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Barbarian Conquest was all about gathering and summoning troops, after all. While one could specialize in developing their village, summoning troops to bolster unit numbers remained a core part of the game.
In the game, this was done using gathered resources through various mechanics. In this world, however, I could achieve it through the Soul Orb and Soul Points, a completely new method that, honestly, made things far easier.
Every faction and clan possessed unique summons, and depending on specific conditions—such as special facilities, churches, or guardian deities—what could be summoned varied greatly. Still, the Summoning Ability remained essential for any meaningful progression.
Now that this was real life, it continued to be essential. Our small village stood no chance of fighting and surviving against so many orcs on our own. Even after two months of fervent training and preparation, I still believed they could overwhelm us.
"Summoning? Right, there's that sanctuary, but… you can summon troops? Warriors that would help us?" asked one of the elders.
"I can," I nodded. "I'll need Soul Points. So far I have around two thousand, but I've spent most of them building everything. We need to hunt more monsters. Or rather, I need to hunt them…"
"Hm, how many do you need to hunt?" asked Solveig.
"A few hundred monsters would do, but the more the better, right?" I replied. "Though the troops I summon may also require food depending on what they are. At the same time, we'll need to expand our farms… And I'll definitely need more barracks. For all that, I must go somewhere with a large concentration of monsters and hunt them down."
"Hmm, I see," my grandfather nodded. "You could return to the Spirit Root Dungeon. How about it? Maybe with the same team?"
"It's too soon," I said. "That dungeon is still recovering from the damage we caused. It might take half a year to fully recover, not enough time. I think I'll head to the swamp instead. Now that it's winter, the entrance should be frozen and more accessible. The monsters inside will likely be hibernating or weakened."
"So another trip…" sighed my father. "Just when you made it back…"
"Wait, can't we go with you this time?" my mother asked.
"Yeah!" my brother nodded eagerly. "There's no need for you to go alone. The village is strong enough to take care of itself while we're gone."
"I will make sure to take care of things here and report to you if anything happens," said Grandpa. "You said the orcs are coming in two months, right? As long as you don't take too long, we can manage."
"Yeah, but don't we need to start the training regime first?" asked my sister. "We can't leave until that's done."
"Not wrong," I nodded. "And who's going to take care of little Krarlak while we're gone?"
"We'll bring him along," said my brother. "We'll just put him in warm clothes and use some magic to keep him comfortable. His people live around here, so they must be somewhat resistant to the cold, right?"
"Hm, I suppose…" I nodded. "Alright then. We cannot take longer than a week on this trip—any more would be wasting precious time. We'll leave in two days. First, we need to gather everyone, give them instructions, and make preparations. I'll also learn Forging and Alchemy and craft a few things for ourselves… and a friend. I owe him something."
"Hahaha, look at you already taking charge of everything," laughed my grandfather. "It's incredible for someone your age to be this emotionally mature."
"It's not completely rare for genius children to appear now and then," Great Grandma said. "They usually belong to a special kind of people who retain some memories from their previous lives. Brunhild, are you such a person?"
"Eh? Me?" I asked, surprised. "Um… well… Maybe? I… kind of remember some things."
"So she is…" she nodded.
"Why didn't you tell us?" my father asked.
"I didn't think it was that important…" I shrugged.
"Well, it is!" said my mother. "No wonder you're such a brilliant kid!"
"Aw, that's enough, Mom," I said. "I can't take too many compliments… Anyway, let's stop wasting time and get to work."
After that, we all set about our tasks. With the elders' help, we gathered the entire village and revealed the dream to them. Reactions were mixed, but to my relief, far more people accepted it than I had expected.
"We just have to grow stronger!"
"We cannot abandon the village now!"
"We've built a real community here… our home is here now!"
"After Brunhild worked so hard to make this place comfortable, we can't leave!"
"We'll fight!"
"We'll beat those damn orcs!"
"YEAAAH!"
Before my eyes, everyone began cheering and roaring together. They raised their weapons and shields, striking them against one another and filling the air with loud metallic clashes.
"Thank you, everyone!" I said with a wide smile. "There are many things we must do to face such a great threat… so please, listen carefully!"
I explained our plans to the gathered villagers. My grandfather and the elders added their own ideas, quickly shaping them into a solid strategy.
"First of all, even if you don't fully believe yet, you will all visit the churches of the gods and spirits. Leave offerings and offer sincere prayers to our two guardian deities and the spirits. Your sincerity alone will be enough for the gods to grant blessings that will accelerate your growth.
Second, you will each offer one of the small spirit stones we'll distribute. Every offering to the spirit altars may earn you a blessing, or—if you're very lucky—even your own spirit familiar.
Third, once that is complete, we will divide into three groups.
Warriors will train with my grandfather, the chief, and me in the barracks. Magicians will train with Ylva and the elders, learning as many spells as possible. We will also provide Magic Rings, Bracelets, and other items to expand your mana pools.
Finally, the crafters, blacksmiths, and alchemists will work together to produce the best equipment and supplies we need for battle. Your task is to craft and master your abilities to their limits. It will be demanding—we'll need you working from dawn until nightfall.
Don't worry about food. A team of grannies will cook for the entire village, and meals will be delivered straight to your training areas to save time!"
The instructions were clear. Everyone listened with furrowed brows. A few looked annoyed by the intensity, but the more passionate villagers quickly pressured them into acceptance.
"Alright everyone, here—please take your spirit stones," I said. "Three for each! They're small but valuable to the gods and spirits. Offer one to each altar, take your turn, and don't break the line."
Though many had been reluctant to pray at the beginning, desperation had changed everything. I prayed first to the gods and spirits—especially to Ignatius—offering spirit beast corpses I had stored from the Spirit Root Dungeon. After begging them to help all those who came with sincere offerings, I hoped for the best.
One by one, from the oldest elder to the youngest child, everyone entered the churches and temples. They offered prayers and spirit stones. Each sincere offering made the statues glow, granting a small blessing as they absorbed the stones.
This continued until even the most stubborn villagers realized it truly worked and prayed with genuine feeling. The entire process took the full day. While everyone else participated, I worked in the Old Forge, polishing my forging skills by crafting a sword alongside my friends Ulf, Kara, Sigrid, and Master Blacksmith Viggo.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
Using my Divine Weapon in the shape of a hammer proved perfect for crafting. With Viggo guiding my hands, I combined my perception, aura abilities, and Spiritualization to rapidly shape the metal into exactly what I envisioned.
"It's incredible, Brunhild! To think someone in this village would surpass me so quickly!" Viggo laughed. "Your forging skills are already top-notch!"
"I'm still learning, Master Viggo!" I replied. "I'm just using my Skills to speed things up a little."
Thanks to those powerful skills, I could easily shape metal, infuse it with Magic Runes, and even create Circuits. I manipulated materials with my Spiritual Aura and imprinted them through Spiritualization.
The hammer-shaped Divine Weapon also infused any item I forged with divine power. Since yesterday, I had been mass-producing swords, lances, and hammers.
But today, I was crafting something special for a friend.
"Now, with Alchemy!" Sigrid said. "Synthesis!"
My friend helped infuse the finished swords with Spirit Core Dust and her own magic. One blade flowed with a cool blue aura.
"And some of our power too!" Kara and Ulf added, channeling their Fire Element into the second sword, turning it deep red with a blazing aura. "Synthesis!"
FLASH!
Both swords overflowed with distinct auras, yet they were linked by a divine thread bond, forming a single perfect set—a forever duo.
"It's done," I nodded. "I'll name them… for my friend. You're Lazuli, and you're Ruby."
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have successfully forged a Perfect [Dual Spirit Blades of Frost and Flame (C+ Grade)]!]
[Because you've used your Divine Power to grant the weapons names, their ranks have risen to B Grade, drastically increasing their Elemental and Magical Power.]
[You have earned 10000 Alchemy Proficiency.]
[You have earned 10000 Blacksmithing Proficiency.]
[Your Crafting Skill: [Alchemy – Tier 1: Level 4/10] has leveled up to Level 5!]
[Your Crafting Skill: [Synthesis – Tier 1: Level 3/10] has leveled up to Level 4!]
[Your Crafting Skill: [Blacksmithing – Tier 1: Level 4/10] has leveled up to Level 5!]
[Your Crafting Skill: [Forging – Tier 1: Level 3/10] has leveled up to Level 4!]
Having worked nonstop on Alchemy and Blacksmithing for the past week, pushing myself to learn and master them, I had advanced rapidly. The result was this remarkable B-rank dual sword set—the strongest weapon I had ever created.
"It's amazing!" Sigrid exclaimed. "Who is this friend you're talking about, Brun?"
"Oh! Is it for Veldr?!" asked Ulf. "I know it's for him—he's the dual wielder of the tribe."
"You bet!" Kara said. "I bet Brun has a crush on him~ Do you want him to be your husband or something? You're still too young!"
"W-What?! That's not true, right?!" Sigrid asked angrily, clearly shocked.
"That's nonsense. I don't like Veldr that way," I laughed. "I just see him as a friend, and I promised I would make him a good weapon after taking this axe." I showed them the Hydra Axe.
"Ah, he's here already," said Master Viggo. "Veldr! Come here, boy."
"Tsk, what is it, old man?" Veldr walked over, greeting me and noticing my friends. "Wait, who are these pipsqueaks?"
"Who are you calling pipsqueaks?!" Sigrid snapped. "Hmph! Brun, why are you even friends with him?!"
"Sigrid, don't get jealous. You know we went on a trip together with Ylva and Ivar," I said. "Veldr, here!"
"Huh—What?!" he gasped as I handed him the two swords. "What the hell is this?!"
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