Mathew’s head continued to ache and pound. Yet, his day was not over. He spent the last few hours going around and finalizing preparations for the upcoming World Quest.

He paused at one of the newest requests. “A mining expedition request?”

Looking over the information, apparently a few men have found ores inside the mountain near where the Infernal Dungeon was located. Mathew had zero backing on geology or how ores worked, but he knew how businesses worked.

“Why would iron or any other material just be sitting there? I would have assumed it all was dug up long ago.”

“What’s that Boss?” Agnox asked as he floated over to read over Mathew’s shoulder.

“You know I don’t like it when you do that.” Mathew swatted his familiar away. “It’s nothing too important. Just a mining request. We need to start establishing groups to gather materials. We can’t rely upon Di and the other shops forever.

“That’s smart. Yet you seemed, what’s the word…confused?”

“Like I said, it’s nothing important.” Mathew created a quick and simple contract, leaving blanks so Melton could fill in the financial part. He honestly wished he could negotiate for profits, yet the World Quest was just three days away. By the time the meeting was scheduled, it would be at least six days before Mathew met with the person in charge of the request.

He rubbed at his face. “This ranking up business is killing my head. The first one didn’t bother me this much.”

“Could be the increase in stats. Your body is still getting used to it all.” Agnox said with a shrug.

“Ugh, I’m going to bed early. I can finish this in the morning before our training bout. Let’s go home.”

Mathew didn’t bother showering or properly undressing. He was exhausted. The maid will clean everything up for him. He rather enjoy the extra half hour of sleep over properly putting his shirt in the hamper.

As he closed his eyes, he felt himself drift away from his body. Yet, he didn’t lose consciousness. Instead his mind continued to drift away. A moment of realization later Mathew suddenly appeared over a large empty field.

Twisting and turning in the air, panic almost overtook him. “Fucking christ, where am I?!”

Mathew looked down at his body, and saw he was semi-corporeal. “Just like when I gained the [Resistance] Axiom. Another vision? Why? I didn’t do anything to earn it, did I?”

Mathew took in the scenery around him. It was a patchy ground with nothing but rolling hills. Sparse patches of dirt were seen. Off in the distance was a huge camp. Dozens to hundreds of tents dotted around. Banners with gold and green symbols were seen.

“Just what is going on this time?” Mathew took a glance up to the sky, yet saw no giant sword or hammer coming down upon him. “Didn’t think so, but I had to check to be sure.”

Mentally willing himself forward, Mathew moved closer to the tents. It took a single look to realize it was no boy scout camp. It was a war camp.

Everyone was wearing armor made of green and gold. Soldiers stood guard around the edges of the grounds. Men and women sitting around campfires, talking as if it was a casual day for them all.

They all looked human, but with more angular features. Their limbs were longer, and Mathew suspected they were all taller than he was. The tallest was more than a foot in height than himself.

Mathew continued to gaze around, and found a single tent that was the size of a house. “Jackpot. That must be where their leader is.”

Floating down to the entrance, a shout pierced out, “I don’t give a damn. We are going with the plan. The King can fuck himself. He doesn’t know who we are up against.”

Mathew peeked through the tent flaps. None of the guards noticed him, giving him easy access to walk…or rather float…inside.”

There were four people standing around a table. The most heated looking one was the smallest of the men. Yet when Mathew looked at him, a wave of empowerment washed over him. This man wasn't arrogant know it all.

He was a man who stood proudly of not only for himself, but his kingdom. Mathew’s own body started to buzz in excitement for seemingly no reason.

“We need to end this here and now. We traveled for four weeks to cut the enemy off on his path of destruction!” The General cried out again.

“Nonsense. We can’t stop a Progenitor. Not one of his caliber.” The woman to the Generals left said. “If it was anyone else, I would agree, but this is suicide.”

“A Progenitor? What’s that?” Mathew thought to himself.

“We have the manpower! We outnumber him. 1 Million to 1. Nothing can stop that. Even if he is a rank higher than all the other soldiers. We use the War Arrays, the atmosphere annihilator, and everything else. If he survives that, he’s no progenitor. He is a demon.”

Mathew blinked, but continued listening. Making sure he wasn’t hearing things incorrectly.

“Sir, we don’t have approval to use-”

“I DON’T CARE. The King is sick. He can’t reason with the enemy. It won’t matter after the fact. If they are that worried about him, we are heroes to kill him.”

“And if we lose?” The third person asked. This one was wearing slimer armor made of a purple color. His left arm seemed to be made of metal.

“Then we won’t be alive to be punished.”

Mathew agreed with the thought process of the General. If the methods used are underhand, maybe even illegal, if you still win the fight, you didn’t do anything wrong.

The war council dispatched after that. Mathew spent some time looking over the army. Then tried to fly up and look for the so-called ‘single enemy’.

“There is no way this entire camp is for a single man. All these soldiers are Beginner rank, maybe Apprentice at the most. The general was easily an Apprentice ranked. Maybe even Student. Does that mean the enemy is Journeyman? Someone above level 225?”

After searching, Mathew couldn’t find him anywhere along the horizon. Either the man was far away from his point of view, or hidden somewhere. An hour later, the camp started to break down.

Mathew hovered back around the General. Watching how he moves and talks to others. The General was the kind of man to get things done with no fanfare. Whenever he walked from place to place, the simplest of respect was small salutes that had the soldiers cross their arms and slightly bow.

The General was quick to speak. Even quicker to act. If someone didn’t do what he wanted, punishment was issued then and there. In total, Mathew has seen four people killed on the spot if they tried to argue back against the General.

“A Tyrant in the making. Reminds me of another General I knew.”

Soon the entire army was marching across the plains. Mathew continued to listen and observe. This vision was taking a long while. Longer than the previous one. “I better still get a full night's rest. I’ll be pissed if whatever this is interrupts my sleep.”

However, Mathew was caught up into how everyone moved. They all worked like a well oiled machine. Once on the move, everyone knew their role, and carried it out without fault. Mathew lost track of time, but it was easily the afternoon before the army came to a halt.

The General has a far away look in his eyes now. He constantly kept looking toward the south, as if he was waiting for something to appear. “Everyone. Battle formation three!” His voice boomed.

It was a single command. The entire army moved swiftly. Mathew was curious as to how the army was about to form. What did end up happening surprised even his wildest expectations.

The entire army started to move into different groups and sizes. Each one pulling out various banners or poles.

“Aren't those the same poles I used to outline where buildings go?”

Yet, buildings were not formed. Instead a large shield of energy enveloped the entire army. Smaller groups with the banners formed into a larger shape. Mathew blinked as he looked at the bigger picture.

From up high at his vantage point it almost look-

“Soldiers! Today we will fight!” Mathew’s thoughts were dragged away by an empowered voice. “We fight for our King. Our Families. For the Glory of Ostguard!”

A roaring cheer echoed, even Mathew felt inspired. “Just those few words had the entire army inspired. His men must respect him.”

Mathew looked ahead, but didn’t see anyone. “Where is who they are fighting?” As he continued to pan around, he saw a speck of a person walking.

He tried to get closer, but found himself bound to be near the army. “Okay, so you want me to only view things from their point of view…but why?”

The General also seemed to see the figure and raised his weapon, a halberd. “CHARGE!”

His voice washed over his men, Mathew’s eyes bulged outward as the force completely washed over him. If he wasn’t floating, Mathew would have fallen to his knees. “What was that force!”

Looking up, Mathew watched only a fraction of the army charge. Roughtly 80% of it stayed behind, controlling what seemed to be rituals. Yet, they were larger. Plus they involved people. Mathew was enthralled by them, but forced himself to watch the upcoming battle.

“Do I need to learn how he uses a halberd? I barely use my spear. It makes zero sense that I'm supposed to learn how to fight. So what is it I’m to learn here?”

The figure came more into view. A large four armed person stood with purpose. Mathew couldn’t help but feel as if he was looking at a mountain. As he saw the General charging toward him, he pulled out two weapons. The first was a ball and chain. The ball had spikes all over it, and once it fell to the ground, it started to sink. Mathew couldn’t believe the ball was dense enough to do that.

The other weapon was a longsword. The blade shone a faint green, giving Mathew the impression it was the branch of a tree. Mathew only had enough time to blink before the two forces met. All of them were fast. Able to cross miles in mere moments.

The General wasn’t the first to meet the sole enemy alone. It was one of the other soldiers. Surrounding him was a red aura. Mathew glanced back and saw several other soldiers with auras that were holding the banners.

“No way, are they empowering him with magic somehow?!” Mathew never even thought such a thing was possible. Turning back, Mathew was once again shocked. He watched the backswing from the longsword of the four armed enemy. In its wake, eight people were dead, all killed with a single swing.

As the blade's direction was being changed, the ball was picked up off the ground. The enemy spun, using the momentum of the sword to bring the spiked ball into the air. The ball spun just once, before it was launched forward. A dozen soldiers were instantly demolished by the heavy ball.

Two warriors lurched forward and left shallow cuts along the man's body. He looked down and the ground beneath them both opened up, swallowing them. With a roar that could rival a hurricane, the four arm manned stomped. The ground shook and rocks shot upwards, piercing through soldiers left and right.

More and more soldiers died as the battle continued. Mathew couldn’t believe his eyes. The power and strength one man had to fight an entire army. He didn’t struggle much against the lone dungeon he fought, yet those were mindless beasts.

He was fighting against hardened warriors. Trained to fight in unison and together. Each action they took was perfected after years of training and hard work. Then this four armed monster comes and outclasses all of them.

The way everything was laid out was perfect. The General did all he could to prepare, yet in just a single minute, of the 200 thousand soldiers nearly a fifth of them were killed. Mathew looked hurriedly for the General.

Mathew spotted him, a golden aura surrounding him. Mathew rushed down next to him, to watch the upcoming clash between the two occur.

“You are a foolish man General.” The enemy spoke. “You can’t defend your King. I told your entire empire I only want his blood spilled. Yet you come to spill more innocent lives. Why?”

“You have no proof he killed that noble’s brat. It’s my duty to defend not only my country's honor, but my kings!”

“Then you shall die with honor, nothing less. You earn that much. If we were to meet along different strings of fate, we could have been friends. Sadly, like a boulder rolling, I too, will never stop.”

The General paused for just a moment. The two gazes, staring each other down for a moment. Not even another soldier dared to step forward.

The was a clash of two forces that Mathew knew outclassed what he had with Morthrus. This wasn’t a scared lawyer and a princess who can’t fight her own battles.

The General stepped forward and crossed the dozen feet between them. His halberd snaked around to chop off one of the four arms, yet was blocked by the sword.

Another strike wove its way forward, and the chain blocked it. In retaliation, the progenitor spun once again, building up momentum for his ball.

As the fight continued, the occasional soldier charged forward, to only die by the earth beneath his feet, or by a random sword swing. Mathew took a chance glance backwards and watched as groups of soldiers fell to their knees, some dying as blood poured out of their ears, eyes, and nose.

“What the hell? What is killing them?” Mathew looked for a hidden assassin, but found none.

Just as he heard the ball clash with a wave of soldiers, dozens more died back by the larger army.

“Are they dying because of his attacks? They must be linked somehow. That’s the only explanation. Linked how? Why tie their lives together like that?”

Mathew went back to watching two main combatants. The General moved quickly. Not a single attack landed on him. Yet his attacks never hit the enemy either. Always deflected or blocked.

With bated breath, he continued to watch and learn. “Even if I gain nothing but understanding of how the rest of the world battles, I need to understand how those of higher ranks fight. Doozkora is just as powerful as these two. Just what the hell did I get myself caught up in.”