CHAPTER 3 — THE LAND OF MANA
The waves retreated, leaving the shore glistening under the early morning sun.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
The Heavenly Demon Cavalry—the most feared war force in the Ironflame Continent
stood silently on the white sands of an unknown land.
Forests rustled with colors they had never seen.
The wind carried scents they could not name.
The sky felt… different.
Draven Kael stepped forward, boots sinking slightly into the soft earth.
This place did not feel like Ironflame at all nor any other continent in the map .
It felt alive.
A NEW LAND
"Secure the perimeter!" Draven ordered.
Twenty-five troop leaders saluted.
"YES, GENERAL!"
The men moved with practiced precision.
Dragonfang warhorses snorted as their riders began unloading supplies.
Ulghar Bronzeforge oversaw the construction of defensive stakes.
Seris Vaelwind's archers climbed trees and hills for vantage points.
Garruk hauled logs like toys and hammered them into barricades.
Within hours, a temporary fortress rose on the beach:
Tents aligned in military formation
Food crates, rope coils, medical kits, and smithing tools sorted
Watchtowers built from fast-cut timber
Dragonfangs tied in secure rows, snorting steam
Kaelis Drayden walked beside Draven.
"This land… it feels strange," he murmured.
Draven nodded silently.
He felt it too.
THE CHANGE
When the sun reached its peak, Draven suddenly staggered.
Kaelis grabbed his arm. "General?!"
But Draven lifted a hand. "I'm… fine."
No—he wasn't fine.
He felt stronger.
Not slightly.
Not gradually.
But explosively.
His muscles felt like molten iron being reforged.
His heartbeat thundered like a war drum.
His aura once forged only through harsh training and countless battles now pulsed like a living flame beneath his skin.
"What… is this sensation?"
Then he sensed something else.
All around him…
every soldier… every warhorse… every weapon…
They were changing.
Garruk cracked his knuckles and blinked. "General… I… feel like I could punch through a boulder."
Seris Vaelwind pulled the string of his bow.
It bent further than it ever had.
His eyes widened.
"My vision… it sharpened tenfold."
The Axe Twins flexed their arms, veins glowing faintly.
Kaelis Drayden exhaled.
"My sword arm feels… faster."
Even the Dragonfang warhorses pawed the earth, their muscles thicker, their breaths heavier, their eyes faintly glowing.
This world was touching them.
Changing them.
Draven feel like if its the current cavalry they can win against the empire
The viewers already know this truth:
This world is rich with mana.
Something Ironflame never had.
Their bodies refined through pure physical and aura training were reacting violently, greedily, instinctively…
Absorbing it.
But the soldiers had no name for what they felt.
Draven called out:
"Eron Veldrin!"
The top researcher of the dominion snapped to attention.
Ink-stained hands.
Sharp mind.
Unmatched in battlefield analysis.
"You will study this land. The air, the soil, the creatures everything."
Eron bowed. "I will begin immediately."
Draven then turned.
"Commander Ryven Torrhald! Forward."
A tall scout with eyes sharper than wolves and footsteps lighter than shadows stepped forward.
Known as the Wolf of Akshar.
A man who once hunted assassins through rainstorms using only sound.
"One of the best trackers of Akshar," Seris often said. "A man who can hear a falling leaf."
Ryven saluted. "General."
"You will lead a ten-man scout team into the forest. Identify food sources, water, terrain… and threats."
Ryven smiled.
"Understood. We'll clear a hundred miles by nightfall."
He mounted his Dragonfang.
"Move."
The scouting force vanished into the wilderness.
Hours later…
Ryven's unit pushed through a dense, vibrant jungle.
Strange trees hummed with golden veins.
Birds chirped with unnatural echoes.
The air tasted… rich, thick, and alive.
One soldier muttered, "Feels like the world's overflowing with energy…"
Ryven raised a hand—STOP.
A rustle.
Heavy steps.
The trees parted, and something massive stepped out.
A giant, horned creature.
Muscles like carved stone.
Eyes glowing red.
Veins bulging with primal rage.
To people in this world
this would be classified as a disastrous monster.
To Akshar's elite troops…
It was a cow.
A very ugly cow.
Ryven blinked once.
"…Is that a cow walking on two legs?"
Another soldier shrugged.
"Maybe this world's livestock evolved."
The "cow" roared, swinging a tree-sized club.
Ryven didn't even move.
He simply raised his arm.
THUD.
The club hit him.
Snapped.
Ryven looked at the broken wood.
"Hm. Cheap material."
The Minotaur froze.
Something in its instincts screamed
RUN.
This is not prey these are predators .
But too late.
One of the Axe Twins stepped forward and backhanded it.
BOOOOM!
The creature flew ten meters, rolling across the ground like a sack of grain.
Garruk walked over, looked down, and squinted.
"…It fainted."
Ryven sighed.
"Bring the cow. Maybe Eron can milk it."
A soldier poked the unconscious beast.
"Sir… it's huge. Will it fit in a carriage?"
Garruk lifted it with one hand.
"It fits."
Ryven nodded.
"Alright. Capture the cow. General Draven will want to see what livestock this world breeds."
The soldiers tied the Minotaur and dragged it behind a warhorse like a farmer hauling cattle.
When they returned to the beach fortress, soldiers gathered around the strange creature.
Seris tilted his head.
"…That cow looks unusually violent."
Kaelis crossed his arms.
"Better than Ironflame cattle. At least this one fights back."
Eron hurried over, eyes glowing with excitement.
"General, may I study this immediately?"
Draven approached.
He looked down at the unconscious Minotaur.
He turned toward the dark forest and mountains stretching beyond.
"Tonight," Draven declared,
"we learn about this world."
He lifted his hand, aura spreading like a storm.
"And tomorrow…"
His voice lowered, carrying the weight of a conqueror reborn.
"…we begin conquering it."
A aurafarming scene