The continent of Karos is a cruel and unforgiving land, where war is a normal daily occurrence.
Karos has many nations and territories ruled by royalty and nobility.
At the top, three great empires compete for dominance.
Home of the most unique and horrifying animal ,monsters bigger than anything you can imagine, tree's that taller than a mountain on horizons.
A world of sword and magic.
My name is Lakh. I am twenty-three years old… well, actually, twelve years old now.
In my past life on Earth, I was a civil engineer.
I had been enlisted in the army, but unfortunately I died in a car accident.
I vividly remember my past life, except for my real name and the exact details of how I died. Two months ago, I transmigrated into this world.
According to my mother, I almost died from a fever. When I woke up, my memories returned.
Seriously, what kind of world is this where even a simple cold can kill someone? I miss my computer.
I miss my house. I miss my bed. My back hurts from sleeping on hay on a cold wooden floor.
Normally, in novels, if you reincarnate, you're born as a noble, a bastard son, or an unruly prince.
But me?
I was born as a serf.
Yes. A serf.
For those who don't know, serfs are farm workers under nobles.
We are not slaves, but we are not commoners either.
Most serfs are migrants who were allowed to stay in the land under the condition that they become serfs and pay for citizenship.
If you're wondering why people agree to live under these conditions, it's because of protection.
Protection from bandits, slave traders, and monsters.
Yes .
monsters are everywhere.
Have you ever seen a mouse as big as a car?
A mantis that actively hunts humans for food?
Or a horde of goblins that eat men and rape human women?
It's common news for a lord's domain to be wiped out by monsters, with every citizen killed.
Just a month ago, my father heard that his brother died in a monster attack. A land dragon destroyed their village, killing over a thousand people.
That village had a thousand citizens and more than a hundred men who could fight.
Compared to that, this place is nothing just a small domain ruled by an independent lord not affiliated with any country.
If a land dragon attacked here, everyone would be wiped out.
Lords and nobles are usually swordsmen or mages with high combat ability.
People serve under them in exchange for protection. Most lords have at least five knights or more who assist them in battle.
For f*ck's sake, I was furious when I realized I had been reincarnated into this pre-medieval world.
The good news is that I'm still twelve, so I don't have to work the fields yet.
The bad news? When I turn fifteen, I'll be considered an adult and will have to farm for the rest of my life.
There are only three ways for a serf to escape this status.
First: become a commoner.
Save enough money to buy your citizenship.
Second: become a slave. Sell yourself for money. Many families sell their extra children to avoid feeding too many mouths, but thankfully my parents are not those kinds of animals.
Third: become a warrior, scholar, knight, or mage.
Everyone dreams of becoming a knight. All you need is to be able to use a sword and have enough mana to be accepted as an apprentice between the ages of seven and fifteen.
Bad news I'm already twelve, and according to my parents, I have no talent for mana.
I'm losing my mind.
Why can't I have cheat abilities like other anime or manhwa protagonists?
Why am I stuck in this situation?
Lakh sighed deeply.
There's no point crying over spilled milk.
Here's the plan I've been cooking up for the past two months. When I turn fifteen, I'll enlist in a knight's private army and join the war. War pays well, and according to the law, all loot earned in battle cannot be confiscated.
For the next three years, I need to prepare.
I need a weapon, armor—at least leather—and proper sword training.
My family can't even afford a sword. My best option is to save up money. If I can't, I'll buy a spear instead, since it uses less copper and is much cheaper.
This world doesn't have iron.
All weapons and armor are made of copper.
So my best option is to make my own weapon.
Luckily, my past life as a civil engineer gives me a huge advantage.
First, I need to make sure I can survive until I turn fifteen. That means making sure I won't starve or freeze to death during winter.
As the eldest son, I'm not forced to work the fields. I only do household chores, so I have plenty of free time.
Alright. Let's think.
In this harsh medieval world, what is the first thing I need to survive?
Food?
Shelter?
Clothes?
No.
A weapon.
Without a weapon, you're helpless.
What if bandits attack my house?
What if wild animals attack?
What if some local pedophile uncle sneaks in at night?
So the first thing I need is a weapon.
Copper weapons cost twelve copper coins—almost a week's salary for an adult.
I can't afford that.
So I decided to make my own knife.
My options:
Stone
Obsidian
Animal bones
Stone is easy to sharpen, but it's brittle.
Obsidian is perfect, but we live in flatlands far from any volcanoes.
That leaves animal bones.
Trivia:
One and a half million years ago on Earth, animal bones were among the first materials used for weapons, besides stone and wood.
Bone blades are sharp and have good edge retention.
Thankfully, my father throws animal bones into our backyard.
The village doesn't use bones for stew because our knives can't split them open.
I found several thigh bones from a Huruk a native animal in Karos, similar to a mix between a bull and a deer. It's larger, taller, and omnivorous.
Huruks are known to hunt goblins and kobolds.
Perfect material.
Huruk bones are ideal for making knives and arrowheads.
I gathered two large thigh bones and as much sinew as I could find.
Sinew is perfect for making bowstrings.
After collecting everything, I tied them together with a hay rope I made a week ago and carried them to the riverbank about five hundred meters away.
The river is relatively safe since the lord's soldiers patrol the area daily.
The forest is dense and lush, filled with tall trees wider than a human's body.
The air is fresh, birds chirp loudly, and everything looks peaceful.
But this forest is home to monsters.
So everyone has to be careful when entering it.