The Qualification Realm! (3)

'Instead of commenting on my ability to kill, you should tell me about the Qualification Points!'

# … #

'I'm listening!'

# Qualification Points, henceforth QP, are your score inside the Qualification Realm. There are 3 types of enemies in this Realm, mob enemies, worth 1-10 QP per kill, elite enemies, worth 10-100 QP per kill, and Boss enemies worth 1,000+ QP per kill. To help you in this task, you're free to recruit the people of this Realm, with every follower earning you between 10-100 QP for mob enemies, 100-1,000 QP for elite enemies and 100,000+ QP for Boss enemies. The exact number of QP differs depending on the situation. #

'Thank you! That proves that you aren't completely useless. Now tell me, what is my objective here?'

# Qualification Realm. Goal: Save the City Stonehaven by defeating the Evil Demon Lord Kebon von Stein. #

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After Keiren took his time to fight with his System. He walked over to the horse that pulled the wagon. He patted its flanks and scanned it with his eyes. The horse was dirt brown, stood at a good 1,60 shoulder height and had toned muscles flowing over its body.

"Boy, they don't know a thing, do they? I'm far from being an expert on horses, but even I can see that you're either the buffest workhorse I've ever come across, or actually a warhorse born for battle. Just who came up with the idea to use you for pulling a wagon?" Keiren mumbled to himself while patting the flanks of the horse.

The horse rocked its head back and neighed loudly as if it agreed with this statement.

This made Keiren chuckle. "Hear me out, boy. Let's show them what you were born to be. Let me just free you from this stuff," while speaking Keiren began to free the horse from its harness. As the last part met the ground, the previously brown horse became pitch black and a purple horn grew on its previously bare forehead. It also grew to 1,80m shoulder height.

"WOW. How majestic, clearly the mount of a King." Keiren said in awe at this show.

# Congratulations, you've recruited an elite enemy: Disaster Unicorn (+500 Qualification Points) #

# Note: Keep it alive to get additional information, after the Qualification Realm ends. #

"Thank you, friend. I'm Desastro and it's nice to be free of that burden," the black Unicorn spoke to Keiren while it looked at the Mages beside it. "These aren't good people and the people they serve are worse."

The soldiers were still looking at the situation in shock. Just when they came to terms with what was happening, something even more strange happened the next second. While Keiren was deep in his thoughts, Suran had started a conversation with the two female Mages and they were chatting. To be more precise, the two were interrogating Suran about their new Master. Everyone listened attentively while Keiren was busy with the unicorn.

A short while later, Keiren joined the group again that had already calmed down and come to terms with their fate.

"Tadorian Castell, where can I find your father? I'll need to speak with him about your ransom." Keiren said with a smirk on his face.

Tadorian looked at Keiren with a defeated look in his eyes. " My father currently resides in Stonehaven. He normally keeps his distance from the city because he claims that 'The nobles in the capital are all one stage dumber and two steps more arrogant than is good for them.' His outspokenness is a major factor as to why he has no friends among the nobles in the capital.

"Were it not for his status as a Duke and the power base he had built up under the Empress' rule, House Castell would mostly have vanished already." Tadorian himself felt surprised about why he spoke so openly to his captor. It felt strange to get it all off his chest, but on the other hand it strangely felt right to do so.

"Seems like your father lost quite a lot with the fall of the Empress." Keiren said.

A dry laugh escaped Tadorian's throat. "That is an understatement if I ever heard one. However, as his son, I've done my part in an attempt to help us. Hunting that half-angel woman was supposed to earn us a favor from the Imperial Family. Unless we earn some goodwill with them, it is unclear how much longer House Castell will be able to last. The Empire is stirring through troubling times right now and it will only end well for one side, everyone in the opposition or in neutrality will just vanish."

Keiren listened to the information the young Noble handed him and came to understand something vitally important. Thanks to the knowledge he had about this Qualification Realm's goal, he could predict what was about to happen.

However, this opened up a slew of questions.

If he had slaughtered the squad completely, he would have blocked this path for himself. By keeping some of them alive, he had gained valuable information, as well as a possible ransom. From a political point of view, it could even give him an opening to infiltrate the court openly. Or at least it would give him the opportunity to gain the support of a neutral faction which would enable him to build up his own political faction to take over and defeat Kebon von Stein.

It would be a long and hard road to make this a political victory, but fighting alone against an empire didn't seem like a sound plan. He would need an army, and with his summoning abilities suppressed, and his Divine Ability limited, he was at a disadvantage.

Of course, he was still free to recruit, train, organize an army of his own, but he would somehow have to feed them all before the final battle. The hardest part of this was to actually find recruits that were good enough to make up an army with, without getting the attention of everyone around him.

Keiren fell into deep thoughts after Tadorian spilled all the beans. Due to feeling uncomfortable, Tadorian began to speak more and more, telling him more about his father and the old empress, Karina von Stein. He also began to talk a lot about the new Emperor Konrad von Stein and his nephew, the late empress' son Kebon von stein.

While they talked, the sun that wasn't really visible in the misty forest set and darkness surrounded them. The soldiers set up camp long ago and brought both the talker and the listener dinner.

After getting so much information and dinner. Keiren looked at Tadorian and said: "Thank you for the information. We will travel to Stonehaven tomorrow and speak with your father. Until then, good night"

Keiren walked away and sat down beside the campfire, which kind of dampened the surrounding atmosphere a little. He just stared into the fire and let his mind run free. He thought while staring into the fire. Without him realizing, the fire changed into a purple color. The night passed without any disturbance, and the surrounding mist got illuminated by the sun.

Keiren resurfaced from his own mind as the mist began to light up. The soldier broke up the camp and together they moved toward Stonehaven. Before he could head out he had to find a saddle for his new Unicorn companion. Be it as it may, Tadorian Castell the young master still had one in his space ring, that he had reluctantly handed over to Keiren. Not that he had much of a choice. Who would sell a prisoner with his possessions. It was a majestic golden bridle and saddle, as well as a scale armor made of blood-red steel. As most of the other things in their possession it was 'only' Low-Grade Earth Rank.

It took them 3 hours to leave the misty forest. Outside, there was an open plain filled with a stunning natural beauty. Keiren rode the Unicorn while Suran rode on her Ancient armored Dragon horse directly beside him. On the other side was Tadorian clad in 'simple' clothes for a noble, his hands bound with a rope and flanked by his former bodyguards turned Eternal Einherjar.

Behind this constellation walked the rest of Keiren's small makeshift army. Without stopping at the edge of the forest they continued in the direction of Stonehaven. The city was still far away. And If they had better eyesight, then they would have been able to make out the massive wall that was surrounding the Capital of the Stone Empire.

After half a day of traveling, they could finally make out the wall, making them feel like tiny ants in comparison. At this point in time, they also saw a group of five riders who were speeding in their direction.

After they closed in on each other, the riders shifted from a normal formation into a battle formation and rode with maximum speed in their direction. Without exchanging any kind of greeting or any form of conversation, the five riders attacked.