Prestige System

These horse bandits were just ordinary thugs. They weren't desperate fanatics or professional soldiers. They might be alright fighting with the wind at their backs, but asking them to fight to the death was out of the question.

The Bloodfang Band had been completely routed. They retreated, trying to escape the way they came in, but even though the camp walls weren't high, they weren't something you could just jump over.

The caravan guards, now in a blood-fueled frenzy, had no intention of letting these bandits go. They chased after them, dragging down enemies who tried to climb the walls, then hacking them to death, or simply driving a sword into their backs as they attempted to scale the barrier.

The number of Bloodfang Band horse bandits who managed to escape was less than a fifth of those who had arrived. They mounted their horses and fled in all directions in a panicked, unthinking manner, with only Belik having some loyal followers around him.

The caravan guards had also suffered heavy casualties, with more than half their numbers lost. Ronan's own group was not spared, with one mercenary dead and the last of the Nordic Archers killed in action.

The only good news was that Ronan had leveled up, and the remaining Rhodoks had been promoted to veteran spearmen. The two Vigyan Cavalrymen were also close to leveling up.

After giving a few instructions to the Kujit Iron Cavalry, the cavalrymen accepted their orders, quickly mounted their horses, and with the help of the Nord strongmen, moved aside the chevaux de frise to pursue. Ronan had told them to chase down Belik, preferably alive. Ronan had noticed that Belik didn't have many people left around him, so this mission should have been a piece of cake for the cavalry.

With the help of the Vigyan Cavalry, Ronan took off his armor and sat on the ground, leaning against a wagon wheel to rest. Ronan's armor was completely stained with blood, and the blood had seeped into his clothes. The mixture of sweat and blood made Ronan extremely uncomfortable. He hadn't felt it during the fight, but as soon as the battle stopped, Ronan felt like he was suffocating.

Taking off his clothes, Ronan revealed his muscular upper body. While wiping down his weapons and armor, he watched with amusement as the caravan leaders gathered together to bicker.

The weapons, armor, and remaining horses left behind by the Bloodfang Band were a considerable fortune. These three items were bestsellers in any city in this world.

At that moment, the caravan leaders were arguing heatedly, claiming how much effort their guards had put in and therefore deserved a larger share of the spoils.

After listening for a while and feeling thoroughly bored, Ronan got up and, along with his mostly rested subordinates, began to organize the remaining guards to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades. The bravery of Ronan and the Nords during the battle was evident to everyone, so they didn't resist Ronan's orders.

They dug a large pit near the camp and buried the bodies, while their weapons and armor were inherited by their teammates. The caravan would likely have to pay a considerable amount in death benefits when they returned, but the spoils left by the Bloodfang Band should be enough to cover that cost, and perhaps some might even make a small profit.

After burying their comrades, Ronan ate to replenish his energy while waiting for the Iron Cavalry to return. He also took the opportunity to study some of the newly unlocked system features.

"Achievement Quest: Battle of Legends

Complete 5 battles where the outnumbered side wins, with a total combatant count of no less than five hundred.

Progress: 1/5

Reward:

Renowned General (Trait)

Leadership Skill +1

Troop Wages -10%"

"You have completed an outnumbered victory, and displayed bravery in battle, earning the admiration of the participating soldiers.

Prestige +100

Honor +1

Prestige System Unlocked"

"Prestige System: Prestige increases when the host achieves certain feats that become known. As your deeds are sung about and recognized by more people, your prestige will also rise. Prestige affects the number of troops and the probability of the Recruitment System refreshing high-tier units.

Current Prestige: Emerging (100/1000) (Holy Cross Kingdom)"

"Honor: Honor is generated alongside Prestige. For every 100 points of Prestige gained, one point of Honor is awarded. Honor can be exchanged for troops, equipment, and rare items in the system's Honor Store.

Ronan even saw fantastical units like vampires and angels from the Wars of Faith New Era MOD in the Honor Store, along with magic books from Wars of Faith, divine artifacts from Light and Darkness, and most importantly, flintlock muskets.

Ronan began to fantasize about equipping all his subordinates with Hanyang Type muskets and then telling the charging enemy soldiers, "Sorry, times have changed!"

However, cruel reality shattered Ronan's fantasy. He couldn't afford any of them. A single flintlock musket was more expensive than a Black Dragon from Wars of Faith, let alone a Hanyang Type. With that money, it would be better to just buy a few high-tier units.

As for buying them and then replicating them himself, Ronan stated that he couldn't trust outsiders. As a humanities student who couldn't even pass Politics with his combined Physics and Chemistry scores, he couldn't handle that. He hadn't even memorized the formula for the simplest black powder, so how could he possibly manage?

While Ronan was still daydreaming, Belicha walked over, patted Ronan's shoulder, and brought the wandering Ronan back to reality. Then, as Ronan turned to look at him, Belicha handed him a bag. Ronan took the bag and saw it was full of gold coins. Ronan raised an eyebrow and was about to ask a question when Belicha cut him off.

"Don't overthink it. I'll definitely give you the remaining commission after we arrive in Xinteland. This is the money exchanged for our share of the spoils. Those merchants will be heading to Acorn Hall to recruit more guards and sell these weapons and horses. They'll also inform the Acorn Hall garrison about the Bloodfang Band incident.

I don't know if Moran has any other plans, so I cashed out our share there. Since we've been exposed, there's no need to pretend anymore. I'll sell all the goods in the next town and travel light."

"You're not going to hide it from Daisy anymore?"

"Of course not. I've already thought of what to say. If I weren't hiding it from her, I would have thrown the goods away long ago."

"These are blood-stained gold coins!"

"Rodrit, what gold coin in this world isn't stained with blood?"

"Heh, you're right. We're nothing but vultures profiting from the dead!"

There were fifty gold coins in the bag, just enough to alleviate Ronan's impending financial crisis. Ronan's desire to make big money became even more urgent. After all, as his troop continuously expanded, a lack of stable income could easily lead to problems.

Ronan couldn't help but consider the idea of sending Daisy to Xinteland and then returning to Gaoling to fight for his family's inheritance. After all, his previous life's family held a hereditary count title and a considerable territory.

However, this idea vanished as quickly as it came. Not to mention that Gaoling was currently at war, and Ronan, the imposter, wasn't ready to meet his previous life's family, especially his cold father and venomous older brother. His previous life's mother also came from a prominent family but had passed away from illness. Only his father and his half-brother and sister remained in the family.

Shaking his head to clear his chaotic thoughts, Ronan stood up and began to move. His muscles were still sore, but there was no major issue. His stamina had mostly recovered, and Ronan was ready to fight again. Now, he just had to wait for the Iron Cavalry to return with their target.