As the sounds of battle broke out, Barnett’s first bloody war had finally begun. The attackers on the battlefield came fully prepared, while the defenders were caught completely off guard—such a battle was doomed to be a one-sided massacre.

  The disorganized volley of fire arrows from Barnett’s 300 Nordic archers in this first round did little damage to the Viking warriors of the enemy tribe. Moreover, a heavy snowfall had just passed, leaving a bnket of white across the ground. Most of the fire arrows were extinguished the moment they hit the snowy earth. Coupled with the fact that this was the archers’ first time in battle, their aim was clearly poor and posed no real threat to the enemy. Hundreds of arrows whistled through the air, but their only real effect was visual intimidation.

  Seeing that the initial fire arrow volley had limited effect, Barnett decisively ordered the archers to switch to standard arrows and unleash another round. With their first attempt behind them, the archers’ second attack was visibly more effective—their aim improved considerably, and the results far surpassed the first. The warriors of the targeted Viking tribe watched helplessly as their comrades fell one by one; women and children screamed in panic and fled in all directions.

  Seizing the moment while the enemy camp was in complete chaos, Professor Barnett immediately commanded six hundred Viking soldiers to charge while the archers continued to provide covering fire from the rear. Barnett had previously issued orders: do not kill the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled among the enemy—capture them and bring them back to bolster the town’s popution. But for those enemy soldiers who resisted with weapons in hand, they were to be struck down with a single axe blow. Thus, the old and weak crouched and trembled on the ground, while the blood of the armed Viking warriors slowly dyed the white snow red.

  Although the enemy Viking warriors were caught off guard by Barnett’s surprise attack, their combat quality was not to be underestimated. Just moments earlier, the enemy warriors had been drinking and making merry. But the moment they heard the shouts and screams from outside, they immediately grabbed the axes nearby, knocking over wine bowls and stools, and dashed out of their homes with swift and decisive movements.

  Even so, their quick reaction couldn't make up for the gap in strength, and the outcome—defeat—remained unchanged.

  This tribe had fewer than a hundred formal Viking warriors. Among them, only a small elite were equipped with chainmail or hardened leather armor; the rest wore fur garments more suited to warmth than protection. When Barnett unched the raid, these scattered enemy warriors—spread across multiple houses—were caught completely off guard. Barnett employed the tactic of concentrating his forces to eliminate the enemy piece by piece, often surrounding and attacking each enemy warrior with seven, eight, or even more than ten men. The enemy tribe cked unified command, and they were outmatched in equipment, manpower, and tactical preparedness. They quickly descended into chaos, each fighting on their own.

  Barnett’s Viking soldiers followed traditional pirate warfare tactics: in raids, they focused overwhelming force on eliminating the enemy. After the surprise attack, the enemy tribe swiftly colpsed. Every resister was killed. The entire operation, from the start of the assault to withdrawal, sted about six hours. Since Barnett’s forces had unched the attack with preparation and intention, taking the enemy by surprise, only a dozen of his Viking soldiers were wounded—none killed. Aside from about twenty surviving, wounded young and able-bodied men who were captured, the rest of the enemy Viking warriors were wiped out. It was, in every sense, an easy battle and a simple victory.

  After the raid concluded, Barnett counted about 1,500 gold coins in loot, as well as a rge quantity of gold and silverware, food, dried meat, and strong liquor. His forces escorted roughly 900 prisoners—including the elderly, women, children, and some injured enemy young men—back to his own town.

  With a victorious first campaign, Barnett heard the familiar chime of the system prompt on the march home. The previously issued task to "conquer twelve surrounding Viking tribes" now had a bracket added after it: (1/12). A clear signal that one of the twelve missions had been completed. And right on cue, that voice Barnett had come to associate with forced friendliness and hidden malice—the system sprite—spoke again.

  “Heh, my friend, well done indeed. Who would’ve thought your very first battle would yield such results? Excellent command, sound tactics—you’ve got real potential. A bright future ahead.”

  Barnett was just about to respond to the praise when the system sprite, Kirby, chuckled and added with a teasing tone: “Did the blood and carnage on the battlefield scare you? Did the sight of enemy corpses make you nauseous? Did you feel sympathy for the wailing women and children?”

  “No,” Barnett replied crisply and without hesitation.

  As someone who had lived two lives, Barnett understood all too well the brutality of war. Wherever there is war, there will be blood and sacrifice. The bloodshed and deaths of a few safeguard the survival of the many. Tactical losses in localized conflicts create room to prevent total colpse. By exchanging short-term sacrifices for long-term strategic breathing space, the tribe gains continuity and room for growth. This was the road every conqueror had to walk.

  “Should I call you a cold-blooded maniac or a highly adaptive cockroach?” the system sprite mused.

  “Since I’ve come here, I have to adapt. Learn to let go, and it’s fine.” Barnett replied casually, riding along on horseback.

  Before the system sprite could answer, Barnett continued softly:

  “Suddenly transported to this pce, this era—no television, no internet, no phone. Even meals ck fvorful seasoning. And any moment, I could be killed. You tell me, do I even have a choice but to adapt quickly?”

  “….”

  The system sprite fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “Right, I do have something serious to tell you. And it’s good news.”

  “…Next time, just start with the important stuff, would you?” Barnett rolled his eyes.

  “Sorry, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind next time,” the system sprite replied with zero sincerity.

  “You do know you can exchange your remaining lifespan for gold coins, right?” the sprite continued.

  “Of course. One second of my life for one gold coin. Ten gold coins for one second of life. A life-draining deal I’ll never forget.”

  “What if I told you there’s a way to get gold coins without consuming your life?”

  “Then that’s something you should’ve told me first.” Barnett’s tone grew a bit angry, recalling how he had spent four thousand seconds of life at the beginning to form his personal guard unit.

  “Sorry, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind next time.”

  The system sprite still shamelessly repeated its empty promise.

  “Spit it out. What method lets me earn gold coins without costing my lifespan?” Barnett asked, still a bit annoyed.

  “It’s quite simple,” the sprite said nonchantly. “Just strip others of their life. In simple terms—kill people. A sin Viking warrior earns you three gold coins. A killed, non-warrior adult male earns you one gold coin. As for the elderly and children, two lives equal one coin. And even if you don’t do the killing yourself, anyone your subordinates kill still counts for you.”

  “Earning gold through killing—are you the devil?” Barnett asked, then paused and added, “Actually, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

  Because Barnett understood that in this chaotic era, war and death happened every day. The nd reeked of blood. Life might be the cheapest commodity of all. So why not convert those worthless lives into something valuable for him? Why not turn discarded lives into gold?

  “Huh? You’re not shocked? Not scared? Aren’t you going to ask what my true intentions are, what I want to do to you?” the sprite asked, half-pyful, half-incredulous.

  “I’ve already adapted to this pce, this time, and this way of life. It’s kill or be killed. For someone who could die at any moment, everything else becomes secondary. If I can live, what’s wrong with killing a few more?”

  “I see. Looks like you’ve truly adapted,” the system sprite said.

  “So, can the people my army killed earlier be converted into coins?” Barnett asked.

  “Haha, my friend, rest assured. The great Kirby has calcuted everything for you. You killed eighty-five Viking warriors, fifty-four ordinary able-bodied men, and sixteen of the elderly, weak, and sick. That’s a total of three hundred and fifteen gold coins.”

  “As expected.” Barnett thought to himself. Moments ter, a system interface popped up before him. Sure enough, there was a notification: “Congratutions, you’ve earned 315 gold coins.” He had seen it earlier but hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

  Now that Barnett knew he could earn coins by killing, he never again worried about where his next gold piece would come from. So, he no longer hesitated when it came to spending them.

  “Exchange for Intermediate Body Enhancement and Intermediate Cold Resistance.”

  “Eh? That’ll cost eighty-five coins, you know,” the sprite replied.

  “No problem. I’ll earn more coins soon.”

  Barnett had accepted the mission to conquer twelve Viking tribes, and with only one down, eleven remained. Conquest inevitably meant more killing, and killing meant more gold coins.

  “Professor Barnett, you really are brilliant.” If the system sprite had a body, it would be grinning from ear to ear.

  “So this is your real reason for sending me to this era? To conquer, invade, and kill?” Barnett suddenly asked while the sprite was still chuckling.

  “Of course not! That’s just a side task from the system. You’ll receive many more tasks in the future. It has nothing to do with your time travel.” The sprite’s reply carried a hint of guilt.

  “Is that so?” Seeing that his probing yielded no results, Barnett wasn’t disappointed. He figured the system sprite had become more guarded, and further questioning would reveal nothing.

  At that moment, the Intermediate Body Enhancement and Cold Resistance upgrades had been successfully redeemed. The North’s icy wind and snow brushed against Professor Barnett’s body—but now, he barely felt the cold.

  Barnett continued riding forward at a leisurely pace. Dusk gradually approached, and suddenly, a Viking soldier in the ranks pointed toward the northern sky and shouted, “Look! Red aurora!”

  Everyone looked up to see dark red light bands rolling across the horizon, stretching like blood-soaked fabric, gradually covering most of the night sky…