Rise of the Horde-Chapter 416 -

The orcish horde, a sea of muscular flesh and iron, surged through the gates of the town that was in dire need of repair. Ten thousand prisoners, their faces pale with fear, shuffled along, guarded by the triumphant orcs.

Arkagarr, the Warband Master of the 1st Warband who had tipped the scales of the battle, carried by some Rakshas at the head of the procession. His armor now non-existent, his bare chest riddled with gashes was on full display, a testament to how brutal the fight was . The cheers of the orcs echoed around him, a deafening roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the town.

Khao'khen, the chieftain, descended from the ramparts. He approached Arkagarr, his eyes full of pride for the hero of the battle.

"You have earned the admiration of the horde, Arkagarr," Khao'khen boomed, his voice a rumble that could be felt as much as heard. "You are a warrior worthy of your title"

Arkagarr grunted, a deep, guttural sound that belied his weariness. "It was all thanks to the chieftain's protection, that mysterious power, that protected me" he replied, his gaze turned towards the figure of the golden wolf not fa away.

Khao'khen's face had the look of confusion. "But your strength was the hammer that shattered their defenses. You brought us the victory we needed." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the captive army. "Tell me, Arkagarr, do you know anything about the shield that protected the horde from their magic?"

It was now Arkagarr's turn to be confused. "Wasn't that your doing, chieftain?"

Khao'khen's brow furrowed.

"It all came from the golden wolf," Arkagarr said. "You were the one who had given us the figure of the golden wolf to protect us. A totem which was an extension of your power."

Khao'khen scratched the back of his head, "Ah! So that was it", he acted as if he just remembered it now that he was reminded by Arkagarr, "Must have slipped off my mind."

Khao'khen turned to the crowd, a look of of confusion still flickering in his eye. "Tonight, We will celebrate," he declared, his voice regaining its authority. In the midst of the raucous celebrations,

Khao'khen, the enigmatic chieftain of Yohan, stood apart, his mind still grappling with the origin of the mysterious power that had shielded the horde during the battle. It was a conundrum that intrigued and perplexed him. Little did he know that his silent companion, the long-dormant system, was about to stir back to life.

The system, which had lain dormant for an extended period, suddenly sprang back into action, its screens casting an eerie glow upon the chieftain's face. He had assumed it to be defunct, plagued as it was with errors, yet here it was, unexpectedly reactivated. The system's assistance had been invaluable to him in the past, and he knew that with the horde's support, he could persevere without it, but the ease and efficiency it provided would be sorely missed.

The system's reactivation added a new layer of security to him, and he wondered if there was some connection between the two occurrences. The chieftain's curiosity about the totems and their connection to the mysterious power remained unabated, and he was determined to uncover the truth. Little did he know that this silent system reactivation would soon provide him with the answers.

//Greetings host!//

//I believe a proper introduction has long been overdue//

The familiar voice in his head came once again, telling him that the system had finally sprung back to life.

//Assessment Completion Detected//

//Calculating Results of the Assessment...//

//Calculating Remaining Host Life Force//

Khao'khen got alarmed when he heard the voice of the system mention about his life force. A year had no passed yet for him in this new world and the mention of the phrase "Life Force" had triggered his alarm bells. "What's with the life force thing", he questioned the system.

//It was to find out if you have passed the creator's assessment or not, host//

"Assessment? What assessment?" Khao'khen continued to ask.

//The assessment if you are worthy of the creator's gift which is me, the system//

The statement resounded in his mind with the utmost certainty.

"What kind of assessment was it?" Khao'khen's mind was deeply troubled by the system's statement.

//It was to assess if you would abuse the power of the system to exact your revenge upon those who had wrong you...Errors Detected...Scanning Error Log//

The system suddenly went silent and a series of numbers and letters filled up the screen that was on Khao'khen's face. With how quick the system scroll, he had no idea what they were.

//I don't know if you are lucky or unfortunate//

The system's voice was still as emotionless as ever but the phrase that it had just said made Khao'khen raise an eyebrow, "What? How?"

//Your soul was taken to another universe not where you were supposed to be at. Chaotic entities had taken an interest in your soul because of my presence. They tried to consume your soul before I can fully integrate with it, so that they can take my core, the creator's spark of divinity.//

"Eh?" Khao'khen's confusion heightened after hearing such things.

//The security measures designed by the creator was activated to protect your soul from destruction which in turn drained the power contained in my core, the creator's spark of divinity.//

"Wait...wait...wait...Slow down. First off, explain to me about the assessment thing...in simpler terms for me to understand." Khao'khen's voice was filled with complaint.

//First off...The creator designed an assessment to assess whether the host that was chosen is worthy of his gift. You could say that the assessment carried a bit of the creator's mischievousness. The first 90 days of the host possessing the system was the assessment, the more that the host uses the system in those days, the more that his life force would be drained as the system would be using his life force to function in the period of assessment.//

"What the actual f*ck!" Khao'khen exclaimed. He knew that if he was in his previous world he would have used the system in the 1st few days alone to exact his revenge upon those who had wronged him. "What would happen if the host fails the assessment?"

//Death//

//The host would simply just die and the system would be in search again of a new host to integrate to. That was the creator's bit of mischief. He would grant a vengeful soul the power to exact his vengeance but would also kill the host right after, none have survive the creator's arrangement so far. All the previous hosts had failed the assessment.//

"Previous hosts?" Khao'khen's mind started racing after finding out that there were those who had previously possessed the system. "How many were the previous hosts?"

//Scanning Logs//

//Scan Complete//

//Current Host's Number: 5,271,997//

"That's a lot of previous hosts" Khao'khen was shocked seeing the number of more than 5 million.

//As I have said before, none have passed the creator's arrangement before. You are the first, perhaps by luck or fate. You being brought to this world by those chaotic entities have played a crucial part in you passing the creator's assessment.

//Total Life Force: 49 years//

//Number of Life Force Expended: 4 years//

//Life Force: 45 years//

//Result: Excellent//

Khao'khen stared at the displayed information on the screen. He just had 49 years to live at this new world which was not that bad considering the state of this world. "Why appear again just now?"

//My core's energy was replenished just now//

"Replenish how?" Khao'khen was puzzled on how was the system's core able to replenish its energy.

//Have you forgotten quickly what is my core, host. It's a spark of divinity that feeds on the power of faith.//

"Faith? I am no deity nor a god", confusion still consuming Khao'khen's mind.

//Yes, you are no deity nor a god, but some treats you as one//

Khao'khen's raised an eyebrow on the system's statement.

//The orcs under your leadership host. You seemed to have underestimated their power to believe on things that they want to believe in. They believe that you are powerful with some treating you as a new god with the things that you have displayed to them.//

Khao'khen's eyes widened as the realization of the orcs' faith in him sank in. He had not considered the extent of their devotion, nor the impact it could have on the system's core. "So, it was their faith that revived you?" he asked, his voice a mixture of awe and curiosity.

//Affirmative// The system replied.

//Their unwavering belief in your power and the golden wolf that they treated as an extension of you served as a conduit, channeling their collective faith to recharge my core.//

A wry smile formed on Khao'khen's face as he considered the implications. "It seems I owe a lot to their belief. Their faith has quite literally become my shield and my strength."