Chapter 3: Simulator Initializing

【Simulator initializing】

【You have arrived in Calradia】

【Time: Unknown】

【Location: Outside the city of Rivacheg】

【You are a farmer living by tilling the land near Rivacheg】

【Right now, you are being driven like livestock by the person in charge of the Nord Kingdom, King Ragnar.】

【You are carrying a bag filled with sand and soil to fill in the defensive trenches of Rivacheg, incidentally consuming the defenders' arrows, while Vaegirs archers on the city walls are constantly firing at you and your "colleagues."】

【Whether it was the hem of the Goddess of Luck's skirt covering you, or your own sturdy physique that helped you, you successfully rushed to the side of the moat and threw the sandbag into the trench.】

【But you know deep down that you cannot run back; the probability of dying if you run back is even greater, and even if you ran back safely, you would be forced by the Nords to do it again, and only God knows if you could reach the moat side smoothly next time.】

【It just so happens that in the process of running, you observed a depression by the city wall of Rivacheg; you feel that if you lie there, with luck, you shouldn't attract the Nords' attention, and even if they did notice, the probability of the Nords wasting arrows to hunt you down is not high, while the people on the city wall should have been the ones protecting you.】

【You decide to take a gamble; after unloading the burden of the sandbag, your movements are faster and more agile, and at this moment, there isn't much water in the defensive trench, so you roll and crawl successfully to your intended position.】

【You feel that you are safe, let out a heavy breath, and decide to lie here until nightfall before finding a way to escape.】

【At this moment, the defenders on the city wall notice you, and subsequently, several stones the size of heads fly out from the city wall and smash into your back.】

【Your internal organs rupture.】

【You have died.】

【This simulation has ended, simulation result: Failure】

【There is nothing of value that can be retained】

【Can continue the simulation, Yes/No?】

Dead? As expected, begging for others' mercy on the battlefield is a luxury.

Allen rubbed his slightly throbbing head and chose Yes again.

【Simulator initializing】

【You have arrived in Calradia】

【Time: Unknown】

【Location: Praven, Lion Tavern in the Lower City】

【You are a mercenary captain whose team members all died in yesterday's battle; having received the bounty, you are drinking yourself into a stupor alone at the Lion Tavern.】

【At this moment, a person wearing studded leather armor, carrying a crossbow on their back, and a longsword hanging at their waist is staring straight at you; feeling disheartened and drunk, you subconsciously shout, "What are you looking at?"】

【"Looking at you as if you were a mangy dog," the other party says, looking at you with full mockery. You are furious upon hearing this and draw your only weapon, a Germanic Sword, to slash at the other party, but being drunk, you cannot even grip the longsword in your hand tightly, let alone launch any decent offensive; you are immediately dodged easily by the opponent, and then a longsword pierces your chest.】

【Your heart ruptures.】

【You have died.】

【This simulation has ended, simulation result: Failure】

【There is nothing of value that can be retained】

【Can continue the simulation, Yes/No?】

"Slap"

"Woo~~~ this is bullshit!!"

Allen, rubbing his hands together to relieve the pain, refuses to accept this and chooses Yes again.

【Simulator initializing】

【You have arrived in Calradia】

【Time: Unknown】

【Location: Veluca, recruitment point outside the city】

【You were originally a small merchant, but the situation has gradually become chaotic recently, and bandits are burning, killing, and looting in places where the army cannot reach.】

【After careful consideration, you disposed of the goods on hand and headed to the recruitment point in Veluca, preparing to become a soldier under Lord Mathias.】

【At first, the official in charge of recruitment saw that you were physically strong and arranged for you to be a Rhodok Spearman.】

【But after giving away most of your savings and demonstrating your talent-filled shooting skills as well as your god-like combat ability, you successfully became a Rhodok Sharpshooter, and the official, in a great mood, casually handed over the ten newly recruited Rhodok Crossbowmen to your command.】

【As a newly minted Captain, you are directly under the only son of Lord Mathias, the second-in-command, Mr. Mathalai.】

【The official tells you his name is Bob, Mathalai is his brother-in-law, and if you need anything smoothed over in the future, you can find him in the city; he then explains the equipment and camp location to you, waves his hand to dismiss you, but warns you before you leave to take your subordinates directly to the camp and not to cause any extra trouble.】

【You lead your ten gaunt subordinates toward the camp; the afternoon sun is somewhat scorching, and on the way, there is a large market organized by nearby villagers and camp followers, who mainly do business with the nearby military camp.】

【You keenly perceive that your subordinates are walking slower and slower, and subsequently, you learn that most of your ten subordinates have family members doing small business in this camp; they want to see their relatives, and the remaining three are also thinking about having a few drinks before entering the camp.】

【They tell you that new recruits usually have to go through a period of training, and during the training period, they are not allowed to enter or leave the camp at will; you look at the camp gate close at hand, then look at your little brothers with longing faces, and you agree, telling them that you will wait for them at a nearby food stall.】

【You casually throw a few silver coins on the table; after the boss gets the money, he serves you and your three empty-pocketed subordinates some food and a large mug of beer; you take a sip, then calmly pass the beer to a subordinate you find more pleasing to the eye, and start eating the snacks on the table; it must be said that the food is still edible.】

【When you gradually begin to feel impatient, your subordinates return one after another.】

【At this moment, you feel that things are going quite smoothly, but then a subordinate runs over in a panic and tells you that his fellow villager, who is also your little brother, has been kidnapped by a few thugs and bullies.】

【After a brief moment of thought, you give an order, and all members of the squad run toward the scene of the incident.】

【In the process of running, you realize for the first time just how strong your body is; wearing a Chainmail Hauberk, a Pot Helm on your head, Chainmail Boots on your feet, a Siege Crossbow on your back, and a bag of Steel Crossbow Bolts and a Straight-edged Military Machete hanging at your waist, you can still stride like flying without turning red or panting.】

【As for your little brothers, who are wearing simple armor and only have a crossbow in their hands, they are already panting; the little brother who came to report the news is even more out of breath as he tells you the sequence of events.】

【It is nothing more than the story of Yang Bailao and Xi'er—a bunch of thugs with no real backing, doing the story of taking your younger sister as collateral for a debt you can't pay; you have seen it many times, but this does not prevent you from ordering your little brothers to cock their crossbows.】

【Soon you catch up to the leisurely bullies; you give a loud shout, and the other party stops and turns to look at you; you see several bullies on the opposite side holding sharp blades and holding your little brother hostage, while also pulling a little girl who looks like a chick; you order your subordinates to load their bolts and aim, confronting them from ten meters away.】

【Your little brother starts to cry for help after seeing you, and struggles while hugging his sister, only to be kicked to the ground by one of the bullies on the other side.】

【And the leader on the opposite side, with a rat-like face and gorgeous clothing, actually loses his nerve the moment he sees you, stops his subordinates' actions, and loudly declares that this is just a misunderstanding, that he is willing to pay a price to settle the matter with your little brother, and hopes you will forget today's unpleasantness.】

【You agree; in your heart, you keep lamenting that no matter which world you are in, there is nothing that money cannot solve; the charm of money is just so fascinating.】

【Just as you take two steps forward to retrieve your little brother and incidentally take the money bag from the other party's hand, a crossbow bolt tremblingly embeds itself in the other party's chest; the other party looks at you in disbelief and collapses to the ground; you also look back in disbelief at that guy you found pleasing to the eye, and amidst his awkward explanation of "I was drunk, I was drunk" while holding his weapon, you give the order to fire.】

【You draw your cleaver, casually bestowing your "mercy" upon those enemies on the ground who are still moving, while your underlings spontaneously loot the spoils of war from the ground.】

【You stop your underlings from stripping the opponent's clothes, stating that we are not bandits, then have everyone collect all the crossbow bolts, take out a few Dinar to let the young girl go home, and instruct her to have her family hide, before leading your squad directly back to the camp.】

【You do not think this matter ends here, but you also do not think this is any important matter for your current self.】

【The training of the new recruits begins; at this time it is only the eve of war, and the intense conflict has not yet fully unfolded. Your squad, led by an officer under Commander Mathalai, conducted a simple training session with dozens of other squads on the second day of entering the camp, including shooting and military formations, and the remaining time was just spent idling in the camp.】

【You cannot endure this act of wasting life; you take out the money looted from the bully, find Bob, who has transformed into the quartermaster, and have him approve more crossbow bolts for your squad, while also asking him to help you get some animal offal and apples, as well as extra meals for your squad.】

【Having received the money, Bob readily agrees, and at the same time tells you somewhat mysteriously that his brother-in-law has already taken care of your business.】

【You express your gratitude for this, but do not pay much attention to Bob's words.】

【A month passed.】

【Under your relentless "whipping," your subordinates insist on running for two hours every morning and one hour every afternoon, and in the remaining time, you drag them to the shooting range to practice shooting.】

【You firmly believe that no matter how untalented a shooter is, if they shoot hundreds of times every day, they will somehow be able to develop some feel for it, and you have also crazily made several movable scarecrows, making your subordinates compete in shooting moving targets every day.】

【The winners get extra meals at night, and even Dinar rewards, while the losers have to be responsible for cleaning toilets and washing clothes at night. Although your strange behavior is pointed at by others in the camp, it does not cause much of a reaction.】

【Your squad held on under your slogan of "sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime," and with you constantly giving them extra meals, although it has not been long, your subordinates finally look like they are worth something.】

【One afternoon, while you were leading the soldiers in shooting training, you were summoned by your immediate superior, Mathalai, to his tent, and you walked out half an hour later.】

【You were recommended by Bob to Mathalai to complete a task that is not so simple in nature; Mathalai's sister, Miss Emma, went missing on her way to Jelkala to visit relatives.】

【Mathalai states that not many people knew Emma was going to visit relatives, and this is clearly a long-planned kidnapping. Specific matters are inconvenient to say, but fortunately, the family has now obtained the location of the kidnappers. In order not to alert the enemy, you are now ordered to have your squad set off immediately with the family scout, Night Owl, to rescue Miss Emma.】

【Having received the order, you immediately find Bob to collect the ten sets of Rhodok Skilled Crossbowman equipment promised by Lord Mathalai; after all, your team is only a small squad of Rhodok Crossbowmen and still needs to strengthen its strength. After quickly organizing the team, Night Owl leads you all to set off.】

【On this chaotic continent, the orders of the nobility are everything, although the Rhodok call this a councilor? But the nature has not changed at all. You have no right to refuse, not to mention that Mathalai has helped you before.】

【In the evening, this is in the big mountains dozens of miles away from Veluca. Under the guidance of Night Owl, your team force-marched for a full hour and finally arrived near the kidnappers' camp before dark.】

【After reconnaissance, Night Owl discovered the traces of Miss Emma. Miss Emma came out to stay for a short while before dark, although she was accompanied by the kidnappers, and ten minutes later she was forced back into a wooden cabin by the kidnappers.】

【The guards here cannot be considered tight; perhaps the enemy thinks it is very safe here. They only arranged two guards by the campfire at the door of the wooden cabin, and on the west side of the house is an earth slope 7 or 8 meters long and 2 or 3 meters high, with an enemy also guarding the slope.】

【And there are about 30 kidnappers active in the camp, scattered in various positions throughout the camp. The equipment is not excellent, very similar to the mountain bandits that Rhodok produces in abundance.】

【You discuss with Night Owl to rest for an hour first. After it gets dark, you and Night Owl will be the first to sneak into the house to rescue or protect Miss Emma, and then the soldiers will launch an attack upon the signal. Of course, if it goes very smoothly, sneaking away quietly is also possible; after all, saving people is your top priority.】

【After dark, the rescue operation begins. All of you are lurking on the side of the hillside, watching the kidnappers on the hillside laughing and talking loudly with their companions by the campfire.】

【A moment later, the kidnappers finish their laughter and start patrolling around. Night Owl seizes an opportunity to quietly follow the kidnapper guarding the hillside, and in a place where the campfire guards cannot notice, slits the enemy's throat and gently lays him on the ground.】

【The enemies continuing to talk and laugh by the campfire do not discover anything abnormal, and they have no chance either. Just as you and Night Owl spend a few minutes sneaking to the side of the wooden cabin, the crossbowmen who had been prepared on the hillside take away their lives with a few crossbow bolts, and you and the scout rush into the wooden cabin quickly.】

【As soon as you enter the house, you find a well-equipped guy running towards Miss Emma in the corner of the room. You do not stop at all, charging towards this enemy with your shield up. The enemy is intercepted by your charge, and Night Owl similarly intercepts a young man wearing leather armor and shouting loudly with a sword.】

【You and the enemy are entangled together, and the battle enters a white-hot stage from the very beginning. The opponent is wearing chain mail, holding a two-handed greatsword, and constantly waving the weapon to attack. You can feel the difficulty of the opponent, but strangely, you do not feel any pressure, as if you are not a rookie who has just arrived on the battlefield, but a battle-hardened veteran with superb sword and shield skills.】

【You constantly wave your broad shield to block the enemy's attacks, while the military cleaver in your hand also looks for opportunities to attack constantly. After the opponent parries a few of your attacks, he chooses to dodge and fight on the move, while you constantly compress the opponent's range of movement.】

【After all, this is inside the house, and two-handed weapons are not that easy to use. In the end, Night Owl ends the battle first. The young boy is stabbed in the right shoulder by the scout's sword after a few rounds and falls down. Your enemy very sensibly puts down his weapon and surrenders, looking at you, who is not red-faced or out of breath, with hatred and saying: "I am a noble, I request reasonable treatment!"】

【The young man's shouting still causes a commotion in the entire camp. Your subordinates have already shot and killed several enemies who wanted to rush into the wooden cabin. Feeling that time is pressing, you quickly tie up the surrendered enemies, signal the scout to watch them and Miss Emma, and rush out of the wooden cabin holding your shield.】

【In the darkness, you barely recognize that at least twenty or more enemies have gathered opposite and are running towards you quickly. You loudly order your subordinates to shoot at will, while you curl most of your body under the protection of the broad shield, preparing to meet the opponent's impact.】

【However, the impact you expected did not come. After a round of shooting by your subordinates, about one-third of the enemies lay down, and the remaining enemies scattered and disappeared into the vast mountains and forests. You blink your eyes, and then call your subordinates to start cleaning the battlefield.】

【In this battle, you not only rescued Miss Emma but also captured the leader of the kidnappers. At the same time, there were more than a dozen tied-up farmers in the robbers' camp, and some even knew your subordinates.】

【You rescued them and at the same time unceremoniously drove them to carry your spoils of war and leave the kidnappers' camp. Of course, before leaving, your subordinates set up a cordon and burned the buildings in the camp to ashes with a fire, so as not to let any more mountain bandits or robbers occupy this place.】

【Returning to the camp, you are commended by Commander Mathalai. Having come out of Commander Mathalai's tent, you are already a Captain who can command ten squads.】

【Although this is not a noble status, it is already a proper officer. After all, Commander Mathalai only has five Captains under his command, and the spoils of war and villagers you brought back are handed over to Bob to handle. At the same time, you also get news from Bob that in three days, Commander Mathalai's troops will head to Grunwalder Castle to defend against the attack of the Kingdom of Swadia.】

【This simulation has ended, and it has been saved.】

【Retain the officer status of Captain of the Veluca Second Legion; abandoning this status can permanently summon ten Rhodok Skilled Crossbowmen who are willing to fight for you, no matter which world it is.】

【Obtain rewards: 1 point of Honor, 20 points of Renown, 1000 Dinar.】

【Dinar can be used to directly purchase equipment and ordinary supplies on the continent of Calradia.】

【Renown can be used to exchange for status and upgrade your soldiers.】

【Honor determines the upper limit of the status you can exchange for and can be consumed for lucky draws, as well as some special functions. After Honor is used as a consumable, it does not affect the upper limit of the status you can exchange for.】

【Can continue the simulation, Yes/No?】

Allen decisively chooses No. His exhausted brain has realized that every simulation inevitably consumes his mental state. Although more than a month has passed in the simulator, the situation around him is no different from when he just finished the meeting.

He does not look like he just woke up!

"This simulator is too mentally draining."

After this thought flashes through Allen's mind, he lies on the table and falls into a deep sleep.