Mysterious

Before long, five scruffy-looking men stepped forward.

They were generally dressed in worn-out linen clothes, their faces covered in thick, unkempt beards that made it impossible to guess their true ages.

"Your names..."

Aaron Sothoth sighed inwardly before asking.

"I am Sanchez."

"Green."

"Baker."

"Adam."

"Eight-Fingers, my lord."

The five militiamen stated their names one by one. Aaron swept his gaze over the man called Eight-Fingers, noting he was roughly thirty years old with a sharp, rat-like face. Upon meeting Aaron's eyes, the man offered a fawning smile, though the effect was ruined by a mouthful of rotting teeth.

Aaron glanced at the man's hands and, sure enough, both little fingers were missing, which gave him pause.

According to the laws established by Theodore, anyone in the territory caught stealing was immediately punished with the "finger-chopping" penalty!

This man had two fingers chopped off, meaning he was caught twice; who knows how many times he wasn't caught...

A base thief and a bunch of simple-minded peasants... Father really did give me a fine selection.

Aaron's voice turned stern: "From today on, you are all squad leaders. You must complete the tasks I assign, especially on the battlefield. Do you understand?"

A listless chorus of agreement followed; it was clear these were a group of old hands at shirking duty.

Once on the battlefield, their priority would surely be self-preservation. They might be decent at looting spoils, but expecting them to engage with a strong enemy was a pipe dream!

Fortunately, Aaron hadn't harbored many illusions to begin with.

To the Lord, they were merely cannon fodder.

But to Aaron, having this bunch as meat shields—or at the very least, as distractions to draw fire while he made his escape—was more than enough!

"Now, training begins!"

He coughed and pointed his longsword at Eight-Fingers: "You, come over and spar with me!"

Aaron had studied the art of leadership, and he intended to establish his authority right now.

His opponent was nothing more than a starving thief, perhaps with some street-fighting experience, but he was certainly no match for someone trained in orthodox knightly combat!

Deep in the forest.

After briefly disciplining the squad leaders, asserting his dominance, promising a share of future spoils, and giving them a morale-boosting pep talk, Aaron took his bow and arrows and headed into the forest to hunt.

Whoosh!

His archery had been honed through rigorous practice; while not on par with a dedicated marksman, it was certainly respectable.

Catching a glimpse of prey, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow. As his fingers released the string, it hummed with vibration.

Thwack!

Not far away, a small deer was pierced by the arrow and collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath it.

"Good luck today; we can have a feast."

Aaron nodded and walked out of the forest with his kill.

Along the way, the commoners of the Lower Green Forest bowed respectfully as they saw him.

Aaron kept a cold face and largely ignored them; he was used to it, and it was impossible to respond to everyone. Only the occasional prominent figure in the territory earned a nod of acknowledgment.

Before long, he arrived outside the castle.

Ginny was lifting the hem of her cake-layered dress, about to head out, when she saw Aaron and couldn't help but step forward to greet him: "Aaron... is this your prey?"

She had beautiful golden hair and the violet eyes inherited by the Sothoth Family, which looked like gemstones. They blinked incessantly as she stared at Aaron's kill, her expression full of longing.

Aaron smiled and patted Ginny's head: "Don't worry, there will be plenty for you."

He felt a touch of amusement as he recalled the past.

He remembered the first time Ginny saw him bring back a wild rabbit; the little girl's eyes had been full of tears: "The little bunnies are so cute, why do you have to kill them?"

And then... Aaron had cooked a pot of braised rabbit meat and stuffed a piece into Ginny's mouth...

The result was that Ginny discovered a new world—it turned out that little bunnies weren't just cute, they were also delicious!

Not only that, but the bunnies' mommies and daddies were delicious too!

Little deer were just as delicious!

"It's a promise then, a promise for as long as we live."

Ginny blinked playfully.

Aaron's hand slid down to pinch Ginny's smooth cheek.

Hmm, I have to say, little girls really are the most adorable. He felt a sense of wistfulness; he really should have had a daughter in his past life. As for a son—who would be a nuisance even to a dog—he could leave that aside for now.

"Although... in my past life, I didn't even have a wife..."

"I'm already ten years old, stop pinching my cheeks."

Ginny swatted Aaron's hand away, her cheeks puffed up like buns as if she were putting on a performance.

"Haha!"

Seeing this, Aaron couldn't help but laugh happily.

Although he found Sonia and Sean extremely annoying, this little sister was quite adorable.

He just wondered, once they grew up, whether this pure familial affection would still be maintained.

Thinking of Colin and Sean, Aaron couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Nighttime.

He entered the dream world once again.

The originally azure sea, which had been refracting a crimson light, had now undergone a change, turning entirely scarlet, much like a 'Red Sea'!

Aaron looked up, gazing at that crimson sun. He didn't know if it was just an illusion, but he felt the sun growing increasingly red, giving off a deeply uncomfortable, nauseating sensation.

It was red to the point of turning black, as if it were about to drip blood...

To think I could achieve such a thing in my dream...

Aaron looked toward the direction he had set for himself, but he did not begin to move.

According to his observations, movement also required energy.

The savings he had accumulated over the previous sixteen years had already been exhausted in the act of changing the sun.

Now, he had returned to the miserable days of his childhood, though fortunately, he was finally able to start taking action.

Energy is precious now, and I am facing the danger of war in reality. It would be a waste to use it for movement. It would be better to try and see how it can help me... for instance, bringing the mysterious power from the dream into the real world. I don't even need the great power to alter the world; even one ten-thousandth or one hundred-thousandth of it would be peerless in reality, and perhaps... could even make me immortal?

A look of longing appeared in Aaron's eyes as he began to try and recall the feeling of when he had altered the sun.

That authority of the—[Dream Creator]!

"I want to become stronger!"

"I want to obtain mystery!"

"I want to become extraordinary!"

In a manner similar to a prayer, Aaron recited his needs in his heart.

Complex and terrifying sounds reached his ears.

It was like a reenactment of that day, with endless chaos and madness surging forth.

In a state of near-delirium, Aaron received his 'feedback'!

[Insufficient mystery!]

"Mystery? Is this the energy I defined earlier, the thing that is generated along with my daily entry into the dream?"

Aaron discovered that in this semi-mad state, his permissions had been elevated, granting him a sliver of 'omniscience'-like experience.

As I am now, I cannot transform my body, because I lack...

Extraordinary consciousness can be obtained, but the energy is insufficient!

Moreover, it is easy to obtain the extraordinary in this world, but to manifest divinity in the real world is very difficult!