I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

Later, based on Xavier and Hitis's supplementary explanations of the situation at the scene, Zod finally understood what had happened after he fell into a coma.

In other words, Zod faced an enemy five times his size from the very beginning when he launched the surprise attack on Clock Tower.

Moreover, the original commander of the Holy Kingdom's garrison in Clock Tower Town was not the dangerous "Executioner" Barnes.

The Holy Kingdom's reinforcements that Zod encountered were not heading to Clock Tower Town from the very beginning, but to Cannon Fortress.

Then, because the army was not originally there to support Clock Tower, Zod was forced into a desperate situation and launched an attack on the defenders of Clock Tower.

In his desperate struggle to survive, Zod defied the odds and even defeated Barnes, an officer of the Holy Kingdom known as "The Executioner."

The death of "Executioner" Barnes indirectly led Captain Curtis, who was originally rushing to the aid of the Giant Cannon Fortress, to turn around and rush to the aid of Clock Tower Town to relieve the immediate crisis.

Because Captain Curtis's original plans were disrupted, the giant cannon fortress was indirectly destroyed by the special forces of the "Imperial Blade" legion.

Zod's desperate act of survival had a domino effect, directly impacting the entire battlefield situation.

From God's perspective, the entire battlefield, centered around "Clock Tower Town - Cannon Fortress," is undergoing significant changes, almost imperceptibly, all thanks to Zod's decisions.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Zod alone changed the course of the entire battlefield.

"Ugh... this is really bad." Zod's eyes darted around.

At the beginning, Zod's performance of requesting to resign from his lieutenant position due to mission failure was actually seen as a sign of humility.

Then, due to his military achievements, Zod will inevitably come into Colonel Xavier's sights.

From now on, this old scoundrel will surely assign Zod any difficult tasks he can find.

The problem is that Zod considers himself a slacker, and he doesn't have much real strength to back him up.

What will Zod do when faced with an even more dangerous mission than this one?

Are we going to risk our lives to pay for it?

That's impossible.

The situation couldn't get any worse.

"Lieutenant Zod, what's wrong? Why are you sweating?" Xavier stroked his chin. "The temperature isn't even that hot today!"

Zod then realized what was happening. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and found that his entire hand was wet.

I was so engrossed in thinking about it, especially about how bleak my future looked.

Zod broke out in a cold sweat.

He wanted to come up with any excuse to get by.

But Warrant Officer Hitis walked up to Zod, bent down, and examined him closely: "Lieutenant Zod is clearly not fully recovered; he probably still has a fever!"

Then, she touched Zod's forehead with her hand, but could not sense any signs of a high fever.

"Wait, Colonel Xavier, what did you just say?" Zod snapped out of his daze and asked Xavier, "What do you mean the Holy Kingdom's intelligence agency is currently updating my information?"

He had a very bad feeling that this might be a sign that he would be targeted by the Holy Kingdom.

Colonel Xavier put his hands behind his back and ordered Hitis and Cassius, "Warrant Lieutenant Hitis, and... Sergeant Major."

He tried to call Cassius's name, but couldn't remember it at all: "You two go down first! I have something to discuss with Lieutenant Zod."

"Then we'll be going now. Lieutenant Zod, please make sure you recover as soon as possible."

Hitis gave Zod a slight smile, then turned and left the ward with Cassius.

Now, only Colonel Xavier, Captain Spent, and Zod, who was lying in bed, remained in the ward.

Colonel Xavier's expression was calm and composed, but his tone was serious: "That's because the Holy Kingdom establishes special intelligence files on enemies they consider threatening and highly uncertain, in order to facilitate the development of targeted operational plans against them in the future."

"Our empire's intelligence agencies also collect information on potentially threatening enemies and then create specialized intelligence files."

"This is also seen as a soldier's honor, proving that you are an existence that cannot be ignored in the eyes of the Holy Kingdom."

"I know you don't care about the Holy Kingdom's opinion, and you might even feel a little excited and thrilled."

Xavier knew this young man all too well; he was clearly a fearless man who valued honor and dignity above all else.

Zod had just joined the "Imperial Blade" legion when he single-handedly defeated Lieutenant Barnes of the Holy Kingdom.

It's truly amazing! Such a young man has a limitless future ahead of him!

"No... I still care!"

Zod muttered something under his breath, but inside he was already panicking.

What's going on? They're getting more and more outrageous.

In Xavier's eyes, he seemed to have become a promising young officer.

In the eyes of the Holy Kingdom, after the surprise attack on Bell Tower Town, he also came into the Holy Kingdom's sights and became their mortal enemy.

The future looks bleak!

There is no light to be seen.

Colonel Xavier seemed to sense Zod's worry and patted him on the shoulder: "You don't need to worry too much. We have corresponding measures to forge you into a stronger soldier."

"What countermeasure?" Zod was stunned for a moment.

"And that's my gift to you." Xavier kept him in suspense: "Have you ever heard of the 'Hakuja'?"

"The Hells?" What is that? Zod shook his head.

At this moment, Captain Spent, who had been silent all along, finally spoke: "'Hercules' literally means a person of great renown or nobility."

"Simply put, a 'Kakuja' is a superhuman who surpasses ordinary people."

"Only those who reach the level of a Hekage can be considered true 'superhumans' and are qualified to sit at the game table and participate in the game of this world."

"You should also know that, whether it is the army of our empire or the army of the Holy Kingdom, military ranks are actually linked to individual strength."

"Besides merit, which is an important influencing factor, generally speaking, the higher the military rank, the stronger the military strength."

Captain Spent's lips curled into a mysterious smile: "Therefore, if you want to be promoted to lieutenant, you'll need to acquire strength equivalent to a first-level 'Hakuja'."

Zod asked curiously, "How did you acquire strength equivalent to a Level 1 'Hakuja'?"

If he could become the "Haku" that Captain Spinter mentioned, he should be able to greatly improve his chances of survival in this world.

As long as that damned popularity system remains bound to him, and as long as he remains in the Imperial Blade Corps, his danger will not be over.

Enhancing his strength is essential for him.

"You need special training from the Empire to unlock your potential." Captain Spent crossed his arms. "I heard you defeated Lieutenant Barnes of the Holy Kingdom?"

Zod hesitated briefly, then nodded: "Hmm, does that mean my strength has reached the equivalent of a Level 1 Kakuzan?"

"No," Captain Spent said bluntly, "If a gorilla kills a human with brute force or a sneak attack, would you say that gorilla has completely surpassed humanity?"

"The 'Hakuja' seeks to have more precise control over their body and to tap into their potential."