"Xenophon," Kai yelled, remembering Xenophon's instructions.
As soon as he spoke, a large blue hologram appeared in front of his eyes. Inside the hologram, a series of lines of text glowed brightly:
[Please build your first base]
[Basic Base:
1 Mercenary Fountain
1 Commander's Quarter
2 Barracks
1 Training Field
1 Watchtower
2-meter basic wooden wall
Cost: Free (only first time)**
[Do you want to build it now?]
[Y/N]
Kai stared at the hologram, bewildered. "How am I supposed to use all these facilities when I'm alone?" he wondered. But he had nothing to lose. "Yes," he said, pressing the yes button.
The hologram's appearance changed, now displaying a layout grid. "I need to organize the location of every facility," Kai realized.
He started with the wall, arranging it in a circular pattern with the portal at the centre. "This will keep the portal protected from all sides," he thought.
Next, he placed the commander's quarter at the farthest point from the entrance of the base.
He positioned the barracks on the left and right sides near the wall. "I guess I'll figure out what to do with these later," he mused, though he still wasn't sure how any of this would help him alone.
The mercenary fountain puzzled him. "Is this just decoration?" he wondered, placing it near the centre but off to one side.
The training field went in front of the commander's quarter.
Finally, he placed the watchtower at the side of the base entrance. "This should give me a good view of anyone—or anything—approaching."
Kai stepped back, looking at his work. The facilities were now arranged, but he still felt overwhelmed by the task ahead.
A brilliant blue light shone from the sky, and in an instant, the buildings erected themselves exactly as he had organized them.
"How am I supposed to manage all this?" Kai thought, anxiety creeping in. It was much bigger than he had imagined.
Looking to his right, he saw what he believed was the mercenary fountain. It didn't look like a fountain at all; it resembled the gate that connected to Earth, but its colour was a stark white and it had framing like a door.
When Kai walked toward it, stopping just a meter away, a red hologram screen appeared in front of him.
[Choose Your First Band Of Mercenaries]
A list of races and their respective percentages appeared on the hologram:
[Goblin] - 100%
[Kobold] - 100%
[Human] - 100%
[Elf] - 1%k
[Dark Elf] - 40%
[High Elf] - -30%
[Barbarian] - 95%
...
...
...
[Dragonoid] - -100%
...
...
...
"What is this percentage thing?" Kai wondered aloud.
As if responding to his question, another hologram appeared above the original one.
[The higher the percentage, the more likely that race will obey the commander's orders:
95% - 100%: Fully obey commander's orders, even at the cost of their lives.
80% - 94%: Will obey commander's orders, but loyalty decreases if ordered to sacrifice their lives.
50% - 79%: Will obey the commander's orders, but there is a high chance of disobedience.
1% - 49%: High chance of rebellion.
<1%: Hostile.]
Kai absorbed the information, realizing the gravity of his choices. "So, I need to pick a race that will fully obey me. But what if I choose wrong?"
There were so many choices in the hologram that Kai found it hard to decide. Only a handful had a percentage range between 95% and 100%. Kai knew he needed a race that would completely follow his commands, especially since this was his first time in such a situation. He had never led subordinates in his workplace, and now he needed to lead a band of mercenaries. The odds of Kai doing it perfectly were slim.
"Can you suggest my best option?" Kai asked, feeling the weight of his responsibility.
Suddenly, one of the race names began to glow golden:
[Barbarian] - 95%
Kai wasn't sure if this was something Xenophon had done or if it was the hologram itself, but he decided to follow the suggestion. He clicked on [Barbarian].
The hologram changed once again:
[Mercenary Fountain will change to Barbarian Mercenary Fountain. Are you sure? (Once decided, cannot be changed)]
[Y/N]
Kai pressed the 'Y' button.
The frame of the mercenary fountain began to change its appearance, transforming into something more savage. Skulls adorned the top middle of the door frame, and two men holding weapons—a hammer and a great sword—stood on either side of the frame.
"Gulp," Kai swallowed nervously, preparing to welcome his first band of mercenaries. He took a few steps back, just to be cautious.
A few seconds later, one by one, large figures resembling humans emerged from the portal. Though they looked human, their size was vastly different.
The smallest male was more than two and a half meters tall, with a bulking figure, while the smallest female was around two meters tall, with the tallest reaching two and a half meters.
After a few minutes, about one hundred barbarians stood in front of Kai. He could hear them murmuring among themselves.
"I thought I was already dead from that fucking demon," one barbarian said.
"Yeah, me too. I still remember one of them stabbing my heart from behind while I was fighting another demon," added another.
Similar conversations continued among the barbarians. It seemed that all of them had already died.
"Did Xenophon revive them?" Kai wondered, but he knew there was no way to get an answer.
Finally, one of the barbarians spotted Kai and began to say something to the others. A chain reaction occurred, and soon all of them stopped talking and looked at Kai with hostile eyes.
"Human. Who the fuck are you?" one of the barbarians demanded.
Barbarians were known for their savageness, even on Earth. There was no way they would be polite to others.
Kai put on an expression that said, "I don't give a fuck." He tried his best not to look weak in front of these barbarians. He once read a novel where barbarians despised the weak and cowardly, so he tried his best to appear strong.
"My name is Kai. I was the one who summoned you here. And I want you to work as mercenaries for me," Kai said with determination.
The barbarians murmured among themselves again. They knew they were already dead, and if Kai could summon them, it meant he had revived them. This feat was akin to that of a god, and the barbarians' hostility began to wane.
"We're thankful that you revived us, but you look weak. With your small body, even the weakest of us could defeat you. There's no way barbarians follow a weakling," said the previous barbarian, eyeing Kai critically.
Though Xenophon said he had enhanced Kai's body, Kai still looked the same—1.75 meters tall with black hair and an unremarkable face.
"How about we take you under our protection?" the barbarian continued.
Kai felt a surge of frustration. The hologram indicated that the barbarians would be loyal to him, yet none seemed willing to follow his lead now.
"So you mean as long as I'm strong enough, you'll follow me?" Kai asked, his voice steady despite the tension.
"Yes, you revived us. We know how to be grateful, but we will not follow the weak," one of them replied.
"Bring out your representative. I will wrestle with the one you choose," Kai said, the only martial art he knew was wrestling, something he had learned in PE class in high school.
"But wrestling is..." one of the barbarians started to warn Kai.
"No, it's okay. I'm quite strong, you know?" Kai interrupted, hoping they would underestimate him.
"But..." the former barbarian began again.
"No problem, I accept his challenge," a feminine voice called from the back of the crowd.
Kai heard the voice, and the barbarians parted to make way for its owner. A female barbarian emerged, standing tall and imposing. Unlike the males, who looked more like orcs from a fantasy movie, females had strikingly human faces.
From the way Kai sees, it looks like this female barbarian is an important person in this barbarian community, all of the barbarians make a way just for her to go forward.
The female barbarian was stunningly beautiful, with the physique of a gym mommy Kai often saw on social media. Brown skin, perfect abs, well-defined muscles that were just the right amount, and a confident, powerful aura. She looked like a warrior goddess.
Kai's heart raced. This was not what he had expected. He knew he couldn't back down now; he had to prove himself, not just to them but to himself as well.
Kai squared his shoulders, trying to exude confidence. "Let's get this over with," he said, stepping forward.
The female barbarian smirked. "Very well. Let's see what you've got, human."
They faced each other, and Kai could feel the eyes of the other barbarians on him, judging, waiting. He took a deep breath, remembering the wrestling moves he had learned years ago.
The match began, and the female barbarian moved with lightning speed, her muscles rippling as she aimed to take him down. Kai barely managed to dodge her initial strike, using her momentum to his advantage.
He grappled with her, feeling the enhanced strength in his limbs for the first time. Despite her size and power, Kai managed to hold his ground, countering her moves with surprising agility and strength.
The thrill of the fight took over, and he found himself matching her move for move.
Finally, using a technique he remembered from his wrestling classes, he managed to pin her down, his enhanced strength giving him the edge he needed.
The female barbarian struggled for a moment, then went still, looking up at him with a mixture of surprise and respect. "You've got more strength than you let on," she said, her voice tinged with admiration.
The other barbarian was also shocked by how Kai defeated the female barbarian easily, it was common sense that barbarians much much stronger than humans in raw strength.
Kai released her and stood up, panting. "I told you, I'm stronger than I look," he said, offering her a hand.
She took it, pulling herself up. "Very well. We will follow you, Husband," said the female barbarian.
The other barbarians nodded in acceptance, acknowledging Kai's strength.
"Nice to hear it..." Kai began, still processing what the female barbarian had said.
"Wait, Husband?" Kai was shocked by the title.