Chapter 25

Soldiers stood at attention.

Despite suffering numerous casualties during the war, the population of my territory had grown from around one thousand to over seventeen hundred. Among them, slightly more than five hundred were women and elderly unfit for combat, while the rest consisted mainly of men ranging from their late teens to early fifties.

The already skewed gender ratio has become even crazier now—about four men for every woman.

Initially, our territory’s gender imbalance was due to factors such as bandits, mercenaries, and technological advancements favoring male participation. But why had it reached this extreme in Red X Territory? The answer came from the refugees’ accounts:

“-Waaah! Those monsters took away my mom!”

“M-my daughter… Sob!

Strangely enough, we heard that instead of killing women, the goblins were abducting them. Upon further investigation, it turned out to be true for our territory as well. The orcs indiscriminately killed men but captured women alive.

Hmm, this feels ominous.

With these thoughts, I asked Stonestone:

“How many soldiers do we have now?”

“Including the newly enlisted, we have 981 soldiers.”

“And how many elite soldiers?”

“In total, 314 passed the final test.”

That’s nearly one-third of the total number, a ratio other territories wouldn’t dare dream of achieving. Considering our stringent physical and mental criteria, our military strength was comparable to what you might find in a Count-rank territory.

“What are the types of soldiers?”

The shield bearers were walking fortresses, wielding large shields made by combining three regular leather shields and embedding metal plates on them. I selected particularly big and heavy soldiers for this role, equipping them with steel chestplates and boots, as well as a leather coat covering their heads. They moved slowly due to the weight of their gear, lacking any attack capability, but their defense was unmatched.

The swordsmen were armed with leather shields (ordinary) and bone swords (ordinary). Although they wore steel chestplates and boots, their overall equipment was lighter compared to the shield bearers, resulting in a balanced combination of offense and defense. This allowed them to excel in both attacking, defending, and individual combat scenarios.

The pike infantry were armed with weapons over two and a half meters long. They lacked either the physique or swordsmanship to become shield or sword-and-shield wielders, but they still possessed extraordinary combat abilities as elite soldiers who passed the rigorous test.

Archers consisted of those who passed the archery exam. Currently, their only weapon was a short bow, and their proficiency level needed improvement, but since ranged attacks were essential, I continued to train them.

Well, everything is only halfway there at this point.

Combining leather shields with additional layers of leather and attaching metal plates resulted in large shields that were too heavy even for the burly shield infantry. Despite selecting the biggest ones, they would sweat profusely after advancing just 100 meters. Training could somehow be managed, but going into actual combat like this would be sheer madness.

The swordsmen were also burdened by the weight of steel breastplates and boots. If we fought this war as it was, even against enemies at our level, we would struggle.

Of course, I had no intention of fighting the war like this.

“Good.” I approached the lined up soldiers. The soldier at the front was familiar to me.

“Swordsman.”

“Yes! Greetings Lordship.”

Swordsman was a former deserter who joined me when I was a bandit chief.

‘He appeared like a gift during the time when most of my subordinates were forest dwellers.’

Since then, Swordsman changed jobs from bandit -> mercenary -> soldier while commanding his subordinates. With a gentle personality, he well led his subordinates, and as his name suggested, he was good with swords. In many ways, including his age, he was similar to Stonestone.

‘However, he lacks talent.’

No matter how much I taught him about the mental techniques I had memorized, he couldn’t awaken his aura. In fact, it would be too cruel to label him as ‘lacking talent’.

‘He is just ordinary.’

People with innate mana abilities were rare and precious. Unless there was a forced awakening mechanism like on Earth, no amount of effort could typically grant them access to extraordinary powers.

‘Somehow, he’s like a downgraded version of Stonestone. He had clear limitations before… but now things will change.’

The proof lay within me. Regardless of his lack of talent, he surely surpassed me, who possessed only a low-grade mana affinity.

With the class card’s adjustments increasing both his mana reserves and power, he might even awaken his aura. Even if not, utilizing skills could allow him to transcend into the realm of psionics.

“As of this moment, I appoint you as the highest-ranking soldier and Heavenly General of the Wolf Regiment. Here is a rare-class Highlander class change card, Battle Cry skill book, and Two-handed Berserker Sword. May they inspire you to fulfill your duty with unwavering courage, never retreating from battle.”

As I spoke, I handed him a card and a book. The moment he accepted them…

Flash!

A blue light burst forth, indicating a rare item, causing envious gazes from all the soldiers standing at attention.

Over the past two weeks, ample information about classes had been disseminated. Some soldiers even experienced leveling up after acquiring their professions, motivating others to train relentlessly for elite status.

Flash!

This time, green light erupted around him. It was a universal warrior skill: Battle Cry (Advanced) (Active).

[BATTLE CRY (ADVANCED) (ACTIVE)]

A battle cry that enhances both mental and physical abilities. Consumes up to 10 percent of maximum mana, increasing strength, stamina, and health stats by the same amount as mana consumed.

Although it’s a universal skill, this particular skill book isn’t very popular due to its drawbacks. Most people immediately discard them upon acquisition, hence why they’re often referred to as “decomposition skill books.”

The skill consumes 10 percent of one’s maximum mana, raising their stats accordingly. In other words, the more mana available, the greater the power of the skill. The issue is that despite being categorized under “universal,” it’s specifically tailored for warriors.

‘If this could be used by mages, they would at least have hero ratings. They could temporarily boost their stats and engage in close combat.’

However, warriors invest stat points primarily in strength, agility, stamina, and vitality, so their mana and magic power tend to be low. In other words, the efficiency of this skill is limited for them. Moreover, self-buff skills generally cannot be stacked, meaning once I acquire a superior skill, I will inevitably abandon this mediocre one.

‘Nevertheless…having even one skill makes all the difference compared to having none. Especially since some soldiers, despite gaining mana through class effects, lack the ability to utilize it effectively.’

This was also why I started hunting in the Killian Mountains. Battle Cry was the most versatile skill to distribute among my soldiers immediately.

And then there was equipment.

“Allegiance! I will do it!” The swordsman salutes with Berserker’s Dual Swords (Advanced) +6.

[Berserker’s Dual Swords (Advanced) +6]

Weapon Damage: +16 (+6)

Strength +1 (+3), Stamina +3

Material: Iron

Weight: 3.7 kilograms

I bought this from the exchange. Unlike rare-grade items that cost several million won, advanced-grade equipment isn’t too expensive. Even if you convert the minimum price of 10 diamonds to cash, it is only around 1,000 won.

“Hardrock. From now on, you are appointed as General of the White People.”

“Big Man. From now on, you are appointed as General of the White People.”

“Hunter. From now on, you are appointed as General of the White People.”

I purchased additional packages and class cards with a monthly salary of 10 million won. In fact, if I wanted to, I could grant classes to all the villagers.

‘However, that shouldn’t happen.’

Humans were animals who easily took things for granted when they obtained them effortlessly. If someone received a class from me, they would naturally be grateful for their strengthened body but everyone would consider it as a matter of course once everybody got one.

‘Furthermore…the job itself doesn’t have much meaning.’

The stat correction provided by jobs was certainly great, but the real effect of the class card was incorporating the target into Revenge’s system. Above all else, there was leveling up. Giving a job to someone who couldn’t fight properly would just be throwing away the job.

“Stick. From this moment on, you are appointed as Captain.”

I distributed the classes accordingly. The Great General received a rare job and high-level skill book, along with advanced equipment at +6 strength. The Generals got high-level jobs and skill books, plus No-Strength advanced equipment. The Captains obtained high-level jobs, while elite soldiers received ordinary jobs. I faced each soldier individually, calling their names and assigning them their respective professions. It consumed a lot of time, but it was necessary; they would remember this day for years to come.

“Well done!”

“Thank you, sir. Select 500 soldiers centered around the elites. We’re setting out.”

“Yes, sir!”

After assigning classes to all the soldiers and concluding the deployment ceremony, the troops eagerly sprang into action, saluting with utmost enthusiasm.

The soldiers equipped themselves with armor made from wild boar hide and armed themselves with swords, spears, and shields. Despite the cumbersome process, their faces glowed with excitement.

“Oh my goodness. This sword feels as light as a feather.”

“I can’t believe how lightweight this heavy shield now feels…”

“I feel invincible! It’s truly amazing!”

“And even this strength… I heard our classes will improve every time we kill monsters.”

“Am I crazy? I’m actually looking forward to war now.”

Typically, children have stats in single digits, while adult women average around twenty points. A physically fit adult man of six feet tall would usually possess thirty points. Forty or more points indicate extreme athletic prowess akin to professional athletes.

‘With strength at around 40 points, you can hit 3x400.’

Moreover, a [General]-rank class card increases the main stat by 40 points. So if your original strength was 40 points, it would become 80 points. This means the physical ability of someone who could previously hit 3x400 would now be able to hit 3x800.

‘I know better than anyone else what this massive enforcement feels like…’

“You don’t need to carry shields! Put them in your inventory!”

“H-How do I do that…?”

“Just put the shield on the screen!”

The soldiers were initially confused by the new system, but after some time, they eventually became accustomed to it. After all, it was originally designed for a game.

Over time, video game interfaces had evolved to become more user-friendly. Unlike complex simulations such as The Great War or Real Stage, Revenge’s interface was designed with simplicity in mind so that office workers could jump right in and start spending money. If they took it seriously, there was no reason medieval soldiers couldn’t adapt to this technology.

“The inventory… Amazing. It can hold up to fifty kilograms.”

“Oh! Armor won’t fit!”

“It seems like only items under the ‘Item’ category can be stored.”

“I can’t put my shield in here… Oh! I can once I remove its strap. Looks like it has to be crafted from multiple components.”

As the soldiers chattered excitedly while familiarizing themselves with the interface, their bulky personal gear became significantly lighter.

Nice. They’re adapting well.

But this was just the beginning. The system wasn’t limited to inventories alone; there were many other features they needed to learn.