A soldier dies on the battlefield and wakes in an ancient kingdom, expecting glory, conquest, and the life of a legendary hero. Instead, he finds a collapsing shack, an empty grain jar, and a frail wife being bullied by powerful relatives. With winter approaching and starvation only days away, his dreams of ruling an empire must begin with something far more basic: surviving his first hunt. Armed with modern military knowledge and skills no ordinary villager possesses, he turns the wilderness into his first battlefield. Each animal he brings home gives him food, wealth, and influence—but his rise from penniless hunter may soon attract the attention of men who will not tolerate a commoner climbing toward the throne.
