Leonidas stared at the glowing screen, his breath coming in shallow gasps. Blood continued to seep from the gash across his side, warm and wet against his small fingers.
{ WARNING: CRITICAL INJURIES DETECTED. HOST SURVIVAL: 3% }
{ WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE THE BEGINNER'S PACKAGE? THIS INCLUDES EMERGENCY HEALING. }
{ YES / NO }
"Yes," he croaked immediately. "Obviously yes. I'm dying here."
{ SMART CHOICE. WOULD'VE BEEN AWKWARD IF YOU'D SAID NO. }
{ INITIATING BEGINNER'S PACKAGE... }
A surge of warmth flooded through Leonidas's body. Not gentle—it felt like liquid fire racing through his veins. He gasped, back arching, as the wound on his side began to knit itself together. Flesh reconnected. Blood stopped flowing. The pain shifted from agonizing to merely intense.
The cut across his face—the one that had carved through his eye—sealed itself, leaving behind what felt like a raised scar.
{ CRITICAL HEALING COMPLETE. HOST SURVIVAL: 87% }
{ CONGRATULATIONS ON NOT DYING. }
Leonidas lay there for a moment, breathing hard, testing his newly healed body. The pain was still there—a dull throb rather than the screaming agony—but he could move. He could think.
"What... what are you?" he whispered.
{ I'M THE ULTIMATE SUMMON SYSTEM. THINK OF ME AS YOUR PERSONAL ARMY-IN-A-BOX, WEAPONS DEALER, AND OCCASIONALLY SARCASTIC LIFE COACH. }
{ YOU'VE BEEN SELECTED AS MY HOST. LUCKY YOU. }
"Selected? By who?"
{ ABOVE MY PAY GRADE, KID. I JUST WORK HERE. }
{ NOW, LET'S GET YOU PROPERLY SET UP BEFORE YOU BLEED OUT AGAIN OR VIKINGS FIND YOU AND DECIDE YOU'RE A SACRIFICE TO ODIN. }
{ BEGINNER'S PACKAGE CONTENTS: }
The screen expanded, text scrolling:
{ EQUIPMENT:
1x Complete Spartan Armor (Enhanced)
2x Katana (Masterwork)
2x Dragon Blades (???—Trust me, you'll love these)
2x Hidden Blades (Assassin-grade)
CONSUMABLES:
1x Super Soldier Serum (Because apparently you need to be MORE overpowered)
UNITS:
200x Assassins (Elite tier)
500x Samurai (Veteran tier)
10,000x Spartan Soldiers (These guys REALLY hold grudges against Persians, FYI)
SPECIAL ITEMS:
1x Night Fury Egg (With growth acceleration—yes, THAT kind of dragon)
10x War Eagles (For scouting. Or looking cool. Your choice.)
1x Personal Continent (17.1 million km². Some assembly required.)
SKILL CARDS:
1x Elite Spartan Combat Experience
1x Elite Assassin Combat Experience
1x Elite Samurai Combat Experience }
{ WOULD YOU LIKE TO ABSORB ALL SKILL CARDS AND CONSUMABLES NOW? WARNING: THIS WILL HURT. A LOT. }
Leonidas's eyes widened as he read the list. An army. Weapons. A continent. And skills from three of history's deadliest warrior traditions.
But one item caught his attention more than the others.
"A Night Fury egg?" he breathed. In the memories he'd inherited from John Parker's life, he remembered the movies. Toothless. The rarest, most powerful dragon in existence.
{ YEP. FIGURED YOU'D LIKE THAT ONE. FAIR WARNING THOUGH—RAISING A DRAGON IS LIKE RAISING A VERY DEADLY, FIRE-BREATHING PUPPY. HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR THAT RESPONSIBILITY. }
"And the continent? What am I supposed to do with an entire continent?"
{ BUILD AN EMPIRE, OBVIOUSLY. TRAIN YOUR ARMIES. CREATE A BASE OF OPERATIONS. MAYBE OPEN A THEME PARK. I DON'T JUDGE. }
{ THE CONTINENT WILL MANIFEST OUTSIDE THE VIKING ARCHIPELAGO. YOUR ARMIES WILL HAVE ORDERS TO BUILD A FUNCTIONAL KINGDOM AND EXPAND—BUT THEY'LL LEAVE THIS AREA TO YOU. }
{ NOW, SERIOUSLY, WE NEED TO ABSORB THOSE SKILL CARDS BEFORE SOMEONE FINDS YOU. YES OR NO? }
Leonidas looked down at his small, seven-year-old hands. Then at the corpses surrounding him. At the blood-soaked deck.
He thought of Sarah, lost to him forever in another world. He thought of the six Spartans who'd died protecting this body. He thought of the rage—both his own and the prince's—burning in his chest like a forge fire.
"Do it," he said. "All of it."
{ YOUR FUNERAL. WELL, HOPEFULLY NOT. BUT IT'S GONNA FEEL LIKE IT. }
{ ABSORBING: SUPER SOLDIER SERUM... }
{ ABSORBING: ELITE SPARTAN COMBAT EXPERIENCE... }
{ ABSORBING: ELITE ASSASSIN COMBAT EXPERIENCE... }
{ ABSORBING: ELITE SAMURAI COMBAT EXPERIENCE... }
{ GOOD LUCK, KID. TRY NOT TO SCREAM TOO LOUD. }
The pain hit like a battering ram.
Leonidas's back arched. His mouth opened in a silent scream. It felt like his bones were breaking and reforming, his muscles tearing and rebuilding, his very DNA rewriting itself.
Knowledge flooded his mind—not just knowledge, but experience. Muscle memory. Instincts honed over decades of training compressed into seconds.
He saw himself—no, not himself, others—training in the agoge, the brutal Spartan education system. Felt the weight of shield and spear as if he'd carried them for years.
He felt the phantom sensation of climbing walls in darkness, striking from shadows, the cold precision of an assassin's blade finding the gap between ribs.
He experienced the meditation of the samurai, the perfect form of the katana strike, the philosophy of bushido burning itself into his soul.
And through it all, the serum worked its magic, enhancing his small body beyond human limits—stronger, faster, more durable.
Leonidas collapsed onto the deck, gasping, drenched in sweat. Every muscle trembled. But when he pushed himself up, the movement was different. Efficient. Controlled. Deadly.
{ WELL, YOU SURVIVED. COLOR ME IMPRESSED. }
{ STATUS UPDATE:
HOST: Leonidas John
AGE: 7 years old (Body) / 32 years old (Mind)
CONDITION: Enhanced Human
COMBAT ABILITY: Elite (Multi-discipline Master)
SURVIVAL ODDS: Significantly better than five minutes ago }
Leonidas flexed his small hands, feeling the coiled strength in them. A seven-year-old's body, but with the knowledge and enhanced capabilities of three legendary warrior traditions.
"Show me my status," he said, his voice steadier now. "Everything."
{ NOW YOU're thinking like a protagonist. }
{ DISPLAYING FULL STATUS... }
The blue screen expanded, filling his vision with information:
{ HOST STATUS }
NAME: Leonidas John
AGE: 7 years (Physical) / 32 years (Mental)
RACE: Enhanced Human
TITLE: Exiled Prince of Sparta, Reincarnated Soul
PHYSICAL STATS:
STRENGTH: C+ (Enhanced beyond adult human baseline despite child body)
AGILITY: B (Assassin training + child flexibility = terrifying combination)
ENDURANCE: B- (Super Soldier Serum doing heavy lifting here)
PERCEPTION: A (Three warrior disciplines make you VERY aware of your surroundings)
COMBAT SKILLS:
Spartan Warfare: MASTER
Assassination Techniques: MASTER
Samurai Swordsmanship: MASTER
Tactical Command: EXPERT
Stealth: EXPERT
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Enhanced Healing (Minor—you won't regrow limbs, but you'll bounce back from injuries faster)
Enhanced Reflexes (Bullet-time? No. But close enough to be scary)
Combat Instinct (Your body moves before your brain catches up)
{ NOT bad for a dead guy in a kid's body, huh? }
Leonidas stared at the stats, a grim smile touching his lips despite everything. "Show me the rest. Store, Inventory, Unit Summoning, Lucky Wheel."
{ EAGER BEAVER. I LIKE IT. LET'S START WITH INVENTORY. }
The screen shifted:
{ INVENTORY }
EQUIPMENT (Stored):
Spartan Armor (Enhanced) x1
Katana (Masterwork) x2
Dragon Blades x2
Hidden Blades x2
SPECIAL ITEMS:
Night Fury Egg x1
War Eagles x10
SUMMON TOKENS:
Assassin Unit (200 available)
Samurai Unit (500 available)
Spartan Soldier (10,000 available)
TERRITORY:
Personal Continent (Unclaimed - 17.1M km²)
CURRENCY:
System Points: 1,000 (Beginner bonus)
{ YOU CAN WITHDRAW ITEMS FROM INVENTORY AT WILL. JUST THINK ABOUT IT AND—POOF—IT APPEARS. MAGIC? NOPE. ADVANCED SPATIAL COMPRESSION. BUT MAGIC SOUNDS COOLER. }
"System Points?" Leonidas asked.
{ YOUR CURRENCY FOR THE STORE. YOU EARN THEM BY: COMPLETING QUESTS, WINNING BATTLES, ACHIEVING MILESTONES, MAKING ME LAUGH (KIDDING ON THAT LAST ONE. MOSTLY.) }
{ SPEAKING OF WHICH... }
{ STORE }
The screen filled with categories and items:
UNITS: (Locked/Unlocked)
✓ Spartan Soldiers (100 SP each)
✓ Assassins (250 SP each)
✓ Samurai (200 SP each)
🔒 Roman Legionaries (500 SP each)
🔒 Mongol Horse Archers (400 SP each)
🔒 Medieval Knights (600 SP each)
🔒 ??? (Requirements not met)
EQUIPMENT:
✓ Spartan Weapons & Armor (50-500 SP)
✓ Assassin Gear (100-800 SP)
✓ Samurai Equipment (75-600 SP)
🔒 Gunpowder Weapons (Unlock at Level 10)
🔒 Advanced Technology (Unlock conditions vary)
VEHICLES/MOUNTS:
✓ War Horse (150 SP)
✓ Spartan Warship (2,000 SP)
✓ Cargo Ship (800 SP)
🔒 Pirate Ship (1,500 SP)
🔒 Battleship (5,000 SP)
🔒 Aircraft (Level 20+ required)
ANIMALS/CREATURES:
✓ War Eagle (100 SP each)
🔒 Dragon Eggs (Various - 10,000+ SP)
🔒 Mythical Beasts (Requirements vary)
CONSUMABLES:
✓ Healing Potion (Minor) - 50 SP
✓ Stamina Boost - 30 SP
✓ Antidote (Basic) - 40 SP
🔒 Super Soldier Serum - 50,000 SP (ONE-TIME USE ONLY)
STRUCTURES:
✓ Wooden Fortress - 5,000 SP
✓ Training Grounds - 2,000 SP
✓ Barracks - 1,500 SP
🔒 Stone Castle - 25,000 SP
🔒 Naval Shipyard - 15,000 SP
🔒 Dragon Stable - 20,000 SP
{ AS YOU LEVEL UP AND COMPLETE ACHIEVEMENTS, MORE ITEMS UNLOCK. THINK OF IT AS A VERY DEADLY VIDEO GAME PROGRESSION SYSTEM. }
Leonidas's mind raced. The possibilities were staggering. With enough System Points, he could build an empire from nothing.
"What about Unit Summoning? Show me how that works."
{ AH, THE FUN PART. }
{ UNIT SUMMONING }
CURRENT AVAILABLE UNITS:
Assassins: 200/200
Samurai: 500/500
Spartan Soldiers: 10,000/10,000
SUMMONING OPTIONS:
Individual Summon (Specific location, custom orders)
Mass Summon (Large numbers, general location)
Territory Summon (Summon to your Continent - auto-deploy for construction/defense)
UNIT FEATURES:
Absolute Loyalty (They CANNOT betray you. Literally programmed that way.)
Skill Inheritance (They come with historical combat knowledge)
Growth Potential (Units can level up through combat and training)
Memory Implantation (You can give them backstories, relationships, missions)
CURRENT ORDERS FOR CONTINENT UNITS:
Construct functional kingdom infrastructure
Establish training facilities
Prepare for expansion
DO NOT interfere with Viking Archipelago
(Reserved for Host)
"And the Lucky Wheel?"
{ AH, THE GACHA SYSTEM. EVERYONE'S FAVORITE ADDICTION. }
{ LUCKY WHEEL }
STATUS: Currently Unavailable
UNLOCK REQUIREMENT: Complete First Quest
DESCRIPTION: Spin the wheel, win prizes! Rewards range from common items to LEGENDARY artifacts. Could be a potato. Could be Excalibur. That's the fun!
COST: 100 SP per spin (Standard)
COST: 1,000 SP per spin (Premium - better odds)
{ TRUST ME, YOU'LL WANT TO UNLOCK THIS. I'VE SEEN PEOPLE GET SOME WILD STUFF. ONE GUY GOT A MECH SUIT. ANOTHER GOT A REALLY NICE HAT. LUCK OF THE DRAW. }
{ SPEAKING OF QUESTS... }
A new notification popped up:
{ QUEST AVAILABLE! }
MAIN QUEST: SURVIVE THE FIRST ENCOUNTER
OBJECTIVE: Vikings are approaching your location. Survive the encounter without revealing your true capabilities.
OPTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
Gain the Vikings' trust (Reward: +500 SP)
Keep the System secret (Reward: Unlock "Stealth Mode" feature)
Retrieve your equipment before they search the ship (Reward: +200 SP)
FAILURE CONDITION: Death (Please don't. Would be embarrassing after I just healed you.)
TIME REMAINING: ~5 minutes
{ TICK TOCK, KID. I'D SUGGEST GETTING READY. }
Leonidas's enhanced hearing picked up sounds in the distance. Voices. Footsteps on sand. Multiple people approaching.
The Vikings were coming.
He looked down at himself—covered in blood, surrounded by corpses, in the body of a seven-year-old child on a ship that looked like a floating tomb.
"System," he said quietly, his mind already working through scenarios. "Can I store the armor and weapons somewhere they won't find them? And can I control what injuries they see?"
{ SMART THINKING. YES TO BOTH. YOUR EQUIPMENT IS ALREADY IN INVENTORY—THEY'LL ONLY FIND WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO FIND. AS FOR INJURIES... YOU'RE MOSTLY HEALED, BUT I CAN MAKE IT LOOK WORSE THAN IT IS. STRATEGIC BLOOD PLACEMENT. VERY DRAMATIC. }
{ WHAT'S YOUR PLAY HERE, LEONIDAS? }
The voices grew louder. Closer.
Leonidas's enhanced hearing picked out distinct words now—Norse language, though somehow he understood it. The system translating?
He moved to the edge of the ship and peered over the rail.
A group of Vikings was approaching along the beach—at least eight men, led by a massive figure with a red beard and horned helmet. Behind them, a smaller figure ran to keep up—a boy, maybe five years old, with messy brown hair.
Hiccup and Stoick.
They hadn't reached the ship yet. It was still partially in the shallow water, bow run aground on the beach, stern still floating.
"System," he whispered urgently, "I need the hidden blades. Just those. And make the wounds look worse than they are."
{ DEPLOYING HIDDEN BLADES. ADDING DRAMATIC BLOOD EFFECTS. YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK PROPERLY TRAGIC. }
The hidden blades materialized on his forearms, concealed beneath the torn remnants of his red cloak. Blood seemed to seep more freely from his sealed wounds—all visual, no actual damage, but convincing.
Leonidas positioned himself near the mast, half-hidden behind a fallen sail, but with clear sightlines to where the Vikings would board. His small body trembled—partly from genuine exhaustion, partly strategic theatrics.
"Hiccup, stay here," he heard Stoick command from the beach.
"But Dad—"
"Stay. HERE."
Footsteps splashed through shallow water. The ship rocked as someone grabbed the rail.
"Gods..." Stoick's deep voice carried clearly. "Gobber, look at this."
"Aye," the gruff, mechanical voice responded. "Burn marks. Arrows. This ship saw battle."
"Could be raiders," another Viking muttered.
"With that sail design? Never seen it before," Gobber said.
The ship swayed as multiple Vikings climbed aboard, their boots thudding on the blood-soaked deck.
"Careful," Stoick warned. "Could still be enemies aboard."
Leonidas's fingers twitched near the hidden blade triggers. His breathing quickened—not entirely faked. These were unknowns. Potential threats.
Through the gap in the sail, he saw them now: Stoick the Vast, massive and imposing. Gobber with his mechanical arm. Five other warriors, axes and swords drawn, spreading out across the deck.
"By Thor's hammer..." one Viking breathed. "Look at all these bodies."
"This armor," another said, kneeling by one of the fallen Spartans. "Bronze, but the craftsmanship... I've never seen anything like it."
"What's this symbol?" Gobber pointed at a shield bearing the lambda. "Looks like an arrowhead pointing down."
One Viking moved closer to Leonidas's hiding spot, nudging aside a Persian corpse with his boot.
Instinct took over.
Leonidas exploded from behind the sail with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for an injured child. The hidden blade snapped out with a mechanical snikt as he lunged at the Viking who'd come too close—
"WHOA!" The Viking stumbled back, axe raising defensively.
Leonidas's blade stopped inches from the man's throat.
Every Viking on the ship froze, weapons raised.
Stoick's eyes widened. "A child?"
For a heartbeat, they all stared—this blood-soaked seven-year-old in tattered red cloth, standing in a perfect combat stance that spoke of deadly training, a wicked blade extended from his small wrist.
Leonidas's vision swam. The burst of adrenaline faded as quickly as it came. His legs trembled. The hidden blade wavered.
His enhanced body had moved on pure instinct, but this child's frame wasn't ready for sustained combat—not yet. The injuries were healed but the trauma, the blood loss, the sheer exhaustion...
"Wait—" Stoick said, hands raised, voice gentle despite his size. "Easy, lad. We're not—"
Leonidas's legs gave out.
The hidden blade retracted automatically as he collapsed forward. Strong hands caught him before he hit the deck—Stoick's hands, massive and surprisingly gentle.
"Gobber! He's still alive!" Stoick called out.
"Get Gothi. NOW!"
"On it!" Gobber leaped over the rail, splashing through the shallows toward shore.
Leonidas's consciousness flickered. Through half-closed eyes, he saw Stoick's concerned face above him, felt himself being lifted like he weighed nothing.
"You're safe now, boy," Stoick rumbled.
"Whatever happened here... you're safe."
From the beach, a young voice called out:
"Dad! Dad, is he okay? I saw him move!"
"Hiccup, I told you to stay back!" Stoick bellowed as he carefully made his way off the ship, carrying Leonidas.
"But the boy—did you see that thing on his arm? What was—"
"Not now, son."
{ NICE PERFORMANCE. SHOWED JUST ENOUGH TO BE INTERESTING, NOT ENOUGH TO BE TERRIFYING. COLLAPSING ON CUE? CHEF'S KISS. }
{ QUEST UPDATE: SURVIVE THE FIRST ENCOUNTER }
{ STATUS: IN PROGRESS }
{ OPTIONAL OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: "GAIN WARRIOR RESPECT" - BONUS: +300 SP }
Leonidas let his eyes close, his body going limp in Stoick's arms. But his mind remained sharp, listening, analyzing.
The rocking sensation of movement. Being carried across the beach. Voices fading in and out.
{ RELAX, KID. YOU'VE GOT THIS. JUST KEEP PLAYING WOUNDED AND LET THEM TAKE YOU TO SAFETY. WE'LL FIGURE OUT THE REST WHEN YOU WAKE UP. }
{ OH, AND BY THE WAY—THAT LITTLE STUNT WITH THE HIDDEN BLADE? HICCUP TOTALLY SAW IT. MIGHT WANT TO HAVE A STORY READY FOR WHEN HE INEVITABLY ASKS QUESTIONS. }
Darkness pulled at Leonidas again—this time, not death, but genuine unconsciousness born of exhaustion.
His last thought before sleep claimed him:
Phase one complete. Now comes the hard part—living among them without revealing what I really am.