Chapter 3 Chapter 3

As Kael climbed the mountain trail, the silver light flickered between the trees while memories from a future that no longer existed raced through his mind.

This shouldn’t be happening.

In his previous life, the inheritance hidden within these mountains had remained undiscovered for another twenty years before an ambitious explorer stumbled upon it by accident. The discovery had shaken the continent because the cave contained one of the greatest military legacies ever found, turning an unknown mercenary into a legendary commander almost overnight.

Yet the entrance was already open. Kael pushed aside a curtain of vines and stopped.

A narrow opening had appeared within the mountainside, and faint silver light spilled from the darkness beyond.

His heartbeat quickened.

The future was changing far faster than he expected. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

The temperature dropped immediately. Cold air brushed against his skin as silence swallowed the sounds of the outside world, and the deeper he ventured into the cave, the stronger the feeling became that he was walking through a forgotten piece of history.

Ancient murals covered the stone walls.

Kael slowed his pace.

The paintings depicted vast armies marching beneath banners he didn’t recognize, massive fortresses rising above conquered lands, and a warrior dressed in black armor standing at the center of every scene.

General Arcturus Vale.

Even after centuries, his legend remained famous. The founder of the Kingdom of Valecrest. The undefeated commander who had united dozens of warring territories before his empire vanished from history.

Kael continued deeper into the cave, his footsteps echoing through the darkness as broken weapons littered the ground around him, including rust-covered swords, shattered shields, and rotting banners that had long since become relics of a forgotten age. Human skeletons rested against the walls as though they had died waiting for something that never came.

A chill ran through him.

None of these people had succeeded. All of them had come seeking the inheritance and all of them had failed.

The tunnel eventually widened into a massive underground chamber.

Kael stopped.

At the center stood a sealed stone door covered in glowing runes.

His eyes narrowed.

This was it.

The entrance to the inheritance chamber. In his previous life, countless scholars spent years trying to understand the mechanism protecting this place.

Kael already knew the answer.

He approached the door and pressed his palm against the center.

The runes immediately flared with light, and a mechanical voice echoed throughout the chamber as it announced, “Inheritance Candidate Detected; Evaluating Qualification; Qualification Accepted.”

The massive stone door trembled before slowly opening. A gust of ancient air escaped from within.

Kael stepped forward.

The final chamber was unlike anything he expected. Rows of stone pillars surrounded a vast hall illuminated by pale blue crystals, and at the center rested a throne carved from black stone.

Upon that throne sat a skeleton. Even after centuries, the remains radiated authority.

A weathered crown rested upon its skull. Ancient armor covered its bones. A sword remained clenched in one skeletal hand.

General Arcturus Vale.

For a moment, Kael simply stared. In his previous life, he had heard countless stories about the man, yet standing before him now felt entirely different.

The skeleton looked less like a corpse and more like a ruler patiently waiting for someone worthy to arrive.

Then the mechanical voice returned and announced, “Final Trial Activated; To Inherit the Legacy of Arcturus Vale, the Candidate Must Prove Mastery of Command.”

The chamber trembled.

Blue light spread across the floor. Suddenly dozens of spectral soldiers materialized throughout the hall.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

There were too many, at least two hundred.

Another notification appeared and it read: "Restriction Applied; Magic Disabled; Physical Enhancement Disabled; Direct Combat Prohibited; Victory Condition: Command and Conquer. "

Kael almost laughed.

Of course, Arcturus Vale had never been famous for personal strength. He became a legend because of his strategic genius.

This trial wasn’t testing power, it was testing leadership. The spectral soldiers immediately began moving and Kael quickly studied the battlefield.

The enemy forces occupied higher ground, their formations protecting every possible approach so thoroughly that a frontal assault would have been suicide, and while most people would have panicked or failed, Kael was not most people.

He had spent decades commanding armies larger than entire kingdoms.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the supply routes, terrain, defensive weaknesses, and possible escape points, and within seconds everything became clear to him, drawing a faint smile to his face because the battle had already been decided long before the first move was made, and the next hour passed in a blur.

Kael repositioned friendly units, baited enemy forces into overextending, isolated key commanders, and systematically dismantled the opposing formation piece by piece.

Not through strength or luck but through strategy.

Every decision forced the enemy into a worse position. Every retreat became a trap. Every sacrifice created an opportunity.

The outcome became inevitable. The final enemy commander fell and silence returned to the chamber.

Then the mechanical voice echoed once more and announced, “Trial Complete; Candidate Evaluation: Exceptional; Legacy Inheritance Approved.” Golden light erupted throughout the hall as notifications flooded Kael’s vision, displaying, “Commander Class Unlocked; Tactical Insight Skill Acquired; Legendary Recruitment Token Obtained; Ancient War Manual Obtained.”

A surge of information flooded Kael’s mind, bringing with it battlefield analysis, command techniques, formation mastery, and decades of military knowledge left behind by Arcturus Vale himself, causing him to exhale slowly as he realized the rewards had far exceeded his expectations.

Most importantly, he now possessed the foundation needed to begin changing the future.

The blue light gradually faded, the trial was over. Without wasting time, Kael turned and headed toward the exit.

The village still needed to be saved. Gareth still needed to be saved.

The moment he stepped outside, however, his footsteps stopped. Voices echoed through the forest.

Men.

Armed men.

Kael immediately slipped behind a tree and studied the newcomers.

There were twelve of them dressed in worn leather armor and carrying rusty weapons, their scarred faces making their identity obvious at a glance, and Kael’s expression darkened the moment his eyes landed on their leader.

A large man with a crooked nose, a jagged scar across his cheek, and cruel eyes that Kael recognized instantly.

Garrick Thorn.

Hatred surged through him so suddenly that his hands clenched into fists. Thirty-five years later, Garrick would become one of the most feared bandit kings in the region.

But Kael remembered him for a different reason.

He remembered the burning houses, the screams, and the blood staining the streets, remembered arriving too late to save Gareth, and most of all, he remembered the man responsible for it all.

Garrick.

The bastard standing less than twenty paces away. The bandit leader finally noticed him.

A greedy smile spread across his face. His gaze flickered toward the cave entrance before returning to Kael.

Slowly, Garrick drew his sword.

“Well now,” he said with a chuckle, “looks like we found ourselves a lucky little rat.”

The other bandits laughed.

Garrick pointed his blade directly at Kael. “Boy, hand over whatever you found inside.”

Kael stared at him.