Drahon sat in a comfy chair, a table in front of him where a map was laid open.
A glass of non-alcoholic wine stood beside the map and Drahon occasionally took a sip from it as he stared blankly at the map, not sure he understood what was written there.
It had been an hour since he came to the kingdom. Firstly, he had examined the place, seeing that it looked like a normal medieval kingdom.
He was without his horns and that was because he had used his horn Shroud skill, which concealed them.
Almost everyone wore tunics, the usual, while some from the ’higher’ class wore what he considered elevated tunics.
Drahon didn’t know what it took to be a ruler and just by staring at this map, he was getting a lot of headaches already.
Let’s say he had read almost all types of novels. NovelHubs, light novels, traditional novels, system novels, thrillers, and even sci-fis, but the one he hadn’t read before is kingdom building novels.
The orphanage library didn’t have books that specifically focused on kingdom building or even ruling a kingdom.
But there were similar books though, like medieval kingdoms going to war and this sort of battle and all that.
Now, he had to rule a kingdom, do so many stuffs he was too young for!
By kingdom building, readers might think it’s all about building a kingdom.
Well, that is not necessarily what Drahon was to do in this level. Of course, he would be building his kingdom but it was more of acting like one of those medieval kings.
That meant him giving orders, commanding what to repair and what not to, and doing the normal stuff a king was to do.
The room he was seated in was scented with the sweet smell of lavender, coupled with another sweet-smelling perfume, a mix of rose and..., fresh baked bread?
It was from the door.
"Come in," he said. "It’s opened."
A beautiful looking maid walked inside. She had good curves and a sexy body but Drahon wasn’t paying attention to all those details.
Even though the maid had a busty front that seemed to be not too well covered, Drahon wasn’t staring too intently.
She was holding a tray which contained a freshly baked bread.
Drahon was now attracted, by the bread. But he acted calm, like it was just a mere tray that was facing him.
"For you, m’lord," the maid said and bowed.
"From who?" Drahon asked casually. Of course, he shouldn’t be asking where the bread was from but oh well.
The maid seemed to be amused by the question.
"From the kingdom’s chef, m’lord."
The maid simply bowed and took her leave.
Drahon stared at the bread, his mouth watering. He took it in his hands and took a bite, impressed with how good it was, having this incredible texture in his mouth.
Since sitting here, he hadn’t really done anything progressive.
In fact, he was confused even.
But then, he remembered that the rune guide had said that his system would give him more info.
"Ok," he began, talking to himself. "Let’s get this done."
Firstly, he summoned his system stats. From the previous fights, he must have gained an addition in his core stats. And so he only summoned his core stats:
• Intelligence: 48 [+2]
He had gotten little increase in all of them. Well, it was expected as that was a short battle.
• Draconic Essence: 104/1000 [+30]
He had gotten quite some draconic essence.
He stroked his beardless chin as he stared at it.
"Why did I...," he paused. "Well, why did you absorb essence from those berserk beings. Aren’t they human?"
The runes flickered softly.
[They are humans but not normal humans. In this world you are in, there are many types of opposition apart from the seven kingdoms surrounding you. With you there is an eighth kingdom but the primitive groups all around make it many more.]
[These sorts of people are what the game terms "Feral-kin." Descendants of once-human clans who’ve long been corrupted by wild essence, forbidden rituals, and primal worship.]
[Their minds are fractured, driven more by instinct than reason. Though technically human, their bodies have evolved, twisted, to adapt to the savagery of the untamed lands they inhabit.]
[They possess monstrous strength and heightened senses. Their essence is unstable... but potent.]
[Because of your current class and body type, the system has deemed you compatible with primal essence, including that of Feral-kin. Absorbing it will not corrupt you. Instead, it enhances your affinity for raw, unrefined power— as usual.]
[In short: they are human in origin, monster in nature. To the system, they are viable targets.]
Drahon stared at the runes thoughtfully, feeling the urge to stroke his beards out of impulse but refrained from that and instead stood up, shoving the last portion of the bread into his mouth and gulping down the contents in the glass of wine down his throat.
He walked to the ends of the room and then to the other, trying to think.
The runes had flickered away, ready to be summoned whenever Drahon wanted to.
Drahon suddenly frowned, like he just remembered something, then asked:
"Why do they know I’m their lord but seem to have forgotten my name? Even the wild humans I fought an hour ago."
[When you were transported into this world, the memories of the people around you were slightly altered,] the system replied.
[They still recognize your authority, your position as their ruler, but the details, like your name, were overwritten to match your presence.]
[It’s a system adjustment. They accept you as their lord without questioning why, even if they can’t recall exactly who you were before.]
[To them, you’ve always been here. Just... without a name that sticks.]
Drahon nodded in the affirmative.
"Ok, so now that I’ve told them my name, they just..., agree?"
[Yes. Now that you’ve stated your name, it settles into their memory like it was always meant to be,] the system replied.
[From this point on, they’ll recognize and respond to you as Lord Drahon without confusion.]
"I see," he muttered to himself. He honestly didn’t know what to ask again.
His system intervened.
[Would you like to see your kingdom’s stat?]
Drahon furrowed a brow. He didn’t quite understand that but nodded in the affirmative.
The runes showed his stats, all at once:
[System Overview – Kingdom Status: Dragon Kingdom]
Minor Kingdom (Underdeveloped)
Population: ~1,200 (Significantly reduced after recent raid)
Food Reserves: 36% – dwindling
Remaining Knights: 54 (from 120)
Archers: 89 (under-equipped)
Militia: 230 (lightly trained villagers)
Siege Units: None remaining
Defensive Walls: Breached – partial collapse on northern side
Combat Mages: 3 novice-level fire mages
Main Keep: Damaged but functional
Villages: 2 razed, 3 weakened
Farms: 5 active (yields reduced)
Blacksmith: Functional, low-grade weaponry only
Training Grounds: Damaged – limited recruitment possible
Healer’s Hut: Undermanned
Tax Collection: Halted due to unrest
Trade Routes: Inactive (bandits and war threats nearby)
Nearby Hostiles: Wildfang Clans (East), Emberhold Kingdom (South)