2 02. Total War System

"Wow, this looks cool" Mark took out the Ring of Fire and inspected it. It was a thumb ring that has strange runic markings on its side and a large Ruby gem on it whit five flickering lights inside of it. Mark guessed that it might be the charges.

"How the hell do I use this?" Mark mused as he wasn't sure how to access the abilities of this ring of power.

[Host needs to do a binding ritual to make the artifact recognize you as its master, most simplest way for you is to mark the ring with your blood]

"What, can't this thing have an automatic recognition or something?" Mark asked as he really wanted to try out the ring.

[Negative, there is a slight chance an artifact is obsolete to the host thus might just sell the artifact or put it in display in the Shop. Also it is quite costly to erase a mark on an artifact unless host is stronger that its previous owner]

"So this is like those wuxia novels or something huh?" Mark mused as he looked for a pin to make his finger bleed. He went to the kitchen and found a sharp pointed knife in the drawers. He then pricked his middle finger then smeared the small amount of blood on the ring.

"Whoa!" Mark suddenly felt a rush of information getting into his head. All information on how to use the ring and how to cast it has been put into his mind.

"This thing is cool! Can I try it?" Mark was giddy feeling excitement that he might get to experience magic after spending two months here wallowing about his situation.

[Negative, no artifacts of magic items is allowed active inside the Manor. Unless situation requires it so in cases the Host is in need of using said effect of magic item or artifact.]

"Bummer, what's this?" Mark then paid attention to the Random minion roll.

[It is something of a Gacha but you'll only get minions available in the Mission World.]

"So I could get a knight or something? *Gasp, I could get myself lackeys?!" Mark being a former rich good for nothing felt his luck has gone for the better now that he could have some people to order around.

"Roll one now!" Mark the saw a semitransparent roulette spin in front of him. He then looked at the nearby mirror yet saw no such thing in the reflection, maybe it was only visible to him. He looked excitedly as the wheel started to slow down until it stopped on a name that said "Retarded Dog".

[Congratulations you've got a minion 'The Retarded Dog']

"What the fuck?!" Mark then checked his inventory to pull the minion out and a poof of smoke happened in front of him. Revealing a short and stout figure of a fat pug with eyes looking at both directions.

"…" Mark looked at the pug silently as a thousand buffalos stampeded in his brain not comprehending how this thing could even be considered a minion.

"Bark! Bark! Bark!" The Pug excitedly wagged its tail as it ran circles on Mark's legs, which then stopped as it breathed heavily looking like it had done a triathlon.

'What the fuck! That was just four circles around my legs?! Not only I it mentally challenged but also asthmatic?!' Mark screamed in his head at how useless the thing in front of him. He's in between two worlds where beings that could break planets exist in a handful, how can this dog be of help.

"Uhmm, System isn't there as bit of a mix-up here" Mark said.

[Negative, the Roll did say it was random. But every creature coming out would be automatically loyal to the Host.]

Mark looked at the tired dog which now fell asleep on the floor, the then paid attention to the four rolls that were left.

"Okay, let's not get my hopes up. System roll all four!" Mark said as the roulette once again appear in front of him but now it was four spinning simultaneously. He watched as the wheels started to slow down and showed the minions that he got.

[Congratulations you got a House Rat]

[Congratulations you got a Sickly Horse]

[Congratulations you got a Bastiladon]

[Congratulations you got an Orphan]

"?" Mark looked at the notifications and could only say. "What in the Bleeding Hell is this?!"

Mark looked at the first two in his inventory and really saw a fat Rat the size of a house cat, a horse that looked like it would fall apart after one gust of wind, a small boy in rags but the other one caught his attention as it was a weird beast that looked similar to a dinosaur. It was like an Ankylosaurus but whit thicker armor plates, a fanged mouth, a tail with a club of bone and horn at the tip, lastly a size similar to a large six wheeler truck.

"A Dinosaur? System you said something about every minion being loyal right? But why does this thing seem familiar?"

[Affirmative, they are all automatically bound by contract as soon as you summon them and would be loyal to the Host no matter what]

"Okay, does this mean that I now have a pet?"

[Sort of, the Host can treat them as Slaves as such practice is present in the Old World but need I remind host to not summon such a large creature inside the Manor. It is better for them to be put in the Stables at the Backyard.]

"Right, I never checked there yet haven't I?" Mark then went to the door going to the backyard. But he stopped for a minute and thought.

'I haven't read the news yet huh? Maybe there is a new paper outside, it's been two months so the paper might how been picked up by others already.'

Mark then turned around to the Marvel Door and opened it, just in time as a paper boy passed by and dropped the news in front of the door.

"Thanks kid!" Mark thought about how did he even get to subscribe to the News company that they kept sending him one every day when he didn't even pay anything.

[Host need not worry about that, the system would handle such trivial matters for the host at the early stages. Once your income is steady then some fees would be automatically deducted for daily needs.]

"And here I thought you would say I get this for free, tsk. Wait-" Mark stopped and froze as he stared at the date written at the paper. It was December 18 1992, but that isn't right, shouldn't it be February already? How come it was only two days since Stark died, some articles here still talks about ongoing investigations.

[Host need not worry, time dilation between the mission world compared to the DC and Marvel Universes is one is to thirty days. Which means that time here in the mission world goes faster that outside the two doors.]

"….." Mark's brain went overdrive as the hamster wheel kept running at the meaning of what the system had just revealed to him.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? DOES THAT MEAN I'LL AGE FASTER HERE? I'LL DIE EVEN BEFORE I MEET CAPTAIN AMERICA? WHAT ABOUT WONDER WOMAN? OTHER WAIFUS?!" Mark shouted in panic as he thought that he'll be in his fifties once one year passes by in DC and Marvel.

[Host doesn't have to worry about aging, the System has reconfigured your body similar to the Elves here in the Mission world only in the image of a human. Decades could pass by and not one bit of your appearance would change. But Host needs to remember that you are only un-aging, in other words you have no need to fear dying of old age.]

"…..Now that's really messed up." Mark tried to calm his rapidly beating heart when fear came to him thinking of aging to fast to see his favorite heroes in action. Then something dawned to him as a thought passed by remembering what the system said.

"Wait, what did you mean about similar to the Elves in this world? Elves as in Elves with the pointy ears, Legolas, pretty blonde hair and as well archery kind of elves?"

[Close enough but yes, the System has given you an ageless body similar that to an elf.]

"Wait, you haven't explained to me what kind of world I am in right now." Mark asked as a nagging feeling ran through his mind now that he thought hard in where did he hear the name of Castle Rachard? No he doesn't know any place like that but Mousillon, now that somehow rang a bell.

[It is self-explainable already to the Host, as the name says 'Total War System']

"Wait, you don't mean- the dinosaurs…. The medieval setting, elves, bestial warlords… Nobles… is this world what I think it is?-" Mark thought hard and connected the dots of all the information that he had collected in the short moment he spent outside.

"Warhammer II or III?" Mark said unsurely waiting for the system to reply.