The Empire’s architectural technology was unparalleled, a fact that became increasingly evident the closer one traveled to the capital. The roads are like polished marble, gleaming under the sun. Inside the carriage, the ride was so smooth that the motion of the carriage’s wheels was barely felt.

  In the middle of a casual conversation, a glowing pane of gss materialized before Norbert’s eyes, intangible yet vivid, its white light distant and sterile. A light… wall? Light barrier might be more fitting, Norbert thought as he passed his hand through it.

  [Please enter your personal information] appeared in sharp white text.

  Norbert, one of the captains of the Brown Legion, he thought, and the barrier responded, dispying his words, plucking his thoughts with extreme precision.

  That’s enough, right? What a nuisance, Norbert mused, but the barrier wasn’t satisfied.

  [Please fill it out seriously. Do not be perfunctory.]

  Norbert considered briefly but left his introduction unchanged. He’d served in the Brown Legion for well over a decade; his past was a forgotten blur. Why cling to painful memories?

  After a pause, a voice echoed in his ear: “I checked with the boss, and he said it’s fine, so we’ll go with this.”

  “Let me introduce myself. I’m what you’d call the System, and you’re the lucky one chosen. I’ll now address the questions forming in your mind. First, there’s no term for ‘System’ in this world, so think of it as a tool. Every second you’re alive earns you one point, which you can spend on skills and attribute upgrades. This is my boss’s compensation for observing you through the System. Why you? Simply because you were the first literate person we encountered.”

  “The System paused, then continued, “My boss says you have no more questions. Take this chance to explore the System, though you can ignore it if you prefer. Time won’t resume until you’re done.”

  Though stopping time seemed absurd, Norbert could see from his surroundings that it had indeed frozen.

  With his thought Norbert could manipute the dispy of the system. The System dispyed his basic information: Norbert, male, middle-aged, human. Most attributes were within the “average range,” with options to allocate points for improvement. Yet, even if he boosted them, Norbert felt no difference.

  Points accumuted steadily, even in frozen time. Perhaps because they were so easy to earn, the System’s shop priced skills exorbitantly. Even mundane ones like [Swordsmanship] cost tens of thousands of points.

  The System also listed two titles: “Captain” and “The One Who Cannot Reach the End.”

  “What’s this?” Norbert asked, pointing at the titles.

  “Your achievements manifest as titles. Figure out their effects yourself. The other title is a consequence of my boss choosing you. Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, that’s for you to decide.”

  “Now, for your task assignment! It’s indefinite and the only task we’ll give you.”

  [Unique Task: Indefinite

  Find the Child of Destiny: 0/X

  Find the Camity of the World: 0/X]

  Once the task was assigned, time resumed. Since the System said he could ignore it, Norbert decided to do just that. He was on a mission for the Brown Legion and had no time for distractions.

  This time, their employer was the Emperor of the “Golden Empire” of Ores, and the mission was to escort the princess from a diplomatic summit back to the imperial capital. Norbert’s team specialized in such tasks—low hassle but prone to unpredictable complications.

  The princess, young yet exuding an air far beyond her years, couldn’t hide the curiosity typical of her age. Perhaps because her status limited informal interactions, she peppered Norbert with questions, mostly about the Brown Legion and himself.

  “I heard from my father that the Brown Legion is the oldest mercenary group. Is that true?” she asked, eyes glinting.

  “I’m not sure,” Norbert replied. “Rumor has it that historical records in the Magic Tower’s library mention our presence even in ancient times, although I can’t remember when is the st time they allowed anyone to read their records.”

  As Norbert answered, the princess fired off more questions: the Legion’s size, strength, and non-aggression pacts with other nations. Norbert responded as best he could; these were semi-public details, so there was no harm in sharing. When the princess asked a few personal questions about Norbert, he sidestepped the overly private ones.

  “Are you of noble birth?” she asked.

  “Technically, yes,” Norbert said, “but my family’s long since fallen.”

  “Then my instincts were spot-on,” the princess said with a smile.

  Norbert fell silent. Unwelcome guests had arrived. He tapped the carriage’s interior three times, and the driver halted the carriage.

  “No need to hide. Come out,” Norbert called in a loud but measured voice, clear within the carriage.

  Over a dozen figures emerged from the forest fnking the road, their weapons glinting with hostile intent.

  No amount of goodwill could mask the menace in the ambushers’ bdes.

  Though troublesome, Norbert was the most diplomatic member of his team, one reason he was captain despite his average combat prowess.

  “Are you new at this? Don’t you know the rules?” Norbert addressed the ambushers.

  “Rules? All we know is you’re in the way of our target. Hand her over if you want to live!”

  Norbert sighed and tapped the carriage’s interior three times. The csh of steel and screams erupted outside.

  Amid the chaos of cnging metal and cries, the princess asked anxiously, “Don’t you need to help?”

  “Our mission is to protect you,” Norbert said calmly. “Leaving you unguarded would give them a chance to harm you. My team isn’t that weak.”

  They waited as the commotion raged. Compared to Norbert’s calm, the princess was visibly tense, though she tried to hide it.

  Soon, the sounds outside subsided.

  “It’s safe now—” the princess began, but Norbert cut her off. He swiftly pulled her into his arms, shielding her from an arrow that pierced the carriage.

  More noise erupted outside. After dealing with the threat, a team member tapped the carriage twice to signal Norbert.

  “Yuris, help with my wound,” Norbert said, opening the carriage door.

  A dwarf in armor leaned against the carriage door and stepped inside.

  “Hurry up, my hand’s numb,” Norbert urged.

  “Wait till you meet a poison I can’t cure—then you’ll suffer,” Yuris retorted.

  As Yuris treated Norbert’s wound with magic, the princess watched intently.

  “First time seeing a dwarf who uses magic?” Yuris said. “I got into plenty of trouble over that myself back in the day. Old stories, though.”

  Yuris, uninterested in continuing the topic, silently finished healing Norbert and stepped out.

  Norbert tapped twice, signaling the carriage to move on.

  “Mr. Yuris seems like a man with a story,” the princess said unconsciously.

  “Who doesn’t have a story? Especially those of us in the Brown Legion. The difference is whether we’re willing to share it with others,” Norbert replied. He continued, “You’re lucky today. I’m in the mood to pass the time, so let me tell you his story.”

  “Is that okay?” the princess asked, recalling Yuris’s earlier reluctance to dwell on the topic.

  “No problem. Your own story might feel embarrassing, but this isn’t mine,” Norbert said dismissively.

  “That’s not what I meant…” the princess murmured.

  Ignoring her, Norbert went on, “Dwarves are a stubborn bunch, so they tend to mess up when faced with something new. Yuris is a magical genius, but he was kicked out of his cn for not knowing how to forge.”

  “They wouldn’t exile him just for that, would they?” the princess asked.

  “Who knows? As long as he’s not a bad person, that’s what matters,” Norbert said with a shrug. “If you’re not a vilin, we don’t care about your past.”

  The princess asked how they judged such things, but Norbert didn’t answer. So, she changed the topic, chatting with him to pass the time.