The first thing Gazei noticed was the silence.
That was very weird since Rin and the others launched a wild New Years party to celebrate the fact the girls managed to get pregnant.
Half the household announcing pregnancies like it was a competitive sport. He had wisely chosen not to investigate timelines, biology, or paternity charts. Instead, he did what any responsible man would do.
He drank.
Specifically, he drank with the only two women not pregnant. Eliza and Honey.
He remembered laughing. He remembered Honey stealing his glass. He remembered Eliza saying something about "investment opportunities in fertility." Then darkness. Then warmth. Eliza on one arm. Honey on the other. Then absolutely nothing.
[Welcome to the Battleworld, mortals!]
"What the hell?"
Gazei shot upright.
Wind lashed across an endless plain of black grass under a bruised purple sky. His long hair spilled over his shoulders like a dramatic reveal he did not approve of. He blinked once. Twice. His body felt wrong. Taller. Denser. Forged instead of grown. Muscles layered over muscle. Veins rising like carved marble lines beneath faint glowing runes across his chest and arms.
He flexed.
The air flexed back.
"Rin," he growled at the sky, "we agreed you wouldn't secretly drug me into having extra muscles after last time."
A low rumble vibrated the air behind him.
Honey rose from the crater she had apparently created upon arrival.
Except she did not merely stand.
She unfolded.
Scales glinted along her bronze skin in elegant tribal patterns that looked etched by living flame. Curved horns framed her face, sweeping back like a war crown. Her eyes burned molten amber, pupils narrow and draconic. Massive wings stretched outward with a thunderous snap, scattering dust in a spiraling shockwave. Her physique was powerful and athletic, every movement coiled with restrained violence.
She stared at her clawed hands.
Then at her reflection in the polished curve of her scaled forearm.
"…I got hotter," she declared reverently.
A sharp metallic click echoed nearby.
Eliza stepped out from behind a fractured monolith, brushing ash off her jacket with clinical annoyance. Dark tactical fabric clung to her frame, reinforced yet stylish, blending gothic punk with high-tech combat design. Straps and buckles lined her outfit, faint neon circuitry glowing subtly along the seams. Heavy boots crushed stone under precise steps. Black eyeliner framed cool, calculating eyes. A silver pendant rested at her throat, glinting like an expensive secret.
She examined her reflection in a shard of crystal and tilted her head.
"…Acceptable," she murmured. "Ten out of ten. Possibly eleven in candlelight."
Gazei turned slowly between them.
Honey's wings cast enormous shadows across the plains, the air around her humming faintly with heat. Eliza's presence felt colder, sharper, like the quiet before a vault alarm ruined someone's entire life.
Then there was him.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Marked with strange runic scars that looked less like wounds and more like inheritance. His long hair shifted in the wind, framing a face carved from stubborn determination and questionable life choices.
Honey squinted at him. "Why do you look like the poster boy for a warrior monastery?"
Eliza crossed her arms. "Mama likes."
Gazei stared at his reflection in Honey's polished horn, then at the dragon woman flexing experimentally as sparks danced along her scales, then at the gothic treasure hunter already scanning the environment like she was pricing it.
He exhaled slowly.
Too bad the world wouldn't let him speak.
[Battleworld is the creation of many bored primordial beings. The world is massive, larger than a galaxy, home to hundreds of thousands of races, filled with opportunities, conquest, betrayal, and primal urges.]
[You are granted a Castle, Tower, Barracks, and Subjects on the Second Island.]
[Summon troops. Raid resources. Manage your people. Grow your kingdom. Dominate the weak and the strong.]
[Newly crowned Lords and Ladies, go forth and conquer! You have one month before the protection period ends and the Monster Flood commences.]
Having read too many books and novels, plus being an artist, voice actor, and lifelong gamer, Gazei quickly figured out the three of them had been reincarnated into a video-game-like world.
"Girls, say 'Profile.' It'll show your stats or whatever," Gazei ordered.
Both of them squealed in excitement.
God, why were the only women he ever got involved with this damn weird?
Name: Gazei Des Hex
Title: King of Drekolt
Age: 21
Height: 10 ft 8 in
Weight: 345 pounds
Race: High Human (Dragon/Demon)
Tier: 1
Class: Force Swordmage
Strength: S+
Magic: S+
Speed: S+
Defense: S+
Magic Defense: S+
Name: Eliza Croft
Title: Queen of the Damned, Lady of Castle Drekolt
Age: 20
Height: 6 ft
Weight: 200 pounds
Race: Cyber Demon (Human)
Measurements: 101/88/96Tier: 1
Class: Vampire
Strength: A+
Magic: SS+
Speed: SS+
Defense: A+
Magic Defense: SS+
Name: Honey Redcloud Smith
Title: Queen of the Horde, Lady of Castle Drekolt
Age: 20
Height: 8 ft
Weight: 245 pounds
Race: Dragon (Human)
Measurements: 105/87/100
Tier: 1
Class: Barbarian
Strength: SS+
Magic: A+
Speed: SS+
Defense: SS+
Magic Defense: A+
[Lady Honey has been blessed by the Dragon Pantheon and the Angelic Pantheon. The draconic hordes are at her command.]
[Lady Eliza has been blessed by the Demonic Pantheon and the Cyber Pantheon. The cybernetic horde of the damned stands at her command.]
[Initiating Lords and Ladies' personal weapons.]
"Ayo what the fuck?!" Gazei hissed.
The system hadn't mentioned anything about him.
Before he could complain further, the moment they finished reading their stats, the world warped.
They were instantly transported.
Straight to their castle.
If you could call it that.
The structure rose from the center of a dense, steaming jungle. Black stone walls climbed high into the mist, twisted spires reaching like claws into the sky. Crimson stained-glass windows glowed faintly from within. Iron balconies curved outward like skeletal ribs. Gargoyles shaped like dragons and horned demons lined the rooftops. Thick vines wrapped around the outer walls, pulsing faintly as if alive.
The air smelled of wet earth and iron.
The entire place looked like a haunted manor had married a war fortress and built a child in the jungle.
The overall atmosphere felt like House on Haunted Hill dropped into the middle of blood-soaked wilderness filled with screaming monkeys from that one movie that showed the monsters until the damn end.
Worse of all the CGI sucked all types of ass.
Seeing their husband getting moody again, both girls stepped in close and kissed his cheeks at the same time.
[Lord Gazei, welcome to Drekolt, home to the demonic and draconic races. Build your empire.]
[To aid your growth, the Gods and Goddesses have granted you companion weapons.]
A weapon materialized in Gazei's right hand.
A sleek sword hilt formed first, forged from dark metal with intricate silver engravings. With a sharp ignition sound, a blade of condensed radiant energy extended outward, humming with contained power. The blade could slice through steel, stone, and magical barriers alike. It could deflect incoming spells, redirecting them with precise angles. The longer it remained active, the brighter it burned.
In his left arm, a circular shield formed, layered with hexagonal energy panels. The C.A. Shield absorbed both physical and magical attacks, storing the energy within its core. At will, Gazei could release that stored power in devastating shockwaves or focused beams.
Honey's weapon descended next.
A massive dragon-forged glaive crashed into the stone before her. The pole was wrapped in scaled leather, the blade shaped like a massive crescent fang glowing with molten veins. Every swing generated shockwaves of compressed air and fire. When slammed into the ground, it could summon spectral draconic warriors formed from pure flame to fight under her command.
She grinned.
"Oh hell yes."
Eliza's weapon appeared silently.
An obsidian scythe unfolded in her grip, its curved blade flickering between solid steel and digital distortion. Purple circuitry pulsed along its edge. The scythe could phase through armor, sever magical connections, and siphon energy from enemies it cut, converting it into temporary stat boosts or empowering her spells. With a flick, it left glitching afterimages in the air.
She spun it once.
The air shimmered.
"…Now this," she said softly, "is profitable."
The trio stepped into the small courtyard outside of the castle.
It was less "royal welcome plaza" and more "ritual site where bad decisions echo forever."
Cracked black stone tiles formed a circular pattern beneath their feet, etched with faintly glowing crimson runes that pulsed like a slow heartbeat. A dry fountain sat in the center, shaped like a coiled dragon devouring a horned demon, both frozen mid-snarl. Dark ivy crawled up broken archways surrounding the courtyard, its leaves thick and glossy, dripping with something that definitely was not water.
Beyond the low walls, the jungle pressed close.
Too close.
Massive trees twisted upward like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. Their trunks were gnarled and scarred, bark split in places to reveal veins of faintly glowing sap. The canopy above blocked most of the light, allowing only narrow beams to pierce through like divine spotlights on a horror stage. Distant shrieks echoed from somewhere deep within the foliage, followed by heavy rustling that suggested something large had just changed direction.
And was reconsidering its life choices.
Or theirs.
To the right of the courtyard stood another structure partially obscured by creeping vines and shadow.
The Barracks.
Unlike the main manor, which leaned fully into haunted aristocracy, the Barracks looked brutally practical.
It was a long, fortress-like building constructed from dark basalt blocks reinforced with iron beams that had been riveted straight through the stone. The roof was slanted and plated with overlapping metal sheets, each etched with defensive runes similar to the ones beneath their feet. Smoke curled lazily from a thick chimney near the rear, carrying the faint scent of coal and hot steel.
Tall, narrow windows lined the sides, barred with black iron. Through them, faint orange light flickered, suggesting torches or forge fires already burning within.
Heavy double doors stood at the front, reinforced with horizontal iron bands. Above them hung a massive carved emblem: a dragon's skull crossed with a demonic blade.
To the left of the entrance yard, training grounds stretched outward. Weapon racks stood in orderly rows. Target dummies shaped like various monstrous silhouettes were planted into the earth. A sparring ring marked with white chalk lines occupied the far corner, the ground there already churned as if it had seen use.
A tall watchtower rose from the back corner of the Barracks compound, its balcony fitted with ballista mounts angled toward the jungle. Thick chains coiled near the base, likely meant for raising defensive gates or barricades.
Honey's eyes lit up immediately.
"Oh yeah," she breathed. "That's where the fun lives."
Eliza tilted her head slightly, analyzing. "Efficient layout. Defensive positioning. Minimal aesthetic waste. I approve."
Gazei folded his arms, staring at the structure.
Eliza's eyes gleamed.
"Oh," she said softly, like someone discovering a private offshore account. "I have infrastructure."
"Wait," She frowned. "These are my troops? Then by that logic Honey's building should be on the other side of the castle, right?"
As if the system enjoyed being predictable, another prompt shimmered into existence in the air to their left.
[Draconic War Foundry Lv 1]
[The Draconic War Foundry can summon drakekin, wyvern riders, flame berserkers, scale knights, and other dragon-blooded warforms.]
[Level 1 Barracks can summon: Drakekin Warriors, Flame Berserkers, Wyvern Hatchlings (Set of 50 Units)]
[Current Capacity: 0 / 500]
[Upgrading Draconic War Foundry requires: 100 Magic Crystals, Lady Honey Lv 2]
Honey's wings flared instinctively, scattering embers across the courtyard.
"Wyvern hatchlings," she whispered, visibly restraining herself from sprinting across the compound immediately. "Oh that's dangerous."
Gazei blinked.
"So we don't even have to go near the buildings to gain information on them," he muttered. "Which means…"
He slowly turned in a circle, scanning the courtyard, the manor, the jungle beyond the walls.
"My guess is that everything within the territory boundary is under our control. Vision, access, command rights. Probably resource tracking too once we unlock it."
Another faint shimmer flickered at the edge of his vision.
[Territory: Drekolt Island – Tier 1 Domain (12 square miles)]
[Haven Island Population: 0]
[Protection Period Remaining: 30 Days]
[Core Structures: Main Castle, Cyber Nexus, Draconic War Foundry]
[Population: 0 Active Units][Morale: —]
[Resources: Wood 0 | Stone 0 | Iron 0 | Food 0 | Magic Crystals 0]
Eliza stared at the "0" across the board.
"…We are economically destitute."
Honey rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck. "We have monsters in the jungle."
Eliza smiled faintly. "Which means we have future assets in the jungle."
Gazei rubbed his face with one large hand.
"Well lets get started."