Some readers have raised concerns that the combat power balance in the story has collapsed. However, that's not quite the case.
Because this is a system-based story, I didn't explain certain default "cheats" in detail, assuming most readers would be familiar with them. It turns out, some readers genuinely misunderstood. So, let's clarify.
For ordinary people, their physical condition fluctuates with their health and mental state. If someone has a cold or diarrhea, they're obviously weaker than they would be in peak condition. Take Khal Drogo, for example—after his wound became infected, he was eventually so weakened he couldn't even sit a horse, let alone fight. At that point, even an average man might have had a chance against him.
But the protagonist of this story is fundamentally different.
The system panel attributes are fixed, which means that in theory, the protagonist is always in peak physical condition. This is an important distinction and where some confusion begins.
Now, the obvious questions arise:
—If a battle lasts a long time, will the protagonist weaken due to stamina loss?
—If he's injured, does his combat effectiveness drop?
—If it does drop, does the system panel still apply?
After testing by many system-style stories over time, a general convention has emerged: The protagonist's strength does not decrease over time, or else the story becomes clunky and unpleasant.
In other words, there's a default assumption of infinite stamina. This helps prevent logical inconsistencies and pacing issues.
To use a metaphor: in Mount & Blade, if your health bar is full, you can gallop into a crowd of soldiers and take them down one by one. The same principle applies here.
For injuries, there's also an assumed "lock HP" cheat: minor injuries don't affect combat performance at all.
As for severe wounds, those are usually off-limits—unless the plot demands it. And if it does, then yes, the panel stats are suspended or overridden for dramatic effect. Plot armor yields only to the plot.
Thus, under these conventions, the protagonist functions like a nuclear-powered humanoid machine—endless stamina, impervious to light injuries, and able to sustain long battles.
A normal soldier might collapse after killing a few opponents, but our protagonist can keep going indefinitely. This explains why he was able to overwhelm 300 enemies—not all of whom died, mind you. Around 200 were simply critically wounded. Given the hot and humid weather in the Riverlands, and the lack of medical treatment, even small wounds can be fatal.
When the Northern Wolfswood army heads south, summer is ending and autumn is nearing. However, in the current point of the story, the intense summer heat still lingers. The setting plays a key role in the high casualty rate.
Now let's talk about medical care in Game of Thrones. In Westeros, doctors are scarce. Each castle has a maester, who functions as a scholar, doctor, and advisor. But beyond that, medical knowledge is rudimentary. Most injuries are treated with milk of the poppy, and many wounds are deemed untreatable. The standard process is: if the injury is too severe, the patient is given milk of the poppy to die painlessly. That's it.
Another reader concern: if the protagonist wields Dawn, shouldn't he be unbeatable? But remember: Dawn is a sword. It's a knight's weapon. Against heavily armored soldiers, swords are less effective than blunt weapons. The so-called "ironclad soldiers" used by the horse kings are fully suited in heavy plate.
In the show, armor design is inconsistent. Robb Stark, King in the North, doesn't even wear greaves or armored boots in some scenes. That's historically inaccurate—no noble general would go without full protection. But that's HBO's take.
In reality, hammers and maces are far more effective against plate armor. Consider this example: in the Tourney of Harrenhal in 281 AC, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen defeated Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Barristan Selmy to win the tournament. Yet two years later, at the Battle of the Trident, Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar with a warhammer, shattering his armor at the Ruby Ford.
On a battlefield, the ability to break armor defines a true warrior.
As for ranged weapons—longbows and regular arrows struggle to pierce plate armor. Crossbows are somewhat better, but not widely deployed. The only time we clearly see crossbows used in Game of Thrones is when Joffrey uses a handheld one for cruelty or execution—not in large-scale warfare.
Large siege crossbows, like the ones used to shoot at dragons later in the series, weren't deployed during the early timeline. Those weapons were rare, expensive, and ineffective against ground targets. In the pre-industrial world of Westeros, it's cheaper to send foot soldiers with swords and spears than to manufacture massive crossbow bolts that might only take down one or two enemies.
This reflects a world with low human rights and even lower medical standards. Life is cheap, and armies are expendable.
So in summary: the combat power hasn't collapsed. It's just following system logic mixed with Game of Thrones reality. If you still have questions, I welcome them—but rest assured, everything you see is intentional and consistent within the rules I've built.
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