Chapter 6: David
The camp was still in chaos.
Steel clashed against fang. Men shouted over each other. Screams mixed with growls as the fight dragged on with no clear end.
“There’s too many of them!” one man yelled. “We won’t make it!”
Away from the frontline, behind the ruined stone wall, Theo and Erika stayed low.
Theo—finally unchained—sat focused, his attention locked onto something only he could see. The notification from earlier. If there was anything useful, it would be there. His fingers moved through the air, tapping and swiping across an invisible interface.
Erika watched him for a moment, then her eyes widened.
“Gasp! Loot! Not only a failed necromancer, you’re also a failed Summoned Hero?!” she said.
“Yeah… now shut up and let me concentrate,” Theo replied flatly.
A new window unfolded in front of him. Clean, structured. But different.
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[ UNIQUE SKILL ]
POST-MORTEM REDISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
----------------------------------------
[ ERA ACCESS ]
Current Access : AGE OF ORIGINS
Next Access : ??? (Requirement: Lv 20)
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[ ALLOCATION BRANCHES ]
⚙️ Technology : (Locked)
→ Summon inventors, engineers, and thinkers
→ Efficiency, production, innovation
⚔️ Military : Lv 1
→ Summon generals, tacticians, and soldiers
→ Warfare, strategy, combat command
🏛️ Governance : (Locked)
→ Summon rulers, politicians, administrators
→ Economy, stability, policy control
🔒 ??? (Locked)
→ Requirement : Lv 40
----------------------------------------
[ ACTIVE CONTRACTS ]
- None
- None
- None
----------------------------------------
[ CONTROLLED TERRITORY ]
Numbers : 0
Populations : 0
Stability : N/A
----------------------------------------
Theo frowned.
“What’s this… Post-mortem? Age of Origins?” he muttered.
None of it made immediate sense. But he didn’t have time to figure it out.
“Hey, loot… you might want to use that now,” Erika said, her voice tighter this time.
Theo glanced past the wall. The situation had shifted, and it's not in their favor. The demon hounds were pushing forward relentlessly and currently winning.
Theo exhaled. No time to read, no time to think. Just choose.
His hand moved, and naturally he tapped—
Military.
The new window shifted as soon as Theo selected the branch.
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[ BRANCH : ⚔️ MILITARY ]
"Command those who once commanded."
Level : 1
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[ ERA : AGE OF ORIGINS ]
[ AVAILABLE ASSETS ]
→ David
Role : Soldier
Specialty : Decisive, Courage
Information : He who struck his enemies with faith, and distance
Requirement : None
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→ (???)
Role : (???)
Specialty : Defensive tactics, morale control
Information : He who won not by strength, but by speed
Requirement : Lv. 5
----------------------------------------
→ (???)
Role : (???)
Specialty : Last-stand tactics, unit bravery boost
Information : He who turned narrow passage into graveyard
Requirement : Lv. 10
----------------------------------------
→ (???)
Role : (???)
Specialty : Terrain manipulation, ambush warfare
Information : He who walked an army through the uncrossable
Requirement : Lv. 14
----------------------------------------
→ (???)
Role : (???)
Specialty : Large-scale warfare, political warfare
Information : He who rose through ranks, not by birth.
Requirement :
- Lv. 16
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[ ACTIVE CONTRACTS ]
- None
----------------------------------------
“David?” Theo muttered. “So I can only summon you, right?”
Without hesitation he tapped it.
Then—
A purple glow spread across his palm. Not bright, but glowing persistently. Theo turned his hand slightly, watching the light crawl along his skin.
“Whoa…”
“What exactly are you planning to do with that?” Erika asked, eyeing him warily.
Theo grinned.
“Summon help.”
He crouched slightly and shoved his glowing hand toward the ground.
“Come. David.”
“…”
A second passed.
Nothing.
Then another second.
Still nothing.
“I summon you! David!”
Silence.
Theo pulled his hand back, staring at it. The glow was still there. Unchanged but useless. Erika leaned in slightly, both of them now just staring at his hand.
Theo frowned. Then, experimentally, he pressed his glowing palm against his own chest.
Nothing.
He paused. Then slowly turned toward Erika, and reached out.
“Don’t you dare, loot!” Erika snapped, immediately covering herself.
But then, Theo ignored her. Because he had seen something else. A faint glow with the same color and same pulse. Coming from Dunley’s body.
Theo shifted his attention and stepped closer. Dunley lay face down, unmoving. Theo extended his hand carefully and touched the body.
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[ CONDITION MET ]
Post-Mortem Vessel Ready
Brain Status : Functional
Time Since Death : 00:05:12
Body Integrity: 82% (Repairable)
ASSESSMENT : Use Before Further Decay
EXECUTE: [ Y / N ]
----------------------------------------
Theo blinked.
“...Uhh. Yes?” he muttered, pressing Y.
Dunley’s body began to glow. Faint at first but then steadier. Theo and Erika watched and waiting.
Then—
“Gasp—! Holy hell!” Dunley shot upright.
“I’m alive again?! YEEEHAAAWWW!!”
Theo blinked and Erika blinked. Both of them just stared at Dunley.
The halfling looked back at them, chest puffed out, confidence radiating.
“Uh… Dunley?” Theo asked carefully.
“No, sir! Not Dunley—David,” he said proudly. “Beggin’ your pardon, sir, but are you the one who summoned me?”
“Yes…” Theo replied.
“Hot damn! So that system thing wasn’t lying,” David said, grinning. “Howdy! Pleasure to meet you, boss!”
“Hey, loot,” Erika said, eyes still locked on him. “Who’s this David?”
“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” David nodded politely, even tipping an imaginary cowboy hat. “Name’s David, son of Jesse. Shepherd by trade, aspiring musician on the side.”
Erika snapped.
“What?!”
She grabbed Theo’s face with both hands and forced him to look at her.
“You summoned a shepherd and a bard to help us?!”
“Yes, ma’am,” David replied, completely unfazed. “But that ain’t all. I also became a soldier. And a king. Folks started likin’ me after I took down a giant.”
Theo froze.
“…What?”
He stared at David.
“You’re THAT David? David and Goliath?”
“That’s right, boss!” David beamed. “Glad you recognize me.”
“Well… I’m not religious,” Theo muttered, “but I’m pretty sure billions of people know your name.”
David tilted his head.
“Huh. Why would folks need to be religious to know me?”
“Okay, this is not the time for introductions,” Erika cut in. “David, we have a situation.”
“Of course, ma’am. How can I help?”
“We have a wolf problem,” Theo said, pointing behind him.
“Wolves?” David nodded easily. “No problem. I’ve handled worse back in my shepherd days.”
He followed Theo’s finger.
He looked.
Then he paused.
In the distance, men were struggling against massive black hounds, each one the size of a horse, fangs like blades tearing through steel and flesh alike.
David went quiet for a moment.
“…Granted,” he said slowly, still smiling, “not wolves that size.”
Theo narrowed his eyes. “So? Can you help or not?”
“Hmm.”
David folded his arms, one hand coming up to his chin as he thought.
A few seconds passed... Then he smiled.
“I think I’ve got an idea.” He said, "I just need a scrap of cloth and some string"
---
A Few Moments Later
The fight was still raging. Steel clashed against fangs as the scavengers struggled to hold their ground. Their movements were slower now, breaths heavier, bodies clearly reaching their limits.
The demon hounds, on the other hand, showed no signs of slowing down. If anything, they were pressing harder.
“There’s too many—!”
Before the man could finish—
A rock slammed into a hound’s eye.
“WHIMPER—!”
The beast recoiled, shaking violently.
Another rock followed. Then another. Then several more in quick succession, pelting into the pack from behind. The formation faltered. Not broken, but disrupted. Some hounds hesitated, others stepping back as they tried to locate the source.
Confusion spread across the scavengers faces.
“HEEEYY!”
Erika’s voice rang out from the back.
“All of you, hold your ground!”
“Miss Erika?!” one of the men shouted, turning around. “Are you the one helping us?!”
They looked toward the ruins. Up on the broken stone structure, Erika stood high above them. Theo was beside her, hurriedly handing over rocks. And Dunley—
But…
They all notice something about him felt different. He was the one throwing them with a sling. Each rock flew with speed and precision, striking the hounds again and again.
“Yes! We’re helping you!” Erika shouted.
“Guys! The beautiful Miss Erika is helping us! She cares about us!” one of the men yelled.
“YEAAAH!” The others erupted into cheers.
“Now listen to me!” Erika continued. “We’ll keep them distracted while you run!”
“What?! Then what about you?!” someone shouted back.
Even in the dark, even from that distance, they could see her expression. Erika smiled. Soft. Gentle. Just fragile enough. With her eyes shimmered.
“Please…” she said quietly. “You can come back for me later. I’ll be safe up here.”
She lowered her gaze for a moment, letting the silence stretch just enough.
Then she looked back at them.
“I just don’t want anything to happen to any of you… my precious.” Fake tears rolled down her cheeks.
The effect was immediate.
“Miss Erika! We’ll come back for you!”
“Stay there! Don’t move!”
“We love you, Miss Erika!”
Their voices rose like a crowd sending off a beloved idol.
“Eww…” Theo muttered, his face twisting in disgust.
“Very effective, ma’am,” David said calmly, still slinging stones without missing a beat.
Then his tone shifted.
“Alright, all of you listen up!” Dunley shouted to the Scavengers.
The men turned toward him. They still seeing Dunley, but what they heard didn’t match his usual voice.
“Wait for my signal before you run.”
They stared at him, confused. Since when did Dunley sound like that?
“Dunley! You better keep Miss Erika safe until we come back!” one man shouted.
“That’s right! Or we’ll make you regret it even more than usual!” another added.
“My, my…” David muttered under his breath. “Seems the owner of this body was quite the chump.”
He didn’t stop slinging. Another stone flew, then another. Each throw landed with purpose, forcing the hounds to slow, to adjust, to give ground bit by bit.
The line shifted. Not enough to break them, but enough to control them.
“Get ready!” David called out.
His gaze narrowed, locking onto one target. The largest hound. Standing slightly behind the others. Watching and commanding.
The alpha.
David picked up another stone, spinning it for just a moment. Then he threw.
Whoosh—THUD
The alpha reacted, but not fast enough. The stone struck its neck. It staggered, letting out a sharp, pained growl as its posture broke for a split second.
That was enough.
“NOW! RUN!” David shouted.
“YES! RUN NOW!” Erika echoed immediately.