NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 01 – First Blood
The wind howled through the dense forest, leaves rustling like whispers of danger as Khalid stood face-to-face with the futuristic tank and its ominous commander. His soldiers—five highly trained infantry units—kept their rifles trained on the machine, awaiting his orders. Tension hung thick in the air.
Khalid’s pulse quickened. The woman’s glowing blue eyes were locked on him, cold and calculating. There was no mistaking it—she was a threat, and the sleek, high-tech tank at her command was unlike anything from Earth’s military arsenals.
"You are not from this world, are you?" the woman repeated, her voice icy, reverberating with authority. Her words were like a blade slicing through the tension.
Khalid’s mind raced. The system had thrown him into this new world with power—unimaginable power—but he was still learning its rules. This woman, with her advanced technology, could either be an ally or a deadly enemy. The system’s message echoed in his mind:
New Quest: Survive the Encounter
Objective: Defeat or Negotiate with the Mysterious Commander
"Identify yourself," Khalid commanded, his voice steady but firm, masking the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He didn’t know what this woman’s capabilities were, but the tank behind her spelled destruction. A misstep could mean death.
A smile flickered across her face, cold and devoid of humor. "You can call me Captain Mira of the Iron Dominion." Her gaze swept over his soldiers, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "And you... whoever you are, are in my territory. I suggest you stand down before I turn this into a battlefield."
Khalid gritted his teeth. The system had given him military power, and he wasn’t about to cower now. "I don’t want a fight," he began, trying to buy time, "but I won’t hesitate to defend myself."
Captain Mira chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. "Defend yourself?" She tapped the side of the tank, and the cannon whirred to life, the barrel swinging to aim directly at Khalid. "Against this?"
Khalid felt a cold sweat on his back. He needed to act fast. His mind snapped into battle mode—his military otaku knowledge flashing through strategies and tactics. This wasn’t some video game or anime anymore. This was real, and his life depended on how well he handled this.
"System," Khalid thought, summoning the glowing window.
Summon: Armored Vehicle
Cost: 1000 points.
Available points: 1000.
Without hesitation, Khalid confirmed the summon.
The ground beneath him rumbled as blue light flickered and materialized in the air. In an instant, a heavy, modern military vehicle emerged—a sleek, armored APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) with mounted machine guns, its turret swiveling to face the enemy tank. The soldiers around him let out a breath of awe as they saw the vehicle shimmer into existence.
Khalid didn’t stop there. He wasn’t taking any chances.
Summon: Anti-Tank Infantry Unit
Cost: 500 points.
Available points: 500.
Two more heavily armed soldiers materialized, this time equipped with rocket launchers designed for taking down armored threats. They immediately took up position behind cover, their eyes focused on the tank’s weak points.
Captain Mira’s expression faltered, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
"Impressive," she said, her voice laced with condescension. "But you’re out of your depth, boy."
Khalid didn’t respond. His focus was sharp now, adrenaline fueling his thoughts. He had summoned what he could for now. The points were low, but his mind was on fire with strategies. Every simulation he’d run, every military exercise he’d studied—it was all coming to the forefront now.
"Attack pattern Delta," he ordered his soldiers, his voice cutting through the tension like steel. The infantry units responded instantly, fanning out to take cover behind trees and rocks. The anti-tank units crouched low, ready to fire at his signal. The APC’s turret began to whirr, tracking the tank as its engine hummed menacingly.
For a brief moment, silence fell. The two forces stared each other down, the forest a fragile bubble between them.
Then, the bubble burst.
"FIRE!" Khalid roared.
His command shattered the stillness like a thunderclap. The APC’s machine gun opened up, spitting a hailstorm of bullets toward Captain Mira’s tank. The anti-tank units fired their rockets in perfect unison, streaking through the air toward the armored behemoth.
Captain Mira responded with ruthless efficiency. The tank’s cannon belched fire, the ground shaking with the impact of its explosive shells. Khalid dived for cover as the shell struck near his position, sending a shower of dirt and debris into the air. His soldiers scattered, narrowly avoiding the blast.
The rockets slammed into the tank’s side, detonating with a deafening explosion. Smoke and fire erupted from the impact zone, but when the dust cleared, the tank was still intact—its armor, though scorched, had held firm.
Damn, Khalid thought. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Captain Mira’s voice crackled through the smoke, her tone laced with mocking amusement. "You’ll have to do better than that."
The tank’s machine gun roared to life, spitting bullets toward Khalid’s troops. One of his infantry soldiers went down, a spray of blood marking the forest floor. Khalid clenched his fists, frustration boiling inside him. He was being pushed into a corner.
“Suppressing fire!” he shouted, as his remaining soldiers unleashed a barrage of gunfire, forcing the tank to temporarily halt its assault. The APC maneuvered behind a large rock, providing cover as it continued its assault, the mounted turret laying down heavy fire.
Khalid scanned the battlefield. He needed to outsmart her. Mira’s tank was too heavily armored for a frontal assault. His anti-tank units had barely dented it. He needed to exploit a weakness.
His eyes flickered to the environment around him—the dense forest, uneven terrain, and the slope of the land. An idea sparked.
"Team Alpha, fall back and lure it toward the ravine!" Khalid barked. His soldiers moved quickly, retreating in a coordinated fashion, drawing the tank deeper into the forest. Captain Mira, sensing weakness, gave chase, her tank rolling forward, trees splintering under its weight.
Khalid’s heart pounded in his chest. He needed to time this perfectly. The ravine ahead was hidden by dense foliage, but it was deep enough to trap even a tank if he could just—
"Now!" Khalid shouted.
One of his anti-tank units, stationed at the edge of the ravine, fired its last rocket. This time, it wasn’t aimed at the tank itself but at a massive tree perched precariously near the edge. The explosion shattered the tree's base, sending it crashing down toward the tank.
Mira’s eyes widened as the massive trunk slammed into the tank’s side, pushing it off-balance. The tank's treads slipped, unable to grip the uneven ground, and with a groaning roar, it toppled into the ravine.
The sound of metal grinding against rock echoed through the forest as the tank plunged into the depths, disappearing from sight.
Khalid let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. His soldiers regrouped, their expressions showing relief but also exhaustion.
For a moment, all was still.
But then a voice rang out from the bottom of the ravine—cold and furious.
"You think this is over?"
Captain Mira, battered but unbroken, emerged from the wreckage of her tank, her glowing blue eyes burning with rage. She raised her arm, and a swarm of drones shot up from the ravine, their mechanical wings buzzing like angry hornets.
Khalid’s eyes widened in shock. This fight was far from over.
Captain Mira's drones shot into the air like a swarm of steel hornets, their sleek, angular forms cutting through the darkened sky. Each drone was small but lethal, armed with high-velocity machine guns and miniature rockets. Their mechanical hum grew louder as they spread out, circling Khalid’s position.
Khalid’s breath caught. His anti-tank maneuver had temporarily neutralized Mira’s armor, but now she was coming at him from the skies. He quickly summoned the system window, desperate to find a countermeasure.
System: Military Overlord
Points available: 0
Summon Units: Locked
Logistics: Locked
Damn, Khalid thought, gritting his teeth. His points were drained from summoning the APC and anti-tank units. He was out of resources, and Mira had a whole swarm of death-dealing drones. But retreat was not an option.
His mind raced through tactics. He had always been a strategy nerd, someone who poured over battle plans from military history and war games. Now that knowledge was his only weapon.
"Defensive formation!" Khalid ordered, his voice sharp as steel. His remaining infantry responded instantly, spreading out into a tight defensive perimeter, rifles aimed skyward.
The drones swooped in, their machine guns spitting bullets like a rain of steel. Khalid dove for cover behind the wreckage of a fallen tree as bullets tore through the leaves above. The bark exploded into splinters, peppering his face as the drones strafed the ground.
"Suppressing fire!" he yelled over the chaos, and his soldiers answered with a fierce barrage of gunfire. Tracer rounds lit up the night as they streaked toward the sky, clipping a few of the drones. One spun out of control, crashing into the ground in a fiery explosion, but the others weaved through the hail of bullets with deadly precision.
Captain Mira stood at the edge of the ravine, watching the carnage unfold. Her eyes glowed with an eerie blue light, and her lips curled into a smirk. "You’ll need more than a few foot soldiers to stop my Iron Wasps," she taunted, her voice filled with confidence.
Khalid wiped the sweat from his brow, his mind working furiously. His infantry units couldn’t hold out much longer against these drones. They were fast, agile, and heavily armed. He needed to change the battlefield—level it in his favor.
"APC, cover fire on the drones!" he shouted.
The APC’s turret swiveled, and with a deep, mechanical hum, it opened fire, spraying the skies with rounds from its heavy machine gun. A few more drones were clipped, spiraling down in smoke and flame, but it wasn’t enough. They were too many, too fast.
Khalid knew this battle had to be fought smarter, not harder.
"System," he muttered under his breath. "Show me options for field modifications."
The system interface flickered in front of him, and a new option appeared.
Field Modifications: Basic Barricade
Cost: 200 points
Current Points: 0
He cursed inwardly. The system wasn’t going to give him anything without points, and the situation was escalating fast. He had to think tactically.
Suddenly, an idea sparked. He couldn’t win a straight firefight against these drones, but he could trap them.
"Fall back!" Khalid commanded, signaling his infantry. "Move to the tree line, now!"
His soldiers retreated in quick, disciplined movements, firing as they fell back. The dense forest provided some natural cover, but more importantly, the thick branches overhead would limit the drones' mobility.
As Khalid sprinted toward the tree line, his heart pounded in his chest. Every instinct told him this was where the battle would turn. If he could lure the drones into a confined space, they’d be forced to come lower, closer to the ground where his soldiers had the advantage.
The drones followed, their mechanical whine growing louder as they entered the forest. The canopy above was thick with ancient trees, their branches like the interwoven fingers of giants. The drones slowed, their aerial acrobatics hampered by the tight space.
"Now!" Khalid shouted, slamming his fist into the dirt as his infantry units opened fire with everything they had.
The sound of gunfire tore through the air, echoing off the trees. The drones, now forced into a lower altitude, became vulnerable. One by one, they were hit—some spiraled into the trees, smashing into the branches before exploding in bright bursts of flame. Another slammed into the forest floor, its wreckage skidding across the dirt before erupting into a ball of fire.
Captain Mira narrowed her eyes, watching from a distance. She wasn’t laughing anymore. Her drones were being picked off, their agility nullified by the dense forest. Khalid was forcing her hand.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Khalid’s system window chimed.
Quest Update: Defeat or Negotiate with the Mysterious Commander
Bonus Objective Unlocked: Secure Captain Mira's Drone Command Module
Reward: 1000 Points
Progress: 0/1
A new quest—Secure Captain Mira’s Drone Command Module. That was it. That was how she controlled these drones. If he could destroy or capture the module, the drones would be rendered useless.
Khalid’s eyes darted back to Mira, who was still standing atop the ridge, her glowing eyes watching the battlefield like a queen surveying her kingdom. She was controlling the drones from there. He needed to get close to her.
"Hold the line!" Khalid shouted to his troops. "I’m going after the commander!"
Without waiting for a response, Khalid sprinted toward the ravine, weaving through the trees as the sounds of battle echoed around him. His heart pounded in his ears, but his focus was razor-sharp. He had to move fast. Mira wouldn’t expect a direct assault.
As he neared the ridge, he saw the faint glow of Mira’s command module—a sleek, wrist-mounted device strapped to her arm. It pulsed with blue light, sending commands to the drones in real-time.
Khalid narrowed his eyes. If he could get close enough to disable or destroy that module, the battle would be over.
Mira noticed his approach. Her smile returned, this time laced with mockery.
"You really think you can take me on, boy?" she sneered, raising her arm. The remaining drones buzzed to life, surrounding her like an impenetrable shield of whirling blades and firepower. "I admire your courage, but this is where you die."
Khalid didn’t slow down. His mind raced, analyzing the situation. The drones were protecting her like an automated defense system, but that also meant her movement was restricted. She couldn’t move without the drones adjusting around her.
He needed a distraction—something to break her concentration for just a moment.
Then, it hit him.
"APC!" Khalid shouted into his wrist communicator. "Fire at my position, 20 meters to the right!"
The APC, still holding its ground in the forest, swiveled its turret toward Khalid’s location. The ground shook as the vehicle fired a heavy round, sending it screaming toward the ridge.
Mira’s eyes widened in surprise. The shell detonated near the edge of the cliff, kicking up a cloud of dirt and debris. For a split second, Mira’s drones faltered, shifting to intercept the blast.
That was all the opening Khalid needed.
He launched himself forward, sprinting up the ridge with every ounce of strength he had left. His eyes locked onto the command module. Mira, momentarily distracted by the explosion, didn’t see him coming until it was too late.
Khalid leapt at her, grabbing her arm and slamming her wrist into the ground. The command module sparked and whined as it hit the dirt, blue energy crackling from its circuits.
"No!" Mira screamed, struggling to break free, but Khalid held her down. With a quick, decisive motion, he slammed his fist into the module, crushing it against the ground.
The moment the device shattered, the drones overhead froze in midair. Their buzzing stopped, and one by one, they fell from the sky like dead birds, crashing into the ground with dull thuds.
Mira’s eyes widened in shock, her glowing blue irises dimming as the drones collapsed around her. Khalid stood over her, breathing heavily, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins.
"You... you destroyed them," she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.
Khalid straightened, his gaze hard as steel. "This fight is over."
Quest Complete: Defeat or Negotiate with the Mysterious Commander
Bonus Objective Complete: Secure Captain Mira's Drone Command Module
Reward: 1000 Points
The system chimed softly, but Khalid wasn’t celebrating. This was just the beginning. He had survived his first real fight in this strange new world, but there were more questions than answers. Captain Mira had mentioned the Iron Dominion—an empire, perhaps? And she was just one of their soldiers.
Who were they? And what else lay hidden in this world?
Khalid didn’t know, but one thing was clear: the war had only just begun.
Khalid stood over the defeated Captain Mira, his chest heaving with exhaustion. The wreckage of her drones littered the forest floor like the remains of a broken hive. His heart still pounded from the intensity of the battle, but he couldn’t afford to relax just yet.
His soldiers emerged from the tree line, weary but alive. The smell of burning metal and singed earth filled the air as smoke rose from the destroyed drones. Khalid’s eyes never left Mira, who lay on the ground, clutching her shattered command module. The blue light in her eyes had dimmed, but her defiance remained.
"You have no idea what you’ve just done," Mira hissed, her voice sharp with bitterness. "The Iron Dominion will hunt you down. This is just the beginning."
Khalid clenched his fists. He knew she was right. This was a world of powerful factions, and if Mira’s Iron Dominion was as advanced as her technology suggested, he had just declared war on a force much larger than himself. But that didn’t matter. He wasn’t about to back down.
"I don’t care who the Iron Dominion is," Khalid replied, his voice cold and resolute. "You attacked me first. I’m not going to let anyone control my fate—not here, not ever."
Mira’s laugh was dry, almost mocking. "You think you’re strong because you’ve defeated me? You haven’t seen the true power of the Dominion. You’re nothing but an ant in their path."
Khalid stared down at her, his mind racing. He had no doubt that more enemies were coming. His military system had given him the tools to fight, but he needed more than just brute force. He needed allies, resources, and knowledge about this world.
But first, he had to deal with Mira.
"Tell me about the Iron Dominion," Khalid demanded. "What do they want?"
Mira spat on the ground, glaring up at him. "The Dominion wants everything. We rule over technology and conquest. Your world—whatever backwater dimension you came from—is irrelevant. You’ll either serve us, or you’ll be crushed."
Khalid frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that. "And what about you?" he asked. "What do you want?"
Mira’s expression softened, but only for a moment. Her eyes flickered with something resembling sorrow, but it was gone in an instant. "I want survival. Same as anyone else." She turned her gaze away, staring at the wreckage of her fallen drones. "But survival under the Dominion isn’t always a choice. You’ll understand soon enough."
Khalid’s grip tightened on his rifle. He wasn’t ready to leave her alive, but something about her words gave him pause. This world was full of dangers, and information was his most valuable weapon. Killing Mira now might close doors he needed open.
Before he could decide, the system chimed again, cutting through the tense silence.
Quest Update: Handle Captain Mira
Options: Execute, Capture, or Negotiate
Rewards Vary
Khalid took a deep breath, weighing his options. Killing her might end the threat now, but he was in a foreign land, facing an unknown enemy. Keeping her alive could provide him with insight, maybe even a bargaining chip.
"Stand down, Mira," Khalid said firmly. "You’re my prisoner now. You’ll help me understand this world, or you’ll stay at the mercy of the system."
Mira glared at him, hatred burning in her eyes, but she didn’t resist. "You think taking me prisoner will save you from the Dominion? You’re a fool."
"Maybe," Khalid replied. "But I’m still alive, and you’re still here. That tells me I’m doing something right."
He gestured for two of his soldiers to secure her. They moved swiftly, binding her hands and taking her weapons. Khalid watched as they lifted her to her feet. She stood defiant, but there was no denying her defeat.
As his men led Mira away, Khalid turned his attention back to the battlefield. The smoke from the drones was starting to clear, revealing more of the ravine and the landscape beyond. This place wasn’t just another world—it was a battlefield, and he was standing on ground that was likely contested by multiple powers.
The system window flickered to life once more, offering him more details.
World Overview Unlocked: The Realm of Drathis
- A land divided by warring factions, powerful empires, and ancient forces.
- Technology and magic coexist in a fragile balance.
- Major powers include the Iron Dominion, the Shattered Kingdoms, the Arcane Coalition, and rogue forces that defy all governance.
New Objective: Establish a Stronghold
- Find a location to create a base of operations.
- Secure resources and begin military fortifications.
- Protect your forces from the dangers of Drathis.
Khalid’s heart raced as he read the information. This wasn’t just survival anymore—he had to build something here. A fortress. An army. A place where he could not only survive but thrive. The system was pushing him into the role of a commander, a leader of men and machines in a land that was as foreign as it was dangerous.
He scanned the horizon, his mind already strategizing. He needed to find a place that was defensible, but also rich in resources. Somewhere he could summon more units, build more vehicles, and expand his military forces. But more than that, he needed to establish himself in this world, to be more than just a wanderer or an outcast.
Khalid turned to his remaining troops, their faces hardened from battle but still loyal, still ready to follow him. "We’re not done yet," he said, his voice filled with determination. "We need to move. Find a place we can defend, somewhere we can regroup and plan our next move."
One of his infantrymen, a veteran sergeant by the look of him, stepped forward. "Sir, we’ve scouted the area. There’s an old fortress about five clicks north, looks abandoned. It could be just what we need."
Khalid nodded, the wheels in his mind turning. An abandoned fortress could be the perfect place to start. "Good work, sergeant. Let’s move out. We need to reach that fortress before nightfall."
As they prepared to march, Khalid couldn’t shake the feeling that something far bigger was at play here. He had been transported to this world with a system that gave him military power, but why? Who had brought him here, and what was their ultimate goal?
The mysteries piled up, but one thing was clear: Khalid wasn’t just fighting for survival anymore. He was fighting for control. And if he was going to survive in Drathis, he’d have to become more than a soldier.
He’d have to become a conqueror.
With Captain Mira in tow, and his soldiers ready for the march ahead, Khalid led the way into the unknown, his mind already calculating the next battle. The system hummed in the back of his thoughts, a constant reminder of his newfound power.
The world of Drathis had no idea what was coming.