened. Their bones
strengthened. Their skin... became as hard as steel.
DING! DING! DING!
[10x CAVALRY REACHED EARLY STAGE OF LEVEL 1] [NEW
POWER: 3 TIMES STRONGER THAN A NORMAL HUMAN]
But then... something happened.
The seventh cavalryman—a young man in black armor—was enveloped in a different
light. A golden light. A shimmering, powerful light.
DING! DING! DING!
[★★★ ELITE PRODUCTION SUCCESSFUL!]
[Cavalry Unit 7 → Evolved into Elite Mammoth Cavalry!] [Special Unit
Summoned...]
Alperen blinked. "What?" The ground shook.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Heavy footsteps. Very heavy. And
then... he saw it.
A mammoth.
A huge, enormous mammoth. Four meters tall. Six tons heavy. It had dark brown fur. Its long tusks—at least two meters long—were
sharp and deadly.
It wore heavy armor on its back. Steel armor, thick and sturdy. And atop the mammoth... a knight.
A giant man. Two meters tall. Fully armored. In his hand, a massive spear—four meters long, as thick as an arm. The mammoth
stood before Alperen. The knight bowed.
"Sir," he said. His voice was deep and powerful. "Mammoth Cavalry reporting for duty. I am at your
command." Alperen... just stared.
'This... this is unbelievable. A normal cavalryman has 5 energy. But the system... by chance... gave him a mammoth.'
He approached the mammoth. He touched it. The skin... was hard and thick. The
muscle... was as hard as rock. "How much strength?"
"Level 1 Skin Hardening, Intermediate Stage, sir. With the mammoth............I can fight on par with Level 2 Early.
Charged state. ......I can even kill a Level 2 Intermediate."
Alperen smiled. A cold smile.
"Excellent. I'll put you on the front lines in battle. Crush the enemies." "As you
command."
Afternoon - Strategy Meeting
In the command tent, Alperen, Eris, 01, and Mamut Cavalry 7 had gathered. Eris had
opened the map. The Azure World map. The Openag Kingdom was marked.
"Sir," said Eris. "We sent spies to Iron Bridge City. They'll arrive in 4 days, gather information for 3 days, and return in 4 days.
A total of 11 days."
"Good. What will we do in the meantime?"
"There's an imminent threat." Eris marked a point on the map. "The Bloody Snake Clan. 80 kilometers north. A small clan. Leader is
Level 2 Early Stage. Fifteen Level 1 warriors. One hundred mortal."
"Weak," said Alperen.
"Yes. But... they have a special feature. The Poisonous Snake Style fighting technique. A rare technique. If we capture them... we can
teach it to our own warriors."
Alperen was interested. "The fighting technique... isn't it in the system?"
[ANSWER: THE SYSTEM ONLY PROVIDES UNITS. YOU MUST LEARN FIGHTING TECHNIQUES IN THIS WORLD.]
"So... I need to find the fighting manuals."
[CORRECT.]
Alperen turned to Eris. "When should we strike the Bloody Snake Clan?"
"In five days," said Eris. "According to the intelligence report, the clan leader and ten warriors will go out hunting. Only five warriors
and the mortals will remain at camp. That's when we strike."
"Estimated casualties?"
"If you plan well... zero."
Alperen nodded. "Agreed. Let's prepare within five days. And then... let's eliminate them."
Night - Dr. Kain's Report
Alperen went to the laboratory tent. Dr. Kain was still examining the bear's corpse. "Dr. Kain,
what's the status of the Qi Reactor?"
Dr. Kain took off his glasses. He looked tired. "Two weeks for the prototype, sir. For the fully functional version... two to three
months."
"That's too long."
"I know, Sir. But science... takes time. Understanding Qi, containing it, controlling it... it's not easy."
Alperen looked coldly at him. "The prototype will be finished in two weeks. Otherwise... failure is unacceptable."
Dr. Kain swallowed. "Understood, sir. I'll speed it up."
"Good. Anything else?"
"Yes. The Silver Bone armor project. I can process the bear's bones to make light but durable armor. But... that will also take time."
"The Qi Reactor comes first. The armor can wait." "As you
command."
Alperen stepped out of the tent.
Midnight - Lonely Thoughts
Alperen sat at the edge of the base. In the silent night, the stars were shining.
Before him was a simple map. A sketch Alperen had drawn based on what 01 had told him. The Bloody Wolf Forest. North
direction. East direction. South direction.
'As far as 01 knows... there are small clans in the north. Iron Bridge City in the east. 500 kilometers away. Other forests in the
south.'
'But there's no detailed information. The kingdom's structure, the balance of power, the economy... none of it exists.'
'I'll find out when the spies return. Until then... I must focus on nearby targets.' He looked at the simple map in
his hand. He marked a spot in the north.
'The Bloody Snake Clan. Discovered by 01. 80 kilometers north. A small clan. Weak. But... they have fighting techniques.' 'I spent 238
energy. 48 energy left. Not much. Very little.'
"But if I attack the Bloody Snake Clan... I'll gain another 200 energy. Maybe more."
He thought. He calculated. He planned.
'I won't advance to Level 2. Not yet. First, the army must grow stronger. 20-30 Level 1 warriors. Maybe 5-10 Level 2.'
"Then... I'll obtain a detailed map. I'll learn about the cities. I'll control the underworld." "And slowly... I'll take over
the kingdom."
He smiled. A cold, dark smile.
"I don't know the kingdom yet. But I will learn. I will learn everything." He looked at the
simple map.
"And one day... this world will be mine." He stood
up. He returned to the base.
"But first... I must destroy the Bloody Snake Clan."
5 Days Later - Departure
Dawn.
Alperen and his army were ready.
9 martial artists. 14 cavalry (10 Level 1, 1 Mammoth Cavalry). Commander Eris.
"Target: the Bloody Snake Clan," said Alperen. His voice was cold and determined. "The leader is outside. There are only 5
warriors. We will kill them all. We will take the Poisonous Snake Style book. No one will survive."
The army listened in silence.
"We're moving."
And in the silence of the forest, the small army began to advance.
The Bloody Snake Clan... did not know its end.
But Alperen knew.
And he... was growing
impatient.