The first thing that woke me up wasn't the sunlight or a gentle knock on a door. It was a terrible headache and memories being implanted in my mind.
Arthur Grim. A fallen noble and a cripple just like me. Except they were in a different world than Earth.
Exiled by the Auralite Kingdom and sent to the Northern border of the kingdom to "pioneer" the frozen tundra.
In reality it was just a death sentence.
No one survived in the north and the creatures were difficult to deal with.
'Reincarnated into a world of swords and magic only to die before getting the chance to explore this world.'
I opened my eyes and finally took in my surroundings.
I was in the arms of an old man in a tattered butler suit. I knew him as Newman, the last servant of the Grim family, and the only person who was willing to accompany Arthur to this frozen wasteland.
However along the way their carriage was attacked by beasts and the two barely managed to run away by themselves. Then they were lost and eventually ran out of food.
Faintly I could remember seeing something before the memories ended.
'It was like a system screen from a game?'
The moment that thought entered my mind a screen appeared in my vision.
[System activated.]
[One (1) creature has died within your range.]
[Hans Newman (Lvl. 1) has been sent to the Spirit Pagoda.]
My vision was filled with a HUD that was incredibly similar to a game. The corner of my vision had a small mini map. Another corner had a resource counter, and there was even a clock. I explored it with my eyes and found a menu.
When I focused on it with my mind it expanded and I navigated to a help menu.
After reading for a while I understood a little more about my system.
Using it was simply a matter of thinking it in my head. There were also in-depth screens about my character, my territory, and my skills.
[--Arthur Grim--]
[Level: 1 (0/1,000)]
[Titles: None]
[Kingdom Type: Occult]
----
[--Skills--]
[Personal: Spirit Pagoda (Lvl. 1), Soul Collector (Lvl. 1)]
[Territory: Establish Haunt (Lvl. 1)]
----
[--Territory--]
[Buildings: None]
[Vassals: None]
[Servants: Hans Newman (Lvl. 1 Ghost)]
[Creatures: None]
----
There were a lot of empty categories but being able to see what I was lacking was helpful in its own way. I could see what I was capable of. Also when I focused on things I was able to summon a description.
My Soul Collector skill was what allowed me to enlist or enslave the recently deceased. As long as they died within 10 feet of me. The Spirit Pagoda was a type of spiritual building that I was unable to see but allowed for my troops to recover in.
Mine was special because it followed me around and I was able to summon my troops directly from it.
I was essentially a walking barracks.
Establish Haunt allowed me to create a haunting ground which was the same as establishing a territory as my own. Allowing my units to freely move around in. Otherwise they were confined to the 10 feet around me as an area of operation.
With a thought I summoned Hans.
A mystical looking gate appeared that was obscured by smoke. Slowly a semi transparent figure walked through the gate and started to look around in a confused manner.
"Hans?"
I called out. Although I knew it should have been him I was unsure if he would have retained his memories from life.
Thankfully he quickly noticed me and a bright smile adorned his face.
"Master Grim!"
He walked forward and gave me a tight embrace. I was surprised that he was able to touch me but I wasn't about to complain. Although I had the memories of Earth I also had the memories I experienced from this world. I considered myself a fusion of the two personalities.
"Alright Hans, I am glad to see you too but we have a few things we have to handle first."
Hans slowly backed up and I began to explain.
"You're no longer alive."
I pointed to the his corpse that was laying a couple of feet away. Hans didn't show any change in his expression though.
"I already knew I was dead, sir. You seem to have some sort of power that bound me to you. I sat in a room until I felt you summon me, and then the door opened. After walking through it I arrived here but I am aware of my condition. Thank you for trying to be considerate of my feelings."
I nodded slowly. I thought that might be the case but I didn't want to pretend like nothing had happened to him. However since he was aware I moved on.
"We need to find shelter... I know we must have lost my wheelchair during our escape so I'll need to ask you to carry me."
Hans smiled gently.
"That is not a difficult task sir. Just point me in the direction you want me to take you."
He squatted down and picked me up with ease. I asked if it was tiring but to my surprise Hans told me it wasn't tiring at all. In fact he couldn't feel any fatigue from holding me. Which made me think that maybe there were some major advantages to being a spirit.
I tried to look at the World Map in my menu but it only showed me areas I had explored. However it didn't show anything other than the immediate area I was in which meant it only tracked where I have been since my system awakened.
So I turned my head and looked around. Thankfully we were somewhat elevated and I was able to see a fair distance. I pointed towards a basin at the base of a nearby mountain. It was a natural spot to gravitate towards since the mountain provided natural defenses from three sides.
We would only really have to worry about the one side to defend. There was also a forest nearby. I wasn't confident about water but I figured there would be some sort of water source nearby. If needed I could take some snow and boil it. There was plenty of it nearby anyways.
Hans set me down and rifled through his body's pockets. Stripping the clothes and all the items in his pockets. When I asked him if it felt weird to loot his own body he simply laughed and said he wasn't bothered by the idea.
Then he put the clothes on me and picked me up again. Soon we set off and began walking towards the basin I had designated earlier. The freezing wind bit at my skin and Hans covered me up with his tattered clothes. Doing his best to shield me but I found out that things still went through him even though he could touch things.
Small pieces of ice would sometimes pass through his torso and pelt me lightly. However I endured. It was a miracle that I was still alive right now so I would need to accept that I wouldn't be comfortable until I had established a livable territory.
So I covered my head with the tattered and bloody clothes while I trusted Hans to carry me to the basin.
After a couple hours of walking Hans's voice entered my ear.
"We are here sir."
Peeking out I noticed we were in the basin now. Looking around for a moment I decided on where a good spot would be for my first building.
Opening my menu I finally opened the Crafting menu. There were a bunch of crudely made things that had awful performance but since I didn't know how to make these things myself the feature was welcomed greatly.
[Lord's Residence - Lvl. 1]
[Requires: Wood x 300.]
Since Hans could only be within 10 feet of me I had to accompany him to gather stones from the mountain. The moment Hans picked up the stones they were added to my resources.
[+10 Stone.]
After which we made our way to the forest and collected sticks on the ground. This was all so I could create a simple tool for Hans.
[+25 Wood.]
[Create Primitive Axe?]
[Yes][No]
"Yes."
A small light appeared in the space in front of me and when it faded a crudely made stick with a sharpened stone at the end was laying on the ground.
[+1 Primitive Axe.]
[Primitive Axe - Trash]
[Allows for slow cutting of trees. Deals little damage when used as a weapon.]
Hans wordlessly picked it up and walked towards a nearby tree. If another person were to come upon this scene it would definitely leave them confused. A thinly dressed boy sitting against a tree while a floating axe cut away at another tree.
It made me chuckle a bit but the grumbling of my stomach brought me back to reality.
I realized that I had to start with no resources but the lack of food or shelter did bother me. It made me restless but I couldn't do anything myself. Relying on Hans made me feel helpless.
A half hour later the tree finally fell.
[+100 Wood.]
[Create Simple Campfire?]
"Yes."
Then I finally felt a reprieve from the cold. Although I was still cold it was better than nothing. I just didn't want to catch frostbite.
'It is surprising that I haven't caught it yet though. Maybe my body is a bit more resilient since I reincarnated?'
I considered it a possibility but I wasn't going to blindly trust that my theory was right.
Hans quickly moved to the next tree and began again. Finally, after a couple more hours, Hans carried me back to the basin and moved me towards the very back of the basin.
My eyes were clear and the excitement was overflowing. I selected the only building I currently could and using my mind I placed the building plan.
[Build Lord's Residence (Lvl. 1)?]
"Yes!"
Immediately after my confirmation a spectacular light filled the empty space I had chosen and temporarily blinded me. I covered my eyes, worried that even if I had a reinforced body because of my reincarnation, my retina might still be burnt off from this level of light.
After a short period of time Hans spoke.
"It is finished, my lord."
I lowered my hands and opened my eyes. There, before me, now stood a modest wooden cabin. Hans took me forward and opened the door. Inside there was only a single moderately sized room but there was no cold air leaking in.
That was the first thing that caught my attention. It was, by all rights, a shelter from the cold. Not only that but there was even some basic furniture and utilities. A small wooden bed that had a mattress filled up one corner of the room. I turned and noticed a small wood furnace in the corner. Summoning some wood I had Hans put a couple pieces in the furnace.
With a small turn of a knob the room was soon filled with a comfortable heat. I smiled brightly and laughed aloud.
"Hans! We did it! We survived!"
Right afterwards I stopped the celebration and looked awkwardly at Hans. However he gave me a reassuring smile.
"It's alright my lord. I am happy to be able to have been able to still serve you. Even without a physical body I am still able to serve my purpose."
Although he said that I still felt guilty. He was the only reason I was still alive. So I swore in my heart that I would do right by him. No matter how long it took I would find a way to pay Hans back for everything.