O'Neil and Rosen looked stunned. The Ork had actually proposed a prisoner exchange. The two sides had been in contact before, but this was their first time having a conversation like this.

“Sky,” the Ork said, pointing upward. “Sun, rise, then…” It pointed north of the lake. “Lake, that side, clearing. Exchange.”

It spoke human language very haltingly, practically forcing words together. It was clear this Ork warrior had worked hard to learn, but it hadn’t quite mastered the language. Once it had delivered its message, the Ork warrior disappeared into the night. Darkness finally settled in completely. Now it was our turn to decide what to do.

The camp erupted into heated discussion. Luka was especially worked up. She argued loudly, trying to convince everyone to go rescue the captives. I was afraid my dear bestie would sneak off alone that night and try to play the hero. This sort of thing was better left to the professionals. So I gently stroked the ring on my finger, and Pandora’s phantom immediately appeared beside the campfire.

“What are your orders, my lord?”

“Pandora…” Whenever I faced her, I was always on edge. “How is Astaroth doing?”

“Based on your current mana reserves, it can operate for 284 minutes.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” I thought for a moment. “Is there a way to track the Ork that just left camp?”

“The Sky Eye Drone is available.”

“Drone?”

“No, I meant… golem.”

“Wait, I heard you say ‘drone.’”

“My lord, you must have misheard.”

Pandora coughed. Her wavering gaze made it seem like she was hiding something. The word “drone” definitely came from Earth, where I was born. Both sides had made extensive use of drones in that war.

“Deploy the Sky Eye.”

“As you wish.”

Before the words had even left her mouth, a metal sphere about the size of a basketball appeared out of thin air. It seemed to have an anti-gravity module that formed a circular halo above its body. A large-aperture optical camera was mounted on the front, and its white-and-yellow paint job made it look like a giant cyberpunk eyeball. I never expected to see such high-tech equipment in a world of swords and magic. Was technology’s final destination really magic after all?

(System notification: “Intelligent Servant” detected. Connecting… Connection complete.)

The Sky Eye’s view appeared in my field of vision. I tried shifting my gaze, and it immediately turned to face the direction I wanted to look. I ordered it to climb higher. At the thought, the little thing shot up to the treetops with a whoosh. As I looked down over the forest shrouded in night, it suddenly seemed a little dark. The Sky Eye’s view immediately turned pale green, and everything became crystal clear. It even had night vision. What about infrared? The moment the thought occurred to me, the green image changed into a thermal map. I could see the campfires burning by the lake, as well as figures moving around in the camp.

This thing was seriously impressive. The only problem was that its white paint and the halo above its head made it far too conspicuous. At a thought, the Sky Eye Drone immediately vanished from sight, becoming an almost completely transparent Shadow.

Whoa. Optical camouflage? This thing was incredible!

“Track that Ork.”

The moment I gave the order, the Sky Eye sprang into action. The image in my vision began moving rapidly as the optical lens shifted focus, locking onto the glowing footprints in the forest. Its scanning system came online at once. After scanning the tracks, it began to follow them. Within minutes, the green figure running through the forest was marked with a bright red targeting box. The Sky Eye had found the Ork warrior who’d brought the message, and followed it north toward the Grey Snow Mountains.

Arguments drifted over from the campfire. Rosen and O'Neil seemed to disagree, but I had no intention of joining their discussion. I was planning to give everyone a huge surprise. I sat in the tent, pretending to rest with my eyes closed as I focused on controlling the Sky Eye. It followed the Ork warrior into the mountains, then climbed steadily up the slope. At an altitude of around 1,500 meters, I spotted a settlement. A red-painted totem stood in the clearing at its center, while rough-hewn houses were scattered across the mountainside. On the west side of the central plaza, I spotted several wooden cages. The hunters who’d gone north of the lake were locked inside, while some goblins nearby were butchering the deer they’d caught.

These people were less like hostages and more like livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

Besides that, the Sky Eye had spotted something else: a group of Ork warriors and a large number of goblins were preparing their weapons in the settlement. They were clearly getting ready for battle. It seemed the Orks had never intended to keep their agreement. They didn’t just want the wild boars we’d hunted during the day—they wanted to capture everyone and use us as food for the winter. These green-skinned creatures were cunning and underhanded. The one commanding them was an exceptionally powerful-looking Ork centurion. It stood a full three meters tall, wore a helmet decorated with bull horns, and had vivid red tattoos that stood out against its green skin.

Things weren’t looking good. If these monsters launched a night raid, they’d wipe out our camp in an instant. We might still have time to escape, but neither Rosen nor O'Neil was willing to abandon their captured comrades.

They didn’t understand war at all. Their indecision was going to get us all killed.

Luckily, we had a war expert here. I’d served the Human United Army for fifteen years and fought through almost the entire world war. No one understood war better than I did! Time to show you how the professionals handle things.

Once I’d made up my mind, I slipped quietly out of the camp.

The full moon hung overhead, and the stars glittered silently. Pale moonlight spilled across the still lake, scattering into rippling fragments of silver. I stood by the shore, raised my right hand, and activated the ring on my finger. “Appear! Magitek Machine God: Astaroth!”

A blue magic circle spread across the lake, and silver armor slowly rose from the void. Astaroth strode across the clear water and dropped to one knee before me, like a loyal knight kneeling before its princess to pay homage. A beam of light shot from the center of its helmet and enveloped me. When my vision cleared again, I was looking out over the night-shrouded forest through Astaroth’s electronic eyes.

I gently raised my right hand. Astaroth’s silver-armored mechanical hand made the same motion. It slowly clenched into a fist, then extended its fingers one by one, turning its palm with ease. I didn’t need a joystick or a command script. This Magitek Machine God perfectly mirrored my body’s movements. It had become my steel body, filling me with boundless courage.

“My lord,” Pandora’s phantom appeared on the right side of my vision. “All systems are operating normally. Based on your current mana reserves, your estimated combat time is 284 minutes. There’s no time to waste. Please begin combat operations as soon as possible.”

“Are you testing me, Pandora?”

Pandora looked at me and nodded gently.

“Let me make one thing clear: I hate war. I’m so sick of piloting mechs I could throw up.” I gazed at the mountains beneath the moonlight. “But with the enemy at our doorstep, I won’t run. If those monsters want war, then I’ll give them war.”

With the shriek of its jet engines, Astaroth soared into the sky and raced toward the distant mountains.