Novel Realm Conquest

Another project I've been working on, and my attempt at writing in a more casual "light novel" style.

Synopsis:

After being abducted by Mother Gaia herself, forced to go through an inhumane training program, and all while faced with the prospect of fighting against a swarm of demons, Ethan only felt one thing: pure bliss. This was exactly the kind of exciting life he’d been wishing for!

If only his class wasn’t so lame. Well whatever, at least it was strong.

Let’s join our overeager protagonist on his quest to win a goddess’ heart. Oh, and maybe become a Realmlord and save the universe in the process.

Table of Contents:

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

 

Prologue

“Gaia, this is the one?”

“Yes. He comes from one of the realms under my jurisdiction.”

“Right, the third planet from Sol… but if I remember correctly, that’s a purely human world and without any magic to boot. How long is it going to take before he’s any use?”

“I honestly don’t know, but the Seraph I asked says that he’s the only one with the potential to vassalize a realm core. It’s the best I’ve got right now.”

“Tsk. Alright, just let me know if you need assistance. My resources are stretched thin so I can’t help you nurture him, but if it’s just defending, I can lend you a few of my subordinates.”

“Thank you, that will help a lot. The demonic attacks have been getting much fiercer lately.”

“Don’t mention it.”

____

Ethan Brawford felt extremely groggy, like he’d been asleep for thousands of years. He faintly heard the discussion earlier, but in his current state of mind he barely even knew his own name; it was impossible for him to understand what they were talking about.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, several hours passed before he felt something tapping his cheek. A cheerful but impatient female voice spoke to him.

“Rise and shine rookie. Hey, get up! I know your head is killing you, but we don’t have time to watch you snooze!”

“Mrgrgraw?”

The only reply he managed was an unintelligible groan.

With herculean effort, Ethan managed to open his eyes. This isn’t my bedroom… it was a dimly lit stone room that was quite large. The sole source of light were a few lanterns hanging on the wall. Other than the chair he was slumped on, there were no other furniture.

“See. There we go. Knew you could do it!”

A smiling blonde dressed in a strange outfit greeted him. It was like the sort of uniform an officer would wear in a medieval fantasy, and there was a longbow strapped to the girl’s back. Her messy ponytail was completely at odds with her prim and proper attire.

“Who… are you?”

Ethan mumbled, blinking like a cat. His head was still swimming.

“I’m Natalie, and this is Athena! We’ll be in charge of training you from now on!”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance.

It was only then that he noticed that there was someone else in the room. A woman with fiery red hair was standing to the side, her arms crossed. She was dressed identically to the other girl, except there was a longsword on her waist. Despite her polite words, the way she looked at him was completely indifferent, like she was staring at a pebble on the side of the road. Or perhaps that was just how she always looked.

“Training?” Ethan forced out. His pounding headache was starting to disappear.

Natalie nodded vigorously.

“Yeah! Today’s the luckiest of your life. You’ve just been drafted into Mother Gaia’s army.”

 

Chapter 1:

There was a war that had raged on for countless years with no clear end in sight. A war for survival that was still unknown to most, yet would determine the fate of all life in existence.

On one side was the sentient races of this universe. Led by beings called Realmlords, vast armies made up of humans, elves, dwarves, and other native beings took to the battlefield against neverending swarms of hostile invaders.

These invaders were simply called ‘demons’. Lifeforms from a place outside our imagination, they had appeared one day without warning and in a swift offensive took over many worlds without resistance. It wasn’t long before a quarter of the known realms had fallen to them.

A powerful native race called the ‘Seraphs’ attempted to block their way, but being heavily outnumbered, they suffered crushing defeats. With only a fraction of their people remaining, they retreated to a tiny pocket of their territory and tried a different approach: giving the myriad native creatures strength to fight, while they themselves took up an advisory role.

The Seraphs selected beings with great potential regardless of race or background, raising them to become leaders of their worlds. This first batch of Realmlords soon proved their effectiveness, and it wasn’t long before this strange alliance was winning crucial battles against the demonic invaders.

...

“And today,” Natalie concluded with a smile, “We’re still totally kicking their asses. It won’t be long before we take back all of the realms we lost to those demon bastards!”

Athena coughed. “Her statement is misleading. We are not ‘kicking’ anyone’s asses; the war is at a stalemate, and neither side can gain a decisive advantage. The demons still occupy a third of the known realms; it is proving very difficult to dislodge them.”

“Ugh, well it’s still way better than how it was before when we couldn’t even fight back!”

Ethan listened to all of this with a bewildered expression. Learning that he was abducted by a mythical Earth goddess was bad enough, but all this talk of magic, demons, and races that only existed in fantasy just added to his confusion. However, he didn’t doubt anything they said. He was a simple man, and Athena’s long ears plus the two’s otherworldly beauty were all the proof he needed. If this was a scam or a prank, he’d gladly play the fool.

“So you’re saying I was selected as a Realmlord?” He asked with a bit of excitement in his voice.

“A Realmlord candidate,” The elven swordswoman corrected. “You will have to take over a realm by yourself to earn your place, so until then you will serve and be trained by Gaia.”

Ethan quickly realized what she was talking about, but decided to confirm it. “By serve, you mean…”

“On the battlefield, of course!” Natalie cut in with a wide grin. “Were you thinking of something pervy? Haha! Anyway, you’ll have to get stronger, like, waaay stronger. Big sis Athena could probably send you flying with a sneeze right n- OW! Athenaaa! That hurt!”

“Hmph.” Ignoring the archer’s teary protests, Athena just turned to Ethan. “You will also need to learn how to lead troops and govern a realm. Personal strength isn’t enough - the Seraphs proved that. As a Realmlord, your true power lies in your subordinates and soldiers.”

“Yeah! And when you take over a realm of your own, we’ll be your firsts!”

“First subordinates.” For some reason, Athena made sure to clarify that.


Ethan just sat there for a while in silence. The two girls started getting uncomfortable, watching him. Did we go too fast? He’s a normal human, so maybe we should have eased him into it.

“I know this is a lot to take in…” Athena said in a gentler voice.

“Yeah, and you’re probably super confused…” Natalie added.

“It is, and I am.” Ethan nodded. “So I’m gonna need you two to guide me. Where do we start?”

When he looked up, there was an excited gleam in his eyes bordering on madness. He shot to his feet so fast that it caused the two girls to back off unconsciously.

“We’ve gotta start training, right? Let’s get to that right away! How long until we can start taking on missions for Gaia? Oh right, how should I address her? ‘Mother Gaia’, ‘Realmlord Gaia’... anything but ‘Mommy’, okay? And can you give me an explanation of power rankings for beings in this war? How strong is Gaia compared to the other Realmlords? Am I the only candidate under her, or will I have to compete with a bunch of arrogant geniuses? Ohoho, I’ll show them who’s the real trash arou-”

“WAIT! Stop! Time ooout!” Natalie urgently shut him up while forming a T with her hands. “That’s too many questions! Calm down a little, rookie.”

For the first time, Athena’s emotionless expression changed. Her face twisted into a mixture of uncertainty and puzzlement. “Y-you’re not in disbelief? Or mad that we just took you from your world without warning?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting for something like this my entire life!”

He jumped forward and took Athena’s hands in his. The latter was too startled to resist.

“Do you have any idea how bored I was back on Earth!? It’s just like Natalie said earlier, this is the luckiest day ever! I’m gonna send those demons packing!”

His fanatical voice and brilliant smile were far too overwhelming. But Natalie just nodded.

“Mmhmm. See, Athena? Told you this rookie’s gonna be good! His attitude is great!”

Athena finally snapped out of her daze and shook her hands free. “Mr. Brawford, this isn’t a game!” She said crossly with a faint blush. “It’s war, and there is a very real risk of you dying. Slowly and painfully!”

“I know that. But it’s worth the risk! Besides, you need as much help as you can get right? So what’s the matter?”

“You…” Athena shook her head hopelessly.

“Leave it, big sis. He’s right. Why are you trying to discourage him? An enthusiastic guy is just what we need. Ufufu.”

Natalie walked over to Ethan’s side and patted his shoulder affectionately.

“About what you asked earlier… you’re the only candidate. It costs quite a bit to raise a Realmlord, y’know? People with that much potential don’t grow on trees. And you can call Mother Gaia whatever you want, she’s not too fussy over titles.

“Right then, let’s leave the explanation of power rankings for later. Like you said, it’s time for training.”

 

Personally, so far I am liking it. It seems like you have a base set up quite nicely, so i'm looking forward to how it turns out! I wish you good luck!

 

Thanks Shafome!

Chapter 2:

The two women finally led him out of the stone room, and they emerged into what looked like a training field. The sun was shining brightly overhead with hardly a cloud in sight. Ethan spotted more than a dozen fighters scattered across the training ground; some were hitting training dummies, others were going through a dangerous looking obstacle course, one was practicing archery at a shooting range, while a few were sparring with blunt weapons.

But what got his blood racing was that not all of these fighters were human. At least two were obviously some kind of greenskin, while the smaller ones could be dwarves or gnomes. There was even a treant slowly lumbering in the distance! This was a true blue fantasy fantasy setting!

Resisting the urge to whoop in excitement, he immediately started heading for the training dummies. But a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

“Hold your horses,” Natalie laughed. “You haven’t even met Mother Gaia yet.”

“Ah? She’s here?”

And at that second, he finally spotted the figure headed towards him.

She was a captivating beauty whose every step seemed to be filled with grace. The white robes she was dressed in didn’t have a single speck of dust or dirt despite occasionally brushing against the ground. Her green hair was in an elegant braid, and she wore a golden coronet with an inlaid ruby on her forehead. Calling her the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen was an understatement.

It was like the world stopped as he watched her draw closer, and Ethan only snapped out of it when she spoke.

“Welcome, Ethan.”

Her smile shone brighter than the sun above them.

“Excuse me for summoning you without warning. I trust that the two beside you have already explained our circumstances.”

“...Mother Gaia?”

She giggled, a sound as pleasant as a bell. It was yet another arrow to Ethan’s heart.

“Yes, that is what some call me. But you can just call me Gaia if you wish. Do you feel alright? Has the summoning sickness abated yet?”

Ethan just nodded blankly.

The beautiful 'goddess' smiled in satisfaction.

“I have high hopes for you, Ethan. I want you to one day become a Realmlord who can stand by my side, and help us all in defending against the demonic tide. I… no, everyone in this plane needs your power.”

Her eyes then turned a little sad.

“But these are my one-sided expectations. I know that this is unfair to you, child. Taking you away from everything you know and love was extremely selfish. If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would have never considered it. Is there anything you wish for in return? If it’s in my power, I will definitely grant it. And if you want… I do not mind sending you back to Earth either.”

Her expression showed that it was the truth. It wasn’t easy to get a Seraph’s help in pinpointing a good Realmlord candidate, given the sheer number of duties they had, but her conscience did not allow her to force an unwilling person into shouldering such a heavy burden.

As for Ethan… he simply took Gaia’s hand in his own.

“I like you. Please go on a date with me.”

“...Eh?’

Even in life, he was a man who acted on impulse without ever fearing rejection or failure. Now that he had met a goddess who had stolen his heart the moment he laid eyes on her, there was only one thing he could have possibly asked for.

A commotion instantly broke out among those watching this exchange. Even the fighters in the distance who were absorbed in their training stopped and looked over in amazement.

“He just went out and said it!”

“Whoa, rookie’s got guts.”

As the ‘whispers’ grew heated, Gaia’s face similarly turned crimson. She didn’t seem to know how to react.

“I… you… date?”

“Yes.” Ethan nodded firmly. “Preferably dinner in a garden, and with the starry sky above us.”

“But, why?”

She was prepared for him to ask for just about anything, but this request came out of nowhere.

“Didn’t I just say it? I’ve completely fallen for you. I thought about asking for your hand instead, but it’s probably for the best if we get to know each other first.”

“@#$%!?”

An unintelligible sound squeaked out of her throat.

“It doesn’t have to be now, though.” He continued, paying no attention to her panicked state. “Like you said, when I become a Realmlord worthy of standing by your side, I hope you give me a chance.”

Behind him, Natalie’s eyes were shining and she gestured wildly, telling Gaia to say ‘yes’. Athena was just covering her face as if she was extremely tired.

Gaia was turning redder by the second. She was half tempted to teleport away or burrow into the ground, but this first meeting with the Realmlord candidate was too important - no matter how eccentric he might be. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

“Um, this is a bit unusual for a request, but very well.” Gaia finally said, turning away in embarrassment. “I did say I’d grant it if I could, and a date is… easy enough. But please work hard, okay?”

Besides, he said it can wait until he becomes a Realmlord. I’ll have at least a few centuries to prepare myself.

“I will!” Ethan nodded decisively. His eyes were filled with a fiery determination.

 

Chapter 3:

It seemed that Gaia was too embarrassed to stay any longer, since she just gave some hurried words of encouragement then disappeared with a ‘poof’. Ethan stared longingly at where she stood just a few seconds ago.

“Good job, rookie! I’ve never seen her so flustered before!” Natalie was laughing her heart out, and clapped Ethan on the back. “That was some A+ harassment! Shit, we should totally recruit more people from Terra if they’re all like you, the guys here are too boring.”

“...If you two are done acting like idiots, can we get started with the training program yet?”

Athena’s cold voice interrupted.

Ethan nodded without hesitation.

“I probably won’t get to see her again until I’m ready to work for her, right? Then let’s go, I don’t want to waste another second.”

He had already been motivated before just because of how fun this all sounded, but now that he had met such a beauty, it would be hard to find a more driven man in the world.

“F-fine.” Rolling her eyes, Athena began walking off to the sparring ground. “First we’ll need to test your aptitudes and see what class you’ll be suited for.”

“I hope you’ll turn out to be an archer like me!” Natalie said. “I’ll teach you all of my tricks, ufufu.”

“He’s obviously going to be a warrior. Straightforward idiots like him are perfect for it.” Athena didn’t even turn around as she countered.

“Aren’t you a warrior, big sis?”

“Yes, but I use the sword, and that requires finesse. Ethan will probably use something uncouth like an axe. Oh, and for the record, my archery isn’t far behind yours.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re an elf! It’s totally cheating!”

“How rude. My race has nothing to do with my talents.”

While the two bickered, Ethan had already made his own decision.

Definitely mage. As if I’ll give up the chance to try out magic!

…

A lizardman and a guy with two large rabbit ears stopped sparring when their group approached. They watched curiously as Athena led Ethan straight to the weapon rack.

“Pick one up then try to follow my demonstrations. Tell me if it feels awkward or difficult.”

Ethan didn’t hesitate and immediately chose something that looked like a sorcerer’s staff. Athena raised an eyebrow.

“...Nevermind, follow Natalie’s lead then. I can’t use magic.”

He considered asking her what kind of elf doesn’t know magic, has red hair, and prefers swords over bows, but thought better of it. Good on her for breaking stereotypes, he thought. The blonde archer beamed and picked up an identical staff from the rack. Soon the orb on its tip was glowing with a faint white light.

“See this, rookie? I’m channeling my mana into it!” She said happily. “I can’t really explain how to do it though, if you’ve got a gift for magic you should be able to figure it out on your own. Just close your eyes and try to connect with it. This is the simplest test.”

Heh, that’s it? Ethan quickly closed his eyes and did as told. He imagined a raging torrent of energy, swirling around inside his torso like a fierce dragon! Then with utmost concentration he directed it with his mind through his arms into the staff in his hands.

…

“Is there any light yet?” He asked, not opening his eyes.

“Nooope.”

“Not a bit.”

“Krr. Absolutely nothing, krr.”

Even the lizardman on the sideline joined in in crushing his hopes.

“Um, it’s okay, rookie. Mage talent is reaaally rare! And you came from a world without any magic in the first place, so it was kind of a longshot, y’know?”

Natalie tried to reassure him, but the Realmlord trainee didn’t want to give up. Hnnnng! He focused every iota of his being into the staff, trying to make it light up. Veins even popped on his forehead as he desperately pleaded with it to connect with him.

“Still nothing.” Athena’s merciless voice cut in. “Give up, Ethan. You’ll burst a blood vessel or soil yourself at this rate.”

With a sigh, the young man finally stopped and lowered the staff. His dreams of slinging spells at hordes of demons had evaporated just like that. Though he still had no idea what demons really looked like.

“Does this mean I’ll never be able to use magical items and stuff?”

“What? No, of course not.” Athena shook her head, then pointed at her sword. “Many magical items are made for warriors, archers, and other classes that don’t usually use mana. People like Natalie are an anomaly. Of course there are artifacts you’ll be able to wield.”

This instantly cheered him up. If he couldn’t use magic, he’d at least get a flaming sword or something else cool like that. No matter what, he’d still look like a hero!

“Then let’s move on to the other weapons.”

…

Almost an hour passed as Ethan picked up one weapon after another, then tried to imitate Athena’s movements. Swords, axes, sabers, polearms, flails… no matter what he used, he looked like a clumsy oaf just playing around. There were a few times when he almost tripped over his own feet.

“Of course I’m going to look like a doofus, I’ve never fought in my life!” He complained, feeling embarrassed. The thought that they’d judge him to be incompetent at everything and tell him to scram back to Earth was a little scary.

But both girls shook their heads. “It’s not about how skilled you are. Even if you’re terrible at it, rookie, we can at least tell how comfortable you are with the movements and what you'll have the easiest time learning. Everyone has a weapon they're fated to be with, ya? These tests are meant to find that.”

“Inner potential can’t be hidden.” Athena added. “Trust us and don’t worry about the details.”

With that, he had no choice but to continue.

It was only when he used a dagger that Athena and Natalie’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“Hohooo. What do you think, big sis?”

“Average talent.” Athena said, shrugging. “It’ll be a good secondary weapon at most.”

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. Even if it was just ‘average’, he got approval for something. But then Natalie wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Well, that’s all the melee weapons done. Let’s see how good you are at shooting!”

 

Chapter 4:

TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!

One arrow after another was shot at the distant targets. Each one was a bullseye, no matter if it was at fifty meters or two hundred. Natalie lowered her bow with satisfaction.

“See that? Good archers are the reapers of the battlefield!” She said, her chest puffed out in pride. “C’mon, give it a try. I’ll teach you the form.”

“Okay!”

Ethan accepted the bow. But he soon found that he underestimated it; the draw weight was surprisingly high, and maintaining his form while pulling it all the way back was a huge challenge. Still, he was somehow able to do it after enough tries.

TWANG!

The arrow landed on the closest target. It wasn’t a bullseye, but it wasn’t far off either.

“Oooh, I knew it! You’ve totally got what it takes to be an archer!” Natalie cheered. She excitedly gave Ethan a double high five. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know about pincushioning people!”

“Wait.” Athena said, frowning. “Don’t act like you didn’t see it, Natalie.”

The archer froze, then sighed. “Average is better than nothing, big sis. So what if he’s not excellent? It’s still enough, especially if he works hard!”

“Not for a Realmlord! He was picked out by a Seraph out of countless beings, there has to be something more to him we’re not finding!”

“Realmlords only need to be able to vassalize a realm core! They don’t have to be geniuses!”

“You think he’s going to survive that long if his skills aren’t up to par? We can't rush this, it's his future we're talking about!”

Ethan just watched this exchange thoughtfully. It looked like he had some potential with both the dagger and the bow, but neither really shone brightly. Was his class something like a rogue or a ranger? But Athena’s argument made sense. If he really was chosen to be an exalted Realmlord, then there might be something they were missing.

As the two girls were arguing, someone intruded.

“Excuse me. I may have an idea."

It was the man with rabbit ears from the sparring ground. He had apparently been listening in too.

“Oh? What do you have in mind, Rico?”

For some reason, his enigmatic smile sent a chill up Ethan’s spine.

“You said that he’s decently good at both bow and dagger, right? And we all saw how he hit on Gaia the moment he met her. Ethan… could you try singing a bit?”

The moment he asked that, understanding dawned on both girls’ faces.

Ethan was puzzled for only a few seconds, then sank into despair. He didn’t even want to think about it.

No. No way! Any class but that!

“A bard!” Natalie and Athena exclaimed at the same time. They turned to him expectantly. “Rookie, give it a try! Sing us something!”

“I refu-!”

“Gaia.” Athena said simply.

“...Okay.”

With that trump card pulled, he smiled helplessly and opened his mouth. A song from his childhood emerged from his lips.

In the misty plains of our home,

Where you and I once dreamed

…

It was the first time Ethan sang in many years, but it was like he had never stopped practicing. The golden melody wrapped around everyone and shook their very souls. Memories that they had buried far away rose to the surface like a massive tide. Innocence, regrets, promises forgotten, and all the other bittersweet flavors of youth filled them.

By the time he was finished singing, Natalie’s eyes had turned red, and Athena was staring off into the distance. Many of the fighters within earshot seemed to have lost all desire to keep practicing, and just stood around reminiscing about those who had disappeared from their lives.

The only one who seemed unaffected was Rico. He applauded, and the sound of his hands clapping together broke the spell that had been woven over everyone.

“Wonderful! Wonderful, and this is without any formal training, equipment, or essence!” He beamed. “A legendary bard like this will surpass me in no time! Hahaha! Oh if only you had mana, it’d truly be perfect.”

Rico walked over and placed both hands over Ethan’s shoulders. The latter was still smiling bitterly.

“You’ll be learning combat techniques from those two, but when it comes to battle songs, I’ll be your teacher.”

The look in the silver haired rabbitkin’s eyes implied that he would rather die than take no for an answer.

With a sigh, Ethan nodded.

“Understood. I’m counting on you to teach me everything you know.”

If Ethan had no choice but to be a bard, then he’d be the best goddamned bard this universe had ever seen.


Author’s note: A human, an elf, and a beastman walk into a bard...

 

Chapter 5:

“Do bard songs even affect demons, though?”

When everything had calmed down a bit, that was the first thing that he asked.

“Some do, but even if they didn’t, that doesn’t matter.” Rico said dismissively. “Offensive songs are just icing on the cake. What’s really important is strengthening your own side!”

Athena nodded. “A good bard can make cowards fight like lions, or even let someone ignore lethal injuries for a few more seconds. Never underestimate the influence they have over the battlefield.”

It’s not exactly the class of a hero, but it sounds surprisingly fitting for a Realmlord, huh? Since we’ll be leading armies and all, Ethan thought.

“Alright then.” He rubbed his hands together. “What will my training schedule be like?”

Natalie clapped a hand his back. “I love your enthusiasm! Hmm, the basic training regimen will help condition your body and prepare you for the battlefield. That’s three to four hours a day depending on how fast you move. Meanwhile we’ve also got to set at least two hours each per day for archery, close combat, and song practice.”

“That should be enough to begin with.” Athena said. “Don’t worry about recovering, we have potions that will speed up your body’s regenerative ability so you’ll be completely fresh by the next day. Give it all you’ve got!”

Ethan shivered a bit as he imagined his jam packed schedule, but he didn’t back down. He raised a fist and said arrogantly, “Bring it on!”

That marked the start of the Realmlord candidate’s training from hell.

True to their words, none of his three teachers went easy on him at all. The ‘basic’ regimen involved miles of running, dangerous obstacle courses that left him wounded each time, and brutal strength training. He’d get his ass kicked in spars without mercy, building up his endurance and ability to resist pain.

“LIIIIFT! YOU ARE ATLAS, THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD IS NOTHING TO YOU! OY, YOUR FORM IS SLIPPING!”

“You can do it, krr!”

Bored fighters with nothing better to do shouted encouragement at him while he lifted chunks of iron heavier than his body.

“Let’s goooo, rookie! You can move faster than that! Look, the finish line is just a horizon away! Run, run, run! Ahahaha!”

Natalie cheered him on while clinging to his back. The added weight made the run harder, yet somehow his times were better than when he was running on his own.

“You call that a punch? My grandmother can hit harder than that. Put your weight into it!”

Athena constantly pointed out his flaws and showed him what perfection looked like. Her grappling lessons were simultaneously heaven and hell for poor Ethan.

“Oh damn, that cut looks pretty bad. Want to take a break? Eh, you sure? Well, let’s at least bandage it up first.”

Rico was in charge of improving his agility, so he came up with all sorts of devious traps and obstacles that Ethan had to go through.

His weapons training proceeded smoothly as well. It only took a few months for him to become proficient with the bow, and he could even hit moving targets at medium range, making him more or less battle ready. Fighting with a dagger was more difficult, and he still got destroyed by Athena during their spars, but soon he was able to put up a decent fight against the weaker combatants in the training ground. Words can’t express how happy he was when he finally won his first ‘real’ fight.

Oh and of course, Rico would make him perform his songs in public. Almost constantly.

Break! Shatter the ones before yo-

“No no no, it needs to be fiercer! How are you going to get their blood boiling with that? Don’t focus on the lyrics my dear apprentice, trolls won’t even understand you, but they should be able to feel the bloodlust. Make up your own lyrics if you have to.”

BREAK! Fuck their shit up and kill them!

“Muuuch better! Now let’s try a marching song. A fast army is an unstoppable army...”

Then at the end of each day he’d gorge himself on food and specially prepared tonics that boosted his body’s growth. But other than those potions he received no other special treatment - he slept in the same barracks as everyone else, and it wasn’t long before he built up camaraderie with this bunch of misfits. There were times when he’d be so exhausted that he fell asleep on the dinner table, and one of the others would have to carry him off to bed.

On a battlefield somewhere far away, Gaia’s brows furrowed with worry when she heard about the brutality he was going through.

“Surely this is a bit too much?”

“It’s nothing compared to the death camps, my lady. And he has never suffered any life threatening injuries.”

“But he’s going to be a future Realmlord… and he’s from a normal background. That child is no soldier.” She bit her lip.

“All the more reason for him to spare no effort. He’s not catching up to Athena or Samuel, he’s catching up to you, my lady.”

At those words she remembered the promise she made, and her cheeks flushed slightly. “Mm. Very well then. But make sure that he doesn’t get hurt too badly!”

___


Six months after Ethan was first summoned.

“Glugluglug…”

After another grueling run, he practically inhaled the jug of water waiting for him at the ‘finish line’.

“Phew.”

Satisfied, he wiped his mouth.

The young man was currently shirtless. Sweat dripped down his hazelnut hair and broad shoulders. His lean physique had completely filled out now, and the tanned, compact muscles rippling with strength were undeniable proof of how hard he had worked. There was a distinct lack of scars on his skin though despite the numerous wounds he suffered over the past few months. This was another side effect of the potions he had been drinking every night.

“Good work, but could you not undress the moment you get here? It’s unsightly.”

Athena handed him a towel without looking.

Ethan laughed and accepted it. “Thanks. Sorry, but it’s way too hot out. Gimme a minute and I’ll put it back on.”

“Roookieee!”

A familiar voice called out to them. Showcasing her rapid speed, the archer bounded over to them in just a few seconds.

“Hey hey, I’ve got great news for you!” Natalie said as soon as she arrived. There was a huge smile on her face - though when was there not? “You’re ready!”

“For missions?” Ethan asked, his heart instantly racing with excitement.

“Haha, no silly. To kill!”

…

“Natalie, I understand what you mean, but could you not phrase it like that?” Athena rubbed her forehead in exasperation. “Look, you’ve gone and stunned Ethan dumb.”

“Ahaha, my bad.” Natalie stuck her tongue out playfully. “But you should get it, right? You’ve been fighting a lot but have never actually killed anything. That’s no good, rookies like that will freeze up in their first life or death situation. By now, we think you’re ready to go up against actual monsters.”

Ethan immediately became enthusiastic again. It might not have been a mission from Gaia, but getting to put what he learned into practice was definitely an attractive offer too. He’d actually felt that his progress has slowed a lot recently, so this may just be what he needed to break out of that slump. The thought of facing a real monster was only a little scary… he was sure it couldn’t be scarier than his half-orc bunkmate’s breath.

“What are we waiting for? Lead me to it then!”