Even Charles hadn’t anticipated the extent of Daniel’s methods.
Charles had originally planned to merely steal the Primordial Core Weapons from the Artists, hitting them hard with a surprise loss.
But now, even Charles—the man known as the most ruthless merchant alive—was stunned. Daniel’s approach wasn’t just about making the Artists bleed.
He had swallowed them whole.
Saying he had stripped them to the bone wouldn’t even begin to describe it.
If Charles were on the scene right now, he would probably be roaring at Daniel in disbelief:
"Tell me the truth—who’s the real black-hearted merchant here?!"
Above the heads of countless Artists, streaks of glowing "meteors" rained down from the skies.
Within seconds, they were all dead.
Some had died peacefully in their sleep—never even knowing what had hit them.
Others were less fortunate. They awoke just in time to see their bodies smashed into pulp—an image so horrifying, they couldn’t even die with dignity.
Once everything was in place, Daniel left the clean-up to his clones and his Spirits of Skills. He, himself, vanished from the city.
...
Twenty minutes later—
The elite advance units dispatched by the Human Emperor began arriving one after another.
These were the best of the best—battle-hardened veterans, known for their decisiveness and mobility.
But when they stepped into the Artist City, they were met with a sight that completely shattered their expectations.
They had prepared for a fierce, drawn-out battle. What they got instead... was a field of corpses.
What... what was going on here?
Why were there nothing but dead Artists sprawled across the city?
Could it really be that Daniel alone was responsible for this massacre?
The soldiers were visibly shaken. None of them had expected such a one-sided bloodbath.
Artist City was drenched in blood.
Occasionally, a few lucky stragglers tried to flee—but they quickly realized escape was impossible.
Before leaving, Daniel had locked down the entire city using his authority as mayor.
There was no way out.
For the Artists, there was only despair... or the release of death.
To be fair, Artist City truly was the pinnacle of their civilization’s intellect and innovation.
Though [Meteor Arrow Rain] had caused massive destruction during the assault, the city possessed a self-repairing system.
Within minutes, even the most devastated structures began rebuilding themselves.
"Alright, enough gawking. Let’s move out and head to the location His Highness Daniel specified."
"I can’t believe it... His Highness Daniel took care of the Artists all by himself."
"I heard the Human Emperor has already issued new orders—other squads are being deployed to eliminate any remaining Artists."
"Hey, didn’t the Artists supposedly have a terrifying weapon? Something called the Primordial Core Weapon?"
"I’m guessing His Highness Daniel took care of that too. Wouldn’t be surprised if he has them now."
"Unreal... Daniel is too incredible. If I remember correctly, hasn’t he only been awakened for, like, two days?!"
"At this point, I don’t even think we’re the same species."
"This world really doesn’t play fair. I used to think I was a genius, but next to Daniel, I’m garbage."
"Alright, enough chatter. Whatever happened, the Human Emperor will surely make an announcement soon."
"Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel ends up replacing the Human Emperor altogether."
"Replace? Come on, you don’t need to be a prophet to see that coming."
...
Soon, one of the advance units reached Daniel’s clone.
In this location, a small group of Artists had awakened—but they were all completely immobilized.
Their powers had been stripped away, leaving them with just enough strength to speak.
They couldn’t move. They couldn’t resist. They couldn’t even kill themselves.
As soon as the vanguard team arrived, Daniel’s clone vanished instantly.
The squad leader stepped forward and used his communicator to scan each of the prisoners, then sent a report to HQ.
"We’ve reached the designated location and secured the target Artists."
"Proceeding to Phase Two: memory extraction."
...
Human Northern Frontier
The largest library in the entire northern region was located within Winterhold Castle.
And right now, that library was overwhelmed with activity.
Crates upon crates of books were being shipped in by the minute.
The strange scene drew the attention of many curious residents, and speculation began to swirl.
"What’s with all the books? Why are they bringing in so many at once?"
"I’m not entirely sure... but I heard they’re from the Artist libraries."
"The Artists’ books?"
The moment that phrase was uttered, several nearby awakeners perked up instantly.
For most awakeners, leveling up wasn’t just about fighting. Knowledge was just as important—sometimes more so.
And for scholars in particular, knowledge was their lifeblood.
As soon as they rushed into the library and laid eyes on the shelves filled with Artist books, they lit up like children in a candy store.
"Oh my god... so this is how you’re supposed to mix that potion?!"
"What?! This... this is a mechanical principle I’ve never even seen before!"
In that moment, it was as if the world had opened up before them.
Familiar theories had evolved. Principles they had long taken for granted now had new applications.
And even more astonishing—there were completely new disciplines they had never encountered, not even in passing.
It was undeniable: the Artist theories were a treasure trove for the human race.
Many of their fields of study far surpassed anything humanity had achieved.
Before long, even the scholars from the Royal Society arrived—rushing madly to the northern frontier just to gain access to this once-in-a-lifetime resource.
The moment they laid eyes on those first-hand materials, they were hooked.
At that moment, in the eyes of the human race—
Winterhold Castle was no longer just a stronghold.
It had become the new capital of humanity.
And thanks to the Artist books, its importance had grown exponentially.
Even a fool could see it now:
The future of the human race would be born from this city, standing tall amid the snow and wind.
Before all of this, Winterhold Castle had never been considered a major stronghold within human territory.