Arthur lay back against the cool earth, the ancient tree towering above him like a silent sentinel. The gentle rustle of the leaves overhead was soothing, but it did little to settle the whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind.
His hands rested behind his head, eyes staring blankly at the patchwork sky visible through the dense canopy, as he tried to digest everything Seraphina had told him.
"If they attacked the Hurricane Kingdom just because they ruled only 5,000 kilometers of the forest." he mused silently, "then doesn't that mean they should have attacked me too?"
The thought gnawed at him, threading unease through his chest. He shifted slightly, frowning deeply.
"Why haven't they?"
His mind spun with possibilities, each more troubling than the last. "Is it because I was summoned here by the Will of the World?"
he wondered.
"Or is there some other hidden reason I don't know yet?"
No matter how he turned it over in his mind, he found no satisfying answer. Only a deepening sense of confusion, and an uneasy suspicion that far more was at play than he could yet grasp.
His gaze fell lower, tracing the twisted roots weaving through the ground, as his thoughts darkened.
"There are monster gathering areas, monster towns, even full-fledged cities scattered across this forest… yet they weren't attacked either."
"Why?"
"What separates them from the Hurricane Kingdom?"
The inconsistency made no sense. Monsters — by their very nature — should have been greater threats than a human kingdom. And yet it was the humans who had been targeted, eradicated so thoroughly that even the memory of their existence had been nearly wiped clean.
Arthur exhaled a heavy sigh, the breath leaving him in a slow, exhausted stream.
The sheer scale of the unknowns overwhelmed him.
"Now I don't even know if I should consider myself lucky... or cursed," he muttered under his breath, the words barely louder than the whisper of the wind.
The faces of the Hurricane Kingdom's last defenders, people he had never met but could now vividly imagine — proud warriors, noble rulers — flashed through his mind, falling one by one beneath an unstoppable tide.
They had been strong, far stronger than him, and yet they had been obliterated. Entire bloodlines, histories, legacies, gone — like a candle snuffed out by a hurricane.
And here he was, a fledgling lord, barely scratching the surface of his new existence. How could he possibly resist a force that could do that?
Arthur clenched his fists in the grass, his nails digging into the earth.
"If they come for me too… what am I supposed to do?"
"My strength isn't even worth mentioning in front of a true kingdom's might... let alone something that could destroy a kingdom overnight."
A bitter taste filled his mouth, the cold edge of reality settling into his bones.
He had the will to fight, yes — but will alone was not enough. He needed power. Real power. Enough to stand tall against storms that had already toppled far greater than him.
But what choice did he have? He couldn't give up. He wouldn't.
Arthur closed his eyes briefly, centering himself.
"It's only been less than ten days." he reminded himself.
Less than ten days since every human from Earth had been hurled into this world — scattered across an endless, savage land — forced to become lords of strange territories, leaders in a world whose rules they barely understood.
And yet, in that impossibly short span of time, Arthur had carved out a foothold.
He had gathered soldiers, built defenses, earned victories. He had survived.
Already he had done what many would have thought impossible.
It wasn't enough yet — not by far — but it was a beginning.
And beginnings were precious in a world that crushed the weak without mercy.
Arthur inhaled slowly, feeling the forest air fill his lungs.
The road ahead would be long and perilous — but that was nothing new.
He opened his eyes, the fire of determination once again lighting behind them.
He would rise.
He would survive.
And one day, he would be strong enough that no force — no army, no invincible enemy — would ever be able to erase him from this world.
Not like they had done to Seraphina's kingdom. Not ever.
"I will have to use this event to become stronger," Arthur said to himself, his voice low but firm, carried away by the whispering winds.
A treasure vault belonging to a fallen kingdom — the mere thought of it stirred something deep within him, a hunger that refused to be silenced.
"A treasure vault of a kingdom can immensely help me to grow," he mused seriously, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed at the dense canopy above. "I don't know what is inside that vault... but whatever it is, I know it will be something great."
The unknown possibilities filled him with burning anticipation, but also an acute sense of urgency.
He could not afford to hesitate.
"I also need to clear my surroundings," he continued, clenching his fists. "Slaughter that Dark City ruled by Kahli... and wipe out the kobold city as well."
Each threat lingering nearby was like a blade pointed at his throat.
If he wished to survive — no, if he wished to dominate — they had to be eliminated.
In his mind, a rough plan began to take shape, the first threads weaving together into something more concrete.
"First, I will tell the special soldiers I recruited yesterday, along with their hero commanders, to lead the army," he murmured under his breath, pacing slowly across the clearing, his boots sinking slightly into the soft earth.
They would be the tip of his spear — strong, elite forces capable of cutting through the enemy ranks with brutal efficiency.
"They will have to push south, slaughtering every monster gathering area they encounter," Arthur decided, his voice gaining a colder edge.
"But for now, they are to leave the monster towns and cities untouched. I already have 2 monster city to deal with."
It was not yet time to awaken the larger, slumbering beasts of the forest.
He needed to move carefully — to clear a path without bringing unnecessary chaos to his door.
"And once the southern path is secure," he continued, a glint of ambition flashing in his dark eyes, "I will finally be able to establish a trade route with the Dalton Kingdom and get more informations."
The thought of legitimate trade, new supplies, and access to a thriving economy made his chest tighten with excitement.
It would be the beginning of real growth for his territory — a foundation for the empire he envisioned.
Meanwhile, the main army had their own crucial task.
"While the vanguard clears the south, the main army will continue collecting Emberveil Stones," Arthur planned methodically.
Arthur exhaled, the final pieces of his plan settling firmly in his mind.
He had a direction now — a path carved through blood and ambition.
The cool air of the day brushed gently against him, stirring his black hair and causing his long coat to flutter softly around him.
The forest, vast and ancient, seemed to watch him — a silent witness to the resolve building within his heart.
Arthur stood tall amidst the towering trees, the faint golden light filtering through the leaves painting him in muted hues of determination.